The Bridge Spring 2011 by Severn School

Severn

The Bridge For Severn Alumni and Friends Spring 2011

the bridge

vintage severn From the 1979 Navigator, the undefeated softball team. From L to R, FRONT: Coach Buckingham, Amy Zimmerman ’82, Coach Burroughs. MIDDLE: Lisa Johnson ’81, Sarah Corey ’81, Susie Schuh ’80, Ann Creamer ’80, Chris de Guzman, Karen Kime ’81. TOP: Melinda Kuethe ’81, Brooke Wallace ’81, Meg Hewitt ’82, Ginny Heinel ’81, Lee Trask ’83, Debbie Reilly ’83. MISSING: Jenienne Miniter ’82, Lisa Arnold.

sp r i n g 2 0 1 1

spring 2011

departments

Neel Lakhanpal ’16, geography whiz

A Faculty for Reading, faculty and staff reading suggestions

Departing faculty

Basketball Coach Chuck Miller, 200 wins and counting

Margaret Foster, Learning Specialist

Letters from Japan, Maggie Morton ’06

Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees

Carolyn Avery, Severn’s Booster Button Lady

What’s Up at the Gym

Legacy Photo

Alumni Weekend

Severn Sports

Class Notes

Kirsten Kelly ’06 Breaks Previous THON Records

EDITOR The Bridge is published three times each year. We encourage all of our readers to respond with comments, suggestions and information. Please contact: SEVERN SCHOOL Pamala Heffner, Editor, The Bridge The Boone House 116 Maple Avenue Severna Park, MD 21146 p.heffner@severnschool.com 410-647-7701 ext. 2260 © 2011 SEVERN SCHOOL. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Severn School does not discriminate against any person in admission, employment, or otherwise because of race, creed, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or age. Severn School is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and approved by the Maryland State Board of Education.

On the cover: Peter Wood ’46 celebrates his 65th Reunion!

the bridge

from the headmaster “To find the core of a school, don’t look at its rulebook or even its mission statement. Look at the way the people in it spend their time – how they relate to each other, how they tangle with ideas. Look for the contradictions between words and practice, with the fewer the better. Try to estimate the frequency and the honesty of its deliberations. Though it will always want to spruce up for visitors, its hour by hour functioning is what is important. Judge the school not on what it says but on how it keeps.” The above quote comes from Ted and Nancy Sizer’s book, The Students Are Watching. It was with this sentiment, “the students are watching,” that we crafted the second sentence of Severn’s mission: We believe this is best realized in a community where adults model these qualities and where each student is known and valued. While many schools promote similar guiding principles articulated in the first sentence, what makes Severn’s mission unique, more compelling and durable, is the charge to its adult community – faculty, administration, parents, and alumni – to “model these qualities.” I believe that the most effective way to teach is to live a life worth emulating. If we want kids to lead, then we as the adults in their lives, must lead; if we want kids to serve then we must serve; if we want kids to achieve, then we must achieve; if we want kids to conduct themselves in accordance with Mr. Teel’s bedrock principles - Character, Conduct, Scholarship – then we must adhere to these noble principles as well.

the earthquake and resulting tsunami is inspiring. This year’s Athletic Hall of Fame inductees – Court Williams ‘73, Mike Long ’90, Monique Jennings Wilson ’96 and Ron Staines Jr. ’00 – are honored for their achievement on the field, and equally important, their success in transferring the lessons learned from athletics to success in life. You will read an article about Kristen Kelly’s ’06 astounding commitment to service in leading a record breaking, $9 million plus, charity event to provide financial support to families battling pediatric cancer. And finally, Caroline Avery’s commitment to giving back to the school that gave her family so much is an example of conduct from which we all could learn. Just recently, I saw a high school student wearing a t-shirt with the phrase, “It’s not ADD. I’m just not listening,” emblazoned on the front. As I chuckled at this succinct definition of adolescence, I thought to myself, it’s not that adults should model; it’s that they do. The adults associated with Severn – educators, alums and parents - have forever not only talked the talk of the School’s mission, but as evidenced in this and every issue of the Bridge, walked the walk allowing today’s students to learn in deep and important ways from their example. Go Admirals!

Doug Lagarde

There are always examples in the Bridge of Severn alums and parents modeling the foundational qualities of the mission. This issue is no different, and I would like to take a moment to highlight a few. The leadership of basketball coach Chuck Miller is well documented by Dave Myers in an article about Coach Miller surpassing 200 victories. Learning Specialist Margaret Foster speaks to current thinking about learning and scholarship in an article about her role with the Hoehn-Saric Family Center for Academic Excellence. The strength of character and compassion that Maggie Morton ’06 displays in her letters to family and friends about the devastation in Japan caused by

“...if we want kids to conduct themselves in accordance with Mr. Teel’s bedrock principles - Character, Conduct, Scholarship – then we must adhere to these noble principles as well. “

sp r i n g 2 0 1 1

2010-2011 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Mr. Michael K. DeStefano ’84, Chair Mr. John S. Bremer, Vice Chair Mrs. Marjorie A. Corwin, Secretary Mr. John R. Soderlund, Treasurer Mr. Robert (Bret) Anderson Mr. Thomas L. Carter III ’85 Mr. Michael A. Cauley Mr. Raymond J. Herman Mr. Donald R. Hug Mrs. Lisa S. Kahan Mr. Gorton Parker (G.P.) Lindsay ’73 Mr. Christopher R. McCleary Mr. James A. Nolan ’62 Mrs. Margaret O’Connor Mr. Wilson H. Phipps ’74 Mr. Robert W. Rabbitt ’82 Dr. Lisa J. Renfro Mr. Robert L. Roth Mr. Steven R. Schuh ’78 Mr. Christopher A. Taylor ’71 Mr. William F. Utz Mr. E. Marc Williamson ’80 Mrs. Nancy J. Wooddell Mrs. Liz Mann Carlin ’74, Asst. Secretary Mr. Terry Del Prete, Asst. Treasurer HONORARY TRUSTEES Mr. Thomas L. Carter ’54 Mr. H. Franklin Knipp, Jr. Severn school admirals parents’ association president Mrs. Nancy L. Kierstead Alumni Association President Dr. Woody Wooddell ’73

MISSION Severn School challenges its students to pursue excellence in character, conduct and scholarship, to marshal the courage to lead, and to develop the lasting desire to serve and achieve. We believe this is best realized in a community where adults model these qualities and where each student is known and valued.

PHILOSOPHY Severn School believes in educating the whole person in a student-centered, supportive educational community that values the dignity, self-worth, and potential of each individual.

DIVERSITY STATEMENT I n support of the mission of Severn School, we seek to create and sustain a thriving, diverse community in which human differences are understood, respected, and seen as vital reflections of our larger society and world. As a community of learners, we value human diversity as a rich, living educational resource for fulfillment of our mission. Our diverse community includes (but is not limited to) the dimensions of gender, race, ethnicity, economic status, religion, physical ability, and sexual orientation.

OOPS! Correction

Richard Graham, author of Wounded, as seen in the winter Bridge p. 33, is from the Class of 1963 not 1965.

Vintage Photo Winter Bridge 2011 Regarding the unidentified “G” in your vintage Severn photo of the 197071 basketball team—“G” refers to Greg Chaires ’73, Bill’s ’71 younger brother, and not to some otherwise unidentified player. The Navigator generally didn’t include our first names in such photos, and in the case of this photo, no one’s first name was included. The editors, however, included “G” to indicate it was Greg and not Bill. The short article [in the Navigator] accompanying the photo noted that Greg was an excellent outside shooter. –Frank Coulter ’71 I noted with interest the “vintage Severn” photo of the men’s basketball team taken from the 1971 Navigator. #34 in the picture is identified as Vernon Mummert ’71. Either this person was mis-identified back then or for this Bridge edition. #34 is actually my classmate and friend, Billy Martin ’72. Just wanted to set the record straight ... sorry, can’t help on the mystery “G” gentleman! –Jim Adrian ’72

the bridge

around campus

worldly wise Neel Lakhanpal ’16 takes first place in a field of 100 at the Maryland Geography Bee sponsored by National Geographic Knowledge, Good Fortune Key to Geography Bee Win: Severn 7th grader takes Maryland, goes to national contest by Mary Gail Hare, The Baltimore Sun

A keen knowledge of geography and some good fortune helped Neel Lakhanpal take first place at the Maryland leg of the 23rd annual National Geographic Bee.

You just have to concentrate,” said Julian G. Niewiaroski, a seventhgrader at Westland Middle School in Bethesda, who finished sixth. “In a lot of questions, they give you hints.”

“Some questions were hard, and I had to think a lot,” said the 13year-old seventh-grade student. “It takes a little bit of luck. Some of the questions that others got I would not have known the answer.”

Then he had to break a three-way tie for third place, which took another three rounds of questions. Alex Chrvala, a fifth-grader at Rodgers Forge Elementary in Baltimore County and the youngest finalist, secured third and a $50 prize.

Economics had a part, too, in the final question. Neither Neel nor Adam Rusak, a seventh-grader at Lakelands Park Middle School in Gaithersburg, had missed a single question as they entered the championship round. They had just cleared the final round that eliminated the other eight finalists. They were given 15 seconds to write their answers. They both knew Iceland experienced a volcanic eruption last spring and that the Andes Mountains are still rising. But Adam wrote that India lost its ranking as the world’s second-largest economy to China last year, when Neel answered correctly with Japan. “I’ll be back next year,” said Adam with a broad smile. Neel won $100 and an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, where he will represent Maryland in the national competition. The Maryland contest, open to students in fifth through eighth grade, drew 100 competitors from across the state to the Catonsville campus of Baltimore County Community College. After a long morning of “three strikes and you’re out,” the final 10 — all boys — took their seats in the front of the auditorium. This time, two missed answers would end their runs. “You can’t think about anything else,” said Mukund K. Patnaik, an eighth-grader at Takoma Park Middle School, who competed last year and made it to the finals Friday. “Just geography.” They scanned maps to identify sites. They were tested on their knowledge of mountains, rivers, fault lines, even tunnels. They had to locate U.S. monuments and parks and know some Native American lore.

Mike Chrvala said his son, who has showed an appreciation for geography since he learned to read, would likely use his winnings to buy more maps. “I have eight atlases and two world maps,” Alex said. “One of them is not up to date because it’s from the ‘30s.” The day was a nail-biter for his father, who is a social studies teacher in Carroll County. One of his students competed and lost to his son. Then, Alex had to spar with 20 others in a tie-breaker for the 10th spot in the final round. “That last question was about fjords in a country where there are blind parrots,” said Alex. “That was the key that told me New Zealand not Norway.” He, too, plans to try again next year. As for Neel, “I am going home to study more and hope for more luck.” If he wins the national title, he will receive a $25,000 college scholarship, a lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society and another all-expenses paid trip — to the Galapagos Islands. reprinted with permission Neel attended the national competition held in Washington, D.C. in May but did not qualify for the finals. Neel said that the questions were more difficult than in the state-wide competition. His hardest question?: “Which surface would have a higher albedo value—asphalt or fresh snow?” * Answer pg. 10

a faculty for reading Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard. A wonderful reflection on solitude, philosophy, spirituality and the environment. –Mary Ellen Carsley, Chair, Upper School Arts The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. Through the pages of this modern classic the author seeks meaning in life and death; he continually fights the call of his existential siren. The waste of war is the vehicle that the author uses to drive home many questions. –Eric Witzel, Chair Upper School Science The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. –Eric Witzel Too Many Tomatoes Squash, Beans, and Other Good Things: A Cookbook for When Your Garden Explodes by Lois M. Landau. This is the book to go to when the summer garden is going crazy, and you’ve already made all the recipes that are in your regular repertoire. I especially love the carrot cake recipe if you want a real splurge. Bon appétit! –Mary Coutts, Head Librarian

Back by popular demand! Summer reading suggestions from our faculty & staff– check ‘em out!

Room: A Novel by Emma Donoghue. –Denise Rosson ’78, Director, Alumni Relations All the Nicholas Spark Books –Patty Thompson, Receptionist Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. –Harriet Yake, Upper School Fine Arts The Widower’s Tale by Julia Glass. –Harriet Yake, Upper School Fine Arts The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. –Eileen Tidd, Upper School Science; Laurie Wachs, Library Associate; Marilyn Kuhl, Manager, Accounting; Harriet Yake, Upper School Fine Arts Anathem by Neal Stephenson. A novel that explores the nature of thought and how we know what we know. –James White, Middle School English

What There Is to Say We Have Said: The Correspondence of Eudora Welty and William Maxwell by Suzanne Marrs. – Mary Coutts & Maura Rudder, Admin. Asst., College Counseling & Academic Dean

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. An amazing story of fact and fiction, man and medicine, faith and doubt, hope and dreams, and the courage to survive and achieve. –Holly Carroll, Asst. Dir. Advancement

The Feud That Sparked the Renaissance: How Brunelleschi and Ghiberti Changed the Art World by Paul Robert Walker. The competition and rivalry between the artists Filippo Brunelleschi and Lorenzo Ghiberti in the Italian Renaissance is a central pivot for the history of their groundbreaking work in Florence in the first half of the fifteenth century. –Doug Sassi, Upper School Ceramics, Sculpture, Art History

Old Filth by Jane Gardham. –Holly Carroll Somebody Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill. The story of a young African girl stolen from her parents, how she survived and became educated. –Liz Carlin, Admin. Asst. to the Headmaster & Maura Rudder

Émile by Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The work tackles fundamental political and philosophical questions about the relationship between the individual and society. –Mecael Yuan, Middle School French & Chinese

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Meale. An inspiring and entertaining story about a young boy living in Africa who teaches himself how to generate electricity for his home, using a hand-made windmill. –Whitney Etchison, Assistant Librarian

Life of Lycurgus by Plutarch –Mecael Yuan

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. –Whitney Etchison

Republic by Plato. –Mecael Yuan

Genius, A Mosaic of One Hundred Exemplary Creative Minds by Harold Bloom. –Tom Worthington, Chair Upper School English

Fall of Giants by Ken Follett. Follett creates believable characters, heart-stopping action and passion for love of country that makes this historical novel impossible to put down. –Phyllis Beardmore, Middle School Learning Resource Coordinator Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer. A juxtaposition of two stories: the origin and evolution of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and a modern double murder committed in the name of God by brothers Ron and Dan Lafferty, who subscribed to a fundamentalist version of Mormonism. –Dan Gvozden, Upper School Technology

The Known World by Edward P. Jones. –Woody Johnston, Director, College Counseling The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. –Woody Johnston The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal. A collection of essays from philosophers and thinkers from around the world. The whole anthology discusses the nature of forgiveness. –Julia Maxey, Upper School Technology Coordinator & Upper School English

“Severn School Cchallenges its students to pursue excellence in character, conduct, and scholarship, to marshal the courage to lead, and to develop the lasting desire to serve and achieve.We believe this is best realized in a community where adults model these qualities and where each student is known and valued.” —Severn School Mission Statement

O u ts ta n di ng a d u lt s

There is not enough space in this magazine to list nor picture the adults of the Severn community who model the qualities found in our mission. From our exemplary founding father to our newest faculty member, from the many who call Severn their alma mater to those who have suffered the ultimate sacrifice, we have come to experience adult behavior that sets a Severn standard of compassion and character, a love of learning and leadership. To all of the adults who have worked to mold this community and this level of excellence, we thank you, and may we diligently continue on the path you have laid.

Photos from top, down: Jim Doyle, Coach; John Bodley, Chair, Upper School History; Sandy Barbour ’77, 2007 Distinguished Alumna; Former Headmaster Bill Creeden, Linda D. Millard and Stephens Millard ’51, former faculty member, Debbie Creeden; Severn School Founder, Rolland M. Teel

good luck

and not good bye to departing faculty

L to R: Kathy Schaffer, School Nurse; Janice Jobson, Kathy Fegan, Admin. Asst., Upper School

Janice Jobson, Department Head, Middle School Math (1997) Janice has taught sixth grade math at Severn for 14 years. She has been the Middle School registrar for seven years and ran the After School Program for the last three years. The students always reached for their best because Janice set high standards for all her classes. Janice was also a Severn parent for Kristi ’02, Brooke ’05 and Ashleigh ’05. She has shared her enthusiasm for teaching, her wonderful camaraderie with the faculty, and her constant caring for the Severn students. I arrived at Severn in 1998 and Janice was definitely one of my mentors. We have shared many happy memories; dinners out, book club evenings, laughs, and some tears over the years. Janice will be missed by many but I’ll be one at the top of the list. –Jane Merrill, Department Head, Middle School Enrichment, Grade 6 and 7 Computer Enrichment

Congratulations to Janice on becoming a grandmother to daughter Kristi’s ’02 baby boy, Declan Laura Lewis, Administrative Assistant, Summer Programs (1980) With the remnants of her Southern accent still intact, Laura Lewis has been the voice of Severn Summer Programs for more than 30 years! Each summer, youngsters have been helped, guided and loved by Mrs. Lewis. Always the first one with a smile and a kind word, Laura has kept things going through thick and thin. She came on board in 1980 to help Mr. Domenech Sr. with what was then a fledgling program. The programs have grown and developed – always with Laura’s help and encouragement. I have personally worked with Laura over the years – starting in 1983 when I was a day camp counselor in charge of music. In the early 2000’s, I was directly responsible for Severn’s Summer Programs and know for a fact that Laura was an invaluable resource. In honor of her years of service to Severn’s Summer Programs we are dedicating the Laura Lewis Summer Scholarship for a deserving young person in our Day Camp. On behalf of Severn School and the thousands of youngsters that have been part of our summers we say a hearty - thank you! –Molly Moore Green ’83, Director, Advancement

Josephine Old ’89 and Doug Sassi

Doug Sassi, Upper School Art (1984) When Doug came to Severn in 1984 to chair the art department, the only courses available to students were mechanical drawing and a bit of painting, along with a single music course. Over the following 17 years, he developed a robust program that included, along with his ceramics and sculpture specialties, design, drawing, painting, film photography, and introduced the Italian Exchange Program that he still coordinates. He also grew the music and theater offerings and nurtured Severn’s reputation for excellence in the performing arts. He added digital art to the curriculum, and developed the Upper School’s art show, Starry Night, and a multimedia favorite, the Fine Arts Awards Assembly, into much anticipated annual events. The Sassi Renaissance award was created in his honor because he had led the department so ably, and was, himself, a renaissance man—committed to knowledge and passion. He continued to foster enthusiasm and joy in his students for another decade. The students, his colleagues and I will sorely miss him. –Harriet Yake, Upper School Art

Laurie Hays, Director, Upper School Music (1999)

Laurie Hays (left) with Shari Valerio, Upper School Drama

I remember distinctly the first time I was able to glimpse the passionate artistic spirit that is the force behind Ms. Laurie Hay’s teaching and her amazing abilities as a performing artist. Ms. Hays once quoted Victor Hugo to me, “Music is that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent.” Only a truly dedicated artist understands and communicates through her art with such depth and conviction. She has been a teacher and mentor to countless students in the performing arts at Severn. Through her gentle guiding wisdom, hard work and commitment to excellence in the classroom and on the stage she has inspired students in both the Upper and Middle School for 12 years to find their own voice and reach for the stars. The students in her care grow in skill and confidence revealing the unique light that shines within each of them. I will miss her quiet passion, gentle humor and most of all her beautiful voice filling the art hallway during the school day. –Mary Ellen Carsley. Chair, Upper School Arts

Harriet Yake, Upper School Art (2000) I knew Harriet long before we both worked at Severn. She has always amazed me with her ability to keep up with all that is happening, whether it is in art, technology, her community or who is winning “The Amazing Race.” She is a person who can engage her “whole brain”— she is smart, organized, insightful and blends that with creativity, artistic talent and compassion. It was always a treat to stop in and see what Harriet was up to with the students. She is extremely talented and the Severn students were lucky to have her there to guide them, although I imagine it wasn’t easy having Mrs. Yake as a teacher! You better hand in your work and it better be on time. She has shown her students the importance of being a life long learner and to always be open to new ideas and experiences. I know I will continue to be very good friends with Harriet and her family long after she ends her teaching career here at Severn but I will miss her very much. What she has given to the students and community here at Severn will last a long, long time. –Ellen Murray, Admissions We would also like to say “Good Luck” to:

Troy Wilson, Upper School Math, Head Coach, Varsity Football Mary Ellen Leuver, Upper School History Eileen Tidd, Upper School Science

L to R: Rodica Townshend, Upper School French; Harriet Yake; Teresa Slepickova Belyna. former Upper School History faculty member

super volunteer The Bridge thanks David Myers, Esq. (Kaitlyn ’06) for his years of volunteer service as a sports writer and for his research and writing on all things Navy. He and his wife, Debra, former APA President, are also Mock Trial coaches. Dave will be devoting more time to his professional life as Deputy Director, Case Evaluation, The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program, but tells me that he still has a naval history book in the works. Dave is a friend, a fine writer, an invaluable help and extremely gracious when it comes to my editing. He will be sorely missed. –Pam Heffner, Editor

Dave Myers and Pam Heffner

Read articles by Dave in this issue of The Bridge, pgs. 11 and 27 * Answer to the National Geography question given to Neel Lakhanpal ’16 - fresh snow. 10

sp r i n g 2 0 1 1

the Awesome Chuck Miller Coach Chuck Miller, varsity girls basketball, surpassed an amazing 200 victories this past season, and talks to Dave Myers about his love of basketball and Severn School

ne measure of a successful coach is the character of his players not only on the court, but off, and the nature of their success that arise from their courtside mentor and teacher. Chuck Miller’s Severn’s women’s varsity basketball program has been a success for over a decade. Chuck had been very successful with St. Mary’s JV team where he fell in love with girl’s basketball. Looking to move up to the varsity level, he saw an ad for the Severn’s women’s varsity head coach position and got some good advice from legendary Severn coach, Jim Doyle, who told him what a great place Severn was. Chuck was hired by then Athletic Director David Hooks and began the trip to 200 wins during what he has called “Some of the best years of my life!”

to back titles. The ’09-’10 team avenged that loss the next year and brought home our fourth championship. Was there one team/season that stood out? We went to six championship games (four wins) in the last seven seasons in the B Conference so there were many great teams. One of my fondest was the ’01-02 team. We had lost one senior from my first year’s team and had everyone else back. We went from 6-13 to 17-7. The first in a string of nine straight winning seasons where we did not win less than 17 games. The last year in the B Conference (’09-’10) we were 23-3 and won that championship. What is your basic coaching philosophy? Some coach once said “keep it simple, stupid” and that is my basic philosophy. We try to play hard man to man defense, try not to get too fancy on offense, do the things we do best and not change for other teams. Make them change for us.

I will turn to the words of Coach Miller himself who responded to some questions I recently sent to him. I would especially note that he began his response with a “Thankyou” for giving him the opWhat’s the difference beportunity to talk about Severn tween A League and B women’s basketball. However, League?: Our entry into it is yours truly who should the A conference was a rude thank him, not only for his awakening for the ’10-’11 Coach Miller with his ’05-’06 team celebrating his 100th win contribution to Severn School, team. The A conference but for mentoring some maris full of teams with girls velous athletes who have made filling columns in the Bridge an easy who play basketball year round. It is usually their first sport. Many and most enjoyable endeavor. of our players are two and three sport athletes and sometimes basCoach, what was your best win? We have had a lot of big wins at Severn with the four championships as highlights. Probably the first against St. Paul’s (’03-’04) and the last against Notre Dame Prep (’09-’10) were the most memorable. In a non-league game we beat South River High School in double overtime to win the Queen Anne Holiday Tournament in 2004. South River was the top ranked team in Anne Arundel County at the time which made it extra special. It was the first of four Christmas Tournament Championships. What was your toughest loss? One of our toughest loses was to St. Paul’s in the semi-final of ’08-’09 league tournament. It broke our string of championship appearances and denied that senior class back

ketball is their second or third sport. The A conference is the best high school girls basketball league in the Baltimore area as well as the mid-Atlantic region. Most seasons several of the teams are nationally ranked. The B conference is good basketball and competitive with most of the private and public school leagues in the area. We believe we will take a big step this coming season and prove we belong in the A conference. In closing: We have had so many good basketball players and wonderfully supportive families over these 11 years I could fill five more pages. Thank you again for giving me the opportunity to talk about Severn girls’ basketball. –Dave Myers 11

Learning

Centered

Margaret Foster may call the Learning Resource Center home, but please do not limit her role to ‘Learning Specialist’— the multi-faceted Ms. Foster is a coach, an educator, an author and a Learning ‘Performance’ Specialist

Sitting down to talk with Margaret Foster certainly has the potential to intimidate, were it not for Margaret’s decidedly comfortable and casual style. She is the Learning Specialist at Severn’s Learning Resource Center, and an online coach of international professional development for the Harvard Graduate School of Education project, Teaching for Understanding, and Leading for Understanding. And if that were not enough, Margaret is passionate about creative writing and will soon be the published co-author of a professional book entitled, Teachers Guide to Improving Executive Function. What makes Ms. Foster’s talents and expertise so accessible is her grasp of the concept of ‘understanding’. Margaret understands learning, she understands students, and understands how important it is to answer the inevitable, “Why do I need to learn this?” Ms. Foster refers to herself as a Learning Performance Specialist, the ‘performance’ component being to ‘demonstrate what you know.’ She explains that students process information during input and output routines, but what they understand lies somewhere in between. It is important to build on their understandings and to help them demonstrate or perform those understandings. This concept then dovetails perfectly with the Teaching for Understanding support that Margaret provides for faculty—attaching knowledge with purpose and answering, “Why do I need to learn this?” while bringing students to that understanding point where they can then build on ‘show what you know.’ An example of Teaching for Understanding that Ms. Foster provided is that of the Middle School ‘Wave Project’ created by JoAnna Josey, Middle School Science teacher, Whitney Etchison, Assistant Librarian, and James White, Middle School English. Project topics range from the Doppler effect to acoustic guitars. While there is more than one purpose to this project, one of import is that Ms. Josey can better prepare her students to understand and remember the concepts of physics by allowing them to choose topics of personal interest. They can then take what is going on in the classroom to better understand their topic, while their topic allows them to better understand what is going on in the classroom. Ms. Foster continues, “The Wave Project is designed to build ‘understandings’ that are multi-dimensional—not just knowledge in, but addresses the purposes, forms and methods unique to each student’s topic.”

sp r i n g 2 0 1 1

Teaching for Understanding and Leading for Understanding

Margaret Foster is a coach for the Teaching for Understanding and the Leading for Understanding projects within the WIDE World Online Courses of the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The WIDE World program teaches understanding in action and how to develop a culture of understanding. They supply the tools and strategies to build leadership skills and engage colleagues in collaborative inquiry to improve learning. The WIDE World program offers educators high-quality, coaching-based professional development, with a focus on understanding, thinking, assessment, and the integration of new technologies.*

Teaching for Understanding uses the following four questions as a foundation for its framework: • What shall we teach? • What is worth understanding? • How shall we teach for understanding? • How can students and teachers know what students understand and how students can develop deeper understanding? The Leading

for Understanding program investigates the following:

• How can educational leaders develop a culture and promote specific actions that increase thinking and learning for all members of their learning community? • How can educational leaders support teachers in using the Teaching for Understanding framework and WIDE World professional development strategies in order to improve student learning? • How can educational leaders develop their own skills in leading for understanding? * http://learnweb.harvard.edu/alps/tfu/info3.cfm

Margaret also works with students when a more rigorous academic intervention is required. She focuses on how students learn; practicing ‘diagnostic remediation’ which does not deal with the content of a particular subject but strategies for understanding and performing, whether it is for a project, paper, test or general organization. She also acts as a confidence builder which is hugely important in the classroom and beyond. Currently, Ms. Foster has been excited to watch Upper School Department Chairs, Eric Witzel, (science) and Janet Fort, (math) develop a Leadership for Understanding program and ‘action plan’ for their respective departments. Their action plans will both grow and steer their programs as they move forward. This same approach of using an action plan was used to inaugurate the Learning Resource Center. Its components are 1) state the dream, 2) state the mysteries, 3) plan actions that will eliminate the mysteries and create the dream, and 4) evidence, results. Margaret considers writing a passion, in particular, what she calls ‘creative non-fiction’. She is also adept at professional writing and in 2012 we will see the book that Margaret is co-authoring entitled, Teachers Guide to Improving Executive Function. The book addresses organization and prioritization, an area that she is extremely familiar with in her work with students and an expertise that she certainly applies to her very busy schedule.

• The Hoehn-Saric Family Center for Academic Excellence • The Learning Resource Center

The Hoehn-Saric Family Center for Academic Excellence works to serve the needs of all learners and to help each student identify and work in his or her upper range. The Center supports each student’s effort to develop effective learning skills and strategies, but more importantly works to ensure that each student develops greater self-awareness and confidence in his or her own ability to learn and grow, thus achieving long-term success at Severn and beyond. 13

Maggie Morton ’06 , third from left, and crew made over 400 sandwiches for Japanese earthquake victims

Letters from Japan Maggie Morton ’06, stationed aboard the USS Mustin in Yokosuka, Japan, had just left her ship when the devastating earthquake of March struck off the coast. In thoughtful and fascinating emails to friends and family, Maggie talks about the Japanese earthquake, the subsequent tsunami, and the resiliency of the Japanese people.

h h h

Dear friends and family, We are now operating off the coast of Northern Japan amidst a tremendous amount of floating debris and derelict fishing vessels. The feeling I get is one of both tragedy and hope. The place is like a floating graveyard. Pieces of people’s lives just wash by our ship. Meanwhile, those still alive ashore are fighting lack of supplies and cold weather. This morning it was snowing. Through our efforts, we are able to help many people that would otherwise be trapped and isolated from ordinary rescue efforts due to the lack of accessible roads and railways. Our helos are operating constantly to provide food, water, clothing, and blankets to people ashore. We are patrolling to identify the abandoned boats, cargo, and various other bits of debris. It’s amazing to see how MUSTIN has come

together to do whatever we can to help. We are running clothing drives and asking people to donate money and the results are phenomenal. Every helo that takes off is loaded with more supplies. If only we had known before we left homeport, we could have brought more. I just went through my closet and gave away all my sweatshirts and sweatpants, extra towels, socks, t-shirts, and even my Severn blanket from high school. The ship is giving away as many supplies as we can afford. The radiation hazard is not as much of a concern as the media has stated, however we are taking the necessary precautions to avoid any exposure. They are being extremely careful about the location of our ships and where we transit. If the plants melt down, the risk obviously increases, but for now, we are in no danger.

This has definitely been a growing experience for me. When the quake happened, I was just leaving the ship on my way home. I sat in a few hours of traffic and came home to a city with no electricity, no running trains, and no communication because cell phones were down too. People were crowded in the streets and a Japanese woman was shouting something over a loudspeaker and I had no idea what was going on. It was a little scary at first, but I lit some candles and ate the food I had left in the fridge. I was later contacted and told I needed to get back to the ship, given time to get what I needed, and here I am. Our schedule is constantly changing, but for now we will continue to do what we can with the supplies we have.

Dear friends and family, Once again, I cannot start without thanking each and every one of you from all over America, to England, Germany, France, and beyond for your support for me and the others out here serving off the coast of Northern Japan. The weather has been clear for the last day or so, making both operations and safe navigation much easier. The debris has scattered with the current, but laundry baskets, drawers, fishing boats, and other pieces of homes floating by continue to remind us of the loss and destruction. The other night, however, we did transit through quite a large snow storm that covered the ship with enough of a layer that in the morning we had two snowmen on the bridge wings standing as extra lookouts. Yet as the blizzard continued outside, the crew of MUSTIN gathered in the galley to have a sandwich making party for yesterday’s deliveries. We made ham, turkey, and cheese sandwiches working in teams of three or four, all ranks, someone slicing bread, others stuffing them, and finally those wrapping them. When we ran out of meat, we switched to peanut butter and jelly. For me, it was overwhelming to think how a PB&J sandwich that I take for granted so often was going to get someone through another day. The following day, we catered more towards the Japanese palate by making little balls of rice. The number of sandwiches totaled over 400 and the rice balls over 300. In talking to the pilots who delivered the food, when they arrived at the landing zone, the people came right up to the helicopter through 2-3 feet of snow. Yet, they maintained all the Japanese formalities, bowing until the moment the helo left the ground. One pilot told me he had emptied the vending machines to give candy to the children at one of the schools where they landed. Today the ships out here together delivered 30 tons of supplies ashore. We are continuing to give what we can, knowing that more supplies are on the way. Now that we are out at sea and settling into a routine, the events of the last week are starting to catch up, making many people tired just due to the sheer emotional strain. All we know is that we will remain here for an extended period of time, providing whatever support the Japanese need. Keep the Japanese people in your thoughts and

prayers, they are a very strong culture and will overcome this tragedy. For us, there is still a lot of uncertainty and many sailors are deeply concerned for their families, especially those still in Japan. Dear friends and family, I woke up this morning to my bed rocking, the feeling of another aftershock. Or was it an aftershock? At this point, it’s hard to differentiate between what is an aftershock and what is another earthquake on the same fault line. In those moments, you just think, should I run or just wait it out? It’s a horrible, anxious feeling where your senses are heightened and your heart racing. I was sitting in a restaurant last night and my earthquake alarm on my phone went off. The people around me were pulling their phones out at the same time and looking around. There is a weird sense of silence, a pause in conversation, and then things return back to normal. Luckily, when I have gotten those alarms I have only felt an earthquake twice. Being home for a few days has been interesting. By home, I really mean my apartment that feels like a hotel room since I’m never there. Walking around, it seems like life continues as it did before, yet there are certain subtleties that remind you of what is really going on elsewhere. I haven’t witnessed any controlled blackouts, but in most buildings the lights are dimmed or turned off. Many signs aren’t

The USS Mustin (DDG-89) is an Arleigh Burkeclass guided missile destroyer. Mustin was deployed to Yokosuka Naval Base in Yokosuka, Japan, home of the Navy’s 7th Fleet, for permanent assignment.

lit in store windows or on the vending machines. Walking through the grocery store, the produce and meat aisles are dark to save electricity, and the milk and egg shelves empty. I tried to buy two 24 packs of water, one for the ship, and one for home, but was told I could only buy one. For awhile, the trains were running on weekend schedules and everyone had to use the stairs rather than the escalators. Gas is still being rationed on base. I had to ask my manager how to turn the gas back on in my apartment so I could cook and take a hot shower, as it turns off automatically when there is an earthquake. The signs of hope and renewal are just as important though. Most places have donation boxes for tsunami relief. The weather is getting warmer and the trees are beginning to blossom. The line between carrying on while maintaining awareness of the tragedy that just happened is very fine, yet I’ve realized that life must go on for the country of Japan. The signs of life in nature as represented by the blossoming cherry trees are a wonderful representation of the hope and beauty of this country. Please continue to remember the people of Japan as they begin to rebuild and move on, despite the overwhelming weight of not knowing where to start and the continued uncertainty of the effects of radiation.

h h h

Athletic Hall of Fame 2011

Inductees

Court Williams ’73 played both football and lacrosse while at Severn. Some of the awards he received in sports include Best All-Round lineman (’69, ’70); Football McCormick Unsung Hero Award ’72; Lacrosse McCormick Unsung Hero Award ’73; First Team Tri-County defensive lineman ’72; and the Severn School 1923 Athletic Award. Upon graduating from Severn, Court went on to Denison University where he played on the lacrosse team for two years, before graduating from Cornell University in 1978. An executive search recruiter in the hospitality industry, Court and his wife Stacey have been married for more than 20 years and reside in Fairfield, CT. As a youth lacrosse coach for Wakeman Boys and Girls Club of Southport, CT, Court is grateful that he can coach his own two children, Peyton, 18 and Grant, 15.

Mike Long ’90 was a three-year starter on the Admiral’s varsity football squad. Mike garnered two All-County awards ’88, ’89; one All-Metro award ’89, and started in the Baltimore City All Star game as well as the Big 33 All Star game vs. Pennsylvania, the only Severn player to ever compete in that contest. Mike also played basketball and lacrosse where he received the Coach’s award in both sports and served as captain of both the football and basketball team his senior year. Upon graduation from Severn, Mike received a full four-year football scholarship at James Madison University where he earned two varsity letters and started for two years on the offensive line. Upon graduation from JMU, he returned to Severn where he coached football for three years, moving on to coach at Lehigh University for two years. Following his time at Lehigh, Mike was hired by Wingate University, where he has served as football coach for the last decade and as the offensive coordinator for the last eight years.

Monique Jennings Wilson ’96 was an outstanding basketball and soccer player during her four years at Severn. She was the first female player at the school to score 1,000 points during her four years of basketball. In addition to being Severn’s MVP ’93 and ’94, she received numerous county and state awards during her basketball career including All County, All State, and All Metro. As a soccer player, Monique received the Severn MVP award, All County, All State and All Metro Awards. Following high school, Monique went on to play soccer at Barton College where she received her degree in marketing and business administration. After graduation, Monique worked for Coca Cola where she tracked performance in partnership with marketing agencies. She is married to LT Roy Wilson, USN and they have two children, Kadence 7 and Quincy 3.

Ron Staines Jr. ’00 served as JV captain for football and lacrosse in ’96. As varsity lacrosse captain in ’00, he received Severn’s MVP award, First Team All County Lacrosse, First All Metro Lacrosse and First Team All State Lacrosse. In football, Ron received First Team All Metro and First Team All County awards. Upon graduation from Severn, Ron attended the University of North Carolina where he received the Jay Gallagher Award for freshman lacrosse player of the year. In his senior year he served as captain for the Tarheels and received the team MVP award and made the ACC Academic Honor Roll and First Team All ACC. He was an NCAA All American in ’03 and ’04, first team.Upon graduation, Ron was the 9th overall pick in the 2004 Major League Lacrosse draft. He played three years for the Boston Cannons and three for the Chesapeake Bay Hawks, where he was twice named the MLL Defensive Player of the Week. Ron is a loan officer for NVR Mortgage and is married to the former Sarah Creighton who is a teacher at Cockeysville Middle School. They are expecting their first child in October. 16

sp r i n g 2 0 1 1

Severn School Athletic Hall of Fame 1981 Charter Members Milton R. Roberts ’37 Clayton “Buddy” Beardmore ’58 Coach Paul J. Kesmodel Coach G. Parker Lindsay* Coach Captain Robert H. Woods 1982 Richard R. Pratt ’32 Coach William J. Hoover 1983 Vernon R. Selby ’22 Charles R. Zimmerman ’25 Everett W. Smith ’33 Jiles E. Freeman Jr. ’43 Charles “Chooch” Turner ’68 1984 Edmund Turner ’26 Gordon P. Chung-Hoon ’30 John M. Brenner ’36 John H. Giddings ’50 H. Craig Hubbard ’63 1985 Slade D. Cutter ’31 Lee M. Curry ’57 C. Alan Pastrana ’64 1986 John F. Pendergast ’37 Lawrence McCormick Jr. ’40 Edmund L. Turner ’50 David B. Pickall ’68 Coach Richard E. Webster 1987 John “Jack” Jones ’49 Bruce C. Burns ’61 Charles P. Goodell ’65 Peter H. Eldredge ’68 Anne “Sandy” Barbour ’77 1988 John C. Hampson ’30 Stephen H. Swift ’37 George H. Turner ’68 G. Parker Lindsay Jr. ’73

1989 Ericsson Reed ’31 L. Warren Klauer ’38 Harold T. Smith Jr. ’68 1990 Charles J. Schwartzberg ’56 Stephen L. Clagett ’65 David E. Cloud II ’68 1991 H. Timothy Albrecht Jr. ’53 Michael A. Clark ’65 Harry W. Hurst III ’69 David L. Wright ’69 Coach Sheila J. Keifer 1992 Blair “Buzz” Hall ’47 Richard D. Bennett ’65 Thomas H. Vitzthum ’82 Amy A. Zimmerman ‘82 1993 R. Edward Strange ’70 Wendy E. Jones ’83 Coach Julian A. Domenech Sr. 1995 Wilson H. Phipps ’74 Alix Dickey ’79 Coach James Doyle 1996 Stephen C. Rexford Sr. ’62 C. Douglas Carter ’65 Ann Wallace Riefe ’76 1997 Amy Santin Lathrop ’87 Coach Peter L. Dewald Coach Lynald E. Silsbee 1998 Betty Waters Phipps ’75 Howard C. Petty ’82 Andrew H. Burns ’88 Kathryn O’Connor Guest ’88 Amy J. Hewitt ’87 Athletic Director Fred L. Hewitt III

1999 Ralph M. MacMurray III ’58 * Brian D. Holman ’79 Catherine M. Herrick ’86 John R. Quinn ’87 2000 John L. Mehlig ’33 * Matthew Strohm Evans ’60 Joseph D. Stewart ’60 Leroy M. Sparks ’71 Abigail F. Janssens ’81 2001 J. Randolph Coupland III ’37 William W. Hargrave, Jr. ’50 Megan Mylander Hanson ’80 Willie H. Mitchell ’82 2002 Donald L. Nichols ’52 Stacey Hendricks Manis ’81 Ryan K. Wade ’90 Suzanne Weinberg Isidor ’91 2003 Robert H. Kesmodel ’62 Leslie Buono Whitman ’81 James C. Beardmore ’82 2004 Douglas Trettin ’82 Joan Chidester Craft ’94 Coach John C. Bodley 2005 Clifford H. Eley III ’52 C. Stuart Kiehne ’79 John Vereen ’95 2006 James B. McKinney ‘55 James C. McNealey ‘87 Milford H. Marchant ‘92 2007 Joseph N. Schaller ‘78 Joel F. Wallenstrom ‘87 Katherine Graw Lamond ‘96

2008 James W. Mealey ‘69 * Michael K. DeStefano ‘84 Jason Zachary Wade ‘92 Coach Karen Quarles 2009 Cynthia A. Petty ’77 Joshua S. Sims ’96 Denard L. Melton ’98

2010 Scott H. Chapin ’82 Julian A. Domenech ’84 Bradley W. Fowler ’93 Peter S. Janney ’96 2011 Courtland D. Williams ’73 Michael D. Long ’90 Monique Jennings Wilson ’96 Ronald J. Staines Jr. ’00

* posthumous

Julian Domenech ’84, Athletic Director, Ron Staines Jr. ’00, and Stacey Manis ’81, Athletic Hall of Fame Committee Chair

Headmaster Doug Lagarde, Court Williams ’73, Mike Long ’90, Monique Jennings Wilson ’96, and Stacey Manis ’81

the bridge

A Picture Paints a Thousand Words Sarah Bouchard ’11 interviews the fabulous Caroline Avery, mom of Captain J. Christopher Avery ’02, and Severn’s ‘Booster Button Lady’ who has been capturing athletes since 1998

For those who would like to give back to Severn for their experience and education, or for the experience that their children are receiving or have received, it is not necessary to give massive chunks of time or pledge to build a swimming pool in the Edward St. John Athletic Center. I discovered this when I had the opportunity to talk to one woman who is giving back to Severn in an extremely unique yet meaningful manner. She is known around campus by students and faculty alike for her charismatic personality, her presence at the beginning of every athletic season, her “glamour-free and behind-the-scenes job,” and of course, for her signature buttons with the simple maroon and white ribbons. Caroline Avery, also known as “The Booster Button Lady,” initiated a tradition at Severn that is greatly appreciated by the entire community. I was given the opportunity to turn the camera on the woman we all know and love.

Ms. Avery is so thankful that she has been able to play a part in the Severn community for the past 13 years. Ms. Avery has noticed the different personalities of the various sports teams at Severn, and has acquired a deep appreciation for the students and all the activities in which they are involved. It goes without saying that the students are extremely thankful. Any Severn athlete could tell you that Caroline will go to the ends of the earth to track down an individual and make sure that every athlete receives a button.

The simple tradition of parents wearing their child’s booster button serves several purposes. First, these pictures act as a way for the parents to identify other Severn parents on the athletic field and form friendships among the spectators. The buttons also show the physical progression of student athletes, and serve as mementos of past Caroline Avery’s son, Christopher ’02, is currently a captain in the athletic seasons. They also allow parents to hold onto their sons’ or Air Force. Even after his graduation from the Air Force Academy in daughters’ childhoods, even years past their graduations. And finally, the booster button tradition is a wonderful 2006, Ms. Avery still cannot thank Severn way to display Severn pride and it certainly enough for the amazing mark it left on her “Severn provided Christopher with a rich sets Severn apart from the other rival schools son. She says, “Severn provided Christopher at the athletic venues. The students, without a and rewarding education to do what with a rich and rewarding education to do doubt, enjoy the buttons. what he does now. Now it is my turn to repay Severn for that debt.”

he does now. Now it is my turn to repay

In the fall of Christopher’s freshman year, Caroline Avery noticed that a mom of a football player had created her own primal form of the booster button. Ms. Avery noticed the pride on the mother’s face as she wore a smiling picture of her son on her blouse, and how these simple pictures sparked conversations and friendships on the sidelines. This small gesture soon transformed into a full-blown Severn tradition. Caroline Avery began making booster buttons for all student athletes at Severn. She traveled off campus to snap shots of swimmers, sailors, and golfers, waited patiently in the gym or on the field to catch lacrosse, field hockey, soccer, basketball, baseball, tennis and football players, and even tracked down the wrestlers. Utilizing her management skills and handy sign-in sheet, she never failed to photograph anyone. Her unwavering commitment to Severn School, especially to the students, is outstanding.

Caroline ended our conversation with a question for me. “What do your booster buttons mean to you?” I had to think about that question for a minute before I answered. Sure, all 12 of my buttons are lined up on a bulletin board in my kitchen, and they mark my athletic progression through high school, but what did they really mean to me? I told her that it meant a lot that my mom kept every single button, and that seeing my mom proudly wearing my button on the sidelines of a cross-country race or at a swim meet meant the world to me. That simple little button shouts, “I am the proud parent of a Severn School student athlete!” And with that said, Caroline replied, “That is all I ask for in return.”

Severn for that debt.”

A lacrosse clinic sponsored by the Bayhawks at the Edward St. John Athletic Center

What’s Up At the Gym? Weekends, weekdays, weeknights - there is always something going on at the Edward St. John Athletic Center. Maddy Berg ’11 fills us in on the activities.

hen school is not in session, Severn’s fields and athletic center are still filled with sounds of activity. A referee blows his whistle, a coach yells, the ground resonates with the sound of running feet as students of all ages face off against each other. But increasingly, these noises are coming from those not within the Severn community. More and more coaches, athletes, and even philanthropists are contacting Severn’s facilities director, Jason Tarnow, in order to utilize all that the school has to offer. Severn’s Edward St. John Athletic Center opened in April 2008. The 44,000 square foot facility boasts a multipurpose field house with two basketball courts, a fitness center, and training and rehabilitation facilities. In conjunction with the 2008 opening, Severn transformed two of its large playing areas into turf fields that rival even the nicest collegiate facilities. In merely three years of use, the Athletic Center has allowed Severn to widen its athletic offerings, as well as making Severn’s facilities renowned on both the local and national level. The 2010-2011 winter season saw the reintroduction of wrestling at Severn after a 18 year hiatus. The existence of the wrestling program is due in part to the greater amount of space that the new Athletic Center provides. Athletic Director Julian Domenech ’84 comments that all Severn athletes are “slowly but surely” developing athletically beyond what previously had been achieved in the old facilities, and that the weight room in particular has been integral to establishing athletes’ fitness prior to the beginning of the season. High Point University women’s lacrosse player Mackenzie Carroll ’10, agrees with Mr. Domenech, crediting the training room and trainers for the injury prevention they provide and citing the weight room as something that makes Severn teams much more competitive. Locally, Severn hosts the

Green Hornets’ wrestling program and several of its basketball games during winter weekends. Severna Park’s recreational athletes call Severn’s gym and fields their athletic home, and Mr. Domenech says that this exposure to Severn’s facilities has been helpful for bringing in prospective students. The gym has also been home to a higher level of athletics, as Amateur Athletic Union basketball players often fill the courts. Severn also hosts the Chesapeake Bayhawks, a major league lacrosse team, and four or five collegiate lacrosse games take place on Severn’s fields per year. More activity was generated by the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s which brought over 500 participants to Severn’s grounds, with another walk scheduled for this fall. Our facilities have also been showcased on the MTV show, “The Ride: The Road to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.” The reality show documented the journey of eight talented young quarterbacks, competing with one another at a Football University camp for a spot in the Army All-American Bowl, a high school all-star game held annually in San Antonio, Texas. Severn has hosted this summer camp for the past two years, and this year, MTV documented the quarterbacks’ journey. “Even the coaches, many of whom are former professionals, were impressed with the facilities,” Mr. Domenech said. Severn buildings, classrooms, and fields can be seen in full episodes on MTV.com/ search/?q=the road to the us army all american bowl Clearly, Severn School has not only honed its own athletes with the renovations of its athletic facilities, but also strengthened its reputation, both in and out of the Severn community. Severn’s facilities are shaping community involvement and providing opportunity for athletic development—and the level of interest and activity is a great indicator of how successful we have been.

living the legacy legacy families are special.

They understand, perhaps more than others, the value of a Severn education because they lived a Severn education. And as all parents want to pass down only the best to their children, the legacy parents are doing just that —providing what they know to be a superior educational experience.

Photo this page, front row, L to R: Julian Domenech ’84, Zach Domenech ’14, Dave Butler ’81, Brewer Butler ’16, Hanna Butler ’17, Ella Green ’17. Second row: Rob Duncan ’93, Lukas Duncan ’17, Mark Cohen ’12, Alec Green ’13, Molly Moore Green ’83. Back row: Stacey Hendricks Manis ’81, Nick Manis ’12, Ross Cohen ’76, Katie Carroll ’11, Mark Carroll ’83, Elizabeth Carroll ’14. Photo next page, L to R: Andrew DeStefano ’14, Bob DeStefano ’74, Haley Kerridge ’17, Whitney Hopkins Kerridge ’88, Anneliese Smith ’14, Bobby DeStefano ’12. Second row: Tori Graw ’13, Maddy Graw ’15, Callie Burns ’14, Mary Anne Koubek Smith ’83, Kelly DeStefano ’11. Third row: Bob Graw ’85, Duffy Burns ’17, Scott Mitchell ’16, Shelby Mitchell ’13. Back row: Brad Whitehead ’73, Cassi Whitehead ’15, Drew Burns ’88, Darren Burns ’82, Willie Mitchell ’82, Mike DeStefano ’84, Brian DeStefano ’14.

Inset top: Three generations of Hopkins; Neal Holland, Jack Kerridge, Travis Kerridge ‘18, Scott Kerridge ‘87, Kylie Hopkins Holland ‘01, Jock Hopkins ‘63, Haley Kerridge ‘17, Whitney Hopkins Kerridge ‘88, and Penny Hopkins. Right: Tom Carter ’54, Sarah Carter ’16, Tom Carter ’85. Far right: Melissa Selby Wienk `95, Brendan Gauthier ’17, Kim Selby Gauthier ’88.

the bridge

alumni weekend 2011

Athletic Hall of Fame friends and family

Inductee Court Williams ’73 & family

Inductee Ron Staines ’00 & family

Former Athletic Director, Fred Hewitt, Mike Long ’90, Graham Shafer ’90, and John Bodley, Upper School History Chair, Varsity Football coach & Athletic Hall of Fame member Inductee Monique Jennings Wilson ’96 & family

Court Williams ’73, G. P. Lindsay ’73 & Stacey Hendricks Manis ’81, Athletic Hall of Fame Committee Chair

Fowler & Billy Staines ’02, Sarah Staines & Mike Alcamo ’03

sp r i n g 2 0 1 1

alumni weekend 2011

Alumni Lax and Reunion Picnic

The 2011 Alumni Lacrosse Team

Brionna Ned ‘04 & Ashley McCarl ’04

The Class of 1976

Stu Kiehne ’79, Justin Kiehne ’09, Adam Cohen ’09, Ross Cohen ’76

Cary Lynch ’75 & Bart Hiltabidle ’76 at the Family Picnic 23

the bridge

alumni weekend 2011

Reunion Picnic and Toast to Teel Dinner

The Class of 2001

Class of 1986

The Class of 1991

Linda & Steve Millard ’51

Happy future alumni

Kathy ’81 & Rick ’77 Kuethe >

Bill Hill ’71, Sandy & Doug Hughes ’71, Phil ’71 & Vivian Vizzini 24

Class of ’61 with Robert Kesmodel ’62

sp r i n g 2 0 1 1

alumni weekend 2011

Toast to Teel Dinner and Kesmodel-Lindsay Brunch

Class of 1991

George Leydic ’61 standing at the front door of The Boone House where he grew up

Class of 2006

Dudley Dixon ’93, G.P. Lindsay ’73, Court Williams ’73, Lindsay Dixon

From the Class of ’61: George Leydic, Tony Johnson, Dave Secrest, Bob Bruce Grandchildren and great grandchildren of the late Parker Lindsay 25

severn sport

severn sports

VA and Bishop O’Connell of Arlington, VA. Deja Gibson ’12 was named the tournament Most Valuable Player and Alexa Kunowsky ’12 joined her on the All-tournament team. Durng the regular season Severn defeated public school rivals Broadneck, Old Mill and Chesapeake. Another highlight was was a rousing victory over arch-rival St. Mary’s 60-38 in their gym. Their final record was 10-15. Emily Gibbons ’14 was recognized as the Baltimore Sun “Athlete of the Week” prior to the holidays. Janai Hollinger ’13 was the recipient of this year’s Players Awardand Carli Studnicky ’12 was recognized with the Coach’s Award.

Boys’ Basketball Coach: Stan Brudish Boys’ Swim Team Coach: Doc Heslin The boys’ swim team once again had a solid season earning a record of 4 wins and 3 losses (4-2 in league competition). The extended practice time at the Big Vanilla pool in Pasadena (1¼ hours each day, an additional 15 minutes of practice time) was a benefit to the program. Also of particular benefit were the kickboards, pull buoys, and paddles provided by the APA Athletic Committee. Our swimmers all exceeded their goals and established new personal bests at almost every meet. Jack Bremer ’12 and Grant Murray ’14 earned individual medals at the MIAA championship meet. We also medaled in 2 relay events. Jack continued to establish new team records for Severn. He also earned all-conference and all-county honors for his work in the butterfly and individual medley and was named Anne Arundel County Male Swimmer of the Year by the Capitol/Gazette newspapers. The overall performance of the boys’ swim team was impressive. Their success is a testament to their hard work, dedication, and desire to improve.

Girls’ Swim Team Coach: Carolyn Cosentino Lead by captains Sarah Bouchard ’11, Maggie Williams ’11, and Margot Farnham ’12, the swimmin’ women worked as a team. The season ended with a successful 6-1-1 record in conference and 6-1-3 record overall. Coach 26

Cosentino and Coach Luca were truly proud to train such a hard working and committed team. The swimmers also participated in the Polar Bear Plunge this year which proved to be a great bonding experience while also helping out the community. The Daniel B. Robinson ’90 Players Award was awarded to Maggie Williams for her dedication to the team. Maggie played an important role in organizing team activities, most impressively the Polar Bear Plunge. The Coach’s MVP award was awarded to Sarah Bouchard ’11 for her hard work, loyalty, promotion of the sport, and leadership over the last four years. Coach Luca and Coach Cosentino would like to thank Rachel Glendenning ’11, ChiHai Kalita ’11, and Madeline Outland ’11 for their efforts and devotion to the team, and they wish all of the seniors luck as they move forward.

Girls’ Basketball Coach: Chuck Miller The Severn girls basketball team entered the 2010 - 2011 season in foreign waters. After winning the IAAM B Conference the year before and graduating four starters, they were moved to the highly competitive A Conference. The conference schedule proved to be as tough as advertised. Despite a losing record in conference play the girls captured the Queen Anne County Holiday Tournament, beating Chesapeake of Anne Arundel County, St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes of Arlington,

The 2010-2011 varsity team created a legacy of working hard and never quitting. The Admirals had some great wins against quality A conference opponents Gilman, Friends, St. Vincent Pallotti, Boys’ Latin, Mount Carmel and Archbishop Curley. They had an impressive win against St. Anselm’s in the Landon Invitational Christmas Tournament, while only losing to Poolesville by 2 in order to advance to the tournament championship. The overall record was 8-18. The Admiral’s fell one game short of a pre-season goal, making the play-offs. They showed their competitiveness in every game throughout the year. They continued to grow as a team and improve their basketball knowledge and skill sets. Next season brings back nine players and a talented group of young players coming up from the junior varsity team.

Wrestling Coach: Art Saumenig The Severn varsity wrestling team had an impressive start in the MIAA B conference league this season after an 18 year hiatus. The 22 man squad finished with an impressive 4-6 record. Coach Art Saumenig noted that the young men kept learning and maturing with every match. The Players Award went to the lightest and one of the toughest wrestlers Kyron Snowden ’14. In the 103 weight class, Kyron showed that he was a fierce competitor and leader on the team.

The MVP award was given to Coleman DeLude ’12 who wrestled in the 171 weight class. Coleman’s dedication to the sport of wrestling and his tenacious competitiveness stood above the others. The future looks bright for the Severn wrestling team as they reestablish themselves into the private school league. With only one senior graduating the experience of the underclassman should have the program moving in the right direction.

Alumni Sports

by Dave Myers

BASEBALL: Sander Beck ’08 is one of three baseball players that received the President’s Cup Award from the Athletic Department at the University of Maryland this May. Sander will be “recognized for exceptional academic and community service achievement. ” It is the 15th annual President’s Cup Awards Brunch hosted by Maryland’s director of athletics, Kevin Anderson. Sander is a scholarship student at Maryland’s Smith School of Business and a right handed pitcher (RHP) for the Terps. HOOPS: Randolph Macon basketball standout, Taylor Wieczorek ’08, was named as a second team All-Stater by the Richmond Times Dispatch. Taylor averaged 11.8 points and nine rebounds a game while shooting 46 percent from the floor and 83 from the charity stripe. She also blocked 24 shots and racked up 12 double-doubles. More importantly, the Yellow Jackets went 23, capturing the Old Dominion Athletic Conference regular season title with a 17-3 conference mark and copped an NCAA Division III tournament bid by taking the conference tournament title.  Aura Payne ’10, Raven Owens ’10, and Leah Cranmer ’10, Saint Mary’s Seahawks, contributed as freshman, each starting in several games. Of special note was Aura’s big night off the boards as she gathered in 9 rebounds against Hood in late January.  At Emory, Katie Dickerson ’09 saw action in 14 games for the 11-14 Eagles. MENS LAX: Dennis Rosson ’07, St. Mary’s College, wrapped up a great career with a First Team Selection to the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) All-Conference Team. The 2008 CAC Rookie of the Year, Dennis made the squad all four years. Leading the Seahawks in

scoring, the senior attack found the back of the net 28 times (bringing his career total to 127 goals), and dished off 16 assists (66 for the career). In April, Dennis earned CAC Offensive Player of the Week with 15 goals and three assists in three games, including a career high seven goals against McDaniel in March.  Also contributing to the Seahawks, Stewart D’Ambrogi ’09 saw action in 15 contests, adding three goals and three assists to St. Mary’s offense.  At the Univ. of Delaware, Nick Elsmo ’07 and Taylor Burns ’08 had a great season, going 11-7, capturing the Colonial Athletic Association crown and an NCAA Div I bid. Nick rang up 14 goals and handed off 8 assists while Taylor contributed 6 goals with a couple of assists.  At Brown, Alex Jones ’09 saw action in 14 games, scoring five times. LADIES LAX: Leading all alumni in scoring this spring, Josie Owen ’08 racked up 40 goals, making her the number 3 scorer for Virginia’s Cavaliers. Josie’s scoring, along with 16 assists, helped the Cavs earn an atlarge bid in the NCAA dance. Unfortunately, the Wahoos dropped a first round decision to North Carolina, ending the tough year at 9-9. Alex Priddy ’08 scored twelve goals and recorded two assists for the 8-8 Vanderbilt Commodores. In March, Mackenzie Carroll ’10 was named National Lacrosse

Mackenzie Carroll ’10

Conference Player of the Week. Mac scored the game-winning goals in both of the Panthers’ victories – a 15-2 win over Wagner and an 18-7 win over Robert Morris. She also grabbed seven ground balls over the two games and had a .667 shot percentage (8for-12). By the end of the season, Mac ranked third on the team with 55 points, 30 goals and 25 assists, to go along with 27 ground balls. PRO LAX: Major League Lacrosse Goalie of the Year Kip Turner ’03 recorded 21 saves to lead the Boston Cannons to a 15-12 win over the Long Island Lizards in the MLL season, earning a nod as MLL Defensive Player of the Week. Kip returned to MLL following his entry into the world of collegiate coaching as an assistance coach at Brown University in October 2010. “To watch Kip compete is to admire him: he is one of the game’s best goalies, driven by talent and a competitive edge,” said Brown Head Coach Lars Tiffany.Maryland and Severn standout Brian Phipps ’06 made the roster of the Chesapeake Bayhawks where he will backup veteran goalkeeper Chris Garrity. Swimming: At Dartmouth, Kendall Farnham ’10 received the esteemed Geer Award, given to the women’s team member who contributed the most to the development of the Dartmouth women’s swimming and diving program, not only through her performance in the pool, but through her dedication to her teammates and the team concept. Following a sidelining injury that prevented her from competing for most of the winter season, she continued to train hard, kept the success of the team in mind, and thrived through the late season to a varsity record and fourth-place Ivy finish in the 100 fly.

the bridge

severn school

Class Notes

it is with sorrow we note the passing of these severn friends

Ronald Cullen ’37, 1/13/2010 Lt. Col. Robert “Bob” Strange ’47, 5/30/2011 Edgar “Ed” Chase ’49, 10/24/2010 Wilbur “Buzzy” Brandenburg ’54, 1/21/2011 Father of William M. Brandenburg ’88 Robert “Rob” Donald ’57, 12/19/2010 Father of Elizabeth Owen ’85, Brother of Hugh C. Donald ’60 and John K. Donald ’67 Marshall Clagett, 10/21/2005 Grandfather of Mary Kate Williams ’95 Nancy Drain, 2/19/2011 Mother of Pamela Waltjen ’77, Grandmother of Mary H. Waltjen ’07 and Charles J. Waltjen ’08 Robert “Bob” Adrian, 3/1/2011 Former Trustee and Alumni Parent Father of Joni Morgan ’75 and James L. Adrian ’72 Gene Leimkuhler, 3/5/2011 Father of John Leimkuhler ’59 Sylvia “Sylvi” Duncan, 3/9/2011 Mother of John “Ian” Duncan ’09, Theresa Duncan ’11, and Stephen Duncan ’16 Dennis Bolger, 3/20/2011 Father of Brook D. Bolger ’04, Nathan J. Bolger ’07, and Kevin M. Bolger ’11

Remembering Former Trustee & Alumni Parent • Robert Nelson Adrian • Captain Robert Nelson Adrian, USN (Ret.) died March 1, 2011. Bob attended the University of Oregon and from there was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy in the fall of 1939 with the class of 1943. As a Midshipman, Bob Adrian played varsity football and baseball, graduating with his class one year early, in 1942, due to WWII. Captain Adrian reached his first destroyer assignment in the South Pacific just prior to the invasion of Guadalcanal in August 1942. His destroyer, the Gregory, was sunk a few weeks later in a night engagement with a Japanese naval force, and he was one of the few survivors. After spending eight hours in shark infested waters, he was rescued and evacuated to the U.S. Naval Hospital in San Diego, California, for treatment of his wounds. Following his return to duty, Captain Adrian ultimately served six sea duties on destroyer class ships. as Gunnery Officer, Executive Officer and three commands. He served for six years with Maryland National Bank in Baltimore and 18 years with Annapolis Banking and Trust. Retiring in 1990, after positions as vice president, president and member of the board of directors of AB&T. Captain Adrian continued to serve the community as a life care consultant for senior naval officer couples and widows and served as president of the U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1943 for over 30 years and president of the Annapolis chapter of the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association. 28

1937 Ronald D. Cullen died at age 91. Ronald was a West Point graduate and served as a WWII pilot. His daughter informed us that he was his happiest at Severn.

1938 Win Bernhard sends this news: After Severn I attended Phillips Andover ’39 and Harvard ’43, and served in the 9th Air Force Division in the European Theatre Operation as a meteorologist (’43-’45). I went on to receive a Ph.D. from Columbia University. I taught Early American History at Columbia University, Duke and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (34 yrs). Since 1995, I have been Professor Emeritus, keeping active by giving lectures and writing. My wife, Betty, is a writer on the poet, Emily Dickinson. She and I have especially enjoyed keeping up with our two grandchildren, Katherine

sp r i n g 2 0 1 1

Figueroa, an expert Dressage rider with her German horse, Goldbach. She is a freshman at St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY. My grandson, Samuel Figueroa, is a freshman at The Rivers School, Weston, MA, and plays the cello, golfs, climbs, and has taken up lacrosse to my delight.

1944 Send notes to: Karl J. Christoph, Jr. 230 W. Laurel St. #802 San Diego, CA 92101 619-231-9514 radmx@msn.com

1946 Send notes to: Hugh “Dick” McLean P.O. Box 1735 Borrego Springs, CA 92004 hugh-mclean@hotmail.com

John Burdan writes: In 2010, at age 82, I managed a trip of three weeks to China. We don’t know how lucky we are to live in this country.

1947 Send notes to: Blair “Buzz” Hall 666 Maid Marian Hill Sherwood Forest, MD 21405 410-849-2134 blairhall@aol.com

news about old Severn friends. Keep the letters and notes coming. I hope all have a special summer and, as always, take good care. Warmly, Bill.

1952 Send Notes to: Nick Goldsborough 5101 River Crescent Dr. Annapolis, MD 21401 ngoldsborough2@verizon.net

1954 Send Notes to: Jack Kelly 69 Westview Drive Norwood, MA 02062 jmkelly@norwoodlight.com

1956 John Leimkuhler ’59 tells The Bridge: My father, Gene Leimkuhler, passed away in March. He was the co-founder, along with the late Judge Mathew S. Evans, (father of Strohm Evans ’60) of the Patrons Club of Severn School which eventually became Severn School’s Admiral Parents’ Association. The club was organized by Paul J. Kesmodel, Severn’s third headmaster. Also, I contacted Bob Schwarzburg ’56 after touching base during Severn’s phonathon. Haven’t talked with him in 55 years but we had a nice chat!

Mainly about lacrosse and how he tried to teach a ninth grader how to attempt to play defense. The teacher was better than his student! He was all American at Maryland and I rode the bench at Cornell. Great conversation.

1958 Send notes to: John Eller 767 Madison Street Monterey, CA 93940 johnceller@aol.com

1960 Send notes to: Neil Perron nfp1@comcast.net

1962 Send notes to: Robert Kesmodel 11 Island Avenue Unit 806 Miami Beach, FL 33139 Office 305-538-2004 rkesmodel@gmail.com

Dick Taylor writes: Congratulations to Sgt Maj Lofland ’62 from CDR Taylor and hello to John Hudson!

1948 Send notes to: Bill Fisher 8722 Higdon Drive, Vienna VA 22182 703-938-7487 wgf50929@yahoo.com

Bill Fisher writes: “Welcome to spring, although it has been a strange one in Washington, DC. Hopefully spring has now arrived and we will all enjoy a pleasant summer. Time is drawing near for our 65th reunion (2013). Start making your plans. We had two of us for the 60th and we should be able to beat that. The mail box has been empty lately. Please don’t hesitate to call at 703-938-7487, or email me, wgf50929@yahoo.com or send info to the Alumni Office, 116 Maple Avenue, Severna Park, MD 21146. The Alumni Office and I often receive comments from classmates or other graduates who enjoy the

Bill Hargrave `50 is a supporter and organizer of the USNA Taekwondo team. He was thrilled to be allowed to use Severn’s Edward St. John Atletic Center for a USNA Taekwondo competition in which five other local universities competed. The goodwill engendered was priceless! 29

the bridge

1965 Send Notes to: Sandy Clark 528 4th Street SE Washington, D.C. 20003 sandyclark@yahoo.com

1966 Send notes to: Richard Templeton 108 Annapolis Street Annapolis, MD 21401 kron2000@aol.com

1968 Send notes to: Shannon McDowell 3 South Cherry Grove Ave. Annapolis, MD 21401 shannonmcdowell2006@comcast.net

1969 Send notes to: Nick Codd P.O. Box 843 Severna Park, MD 21146 nickcodd@verizon.net

1972 Send notes to: John Norton 117 Grace Street St. Michael’s, MD 21663 john@declarity.com

1973 Send notes to: Bona Hurst Ellis 513 Point Field Drive Millersville, MD 21108 410-987-3949 rellis@msn.com

1976 Send notes to: Catherine Clarke 104 Castletown Road Lutherville, MD 21093 410-823-7777 catherineclarke@verizon.net

Catherine tells The Bridge: The class of ’76 began its 35th (yikes) year reunion with a wonderful get together hosted by Liz Angell League. Liz resides in Millersville with her husband, Jim and four children. She is very active in politics, serving on the boards of two conservative organizations and working on candidate elections. She is also the president of two Toastmasters Clubs. Severn 30

’76’ers present included Kylie Nost, Ann Wallace Riefe, Mark Burdett, Dennis Corcoran, Mike Bisciotti, Buddy Rice, Sue Synder, Catherine Clarke, Pete Stanford, Steve Podlich, David German, Bart Hiltabidle, Andy Anderson, John White, Mark Fitzsimmons and Steve Herda. Everyone had a great time visiting and catching up. Kylie Nost Bransford says: “It was awesome seeing everyone after 35 years!” I (Cathy Clark) live in Timonium and enjoy being a teacher and coordinator for a high school college prep program. I coach the Forensics Club. Ann Wallace Riefe is doing well and resides in Annapolis. Jim Linthicum is living in central London (England) and is Senior Chaplain at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, National Health Service Trust. He sends his regards and greetings. Scott Steele was in Austin with the Severn Sailing Team at the time of the reunion. Scott says that he is “working as the president of Hyde Sails USA selling wholesale and retail sails, covers and accessories for sailboats. My territory is the US, Caribbean, Central and South America. I also am the Severn School Head Sailing Coachjust took the team to Austin, Texas for the High School National champs where they finished 4th. I live in Severna Park, and have 5 kids: Scotty is 19 going to Belmont Abbey College in Charlotte, NC; Chris is 17 and a senior at Severna Park High School, (SPHS) going to Towson Univ next year; Brendan is 16 and a sophmore at SPHS; Caroline is 13 and an 8th grader at Severna Park Middle going to Severn next year; and Patrick is 8 and a first grader. They all play lacrosse, like to wakeboard, snowboard, and do a little sailing and fishing, so they are all water rats! Sorry I missed you last weekend. Keep in touch!” Virginia Jeffries Pillsbury says “I am living in Orange Park, FL, married to Walter, have 5 children, one grandson, four cats! I am the contributing editor and senior writer for Beson4 Media Group. I just co-authored “A Chef ’s Journal,” with Top Chef Kenny Gilbert - www.chefkennysbook.com. I also volunteer for the American Diabetes Association. And I am a runner now (started at age 50!). I love keeping up with other Severn alums on Facebook.” Mark Connor lives in

Thailand with his wife and three children10, 7 and 5. In July they plan to buy a 50 foot sailboat and cruise the Carribean for the foreseeable future. Billy McAvoy was unable to attend because his oldest son graduated from college. Keep in touch - send messages to Catherine on Facebook or email.

1978 Send notes to: Denise Tray Rosson Severn School The Boone House 116 Maple Avenue Severna Park, MD 21146 d.rosson@severnschool.com

1979 Send notes to: Kim Corbin Aviles 443 Maryleborn Road Severna Park, MD 21146 kaviles@csalaw.com

1980 Send notes to: Andy Long Many thanks to Andy Long for his years of service as class secretary. Andy is stepping down from this position and we hope that someone might be interested in taking over. Mail p.heffner@severnschool.com and we’ll get you going!

1981 Send notes to: Stacey Hendricks Manis 211 Mount Oak Place Annapolis, MD 21409 410-349-8822 maniss@comcast.net

1982 Send notes to: Tracy Tischer 504 Riverview Ct Annapolis, MD 21401 410-266-4595 tctisher@gmail.com

1983 Send notes to: Molly Moore Green 123 Hatton Drive Severna Park, MD 21146 m.green@severnschool.com

sp r i n g 2 0 1 1

1984

1992

1997

Send Notes to: Susan Leonard Susanleonard1921@mac.com

Send notes to: Jennifer Molesevich 305 S. Clinton St. Baltimore, MD 21224 jennpm1@msn.com

Send notes to: Gussie Habeck Melendez augustamelendez@gmail.com

1985 Send notes to: Julie Katcef Maseritz 197 Cinnamon Lane Edgewater, MD 21037 julie12@comcast.net

1986 Send notes to: Sara Tabasi Toomey 150 Longfellow Drive Millersville, MD 21108 410-315-7728 charleysangels@verizon.net

1987 Send notes to: Penny Leatherwood Kennedy penny.kennedy@gmail.com 410-439-5982

1988 Send notes to: Drew Burns 402 Ben Oaks Dr East Severna Park, MD 21146 dburns@pcmservices.com 410-846-5570

1989 Send notes to: Holly Hodson 668 N. Coast Hwy. #408 Laguna Beach, CA 92651 949-497-8770 holly@hollyhodson.com

1990 Send notes to: Blairlee Sommers Owens 419 Prince George Street Laurel, MD 20707 blairleeowens@comcast.net

1991 Send notes to: Heather Clark Piskorowski 4371 Westminster Place Saint Louis MO 63108 heatherpisko@gmail.com

or to Matt Sarro 3051 Aberdeen Road Annapolis, MD 21403 mattsarro@bridgeborn.com

1993 Send notes to: Dave Sobel 3171 Colchester Brook Lane Fairfax, VA 22031 703-280-2628 dave@evolvetech.com

1994 Send notes to: Michael Calabrese calabrese_michael@hotmail.com

Lauren Poile Heysse writes: “My family and I moved from the New York City area to Palo Alto, CA in mid-March as my husband was offered a unique opportunity to join Facebook’s finance team. I was sad to leave the east coast and will especially miss Gussie and family in Brooklyn, but I am excited about our adventure out west. My daughter, Ellie, will be two in June and we look forward to spending the summer playing outside and getting to know the area.”

Kate Creeden Neckel tells The Bridge: “I just wanted to update you on what I’ve been up to. I am featured in Cole Haan’s Spring 2011 campaign. I will be featured along with my drawings/cole haan products in upcoming issues of Vogue, Vanity Fair, In Style, Lucky, Marie Claire, Oprah and Paper Magazines. The billboard that I drew for Cole Haan is currently up in Soho on West Broadway and Houston in NYC. You can see pics on my website: kateneckel.com. Hope all is well! Kate”

1995 Send notes to: Darcy Watt Gurganous 703-327-1089 drwatt21@hotmail.com

Sadie Gray Rollins, daughter of Erica Huebner Rollins ’96

1996 Send notes to: Erika Huebner Rollins erika@designstudio13.com

Erika Huebner Rollins writes: Thanks to everyone who made it out to the reunion events and the happy hour party at the Boatyard. Don’t forget to post your photos on Facebook (’96 Severn Reunion) for everyone to view. Feel free to send updates and photos to me directly, as well. On another note, my husband Jonathan and I welcomed a baby girl, Sadie Gray, on April 22nd. We brought her home on Easter Sunday and have been enjoying parenthood everyday since.

Jake Collins, son of Allison Clark Collins ’95 31

the bridge

1998 Send notes to: Dan Ericson ericson@gwmail.gwu.edu

1999 Send notes to: Jennifer Scott jenscott@alumni.virginia.edu

2000 Send notes to: Jane Friend Jfriend12@gmail.com

Laura Cuttler Tejada writes, “I’d like to report that I am graduating with my Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Southern California in May. Also, we are celebrating my daughter’s first birthday on May 1st. Her name is Sarayu Amalia.” Andy Tichenor says, “Hope all is well and I hope additional people will support Severn this fiscal year as they are making some big strides in many areas.” Scott MacMullan tells us, “In July of ’11, I will join the Annapolis law firm of Wharton Levin Ehrmantraut and Klein P.A. as an associate working primarily in the area of medical malpractice defense litigation. If anyone in the area is interested in meeting up, I can be contacted at smacmullan@gmail.com. I hope everyone is living well.” Marina Hardy sends this news, “I hope you’re well! It’s been a long time. I’m now with County Executive Leopold’s team working in Community Relations for Anne Arundel County. My territory includes Severn, so if I can ever be of service please let me know. I reached out to John Bodley (Upper School History) when I first started this job to make sure Severn students had the opportunity to participate in the County’s Mock Government program. Unfortunately, no Severn kids applied. I imagine they didn’t have the time to be able to adjust their sports/homework/activities schedules to accommodate an additional application (looking back, when did I sleep?). Maybe next year I’ll have enough lead time and be provided the opportunity to come to a morning meeting or the US History sections to promote the program - always good to have a loaded activity list on those college apps! I had my fair share of Severn connections coming to my rescue over the past year following my departure from Southwest 32

Airlines when they closed the BWI regional marketing office. Julia Pitcher ’99 was able to put me in touch with a friend at the Maryland General Assembly who took me in, and then Doug Mayer got me a gig working with him on a gubernatorial campaign this summer. It’s nice to have that support system in these times! I am now on the Aspire Board ( Association for Severna Park Improvement, Renewal and Enhancement) so I see Scott Jay ’62 about once a month. It’s nice to be back in the area! Best, Marina.”

2001 Send notes to: Helen McCaffrey Birney helenwb@gmail.com

Helen tells The Bridge, “I had the good fortune of running into many Severnites over alumni weekend. It was great to see you all, meet your partners, your new families-we’ve all changed so much, yet catching up seemed effortless. I hope we get a chance to spend more time together. I had a lot of in-person updates, and I read a lot about you on Facebook--but I encourage everyone to email me their updates to include in The Bridge so oth-

Laura Cuttler Tejada’s ’00 children, Sarayu Amalia and Gabriel

ers can read all the good news! I was thrilled to hear from two alumni who wrote from abroad. Ryan Gorman writes: “I left the States about two years ago after being laid off in Charleston, SC and was thrilled to finally get the opportunity to follow my dreams of being an entrepreneur in Costa Rica. First, I managed a surf camp in Nicaragua for about four months, and then my dream opportunity arose at a friends company in Nosara, which is where I really wanted to live. I am now a full time real estate agent with Surfing Nosara (www.SurfingNosara.com), a company specializing in real estate, vacation rentals, project management and surf photography. We also have a non-profit organization called The Surfing Nosara Foundation that works to improve the 10 local area public schools that are, for the most part, very dilapidated. Their mission is to help improve the lives of the residents of Nosara by effecting change in the public schools and the community, ‘one project at a time’. In addition to working in real estate, I am also part owner of Visit Nosara (www.VisitNosara.com), the go to website and information portal for anything and everything about our community and the surrounding area. Visit Nosara will help plan and customize your Nosara vacation experience here. We help book travel, hotels, rental homes, tours and adventures and can work with anyone interested in learning more about our local real estate market. I encourage everyone to follow their dreams even if it means taking the less traveled, unpaved road (in my case!). Many are scared of moving away and just change in general, but there is nothing to be scared off! You can always go back, home will still be there! Change is healthy, it challenges you and drives you to succeed!” Graham Long writes: “I’ve been in Seoul for about a year and a half. Head to Brazil in the fall, and hopefully come back to work for LG in Seoul, Germany and California. Keeping my fingers crossed that getting an MBA was worth it.” As for me, (Helen) my wife, Nora, and I bought an apartment in Flatbush-Ditmas Park, Brooklyn. We are loving our new home, especially the neighborhood and close proximity to Prospect Park. I am at Bank Street College of Education studying early childhood, and going into my

sp r i n g 2 0 1 1

third year teaching at The Berkeley Carroll School in Park Slope, Brooklyn. I will be in a month-long intensive yoga teacher training program in July to get a 200-hour certification to teach yoga. I also have a new interest in making board games inspired by a newspaper unit I did with my kindergarten class. The game puts children in the role of reporters who have to gather the 5W’s (who, what, where, when, why) and report “the scoop” to the editor. Any alumni in IT interested in helping me make it digital? I ran the Miami ING marathon in January with Nora, and I have signed up to run the NYC ING marathon. I am running with Team for Kids, an organization that raises money for childhood obesity awareness and prevention. I have pledged to raise $2,620.00, which has solidified my spot in the marathon. Visit runwithtfk.org. As an all-over-the-place person (ie: Am I a media producer? A teacher? A yogi? A game creator?) I have felt the pressure to choose one thing and stick with it. But the path that has made me the happiest is finding what makes me happy TODAY, doing my best, and seeing where it leads me. Somehow all those things may come together, but in a nutshell I model spontaneous passion and

hard work for happiness and well-rounded leadership. Be who you are as a person, do what makes you happy in a career, and success will follow. Love to all, Helen.

2002 Send Notes to: Kristi Jobson kristi.jobson@gmail.com

Ben Jatlow ’02 and Briana Darnell ’04 were married on October 30, 2010. The oceanfront ceremony was held at the Sanctuary in Kiawah Island, South Carolina. They currently reside in Annapolis.

2003 Send notes to: Laura Lutkefedder llutkefedder@gmail.com

2004 Send Notes to: Jenn Presswood jennpresswood@gmail.com

This news on Pat Grimm: 2LT Patrick Grimm is currently in his first year of medical school at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) in Bethesda, MD. As the nation’s federal health sciences university, the primary mission of USUHS is to train doctors and nurses to care for the men and women of our nation’s military. 2LT Grimm entered the U.S. Army via direct commission in June of 2010 and completed the Basic Officer Leadership Course at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio, TX prior to arriving in Bethesda, MD for the start of medical school classes. n On March 10, Patrick O’Connell and his wife Joey welcomed Gavin Patrick O’Connell into the world! 7lbs 15oz. & 21 inches long. Everyone is happy and healthy.

Ryan Gorman ’01

Gavin Patrick O’Connell. son of Pat ’04 and Joey O’Connell

Helen Birney ’01 with wife Nora and her parents at the Miami Marathon in January Ben Jatlow ’02 and Briana Darnell Jatlow’04

the bridge

stephen.b.sexauer@vanderbilt.edu

2005

2007

2009

Send Notes to: Tyler Williams Willitr0@sewanee.edu

Send Notes to: Samantha Goldman srgoldma@syr.edu

Send Notes to: Katie Dickerson kdicker@emory.edu

Jenessa Del Sesto jmdel87@aol.com

Graham Ellison ellisogc@eckerd.edu

2006

2008

Send Notes to: Courtney Dunn ctd231@nyu.edu

Send Notes to: Annie Weber acw5133@psu.edu

Check out the news on Kirsten Kelly, following page!

Become a Severn Facebook fan!

Stephen Sexauer

â&#x20AC;˘

The Severn School

1914 Society

invites you to include Severn School in your will or trust,

or otherwise provide a legacy to support future generations of faculty and students. Simply complete a Change of Beneficiary Form naming us as a beneficiary of a part or all of a bank account, brokerage account, certificate of deposit, retirement plan or life insurance policy. Call Mary Salsich, 410-647-7701 ext. 2261 or m.salsich@severnschool.com for more information. Thank you!

sp r i n g 2 0 1 1

THON

penn state’s dance mara Chairperson Kirsten Kelly ’06 raises a record

$9,563,016.09 for pediatric cancer

Kirsten Kelly ’06, center stage with microphone

Kirsten Kelly ’06 was the honored overall chairperson for the 2011 Penn State Panhellenic Dance Marathon know as THON. THON is the largest student run philanthropy in the world, raising $7.8 million in 2010. But in 2011, under Kirsten’s watch, THON brought in $9,563.016.09 for pediatric cancer! “THON is a yearlong fundraising effort that culminates in a 46-hour no-sitting, no-sleeping dance marathon in February in the Bryce Jordan Center,” says Kirsten. “THON is a part of Penn State culture and engages 15,000 students in efforts to provide outstanding emotional and financial support to families battling pediatric cancer. To date, THON has raised more than $69 million for the kids!” Their mission: The mission of the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon is to conquer pediatric cancer by providing outstanding emotional and financial support to the children, families, researchers, and staff of The Four Diamonds Fund.

In 1977, THON partnered with The Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital, and designated The Fund as the sole beneficiary of THON’s fundraising efforts. THON still proudly supports The Four Diamonds Fund’s efforts to conquer childhood cancer and to date, has contributed more than $69 million to The Fund. The Fund offsets the cost of treatment that insurance does not cover, as well as expenses that may disrupt the welfare of the child. The Fund supports the medical team that cares for the children and funds pediatric cancer research through start-up grants and the Four Diamonds Pediatric Cancer Research Institute.* Also connected to this year’s THON efforts are Annie Weber ’08, Richard Welch ’08, Kelsey Hughes ’08, Emily Dunlap ’10 and Maddie Dunlap ’06 who is one of only four alumni dancers this year. * http://www.thon.org/whatisthon/4d

Check out Kirsten on this Fox Business News Video video.foxbusiness.com/v/4541826/college-students-raise-millions-for-kids-cancer-/?playlist id=87185

And this you tube video of the total dollars raised being revealed youtube.com/watch?v=dBlEZZCyIpc&NR=1&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1

the bridge

THE MAINSHEET

severn’s literary & art magazine 2011

With brilliant direction from faculty advisors, Sarah Markhovsky (College Counseling), Julia Maxey (Upper School Technology and English), and Sandra Sanders (Upper School English), Severn Upper School students resurrected our literary and art magazine, The Mainsheet. Em Mitchell ’11, Editor in Chief, Courtney Richeson ’11, Art Editor and Terry Duncan ’11, amassed a poignant collection of poetry, prose, and art to create a handsome, keepsake magazine, excerpts of which we share below.

The Return Ice, rock, the river below, a flat expanse stretching before me. Nothing but stone, painted with snow, the purple sun setting in its lonely glory. A chasm, a fall, so deep in the crevice, that looking down makes my head swim. Draped in shadow, staring down the precipice, the teal river rages, lucid in the din. Surrounded by beings keen on understanding, the majesty of the wonder below. But failing just short of recognizing, how the mysticism emanates a glow. The vibrant red of the expanse beyond, shining as the last of the sun sinks. Stars twinkle into existence above, fading in and out in a blink. And still the moment of pure wonder remains, of where else could this beauty be? But some drift off far away from this plane, others settle into tents far, far below me. After all these years, hoping and dreaming of return, the one thing that has always alluded me. Is that of the teal river’s churn, deep blue in ascent, as its splendor embellished upon me. —by Anne McGarvey ’13

sp r i n g 2 0 1 1

ANNAPOLIS Sail maker of the world, Crab eater, rower of boat, Player of lax and the ripper of Dixon; Bustling, Sunny, Historic, City of Maryland’s heart: They tell me you are snobby and I believe them, for I Have seen that you all wear Sperry’s on Main Street Showing off the flow. And they tell me you are soulless and I answer: Yes, it Is true I have seen the environmental damage and the weeping oysters. And they tell me you are wealthy and my reply is: On the homes on the water I have seen the shadows of the yachts. And having answered so I turn once more to those who belittle this my city, and I give them back the belittlement and say to them: Come and show me another city with toes in the water So salty and cold and free and naked. Flinging golden Frisbees of hope onto the Naval Academy grounds, Here is a chiseled, attractive captain standing proudly on a sailing vessel. Free-spirited as a puppy with tail wagging for fun, floppy as a palm tree swaying gently on the beach, Barefooted, Strolling, Fist Pumping, Laxing, Rigging, hoisting and gibing, Under the flagpole, sunscreen all over their face, flirting with Winking eyes, Under the humidity of desire flirting as a fresh-cut Plebe flirts, Flirting even as an old cougar flirts who has Seen many young pups, Prowling and flirting that under the foot is a dock, And under the flat-brim is flow, Flirting! Flirting the bustling, sunny, historic flirtations of Colonialism, sun-kissed, glistening, proud to be Sail Maker, Crab Eater, Rower of Boat, Player of Lax and the Ripper of Dixon. —by Richard Zmuda’s Period 5 English Class

the bridge

as easy as...

sp r i n g 2 0 1 1

Photography students explored both the natural and man-made aspects of Severn’s campus and its immediate surroundings looking for the shapes of the letters of the alphabet. As a group, they selected these twenty-six. Photographers were Coleman DeLude ‘12, Brigid Finlay ‘13, Rachel Jarosz ‘12, Dora Kurtz ‘13, Laura Oxford ‘12, Mary Purnell ‘12, and Brooke Sulerzyski ‘12.

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit #81 Millersville, MD

201 Water Street Severna Park, MD 21146 www.severnschool.com 410-647-7700

HEY, ALUMNI! Graduated? Moved out of your parent’s basement? Taken a job on the west coast? We want to make sure that The Bridge gets to wherever it is you’re going! Update your info at www.severnschool.com or contact Alison Hall, Database Manager, 410-647-7701 ext. 2256, or e mail a.hall@severnschool.com

change service requested

Sailmates Lydia Whiteford ’11 and Kaylee Schwitzer ’11 may be competitors next year as Lydia will sail for Brown University and Kaylee will sail for Bowdoin