the bulletin - Fall 2011

FALL

2011

the bulletin

the

MONEY issue

A N N UA L G I V I NG R E P O RT I N S I D E

Stoneleigh-Burnham School

THE 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.

Carnival Squash – So Young Park ‘13, IB Art Class

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in this issue: 2

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This is Momentum

A letter from Sally L. Mixsell ’69, Head of School A Trimester in Photographs – Fall at SBS

Financially Speaking: Alumnae Respond to the Economic Downturn

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Wants vs. Needs

by Kristen Landino ’98

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Defining Personal Value

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MONEY issue

by Rebecca Knapp ’85

10 Staying Focused on Financial Priorities

by Annette Cazenave ’74

11 A Strong Foundation

by Emily Gamelin ’02

12 Thinking Deeply and Forging Connection:

The International Baccalaureate in Action

15 Allow Me to Burst Your Bubble

by Alex Bogel, TOK & English Teacher

16 Annual Giving Report

$300,000 Goal Surpassed

30 Alumnae Events 32 Class Notes 42 In Memoriam 43 A Tribute to Benn W. Jesser 44 Coda – Just Go: Lessons from the

First Day of School

by Shawn Durrett, Chair of the English Department

ON THE COVER: Sonia Gwaneza is a senior from Rwanda. She is currently working on a documentary about Rwandan orphans for her senior project.

We’d like to know what you think! Do you have story ideas? Send comments on the Bulletin and story ideas to sthompson@sbschool.org 1

A Letter from the Head of School

This is momentum

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ince I arrived as head of school in 2008, I have been saying that no school, and certainly not Stoneleigh-Burnham, can be successful without the continuous and generous support of its alumnae, parents and friends. To be committed to the education of girls, to know the particular girls who are here at this school, and to work with the kind of dedicated faculty and staff that our school employs is to understand the power of a gift to our institution. This issue of the Bulletin is therefore dedicated to all of you who helped us reach our Annual Fund goal last year. We did it! And that accomplishment is no easy feat in the current economy. Your gifts have brought us closer to doing the kind of work we are trying to do on behalf of our students.

Thank you so very, very much!

ways. We’ve introduced a new life skills curriculum, Class Forums, so that each grade level addresses social issues and personal skills that are developmentally appropriate. We’ve moved our day student rooms onto the boarding floors, thus strengthening the relationships between our day students and boarders. We’ve built a stronger Community Service program and now have approximately 50 students who voluntarily participate.

We’ve adjusted our financial aid policy so that we are able to offer more help to families who have been hit badly by this economy. We have introduced the annual Miriam Emerson Peters Speaker Series in Global Understanding. We have added a fitness component to our riding curriculum and spent time building a strategic vision for the program itself. We have renovated quite a few dorm rooms, with the intention of getting more done, and we have redecorated the entry to the School. (I overheard one student say to another last fall, “Look at this! I feel so proud of my school now!”) And of course, we have become an International Baccalaureate World School.

This past year was spent in a strategic planning conversation. Now we are building the tactical steps toward achieving these goals

What is that work, exactly? Well, you have read about it in rather piecemeal articles over the past few years, but let me give you a quick overview of what we’ve accomplished in the past three years…

We have worked tirelessly to ensure that the current research on girls is incorporated into the fiber of what we do; we have also worked to find the language to talk about ourselves in open and honest 2

Last year was spent in a strategic planning conversation, and we are now building the tactical steps toward achieving the established goals. A quick peek

at some of those goals reveals more challenges for our Development and Alumnae Relations Office. We want to create and act on a campus master plan; to increase salaries and benefits for our superb employees; to build an even stronger residential program; to enhance our science, technology math and engineering offerings; to grow enrollment with the right students; and so on. More about this vision in a future Bulletin!

This is an exciting time for StoneleighBurnham School, and there is increasing momentum around what we are doing.

Your help, financial and otherwise, has been much appreciated. Please keep it up! It is making a world of difference to a very impressive and energetic group of girls.

Sally Mixsell ‘69, Head of School

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When you give to the 2011-2012 Stoneleigh-Burnham School Annual Fund,

YOU

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MAKE AN IMPACT

Make an impact. Increase your gift this year.

Ways to give: Give online at www.sbschool.org/gift Use the enclosed gift envelope to send a check or credit card donation.

Call the Development Office at 413.774.2711 Gifts are tax-deductable as allowed by law.

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Editor Susanna Thompson Design Peter Chilton peterchilton.com Editorial Board Mitch Anthony P’12 Liz Feeley, Associate Director of Development and Alumnae Relations Sally L. Mixsell ’69, Head of School Regina Mooney, Director of Development and Alumnae Relations

Above Left: Dixinyao “Moonlight” Zhu ’13 on the high ropes course during the 11th grade bonding trip. Above Right: Students hike Mt. Holyoke during Mountain Day

Contributors Alex Bogel, English Department Annette A. Cazenave ’74 Shawn Durrett, Chair, English Department Liz Feeley, Associate Director of Development and Alumnae Relations Emily Gamelin ’02 Rebecca Knapp ’85 Kristin Landino ’98 Regina Mooney, Director of Development and Alumnae Relations Susanna Thompson, Communications Manager Photography Contributors Peter Chilton Franny Eremeeva ’15 Paul Franz Laura Lavallee ’04 Hank Mixsell Susanna Thompson

Above Left: “Athena,” the SBS mascot got a makeover! Above Right: Students celebrate Halloween (and break dress code). Below Left: Emilie Uwase ’13, Nafisatou Mounkaila ’13, Frida Romano Nieva ’13, Tillula Lowe-Stuart ’13 and Rose Kelleher ’13 relax during Mountain Day.

Student Poetry and Art Contributors Nafisatou Mounkaila ’13 So Young Park ’13 Change of address?

Email abridge@sbschool.org or mail to the Alumnae Office.

Stoneleigh-Burnham School

574 Bernardston Road, Greenfield, MA 01301 413.774.2711 www.sbschool.org the bulletin is printed with vegetable based inks on 55% recycled FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper, with 25% post consumer fiber.

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Above Center: Maah Otchere ’15 shows off her ribbons at an SBS show.

Above Right: Ava Truant ’13, Jane Bell ’14, Halle Robinson ’15 and Leira Feves ’14 pet a beloved faculty dog.

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Head of School Sally Leach Mixsell ’69 Board of Trustees Kathy Seyffer Opdycke ’70, Chair Allison Porter ’89, Vice Chair Rich Hubbard P’00, ’02, ’05, Secretary Annette A. Cazenave ’74, Treasurer International students are welcomed to SBS with a cookout at Coleman House.

Shayna Appel ’78, P’04 John Barrengos Nancy Corsiglia ’74 Anne Quantrell Dennen ’70 Kimberly Eldridge ’92 Charles Gledhill P’13 Rebecca Knapp ’85 Barbara Mayo Llewellyn ’69

Below – A: Mia Anthony ’12 going for a point wearing a breast cancer awareness jersey. B: In its second year, Culture Buddies club provides a fun atmosphere for students to learn about the many cultures of our student body. C: Emily Mangan ’12 helps lead her team to the RVAL championship game. D: Angie Reynolds, Hannah Reynolds ’12, Tess Drouin Reed ’12 and Lesley Reed on Family Weekend.

Mary Maloney ’69 Laura B. Richards ’60S Helene A. Robbins Sally Leach Mixsell ’69, Ex-officio Lisa Zereski Adams ’87, Ex-officio Alumnae Board President Nancy L. Diver ’53B, Emerita F. Michael Donohue, Jr. P’78, Emeritus

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B

C

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Elinor Johnstone Ferdon ’54B, Emerita John McNear P’79, Emeritus Elizabeth T. Stout ’61B, Emerita

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Financially Speaking – Alumnae Perspectives

Financially Speaking: ALUMNAE RESPOND TO THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN We asked four alumnae in various sectors of the financial services world to talk to us about the current economic crisis.

Annette Cazenave ’74, Emily Gamelin ’02, Rebecca Knapp ’85 and Kristen Landino ’98 respond and offer their own advice for navigating the economic crisis.

Wants vs. Needs: D E T E R M I N E YO U R P R I O R I T I E S T O AC H I E V E YO U R G OA L S

by Kristen Landino ’98

W

ith a fiscal budget deficit of $1.1 trillion, the unemployment rate in excess of 9% and economic growth limping along at barely 1%, even the most optimistic person can become discouraged at the state of the economy today.

While you might not be able to solve the financial crisis and stimulate job growth yourself, there are a number of things everyone can do to better survive the economic downturn.

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First and foremost, it helps to evaluate your current lifestyle and learn to live more simply. Many of the personal financial problems that people face are actually due to confusion between wants and needs. Not long ago, I used to think it was more of a blurry area between wants and needs. I’d use that blurry area to justify some of my purchases – nice clothes, new gadgets, expensive dinners, and so on. I was working aw-

fully long hours and felt I deserved these things – they would make me happier.

Essentially, these things were “needed” in some way so I would just define them as needs and not think about them critically. However, one of the things I noticed after a considerable amount of travel around the world was that the happiest people were often those who had very little – only enough to satisfy their basic needs. It helped me gain a

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Kristen Landino ’98 graduated from MIT with a B.S. in Economics, a B.S. in Political Science and an M.S. in Economics. She is a manager at Sithe Global Power LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Blackstone Group L.P. She lives in Jersey City, NJ with her husband Vikrant Agnihotri, a fixed income trader at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

different perspective on my own relative “wealth” and “poverty.” Having more “stuff” doesn’t make you happier at all and in fact just makes you feel you need more “stuff.” In these tough economic times, it helps to turn a critical eye on your lifestyle and redefine your real needs – what is really important to you – and spend more time cultivating these needs.

Cook at home and spend time with your family instead of eating out. Hike in the mountains instead of taking the family to an amusement park. Define your basic needs and prioritize what is truly important. You’ll probably find out that a lot of your spending is related to “wants” and not really “needs.”

Once you have determined your priorities, the next step is to plan effectively in order to achieve your goals. Create a budget that mirrors your priorities and track your spending. This puts you in control of your money and lets you measure whether or not you are meeting your financial goals. Build an emergency fund to help cushion a job loss or family crisis. Eliminate any debt that you are carrying and try to refinance your mortgage. In the current low interest rate environment, the borrowing rate on any debt you are carrying is likely very high relative to the rate that you can earn on your investments, so it makes sense to pay off these higher rate obligations first.

Set up savings accounts for each of your goals and contribute to these monthly based on your budget. Take advantage of any employer or government plans

to help you achieve these goals, such as retirement or college savings plans.

Perhaps most importantly, it helps to stay positive and be open to change. Whether you are a new graduate or established in your career, the current economic climate might force you to be more flexible in your job choice. Cultivating a wide variety of skills and keeping yourself open to new opportunities will help you adapt and have a backup in the event of

to start a company now, but some of the largest corporations, such as Disney, Johnson and Johnson and Microsoft, were started during a recession. Having a company of your own allows you to follow your passion and adapt quickly to the changing economic climate. The side business you start in college could become your full-time career after you graduate. For those further along in their careers, your business could be a great backup in the event of a layoff or

“In these tough economic times, it helps to turn a critical eye on your lifestyle and redefine your real needs – what is really important to you – and spend more time cultivating these needs.” a sudden job loss. No matter how safe or happy you feel in your current job, you should always be on the hunt for new opportunities and always have several backup options. The first thing I did when I took my current job was to assess my possible options if it didn’t work out. What extra skills and networking opportunities should I be nurturing to give me the maximum amount of options when/if I decide to leave?

even grow to the point that you can quit your full-time job.

It might be difficult to stay positive during the current economic crisis, but this is key to being able to recognize and seize new opportunities. By redefining your real necessities and prioritizing what is truly important, you’ll be better able to weather any financial crisis and also find yourself much happier as a result.

In these times, when market and employment conditions are uncertain, you might also consider starting your own business. It might seem counterintuitive 7

Financially Speaking – Alumnae Perspectives

Defining Personal Value

by Rebecca Knapp ’85

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s you’ve undoubtedly read in the paper, the current economic climate has been a very difficult time for many people. Without drawing conclusions as to whether the economic downturn has been a result of systematic failure or cyclic adjustments, the bottom line is that these things happen. There have been several notable downturns in the past 70 years, so this downturn should not come as a total surprise. The surprise is that people have been caught without a plan to navigate through the downturn.

I see the current economic climate as an opportunity to take responsibility for our lives and to refocus on the fundamentals that we can control rather than finger–pointing toward the things we can’t control. We need to find ways to create personal value through focusing on work or studies and positioning ourselves to adjust to and even excel in the challenging new economic environment.

The fact that so many Americans are out of work or under employed, and that many more fear losing their jobs, makes me consider deeply the work/reward equations. The average American earns

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$48K and takes home approximately $40K after taxes. From that, $7000 is for food, $17,000 for housing leaving just over $23,000 for the things we want – or actually need like school fees, dentistry and transportation. I do this math every time I spend money and I ask myself, “Is

“I see the current economic climate as an opportunity to take responsibility for our lives and to refocus on the fundamentals that we can control rather than finger–pointing toward the things we can’t control.” this a good trade? Am I happier spending that many hours at work to enjoy whatever it was I purchased as opposed to saving it for later?”

I give the same advice to others that I try to give myself: Know the truth about everything – the truth about your finances, your relationships, your passions and why you get out of bed in the morning.

Define what you need to do whether it be pay bills or save for retirement.

Separate that from what you want to do like scuba diving in Maldives or buying that cute pair of Jimmy Choos. Set a plan to be conscious about the decisions you make to balance the two. Understanding the truth about money empowers us to make smart decisions about allocating resources that make us satisfied today while protecting ourselves against difficult times when they happen.

I observe my middle-aged colleagues and friends and see that many are feeling the pain of the economic downturn while supporting families, paying school tuitions, and funding mortgages. For some among them their feeling of financial security that they felt confidently just a few years ago, is gone, maybe for good. In some cases the issue is worse for women who have relied on their husbands for financial security and now

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Rebecca Knapp ’85 is General Manager in Business Development for IBM China/Hong Kong. She lives in Hong Kong with her partner.

Rebecca serves on the School’s Board of Trustees.

find themselves struggling to support themselves. Younger alumnae have a longer runway for recovery. They need to understand downturns are part of the capital market process and there are very few true “entitlements” that come without a cost. The safe bet is to expect economic uncertainties as a part of life and to make decisions about the future with this in mind.

As a result of these challenging economic times my philanthropic activities have become very focused on people who were hit especially hard by the downturn, as opposed to focusing smaller amounts across a wider number of organizations.

My feeling has been, right or wrong, that I can work directly with people and families on a plan to get them through the downturn and back on their feet.

If I were to sum up my take on all of this, I’d have to say: be careful, know the truth especially about yourself, plan thoughtfully, and stay hopeful.

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Financially Speaking – Alumnae Perspectives

Staying Focused on Financial Priorities

by Annette Cazenave ’74

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y perspective on the present state of the economy is cautious. With the stock market fluctuating the way it is at the time I’m writing this, I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop. The last crisis was corporate and my sense is the next one will be sovereign. By that I mean that this crisis has broadened to entire countries and those countries are

I hope that those graduating from Stoneleigh-Burnham now will go on to college and thus weather this storm in a learning environment while preparing for the job market. I suspect it will probably take four more years for the economy to settle down. For those who have graduated in the past couple of years, it has likely been a challenge to find a

The next level of priority is to maintain my giving to Stoneleigh-Burnham School. In order for those priorities to stay on track, other things will have to give. intertwined with others and eventually all are connected to our own economy.

Any country facing bankruptcy will undoubtedly affect the U.S economy. One only needs to reflect on the havoc created over the recent downgrade, much less default, of the U.S. credit rating by Standard and Poors to see how the economies of the world are interconnected.

This recession isn’t over by a long shot – it will take longer to recover than most of us would like to believe. I am not a financial advisor, but it makes sense to me that each of us take a close look at our investment portfolios to ensure that they are very well diversified across all asset classes and ideally that they are uncorrelated, meaning that their returns are not interdependent. These considerations, though, are what should apply in any economic climate.

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job depending on the field or industry of choice. Currently, it’s probably more likely that one can keep a job than find a new one.

The financial services industry has been hit hard by the current recession and I have been forced to change some things in my own life. Through all of it, I stay clear about my financial priorities for the next ten years: saving for retirement and putting two kids through college. The next level of priority is to maintain my giving to Stoneleigh-Burnham School. In order for those priorities to stay on track, other things will have to give.

Annette Cazenave ‘74 is Executive Vice President for R.J. O’Brien Fund Management, LLC in Chicago. She serves as Treasurer on the School’s Board of Trustees.

A Strong Foundation:

by Emily Gamelin ’02

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hen Stoneleigh-Burnham first asked me to share my perspective on the current economic climate, it was July and I was delighted to share my optimistic view on the US economy and its imminent turnaround. I had listened to a few economists’ predictions calling for stronger growth by the end of July.

Many experts in the financial sector were feeling positive. Unfortunately, after August, the mood changed and I began to feel less optimistic. I could write to you about the current climate, but you are seeing and reading the same news I am. It also doesn’t make sense for me to forecast the future – even the experts are questioning their forecasts. Instead, I think my point-of-view as a young alumna in the work force will be more beneficial for those looking to enter the working world.

First, higher education is imperative when one considers that the unemployment rate increases from 5% for those with a bachelor’s degree or higher to 9% for someone with only a high school diploma. Starting with a solid education at Stoneleigh-Burnham is the first step in the right direction. Take with you the confidence that you learned in our hallways and use it when faced with an interview. SBS was the beginning of a domino effect in my adult life. If you work hard and succeed at StoneleighBurnham, you’ll have every opportunity

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A DV I C E FO R T H E YOU NG A LU M N A J O B S E E K E R to gain acceptance at a respectable university where you’ll make connections that can help you to secure a desirable job.

Secondly, be dynamic in your approach to getting a job. Utilize all the resources around you. Network with social groups, parents, friends and previous employers. Remember that anyone you meet could provide a future recommendation or notify you of job openings. Also consider using a temporary agency.

Working as a temp can be beneficial if

parents and sent a handwritten thank you card to everyone who interviewed me. While we live in a world dominated by technology and social media, people still appreciate traditional customs. My co-worker once told me a story about a friend who wrote fifty letters to fifty CEOs asking to interview them about the reasons they chose their professions and what they liked about their jobs. In the end, she received a job offer from one of the CEOs she interviewed.

The author Andrew Grove said it best, “Success breeds complacency. Complacency breeds failure. Only the paranoid survive.” In today’s environment, you have to stay on top of your game and continually improve. Companies are getting by with smaller labor forces, demanding more from each individual.

Although it won’t guarantee success, the fundamental lessons you learned at Stoneleigh-Burnham and the education you received will make all the difference.

“Take with you the confidence that you learned in our hallways and use it when faced with an interview. SBS was the beginning of a domino effect in my adult life.” you’re unsure of what you want to do.

A temporary agency will place you in different positions that will ultimately provide you with exposure to a diverse array of industries and positions. Unpaid internships can also offer a lot of value – in many internships you will be able to network with those in management positions and will be provided with real work experience, two valuable assets as you navigate the job market.

Thirdly, think creatively about your job search and aim to set yourself apart from the competition. I took a tip from my

Finally, stay positive. Due to my lack of finance experience, I had to start at the bottom of the ladder, but it didn’t stop me from being enthusiastic and it shouldn’t stop you. Climbing the ladder from the bottom rung meant that I had to work hard, show a bit of fearlessness to my superiors, and also display a bit of humility in front of some very smart people. Once my colleagues took notice, I was given an opportunity to work on projects outside of my role at the firm and in turn, I worked my tail off to show that I was capable and eager.

Emily Gamelin ’02 graduated Cum Laude from Suffolk University in 2006. She is an associate for a Boston-based asset manager. Emily serves on the Alumnae Board of Stoneleigh-Burnham School.

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The International Baccalaureate in Action

Thinking Deeply and Forging Connections: THE INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE IN ACTION

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s readers of this publication will know, Stoneleigh-Burnham School received official approval last spring to open as an International Baccalaureate World School for the fall of 2011.

We are now the only girls’ school in

New England to offer this prestigious distinction. This past trimester marked the beginning of a vibrant curriculum shift for our School. On the road, we’ve heard from many of our alumnae that confusion still exists about what exactly

the International Baccalaureate program means for our school, for our students and for our graduates. To help explain, take a look at the International Baccalaureate in action from those who are teaching and learning the IB curriculum: Left: Mary Pura, Alysha Romain and Teresa Oung (all class of 2013) work together to identify macro-invertebrates in the Falls River during an IB Environmental Systems and Societies field trip.

Below: Anna Swartzentruber ’13 invited her grandfather to speak to her IB History class as they explored World World II from international perspectives. Read more about Professor Froehlich’s visit in the news section of our website.

“Indeed, this year I have discovered that there is so much more to learning than memorizing key terms in a textbook. The teacher and the student have become one in this process. Together we learn, we think, and we speak our minds. There is so much excitement within each classroom, that it is often forgotten that we are in high school.”

– Mary Pura ’13 12

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“Even if it’s only the beginning, I am already feeling the intensity of the [IB] program… I now feel more challenged by school and everything that goes on within classes….In fact, during these next two years, I think the class of 2013 will have gone further in expanding their minds than they may have ever imagined.”

– Saskia Ahmad ‘13 Above Left: Mary Pura ’13 dances and plays violin in fulfillment of Creativity, Action, Service (CAS).

Left: Teresa Oung and Mary Pura (both ’13) take notes on the bank of the Falls River.

Far Left: As part of her Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) requirement for the IB program, Aminata Barry ’13 set the goal of scoring three points for the Varsity Soccer Team. She will reflect on this goal and how soccer has impacted her life as part of CAS. Below: The arts are integral to the IB curriculum through the Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) component. Anna Swartzentruber ’13 plays the violin and dances – two skills that help her fulfill CAS.

“Even in Math class, there is so much more to do than just solve the problem. Before, each day in class reminded me that I had an upcoming test or quiz that I was preparing for. Now Math class is all about piecing ideas and concepts together, and not abandoning them after I take the unit quiz.

With the IB, information from the first day will find a way to be useful by the 30th day. This new way of thinking makes our education more useful.”

– Nafisatou Mounkaila ’13 13

The International Baccalaureate in Action

After the freak October Nor’Easter, Nafisatou Mounkaila wrote the following poem for her weekly IB French journal entry. It was read aloud by her classmates during a Housemeeting.

Neige, neige, neige Je te déteste Quand j’ai joué au foot Tu étais sur le champ, partout !

Neige, neige, neige, Grace à toi l’électricité: il n’y en avait pas!

Neige, neige, neige, Je pense que tu es jolie, Mais quand tu arrives sans rendez-vous Je pense que tu es impolie.

Neige, neige, neige.

Si j’étais folle, Je marcherais dehors et te pelleterais, toute seule.

by Nafisatou Mounkaila ’13

Above Right: Teresa Oung ’13 uses a magnifying glass to identify a macro-invertebrate specimen.

Right: Saskia Ahmad ’13 arranged for her grandfather to visit IB History via Skype to talk to the students about his experiences in Belgium during World War II. “[In IB History] I have learned through the eyes of not only the United States, but also Britain, France, Germany, and Japan. We gather around the teacher’s long table, and converse over the issues surrounding international tension leading up to the World Wars. Everyday I find myself going up to my parents and saying, “Did you know… ?” – Mary Pura, ’13

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“The school work the IB program requires [is] self taught, in the sense that our teachers give us guidance, but not the answer anymore. Although the IB workload both overwhelms me and stresses me out, it satisfies me because I can tell that I am learning something new each day, and that I am now taking a more active role in my own education and in my own success.”

– Sara Baksh ’13

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Allow Me to Burst Your Bubble:

The IB Theory of Knowledge Course Explained b y A l e x B o g e l , T h e o r y o f K n o w l e d g e a n d E n g l i s h Te a c h e r By the time students enroll in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program they have amassed a great deal of knowledge. My job, as their

in life and learning is undeniable. But how to teach this? I thought the girls would probably do a better job than I could.

“Theory of Knowledge is a perfect example as to why the IB is so different from any other programs in the world. Who has ever taken a class on thinking about thinking? …I can honestly say that it is the most interesting and compelling class I have taken through my school experience so far.”

– Saskia Ahmad ’13 Theory of Knowledge teacher, is to make them forget it.

Alec Peterson, the first Director General of the IB and a TOK teacher, wrote that the aim of this course, and the reason it rests at the heart of the IB, is to address two weaknesses common to most upper secondary schools: the failure to make explicit in the minds of the students the different forms that academic learning and knowledge take; and the tendency for students to study their different subjects in discrete, insular compartments.

Their powers of scientific deduction can reveal much about the structure of a concerto. The implication of a word problem in calculus demands the close reading skills learned in studying poetry. All of this makes sense, indeed its value to the invested, active participant

I asked them first to do some talking and writing about what they mean when they say “I know.” They took this in some wonderful directions, with answers ranging from investigations

decode connotation. By lunch the next day, reports were coming in from other teachers of TOK students’ demands and accusations. Higher Level IB Math became a discussion of ways that we decode. In Spanish, a simple request to translate a word brought talk of everything that “what does it mean” can mean. Students began to suspect (correctly, I might add) that their other teachers were in on this plot.

And that’s another part of what I get to do: help these girls forge and map the connections between their disciplines. One of the great strengths of SBS, one that makes the IB a natural fit, is the faculty’s eagerness to make connections. There is an infectious enthusiasm for understanding and syn-

“And that’s another part of what I get to do: help these girls forge and map the connections between their disciplines. One of the great strengths of SBS, one that makes the IB a natural fit, is the faculty’s eagerness to make connections.” of empirical knowledge versus faith, to dismissive appeasements of parents and siblings. No need to worry about honest self-assessment with this group.

What I did not expect was how quickly this metacognition would pervade their lives.

thesis, and as these girls and I work to integrate their tools of learning we find that everywhere we look this approach is being modeled. The bubbles around disciplines are bursting.

Want to follow the TOK class? Check out their blog: sbstok.blogspot.com

The heart of their homework for the week was to identify a moment in another class that required them to 15

2010-2011 Annual Giving Report

Annual Giving Report 2 0 1 0 - 1 1 A N N UA L F U N D G OA L O F $ 3 0 0 , 0 0 0 S U R PA S S E D

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ou are making an impact. Thank you! With the generous support of our loyal alumnae, Trustees, friends and families, we exceeded our goal of $300,000 for fiscal year 2010-11. We also increased the giving percentage of our alumnae base from 10% to 12%. The class of 1969 gave at the highest participation level – 37.62%. Let’s keep it up! We need your support now more than ever and hope to increase the alumnae participation percentage for 2011-12 to 25%. With a campus master plan in progress, the first year of the International Baccalaureate underway, a growing community service program and expanded financial aid policies, we truly appreciate your ongoing support of Stoneleigh-Burnham School!

2010-11 Annual Fund Total =$429,293.92 1869 Society Recognizes those who generously support Stoneleigh-Burnham School with gifts of $1,000 or more

The Head’s Circle ($10,000+)

The Scholars’ Circle ($1,000 - $2,499) Richard & Julia Hubbard P ’00, ’02, ’05

Anonymous (3) Laura B. Richards ’60S Mr. & Mrs. John Brunetti, Jr. P ’11 Elizabeth Stout ’61B

Dr. John Barrengos

Trustees Circle - ($5,000 - $9,999) Anonymous Anne Quantrell Dennen ’70 Mr. Juor-Ming Hsieh P’11 George & Sybil Fuller Foundation Mrs. Macdonald Peters Mr. Chin-Chang Wu & Mrs. Tung-Ying Wang P ’14

The Faculty Circle - ($2,500 -$4,999) Anonymous Elizabeth H. Engel ’86 Robert G. & Jane V. Engel Foundation Mrs. Jane V. Engel P ’86 Dmitry & Jennifer Eremeev P ’15 The Fowler Family Foundation Inc. Mr. & Mrs. Robert Fowler III P ’95 Robin Fowler ’95 Barbara Mayo Llewellyn ’69 Sandra Mowry ’56S, P ’81 Katherine Seyffer Opdycke ’70 Loraine Sherman ’69 Mr. Shang Xian Yuan & Mrs. Juan Jiang P ’15

16

Dr. Paul Bassett & Mrs. Elizabeth Bassett P ’85, ’88 Channing & Marie Bete P ’88, ’89 Kathryn Breech-Raft ’71 Gioia Browne ’69 Dr. Denise E. Bruner M.D. ’70 Annette A. Cazenave ’74 Sarah Mettler Cecil ’84 Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund Mary Ann P. Cofrin P ’07, ’10 Community Foundation of Western North Carolina Margaret Leonhardt Conger ’71 Nancy Corsiglia ’74 Barbara Deisroth ’64B Martha M. Dellenback ’88 Teresa DeVito ’69 Melissa Leach Dickson ’72 Kimberly Cartier Dome ’94 Alexandra Eadie-Friedmann ’69 Thomas & Anne Echeverria P ’98 Kimberly J. Eldridge ’92 Mr. & Mrs. Edward Emerson, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Michael Feves P ’14 Florence Field Farnham ’69 Mr. James Friedman & Ms. Michele Anderson Friedman P ’16 Joannah Hall Glass ’59S Suzanne Green ’71 Beverly Lockwood Hechler ’57B

Mrs. Isabel C. Leach P ’69, ’72 Abbe Janov Litvack ’74 Tamar Cooke Luck ’90 Mary Maloney ’69 Maureen McCarthey ’77 John & Anne McNear P ’79 Mr. Ei Ki Min & Mrs. Sung Suk Chun P ’11 Marjorie Nederlander P ’71 Charlotte Newton ’71 Ms. Judith Nuno Bridget O’Brien ’82 Judith Fries Olsson ’69 Allon Holloway Pierce ’41B Allison Porter ’89 Mr. Robert Pura & Mrs. Marjorie MacDonald-Pura P ’13 Priscilla Lougee Rizzo ’69 Helene Robbins Rohit & Katharine Desai Family Foundation Mr. Stuart Rose & Ms. Margie Topf P ’03 Nancy Robbins Schrader ’69 Robert & Sally Spencer P ’03 Doris Mosher Swenson ’47 Joanne Hall Von Culin ’63B Anne L. Walsh ’62S Meg Long White ’69 Shelley Bindloss White ’49S Pamela Coffin Williams ’70

the bulletin F A L L

2011

True Blue Donors Recognizes consistent donor support of Stoneleigh-Burnham School

40 + Consecutive Years of Giving

Barbara Sullivan Birney ’51B Martha Reynolds Coffin ’47B, P ’70 Ann Chmielewski Dillon ’86 Cynthia Perkins Inman ’55B

Melinda Barrows Bloodgood ’55B Susie Hine ’67S Laura B. Richards ’60S Dr. William Trice & Dr. Mildred Trice P ’72 Yvette Mencoff Nathans ’49B Heather Walker Wentworth ’64B

20 + Consecutive Years of Giving Sandra Mowry ’56S, P ’81 Barbara Baran Nittolo ’68B Joan McDonald Delmore ’54B Clarita Kushelevitch Kaufman ’56B Jamesina Bathgate Peirce ’54B Susanne Hall Alford ’64S Linda Floyd Anderson ’63S Barbara Schaff Blumenthal ’52S Phyllis Ruszenas Pickett ’46S Catharine Symington Walsh ’51B Dorothy Calcagno Caten ’38B Teresa DeVito ’69 Elizabeth Stout ’61B Mr. & Mrs. Barry Tessler P ’94 Lynn Schultz Kehoe ’77 Herbert & Jacqueline Peterson P ’92 Ruth Sawyer Staley ’62B Joanne Hall Von Culin ’63B

35 + Consecutive Years of Giving Sally Leach Mixsell ’69 Catherine Dowling Sanderson ’57B Mrs. Richard B. Lewis, Jr. P ’68, ’72

30 + Consecutive Years of Giving Mr. & Mrs. Donald Hart, Jr. P ’71 Deborah Thiele Nadjadi ’74 Adelaide Warner Minott ’50S Margaret Leonhardt Conger ’71 Marina Rubezanin Lillard ’52B

25 + Consecutive Years of Giving Janet Stewart Barrell ’47S Nathaniel & Jayne Huggins P ’85 Ann Shepard Stevens ’55S Lea Guyer Gordon ’46B Meredith Lang ’65B Helen Witter Boyd ’69 Mr. & Mrs. James F. Lucey P ’89 Susan Fleming Roberts ’51B

15 + Consecutive Years of Giving Victoria Askerberg ’69 Susan Cummings Campbell ’59B Deborah McDonnell Colwell ’69

Mary Ann Jergens Hays ’54B Bonnie Orshal Milner P ’96 Mr. & Mrs. John L. Bruch, Jr. P ’69 Thomas & Anne Echeverria P ’98 Colleen Pearl ’94 Judith Howard Whitney-Terry ’56B, P ’77 Sally Wood Post ’63B Susan Lund Stephens ’53B Carol Carson ’64S Dr. & Mrs. Michael J. Enders P ’95 Elizabeth H. Engel ’86 Robert G. & Jane V. Engel Foundation Karin Whittemore ’72

10 + Consecutive Years of Giving Gioia Browne ’69 Constance Madeira Clark ’65S Anne F. Heisler ’46B Judith Fries Olsson ’69 Mr. & Mrs. David Short P ’01, ’10 Gretchen Friedrich Allen ’38B Mr. & Mrs. C. S. Connington Mr. W. Cotton Damon II Joyce Domling Dawkins ’55B Melissa Leach Dickson ’72 Barbara Beck Donovan ’46B Martha Wardwell Goodnow ’75 Tamar Cooke Luck ’90 Patricia Naigles Lyons ’53B

Class of 1961 celebrates their

50

th

Above: Gathering in the Capen Room in front of MAB mural is the class of 1961 MAB; Top Right: 1961 SPH - Jane Corbett Floyd, Sherry Roth Meehan and Susan Clark Thayer. Bottom Right: Winn Parriott Berger ’61B, Pamela Potter Kahlo-Fina ’61B and Barbara Bergeron Wheaton ’61B visiting their old stomping grounds at the former Mary A. Burnham School in Northampton.

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2010-2011 Annual Giving Report

True Blue Donors (continued) Recognizes consistent donor support of Stoneleigh-Burnham School Priscilla Lougee Rizzo ’69 Sally Richardson Roberts ’69 Bruce & Elizabeth Shapiro P ’86 Magdelaine A. Smith ’60B Roger Turton & Kaichan Chan Mrs. Jane V. Engel P ’86 Stephen & Evvie Jakub P ’02 Mary R. Pearl P ’94 Ann Wolcott Sullivan ’47S, P ’78 Dr. Paul Bassett & Mrs. Elizabeth Bassett P ’85, ’88 Ms. Aileen Logan-Tyson Carole Weeks Pratt ’55B Janet Spencer ’50S Robert & Sally Spencer P ’03 Emily Clarke Whitney ’95 Sharon Calkins-Hubley ’72 Ms. Ellen J. Carter Sarah Mettler Cecil ’84 James & Susan Colgan P ’94 Community Foundation of Western North Carolina Ms. Lauren Cunniffe & Mr. Douglas Reid P ’09 Linda C. Dempster P ’05, ’07 Susan K. Errickson ’65B Elizabeth Field Erwin ’53B Patricia S. Friedman ’51B Joan Hutton Landis ’47S Kathleen Blauvelt Loving ’65B Charlotte Newton ’71 Mr. & Mrs. H. Morse Payne P ’78 Tod Pleasant Virginia Nielsen Robitaille ’69 Leslie Laub White ’79 David & Monica Witty P ’04, ’08

5 + Consecutive years of Giving Mrs. Leslie Brown P ’98 Addie Duplissie - Johnson & Parents ’06 Abbe Janov Litvack ’74 Ms. Shayna Appel ’78 & Ms. Robin Lunn P ’04 Mary Ann P. Cofrin P ’07, ’10 Anne Quantrell Dennen ’70 Katharine Bates Desai ’59B Gail Factor P ’98 Ruth Hoopes Frangopoulos ’65S Suzanne Green ’70 Jean MacLean Jankowski ’56B Miriam Przybyla-Baum Lena Rosen ’04 Charles & Martha Smith P ’06 Rita Moose Thomas ’53B Derith Black Buzby ’52B Mr. & Mrs. Dale Descavich P ’08 Ms. Shawn Durrett & Mr. Ben Anhalt

18

Lynda Decker Gallagher ’71 Karen Preefer Hanauer ’58B Ruth Black Henchey ’52B Jane Konheim Kasov ’62B Mary Beebe Konieczny ’64B Audrey Kellogg Lampe ’48B Mr. & Mrs. Richard Larsen P ’08 Fleuri Meek MacIntyre ’77 Joan Walthers Parks ’51S Phoenix Foundation, Inc. Kathryn & Travis Shaw P ’07 Julie Steiner Stone ’67S Sandra Williams White ’52B, P ’75 Jane McSweeney Wishart ’56S Barbara Misuk Yeaton ’55B Susan Abbe ’61B Helen Off Arnold ’71 Taffy Bassett-Fox ’88 Channing & Marie Bete P ’88, ’89 Jenn Bete-Brown ’88 Charitable Gift Fund Heatherle Clingerman ’93 Nancy Corsiglia ’74 Hollie Uong Courage ’67B Sara Carlson Drew ’50B Ms. Jessica Durfey Margaret Hohmann Ferland ’59B Matthew Fisher Betty Wright Follett ’48B Pete & Catherine Gaynor Sara Brown Gibbons ’98 Miriam Smith Hardy ’54B Laurie Hoffacker Kaneb ’65B Meredith Meryman Landis ’84 Maurine H. Lee ’42B Dorothy Horowitz Ludwig ’44B Jean Hill Macht ’47S Margaret Altmiller McIntosh ’72 Audrey Willgoos Meehan ’43B Katherine Seyffer Opdycke ’70 Martha Parsons Paine ’60B Patricia Roberts ’65S Ms. Ruth Rodgers P ’60B Lisa Russell ’81 Nancy Robbins Schrader ’69 Lee T. Sprague P ’90 Theodora Jones St. Lawrence ’63 SPH Mrs. Sweet Stagg P ’73 Anne L. Walsh ’62S Mr. & Mrs. Frederick B. Wardwell P ’75 Elena Scott Whiteside ’55B Mr. & Mrs. Dalton Athey III P ’11

Carolyn Austin ’68B Dariel Keith Belcher ’42B Pamela Brewster Bensen ’64S, P ’89 Gail Robison Brodie ’57S Martha Parker Chamberlin ’59B Tenley Morse Chevalier ’74 Helen Coonley Colcord ’55B Chip & Sharlene Cormie P ’93 Brian & Colleen Daigle P ’10 Shirley Beebe Davis ’47S Jeremy Deason Kate Echeverria ’98 Mr. & Mrs. Russell H. Edes P ’94 Kimberly J. Eldridge ’92 Kendra Fleming ’06 Mr. Mark Freise & Dr. Margaret Burgess P ’08 Nancy Farwell French ’79 Linde McCabe Gee ’65B Mr. Clifton F. Giles, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Paul Goessling, Jr. P ’87 Larry & Karen Gould P ’05 Morgan Gould ’05 Julie DuCharme Haynes ’61B Beverly Lockwood Hechler ’57B Ursula Kendrtarvich Hogan ’56B Kaylan A. Hubbard ’00 Richard & Julia Hubbard P ’00, ’02, ’05 Mr. & Mrs. G. Watts Humphrey, Jr. P ’91 ISO New England Inc. Mrs. Isabel C. Leach P ’69, ’72 Mary Maloney ’69 Rachel F. Moore P ’07 Rebecca Plona Peterson Marion Pomeroy ’85 Patricia Thomas Raichel ’57B Nancy Reardon Sayer ’70 Joanne Vlecides Schroeder ’60 SPH Ms. Margaret Slichter P ’10 Mr. Greg Snedeker Patricia Szulborski P ’85, ’88 Jeanne & Steve Thomas CP ’09 Mr. & Mrs. R. Bryan Trainor P ’00 Marjorie & John Turton Jenny Chappell Way ’65B Rachel Blakey Westerlund ’79 Ashley Guertin Whitney ’92 Diane Dunbar Wimer ’54B Marilyn Wood ’64S Nancy Booth Woodworth ’67B Mrs. Norma Zuchovitsky P ’95

the bulletin F A L L

2011

Reunion Awards

Reunion Year Annual Giving Award:

56 MA 9 1 at

B

22

.22

Awarded to a milestone reunion class for highest Annual Giving participation level.

percent

37 at

.62

Toni Schust Zegras ’61 MAB Judith Vandeveer McDermott ’61 MAB

Ellie Ferdon Leadership Award: Mary “Tinka” Lunt P ’85

Owl’s Nest Awards:

Annual Giving Award:

1969

Outstanding Class Agents Award:

Awarded to a non-reunion class for highest Annual Giving participation level.

percent

Most Grandchildren: Julie DuCharme Haynes ’61B Traveled furthest to attend Reunion: Effie Wardenburg ’91 – 3,000 miles Visited the Most Countries: Tamara Monahan Donovan ’81 – 30 countries Most visits to campus as an Alumna: Betty Stout ’61B, too many to count!

Snuck off campus the most: Kathryn Kleinhaus ’88 – 30 times (But Kathryn didn’t say how many times she was caught!)

Class of 1971 celebrates their

40

th

Above Left: Class of 1971! front row- Sutzie Anger Canzonetti, Gigi Abbo, Kathryn Breech-Raft, Dinah Jameson; back row- Lynda Decker Gallagher, Janet Singleton Spangler, Holly Off Arnold, Robin Abbott Burwick, Charlotte Newon and Suzanne Green; Above Right: Gigi Abbo, Kathryn Breech-Raft, Sutzie Anger Canzonetti, Holly Off Arnold, Robin Abbott Burwick, Lynda Decker Gallagher, and Val Ritter Murphy at their 40th Reunion dinner.

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2010-2011 Annual Giving Report

Mary A. Burnham School Class of 1932 Marcia Taylor Kibbey

Class of 1938 Gretchen Friedrich Allen Dorothy Calcagno Caten CT

Class of 1941 Allon Holloway Pierce 

Class of 1942 Dariel Keith Belcher Maurine Helms Lee

Class of 1943 Audrey Willgoos Meehan Patricia Holloway Tucker S

Class of 1944 Sharon Kaye Conway Dorothy Horowitz Ludwig

Class of 1945 Nancy Mackay Coffin Bonita Barrack DeVos

Class of 1946 Barbara Beck Donovan Lea Guyer Gordon Anne Foley Heisler

Class of 1947 Sally Scott Blumenfeld

Martha Reynolds Coffin S Lin Janelle Loen S Doris Mosher Swenson 

Marina Rubezanin Lillard CT Sandra Williams White S

Class of 1948

Elizabeth Field Erwin Cynthia Clarridge Handelsman Patricia Naigles Lyons Fern Tyler Rizzo Susan Lund Stephens S Rita Moose Thomas

Betty Wright Follett Audrey Kellogg Lampe S

Class of 1949 Pamela Scott Ivani Yvette Mencoff Nathans

Class of 1954

Class of 1950 Sara Carlson Drew

Class of 1951 Barbara Sullivan Birney S Patricia Johnson Friedman Susan Huber Gross Carol O’Brien Irvine Gloria Hall Nicholls Joan Armstrong Posey Susan Fleming Roberts CT Catharine Symington Walsh CT Nancy Johnstone Watt CT Jane Monroe White

Class of 1952 Carol Ahern Derith Black Buzby Ruth Black Henchey F

Class of 1953

Joan Eaton Anderson Marcia Potter Crocker Emmy Groeneveld Crosby Joan McDonald Delmore Elinor Johnstone Ferdon S Miriam Smith Hardy Mary Ann Jergens Hays CT Dorinda Larkin McNamara Jamesina Bathgate Peirce Susan Hawley Powell Diane Dunbar Wimer

Class of 1955 Linda Barrows Bloodgood Helen Coonley Colcord Joyce Domling Dawkins CT Ruth Reynolds Frost Cynthia Perkins Inman F

Carole Weeks Pratt Elena Scott Whiteside Barbara Misuk Yeaton

Class of 1956 Audrey Benjamin Burley Ann Welch Campbell Judith Park Coyne F Ursula Kendrtarvich Hogan Linda Guthy Huzzen Jean MacLean Jankowski Clarita Kushelevitch Kaufman F Penelope Rockwell Meek Jo Ann Wells Sandra MacDonald Wemmerus Lyndsay Pond White Judith Howard Whitney-Terry CT

Class of 1957 Roberta Lee Gerber Beverly Lockwood Hechler  Joan C. Kauttu Patricia Thomas Raichel Catherine Dowling Sanderson Sally Adams Stebbins

Class of 1958 Marcia Dudley Bellermann Karen Preefer Hanauer Lynn Dender Kelly

Thank You ’69 F O R S U P P O R T I N G YO U R C L A S S C A M PA I G N !

1969 Goal – $60,000 Goal achieved and exceeded!

Gift Total – $85,160 You have made a world of difference!

Interested in launching a Class Campaign?

Contact Liz Feeley, Associate Director of Development and Alumnae Relations – alumnae@sbschool.org or 413-774-2711 x247

Giving Societies Key  = The 1869 Society

Gifts of $1,000 +

20

S = The Southwick Society CT = The Clock Tower Society Gifts of $500 - $999

Gifts of $250 - $499

F = The Founder’s Society Gifts of $130 - $249

ON = The Owl’s Nest Society

Gifts of $50 - $129

from young alumnae

classes 2001-2011

the bulletin F A L L

Class of 1986 celebrates their

25

2011

th A: Class of 1986 show off their ‘Sister’ bracelets: Tiffany Crawford, Liz Engel and Donna Lynn Sparks B: Class of 1986 display their ‘banner’ at their tent near the athletic fields.

A

C: Liz Engel ’86, Sarah Hubbard Von Frank ’85, Tiffany Crawford ’86 and Donna Lynn Sparks ’86 gather at Saturday night’s Reunion Dinner.

B C

D

D: Celebrating in the 1986 tent are Kathryn Kleinhans ’88, Liz Engel ’86, Sarah Hubbard Von Frank ’85, Donna Lynn Sparks ’86, Taffy Bassett-Fox ’88, Melissa Weisberg Donovan ’89, Tiffany Crawford ’86, Brooke Reynolds Cheney ’89, Amy Stegall ’86 and Becky Warshow ’89.

Valerie Brenhouse Mace Gail Benger Reifsnyder Margaret Baxter Streeter

Class of 1959 Susan Cummings Campbell S Martha Parker Chamberlin Katharine Bates Desai S Margaret Hohmann Ferland Susan Ellery Kelley Judith Mott Lyons Carolyn Raymond F

Christine Dunbar Kuhn Judith Vandeveer McDermott F Cynthia Fry Pyle Gail Gould Schuneman Elizabeth T. Stout  Susan Robbins Wetherill

Class of 1962 Susan Wilson Ashcom Jane Konheim Kasov Kathrine Conathan Reardon Ruth Sawyer Staley

Class of 1960

Class of 1963

Martha Parsons Paine Joanne Vlecides Schroeder CT Magdelaine Anthony Smith

Sarah Wood Post Joanne Hall Von Culin 

Class of 1961

Barbara Deisroth  Jill Ramsey Edgar Mary Beebe Konieczny Terina Clarke Miller

Susan Abbe E. Leslie Gewinner Brown Julie DuCharme Haynes

Class of 1964

Roberta Friend Vaughan Heather Walker Wentworth Malinda Cowles Wright

Class of 1965 Reverend Judith Arnold Patricia Morner Case Susan Kelsey Errickson Linde McCabe Gee F Laurie Hoffacker Kaneb Marjorie McClurg Klingeman Meredith Lang Lynda Laun Kathleen Blauvelt Loving Judith Piel Skinner Linda Damuck Valentine Jean Chappell Way

Class of 1966 Lucinda Hooper Bald Gana Browning

Amanda Burr Frances Marley Feinberg Gwenellen Janov CT Mary Acton Moriarty

Class of 1967 Ann Arnold Cynthia Mitchell Bassett Hollie Uong Courage Charlotte Dinolt Sally Pecora Dunn Alice McGreevy Nancy Booth Woodworth

Class of 1968 Carolyn Austin Gail Pratt Frasier CT Barbara Baran Nittolo CT Joyce Cornish Suter S Carolyn Wathey-Lee F

21

2010-2011 Annual Giving Report

Stoneleigh-Prospect Hill School Class of 1941

Class of 1952

Class of 1960

Class of 1965

Bette S. MacDonald F

Barbara Schaff Blumenthal Judith Dickinson Taylor

Gretchen Hotz Kantor Laura B. Richards  Cecelia Ament Roberge Diana Gilbert Serrell S

Constance Madeira Clark F Ruth Hoopes Frangopoulos S Patricia Roberts F

Class of 1961 Drew Lucas Atherton Barbara Grossbaum F Sherry Roth Meehan S Elinor Tidman F

Suzanne Gras Althoff Marlice Ford Brown F North Lyman Cunningham CT Valerie Knowles Deane Dorothy Kloss

Class of 1962

Class of 1967

Carole Karp Barnett, Ph.D Lynne Sannella Hamilton Gay Massengill Charlot Martin Taylor Anne Littleford Walsh 

Lucia Sanders Beer S R. Jill Chamberlain Laurie Grainer Susan Hine Mary Jackson Powell Julie Steiner Stone S

Class of 1946

Class of 1954

Elizabeth McLean McLain Phyllis Ruszenas Pickett

Edith Swain Bullock June Garfield Campbell Carolyn Eddy Timbers

Class of 1947 Janet Stewart Barrell F Shirley Beebe Davis F Joan Hutton Landis Jean Hill Macht Ann Wolcott Sullivan CT

Class Of 1955 Hannah Coonley Nunn Ann Shepard Stevens

Class of 1956

Class of 1948

Karen Brooks Bahrenburg Sandra Mowry  Jane McSweeney Wishart

Jacqueline Wieber Woods CT

Class of 1949 Elizabeth Abercrombie Flynn MaryEm Bodman Kenner Sue Heubisch Milkey F Shelley Bindloss White 

Class of 1957

Class of 1950

Anita Smiley Bailey Carol Hough Lapin

Linda Floyd Anderson F Sally Miller Fuller Karen Ward Miller Theodora Jones St. Lawrence

Class of 1959

Class of 1964

Karen Asselta Beard Gail Robison Brodie

Class of 1958

Adelaide Warner Minott Janet Spencer F

Class of 1951

Joannah Hall Glass  Beverly Mack Hall F Janet MacLaughlin Hooper Susan Perlo Magee F

Joan Walthers Parks Patricia Blake Sayles

Class of 1963

Class of 1966

Class of 1968 Julie Flagg Sharon Lewis Gaffey S

Susanne Hall Alford Pam Brewster Bensen S Carol Carson S Marilyn Wood

Stoneleigh-Burnham School Class of 1969 Victoria J. Askerberg S Lynn Worthen Berns Helen Witter Boyd Gioia T. Browne  Deborah L. Chamberlain Martha Niden Coleman Deborah McDonnell Colwell Suzanne Conklin Teresa C. DeVito  Alexandra Eadie-Friedmann  Florence Field Nancy Doolittle Hazelton Shelley Jones F Melinda Marvin Kittell F Barbara Keusch CT Barbara Mayo Llewellyn  Natalie Cole Lynn Susan Bruch Muir Mary Maloney 

Deborah McTigue Martha Evans Miller Sally Leach Mixsell S Karin Armstrong Newhouse Susan M. Noonan F Judith Fries Olsson  Susan Pease Patterson S Priscilla Lougee Rizzo  Sally Richardson Roberts S Virginia Nielsen Robitaille  Sue Ellen Rothery S Nancy Reardon Sayer S Nancy Robbins Schrader  Loraine Sherman  Barbara Wilson Smith Janet Campbell Webber Gillian Folley White F Meg Long White  Laurie Janov Williams CT Charlotte Ellis Wylie

Class of 1970 Courtney Babcock Borntraeger Denise E. Bruner M.D.  Anne Quantrell Dennen  Holly Burns Johnson Kathryn Woodward Long Helene Hibbard Loper Katherine Seyffer Opdycke  Anne Sears CT Sally Watts Set Pamela Coffin Williams 

Class of 1971 Gigi Abbo S Holly Off Arnold Kathryn Breech-Raft  Sutzie Anger Canzonetti Margaret Leonhardt Conger  Lynda Decker Gallagher Suzanne Green 

Nancy Haight Edith H. Jones CT Vivian Lee CT Charlotte Newton  Marion Browning Piro S Janet Singleton Spangler Leigh Stewart

Class of 1972 Nancy Andrepont Sharon Calkins-Hubley CT Melissa Leach Dickson  Suzanne Bell Fraser Charlotte Lewis-Hankus S Margaret Altmiller McIntosh Susan Gould McLean Jennifer Pickering Amelia Sullivan Karin F. Whittemore F

Giving Societies Key  = The 1869 Society

Gifts of $1,000 +

22

S = The Southwick Society CT = The Clock Tower Society Gifts of $500 - $999

Gifts of $250 - $499

F = The Founder’s Society Gifts of $130 - $249

ON = The Owl’s Nest Society

Gifts of $50 - $129

from young alumnae

classes 2001-2011

the bulletin F A L L

2011

Left: Mary Ellen Hennessey Blake ’96, Salenna Settanni and Melissa McKallagat ’96 enjoy their 15th Reunion.

Right: Tracy Tsui ’04 and Vivian Yang ’05 enjoy reconnecting and the appetizers at the Reunion cocktail reception.

Class of 1973

Class of 1981

Class of 1990

Class of 2001

Suzanne Crowley Birchard F Margaret Hall Bonnie McCouch

Janet DeLucia Cimmino Tamara Monahan Donovan Lisa J. Russell Debra Van Dyke

Tamar Cooke Luck  Astrid Mahmouzian Teresa Williams-Yetming S

Class of 1982 Bridget O’Brien 

Brooke Harris Mary Elizabeth Schoonover Orwick

Joyhdae Albert Ashley Green Anna Griniuk Hadley Ledbetter Dara Raskin ON Katherine Short ON

Class of 1983

Class of 1992

Allison Small Annand Courtney Longaker Graham Georgia de Nolfo Jodi Sojka Villani

Kimberly Eldridge  Lisa Vincent Taylor Ashley Guertin Whitney

Class of 1984 Sarah Mettler Cecil  Meredith Meryman Landis S Dawn Selya Sherman

Heatherle A. Clingerman S Virginia H. Dunn S Catherine Robinson Horn Amy Morford Nebeker

Class of 1985

Class of 1994

Piper Huggins CT Jerilyn Jacobs Marion L. Pomeroy Jane Simpson Evelyn D. Trebilcock

Kimberly Cartier Dome  Rachael Blake Elmaleh F Colleen S. Pearl

Class of 1974 Ninette Gratiot Barr S Annette Cazenave  Tenley Morse Chevalier Barbara Cochran Cocherell Nancy E. Corsiglia  Mimi Gridley Abbe Janov Litvack  Deborah Thiele Nadjadi Victoria Zialcita Strousse

Class of 1975 Martha Wardwell Goodnow Pamela Gadboys Layton F Tracey Marshall

Class of 1976 Elizabeth Armstrong

Class of 1977 Anonymous  Sarah Bohrer Caldwell CT Ruth Ann Carpenter Mary Ann Cramer Lynn Schultz Kehoe  Fleuri Meek MacIntyre CT Kathryn Whitney Mansfield Maureen McCarthey  Mary Beth Margo Sullivan Jacquelyn Waxenberg CT

Class of 1978 Karen M. Amsler F Shayna Appel Ann Marie Pardee Mina Payne Williams

Class of 1979 Nancy Farwell French Rachel Blakey Westerlund Leslie Laub White

Class of 1986 Ann Chmielewski Dillon Elizabeth Engel 

Class of 1987 Lisa Zewinski Adams

Class of 1988 Stephanie Bassett-Fox Jennifer Bete-Brown Martha M. Dellenback 

Class of 1989 Brooke Reynolds Cheney Melissa Weisberg Donovan CT Marcela Sanchez Grover Rachel Hoffman-Kelley Nora Sulzmann Kenneway Allison Porter  Diane Finneran Proctor Rebecca Warshow

Class of 1991

Class of 1993

Class of 1995 Emily Clarke Whitney

Class of 1996 Mary Ellen Hennessey Blake Sara Dodson Linda E. Jones Melissa McKallagat F Carissa Debra Tudryn

Class of 1998 Anna G. Carnall Kate O. Echeverria Sara Brown Gibbons Melissa Hemming McWeeny

Class of 1999 Alexandra S. Hindle

Class of 2000

Class of 2002 Ashley Girard F Emily Gamelin ON Bethany Hubbard

Class of 2003 Meg Currier ON Brianna Welenc

Class of 2004 Jessica Pleasant Lena Rosen ON Brittany Witty ON

Class of 2005 Cassandra Coughlin Morgan Gould Jenna Hubbard Hannah Risser-Sperry

Class of 2006 Addie Duplissie-Johnson ON Emily A. Palmer Elizabeth Smith F

Class of 2007 Kirsten McKenzie

Class of 2008 Caroline Marsden

Class of 2009 Audrey Lewis ON Lara Thomas

Class of 2010 Ashley Daigle

Kaylan A. Hubbard Caisey Jefferson Kakascik Kendra Trainor

23

2010-2011 Annual Giving Report

Current Parents Class of 2011

Class of 2013

Mr. & Mrs. Dalton Athey III Mr. Todd Brown Mr. & Mrs. John Brunetti, Jr.  Mr. & Mrs. James Dowrey Mr. Robert N. Elkins Mr. Juor-Ming Hsieh  Ms. Elisabeth Oude Kotte Mr. Ei Ki Min & Mrs. Sung Suk Chun 

Mr. Guo Yonggang & Mrs. Zhang Hui CT Charles & Linda Gledhill S Mr. Robert Pura & Mrs. Marjorie MacDonald-Pura  Mr. & Mrs. Lionel Romain F Victoria Zialcita Strousse ‘74 Mr. & Mrs. Eric Swartzentruber

Class of 2012

Anonymous Mr. & Mrs. Michael Feves  Mr. & Mrs. Douglas Logan

Ms. Lee-Ann Blair F Dmitry & Jennifer Eremeev  Ms. Larnett Glenn Mr. Jorge Mijares & Mrs. Maria Mancera Mr. Shang Xian Yuan & Mrs. Juan Jiang 

Class of 2016 Ms. Sarah Alber Ms. Robin Brooks Drs. Mark & Elisabeth Hamin Mr. Joshua Lane & Mrs. Karen Suchenski Mr. & Mrs. Roland Merullo F Mr. Oliver Steele & Dr. Margaret Minksy Mr. & Mrs. Eric Swartzentruber

Class of 2014

Mr. Mitch Anthony & Ms. Debbie Kates Mr. & Mrs. Anthony J Galluzzo Mr. & Mrs. David Hewlings CT Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Mangan Mr. & Mrs. Randall Reynolds Ms. Catherine Zatyrka

Class of 2015 Mr. William Otchere & Ms. Laurette Asante Ms. Joya Baynes

Current Grandparents Mr. & Mrs. Philip Bartolotta S For Jessie M Bartolotta ’14

Mr. William Hewlings CT For Emily J. Hewlings ’12

Ms. Margaret Okanta For Ma Otchere ’15

Mrs. Ann Blair CT For For Olivia D. Fernandez ’15

Ms. Mary Kalinowski For Kelly Siok ’11

Dr. Michael Suchenski F For Claire Lane ’16

Mr. & Mrs. Peter Buttenheim CT For Francesca Eremeeva ’15

Mr. & Mrs. Eric Morrissette F For May M. Dong ’14

Ms. Mary Warner For Claire Bushee ’16

Ms. Helen E. Zatyrka For Claire Callahan ’12

Thank You ’71 FO R S U P P O RT I NG YOU R C L A S S C A M PA I G N !

1971 Goal – $40,000 Campaign still in Progress!

Total to date - $11,106 You have made a world of difference!

Interested in launching a Class Campaign?

Contact Liz Feeley, Associate Director of Development and Alumnae Relations – alumnae@sbschool.org or 413-774-2711 x247

Giving Societies Key  = The 1869 Society

Gifts of $1,000 +

24

S = The Southwick Society CT = The Clock Tower Society Gifts of $500 - $999

Gifts of $250 - $499

F = The Founder’s Society Gifts of $130 - $249

ON = The Owl’s Nest Society

Gifts of $50 - $129

from young alumnae

classes 2001-2011

the bulletin F A L L

2011

Past Parents and Grandparents Anonymous  Mr. & Mrs. Ahbel P ’06 Jane & Moses Alexander P ’12 The Allards P ’00 William & Barbara Anderson P ’85 Ms. Shayna Appel ’78 & Ms. Robin Lunn P ’04 Thomas & Linda Baccei P ’06 Stephen & Martha Balazs P ’05 Mr. & Mrs. Stewart Balk P ’10, ’12 Audrey & John Ball GP ’09 CT Janet Stewart Barrell ’47S F Mr. & Mrs. David Bartlett GP ’03

Ms. Lauren Cunniffe & Mr. Douglas Reid P ’09 Brian & Colleen Daigle P ’10 Linda C. Dempster P ’05, ’07 Mr. & Mrs. Dale Descavich P ’08 F Mr. Barry Dow & Ms. Patricia Allen P ’00 Addie Duplissie-Johnson & Parents ’06 Thomas & Anne Echeverria P ’98  Mr. & Mrs. Russell H. Edes P ’94 Robert N. Elkins P ’05 Dr. & Mrs. Michael J. Enders P ’95 F Mrs. Jane V. Engel P ’86  Gail Factor P ’98

Mr. & Mrs. Alan Lavallee P ’04 Mrs. Isabel C. Leach P ’69, ’72  Mr. & Mrs. James F. Lucey P ’89 Valerie Brenhouse Mace ’58B, P ’80 Susan Perlo Magee ’59S, P ’88 Mr. & Mrs. John Margo P ’77 Mrs. Virginia Martin P ’90 Mr. & Mrs. William McGoldrick GP ’07 John & Anne McNear P ’79  Mr. Jorge Mijares & Mrs. Maria Mancera P ’15 Bonnie Orshal Milner P ’96 Mr. & Mrs. Michael Moore P ’14

Mr. Ernest Rubenstein GP ’97 Anne Schenck GP ’09 Bruce & Elizabeth Shapiro P ’86 Kathryn & Travis Shaw P ’07 Mr. & Mrs. David Short P ’01, ’10 CT Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Brainard Slack P ’99 Ms. Margaret Slichter P ’10 F Charles & Martha Smith P ’06F Robert & Sally Spencer P ’03  Lee T. Sprague P ’90 Marie Squires GP ’94 Mrs. Sweet Stagg P ’73 Ann Wolcott Sullivan ’47S, P ’78 CT

Left: Icey Wang ’12, Mandy Burr ’66B, Theresa WilliamsYetming ’90, Laryssa Witty ’08 and Claudia Nash Hurley ’61B practice for Reunion 2011 Right: One voice across the years!

Alumnae and future alumnae gather for Octet rehearsal at Reunion.

Mr. & Mrs. H. Stephen Bartlett P ’92 S Dr. Paul Bassett & Mrs. Elizabeth Bassett P ’85, ’88  John & Jan Jee Bean P ’04 Lucia Sanders Beer ’67S, P ’96 S Pamela Brewster Bensen ’64S, P ’89 S Channing & Marie Bete P ’88, ’89  Ms. Gretchen Blakey P ’79 Ms. Leslie Brown P ’98S Mr. & Mrs. John L. Bruch, Jr. P ’69 CT Louisa Goss Clark P ’98 Amy & Doug Clarke P ’95, ’00 The Reverend Claire A. Clingerman P ’93 Martha Reynolds Coffin ’47B, P ’70 S Mary Ann P. Cofrin P ’07, ’10  James & Susan Colgan P ’94 Chip & Sharlene Cormie P ’93 CT Mr. & Mrs. Charles Crone P ’89

Elinor Johnstone Ferdon ’54B, P ’76, ’78, ’82 S Mr. & Mrs. Robert Fowler III P ’95  Mr. Mark Freise & Dr. Margaret Burgess P ’08 Mr. & Mrs. Paul Goessling, Jr. P ’87 Larry & Karen Gould P ’05 Mr. & Mrs. Donald Hart, Jr. P ’71 Richard & Julia Hubbard P ’00, ’02, ’05  Nathaniel & Jayne Huggins P ’85 CT Mr. & Mrs. G. Watts Humphrey, Jr. P ’91 Stephen & Evvie Jakub P ’02 Ms. Mary Kalinowski Susan Ellery Kelley ’59B Sharon & Stephen Lamonakis P ’03 Mr. & Mrs. Norman S. Landino P ’98 Mr. Charles Lang P ’65 F Mr. & Mrs. Richard Larsen P ’08

Rachel F. Moore P ’07 Sandra Mowry ’56S, P ’81  Marjorie Nederlander P ’71  Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Nussdorfer P ’99 Maggie Hawn & Paul O’Connor P ’03 F Mr. & Mrs. John O’Donnell P ’83 Dr. & Mrs. Jeffrey Palmer P ’06 Mr. & Mrs. H. Morse Payne P ’78 Mary R. Pearl P ’94 Herbert & Jacqueline Peterson P ’92 CT Dr. & Mrs. Donald Pomerantz P ’89 Mr. & Mrs. Jerry Redeker P ’83 Mr. & Mrs. Herman Robinson, Jr. P ’93 Ms. Ruth Rodgers P ’60B Mr. Stuart Rose & Ms. Margie Topf P ’03  Dr. Joseph Rosen & Ms. Marcia Stahl-Rosen P ’04

Patricia Szulborski P ’85, ’88 Mr. & Mrs. Barry Tessler P ’94 Jeanne & Steve Thomas P ’09 Mr. & Mrs. R. Bryan Trainor P ’00 Dr. William Trice & Dr. Mildred Trice P ’72 F Jennifer Van Anda P ’00 Mr. Joseph Vincento P ’12 S Mr. & Mrs. Frederick B. Wardwell P ’75 Mr. & Mrs. John Westhoff GP ’01 Sandra Williams White ’52B, P ’75 S Judith Howard Whitney-Terry ’56B, P ’77 CT David & Monica Witty P ’04, ’08 CT Larry & Caron Yost P ’90 Mr. & Mrs. Michael Zraunig P ’10, ’14 Mrs. Norma Zuchovitsky P ’95

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2010-2011 Annual Giving Report

Current and Past Faculty and Staff Dr. Paul Bassett & Mrs. Elizabeth Bassett P’85, ’88  Taffy Bassett-Fox ’88 Ms. Linda Beaudoin Pamela Brewster Bensen ’64S, P’89 S The Bogel Family Ms. Leslie Brown P’98 S Ms. Ellen J. Carter Ms. Jennifer Chylack & Mr. Anthony Dinsmore Chip & Sharlene Cormie P ’93 CT Ms. Lauren Cunniffe & Mr. Douglas Reid P’09

Mr. Jeremy Deason Ms. Jessica Durfey Ms. Shawn Durrett & Mr. Ben Anhalt Mr. & Mrs. Edward Emerson, Jr.  Liz Feeley Matthew Fisher Pete & Catherine Gaynor Sara Brown Gibbons ’98 Mr. Clifton F. Giles, Jr. Ms. Martha Griswold & Bill Ivey Nancy Hodermarsky Piper Huggins ’85 CT Gail LaChance

Karen Levitt Ms. Aileen Logan-Tyson Linda Mahoney Regina E. Mooney CT Roxanne Beardsley Niles Ms. Judith Nuno  Joan Pajak Rebecca Plona Peterson Anne Pinkerton Jessica Pleasant ’04 Tod Pleasant Miriam Przybyla-Baum Katherine Short ’01

Mr. Greg Snedeker Marie Squires GP ’94 Mr. & Mrs. Eric Swartzentruber P ’13, ’16 F Susanna Thompson Chia-Jung Tsou Roger Turton & Kaichan Chan S Ms. Cathy Warren Patrick & Sharon Weyers P’13 Emily Clarke Whitney ’95 Amelia Payne Williams ’78 Bruce Williams

Friends of Stoneleigh-Burnham School

Foundations and Corporations

Mr. & Mrs. Bruce T. Amsbary Ms. Nancy Bartlett F Lynn Cadwallader Robert S. & Mary W. Cohn S Mr. & Mrs. C. S. Connington CT Mr. W. Cotton Damon II Ms. Lisa Frazier Mr. Spencer Gray, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Richard W. B. Jesser Jason Merrill Helene Robbins  Marjorie & John Turton

Anonymous  4 The Green, LLC S G. James & Sarah J. Caldwell Trust CT Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund  Community Foundation of Western North Carolina  Rohit & Katharine Desai Family Foundation  Robert G. & Jane V. Engel Foundation  The Fowler Family Foundation Inc  George & Sybil Fuller Foundation  Meek Foundation CT Northeast Home Loan, LLC Shadowblade Inc

Matching Gift Companies The Charles Schwab Foundation CT GE Foundation Genworth Financial F Wells Fargo Private Bank S

Lynda Decker Gallagher ’71 and Suzanne Green ’71 shopping in the School Store

Giving Societies Key  = The 1869 Society

Gifts of $1,000 +

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S = The Southwick Society CT = The Clock Tower Society Gifts of $500 - $999

Gifts of $250 - $499

F = The Founder’s Society Gifts of $130 - $249

ON = The Owl’s Nest Society

Gifts of $50 - $129

from young alumnae

classes 2001-2011

the bulletin F A L L

2011

Above: Jessica Meese ’04 and Emily Palmer ’06 greet Diane Olanyk at Reunion dinner.

A: Class of 1991 hams it up in Geissler at Reunion.

A

B

C D

E

B: Distinguished Alumnae Award recipient Denise Bruner ’70 and Sally Mixsell.

C: Rachel Blake Elmaleh ’94 and Heather Rutka Collucio ’94 represent their class at Reunion.

D: Cyndee Meese receives her retirement gift at Reunion.

E: Festive atmosphere created for our Reunion dinner!

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2010-2011 Annual Giving Report

The new truck and trailer for the Equestrian Program was made possible by generous gifts from three alumnae. The trailer accommodates four horses, has rear and side entries and has a spacious equipment compartment. Both the truck and trailer sport our School logo and we now roll proudly into horse shows around the country.

Horse Donations Ms. Toni Belding ~ Credence, “Squid” Mr. Randy Burkhart ~ Stellafuna Ms. Jennifer Deneault ~ Sensyrias, “Dusty” Ms. Lisa DeVos ~ Tianna Mr. Jeff Engel ~ Misty Ms. Johanna Schicke Fallo ~ Scotty’s Big Girl Ms. Hope Greenfield ~ Graffiti Ms. Paula Kerr ~ Monty Mr. William Lyons ~ Hoek’s Crack Z Mr. Philip MacTaggart ~ Blue Moon Mr. Steve Nislick ~ Graffiti Ms. Margaret Silverstein ~ Bandit Ms. Lucia Zachowski ~ Bubba, “Direct Light”

Alumnae enjoy some time riding in the indoor ring during Reunion 2011.

Giving Societies Key  = The 1869 Society

Gifts of $1,000 +

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S = The Southwick Society CT = The Clock Tower Society Gifts of $500 - $999

Gifts of $250 - $499

F = The Founder’s Society Gifts of $130 - $249

ON = The Owl’s Nest Society

Gifts of $50 - $129

from young alumnae

classes 2001-2011

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2011

Memorial and Honorary Gifts In Honor of Class of ’66B graduates who have passed away Mary Acton Moriarty ’66B

In Memory of Mara L. Cormie Chip & Sharlene Cormie P ’93 CT Taffy Bassett-Fox ’88

In Memory of Shirley Hewlings GP ’12 In Memory of Mr. & Mrs. David Hewlings P ’12 CT Ms. Jane D. Perkins P ’81, ’86 Nancy Hodermarsky In Honor of Ashlee Houle ’07 In Honor of Erica Ahbel ’06 In Honor of Constance Johnson Mr. & Mrs. William McGoldrick GP In Memory of Mrs. Peters Mr. & Mrs. Ahbel P ’06 Corsiglia ’45S, P ’74, ’77, ’80 ’07 Dorothy Minty Dilts ’44B and In Memory of Sarah Corsiglia ’80 Yvette Mencoff Nathans ’49B In Honor of Melissa Allard ’00 In Memory of Nancy Corsiglia ’74  Susan Bruch Muir ’69 The Allards P ’00 Rhoda P. Janov P ’66, ’69, ’74 In Honor of Elizabeth Crone ’89 Fly Janov Williams ’69 In Honor of Elizabeth Anne Peterson ’92 In Memory of Jane Ellis Ashland ’56B Mr. & Mrs. Charles Crone P ’89 Herbert & Jacqueline Peterson P ’92 CT Audrey Benjamin Burley ’56B In Memory of Mrs. Richard E. Kells In Memory of Sally Davis Valerie Knowles Deane ’66S In Memory of In Honor of Anna Baccei ’06 Ruth Ann Carpenter ’77 Mr. Francis Pleasant GP ’02, ’04, ’10 Thomas & Linda Baccei P ’06 In Memory of Charles & Martha Smith P ’06 F In Honor of Mac Deason Martha Bailey Kirk ’58B In Honor of Paul Bassett Matthew Fisher Karen Preefer Hanauer ’58B In Honor of Jennifer Sheehan ’85 Robert N. Elkins P ’05 Margaret Baxter Streeter ’58B Patricia Szulborski P ’85, ’88 Brianna Welenc ’03 In Memory of Dana Del Bosco ’78 Valerie Brenhouse Mace ’58B, P ’80 Caisey Jefferson Kakascik ’00 Ann Marie Pardee ’78 In Honor of Elizabeth Smith ’06 Charles & Martha Smith P ’06 F In Honor of Kristen Landino ’98 Charles & Martha Smith P ’06 In Honor of May Dong ’14 Mr. & Mrs. Norman S. Landino P ’98 In Honor of Mr. & Mrs. Eric Morrissette GP ’14 F In Memory of Mrs. Rosanne Soffer Stephanie (Taffy) Bassett-Fox ’88 In Honor of Audrey Lewis ’09 Gana Browning ’66B In Memory of Patricia Szulborski P ’85, ’88 Audrey & John Ball GP ’09 Mr. Edward E. Emerson In Memory of Amy Spencer ’03 In Honor of Nolka Bates ’16 Sally Leach Mixsell ’69 In Memory of Ms. Nancy Bartlett Ms. Robin Brooks P ’16 Pamela Brewster Bensen ’64S, P ’89 S Richard Lewis P ’68S, ’72 Robert & Sally Spencer P ’03  Charlotte Lewis-Hankus ’72  Mr. & Mrs. David Bartlett GP ’03 In Honor of Henken Bean In Honor of Emily Factor ’98 Sharon Lewis Gaffey ’68S  John & Jan Jee Bean P ’04 Gail Factor P ’98 In Honor of Alma Lee Steed Janet Lewis P ’68, ’72  Roberta Lee Gerber ’57B In Memory of In Memory of Anne Vogt Fisler ’65B In Memory of Mary Marks Lincoln ’59S Priscilla Driggs Bevin ’54S Lynda Laun ’65B In Memory of Erin Strecker ’93 Janet MacLaughlin Hooper ’59S Carolyn Eddy Timbers ’54S Marjorie McClurg Klingeman ’65B Virginia Dunn ’93 S In Memory of Doretta McGreevy In Honor of Alex Bogel In Memory of Annamaria Granata In Honor of George Vannah Alice McGreevy ’67B Robert S. & Mary W. Cohn S Gillian Folley White ’69 Joyce Cornish Suter ’68B S Charlot Martin Taylor ’62S In Honor of Cyndee Meese In Honor of Claire Callahan ’12 In Memory of Dan Verdery Piper Huggins ’85 CT Ms. Catherine Zatyrka P ’12 In Memory of Larry & Caron Yost P ’90 Teresa Williams-Yetming ’90 S Beatrix Sedgwick Gray ’58B Pamela Brewster Bensen ’64S, P ’89 S In Memory of Emily Cohen ’90 Charles & Martha Smith P ’06 F Karen Preefer Hanauer ’58B Charles & Martha Smith P ’06 Tamar Cooke Luck ’90  Elizabeth Smith ’06 F Mr. Spencer Gray, Jr. Elizabeth Smith ’06 In Honor of Sara Colgan ’94 In Honor of Alexandra Merullo ’16 In Memory of Thomas W. Hall, Jr. In Memory of Mr. C. Robert Wray Marie Squires GP ’94 Mr. & Mrs. Roland Merullo P ’16 Margaret Hall ’73 Mr. Clifton F. Giles, Jr. In Memory of In Honor of Sally Leach Mixsell ’69 Courtney Longaker Graham ’83 In Memory of Joan Heidelbach ’43 Mary-Ann Wiswall Collinson ’49S Pamela Brewster Bensen ’64S, P ’89 S Mary R. Pearl P ’94 Pamela Gadboys Layton ’75 F William K. McLain Priscilla Lougee Rizzo ’69  Elizabeth McLean McLain ’46S

Patricia Blake Sayles and Thomas D. Sayles, Jr. Planned Giving Society Bequests and other legacy gifts are extremely important to Stoneleigh-Burnham School as these gifts assure our future ability to prepare young women for their post-secondary education and life in a global society. Legacy gifts made through your will, living trust, life insurance policies, IRAs or qualified retirement plans will all pass to the School free of estate tax.

Victoria J. Askerberg ’69 Carol E. Carson ’64S Ruth Ann Carpenter ’77

Kimberly J. Eldridge ’92 Benn Jesser P ’63S, GP ’81, ’92, ’00, ’06* Adelaide Minott ’50S

Anne Morris-Stockton ’64S Miriam Peters* Laura B. Richards ’60S

Ruth Rosenfelt Wharton ’41B*

*indicates deceased

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Alumnae Events

Basking in a beautiful day in Camden, Maine are (back row): Kirsten McKenzie ’07, Greg Barranco, Trustee Allison Porter ’89, Susan Lund Stephens ’53B, Martha Parker Chamberlain ’59B, Jody McKenzie P’07, Barbara Tamburri Grossbaum ’61S, Betsy Huston ’68B, Bob Conger, Maggie Leonhardt Conger ’71, Susan Gould McLean ’72, Don McLean, Sarah Hubbard VonFrank ’85, Don Bailey, Julie Hubbard P’00, ’02, ’05, Whit Blair, Trustee Rich Hubbard P’00, ’02, ’05. (Front row) Host Anne Quantrell Dennen ’70, Liz Feeley, Patsie Holloway Tucker ’43B, Susan Bridge Blair ’46S and Liz Butler Bailey ’51B.

Above: Alumnae, Trustees and parents soak up a magnificent view of Camden Harbor at Anne Dennen’s ’70 home in Camden, Maine.

Anne has hosted a lobster reception at her home for the past five years! Below: Liz Feeley, Associate Director of Development and Alumnae Relations enjoyed a scenic lunch with Susan Lund Stephens ’53B and Allon Pierce ’41B in Portland, Maine.

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Left: Becky Plough ’97 and Sally Mixsell in Memphis, TN

the bulletin F A L L Right: Sally Mixsell, Ellie Ferdon ’54B and husband Bob overlooking Harrington Sound in Bermuda

2011

Left: Ellie Ferdon ’54B hosted a lovely reception in Bermuda. (left to right) Sally Mixsell, Gail DaPonte P ’00, Lara Ingham ’87, Ellie Ferdon ’54B, Tina Arorash, Bob Ferdon and kneeling, Nicole DaPonte ’00.

Below: Alumnae and parents enjoyed a beautiful afternoon at the Art Institute of Chicago. (Left to Right) Liz Feeley Alumnae Relations, Liisa Laakso P ’12, Jerry Jawed P ’12, Connie Sawyer Dix ’65B, Bethany Hubbard ’02, Amy Klegarth ’05, Liz Miller, Sally Mixsell ’69– Head of School, Bonnie Briskin ’69 and Eric Schwartzentruber – Director of Admissions.

Left: Sharon Kaye Conway ’44B and Sally Mixsell. Below: Sally Mixsell and Connie Sawyer Dix ’65B

Left: Gail and the Honorable Stephen Bartlett P ’92 hosted a wonderful reception for alumnae and prospective student families in McLean, VA. (Clockwise) Paul Schipper, Denise Bruner ’70, Elise Brooks ’04, Alexandra EadieFriedmann ’69 and Trustee Laura Richards ’60S. Above Right: McLean, VA hostess Gail Bartlett P ’92. Below Right: Courtney Bartlett Cardona ’92 with her mom and host Gail Bartlett.

Far Right: Amy ChristiansenBurton ’91, Courtney Bartlett Cardona ’92 and the Honorable H. Stephen Bartlett P ’92

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Class Notes Lynn Dender Kelly ’58B and Valerie Brenhouse Mace ’58B

1947B - 65th REUNION! Class Agent needed!

1947S - 65th REUNION! Class Agent: Joan Hutton Landis – 450 Osage Lane, Media, PA 19063, jlandis1@ swarthmore.edu

1948B Class Agent: Joan Fenton Clark – 313 Tally Ho Dr, Indian Trail, NC 28079, jclark020@ carolina.rr.com

1948S Class Agent needed!

1949B

Class Notes Class Agents are needed for the following years: 1943S, 1944B, 1944S, 1945B, 1947B, 1948S, 1951B, 1956B, 1968S, 1979 and 2002. Contact Liz Feeley in the Alumnae Office if you are interested in becoming a Class Agent at alumnae@sbschool.org or 413-774-2711 x247.

1943B

1946B

Class Agent: Jane Swift Wood – 4231 Grattan Price Dr, Harrisonburg, VA 22801

Class Agent: Barbara Cox Sileo – 8963 Oldham Way, West Palm Beach, FL 33412, jimbarb63@ bellsouth.net

1943S Class Agent needed!

1944B Class Agent needed!

1944S Class Agent needed!

1945B Class Agent needed!

1945S Class Agent: Connie Johnson Corsiglia – 101 Country Side Rd, Greenfield, MA 01301

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Barbara Cox Sileo wrote: A note for the class of 1946! Any chance to get a group together?

Please let me know at jimbarb63@bellsouth. net or 8963 Oldham Way, West Palm Beach, FL 33412-1110. We could meet in Greenfield to visit Stoneleigh-Burnham or choose some other centralized location for those wishing to meet again. We had great moments in Northampton! It has been 65 years and this would be a great way for us to share memories and pictures. Please let me know!

1946S Class Agent: Elizabeth McLean McLain – 12725 Via Nasca, San Diego, CA 921281572, patmclmcl@hotmail.com

Class Agent: Jacqueline Oothouse Mitchell – 131 Cumberland Rd, Burlington, VT 05408, jacqmitch@comcast.net

1949S Class Agent: Sue Heubisch Milkey – 27076 Kindlewood Ln, Bonita Springs, FL 34134 MaryEm Bodman Kenner writes: I continue to be active in the community and the home!

A while ago I went to Boston for the opening of the new wing of the Museum of Art where a gallery was dedicated to a late relative and benefactor. It is a beautiful addition.

I had time to take a tour of the city that I left over 50 years ago. I do miss the lovely New England architecture. I have received a 4th Junior League of Toronto Service Award (that’s enough!) and this spring the mayor and council appointed me to the Community Awards Selection Committee, effective 2011 to November 2014. I have a lot to keep me busy as well as my interest in family genealogy. Some of my research has been put on the internet by others. I am not computer literate! Guess who called me? Brownie! (Ann Brown ’50S) It was our first chat since 1949 and such fun to reconnect. She lives in Texas close to her daughter and they were planning a trip to Maine to escape the 107 degree heat in Dallas! I’d love to meet again, some day.

Carolyn Virkler Brink called on my birthday and I recently spoke with Sue Dalzell Moore in Washington state. I still keep in touch with

the bulletin F A L L

1958B

many who were at school in the 1940’s. SPH gave me the opportunity to broaden my point of view, voice my views and develop leadership skills – all of which have been put to good use and benefitted me enormously.

Class Agent: Karen Preefer Hanauer – khanauer@optonline.net

1950B Class Agent: Emily Cooper Stephenson – PO Box 957, Carmel, CA 93921, emilystephenson@sbcglobal.net

1950S Class Agent: Addie Warner Minott – 2518 Stage Rd, Guilford, VT 05301, pulpitfm@ myfairpoint.net

Linda Bloodgood ’55B and Ruth Metts Wright ’55B and Ruth’s husband Winter got together in Charleston, SC.

Class Agent: Susan Huber Gross – 49 Ravenwood Rd, West Hartford, CT 06107

1951S Class Agent: Joan Walthers Parks – 37 Church St, Westminster, MA 01473, bowtie-1@mindspring. com

1952B - 60th Reunion!

Class Agent: Sandra Williams White – PO Box 790, Franconia, NH 03580

Class Agent: Barbara Schaff Blumenthal – 36 Sullivan Dr, West Redding, CT 06896, Barbglea@aol.com

Lyndsay Pond White ’56B with her family at Gasparilla Inn in Boca Grande, FL on Mother’s Day 2011

1953B

1955S

Class Agents: Gaye Alexander Cavanaugh – cjcava1@aol.com; Jane McGrath Packer – jpacker796@comline.com

1956B

Class Agent needed!

1953S

Class Agent: Judith Howard Whitney-Terry – ­judith.whitney@gmail.com

Class Agents: Pat Birge Johnson – 4130 SW 25th Pl, Cape Coral, FL 33914

1956S

1954B Class Agent: Jill Crawford Stoll – spunkygram57@ aol.com

1954S Class Agent: Linda Jennings Kraus – 58 Judson Rd, Fairfield, CT 06824-6655

1955B Class Agent: Pat Reinking McBane – forbirch@aol.com

Valerie Brenhouse Mace writes: After more than 50 years, I love and appreciate my continued contact with wonderful Burnham women. Lynn Dender Kelly, Linda Nims Weaver and I took a wonderful trip to Morocco. Gail Benger Ryfsnyder and her husband, Peter, visited the night before we left for Morocco. I just returned from St John, USVI, where I spent a wonderful break from winter with Lynn and Bob. Betsey Evans Paige, Check our Lynn photo albums and Linda Nims out Weaver, Dender Kelly, Dale Herrmann Sack, Peggy Joan connect with the Baxter SchoolStreeter, and other Burling Kenower, Karen Hanauer and alumnae using ourPreefer two facebook pages: Ellen Thompson Lorensen spent a few days http://www.facebook.com/sbschool together in PA in the fall where we explored http://www.facebook.com/sbsalumnae the area, ate a lot of good food, drank a little (?) wine, had a lot of laughs and a fabulous time. We are all very saddened by the deaths of our dear friends Bebe Sedgwick Gray and Martha Baily Kirk this past year (both from cancer). They will be in our hearts forever. I With contributions fromwhom all corners visited with Lillian Kohlrieser, I had of the School, our blogfrom is brimming not seen since our graduation Burnham; naturally she hasn’t changed at all.

I am in with fun and informative snippets touch with Helen Walters Broadhead, who of life at SBS. Read it regularly at is living in Raleigh, NC and playing a lot http://sbschoolorg.wordpress.com/ of golf. I also hear occasionally from Red Naughton, who is living in New York City and is signing, taking Spanish lessons and working on rehabbing a great apartment. We are all so lucky to have gone to Burnham!

Love to all, Midge.

Connect with SBS

1951B

1952S - 60th Reunion!

2011

Class Agent needed!

1957B - 55th Reunion!

Class Agent: Roberta Lee Gerber – 47 9th St, Bonita Springs, FL 34134, rlgerber@me.com

1957S - 55th Reunion!

Class Agent: Winnie Steel Walker – 14 Honey Corners Rd, West Topsham, VT 05086

Follow our tweets at twitter.com/sbschoolorg 1958S

Class Agent: Anita Smiley Bailey – PO Box 83, Questions?

Boyce, VA 22620 Contact the Alumnae

Office at alumnae@sbschool.org 1959B Class Agent: Susan Cummings Campbell – beachrosedesigns@comcast.net Louise Walsh Throop says: Hi! Time to catch you up with my activities. I have three grandchildren; Myles and William Miller of Napa, CA and Mary Ruth Throop of San Francisco, CA aged 8 years this October (twins) and aged 2 years next January 2012!

I still work sporadically with my clients (I am a registered representative) and spend a lot

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Class Notes of time doing genealogy research. I am the principal researcher for the National Society of Mayflower Descendants, in Plymouth MA, and have been so for about 20 years. My work has appeared in a series of soft-cover booklets of about 300 pages each (including index). There will be 8 booklets in all. I follow the descendants of Mayflower passenger George Soule down through the fifth and sixth generations and sometime even the seventh generation. It turns out George Soule is probably Dutch, not English, in origin; just in time for the 2020 celebration of all things Mayflower! Living in CA, I enjoy the warm weather year-round and do not suffer the effects of hurricanes! I would love to hear from classmates. I was informed a few years ago that my roommate Eve Harwood diedalumnae suddenly.who Where is everyone now?

Tohad honor have stood out

Nominate a Classmate for the Distinguished Alumna Award!

amongst their peers, Stoneleigh-Burn1959S ham School created the Distinguished Class Agents: Betsy Barry Beaudin – betsy@ Alumna Award in 2010.

ThisGlass award beaudins.com; Joannah Hall – jhallglass@ aol.com is presented annually and bestows institutional recognition on one alumna 1960B who hasAgents: distinguished herself in her Class Rachael Chamberlain Schlegel personal or professional life, Poltrack in her Skin– rcs4335@aol.com; Cynthia intellectual pursuits, or in her dedicaner – cynth6@earthlink.net tion to service of community, Nancy Pond Boostrom shares: country I’m currently or living society. in Katy, TX, which is a suburb of Houston, with my husband of nearly thirty years, Gary. My daughter, Michelle, also lives in Nominations are welcomed and must Katy with her husband. My oldest grandbe received by February 1, 2012. daughter, Morgan, is a senior at Texas A&M Please submit your detailed nominaand in their Special Education Department. tion www.sbschool.org/DAA Myonline middleatgranddaughter, Allie, is just startor ing callher thefreshman alumnaeyear office at in college and will be entering the Nursing 413-774-2711 x 247Program at Texas A&M after she completes her core courses locally.

And my grandson, Dalton, just started 8th Past recipients include: grade! I am a twenty-two year volunteer for Dr. Denise Bruner ’70 the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Texas Karen ’69 as a Wish Grantor.

Gulf Van CoastLengen and Louisiana When I get the Bulletins, I have noticed notes from my Burnham class are conspicuously missing, so I’m hoping my writing in will prompt some of my classmates to also check in! My email address is nancyboostrom@ comcast.net and I would love to hear from my classmates.

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1960S Class Agents: Margery Lawton Cooper – mtlcooper@yahoo.com; Laura Richards – lrichards102@gmail.com Mimi Lawton Cooper reports: Sue Pruyn King writes from the Cape that in addition to various other volunteering, she’s busy feeding baby birds at Wild Care and serving on the Education Committee at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History in Brewster. By the time this Bulletin is published, her husband Tom will most likely be recuperating from a shoulder replacement. Their daughter Kirsten King ’93 is still teaching on the Cape. Ceci Ament Roberge persevered through the hurricane in eastern Connecticut, but her area had many fallen trees and downed power lines.

They were without power for eight days, but their generator kept their well going. Ceci participated in an oral history at SBS during Reunion ‘10 and says that experience gave her the courage to do another. When invited to join nine other nurses who had graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Nursing and had served in the military, she gladly accepted. Nurses from WWII through those active in the military today took part in the initiative. She and Leo went to UCONN to see the exhibit and enjoyed it all very much.

Ceci says the program will air on PBS at some point. Sally Gottlieb was heavily involved in Woodstock, Vermont’s volunteer effort to rebuild after Hurricane Irene devastated so many areas of the state. She and Robert were trapped on their street for two days but felt very fortunate compared to others in the community. She said, “It is truly a depressing sight around here. However, Vermonters are a very caring, resilient group of people and there is a huge volunteer network.” Marci Currier Currier writes of a hot summer in Southport, North Carolina. She was thankful to have dodged the wrath of Hurricane Irene. Visits with kids and grandkids have kept them hopping. In November she and Rey are off to Hilton Head. And then they’re off to Florida to the Del Webb community of Spruce Creek in Summerfield for the months of January through April. She hopes to see Mimi, Sally and any other SPH snowbirds

escaping the cold up north. “Rey will take pictures again, so come on down!” Her email is: marci.currier41@gmail.com. Laura Richards had a good summer at camp. She, too, felt fortunate to have been spared major problems as a result of Hurricane Irene, both in Vermont and on Long Island. Our fearless traveler has another trip planned, this time in November – a cruise in the Mediterranean from Rome to Lisbon. It will be her second

Board of Trustees Chair, Kathy Seyffer Opdycke ’70 and Head of School Sally Mixsell ’69 share in a toast with faculty at Coleman House in celebration of Stoneleigh-Burnham School becoming an International Baccalaureate School.

Natalie (Nank) Cole Lynn ’69 and husband Fred at an Animal fundraiser in San Diego, CA trip to Rome, but otherwise she will experience all new sights of the islands and of the southern coast of Spain. She’s really racking up the miles these days! She reports that all is fine on Highland Lake. They will stay into October as long as they can stand the chill, in their “old, teeny-tiny, uninsulated cabin by the water.” She says, “It reaches a point when it’s time to head south to beautiful

the bulletin F A L L St. Augustine, although it’s always hard to leave the kids and grandkids. But then again, Christmas will only be a couple of months away! My best to everyone, and hope all’s well with you all.”

1961B Class Agents: Judy Vandeveer McDermott – judithmc33@aol.com; Toni Schust Zegras – tzegras@optonline.net

miles an hour. Mary joined us on Friday, and Saturday we left bright and early heading to our final destination, Becky Ellis’s beautiful home in Marblehead. I think Jack was happy to see us go, but he was a good sport to all our antics. We stopped in Greenwich, CT on the way, and had a great lunch with Toni Schust Zegras ’61B. It was great to see her and catch up; she had just returned from her 50th reunion and had lots of tips for us. It

Members of the Class of 1962 MAB gathering in June 2011. Montague Mundy, Sarah Anderson, Pat Wood Cochran, Mary Ellis Bowers, Sally West, Althea Cranton, Becky Ellis, Beverley Burgess Williams, Libby Apfel Sanderson, Judy Robison, Chris Kovacs Durkin and Stoneleigh Burnham Alumnae.

1961S Class Agent: Julie Stephens Wyman – Julie4cats@gmail.com

1962B - 50th Reunion!

Class Agent: Kathy Conathan Reardon – kathyr1230@aol.com Kathy Conathan Reardon writes: Hope everyone had a wonderful summer – it went by so quickly. One of the highlights for me was the great road trip Mary Ellis Bowers, Libby Montague Mundy and I took from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts, with a couple of side trips. Libby came to our house in Pennsylvania a couple of days before we left. We had a great time visiting and touring Lancaster. Libby is an expert at taking pictures of Amish out of a car window at 60

was great hearing about all the classmates who were there and what they were doing.

We then went to Danbury, CT and picked up Chris Kovacs Durkin. Our last stop was Pat Wood Corcoran’s daughter’s house in Wenham. We had a great dinner with all and reminisced for hours. It seemed like we had just seen each other yesterday. The next day was our luncheon. We appreciated Becky hosting us; her home and garden are lovely. Pat and Becky had been planning this for months and were great hostesses. Pat even had a special Mary Burnham class of ’62 cake made for us. I had tried to reach everyone within a decent driving distance from Marblehead and we were lucky to have twelve classmates. Unfortunately Prue Bull Smith, Heidi Simoneau Hennessey, Ellen

2011

Mason, Jane Konheim Kasov, Maggie Larus Overstrom and Nancy Hooker Lattimore had other plans and could not join us. If you didn’t hear from me, it means I don’t have a correct email or phone number and would love you to get in touch either with me or the school. Those at Becky’s were: Judy Winslow Robison, Sally West, Bev Burgess Williams, Sarah Caldwell Anderson, Libby Apfel Sanderson, Althea Prescott Cranton, plus the six of us. Everyone is doing great, very involved in many activities. While I was in the planning stage for this trip I did talk to a few classmates we haven’t heard from in a while. Ellen Mason splits her time between Summerville, MA, Catumet, MA and Provence, France. Peggy Rouse-Quinn is retired and living in Albuquerque, NM, Prue Bull Smith is in Portsmouth, RI, Maggie Larus Overstrom has a new apartment in Manhattan and splits her time between it and Vero Beach. There are quite a few classmates in Florida; Diane Rickenbach Brown, Joan Kimball Miller, Ruth Sawyer Staley, Betsy Robbins Strasser and Louise Bradley Fraungruber are there year round. Maggie and Sally West are there in the winter, and I am sure there are a few others. I know Louise and Betsy get together frequently, and I don’t think the others live far from each other. In Massachusetts Pat, Becky and Sarah have already had dinner together. We so enjoyed seeing each other at lunch and we talked and talked. It seemed like we had been together yesterday. Judy brought letters she wrote from school to her mother all those years ago.

We loved them! We had forgotten about Dr. Prince eloping. Everyone who came to lunch hopes to come to reunion and I know of more planning to be there. One of the things we talked about at lunch was doing something from the class for the school. The school is working on a program refurbishing the dorm rooms. The cost is $1500 a room, and a plaque will be placed on the door with the name of the donor; in this case MAB Class of 1962. If anyone is interested in donating to that, they just need to send a check to Stoneleigh-Burnham and write Class of ’62 in the memo line. If anyone has any other

35

Class Notes

1964B

thoughts or suggestions, please let me know.

The dates for reunion next year are June 22nd-24th. It is later in June and was changed in hopes more could attend. If our fun time this summer is any indication, it will be a lot of laughs and a wonderful time. Will keep you posted on reunion and the plans. Please email or call me with any news. I would love to hear from you!

Class Agents: Gail Martin Clock – gclock@ aol.com; Ellen Chello McFarland – ejmcfarland@ snet.net

1964S Class Agent: Anne Morris-Stockton – annasenf@yahoo.com

1965B Ann Kaplan Perkins ’81 assembled a lot of familiar faces for a celebration of life for her mother, Jane Perkins, a former dance teacher at Stoneleigh-Burnham School.

Pictured: (back row, l to r) Ann KaplanPerkins ’81, Rebecca Danielski Caruso ’84, Maria Hodermarsky ’79, Maria’s partner Penn Rhodeen, Lisa Hodermarsky ’81, Margaret Perkins Osborn ’86; (front row, l to r) Patricia Danielski, former SBS science teacher Nancy Hodermarsky, former SBS English teacher and head of the English department and Mary Caruso, Rebecca’s daughter.

Class Agent Needed!

1965S Class Agent: Patricia Roberts – proberts6@ nyc.rr.com

1966B Class Agents: Kiki Black – henshaw66@ yahoo. com; Mandy Burr – RevMandy@ aol.com; Judy Arnold Conner – jmac333@ comcast.net

1966S Class Agent: Beth Born Mellina – 710 Dartmoor, Westfield, NJ 07090

1967B - 45th Reunion!

Class Agents: Jody Geberhardt – jodyg@ cableone. net; Judith Lilleston – lillestonj@ hotmail.com

Ellen Easton and Keli Levine celebrated the 85th Birthday of Ellen’s mother, Reva Paul, in May 2011 with friends at La Cremaillere in Banksville, NY. Above: Ellen Easton’72 and Keli Calffey Levine ’64S get together in May 12, 2011

1967S - 45th Reunion!

Class Agent: Susie Hine – PO Box 96, East Dennis, MA 02641

1968B 1962S - 50th Reunion!

Class Agents: Roby Akin Phillips – rphillips@ worldtrav.com; Charlot Martin Taylor – PO Box 1333, Wainscott, NY 11975-1333

1963B Class Agent: Judith Whalen Dunbar – Judidunbar@aol.com Susan C. Smith shares: Hi Everyone! Briefly, I have retired after teaching for 40 years and purchased a house in Maine. I am married and living in the town and area I’ve always wished to live. A dream come true! I often think of the wonderful times at SPH and the activities of the Riding Club. Great years!

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The dancers are, from left to right, Juliane Danielski-Chat, Maria Hodermarsky ’79, Rebecca Danielski Caruso ’84, Margaret Perkins Osborn ’86, Mariane Taylor, Kate Thomas ’73 and Ann Kaplan-Perkins ’81.

1963S Class Agent: Sally ImFuller@ sopris.net

Miller

Fuller

–

Lynn Houston shares: I enjoy living in Naples, Florida for the winter months. And I recently had my first grandchild, Ronan, now eighteen months old.

Class Agent: Joyce Cornish Suter – ljsuter@ comcast.net

1968S Class Agent Needed!

1969 Class Agent Chairs: Meg Long White – megevents@gmail.com; Bonnie Briskin – bonnieb351@yahoo.com; Class Agents: Deborah Chamberlain – dorchamb@aol.com; Mary Maloney – maloneym@ummhc.org; Tori Askerberg – tori@us.ibm.com Thank you to the Class of 1969 for your energy, enthusiasm and generosity of spirit in participating in the 60@60 Birthday

the bulletin F A L L

Sally Richardson Roberts ’69 visited Anne Sears ’70 in Virginia for a friendly round of golf!

Challenge fundraising campaign. Your goal of raising $60,000 for the School was reached, and exceeded, with a total of $85,000! Special thanks are extended to Barbara Llewellyn, Meg Long White, Mary Maloney, Tori Askerberg, Bonnie Briskin and Sue Ellen Rothery for your tireless efforts and incredible teamwork. All of these class leaders expressed that the best part of this campaign was the connections they made with classmates and the rekindled friendships! You, the Class of 1969, have made an impact on your School!

1970 Class Agent Chair: Kathy Seyffer Opdycke – wlpmom@verizon.net; Class Agent: Perky Heath Hamill – peezola@optonline.net Kathy Seyffer Opdycke writes: Our entire Class of ’70 joins me in sending our condolences to Nancy Johnson Bercaw at the loss of her dad on September 11, 2011. For the Facebook friends of Nancy, we so often saw pictures of her and her dad on family vacations. Nancy, you are in our thoughts.

Reunion weekend last June was a wonderful time to see ‘the roommates’ together again:

Denise Bruner, Gretchen Bates and Anne Quantrell Dennen enjoyed each other’s company at the celebration of the Distinguished Alumnae Award where Denise was honored. As a bystander, I can tell you that these classmates have not changed! Karolina Illigan LaTronica and her husband Joe also joined us on campus for Reunion and it was truly wonderful to see Karolina again! Our thanks to Anne Sears ’70 for her work on the Stoneleigh-Burnham School’s Alumnae Board. Anne too, is on campus often for Alumnae Board meetings and always here for Reunion when she and her team of Alumnae Board members welcome our many alums back to campus! Thanks to Anne Quantrell Dennen for again hosting her annual alumnae luncheon at her home on the shores of Camden harbor in Maine. There was a great turnout of friends, families, trustees and alums who all enjoyed fresh lobster rolls.

Perky Heath Hamill has been in touch with Sue Cutler Ray, Cindy Gaebe Potter and Julie Baker Gavin. Who have you been in touch with? Please share with us your family news, career updates or pictures of you, your children and grandchildren.

1971 Class Agent: Lynda Decker Gallagher – lyndadeckergallagher@gmail.com Charlotte Newton shares: It was great to see fellow alums at reunion this year! Although fellow classmate Vivian Lee was unable to attend, she did visit me in August. She was here to bring her youngest daughter to school and will be back again in the end of September when we will get together again.

My summer saw me playing as much golf as possible, but I did manage a trip to Illinois to visit my sister in August. I’ll be off to Idaho in early November again to visit a friend whom I first met in India on one of my trips.

We will be attending the Boise State - TCU football game - go Broncs! I enjoyed a mutual birthday celebratory brunch with Jennifer Pickering; something we do every year. It is always good to see friends from SBS! The School would like to thank the class of ’71 for your support of the “40 Years Later”

2011

Melissa Leach Dickson ’72 at her son Elliot’s wedding, July 30, 2011 in Waitsfield,VT

Class of 1972 in 1992: Top of the stairs down ( maiden names): Melissa Leach,Cinda Savage,Sally Hafer, Abby Griswold,Melody Wynn, Barb Cowan,Ellen Easton,Suzy Bell. Going left to right on Floor: Jean Messinger, Celeste Bertucci, Jennifer Pickering, Liz DeVito, Charlotte Lewis, Angela Trice, Peggy Goodwin, Sue Tuttle, Stacey Calderwood, Patty Cuddihy, Kim McNeily 40K Challenge. In particular, for their endless enthusiasm and outreach as coordinators, we would like to send a special thanks to Gigi Abbo, Holly Off Arnold, Janet Singleton Spangler and Linda Lewis.

1972 - 40th Reunion!

Class Agent: Melissa Leach Dickson – MelissaLDickson@gmail.com Sharon Calkins-Hubley says: Hello SBS! One of my brightest spots in this year was having Sally Mixsell and Regina Mooney in my backyard for wine and hors d’oeuvres

37

Class Notes

in May. We had a bit of excitement when we heard a snap and then a large tree limb from my neighbor’s maple came down into the yard. Fortunately, it had the good grace to land toward the back of the yard a few feet away from the awning and table and chairs where we were sitting. After that, Sally and Regina and I decided to go to a lovely French restaurant and have dinner there. It was a delightful evening and was so great to catch up on Stoneleigh-Burnham news with two such terrific representatives of my alma mater. As I told Sally and Regina, exciting things happen here in Washington. Thank goodness their visit did not coincide with the 5.9 tremor we felt on Monday! My son is graduating from Davis and Elkins in West Virginia this May 2012! Yeah! My 16 year old is a Sophomore and on the Varsity Soccer team. It is never a dull moment. Best to the SBS Community!

1973 Class Agent: Susan McVie – 1731 Rose Ave, Bethlehem, PA 18018

1974 Class Agent: Victoria Claman Hewitt – vchewitt@aol.com

1975 Class Agent: Susan Murphy Mulcahy – emeraldsm@sbcglobal.net

1976 Class Agents: Nancy Maurer Preston – npreston07@gmail.com; Susan Tyrrel – styrrel@ cox.net

1977 - 35th Reunion!

Class Agent: Kathryn Whitney Mansfield – kat.mansfield@verizon.net

1978 Class Agent: Lynne Schulthess – SabrinaS@ optonline.net Michelle Kennedy writes: My best news is that this fall I’m back to work at Three Rivers Waldorf School in La Crosse, WI. I’m enjoying wearing festive, creative, (my own design) aprons in the kindergarten classes

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of Sunny Meadow & Fairy Glen. I’m the lunchtime assistant, or as the children call me, the Lunch Faerie. It’s perfect! With having breast cancer and mastectomies this past year, I’m thrilled to be able to ride my bike to school now and it’s my challenge to keep up with the schedule. Last year I was only able to work at the school beginning in January and had to leave again for a second surgery in March. Financially, it’s hard to catch up when out so long being ill. I had severe complications from chemo, so I am now choosing more alternative cancer remedies. I’ve also volunteered in the Handworks classes, specifically knitting, at the school, which I adore.

Previously, I designed and taught knitting in the La Crosse School District’s after school programs for eight years. Likely, I’ve taught more than 400 children to knit. It’s especially rewarding to teach children fiber arts. I enjoy being able to continue the legacy of creating handmade work. My years of experience, lovely stories and the children’s work will be a published book in the future. I continue to teach knitting at my home studio. My son, Oren, is now 19 years old and looks forward to starting on his new life journey moving to Seattle, WA for college. I’m delighted for him that he wants to travel, as I did at his age.

My garden left a lot to be desired this year, it was hard work for me physically, but at least there was a garden. I grew a “house” made of many types of sunflowers, with a morning glories doorway; quite magical!

Acupuncture, especially five element, has been a very positive healing treatment for me. I highly recommend it for better health for all. I would love to hear from classmates.

My email: YarnSoup@yahoo.com for friends.

1981 Class Agent: Becky Rawson Aronson Weaver – baronson75206@yahoo.com Debra Van Dyke shares: Greetings! I have been away on USNS COMFORT, Navy Hospital Ship to Central and South America named Continuing Promise 2011. I am enjoying a career as a Navy Nurse. Ann KaplanPerkins writes: I was sorry that neither my sister nor I made it out to SBS for Reunion (our 25th and 30th, respectively) but our summer was busy planning a Celebration of Life for our mom. We rounded up quite

Debra Van Dyke ’81

Debra Van Dyke ’81 on USNS COMFORT

1979 Class Agent: needed!

1980 Class Agents: Kim Day – 403 Pacific Cir, Newbury Park, CA 91320; Dawn Slaney Hill – 303 Tutwiler Dr, Trussville, AL 35173; Cindi Grader Viola – jckviola@comcast.net

Debra Van Dyke ’81 in Central America

the bulletin F A L L a few Stoneleigh alums, former SBS dancers and a couple teachers for that celebration, which was in August in Maine.

1982 - 30th Reunion!

Class Agent: Bridget O’Brien – bobrien@ comcast.net

1983 Class Agent: Lois Kuiper Fuller – lcmfuller@ comcast.net

1984 Class Agent: Susan Mahoney Casey – suem65@flash.net

1985 Class Agents: Sophie Aikman – sophieaikman@ hotmail.com; Sharon Barbour Petrecca – spetrecca@cox.net; Suze Stutzman – suzedesigns@ hotmail.com; Evelyn Trebilcock – Evelyn. Trebilcock@oprhp.state.ny.us

1986 Class Agents: Liz Engel – eengel1241@ aol. com; Liz Tichenor Percheson – elizabeth. percheson@pharna.com

1987 - 25th Reunion!

Class Agents: Damiane Adamczyk – dadamczyk@ snet.com; Jenny West Pender – penderjenw@ yahoo.com

1988 Class Agents: Linwood Bardusch Kenneally buggie221@yahoo.com; Taffy Bassett-Fox – tbassettfox@hr-k12.org; Travis Stewart – travandboo@sbcglobal.net; Kelsa Fuller Zereski – kelsa96@aol.com

1989 Class Agents: Julie Gunther – julesgunther@ yahoo. com; Sam Loud Migon – migons@ bellsouth.net

1990 Class Agents: Dionne Cason – 5904 Terry Parker Dr N, Jacksonville, FL 32211; Melanie McCusker Fenstersmaker – dmfence@aol. com; Tamar Cooke Luck – twnsrul@yahoo. com; Teresa Williams-Yetming – paris100@ aol.com

1991 Class Agents: Amy Christiansen-Burton – ajchristiansen@aol.com; Rebecca Whiting Harr – rwharr2@aol.com; Brooke Harris – ebrooke326@yahoo.com

1992 - 20th Reunion!

Class Agents: Tracy Allison Evans – 1611 Prather Ave, Saint Louis, MO 63139; Leelee Harrison – leelee_harrison@yahoo.com

1993 Class Agents: Jennifer Anderson Hayes – jhayes36@yahoo.com; Sarah Johnson – sarahflies2004@yahoo.com

1994 Class Agent: Amie Tessler Butman – amieb@ cox.net

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had kids who started kindergarten this fall.

Her son Tyler and my son Sam go to school together. Beth is working at the YMCA and she looks AMAZING! I still get together with Kim Tower Kostelis about once a month.

She is teaching at Central Connecticut State University and she is expecting her second child in October! Her son Demitri and my son Cooper are good buddies. I am still living at The Bement School and working as a dorm parent for 8th and 9th grade girls.

My husband and three boys keep me very busy. I hope everyone is doing well. Please keep in touch!

1996 Class Agents: Marguerite Barrett – margueriteb@ yahoo.com; Mary Ellen Hennessey Blake – mary_ellen_hennessey@hotmail.com

1995 Class Agent: Emily Clarke Whitney – ewhitney@ bement.org Emily Clarke Whitney writes: I have connected with a few members of the Class of ‘95 and here is my report: Tangerine Toi Curry-Dinnick says, “I am doing great here in The Bahamas. I am still teaching grade one at The Meridian School and I am loving every minute of it. I have now been teaching for 11 years, crazy! Our son Thatcher just turned three on September 10th and Chris and I are expecting our second child towards the end of February. We are really excited!

We are loving life in the Bahamas, boating, fishing and island hopping on our weekends”.

Marie D’Agresto Clark got married in June and honeymooned in Bali. She lives in Beverly Hills with her husband and their very spoiled French bulldog, Harley. She sees Lindsay Blake Reardon and her husband (who got married on the same day as us!) for dinner occasionally; we have fun remembering old stories from SBS. My email address is marie717@gmail.com. This summer I got the chance to visit briefly with Carissa Tudryn Weber ’96 and Jessica Tudryn ’98 and meet Carissa’s husband and son, Walter.

He is adorable and it was so good to see them both. Carissa was visiting from the West coast for Walter’s baptism. Beth Jenest and I are both living in Deerfield and both

Rebecca Plough ’97 displays her love of Stoneleigh-Burnham Debate!

1997 - 15th Reunion!

Class Agents: Erin McDonald – emcdonald82@ hotmail.com; Becky Plough – rtp9979@aol.com; Kilian Tracy – kiliantracy@yahoo.com

1998 Class Agents: Sara Brown Gibbons – sarambrown@hotmail.com; Melissa Hemming McWeeny – melissa5074@yahoo.com; Meg O’Brien – megoatc@hotmail.com

1999 Class Agent: Alexandra Slack Hindle – alexandra.slack@gmail.com

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Class Notes

Megan Cunningham Ferguson ’00 and husband Craig Ferguson

Megan Hiller Stone ’04 shares a photo of her children Abby, Lexi and Judah.

2000

beautiful children. Big sisters Abby (5 ½) and Lexi (2 ½) are well and enjoying their new brother. I am encouraged to see all of the accomplishments and growth at the School!

Class Agent: Caisey Jefferson Kakascik – cjeff2@ yahoo.com It’s a boy for Megan Cunningham Ferguson ’00 and husband Craig. Son Liam James Ferguson was born Monday, Jan. 31 in Los Angeles.

2001 Class Agents: Joyhdae Albert – simply.joyhdae@ gmail.com; Katelyn Morgan – kmorgan@hartford. edu

2002 - 10th Reunion!

Class Agent Needed!

2003 Class Agent: Jessica Fydenkevez – jess.fydenkevez@gmail.com

2004 Class Agent: Jessica Pleasant – jpleasant@ student. umass.edu Megan Hillier Stone reports: All is well in Maine! On May 17, 2011 we welcomed a son, Judah Matthew. We are thrilled to have a son, and even more thrilled to have three

40

2005 Class Agent: Erika Marback – Wedges9@ aol.com

2006 Class Agent: Natalie Rosenstock – rosenstock_n@mitchell.edu; Marcy Segel – mwindy15@aol.com Marcy Segel writes: Drew Aslin is living in Colorado and is advocating against the pit bull ban and going to school to be a vet tech and will later be advancing to canine rehabilitation. Rebecca Volk had a baby!

His name is Mason Ryan Sadusky and he was born March 23, 2011. He is a healthy, happy boy!

2007 - 5th Reunion!

Class Agents: Ashlee Houle – ashleehoule@ gmail. com; Kirsten Porter – kirst.porter@ gmail.com Kelly Morgan, ‘07, came to visit Stoneleigh Burnham’s IB French class in September. She

spoke about her time abroad in France while a student at Wesleyan. She also shared photos of her time in Morocco where she was doing research in ethnomusicology. Kelly also worked for an NGO which aided immigrants and refugees. Kelly was an inspiration to French teacher Miriam Przybyla-Baum’s students because she talked about learning languages at the college level (French and Arabic) and how she immersed herself in another culture by means of home-stays in both those countries. These themes of international understanding are central to the philosophy of the International Baccalaureate program.

Late September, Kelly is off to Marseille to teach English!

2008 Class Agents: Martha Kingman – foremek@ sover. net; Caroline Marsden – cmarsden@ student.umass.edu

2009 Class Agents: Audrey Lewis – alewis@ sbschool.org; Chi-Hung Liao – xurucj@ hotmail.com; Colleen Mangan – cmangan@ sbschool.org

the bulletin F A L L

When you give to the 2011-2012 Stoneleigh-Burnham School Annual Fund,

YOU

2011

MAKE AN IMPACT

Make an impact. Increase your gift this year.

Ways to give: Give online at www.sbschool.org/gift Use the enclosed gift envelope to send a check or credit card donation.

Call the Development Office at 413.774.2711 Gifts are tax-deductable as allowed by law.

2010 Class Agent Chair: Ashley Daigle – Ashley. daigle@mail.goucher.edu; Class Agents: Dylan Tomalin – dylansierra13@yahoo.com; Kim Balk – kbalkyunxi@gmail.com

2011 Class Agents: Charli Brown, Rissy Dowrey, Theresa Oh We love your photos & we want to print them here! Some of the submissions we receive are too small to print. Please send highresolution (1 MB or higher) photographs to alumnae@sbschool.org. If you have questions about submitting photos, please email sthompson@sbschool.org Thank you!

Drew Aslin ’06 and Shorty from the Animal Planet’s Pit Boss

Jessica Tudryn ’98, Carissa Tudryn Weber ’96 and Emily Clarke Whitney ’95 got together in Greenfield!

41

In Memoriam

W

e note with sadness the death of Benn Jesser, long time trustee of Stoneleigh-Burnham School and father of Bonnie Benn, Class of 1963. Benn passed away peacefully on July 13th. He was 96 years old. A trustee of StoneleighBurnham School for thirty years, Benn served with distinction the school he loved so dearly.

Not Pictured: Helen Goodwin Fritts

’41B Departed: 8/2010

Mary A. Burnham

Listed Left to Right, Top to Bottom: Dorothy “Jean” Minty Dilts ’44B Departed: 7/19/2011 Mary A. Burnham Carol Parker Donner

’45B Departed: 5/2011

Janice Marsh Shepherd

’47B Departed: 12/28/2010 Mary A. Burnham

Judith Allen Koehler

’49B Departed: 7/14/2011 Mary A. Burnham

Lucy A. Wright Case

’50S

Elizabeth J. Bungay Giles

’52B Departed: 3/11/2011 Mary A. Burnham

Departed: 9/12/2010

Mary A. Burnham

Stoneleigh-Prospect Hill

Leigh Steuernagel Westbrook ’53B Departed: 11/29/2010 Mary A. Burnham Ann Mickelson de Brauw

’65B Departed: 4/10/2011 Mary A. Burnham

Karen Turner Dexter

’66B Departed: 7/10/2010 Mary A. Burnham

Sarah Ferguson Hock

’77

42

Departed: 9/12/2011 Stoneleigh-Burnham

Born in 1915, Benn Wainwright Jesser attended a local high school in New Jersey before earning his undergraduate degree from Princeton University in chemical engineering cum laude in 1936. After working for two years at Dupont Chemical Industries Benn returned to Princeton for a masters degree and served on the faculty there as an instructor of chemical engineering. After WWII he built numerous oil refineries and chemical plants for the M.W. Kellogg Company.

He later joined the Hoechst-Uhde Corp as president of operations in the United

the bulletin F A L L

2011

IN MEMORIAM

Benn W. Jesser 1915-2011

States. Along the way he married Alice Abel with whom he had four children including Bonnie Benn who graduated from Stoneleigh-Burnham in the Class of 1963. When Bonnie died tragically

He later married Barbara Jenter with whom he enjoyed the past 29 years.

He is survived by Barbara, his brother, Richard, 31 grandchildren and 53 great grandchildren.

Benn worked tirelessly to raise money for and connect people to Stoneleigh-Burnham School

in 1965 Benn, who had already been involved with the School as an active parent and donor, honored her with ongoing service to Stoneleigh-Burnham School. He built “Bonnie’s House” which overlooks the athletic fields on which she spent so much of her time as a student athlete. As a trustee, and later as president of the Board of Trustees, Benn worked tirelessly to raise money, connect people to Stoneleigh-Burnham, strengthen the Board and help lead the School in new directions.

In 1953 his beloved wife Alice died and he married Darcy Coogan Clark in 1955.

Like he did in all things, Benn put his keen mind and kind heart to work addressing Stoneleigh-Burnham School’s pressing needs. He pulled people together and facilitated the development of scholarships, events and facilities. The number of hand-written notes he sent to parents, friends and board colleagues are too numerous to be counted. At times he was charismatically persuasive and sometimes he was simply tenacious. He loved attending events and being a part of the School’s growth. He was last on campus in 2008 at the ripe old age of 93 and just this year attended his 75th reunion at Princeton.

Head of School Sally Mixsell recalled, “Benn always had the School’s best interest at heart. He brought experience to the table but he also brought insight and optimism to his work on the Board.” Former head and longtime Stoneleigh-Burnham teacher, Paul Bassett remembered Benn as “an enthusiastic supporter of the School whose blood ran blue and white most days when it wasn’t running Princeton orange and black.” Paul went on to say that Benn was a charismatic figure who believed that beyond credentials, enthusiasm was the key to success. Echoing the sentiments of many who knew him, Board member Laura Richards ’61 quipped, “When Benn thought something was important it usually got done.”

As a tribute to Benn, a campaign was launched to build a sorely needed science center on Stoneleigh-Burnham’s campus.

The building, which was dedicated in 2004, sits majestically on the hill here at 574 Bernardston Road and now bears his name. For those wishing to honor his memory with a gift, his family has asked that donations be sent to StoneleighBurnham School. While his sweet smile and jovial disposition will be missed, the memories of this stalwart optimism and unflinching dedication to StoneleighBurnham School will be remembered for years to come.

- Regina Mooney,

Director of Development & Alumnae Relations

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Reunion - Save the Date

Coda

Just Go:

by Shawn Durrett This piece originally appeared on our school blog, sbschoolorg.wordpress.com Written before the first week of school, we have not changed the tense in order to preserve the message of the piece.

Call in Sick...

and Join Us for a Girls’ Weekend Get-Away!

REUNION 2012 Fr i day , J un e 2 2 t h – S un day , J un e 2 4 t h Register online at www.sbschool.org/reunion 44

This morning I dropped my three-yearold daughter off for her first day of preschool. She had been impatiently waiting for this day for months. In the parking lot she grabbed her ladybug lunch bag and whooshed away from me and my husband who trailed along behind her with the baby like her own little entourage. In the classroom, we helped her find her cubby and her nametag, put her Cat in the Hat stuffed animal in her sleep sack for naptime, and then watched her run off with another little girl tugging at her sleeve. I turned to the teacher and asked, “So…what do we do now? Hang out for a while?” She smiled gently and replied, “or…just go. Looks like she’s ready to play.” That was it, huh? Just go. There were no teary goodbyes, no hysterics, no peeling-of-the-child off the leg of my pants; just a quick hug and we were out the door, past the boy wailing for his mama and the little girl already in the arms of the assistant teacher, getting her back patted while she quietly sniffled into his shirt.

But it wasn’t that simple. Outside the classroom we peeked through the glass window and watched Macy settle herself at the craft table. Other parents hovered around us, some looking anxiously through the window, others gripping

the bulletin F A L L

2011

L E S S O N S F R O M T H E F I R ST DAY O F S C H O O L

their child tightly by the hand as they walked into the classroom. I could have stood there all day, just watching, but I knew in my gut that Macy would be fine, and that, as Miss Cindy said, we had to just go. In the parking lot I passed another family snapping pictures of their child in his bright backpack and new sneakers, and a mom visibly crying as she drove away in her minivan. It struck me in that moment what an incredible feat it is to leave your child in the hands of another, and it made me realize how much I have in common with the parents of the students I teach at StoneleighBurnham School.

“It struck me in that moment what an incredible feat it is to leave your child in the hands of another, and it made me realize how much I have in common with the parents of the students I teach at StoneleighBurnham School.”

Now that I have my own children I understand what great trust families give to us when their daughters enter our blue doors for the first time. Whether your child is four miles away or four thousand miles away, three years old or thirteen years old, that kind of trust is the reason you can leave her and walk away with ease. I didn’t cry as I drove away from her preschool and off into my own day without her. When my daughter wants something she doesn’t just walk, she marches: hunched forward with her elbows out like she’s jabbing her way down a crowded city street. This is her own journey, and she’s ready for it. I know many of my students come to SBS in this same way; determined and ready, while others need to be taken gently by the hand, reassured as they adjust in their own time. Next week some of both will be sitting in my classroom. As a teacher

and an advisor, it’s not my job to dictate their journey for them; it’s my job to help them navigate it.

I realize that dropping Macy off at preschool today was just the first of many beginnings for her and for me. I know the parents of new SBS students share many of the same feelings as they drive up the oval to drop their daughters off.

I know the parents of my seniors share many of the same feelings as they prep themselves for college, and know that I will feel this again and again throughout Macy’s life. This week the students of SBS, new and returning, will once again enter the blue doors and fill our hallways and classrooms with laughter and chatter. Some will cry and cling, but we’ll be there to guide them and cheer them on, every step of the way. I am so excited for Macy to discover the new world waiting beyond her school doors. Nothing will change how tightly I want to hold on to my daughter, but I will remember Miss Cindy’s words as I drop her off each day: Just go. Oh, and parents- I told you I didn’t cry when I drove away, but I’ll meet you in the parking lot by your minivan if you want. I’ll bring the Kleenex.

Shawn Durrett is the Chair of the English Department at Stoneleigh-Burnham School.

She lives in South Deerfield with her family.

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Indicia Here

574 Bernardston Road Greenfield, Massachusetts 01301-1100 www.sbschool.org Parents: If this issue is addressed to your daughter who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please notify the Alumnae Office at alumnae@sbschool.org or 413.774.2711 x247.