FALL
2018
the bulletin
PERSPECTIVE
Stoneleigh-Burnham School
the bulletin F A L L 2018 Editors Hillary Hoffman, Director of Marketing & Communications Nicole Letourneau, Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications Design Peter Chilton, peterchilton.com Editorial Board Kathleen Tuck Fontaine ’83, Assistant Director of Development & Alumnae Relations Stephanie S. Luebbers, Head of School Susan Mattei, Director of Development & Alumnae Relations Sam Sattin Torres ’08, Development & Alumnae Relations Associate Contributors Kathleen Tuck Fontaine ’83, Assistant Director of Development & Alumnae Relations Nicole Letourneau, Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications Stephanie S. Luebbers, Head of School Susan Mattei, Director of Development & Alumnae Relations Photography Matthew Cavanaugh Paul Franz John Nordell P ’17 William Therrien, Assistant Dean for Community
Connect with SBS sbschool.org
Facebook facebook.com/sbschool facebook.com/stoneleighburnhamalumnae Instagram instagram.com/sbschool instagram.com/stoneleighburnhamalumnae Twitter @sbschoolorg
ABOVE: Nina Kauderer ’20, Kate Kowalyshyn ’20, and Joy Lundberg ’20 walk down the tree-lined driveway. Photo by John Nordell
Change of address? Email kfontaine@sbschool.org or http://www.sbschool.org/alumnae/update-contact-info/
in this issue: 3
4
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2018
Letter from the Head of School Magic, Mission, and Purpose
by Stephanie Luebbers
Head of School Profile Q&A with Stephanie Luebbers
Programs Spotlight Finding Her Voice
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Meet the Board of Trustees
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Annual Report to Donors
the bulletin F A L L
by Nicole Letourneau
11 Class Notes 15 Reunion 2018 16 In Memoriam 17 Coda
A poem by the Class of 1969
We’d like to know what you think! Do you have story ideas? Send comments on the Bulletin and story ideas to communications@sbschool.org
Stoneleigh-Burnham School
ABOVE: Dancers Jewels Hatchard ’19 and Breanna Ellison ’22 performed at the end-of-year concert in May 2018. Photo by Matthew Cavanaugh ON THE COVER: Head of School Stephanie Luebbers. Photo by Matthew Cavanaugh
574 Bernardston Road, Greenfield, MA 01301 413.774.2711 sbschool.org the bulletin is printed with vegetable based inks on 10% post-consumer recycled FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper.
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Anniversary Preview
150 Years of Girls’ Education
It's time to celebrate! Celebrating
Visit sbschool.org/150 • Enjoy photos from our archives • Help identify SPH, MAB, or SBS classmates and faculty Celebrating
150 Years of Girls’ Education
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Celebrating of Girls’ Educati
• Read and listen to memories from alumnae, faculty, and staff • Submit your own photos and memories
Celebrating
Celebrating
150 Years of Girls’ Education
150 Years of Girls’ Education
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Celebrating of Girls’ Educati
A Match 150 Years in the Making… Announcing the Stoneleigh-Burnham Trustees Match to Kick Off the 150th Anniversary. The first $150,000 we receive this year for the Annual Fund will be matched — dollar for dollar — doubling your gift.
Your Gift 150th Match
YOUR IMPACT ON STUDENTS
$100 $100 $200
YOUR GIFT WILL HELP A STUDENT: • • • •
Build confidence Become her best self Find her voice Gain an international perspective
Give online today at sbschool.org/donate 2
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Celebrating Years of Girls’ Education
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Celebrating of Girls’ Educat
the bulletin F A L L
Letter from the Head of School
2018
Magic, Mission, and Purpose By Stephanie Luebbers, Head of School
Dear Stoneleigh-Burnham, As SBS begins its 150th year of educating girls, I am honored to be the Head of School and to share with you my excitement about this passionate and vibrant community. The power of girls’ education is clear at Stoneleigh-Burnham. Throughout my transition, I have been shown that this is a school where students and faculty make trusting and meaningful relationships, where young women build confidence and leadership skills, and where the entire community supports the girls’ inherent strengths, while encouraging them to build new ones. Just before the start of the year, Mark and I were gardening around Coleman House, and our easy conversation drifted to my writing. As I reflect on my first weeks, there is much to write about. I could go on about our NEASC accreditation and the visiting team report that noted that there is a “magical quality” at SBS. I could write about the passionate and caring staff and faculty who serve the girls. I met with them individually over the course of the summer and early fall, and with every conversation, my belief in this community is reinforced. I might go into detail about how an administrator from a peer school is hoping to make inroads with us after our girls took the lead at a diversity conference last year and mightily impressed everyone who attended. I could write about the excitement the community is feeling about the sesquicentennial and how inspired I have been by the alumnae I have met and have learned of. Every one of the options I have listed is powerful, and Stoneleigh-Burnham School is decidedly a strong community. The magic
that exists, and it really does exist, is borne out every day in moments that create a mosaic of this incredible school. But to distill it just a little, allow me to share a brief story. So, let me tell you about Liv! Liv is a rising senior, and she is the first SBS community member I interacted with off campus after arriving on July 1. A bit disheveled and dazed from unpacking, and wearing chore clothes and a baseball cap, I was heading to the paint counter of the local hardware store when I heard my name. “Stephanie, how are you?” I turned and saw a young woman in her work uniform sporting a headset. “I’m Olivia,” she said. “I go to SBS and love it. I’m so glad you’re here.” That’s it; a teenager meets her new head of school at the hardware store. She recognizes her, has the confidence to say hi, and then asks how she can help. She didn’t watch from afar, wonder if she should interact, or hesitate in any way, and she wasn’t merely doing her job. She has her voice, her confidence, and her love of StoneleighBurnham School. I was new, but still an important part of her world, and she was eager to bring me in. I felt instantly connected and welcome. This eager, sincere sense of inclusion has played itself out with many, many alumnae and other current students. And, I believe that it is moments like mine with Liv, and many subsequent ones with others in the Stoneleigh-Burnham School community, that build the fabric of connection which makes it an energizing, enriching, and caring place for girls to grow. These moments span 149 years and are the foundation of its vibrant future.
Photo by Matthew Cavanaugh
Just prior to the opening of school, I met with student leadership, the OEKs and the RAs. Having arrived just the night before, these young women were bursting with energy, ready to start their year. They have big plans, and I know that they will have a positive impact on the community this year. School missions are wonderful statements about our purpose, why we do what we do. They are also aspirational. At StoneleighBurnham School, I can already see that we are meeting our mission in countless ways. Our girls are discovering their best selves and are intent on making a difference. Liv and the OEKS and RAs have ambitious goals for this year, but I know that they have already made a huge difference here and will have a beneficial impact on the world they meet outside our campus. I know this because I have met many StoneleighBurnham School alumnae, and it is clear that they have done the same. I am so grateful to be here and look forward to meeting everyone who cares about this magical school. Owls for Life,
Stephanie Read the full mission statement on page 8.
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Head of School Profile
with Head of School Stephanie Luebbers Shawn Durrett, Dean of Faculty and English teacher: Tell us about a favorite spot on campus so far.
SL: I have two favorite spots; I love the Diver Courtyard and the deck at Coleman House. Both spots are beautiful, remind me of the long history of SBS, and are places where the challenges of the day drift away. Kristen Mariotti, Director of Admissions: You have mentioned you love to bike. What is your favorite bike ride?
SL: Any mountain bike ride in the woods on a beautiful loamy trail would do! If you add a couple of friends to the ride, I would be seriously happy.
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Skye Evans ’24: What do you like to do in your spare time?
SL: If I don’t have a lot of time, I want to walk or run in the woods with our dog Penny or work on a puzzle for a few minutes. I’m looking forward to riding my mountain bike more and getting back on the ice! A lifelong knitter, I always have a few projects going, but these days I can go months without doing much on any project. Scott Gray, Athletic Director and math teacher: What was your favorite thing about being in high school?
SL: While I always liked being a student, what I loved most about high school was being with friends. I went to a large public
high school and school spirit was huge. Friday night hockey games at the Massena Arena were community events, and since I spent so much time at the rink for my own skating, the rink was a second home. When my skating coach let me ski and I didn’t have a training day, I loved being at Big Tupper where I would downhill ski with my high school buddies. Louisa Eskelson ’21: Which three items would you take on a deserted island?
SL: A picture of Mark and the boys, Jonas and Max, because they make me happy, even if I am not with them. A complete volume of Shakespeare’s writing because there are so many layers to his writing;
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2018
“Every step, especially the hardest ones, led me to SBS.” – Stephanie Luebbers I could read it for years. A fleece jacket, because, even in the tropics, I get cold.
Helen Xie ’21: What is your favorite word? And why?
Louisa Eskelson ’21: Could you tell us something about your year abroad in Sweden?
SL: My favorite word is actually two words: “river water.” I grew up on the St. Lawrence River and spent my childhood exploring our part of it. The river is miles wide and ships regularly pass by in the channel. Just thinking or saying “river water” brings me home.
SL: No other year of my life was more formative than my year in northern Sweden when I was a college junior. In Sweden, I found the courage to be my true self. At the end of the year, I backpacked through Sweden and Norway on my own. It was incredibly powerful and reinforced that I had learned to be both independent and brave. Sophie Reitz ’20: Who has been an inspiration since you were a child?
SL: Easy answer: My sister, Kate. Rumor has it that I hit a lot of developmental steps like walking and talking pretty early as I tried to keep up with Kate who is less than a year older than me. We were raised by parents who believed we could do anything we put our minds to. For Kate, that meant going to Brown where she studied computer science, applied math, and English literature; she’s a brilliant right- and left-brain thinker who had an impressive career in the tech industry, a place in which women are still underrepresented. While I have a sense of adventure, I admire that Kate is downright adventurous. She and I both agree that there’s no better afternoon than sitting together and talking or doing a jigsaw puzzle. She’s been there at my side being an anchor since we were toddlers.
Chenying (Aurola) Zhang ’21: What was your major in the university and how did you strive and finally become the head of the school?
SL: Though I went to college thinking I would be a biology major, I quickly became an English major. My mother’s sage advice was “to take a lot of different classes; when you find classes you love, take more of them!” At the end of college, I fell into teaching. There was nothing purposeful about it, but I was hooked from the moment I started. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I thought about being a head of school. Once I decided that being a head of school felt like the next step, I started reading a lot more about leadership and thinking about what my work would look like from the head of school’s office. The candidate’s experience in the head of school search process is intense, and I had the good fortune to move far along in multiple searches. While this took a lot
of work, I learned a lot about myself and headships and schools. Every step, especially the hardest ones, led me to SBS. Kathleen Tuck Fontaine ’83, Assistant Director of Development and Alumnae Relations: What did 10-year-old Stephanie want to be when she grew up?
SL: Ten-year-old Stephanie had no idea. At the end of college, she still had no idea. Having said that, I recently pulled out my yearbook from Sweden, and in it I said that I saw my future self sitting on a porch by my garden in an educational community. Ha! That came true! Photos by Matthew Cavanaugh
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Programs Spotlight
Finding Her Voice By Nicole Letourneau
When Beatrice Brynda ’20 first joined the Debate and Public Speaking Society in eighth grade, she had a lot of anxiety about speaking in public.
speaking wasn’t something that came naturally to me,” as Brynda said recently. “It was something I had to apply myself to get better at.”
“I felt like my face was going up in flames and my throat was closing up every time I had to talk in public,” said Brynda, now a junior.
Brynda’s journey from novice debater to competitor on the international stage illustrates Stoneleigh-Burnham’s mission in action.
There’s a distinct advantage to finding and using your voice in an all-girls’ educational setting, explains Admissions Director Kristen A. Mariotti, and it is among the things she enjoys talking about most when she visits with prospective students and their families.
Recalling her first debate tournament, she said she was “a total mess.” She lost. “But for some reason I came back and asked to be sent out again,” Brynda said recently. She practiced. She sought help from her teachers and debate coaches. She turned to more experienced students, who became her mentors. Brynda didn’t let an early failure stop her. She kept at it, and it paid off. In her sophomore year, she won her first public speaking award, tying for first place in Interpretive Reading at the Paul Bassett Public Speaking Tournament. The win gave her “an invincible confidence.” Next up, she’ll travel to Toronto this fall to compete at an international public speaking tournament. Grit, determination, and resilience gained through one of Stoneleigh-Burnham’s signature programs is now woven into Brynda’s whole school experience, helping her speak confidently in front of a group, compete in debate, perform in plays and concerts, participate in class discussions or make a presentation at Housemeeting. Watching her navigate her many roles at SBS you’d never know that, “Public
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Brynda has found her voice, as have countless other SBS students and alumnae. Our students have something to say and know they will be heard. They practice new skills in a nurturing environment with support that can help them turn failures into learning experiences and ultimately into successes.
Just before the opening of the school year, Head of School Stephanie S. Luebbers took a moment to read the school’s mission statement in full to all faculty, administrators, and staff assembled in the Capen Room. The mission states, “Stoneleigh-Burnham School is an academic community that fosters an international perspective. We inspire girls to pursue meaningful lives based on honor, respect, and intellectual curiosity. Each student is challenged to discover her best self and graduate with the confidence to think independently and act ethically, secure in the knowledge that her voice will be heard.”
“Students here have an incredible opportunity to build their self-confidence in adolescence,” Mariotti said. “The fact that we are all girls provides a unique environment. Students feel safe and supported while they learn about who they are and what they stand for, without typical societal pressures. And, they can use that confidence as a springboard to a life of feeling secure that their voice not only matters, but will be heard.” Another thing that sets StoneleighBurnham apart is that it is the first and only all girls’ school in New England to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. The IB curriculum encourages students to think and to draw connections across disciplines, not just memorize for a test. The IB fosters critical-thinking and teaches students to approach subjects with a sense of international-mindedness. Mary Pura ’13 was part of StoneleighBurnham’s first class of IB diploma candidates, all of whom succeeded in receiving their diplomas.
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“The IB was integral in shaping my quality of work at the undergrad level,” Pura said, a graduate of Mount Holyoke College. “The challenges of college didn’t seem so intimidating because I knew the skills the IB equipped me with would help me flourish. It made me a stronger writer, critical thinker, and a more engaged global citizen.” Pura recently completed a master’s degree in literature at The University of Edinburgh, where she also had the opportunity to bond with others who had completed the IB program from around the world. She plans to begin work on a PhD in the next two years. The IB is something that alumnae appreciate even if they weren’t IB students, says Kathleen Tuck Fontaine. A class of 1983 graduate, Fontaine is Assistant Director of Development and Alumnae Relations, and says alumnae love hearing from students about the IB and the school’s other signature programs during panel discussions at Reunion each year. “The IB is a bragging point for alumnae,” she said. “It speaks to them, and it sets us apart intellectually and academically, and they love that. They love seeing the opportunities that our current students have.” Mariotti also likes to point out how accessible the IB is at Stoneleigh-Burnham, in part because of its small class size and the mission-driven work of teachers and faculty. “Sometimes people are surprised when I say there’s a lot of access for kids to do
Clockwise from top: Beatrice Brynda ‘20 playing saxophone during Spring Family Weekend, with her debate and public speaking teammates, in the winter play “She Kills Monsters.” Photos by Paul Franz and Hank Mixsell
this, but the IB is something any kid at this school can do with the right support,” Mariotti said. Whether it’s through the IB, debate or any of the school’s other signature programs, the performing arts of theater, dance, and music, the equestrian program, or athletics, there are opportunities every day for students to take healthy risks, to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes in a small school with a nurturing environment, to communicate and to listen, to find their voice and become leaders.
the school year, Brynda was surprised to learn she had won a raffle. When her name was called, she smiled brightly, hopped up to her feet from her seat on the floor in the Capen Room, and strode up to the front of the room. Watching her move with confidence, you’d never know she had once felt anxiety at being the focal point in a crowded room. At the young age of 17, Stoneleigh-Burnham has made all the difference for her. “I feel like the capacity for me to be a strong speaker was always inside me,” she said. “I just needed the right people to uncover it.”
At a recent Housemeeting at the start of
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Admissions
Photo by Matthew Cavanaugh
DO YOU KNOW A
STONELEIGH-BURNHAM
GIRL?
You know the value of our equestrian, arts, debate and International Baccalaureate Diploma programs better than anyone. We’d love to hear if there are girls in your area looking for an unforgettable Stoneleigh-Burnham experience. Open Houses: Monday, October 8 Monday, November 12 Monday, January 21 Monday, April 15 To refer a prospective family, please contact the Admissions Office at 413.774.2711 x257 or admissions@sbschool.org
sbschool.org
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Stoneleigh-Burnham School Board of Trustees 2018 -2019 Lynn Schultz Kehoe ’77, Chair Dr. Mary Maloney ’69, Vice Chair Rich Hubbard P ’00, ’02, ’05, Secretary Annette Cazenave ’74, Treasurer Dr. John Barrengos Dr. Denise Bruner ’70 Anne Quantrell Dennen ’70 Jennifer Eremeeva P ’15 Sharon Lewis Gaffey ’68S Barbara Mayo Llewellyn ’69
Charlotte Newton ’71 Kathy Seyffer Opdycke ’70 Allison Porter ’89 Leslie Powers P ’15 Laura B. Richards ’60S Dr. Cheryl Richardson P ’18 Dr. Nathalie D. Rioux P ’18 Dorothy “Darcy” McCormick Tarbell ’70 Susannah Wells Kate Strousse ’13, Alumnae Board President, Ex-officio
OUR MISSION Stoneleigh-Burnham School is an academic community that fosters an international perspective. We inspire girls to pursue meaningful lives based on honor, respect and intellectual curiosity. Each student is challenged to discover her best self and graduate with confidence to think independently and act ethically, secure in the knowledge that her voice will be heard.
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You Made 2017-2018 an Amazing School Year ANNUAL REPORT TO DONORS GIFTS RECEIVED July 1, 2017- June 30, 2018
OUR DONORS
OPERATING SUPPORT
Annual Fund........................................................................... $387,227
RESTRICTED FOR PROGRAM
Non-budget relieving........................................................ $52,287
PLANNED GIVING Bequests......................................................................................$21,903 ENDOWMENT – RESTRICTED AND UNRESTRICTED
Endowed Funds – Including the Iampietro and Mixsell Scholarships................................. $242,390
FACILITIES AND CAPITAL PROJECTS
Equestrian Campaign.........................................................$27,909 Fitness Center and Geissler Gallery...................... $121,360
TOTAL REVENUE RECEIVED........................................................ $861,727
FRIENDS, FACULTY, STAFF, AND STUDENTS 2% MATCHING GIFT COMPANY 2% PAST PARENTS & GRANDPARENTS 2%
TRUSTEES AND EMERITI 28%
PAST FACULTY & STAFF 3% BUSINESSES 3% PAST TRUSTEES 4%
ALUMNAE 23% FOUNDATIONS 27%
CURRENT PARENTS & GRANDPARENTS 6%
GIVING BY CONSTITUENCY
REVOCABLE PLANNED GIFTS
For the Endowment.......................................................... $288,000
YOUR IMPACT IS GROWING
THE 1869 SOCIETY
STONELEIGH-BURNHAM ANNUAL FUND
$387,227
$400,000
$355,155
$350,000
$300,000 $288,634 $262,887
TOTAL MEMBERS
$250,000 2014-2015
1869 Society Gift Level Number of Category Members Legacy Circle........................ $100,000.........................................1 Leadership Circle.................. $50,000.........................................3 Head's Circle............................ $10,000...................................... 14 Trustee's Circle.......................... $5,000...................................... 18 Scholar's Circle.......................... $2,500...................................... 22 Faculty Circle.............................. $1,000...................................... 54
$326,652
2013-2014
Members of the 1869 Society demonstrate the power of leadership in the continuing development and growth of our all-girls’ school.
2015-2016
2016-2017
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2017-2018
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Alumnae Events
Save the Date!
Host your own SBS party! We can’t wait to start celebrating the Sesquicentennial with you. If you are interested in planning an alumnae gathering in your area, the Alumnae Relations Office and members of the Alumnae Board would love to assist you. Starting in January, StoneleighBurnham Party Kits are available. Confetti, brochures, Reunion 2019 information, cocktail napkins, Celebrating Yearsfavors and more! We will supply you with of Girls’ Education the perfect starter kit for your get together.
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For more information: Kathleen Tuck Fontaine ’83 Celebrating 150 Years of Girls’ Education 413.774.2711 x317
Celebrating Years of
150REUNION WEEKEND JOIN US FOR Girls’ CELEBRATING ALUMNAE AND THE Education SCHOOL’S 150TH ANNIVERSARY! Celebrating
150
Celebrating Years of Girls’ Education
alumnae@sbschool.org
150 Years of Girls’ Education
JUNE 7 - 9, 2019 Online registration will open in January. Celebrating Celebrating
Celebrating
150 Years of Girls’ Education
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Celebrating Years of Girls’ Education 10
150
Celebrating Years of Girls’ Education
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Years of
Years Girls’ For more information email:of alumnae@sbschool.org Education
or call Kathleen Tuck Girls’ Fontaine ’83 at 413.774.2711 x317
Education
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Class Notes
Anne Meservey ’66 MAB with her daughter, Maia D’Anna, who was married on August 30, 2017 to Jesus Mariscal at the Villa Borghese, Rome, Italy. Submit class notes and photos to alumnae@sbschool.org or at sbschool.org/alumnae/classnote. We want to hear the latest, as well as update your contact information. If you would like to request contact information for another alumnae, please call the Alumnae Relations Office at 413-774-2711 x317, or email alumnae@sbschool.org.
2018
always concerned about how I am doing, especially my daughter, Michelle, who lives close by. She has four children and is a busy lady. Her last son will be graduating next year. My son Marc has triplets who will be graduating in 2018, and Peter has one daughter who will be also graduating then. In 2018, I will have five grandkids graduating high school, unfortunately not from the same school. I now live in Pembroke with my high school sweetheart. His wife also passed away and we just renewed our friendship. My life is, most of the time, wonderful — all in all I am a very fortunate woman who has many leadership qualities. I am involved in floral design, serve as a flower show Master Judge, and am constantly doing designs for competition. I have a beautiful home and right now a yard that is not so beautiful, but it will be come summer. I am active at Lasell, enjoy going to meetings, and keeping myself involved. I am happy, have three wonderful grown children, eight grandchildren, a wonderful live-in friend, and am still driving!
1958 MAB
Owl icon denotes Class Notes are online only (not in print) at sbschool.org/alumnae.
1948 SPH
Jacqueline Paulding Hauser I have just looked over the latest Bulletin from SBS and thought to myself what a lucky girl I was to attend Stoneleigh-Prospect Hill School. It is my 70th anniversary — where has the time gone? I have had a rewarding life — now 87 years young, and still very active. I have slowed down but manage to keep up with my eight beautiful grandchildren. I remember vividly the day I approached my mother and asked, “Do you think I could go away to school next year?” Without hesitation the answer was, “Yes.” My father was a South Shore fisherman and I had just completed my sophomore year at high school. My mother got in touch with the school and I was accepted. The first day at Stoneleigh was an experience in itself! My best friend was already there and I was accepted immediately. First, I had a lesson
Jacqueline Paulding Hauser ’48 SPH
in speaking to lose the accent I never knew I had. My two years at Stoneleigh were just what I thought they would be. I had a single room right next to the nurse’s quarters, she became a friend also. At that time, Mrs. Emerson and her daughter were running the school along with Mrs. Lane. My best friend, Sally Hartwell Born ’48 SPH, lived across the hall. I grew up and became my true self due to my experience at private school. For the daughter of a wonderful family, I felt very proud of myself, and even managed to get a job that summer waitressing in a local coffee shop — you can imagine how my mother felt! My senior year was spent in a double with Sally. We both had a wonderful experience. Mrs. Proctor was our “house mother” and we tried hard to aggravate her, but to no avail. I remember talking to Mrs. Emerson during my senior year, she was interested in what my plans were. I had thought of a career in dentistry, but was too young to get into Forsyth. Her reply was, “Do not worry. I will work it out.” She thought Lasell Junior College would be the answer. I graduated with an associate’s degree and worked for a pediatric doctor at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston. I met and married George Hauser in 1954 and had three children. They are living in the area where I am now. My husband passed away in 2001, a great loss in my life. My children are
Mary A. Burnham Class of 1958 classmates celebrate their 60th Reunion in Lucca, Italy. L-R: Betsey Evans Paige, Linda Nims Weaver, Gail Benger Reifsnyder, Valerie Brenhouse Mace, Peggy Baxter Streeter and Lynn Dender Kelly.
1960 SPH
Head of School Stephanie Luebbers and Laura Richards ’60SPH visited this summer.
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1963 MAB
Sarah Turner and her husband, Jack Steen, are both retired corporate pilots living at Don Pedro Island, FL from November until April. Snowbirds and proud of it! Their first grandchild, Piper Elizabeth Steen, was born March 22, 2017 on her grandfather’s 65th birthday! Looks like she is following in her grandmother’s footsteps: airplane, backpack and phone! Sarah’s younger son, Kevin married Gretchen Valade on August 26, 2017.
Nine classmates from MAB Class of 1963 decided to celebrate their 55th anniversary of high school graduation with a weekend together in a condo in Ocean City, MD .
Front row L-R: Sally Wood Post, Bonnie Stutski, Marion Zeisel Iglecia, Ann Wynkoop. Back row L-R: Judi Whaland Dunbar, Myra Bluestein Rufo, Sally Rice Dorman, Kitty Prevost, D.B. Aldridge Solms. Kitty Prevost, passed suddenly in May, weeks after this celebration.
Sally Mixsell and her family at Reunion 2018. Barbara Mayo Llewellyn hosted a luncheon at Barbara Llewellyn Catering for alumnae in July, welcoming Head of School Stephanie Luebbers.
1968 MAB
Joyce Cornish Suter I would like to thank the reunion committee for the great job they did for our 50th! The schedule was interesting, the meals were terrific and we felt noticed as a group. We were honored to share the weekend with the other classes that had special years, and especially to share it with Sally Mixsell's retirement. Sally has done so much to make the school what it is today! I will remember the weekend as a fun and meaningful gathering of former and new friends, for as long as I can remember anything.”
1968 SPH
Pamala Smith Harvey My husband Paul and I sold everything this past summer and hit the road in our 33' fifth-wheel and are now full-time RV-ers. We've traveled down the east coast from New Hampshire and are now heading west through Texas before turning north headed to Indiana where we’ll see Paul's daughter (who attended SBS) and his grandson, age 7. Happy 50th reunion.
1969
Sally Leach Mixsell was joined by her family for the Celebration Dinner during Reunion Weekend honoring her tenure at SBS in advance of her retirement at the end of June 2018.
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L-R: Carolyn Cozart ’67, Darcy McCormick Tarbell ’70, Susan Tuttle ’72, Stephanie Luebbers, Sara Jane Gould ’81, Emily Hebert ’07, Barbara Mayo Llewellyn ’69, and Joyce Suter ’68.
1971 1972
Tenley Morse Chevalier and her husband Randy moved to a new home a year ago in the same area when he retired for the final time (they think). They celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary in October. Tenley keeps busy with needlepoint, reading, cards with friends, and the new adult coloring craze, and Randy plays a lot of tennis. They travel to New England once or twice a year to visit their son, Colby, and his family: Bryce, adopted as a newborn and now 2, Reagan, 5, and Carly, 3. Somehow, the grandkids haven't figured out yet that they live in the same state as Disney World so they’ve wiggled out of that obligation for now! Their daughter, Brie, and her husband live in St. Petersburg so they see them a bit more often. “Health issues are such that I can't promise I can attend our 45th Reunion in June, and it conflicts with our older granddaughter's birthday if we do make it to MA. I'll certainly make an effort if at all possible. It's wonderful keeping up with many of you on Facebook! Love, Tenley”.
1974
Class Agents: Mimi Gridley and Bar Cochran Cocherell assisted by Nettie Cazenave First: Mark your calendars — Our 45th Reunion is June 7-9, 2019! It will also commemorate the School’s 150th Anniversary. BIG party, ladies! Let’s try to get a great showing. Please be sure the school has your updated contact information, Like and follow SBS on Facebook and other social media forums if you are so inclined. Thank you to all who have written and sent pictures. The Class of ’74 is expanding to include grandchildren.
Owl icon denotes Class Notes are online only (not in print) at sbschool.org/alumnae.
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Gay Busk Thorn and her husband, Henry recently welcomed their second grandchild, Madison. Madison joins her big sister Payton, 3. By the looks on Gay’s and Henry’s faces, they are relishing being grandparents!
1976 1978
Mina Payne ’78 and Anne Sorvino were inducted into the Stoneleigh-Burnham Athletic Hall of Fame during Reunion 2018.
SUMMER
AT STONELEIGH-BURNHAM Mimi Gridley welcomed her first grandchild, Gridley David Fitzge, on January 9, 2018 so she has made quite a few trips from New York to New Hampshire to see this handsome fellow. Mimi said he is the mellowest, happiest baby ever!
Overnight camps for girls ages 9-18 focused on riding, debate, dance, animation, and art. To register and learn more, visit sbschool.org/summer
1980 1981 1983 Kacey Konwiser Dalton is not to be outdone on the grandparent front, sharing that her first grandchild will be arriving at the end of November. Nancy Laub Bauer and Allison Lash Rode had the chance to visit this summer. As Allison said, “Here we are looking youthful!” Indeed you are, ladies.
Allison Small Annand It was wonderful to be back at reunion this year. It surely did not feel like it had been 35 years. I caught up with people like it was yesterday and met so many new "SBS sisters.” I would encourage all of you to come to next year’s reunion especially since we will be celebrating the 150th Anniversary of our beloved school. Hope to see you in June 2019!
COMING SOON SBS Fitness Center Addition New Athletic Training Room and double the workout space.
Nettie Cazenave’s two kids, Rudy and Ahni, just finished their freshman year in high school. Their big news is they got their driver’s permits at the end of July — stay off the roads in Chicago! Here’s what the back of her car looks like.
Healthy Body. Healthy Mind.
THANK YOU DONORS
1986
Owl icon denotes Class Notes are online only (not in print) at sbschool.org/alumnae.
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Class Notes
1988
Travis Stewart was presented with a birthday cake during an alumnae event at her home honoring Sally Leach Mixsell ’69
Bride Sophie Dorsch Stratton ’10 with SBS friends and classmates (l-r) Cecelia Erwin, Mikaela DeGroote ’12, Tuck Dowrey ’11, Julia Short ’10, Katherine Short ’01, Jenny Erwin, and Katherine Fossum. Dara Raskin Lonzy ’01 with her husband, Dariusz, on their wedding day. Kelsa Zereski I purchased Triple Crown Tack Shop in West Boylston, MA (triplecrowntack.com) in 2017 and am thrilled to be serving my local equine community. I would love to build a relationship with some of the SBS student riders!
1990 1991
Niyati Mistry-Parikah, Ann McCoppin-Plascencia, Dara Raskin Lonzy, and April Ainsworth-Greene from the Class of ’01
1992 1995 1996 1999 2001
Dara Raskin Lozny Hi ladies! I’m very excited to report that I married my best friend and love on June 9th in Brooklyn. It was an intimate wedding and, of course, my Stoneleigh-Burnham sisters, Ann McCoppinPlascencia, Niyati Mistry-Parikah, and April Ainsworth-Greene were by my side on my special day. I was also lucky enough to have Heather Rutka Coluccio ’94 there to celebrate! It was a beautiful day, and I’m so grateful for my lifelong SBS friendships!
2002 2010
Laura Newton I am proud to say that my lifelong dream of becoming a bakery owner has come true. I purchased a building
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and have been renovating it into a beautiful bakery. I am hopeful that by late August, Bittersweet Bakery & Cafe located on Rt. 5 & 10 in Deerfield, MA will be opening its doors for the first time. As some of my SBS classmates and teachers remember, I was that young girl selling cupcakes in the school store and bringing treats to every away game. From a young age I had a fierce passion for baking and pastry. My sophomore year at SBS I knew that I wanted to be a pastry chef and a business owner. I went straight to Johnson & Wales University in Denver, CO where I completed my degree in Baking and Pastry Art in 2012. I started on my business degree while working full time. In May 2017, I graduated from the Isenberg School of Management at UMass with a bachelor's in Hospitality and Tourism Management. This past year has been full of hard work, long hours, problem solving and a lot of learning. Overall, this experience has been rewarding, challenging, and a dream come true. I can't wait to start sharing it with everyone! Sophie Dorsch Stratton Greetings from Kentucky! I was married June 9th, the same day Justify won the Triple Crown! It was lovely
to have a mini reunion with SBS alumnae, Mikaela DeGroote '12, Tuck Dowrey '11, Julia Short '10 and Katherine Short '01. We are home in Kentucky with our cats, dogs, and Marley (a retired SBS horse) just down the road. I can't wait to finish up my thesis in equine nutrition so I can get back in the saddle again! I received my bachelor's degree from the University of Kentucky in 2015, took some time off to work, and was accepted into their graduate school to pursue a master's degree. I finish my degree in the next few months and I am both anxious and excited for my next steps. I know that if horses are involved, I'll love every second of it! I think of SBS often, as a matter of fact I had a dream about it just last night. I miss all of the hallways, cutting through the courtyard during springtime, the barns after a fresh coat of snow, and of course all of the wonderful people! I can't believe we have a 10 year reunion coming up in just a few short years. I can't wait to drive up that driveway again!
2013 2014 2016
The Class of 2018 at Commencement. Photo by Paul Franz
Owl icon denotes Class Notes are online only (not in print) at sbschool.org/alumnae.
the bulletin F A L L
Reunion 2018
2018
Photos by Matthew Cavanaugh
A
D
B
C
E
F
A: Class of 1993 - Front: Heatherle Clingerman, Evangela (Vangie) Terpak, Dena Kopsic and her husband, Michael. Back: Cristina Rubinaccio Freda, Dena Kopsic’s daughters; Asha, Laurana, and Lexi. B: Kate Strousse ’13 and Tamar Cook Luck ’90. C: Class of ’98 - Melissa Hemming McWeeny, Anna Carnall Radford, Sara Brown Gibbons, Megan O’Brien. D: Helen Shaskan and Susie Hine, both ’67SPH. E: Class of ’68SPH - Sharon Lewis Gaffey, Mary Cobb, Kathy Frick Wold, Kay Dalton Dixon, Diane Baxter, Ellie Gauntlett Wickes. F: Class of ’68MAB - Betsy Huston, Vicki Chesterley, Joyce Cornish Suter, Peggy McElhone Broskie, Suzanne (Sue) Scull Trzcienski, Barbara Baran Nittolo, Mary Lee Prescott-Griffin, Jane Osgood. (Not pictured: Lisa Shackelford Moody, Mary (Peggy) Fogarty McNeil who also attended Reunion 2018.)
The Sally Mixsell ’69 Endowed Scholarship Fund At Reunion Dinner on June 3, the crowd cheered when it was announced that the Sally Mixsell ’69 Endowed Scholarship Fund had topped $500,000. When Laura Richards ’60SPH first established the scholarship a year ago with a generous gift, she wanted to acknowledge Sally’s exceptional leadership. She also hoped to inspire others to support students at Stoneleigh-Burnham. “My dream is that the new scholarship will give more students the chance for a Stoneleigh-Burnham education,” says Laura, the School’s longest-serving trustee. The School welcomes donations for the new scholarship. To learn more about ways you can support Stoneleigh-Burnham, contact Susan Mattei at development@ sbschool.org or 413.774.2711 x247.
Be a Part of Our Bright Future Visit PlannedGiving.sbschool.org
Laura Richards ’60SPH Sayles Planned Giving Society Member
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In Memoriam Loraine Lori "Sherm" Sherman ’69 Memories of “Sherm” Excerpts from remarks by Sally Mixsell ’69 at the Circle of Life Celebration July 21, 2018 at The Madison Winter Club, in Madison, CT. In our senior year at SBS, Lori Sherman lived next door to me. I had known Sherm, as she liked to be called, junior year, but I learned that she was a sweet, gentle, probing, and direct girl. Like most of us at that age, she was struggling to figure out who she was and how she wanted to define herself. What I don’t think Sherm ever realized is that, even then, she had a gift for making everyone around her feel like she was the only other one in the room. She would listen carefully and respectfully, comment thoughtfully, and acknowledge your worth in very special ways. She took this into her adulthood as she entered the role of teaching young children. I always thought snuggling up to this gentle giant would have made any 6-year-old feel incredibly safe.
Listed Left to Right, Top to Bottom: NAME
CLASS DECEASED
Sally Carter Gould Susan Bridge Blair Susan Wilkoff Vest Joan Hufford Mohr Emily Trant Burgwyn Ann Vermilion Clarke Valerie Morris Gill Patricia Johnson Friedman Elizabeth Dunn Clark Susan McLaughlin Humphrey Rose Catherine Prevost Dale Driver Franchella Elizabeth Griffin Kathie Parker Brown Irene Popkin-Clurman Mock Loraine Sherman Holly Seiler Dunlap Soraya Formby
’46 MAB ’46 SPH ’46 MAB ’47 MAB ’47 SPH ’49 MAB ’49 MAB ’51 MAB ’55 SPH ’62 SPH ’63 MAB ’64 SPH ’66 MAB ’67 MAB ’67 MAB ’69 SBS ’74 SBS ’83 SBS
5/23/17 6/21/18 11/6/17 1/27/18 6/21/18 12/30/17 11/11/15 2/5/18 3/1/18 7/4/17 5/19/18 4/12/18 12/1/17 12/5/17 4/1/18 7/6/18 7/19/15 5/10/18
’33 SPH ’54 MAB
5/5/18 1/4/17
Not Pictured
Phebe Clarke Lewis Colette Yamaoka Sonderegger
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Forty years after our SBS graduation I slid into the role of Head of School. I think it made her happy to know that I was in the place that had helped her see that she too was a person of value. Not too long after, Sherm joined the Alumnae Board as a more concrete way to support our young women. The unconditional love she was able to shower on this sea of Stoneleigh-Burnham students reflects another of Sherm’s great character traits: her capacity for love was as big as anyone’s I have ever known. For this reason, it was not surprising to me that she left a desire for friends and family to give to SBS in her name. Sherm was bold, but she could also revel in childlike pleasure of special moments: a sunset, sunflowers, doing a jigsaw puzzle, flying a kite, or even others wearing her favorite color. She was clear in her interactions about who she was and what she was about. Unapologetically. Lori Sherman’s soul was strong, loving, brave, and good. She was, indeed, an Owl for Life, even in her death. In keeping with Lori’s strong belief in the importance of (especially girls') education, she has requested donations be sent in memory of Lori (Loraine) Sherman, Class of 1969, to: Stoneleigh-Burnham School Alumnae Office 574 Bernardston Road Greenfield, MA 01301
Coda
the bulletin F A L L
2018
69 Speaks For Itself in the stillness of the dew-drop morning we watch as time walks lazily backwards to our dreams and seizes impressions of the passing year, holding them up in all the colors of the dawn. moments kaleidoscopic dance madly before our eye, silent waves of sound surge against the sun illuminated with the untouched images of memories that slowly fade gently. With hope, faith, love, and a grain of desperation, we drift from tedium to apathy with a side trip to monotony along fields of our lives, gathering as we go, intangible particles of knowledge and understanding, sifting them through our fingers as friends of past / present / future looking for tomorrow and trying to discover pieces of ourselves, perhaps even our individuality. tomorrow the highway stretches before our widening eyes, when the directions of our individual poems will melt into the stream of life creating the rhyme of nature: time goes on set you free futurity: the quality of being future perspective on before / now / after; perspective, the direction of today.
The young women of Mary A. Burnham and Stoneleigh Prospect Hill joined each other for the first time in the fall of 1968. As seniors that year, Class of 1969 students were instrumental in combining school traditions and cultures to form the beginning of today’s Stoneleigh-Burnham School. The poem above was published in the 1969 school yearbook. We recognize the Class of 1969 for their leadership as they prepare to celebrate their 50th Reunion in June 2019.
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Upcoming Campus Events October 12, 2018 ................. Gathering of the Leadership Council October 13, 2018 ................. Installation of Stephanie Luebbers, Head of School October 14, 2018.................. Board of Trustees Meeting November 9, 2018................ Alumnae Career Day November 12, 2018.............. Admissions Open House December 8, 2018................ Alumnae Board Meeting Volunteer Work Day, 2019 Reunion (All classes ending in 4 & 9) January 1, 2019................... 150th Anniversary Begins January 21, 2019................. Admissions Open House February 2 - 3, 2019............ Board of Trustees Meeting March 29, 2019.................... Alumnae Career Day April 13, 2019...................... Alumnae Board Meeting April 15, 2019...................... Admissions Open House April 26 - 27, 2019............... Spring Family Weekend May 3 - 4, 2019................... Board of Trustees Meeting May 31, 2019....................... 150th Commencement June 7 - 9, 2019................... Reunion and 150th Anniversary Celebration For more event information and Reunion Registration, visit sbschool.org/alumnae Photo by William Therrien