SSFS Community News: Spring 2011

S A N D Y

S P R I N G

F R I E N D S

Community News

&

SSFS The Arts

2011 Community Play, "Wiley and the Hairyman"

S C H O O L Spring 2011

Table of Contents

Community News is a publication for the alumni, faculty, parents, students, and other friends past and present who make up the many communities of Sandy Spring Friends School.

Published twice a year by the Advancement Office: Karl Gedge Assistant Head for External Relations

Message from Tom Gibian, Head of School 1 The Arts at SSFS Through the Years 2 Building Community Through Theater 5 50 Years of Woodworking at SSFS 6 The Wildezine's Creative Outlet 8 Weaving at SSFS

9 Tradition Meets Technology at SSFS 10 Staff Appreciations 12 Snapshots From Sandy Spring 16 Generous Gifts Enhance the Arts at SSFS 18 Summer Programs Foster Artistic Expression 20 New Upper School Curriculum Offerings for 2011-2012 21 Greening the Campus: Sustainability Fund Update 22 Alumni Pursuing Careers in the Arts 24 Alumni Notes 27 From the Archives Inside back cover

Judy Averbach Director of the Annual Fund Anne Ball Marketing Consultant Dave Burgevin Archivist Sarah Margolis Public Relations Consultant Mary Mazzuca Director of Alumni Relations and Pre-Primary Admissions Margaret Rosser Director of External Communications Š 2011 Sandy Spring Friends School 16923 Norwood Road Sandy Spring, Maryland 20860 301.774.7455 www.ssfs.org Cover: The 2011 Community Play, Wiley and the Hairyman, included performances by students from all divisions, as well as parents, alumni parents, faculty and staff. (Photo by Margaret Rosser)

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Thank you to this issue's contributors, including Judy Averbach, Anne Ball, Scott Baytosh, Scott Carneal, Bruce Evans, Toni Evans, Vickie Garner, Tom Gibian, Trish Goss, David Hickson, Sarah Margolis, Mary Mazzuca, Bill Mena, Margaret Rosser, Bryan Seith, and Louise Steinfort.

Message from the Head of School Welcome to the Spring 2011 edition of the Community News.

Everyone who has been touched by the Sandy Spring Friends School community can point to something that they hold dear. For some it is a particular teacher, or a legendary Frazleerham score, performing in the Community Play, or that ah-ha moment in the science lab when everything became clear.

One thing that almost all Springers have in common is that we know the world and we know ourselves a little bit better because of how we came to love the arts through creativity, movement, dance, music, design, drawing, painting, and simply expressing ourselves by making beautiful things.

No account of the role that the arts have played at Sandy Spring would be complete without the story of Brook Moore, the School’s founder, and the inspiration he received through woodworking, cabinetry, and his amazing gift for making things of extraordinary beauty and utility. This issue also includes a general piece about the history of the arts programs and their evolution over the past 50 years. While signature elements of Sandy Spring Friends School have been (and continue to be) weaving, ceramics, dance, and photography, more recent graduates have explored the use of technology in the Arts: video and film and, of course, all that can now be done in the Performing Arts Center. Several SSFS alums who have pursed their careers in the arts are also profiled in this edition.

So dive in, and be sure to come see us. The door is always open.

Tom Gibian Head of School

Spring 2011

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The Arts at SSFS Through the Years

Gwen Handler, Upper School arts teacher, has been teaching weaving at SSFS since the 1970s.

Throughout its 49-year history, SSFS has cultivated a rich and diverse Arts Program, one that has benefitted from an enormously talented faculty and a continued appreciation from the administration for all that the arts bring to our students, and to our community as a whole. Throughout this issue of Community News, you will read about the many ways in which our arts classes have provided opportunities for students to express themselves through a wide range of visual and performing arts, from drawing, painting, photography, weaving, and woodworking to music, dance and drama. SSFS students have learned not only about themselves, but about the art world at large and the role that art plays in humanity, all in an organic and compelling way.

They have learned these lessons from teachers who have been inspirational mentors and impressive artists in their own right. Below we highlight some of the faculty and programs that have helped to cultivate our diverse Arts Program and have provided some of the formative experiences that have shaped the way our students look at the world.

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Musical productions have long been a campus favorite, from Gilbert & Sullivan shows and original ballad operas, to more recent favorites such as Little Shop of Horrors.

“We encourage our students to gain selfdiscipline and reject self-indulgence. We believe that discipline must be approached through all avenues, and we have been very successful in our pursuit of excellence in Art, Dance, Drama, Photography and Choral Music.”

That was Headmaster Thornton (Thorny) Brown in 1971, describing the 10-year-old Sandy Spring Friends School. During that spring some 40 years ago, dance teacher Liz Lerman Kramer and students demonstrated that excellence in “Dancers’ Circus,” described in archival material as “a huge production … which enlisted the talents of a large part of the school community…. The Barn was decorated to resemble a circus tent with the ceiling painted in wide red, blue and yellow stripes; bleacher seats were set up at one end. Clowns, jugglers, equestrians, freaks, trapeze and other artists interpreted their roles through dance.”

Dance! Music! Painting! Woodworking!

All pooled to make a gala celebration of the arts as the school neared its 10 year anniversary mark.

The art spaces have changed through the years: the "Art Barn" behind Clifton is now home to Lower and Upper School art, drawing, painting, and ceramics classes; Middle School art classes are taught in a huge, airy room on the second floor of the new Middle School building; and there’s a whole new Performing Arts Center with state-of-the-art lighting boards, sound effects and backdrops several stories high. But the tradition of every student’s participation in the arts has prevailed, and productions still blend other arts' disciplines into performances.

Choreographer Liz Lerman, the first full-time dance teacher at the school, left her imprint of modern, organic movement-based choreography that

Dance!

SSFS Community News

still resonates in today’s dance concerts.

Liz went on to found the nationallyacclaimed Liz Lerman Dance Exchange based in Takoma Park. Arlene Horowitz followed in the late ‘70s, dancing, choreographing and encouraging students for more than two decades, and building up a very well-respected dance program. Today, one of her students, Hannah Seith Kerr ‘95, continues to bring out the best of Upper School dancers.

The SSFS dance program is well-known in the community, and SSFS often hosts dance festivals such as the Washington Area Independent Schools Dance Education Association (WAISDEA) festival. Hannah also founded the annual Friend’ly Dance Exchange, in which dance students and faculty from several other Friends schools in the DC area convene at SSFS to learn various styles of dancing together, and to put on a group show at the end of the day.

Students have worked with renowned guest teachers Gesel Mason, Daniel Burkholder, and Sylvia Soumah. Hannah and her dancers perform twice each year at SSFS in their annual Winter Dance Concert and Spring Informal, and have also taken part in the choreography of all-school productions such as the Community Play.

The SSFS Dance Program, begun by choreographer Liz Lerman, is still going strong today; (left) students play handbells at graduation and other special occasions.

every student and faculty member participated in that chorus. From that choral program, Barry developed an annual musical production of Gilbert & Sullivan works with the students of the 60s and 70s. In the early 80s, Barry took several librettos which he had written with music teacher Bryan Seith in turning out several original ballad operas, including The King’s Gift, The Hunter, and Top of the Mountain.

Several years later, Bryan collaborated with math teacher Bill FitzGerald on several original shows, each of which SSFS has a stohave been revived several times over ried history in the arena of mu- the years. One of their productions, A New Age, spawned the Wildebeest that sicals, as well.

Back in the day – the early 60s day – per- became the school’s mascot (primarformances varied between the tried and ily by virtue of the “’Beest Head” left true favorites and original presentations over from the production that was conveniently appropriated for a mascot written and choreographed by faculty and students, and sometimes performed when the boys basketball team made the PVAC finals in ’93). Although the in rented halls off campus. From these nature of the musical tradition at Sandy cooperative ventures came memorable Spring has evolved over the last 50 moments of theater, camaraderie and years, the annual productions continue genuine creative inspiration. Barry Morley established a chorus in the very to be popular, with strong community support. Original school productions first days of Sandy Spring. Just about

Drama!

Musicals!

Spring 2011

of Gilbert and Sullivan included just about all of the school community.

Since those days, the school has seen a broadening of its repertoire to accommodate a wider range of cast sizes in an effort to appeal to more contemporary and traditional musical tastes. While Pirates of Penzance is still performed, some other titles produced at Sandy Spring have recently included: Urinetown, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Guys and Dolls, and Little Shop of Horrors.

Alongside these musical numbers, the Community Play began in 1994, when Bruce Evans, now the Arts Department Head, began working in the Drama Department at SSFS, and brought with him his lengthy experience with community theater. Bruce had seen all the positive attributes that putting on a play could bring – how it could provide a focus and a way to bring people together. He knew that this was an opportunity for faculty, students, parents, staff to get involved in a communal but non-academic effort in which everyone (Continued next page) 3

The Arts at SSFS (cont.) was taking risks together, and seeing each other’s talents.

The Community Play has provided not only a bonding experience for those involved, but also a learning one, as Bruce always makes an effort to pick plays that speak to relevant subject matter, or social issues that are at the forefront of our society. The first Community Play (put on again in 2006 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Community Play) was To Kill a Mockingbird, a classic tale dealing with educating children, and how best to prepare them for some of the not-sopleasant realities of life. Last year's Man of La Mancha was a tribute to our own storyteller, Ken Smith, who was retiring. Other examples include Ibsen’s Enemy of the People (2007), which demonstrates how people sometimes turn a blind eye to pollution as economic forces prevail, and which resonates with today’s struggle with global warming. Hide Your Horses, produced in 2009 and created by Bruce Evans in conjunction with local historian Tom Camby, brought to light the history of Sandy Spring Quakers and their role in abolitionist movements during the Civil War. “Theater is a great way to immerse oneself in ideas on a deeper level than just intellectually,” says Bruce. “It’s an opportunity to nurture the spiritual, physical, and intellectual parts of an individual, which is a core part of our school’s mission.”

Supporting all the drama and musical productions are the props, backdrops, 4

sound and lighting engineered by students in the stagecraft class. This class draws from creativity in many forms: among them, building sets using woodworking skills; replication of different textures and designs on the sets using painting and drawing skills; and mastering the complicated sound and lighting boards using visual, musical, and technical skills. Although Bruce taught this course for most of its history, he has recently passed the torch to Julie Borsetti. Julie and her students have done a spectacular job this year, transforming the stage from the swamplands of Appalachia in this year’s Community Play, to the pristine "marble" facades of Moliere's day in the Upper School play, among the many performances and assemblies of the year.

Of course among the performing arts, music still holds a very special place. Students with an interest in music but who do not want to participate in the musical productions have ample opportunities to do so within a music department that offers an AP Music Theory class, as well as vocal and instrumental music classes, and the SSFS signature handbells. In 1978, Lauren Duff, math teacher, convinced then Head of School, Thorny Brown, to rent (and later purchase) a 3-octave set of Schulmerich handbells for the purposes of establishing a bell choir at Sandy Spring. Within a short time, the tradition was entrenched.

Performances were held at the Sandy

Music!

Spring Meeting House and all around the area, and to this day remain a holiday and special occasions tradition at the school.

Choral music also remains popular; Barry Morley started the classes, and Bryan Seith has continued them in the Upper School, with John Staehle conducting music classes and the chorus in thMiddle School, and Brenda Benjamin teaching and conducting in the Lower School. The music rooms in the new Performing Arts Center have also provided opportunities for virtuoso students to practice piano and violin, and, of course, the legendary student rock bands.

Visual Arts!

Likewise, over the years the visual arts have grown to encompass a wide range of creative opportunities ranging from ceramics, drawing, painting and sculpture, and photography to print shop/graphic design, yearbook/desktop publishing, video production, weaving, and woodworking.

These efforts are coordinated in the Upper School this year by longtime teachers Gwen Handler (photography, ceramics, weaving), Bruce Evans (woodworking, video production), and SSFS alum Sara Brigham '00 (2-D and 3-D design, drawing, painting, yearbook). Please read on to find out more about the woodworking class (pages 6-7), the literary magazine (page 8), the weaving class (page 9), and the evolution of other visual arts classes such as photography (pages 10-11).

If the past is indeed prologue, there are some great times ahead!

SSFS Community News

Building Community Through Theater: The Community Play Over the past 15 years the Community Play has been an opportunity for SSFS community members (students, faculty, staff, parents, and alums) to enjoy getting to know each other through the enriching experience of working on plays and musicals that portray pertinent stories with educational themes for our community.

Below is a testimonial by Moyra Schauffler '11, who was the choreographer for this year's play, Wiley and the Hairy Man (cast and crew pictured left). Moyra writes: "The community play has been a very special part of my life since moving to Maryland in 1998. When I saw my first community play, The Wizard of Oz, I was in awe because of all of the people that were in the show. The costumes were so much fun, and I knew that I wanted to be a part of something like that. The first play I was actually in was Inherit the Wind. The dress I wore in the play had been worn by several people in the SSFS community and had finally ended up in the costume closet. I think that this speaks a lot to the idea of the community play because it is truly a community effort. Costumes are pulled together from all over, sets are built by students, and concessions are organized by parents. The play is not put together by one person, but by the entire community. Another phenomenal aspect of the community play is the amount of work that is put in by Bruce, the actors, costume designers, and the backstage crew. Having had a lead role in one of the community plays, I know what it’s like to memorize the large amount of lines and focus on how to tell the story; however, just as much work is put in by everyone else to get the show on stage. The community play also brings on lasting friendships. In 2006 when I played Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird, I became friends with all of the members of the cast. For example, Colin Hannon, who played Jem, and I still refer to each other as brother and sister. John McEwan, who played Dill, and I still make fun of each other about how goofy we looked up on stage and how much John hasn’t changed. Of all the wonderful aspects of the community play, I believe that this is the best one because it truly highlights the tight community we have at SSFS. I want to congratulate every single person who has been involved in a community play over the last 15 years because each one of you has had a hand in creating an institution at Sandy Spring."

"Inherit the Wind," 2006

Spring 2011

"To Kill a Mockingbird," 2004

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50 Years of Woodworking at SSFS SSFS founder S. Brook Moore attributed the birth of Sandy Spring Friends School directly to the depth of his education at another Friends school, George School in Pennsylvania. Brook spoke of the experience of being exposed to the possibilities of the workings of the spirit through his teachers, especially his woodworking teacher, Robert Brown. In an article for the George School publication, the Georgian, Brook said of Brown that he “imparted to his students some of his own feeling and respect for the natural world, and his deep appreciation for excellence in all things, for quality of workmanship. An excellent craftsman himself, he inspired his students by example.” Brook continued, “I learned facts and certain skills, but more than that, I learned to recognize the power of the inward approach to life.”

Brook learned cabinetry in high school, and it became his life's work.

After working as an inspector in a wooden airplane factory during World War II, Brook returned to the homestead across the road from what would become the site of SSFS - the fifth generation of his family to live there - and began hand-crafting furniture, building a reputation for elegantly simple design and solid construction. He also built ultralight airplanes, and musical instruments were another fascination: in his later years, he made hammer and plucked dulcimers, harps, and viola de gambas. The sign on the road outside his house during that time read: "S.B. Moore, Instrument Maker."

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^ Bruce Evans works with woodworking students on their "box projects." < Brook Moore in his woodshop.

Although much in the world has changed since Brook Moore learned woodworking as a student at George School from 1930 to 1934, the skills learned and the art produced in woodworking class, whether at George School or Sandy Spring Friends School, have not.

Bruce Evans, who also learned woodworking at a Quaker school (Westtown), now teaches woodworking to Upper School students at SSFS. He feels that woodworking, in its timelessness, emphasis on simplicity, and appreciation for natural resources, compliments a Quaker education. “Woodworking is unique, in that it teaches both a beautiful art form, as well as practical life skills that can be used for an entire lifetime,” says Bruce.

While students may not necessarily become professional woodworkers

like Brook Moore, woodworking does provide many valuable skills that they can draw from throughout their lives.

Basic knowledge of hand tools and simple power tools are always a great asset, and the processes of designing and building are fantastic exercises for the mind by developing problem-solving and basic engineering skills. The basics of woodworking can lead to a lifelong passion for creativity, either for practical purposes or for artistic expression. Woodworking is a great way to reinforce and apply math skills and to get students thinking about the furniture, buildings, and structures made of wood that they use on a daily basis. The craft is also a stress-reducing release that takes a student away from the pressures of modern life.

Each semester, students in Bruce’s woodworking class work together on one group project. Past group projects can be seen all around the SSFS campus, including the Adirondack chairs outside the Performing Arts Center, picnic tables outside Westview Dining Hall, a shed near the community

SSFS Community News

Brett Hesser '81, Owner of Hesser Handcrafted

This year’s group project is a timber frame shelter, which includes the signature Meeting House truss.

Alumnus Peter Bugler ‘83, a professional timber framer from Pennsylvania, delivered the milled timbers, loaned some of his traditional tools, and helped train the class in timber framing techniques. garden, and the towers at Preuss Field.

This year’s project is a timber frame shelter to be placed near the campus drive on the sidewalk leading to the Athletic Center.

After the group project, students complete one “box project” on their own, where they develop detailed threedimensional drawings that accurately depict dimensions and joinery, then size and cut wood with the proper tools/equipment, assemble the pieces of their project, and apply finishes.

Unfortunately, woodworking has been taken away from many schools, either because of lack of funding or because of liability. Thankfully, this course continues to be well-supported at SSFS; the woodworking shop even has a permanent home in the Performing Art Center, where students can continue to develop their creativity and pass on the tradition of this well-respected craft.

The author, SSFS parent and public relations consultant Sarah Margolis, learned woodworking at Westtown School from Andy Buckman.

Spring 2011

Brett Hesser ’81 traces his passion for woodworking back to a moment in a Moore Hall dorm room in September 1980. “I went upstairs to visit a friend and saw a nightstand he had built in woodshop. It was just a nightstand, but it spoke to me.”

Hesser enrolled in woodshop and sought out former faculty member, Dick Schauffler, for after-hours instruction. Brett was hooked. Now as owner Brett with his handcrafted bench that is displayed in the Mingei Museum in San of Hesser Handcrafted, he has Diego, CA. become a leading furniture designer and craftsman in the Southern California area. His pieces can be found in the homes of Bill Cosby and Steven Spielberg, as well as in the Mingei International Museum in San Diego. His work has won numerous awards and has been featured in local and national publications.

Although only at SSFS for a short time, Hesser feels it was one of the most influential times of his life. He went on to attend the Leeds Design Workshop in East Hampton, MA, and moved to San Diego, CA, to apprentice with Ron Montbleau of Montbleau & Associates. Throughout his career, he often reflects on the “wholesomeness and simplicity” of Quaker principles and the value of a quiet mind while crafting his art.

In 1993, Hesser felt he had established his skills enough to sustain himself as a solo artist, and he opened Hesser Handcrafted. “I love that what I do for a living—it gives evidence to my life. Artists get to leave something tangible behind, and I feel that has a social value to it worth more than money,” says Hesser. Specializing in Far Eastern furniture, he utilizes exotic materials and inlays of the Art Deco period in his pieces. Hesser also specializes in using veneers of exotic wood to create his work.

“Woodworking is one of the only art forms that has a finite supply of materials. Using veneers is socially the right thing to do because of the environmental impact.”

In the future, he hopes to continue working on custom pieces for interior designers and he hopes to do more pieces from his own designs. “I know I am on the right path in my life because I am as happy today as a successful woodworker as I was when I was an unknown artist and building my career.” (Profile by Mary Mazzuca, Director of Alumni Affairs)

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The Wildezine's Creative Outlet

By Scott Carneal, Upper School English Teacher Last year, several students approached the English department and asked to publish an edition of The Wildezine, the upper school’s literary magazine.

After the departure of Lori GravleyNovello three years ago, the magazine lost its faculty leader and had not yet found a new sponsor. With renewed energy bounding out of the student body, the magazine was redesigned as a literary and art magazine and successfully published in June 2010.

Twenty-one students, led by editors Matthew Denaburg ’10 and Lindsay Kellogg ’10, with faculty mentors Scott Carneal and Gwen Handler, edited and designed a superb collection of poetry, prose, drama, and visual art.

Though led by a rookie cast of editors, the magazine was honored by the Maryland-District of Columbia Press Association with a Silver Medal. Several individual students won awards: 1st Place: Lucas Jolivet ‘10 for prose; 1st Place: Kaylin Spicknall ’13 for photography; and 1st Place and 3rd Place: Leah Moloney ’11 for hand artwork and cover design.

Of equal value to having student writing and artwork published and eventually judged by professional writers, The Wildezine is an important vehicle for SSFS teenagers to promote their ideas in a format not often made available to them in academic settings. A case in point is Carson Jarrell Rourke ’13 who has written many wonderful poems over the past several years. The English department was impressed with the simplicity, eloquence, and wit 8

of her poem “Sorry Pear. (Fruit Basket)” and commended her efforts by bestowing her with the 2010 Julie Granum Writing Award. Ziggy Goldstein ‘11, a talented poet and artist, touched many of the magazine’s readers with his heartfelt poem, “A Priceless Bond,” that described fond memories of the five years he lived in a Russian orphanage in the city of Bolagoye.

Six enthusiastic and well-trained student editors (Rebecca Cook ’11, Ziggy

Goldstein '11, Carson Jarrell-Rourke '13, Gillian Kramer ’13, Amelia Marciano ’11, and Jacob Pleasure ’11) are busy collecting student work and plan to publish the next edition of The Wildezine this spring. The editors work on a purely volunteer basis and therefore read, edit, and do layout during lunch, academic help, and after school.

The English department thanks them for bringing back this creative student voice to our community.

Sorry, Pear. (Fruit Basket)

by Carson Jarrell Rourke ‘13

What is the purpose of a fruit basket?

No one really wishes for fruit like they do candy.

I sure as hell don't.

Is it just the leftover produce from orchards, taking their surplus and turning it into a gift for bosses and publicists?

My grandma gets a lot of fruit baskets.

Except a lot of them don't have fruit.

Mostly candy.

Sometimes fragrant toiletries Even fancy crackers.

So then the name isn't right is it?

It should be "lotion and cracker basket" or "candy basket" I think even "Giant Basket o' Fattening Goodies" would probably work.

(Good luck on your holiday diet.)

Which brings us back to the candy thing.

Candy almost always finds a way to replace fruit.

Candy and other sweets are mean that way.

No wonder our population's weight just keeps on rising.

It's actually kinda sad.

Sorry, Pear.

SSFS Community News

Weaving at SSFS

By Louise Steinfort, Middle School Admissions If you’re not careful, you might miss the Fiber Arts studio, tucked away in the woods in the back of Clifton. But once you find it, you enter a whole new world – a large open space filled with upwards of 20 beautiful wooden looms, and Middle and Upper School students who are immersed in their weaving or enthusiastically planning out new patterns and colors for their next project.

Nora Stoner '12 displays her wool blanket that will be entered in this year's Skein and Garment Competition.

A Priceless Bond

by Ziggy Goldstein ‘11

A fairytale read night by night In darkness proves a shining light.

A bed. And warmth to fight the cold.

To ask for more? I needn't be so bold.

A friend and brother both the same.

Ten mothers. With love each calls my name.

With blocks of wood to praise as toys.

Like family, sharing sorrow, joys.

A carousel some decades old The rusted handles shine like gold.

Old leather sandals, ragged clothes; A priceless bond which money loathes.

A purple stew each Monday evening And hot milk follows noontime dreaming.

Hot summer days spent wrestling in dry dirt While boys act brave, the girls would smile and flirt.

A ruble loses value, but humor me and try To prove to me that happiness is something one can buy.

Spring 2011

Begun in the 1970s, the Weaving and Fiber Arts class has had steady enrollment throughout the years, and has been the recipient of generous donors who have given the school wonderful looms and yarns. In 2006, the weaving studio moved to its current location behind Clifton, and Ellen Hartge joined Gwen Handler, who has been teaching weaving at SSFS since the '70s, to teach Middle School weaving part-time.

"Both boys and girls really love the mechanics and the process of weaving," says Ellen. "I've never had a student who didn't enjoy the class!"

A wide variety of skill sets are involved in the process: fine motor, large motor, hand/eye coordination, and math applications. Inherent in the whole weaving process is a spirit of cooperation and encouragement. Students help each other and admire each other’s work. For Middle School students, everyone starts with no prior experience. The transformation from “This is impossible!” to “Look what I made!” is the continual intrinsic reward.

Students are also encouraged to enter their handiwork in the Skein and Garment competition at the Sheep and Wool Festival each May. Many SSFS students have submitted their work in the past, and several have won awards. Last year, Middle School student Emil Kunkin ’15 wove his own prayer shawl for his bar mitzvah, and junior Nora Stoner ’12 will be entering her wool blanket in the competition this year. Congratulations to Emil, and good luck to Nora!

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Tradition Meets Technology in the Arts Going through the current curriculum guide, alums who enjoyed the robust SSFS arts program in the 1970s would find many familiar offerings today, from Woodworking and Weaving to Photography, Musical Production (a.k.a. Operetta), and Modern Dance. They might also recognize many of the names of the teachers: Bruce Evans, Gwen Handler, Bryan Seith, Hannah Seith Kerr (’95), and Kate Santorineos. While these programs have maintained all of the tactile, handson wonder and excitement that made them unique decades ago, many of these traditional art programs have also made the best use of today’s technology to enhance their classes and offer new opportunities.

Taking a peek into the Weaving and Fibers classroom reveals students using a computer program called Fiberworks PCW to help create patterns and designs, and visualize what the final outcome will look like.

"SketchUp," a free three-dimensional modeling software application from Google, is available in the woodshop to help woodworking students plan their projects online. The sound and lighting boards in the Performing Arts Center are particularly impressive, using state-of-the-art technol10

ogy to allow the tech crews for the Stagecraft, Drama, and Musical Production classes to turn the stage into a magical place. "Students who learn how to operate the lighting and sound

equipment at SSFS will be comfortable and competent using the technology found in almost any professional theater," says Bruce. "Colleges and universities with strong theater arts programs snatch up the tech crew kids from SSFS."

The Upper School Tech Crew works the sound and lighting boards in the Performing Arts Center.

Weaving students use computer programs to help plan their patterns.

Over in the Lower School, Kate Santorineos, who began teaching Lower School Art in 1985, has also used technology to her advantage in the classroom. Kate is always looking for fun ways to incorporate the material that the students are studying in their classrooms into the Art room. For instance, in conjunction with their classroom study of rocks and minerals, the 3rd graders embarked on the fun, wet, and bubbly task of creating geodes using the ancient technique of wet felting. She brought this age-old tradition to life by showing her students a video on YouTube about Mongolian Felt Making – and then the students created their own wool felted geodes.

Taking advantage of the wealth of information available on the internet, and the projector and screen capabilities of the art room, Kate creates Powerpoint presentations that bring themes, studies, and topics to life.

SSFS Community News

The cave paintings of Lascaux, the art of the Mesopotamian Valley, Egypt and Ancient Greece, or the flowers of Georgia O’Keeffe, to name just a few, come vibrantly to life in an accessible and exciting way for the Lower School students. Interactive art websites, such as those found on www.moma. org, provide additional learning possibilities as students explore individual rooms in museums, close-up views of paint strokes on famous paintings, or color blending possibilities.

Kate has also introduced a Lower School Art Blog this year, posting highlights from her classes. Users can click on the links in her blog to find out more information about each post, and see hundreds of photos of smiling students creating fun, colorful, dynamic and educational projects on her extensive Lower School Art website, http:// faculty.ssfs.org/~ksantori/art/.

“The versatility of the art blog and website applications connect SSFS to the world of art through teaching around the globe," says Kate. "Teachers from as far as the Philippines and Germany have asked questions, made comments, and shared their experiences, pulling our world’s longitudinal lines closer together.”

Meanwhile, next door in the Upper School photo lab, Gwen Handler has been incorporating the digital revolution in photography into her classes. Gwen began teaching photography at SSFS in the mid-1980s, and began to add digital Spring 2011

Students in Gwen Handler's photography classes get both the traditional "wet" darkroom experience, as well as learning digital photography and digital photo editing software programs. photography to her course in 2002.

Her photography course, now called “Photography: Wet to Dry Lab,” offers students a foundation in the basics of photography in the traditional darkroom setting for the first quarter before moving on to the digital darkroom.

During the first few weeks of the class, students learn to use manual 35mm film cameras, where students can see the physical "apertures" and "shutters" at work. They develop their blackand-white film using Beseler enlargers and the standard chemistry of developer, stop bath, and fix solution.

“Kids love the old cameras,” says Gwen, “and they really learn to see and understand how a camera works.” She adds that this section gives students a historical perspective, and the basics that they learn about cameras, composition, and light help them when they move on to work with digital cameras, where concepts like "shutter speed" become largely metaphorical.

Once students have developed photos to work with, they then move to the

“dry lab,” where they learn to enhance and manipulate their images using software such as Adobe’s Photoshop, and to learn to use digital cameras.

Next semester, Gwen will be teaming up with Director of Technology Martha Cunningham to offer a “Print Shop and Graphic Design” course, in which students will learn to use graphic design software to create quality computer graphics, from postcards and flyers to logo design and brochures.

From websites and blogs to computer graphic programs, digital technology is providing yet another dimension in which our arts continue to grow. When asked about what she envisions for the future of the arts at SSFS, Gwen says that she would love to see a computer lab space dedicated to the arts, where students in desktop publications classes such as yearbook and the newspaper, as well as photography, video production, and other classes could come to collaborate and create. She says that she hopes that “the arts will continue to look forward and backward at the same time,” and adds that she also hopes that alumni will come by the Art Barn to continue creating!

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Staff Appreciations: Vickie, Louise, and Lynn

Louise Steinfort with the Midde School Friends House Committee.

Lynn Darman with this year's Lower School SPARK students.

Vickie Garner, who has been at SSFS since 1987, Louise Steinfort, who started working in Admissions in 1991, and Lynn Darman, who became the LS Head in 1995, will all be moving on to new ventures next year. We wanted to appreciate all the contribuVickie Garner as Tatiana with her boys Robert and Stephen in the 1997 Communuity Play production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Vickie Garner has been a significant presence and meaningful contributor to the Sandy Spring Friends School community for 24 years.

As Director of Admission from 1987 to 2001, Vickie was responsible for overseeing all aspects of admission and enrollment management for the School.

“In the first years of my work at SSFS,” Vickie recalls, “the greatest challenge was getting people to the campus. As Brook Moore was known for saying, 'The minute you set foot onto the campus, you could feel the powerful spiritual center of the place.' I felt that when I first came to interview with Ruthann Fagin, Ari and Nancy Preuss, Anne Morley, Bob Hoch, John Staehle, and Ed Hinshaw.” She continues,

12

tions these special women have given to the school throughout the years, and to wish them all the very best in the years to come.

“I remember leaving the interview thinking how lucky I had been to meet such an amazing group of people. My initial goal had been to secure a teaching position; however, I knew I could learn so much from working together as an administrator with the incredibly bright, creative, fun, and enthusiastic people at SSFS.” During her 14-year tenure in admissions, Vickie worked to expand the admissions outreach and marketing efforts, welcomed Louise Steinfort and Linda Cooper as colleagues, interviewed over 2,000 families, and enrolled nearly 1,200 students. She was a leader in the AISGW and AIMS admissions groups and presented workshops for both organizations as well as for SSATB, TABS, and NAIS.

In the late 1980s and well into the 1990s, the whole SSFS community worked hard to meet the enrollment goals. By the year 2000, the school was fully enrolled by June 1st, with waiting lists for many grades. It was time for Vickie to find a new challenge.

In January 2001, Ken Smith announced a national search for the school’s first full-time Director of College Counseling. He found that person in his own backyard, and Vickie moved across the lawn from Hartshorne to Moore Hall, where she has worked with every senior going through the college search process for the past 10 years.

“Being a part of the Upper School has been a great honor. Every member of the faculty and staff, especially Frances Lambrecht, has been a great gift in my life,” says Vickie.

SSFS Community News

“But it is the students most of all who make this work so special. Regardless of the weather, or the day of the week, or the relative intensity of the time of year, when I walk through the door of Moore Hall, the joy flies! Our students are honest, bright, sometimes a bit crazy, and incredibly joyful! I will miss seeing that Light!"

in A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Glinda in The Wizard of Oz, and Mrs. Webb in Our Town, to directing a cast of 72 in the 2003 Community Play Oliver, Vickie has been a supporter of all the arts since she arrived at the school. A member of dozens of committees, she also served as Clerk of the Traditions Committee for many years and organized the Community Day activities for

of 2006. “Nate loved Sandy Spring Friends School. He cherished the education it provided to our sons, the fascinating community of artists and educators. When Doug Farquhar approached me asking my permission to solicit donors to help name the stage in the new PAC after Nate, I was speechless.”

It wasn’t only her professional work

ten years.

Vickie is grateful to the community for her years at SSFS, and has accepted the position of Director of College Counseling at the Nichols School, and will be moving to Buffalo, NY, this summer.

that defined Vickie’s years at SSFS. She was a part of countless theatrical performances. From portraying Tatiana

Louise Steinfort was one of those people Brook Moore talked about, who came onto the SSFS campus in September of 1991 and felt something special.

Brook would have said “it's that old Spirit working again,” but all she knew was the place grabbed her in a way no other place ever had. She was hired to assist Vickie Garner in the Admissions Office and Phil Higginson in the Development Office. At that time SSFS was a 6th through 12th grade school with enrollment of about 200 students.

Spring 2011

She pays tribute to the school’s community, especially when her husband Nate died suddenly in the spring

From the beginning, Louise gravitated towards working in Admissions. It seemed a perfect fit, given her background in education and affinity for getting to know people. Louise was also immediately taken with the Quaker aspects of SSFS, both from the spiritual as well as the consensusbased decision-making standpoints.

It was easy for her to “sell” what the School was offering because she believed in her heart in the school’s Mission Statement. “The Mission Statement is something that balances all that is important, and often missing, in education today. It’s rewarding to share with families how the School develops a social conscience in its students, and helps them embrace the whole idea of giving back. This is as critical as preparing students academically for anything they might encounter in college or their chosen career.”

Eventually Louise made her “home” in the Middle School. She was drawn to the challenge of helping to enroll a diverse group of students and parents searching for a school where Brook Moore’s Three Rs (Respect, Responsibility and Reverence) were emphasized along with preparation for the rigorous college-prep program in our Upper School.

The Friends House Committee was a hallmark of Louise’s presence in the Middle School. Nearly every week for the past 10 years, she has taken students to visit residents ranging from the independent community to Thomas and Stabler Halls. Louise raves, “My kids in the Friends House Committee are the best! It’s been very rewarding to watch them offer care and concern to everyone they meet, and see the smiles on residents’ faces. I don’t have Continued on page 15

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Staff Appreciations (cont.) to weave the Lower School into the fabric of the PK-12 community, built a stellar faculty, and created a nurturing, child-centered environment where the youngest students could thrive.

Lynn Darman joined the Sandy Spring Friends School community in 1995 as the Head of the new Lower School.

The Lower School had been established only two years before, when Friends Elementary School, headed by Annette Breiling, merged with SSFS. With the challenges of merging an existing school to the larger community of SSFS, Lynn set out on what would be a 16-year journey to integrate, grow, and strengthen the Lower School to become the vital part of the Sandy Spring Friends School community it is today.

At the beginning of this school year, Lynn announced that this would be her last year as Head of the Lower School.

Linda Cooper, former Admissions Director for the Lower School, summed it up when she said, “Most of what we take for granted as being special about the Lower School is due to Lynn.”

During her tenure, Lynn established and developed the Lower School curriculum, created programs designed 14

Lynn’s rich experience as an educator was essential to her success in these endeavors. Prior to joining SSFS, Lynn had been the head of the lower school at Georgetown Day School, a teacher and administrator at Sidwell Friends School, where she designed and directed a teacher training program, a consultant to NAIS, and a classroom teacher who worked with children at numerous grade levels.

A key focus for Lynn in the early years was to transform the newly-merged Friends Elementary School into the Sandy Spring Friends School Lower School. Building on the strong foundation and faculty of Friends Elementary, Lynn worked tirelessly to create a new identity for the division as part of the larger SSFS community, which was unaccustomed to incorporating the needs of children as young as four years old into the daily life of the school. The AIMS accreditation process, undertaken in her first two years, afforded an excellent opportunity to review all aspects of the lower school and develop plans for strengthening

the division. Through this process she guided the faculty in articulating and shaping the curriculum, strengthening operational procedures, and establishing plans for future improvement.

Essential to integrating the lower division into the larger school community was the creation of buddy programs.

Shortly after Lynn arrived, she collaborated with the Upper School administration to pair the oldest and the youngest, thereby building bridges one relationship at a time. This tradition has grown well beyond the initial vision of Pre-K/K/Senior buddies sitting together at the all-school assemblies. It now includes time together for monthly lunches, playground dates, and special holiday and birthday exchanges. These efforts are not only heart-warming, but they make our school one community Pre-K through 12, something we cannot imagine being any other way today.

Building the curriculum and creating a coherent educational identity for the Lower School has been another passion of Lynn’s. Working closely with the faculty and bringing her own substantial expertise to the table, Lynn has helped to forge a strong and clear program in the Lower School that is marked by hands-on learning, creative inquiry, academic challenge, and a respect of the unique needs of each individual child.

Lynn made the Responsive Classroom approach the standard model for creating community in the classroom (Continued at the top of the next page)

SSFS Community News

and integrating social-emotional and academic efforts. She strengthened the school’s use of Writers’ Workshop to teach writing skills, she initiated inquiry-based math programs such as Everyday Math and Investigations that build problem solving as well as calculating skills, she supported experiential learning efforts such as “Wee Mail,” she ensured that science remained a vibrant and strong part of the program, she supported efforts to bring technology into the lower school classrooms, and the list goes on. Lynn sums up her philosophy of education with an architectural analogy: “I sometimes think of education, as well as my role, the way architects must have thought about the structural possibilities after the development of steel. The vision changed

from structures that were defined by exterior walls to strong underlying structures with seemingly boundless possibilities for unique designs. Our students are each different, and when combined with this strong underlying structure provided by the values of the school and the teaching of the faculty, their unique designs are honored and developed as they learn. SSFS kids love to come to school; school is a place to take risks, ask questions, honor the diverse thinking of classmates, internalize Quaker values, and have fun in the process.”

Though not a Quaker herself, Lynn has been an ardent supporter of the school’s Quaker identity and philosophy. She describes the school’s founder, S. Brook Moore, as an important influence to her in understanding SSFS

and its Quaker identity. He would drop by for casual conversations, and she remembers, “He wanted to be sure I got the 'it' of SSFS. Although I am not a Quaker, Quaker values fit for me and for my family. My children were ‘lifers’ at Sidwell; Quaker education has been a huge part of our life.”

As she prepares for the transition to incoming Lower School Head Brenda Crawley, Lynn has many accomplishments of which to be proud. We are grateful to her for her efforts and will miss her as she moves on to other endeavors. Looking back on her work, Lynn is able to look forward with optimism, as are we: “I am confident that the Lower School is positioned well in its young history to thrive as it moves into the 21st century.”

(Louise Steinfort, continued from page 13) to direct them; they just jump right in, helping in the garden, singing holiday carols or giving a piano recital, participating in group Tai Chi, or simply sitting and chatting with someone who rarely gets a visitor. Everyone benefits!

I hear over and over how much their presence is valued.”

Louise has contributed to SSFS in other important ways over the past 20 years. In addition to Middle School

Spring 2011

Admissions, she also handled admissions for the International Student Program off and on for several years.

She was also recording clerk for All School Meeting for Business for seven years, and has been clerk of the All School Nominating Committee since 2005. Also, in recent years, Earth Stewardship Day has found Louise in the classroom discussing solutions to a problem she has spent the last 10 years working to solve: the issue of

pet overpopulation, especially with stray cats.

Louise remarks, “I have appreciated the relationships I’ve had with so many faculty and staff over the years.

Many will remain close friends after I leave. I will miss working with families looking to enroll in our School, and I hope to return from time to time to see how things are progressing.”

15

Snapshots from SSFS Below are photos from Winter and Spring events here at SSFS. Be sure to check out our online photo gallery, available on our Web site, www.ssfs.org, and photos on our Facebook fan page.

LS/Senior Buddy Lunch

PA Winterfest

US Dance Concert

LS Winter Program 16

All-School Holiday Assembly

Young Alumni Luncheon SSFS Community News

Cultural Heritage Celebration >>

US Music Assembly

MS international lunch

Community Play

International Assembly Celebration of Science

Spring 2011

17

Generous Gifts Enhance the Arts at SSFS

By Judy Averbach, Director of the Annual Fund, and Mary Mazzuca, Director of Alumni Affairs The Arts Program at Sandy Spring Friends School has long benefitted from generous gifts from alumni, parents, Howard and Rosalind past parents Zuses in front of the and others Turner Kiln Shed committed to enhancing the program available to students. Whether it be costumes for the Community Play, looms for the weaving program, photography equipment, or basic art supplies, philanthropy plays an important role in the Arts.

All gifts make an impact and are appreciated, though often in different ways. A generous donation by Robert Turner of a kiln and shed greatly enhanced the ceramics program. In addition to the kiln and shed, other friends later established an endowed fund known as the Gwen Handler Visiting Artist Fund, to celebrate and acknowledge her 30 years of service to the school. The fund is responsible for bringing artists to the campus with a primary focus on those involved in the visual arts. Funds from the endowment have supported, among other things, Upper School dance and visiting artists. This year, students enjoyed the company and expertise of artistin-residence Robert Strasser. The endowment will continue to enhance 18

When Christopher Buckstein ’96 left the public school system to come to Sandy Spring Friends School in the early 90s, he left behind an environment where he felt unsupported for a school where he felt instantly welcomed and inspired. “I am confident I wouldn’t be the person I am today without Sandy Spring,” says Buckstein.

Part of what made his time at SSFS so special was the flourishing arts community. “I had never done anything artistic before I came to SSFS, and by the time I left, I had performed in three operettas, sung in the Chorus, and taken modern dance with Arlene Horowitz, wood shop with Bruce Evans, and art, poetry, and weaving with Gwen Handler.”

Faculty member Bryan Seith helped nurture his interest and was key to Chris’s success in the arts. “Bryan always supported and encouraged me.

He really helped me build my confidence.” Now a Cornell graduate, Chapman M.B.A. candidate, and successful entrepreneur, Chris has created the Buckstein-Seith Fund for the Arts at SSFS (in addition to the funds his family had previously created: Buckstein-Hoch Endowment for student scholarships and Buckstein-Preuss in support of athletics). Created to help support the Upper School spring musical performances, the Buckstein-Seith Fund helps to ensure that future students are able to have as fulfilling an experience with arts as Chris did. “It is important to give back to Sandy Spring Friends School. Everyone has the opportunity to make sure the School has all the tools it needs to enable students to really do what they want do during their time there.”

Help support the arts today with a gift to the Buckstein-Seith Fund. Please make checks out to Sandy Spring Friends School and indicate your fund intention on the memo line. The SSFS arts students of today and tomorrow thank you! the arts for years to come. Today, the Sandy Spring Friends School Ceramics Program is one of the finest in the area and a leader among independent school programs, thanks in part to these wonderful resources.

Instruments and equipment also make important gifts, and this year SSFS was the recipient of an upright Yamaha piano, donated by a member of the class of 1963 and his wife. A member of the first graduating class, the donor and his wife returned to the United States after SSFS Community News

Annual Fund Update

By Judy Averbach, Director of the Annual Fund an extended stay abroad and found themselves wanting to donate their Yamaha upright piano.

Contacting the school about the donation led to a visit and a reconnection, one that the school is thankful for! The piano started its world travels in New York, then headed to Brussels, Paris, and Frankfort, and then ultimately back to Sandy Spring.

On a crisp fall day, the piano arrived on campus and after a brief hiatus in Scott House, it was relocated to its home in the dorm lounge, where it is used and enjoyed by many boarding students. The location of the piano in the dorm seems to be a perfect place for a worldtravelled piano, as many of the students who play piano and use it each day come to SSFS from abroad. (To see our students playing the piano, follow the link http://www.ssfs.org/ dorm_piano.htm.) The gift of the piano has truly enhanced the lives of students at SSFS and will be enjoyed for years to come.

If you would like to make a gift to Sandy Spring Friends School, please contact Judy Averbach, Director of the Annual Fund at 301-774-7455 x164 or judy.averbach@ssfs.org.

Dorm students have enjoyed the donated piano.

Spring 2011

The Annual Fund continues to grow, heading to our goal of $550,000. Over 600 donors have already made a gift or pledge. Thank you!

All gifts to the Annual Fund are used to enhance the outstanding curricular and co-curricular program at Spring Friends School. If you have not yet made your gift or pledge, now is a great time because from A to Z, something is enhanced as a direct result of your support.

Academics, Arts, Athletics Beestball Computers and Technology If you have already made Drama your gift or pledge, thank English you! Your support makes a Financial Aid difference. To make your gift Green efforts or pledge, visit www.ssfs.org High Achievement and follow the links to International Service Support SSFS > Donate Justice and Peace Online. You can also send it Kilns to SSFS/Attn: Advancement, Letting Lives Speak 16923 Norwood Road, Sandy Meeting for Worship Spring MD 20860.

Nurdleyball Operating Expenses Professional Development Quakerism Resources for Classrooms Service and StewardshipThree Hundred Years of Tradition Unique Experiences Visual Arts Woodshop Xylophones Yearbook Zesty Meals 19

Summer Programs Foster Artistic Expression

By Bill Mena, Director of Auxillary Programs art teacher, takes campers shopping to various area thrift stores. There they pick out ordinary everyday objects to take back to campus and redesign into extraordinary works of art. Creativity and imagination are all campers need.

Michelle encourages campers to look beyond the obvious to uncover artistic potential in the world around them.

Self-expression, especially at summer camps, is the foundation of healthy psycho-social development. When it is artificially limited, children fail to fully thrive. When art is encouraged, it allows for experiences that help to shape a child's identity and interaction with the world around him or her. Summer Camp is a place and time where kids can reinvent themselves.

There is research that suggests that, in addition to advancing self expression and self-esteem, there is a broader benefit from the creative side of camping. Ellen Winner and Lois Hetland, co-authors of the book Studio Thinking: The Real Benefits of Visual Arts Education, gave their own data documenting a series of “studio habits of mind” 20

taught to children through visual arts classes, including persistence, observing, envisioning, innovating through exploration, and reflective self-evaluation.

As we continue to expand our summer arts program, we strive to give our campers an opportunity for self-discovery and creative expression through immersion in the creative process. Our program is designed to provide alternative activities for campers, providing opportunities to excel in a less regimented way.

Two of our post popular summer programs are “Ordinary to Extraordinary” and “Experimental Art.” Michelle Puhl-Price, our Middle School

Ian Hoch, alumni class 2005, teaches our Experimental Art program “which is designed to provide a safe environment for kids to explore their artist abilities.” If you like to get messy, then this is the program for you! Paint goes on fabric and paper via shaving cream, bubble wrap, you name it. Art can be created out of anything and with any method - and they prove it! A camper wants to fill a balloon with tye-dye ink and throw it at a canvas? Great! Thinking out of the box is what this art is all about.

Art Summer camp has become an incubator for a lifetime of creative discovery, self-confidence, and com-

munity building.

SSFS Community News

Pond Restoration Project The Sandy Spring Friends School pond is getting a “make-over”!

The pond was created as part of the original design and construction of Sandy Spring Friends School in 1961.

In 2009, an extensive environmental analysis of the pond was performed, and as a result of the study, the School determined the need to improve the water quality and perform a full-scale restoration of the pond’s infrastructure and surrounding eco-system.

Recently, the pond was drained and dredged, and is currently being re-filled naturally from an underground source, as well as from rainwater and natural drainage from the surrounding land.

Approximately 10 tons of gravel and sand will be added to create a small beach and wading area to be used by Summer Camp and our SSFS Community. Faculty from all three divisions are collaborating to create a waterfowl habitat in one section of the new pond, using native species of plants.

As noted in the photo below, the previous pond inhabitants are already returning! We are looking forward to using this revitalized resource in all areas of the Sandy Spring Friends School educational and recreational experience.

New Curriculum Offerings in the Upper School for 2011-12

By David Hickson, Upper School Head The Upper School is excited about a number of academic initiatives for the 2011-2012 school year that enhance our already-rich curriculum and give students even more opportunities to make global connections.

Juniors and seniors can apply to participate in the new Select Seminar on Global Peace and Justice. This demanding and ambitious program will involve a seminar-style examination of historic and contemporary approaches to peaceful social change, conflict resolution and justice initiatives. Seminar students will design and complete individual projects involving research, advocacy, and service as a capstone experience.

As announced at this year's International Assembly, Mandarin Chinese will be added as a third language offering next fall. The program will start with the first year and will add a section every year up through the Advanced Placement level. The French and Spanish Department will be changing its name to the Global Languages Department, reflecting the intention of expanding our scope of languages beyond traditional Western offerings, and the reality that Chinese, French and Spanish are languages whose use and importance transcend their countries of origin (i.e., China, France and Spain).

New courses will be offered in the math and sciences, as well. The Science Department adds Advanced Projects

Spring 2011

Eduardo Polón, Department Head of the newly-named Global Languages Department, announces the addition of Mandarin Chinese to the Upper School curriculum at the International Assembly. in Science and Engineering to its curriculum in order to support advanced students pursuing original research and design work. Computer Science returns to the Upper School curriculum with a two-semester sequence of introductory programming courses. The Mathematics Department will offer AP Calculus BC as a full-year, first course, as a replacement for the current semesterlong, second-year course. AP Calculus BC will be offered in addition to the existing AP Calculus AB course, part of a continuing effort to broaden the range of math options for students.

Finally, from the History Department, Ari Preuss is back by popular demand, teaching a class entitled Arab Culture: Syria, Islam that will be offered to juniors and seniors. The class will likely include an intersession trip to Syria hosted by 1995 SSFS graduate Imad al-Fadel.

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Greening the Campus, One Garden at a Time Garden Committee Vision Statement Our vision is to create a garden that will supply the community with the majority of its fresh seasonal produce and involve students in a way that is integrated with the school’s Josie Johnson '01 and Shawn Connell '01, who will be overseeing the SSFS production garden starting December 2011.

With spring in full swing here at SSFS, it’s hard to imagine things getting even greener on our campus, but “green” initiatives have been popping up as fast as the flowers. Last spring, the community came together in honor of Ken and Jan Smith’s last year at SSFS to create the Ken and Jan Smith Sustainability Fund. The seeds that were planted then are starting to bear fruit now, as the fund is supporting many environmental and educational initiatives on campus.

The All-School Gardening Committee, in particular, has been very busy this past year. The committee is co-clerked

by Robert True (Director of Facilities here at SSFS and founder/owner of his own organic farm, Blueberry Gardens) and alumni parent Denise Sharp (owner of Waterford Farm in Howard County), and includes many other members of the SSFS community with an interest in and knowledge about growing food in a sustainable way: alumni, alumni parents, cur22

rent parents, current and past faculty and staff, and Head of School Tom Gibian. Together, the committee crafted a vision statement (see sidebar, right) that emphasizes the educational, environmental, social, and health benefits of school gardens.

With this in mind, SSFS plans to dedicate various plots throughout the campus to growing food, including one 2½- acre plot that will be used as a production garden, to be overseen by alumni Josie Johnson '01 and Shawn Connell '01 starting in December 2011.

Josie and Shawn, who are also members of the Gardening Committee, started Truffula Seed Produce in 2009 on land that Josie's parents own in Carroll County, Maryland. There their goals have been to grow

curriculum. We will achieve this vision through the implementation of sustainable farming practices, the dedication of numerous volunteers and the expert gardener, and the distribution of produce to our kitchen and to other community partners. The garden will foster a social atmosphere that will build community, encourage interaction of diverse groups, and support the sustainable use and preservation of the Sandy Spring Friends School property. The educational gardens will be where students and faculty work and learn together, develop a passion for food and its production, and a deep understanding of the ways food and food production affect their health and the health of the world we live in.

SSFS Community News

fresh produce in an environmentally friendly way (without the use of pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers), and to connect their community to the food that they have been growing. They are looking forward to the opportunity to share their knowledge and passion here at SSFS. "Growing food here on campus helps ensure that we have access to fresh and nutritious produce all season long," says Shawn, "but it also challenges each of us to think more about how our consumption choices affect our own body, the surrounding community, and the world at large."

Josie adds: "We're excited that the school has committed to growing much more of its own food, and we are grateful that they have asked us to be a part of this effort. We could not be happier to be returning to this community that we love so much."

Robert True and Denise Sharp will be supervising the cultivation and tilling of the ground and testing of soil, so that the ground is fully prepared when Josie and Shawn join us. Produce from the garden will be used in our own kitchen, and could potentially be available for purchase from other schools, farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s markets, and SSFS families, as well.

Meanwhile, on the curriculum front, Toni Evans and Trish Cope, Middle School Science teachers, have been establishing an education garden Spring 2011

Middle School Science teacher Trish Cope and members of the MS Gardening Committee with their handmade raised garden beds, and the plants that they grew from seeds. near the greenhouse outside the science center. The goals of this garden, which is intended to be a long-term and sustainable hands-on experiential project, are to teach students where their food comes from; instill healthy eating habits; connect classroom plant science concepts to real world experience; teach practical garden skills; and strengthen the sense of community in our school and beyond.

Toni and Trish have already incorporated the garden into their curriculum: 8th graders recently dissected flowers in their unit on reproduction to understand reproduction in angiosperms; they studied plant-pollinator relationships, and imbibed seeds in glass beakers to view the germination process and collect data on germination rates.

Working with the MS Gardening Committee, they planted seeds in flats in the greenhouse and then transferred them to the garden beds.

As part of the spring nutrition unit, the students are doing research on the history of cultivation of the plants they are growing, along with how

best to plant, grow, and harvest them, their nutritional value, and cultural significance. They will make a display of their research and then prepare a healthy dish with that plant as a key ingredient for sampling by the Lower School.

The MS Gardening Committee has also been busy researching potential plants to grow, making a design for the ten 4â&#x20AC;&#x2122; by 8â&#x20AC;&#x2122; raised beds, and building the gardens themselves. Next fall, the produce will once again be used by the Middle School cooking elective.

The Ken and Jan Smith Fund for Green Initiatives stated as its mission last spring that it hoped "to support green initiatives including sustainable agriculture, energy conservation, forest preservation, alternative energy, and recycling initiatives. The first priority will be to expand the facilities for the Community Garden and to educate students about the environmental benefits of growing and eating healthy local food." It is exciting to see these initiatives coming to life!

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SSFS Alumni Pursuing Careers in the Arts

By Mary Mazzuca, Director of Alumni Affairs

Diane Wechsler Philips ’77 - Photographer

Diane Wechsler Philips '77, far right, with SSFS alums Stacey Lescht '88 (left) and Tina Grady '80 (center).

Diane Wechsler Philips ’77 has long been involved with photography and design, as an adjunct to her film work and adventure travel business and volunteer positions. However, as people started asking her if she were a professional photographer, she realized she had a great opportunity to start her own business that would work with her family lifestyle. “Being a mom is my first priority, but I love taking pictures of people,” says Philips.

Diane, a Chevy Chase, Maryland, native and owner of Codeedog Design in San Francisco, specializes in portrait photography of children and has expanded into adult and family portraits as well. Her first photo shoot was at SSFS (her model was Katherine Booz ’77) and it went so well, it prompted her to later go on to train in photojournalism at Corcoran College of Art and 24

Design in Washington, DC, after she graduated from the University of Denver.

Later, she received her master’s degree in film from American University.

Quaker education and her time at SSFS hold a special place in Diane’s heart. “I remember having Meeting for Worship outdoors—it was such a special time to spend in nature.” She also remembers sharing for the first time in Meeting for Worship. “I was afraid of public speaking, so it meant a great deal to me to share something during Meeting.”

Her love of nature has continued and is one of her favorite backdrops for photographing her subjects. “I love capturing memories for people in a natural setting.”

Diane Philips says that she loves "capturing memories for people in a natural setting."

With her own business, Diane is able to set her hours and stay active in the life of her children, Mason and Rebecca, and their school, San Francisco Friends School (SFFS). Mason is a member of the first class of SFFS and has attended the school since its founding year. “From the moment I heard that a Friends school was starting in San Francisco, there was no doubt in my mind where I wanted my son to go.

When we applied to the school, there wasn't even a building nor teachers; that's how strong my faith was in the value of a Quaker education. I grew up on the philosophy that the most important thing you can give your children is a great education. I could not imagine a more nurturing environment for my son Mason and wanted him to experience what I had been given at SSFS.” SSFS Community News

Jon Mort ’02 - Visual Artist and Designer

Jon Mort with his pieces from his Mythology series. was active in the SSFS arts community, designing sets for the Community Play.

“Bruce Evans really allowed me to think big, and I never felt restricted Jon Mort ’02 has been an artist for as long as he can remember. “It’s always been intrinsic in everything I do,” he says. During his time at Sandy Spring Friends School, Mort reflects that he “took every art class” he could and

in what I could do with the sets.”

It was this encouragement that has helped Mort, son of artist Greg Mort, create art that is a form of communication. “I am a storyteller and I like my pieces to convey a message and inspire conversation.”

A graduate of Franklin and Marshall (B.A.) and Rhode Island School of Design (M.Arch.), Mort has enjoyed launching his artistic career and has already shown with galleries and with museums around the country. “I’m working on a whole range of pieces right now, and looking forward to August when I have an open studio in Maine.”

He is engaged to be married this September to his fiancé, Par. They plan to live locally and would “definitely have their kids come to Sandy Spring Friends School.”

To learn more about Jon’s work, please visit his Web site at www.jonmort.com

Jay Nubile ’82 - Documentary Filmmaker and Photographer an education centered around nonviolence and a sense of community.“

When Jay Nubile ’82 moved from New York to the D.C. area in 1980, he and his family knew public school just wasn’t working for him. A friend told him about Sandy Spring Friends School, and Jay was excited when he found out they had photography.

Spring 2011

This belief system has stayed with Jay throughout his life and is central to his work. Now a docu< Jay Nubile (standing fourth from left) leading mentary filmmaker a photo workshop in Damascus, Syria. Above, photo of elderly woman, Tbilisi, Georgia. and photographer at “Fly On The Wall “I went to visit, and everyone was Productions,” a company he founded so welcoming and introduced themin 1997 with business partner Joe selves,” says Nubile. As he became Fox, his work focuses on social justice part of the SSFS community, he beand “films for the do-gooders of the came intrigued by Quaker testimonies. world.”

“I wasn’t familiar with Quakerism before, but I loved the idea of having Continued next page...

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SSFS Alumni Pursuing Careers in the Arts (cont.)

Michael Garin '72, Musician and Performer

“I’m in the happy business and that ain’t a bad deal,” says Michael Garin ’72. Garin, a well-known musician performing in some of the most famous of NYC venues (including The Monkey Bar, The Rainbow Room, Café Feenjon, the VIP Room at Limelight, and, currently, Elaine's) has found success in something he loves to do and something that brings joy to others. “Music has a healing effect on the psyche, and I feel like I do something that makes the world around me better.”

Garin knows Sandy Spring Friends School played a crucial role in his success. “Sandy Spring is a place where intellectual curiosity is cool. It’s a place where you can try things and it is okay if they don’t always work,” says Garin. However, he does see one area where his SSFS education let him down. “I would probably be more famous if I could be mean and cutthroat, but my Quaker education won’t let me,” he laughs.

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Not being callous has definitely not stopped his work from grabbing headlines lately.

News outlets from the New York Post to CNBC have been talking about Michael’s latest upcoming musical, John Goldfarb, Please Come Home, costarring former CIA head James Woolsey, portraying the head of the CIA. “We met at a party and talked about what I did for a living. I sang a song for him and he sang, 'Dixie Chicken' for me. After that, I wanted him for the show,” says Garin. In addition to his work on John Goldfarb, Please Come Home, he is also writing the music and lyrics for the upcoming Broadway rendition of Sleepless in Seattle.

Collaborating with his partner in work and life, Mardie Millit, Garin enjoys a wonderful life with her “performing and living.” He also enjoys spending time with his two wonderful sons: Bobby, 21, who just finished active duty in the Israeli Defense Force, and Ari, 18, who is graduating from high school and interning with CBS. Coming from a family whose careers focus on the betterment of those around him, he knows his profession is a true example of letting your life speak.

Jay Nubile, Filmmaker, continued from page 25 His work has been featured in numerous national and international publications, including The New York Times Magazine, Time, and Newsweek. In recent years, he has lived in and traveled to the Middle East, the former Soviet Union, Central Asia, Bosnia, Rwanda, Northern Ireland, and Southeast Asia. He has also covered various domestic stories on the social issues of the day.

He is proud of the impact his work makes in society. “In 1991, we did a project on the selling of children in Romania. It woke people up to the realization that the situation was wrong – and it was shut down for a while.”

His last film, “Passing Poston,” just finished a one-year run on PBS. His current film, “Question 1,” is a documentary on the same-sex marriage referendum in Maine. “It was an exciting piece to work on because we were embedded with both sides of the issue and were able to capture how they ran their strategies and campaigns.”

These days, as Nubile adds the role of father to 2 ½ year old Alex to his great list of accomplishments, he often reflects on his days at SSFS. “From the first day I visited, I knew I was home.”

SSFS Community News

Alumni Notes

alumni notes...

1963

1971

Jennifer Wolfe writes in from Alberta, Canada and sends photos of her with new dairy goat kids.

Michael DeHart serves on the SSFS Board of Trustees as Clerk of the Trustees Committee and works for Community Connections, a community mental health non-profit in Eastern Market in Southeast D.C. His current role is coordinator of a program called Veteran Connections, which provides supportive housing services and subsidies to 22 homeless, mentally ill veterans. His son Jonathan, 19, is a music education student at Northern Virginia Community College. Jonathan works as a counselor at the JCC afterschool program in Annandale. Michael can’t wait for the SSFS 50th Anniversary festivities and the opportunity to see many old friends. He writes that it “does make him nervous that his 40th reunion is this year and that 60 is perilously close.” He believes he has found the love of his life and finds spending time with her to be satisfying, energizing and sweet.

1966

Alumni notes are compiled

by Mary Mazzuca, Director of Alumni Affairs

Alumni Notes are just a snapshot of what’s happening with your fellow alums!

For more updates from alumni written in their own words, log in to our Web site: http://alumni.ssfs.org.

If you have a milestone in your life, please send in photos! We want to share special moments.

Anne Richardson Gould sent in that her son Reid is expecting twins in March 2011. Her son Sam is serving in the air wing of the U.S. Marine Corp.

1968 Katie Walsh and her husband Dave are hosting a 16 year-old boy from Thailand this year. Her parents, the Kinney’s, are enjoying being honorary grandparents.

1970 Kris Stroad Moore will be moving to Baku, Azerbaijian, after living in Beirut for four years. Her husband, Tom, will be working at the International School of Azerbaijian. She writes that the climate is similar to D.C. and fellow Springers are welcome to stop by.

Henry Winokur was featured in Motorcyle Times magazine for his work organizing the “Baltimore-Washington Ride for Kids” for the past 12 years.

1972 Sarah Schneiderman and her partner, Deborah Tuhtill, are getting married in Connecticut on November 6th. This will be the fifth time they are exchanging vows with one another.

Sandy Spring Friends School reserves the right to edit Alumni Note submissions. Editors strive to ensure the content of the edited submission retains the key points of the original message. Alumni Notes are submitted to Sandy Spring Friends School from various sources. While Sandy Spring Friends School strives to ensure the accuracy of Alumni Notes, the School is not liable for false or incorrect submissions.

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Alumni Notes 1975 Mark Larson was inducted into the Washington State Lacrosse Hall of Fame on October 23, 2010. He writes, “Ari is responsible for getting me started in the game.”

1976 John Fogarty writes that his oldest son, Jake, is a freshman at Guilford College.

Elaine Ellis McGinn lives in Scottsdale, AZ, with her family. She works at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix as the Director of Planning and Exhibits. Last year, she received a fellowship from the Virginia Piper Trust to travel and study garden design in Italy, Spain, and the U.S. Leah Reynolds writes that she and her daughter, Miranda, are doing well in Philadelphia, PA. Miranda will be starting high school next year at the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts. Leah is getting ready for her May exhibition titled “Bee Life” at the Nexus Gallery (www. nexusphiladelphia.org)

Toure Clark performs for the troops.

1977 Toure J. Clark writes to say, "I am doing fine at Echo Company 3-60th INF REGT. This the home of the 'River Raiders,' and Uncle Jamm/SSG Clark U.S ARMY Roller Skater. I am working on putting together some performances for Fort Jackson Community and Columbia, SC.

1978 Christopher Walsh climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in celebration of his birthday.

Janet Westervelt is excited to announce that her son, Evan, is graduating in June from Sandy Spring Friends School. Janet is living in the north Georgia mountains, teaching and administrating in the Montessori Education field. She writes, “I am so thankful than my son has had the same excellent opportunities that I was exposed to over 30 years ago! Thanks SSFS!”

1980 Kari Engen continues to help the children of Guatamala through the non-profit she created and directs, “Mi Refugio” (www.mirefugio.org).

1986 Steve Ross remarried on October 9, 2010 on Fenwick Island, DE. He has expanded his family to five—his daughter, Kate ’13, his wife, Aida, and her two children, Barbara (11) and Matthias (5).

Leah Reynolds' exhibition, "Bee Life" 28

Christopher Walsh at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro

Geoff Smith is a professor of biology at Denison University in Granville, OH. He occupies the endowed Chisolm Chair in the Natural Sciences. Geoff was the editor of the Journal of Herpatology from 2007-2010 and coauthored the

Steve Ross at his wedding in Fenwick Isl. book Amphibians and Reptiles of Nebraska. He is married to Jessica Rettig, also a biology professor at Denison, and they have two children, Wesley (12) and Logan (10).

Abigail Wurf retired from her career as a dancer and choreographer and has begun coaching adolescents and adults with ADHD. She helps them create structure in their lives and increase their executive functioning skills. Abigail also works with individuals who are in chronic pain or ill and need help developing better lifestyles. She writes that she finds both “branches” of her coaching challenging and rewarding each day.

1993 Clay Harrington is back from three and half years in Chile working as a director of an international exchange student program. He has a 10 monthold son, Sebastian.

1994 Rebecca London is enjoying life in Connecticut with her 5 year-old daughter, 2 year-old son, and loving husband.

SSFS Community News

1995 Emre Sahin owns the production company, Karga 7 Pictures. He has created and directed History Channel's long running series Cities of the Underworld, as well as other History Channel and Discovery Channel productions.

1997 Carrie Helmold moved back to the D.C. area in 2009 after living in Boston for seven years. She recently accepted a position at the State Department and she bought her first house a year ago.

She lives with her cat Chloe and up the street from her horse, Charlie, in Germantown.

1998 Erin Fox writes “all is well here in Vegas!” Her daughter, Emma, is turning 5 and her daughter, Cari, will be 2 in July. Erin works at a local popcorn store called, “Popcorn Girl,” which was recently featured on Food Network.

She has also teamed up with “Move Mutt” (movemutt.org) to help them with fundraising and also to train their family dog.

Lisa Challberg '01, Lauren Bland '01, and Laura Miller '01. has adopted the spiritual name of Mata Amrita Kaur.

Lina Khouri got engaged to Scott Bush this past December. The couple met in 2003 while studying at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. They now reside in northern New Jersey. Lina works in corporate communications and Scott is an HR benefits consultant.

A Spring 2012 wedding is planned.

Gavin Maguire writes that he “is about to begin the next iteration” of his Army professional training; the Military Police Captain's Career Course.

2003 Michael McElroy lives in West Philadelphia and runs the education department for Theatre Horizon. He also works as a part-time actor. This summer, Michael will be the Philadelphia Phillies “Phanstormer.”

2001

2004

Lauren Beryl Bland is doing well and working in the field of finance. She also wrote about her fellow classmates. Lauren writes, “Lisa Challberg is graduating from Virginia Tech this spring with an advanced degree in Veterinary Medicine. Laura Miller recently started a new job at the Merrifield Garden Center.”

Caroline Mellinger married Hunter Wilfore on September 7, 2010, in the Outer Banks, NC. The couple live in Virginia Beach, VA.

2002 Margaret Boss Boquet lives in Reston, VA, and works at a doggie daycare.

She recently completed Reiki and is spending the year taking Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training, Level 1. She

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Melissa Schick’s directorial debut was in January 2011. She directed William Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale at the DeLaski Theatre at Sitar Art Center in Washington, DC.

2006 Kristen May graduated from Wesleyan University in May and moved to the West Coast. She lives in the San Jacinto Mountains of southern California. Kristen teaches outdoor and environmental

SSFS alum Zach Miller '04, Chris Shank '04, Julia Wilson '04, Carrie Wilfore Mellinger, '04, Rusty Mellinger '01, and Amaya Henry '03 in attendance at Caroline Mellinger's wedding. education, including ecology classes, survival skills, rock climbing and canoeing, to 5th and 6th graders in Riverside County.

2007 This May, Daniel Dausman will be graduating from St. John's College, Annapolis, with a B.A. in Liberal Arts.

His Senior Essay was entitled, "An Investigation into the Supposed Conflict between Non-Euclidean Geometry and the Doctrine of the Transcendental Ideality of Space."

Diane Feuillet and Raisa Stebbins are both seniors at Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA. Diane is considering graduate school in experimental astronomy.

Joshua Toman will be studying abroad the spring semester of 2011 in a Japanese immersion program at University of Tokyo.

2009 Martha Pskowski is in her second year at Hampshire College. She studies political economy, critical theory and labor issues. She is a leader of the student food co-op, Mixed Nuts, and is also involved in the construction of a student greenhouse. Martha is planning a Summer of Solutions in the area, which trains youth in green economy.

Ray Shlaferman is thriving at McDaniel College, where she is majoring in psychology. She loves college and says that one of her favorite things about the school is that its campus and spirit remind her of SSFS. 29

Evan Armstrong North November 23, 1982 – April 4, 2011 SSFS Class of 2001

by Vickie Garner

Evan North as the lead in the 2007 SSFS Community Play, Ibsen's "An Enemy of the People."

In “The Road To Kyoto,” winner of the 1999 Sophomore Myth Award Evan North created a tale of spiritual enlightenment, romantic love and political intrigue set amid major events of World War II. In an early scene set in a Japanese temple, U.S. Naval Commander Arthur Hamilton sits across from his friend Hayakawa-san and asks the wise monk, “How do you define Zen?” Hayakawa responds with the wisdom of Lao-tzu. “The master does his job and then stops. He understands that the universe is forever out of control, and that trying to dominate events goes against the current of the Tao. Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt.

Chase after money and power and your heart will never unclench. Care about people’s approval and you will be their prisoner. Do your work, then step back – this is the only path to serenity.”

Evan North embraced this philosophy and engaged every moment of every day. He transferred to Sandy Spring Friends School in the Fall of 1998 as a sophomore. Immediately, he distinguished himself as an exceptional student, earning eight Honors grades over six semesters. Honors represent “singular work that not only exceeds highest expectation but also reveals deep and possibly new insight into the subject matter.” This is emblematic of every endeavor in Evan’s life. His essence revealed a fierce intellect, creative spirit, and discerning heart, yet he always made you feel as though you were the most important person in the world.

Evan graduated from Harvard University, again with honors, in 2005. In the midst of completing a Master’s degree in Global, International and Comparative Studies at Georgetown University, Evan found his way back to SSFS for the 2007 Community Play, portraying Dr. Thomas Stockmann in Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People. “Evan was so open and willing to get involved,” recalls Bruce Evans. Evan performed again on the Nate Garner Stage in 2009, this time as the South African anti-apartheid activist and martyr Stephen Biko in the Faculty Lecture Series “In Good Company.” Only Evan North, a tall, lanky, white boy from California and Maryland, could pull off playing a passionate, angry, black man. And he did it with his voice. Yes, that voice. Upon hearing and seeing Evan’s junior year video project about poverty in D.C., an NPR executive, judging the 2000 Friends School Film Festival in NY, exclaimed, “If I could, I would hire you as an NPR 'voice' today!”

A week before graduating from SSFS, Evan received the Lee Stern Peace Award, given in memory of a man who worked for peace and a better world all of his life.

Amid his 2001 yearbook farewells and thank-you’s, Evan honored his teachers, coaches, and mentors at SSFS. “You have changed the way I think about the world. This school has become an essential part of me…it has changed the course of my life.” That may be true, Evan, but it is you who have “Let Your Life Speak,” and we are all the better for knowing you.

The Sandy Spring Friends School community sends its deepest condolences to Evan’s family, especially his mother, Diane, who gave so much of herself to the School. A Quaker memorial service celebrating Evan’s life is being planned.

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SSFS Community News

Young Alumni Luncheon Young alumni gathered for the 4th Annual Young Alumni Luncheon on Wednesday, January 5th.

Members of the Class of 2011 were special guests.

Alumni & Parent British Lit Class with David Kahn Want to relive your high school days? Have a love for literature? David Kahn will be indulging parents, alumni and alumni parents with the opportunity to become a student again with an evening British literature class structured to parallel the class students are taking during the day. Class will be held weekly from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. from September 2011 through January 2012 (more details will be shared closer to the start date of class). Space is limited and preference will be given to those parents who have children currently enrolled in regular British Literature class. If you would like to register, please contact David Kahn at david.kahn@ssfs.org.

SSFS Alumni Meet Up With Spain Intersession

by Eduardo Pol贸n, US Spanish teacher, French & Spanish Language Department Head Upper School Spanish teacher David Jones "DJ" (a SSFS alum himself from '04) and I had the pleasure of reuniting with a few SSFS alums in Europe while on intersession in Barcelona, Spain. On our second day in Spain, we were delighted to have Michael Davis ('05), as well as Aaron Lewis ('08) and his girlfriend Kelsey, visiting him from St. Mary's College of Maryland for her Spring Break, join us for tapas. Michael, the eldest of the Davis-Tran trio, was on the tail end of a 6-month cooking internship in Valencia, Spain. He flew up for the day, just to reunite! Aaron, a junior at St. Mary's College of Maryland, is thoroughly enjoying this semester studying abroad in Barcelona. Later that day, Michael accompanied our group on a private tour of Antoni Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia church. The following day, Aaron and Kelsey joined us for our day trip to the pristine monastery atop Montserrat. On our final night in Spain, the vacationing brother and sister duo of Monica ('05) and Andrew ('08) Stowe, joined our group for a lovely dinner on the Mediterranean under a full moon. As you might imagine, it was remarkable and gratifying for me to connect with five wonderful alums (including DJ) in this exotic locale!

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Alumni Notes

Alumni Get-Togethers Alumni from around the country came out to meet new Head of School, Tom Gibian. This year regional events were held in New York (11/4), Philadelphia (11/10), Boston (11/18), Seattle (3/15), San Francisco (3/16) and right here in Washington, D.C. (4/5).

A special thanks to the alumni who helped plan, organize and host these events: Tom Bernard ’66 and Liza Jane Bernard ’68 (Philadelphia) Erica Fletcher ’92 (Boston) Louise Tate Hood ’75 (New York) Cary Leahey ’70 (New York) Gail Hofheimer Marell ’68 (San Francisco) Chris Miller ’80 (Boston) Jared Rager ’91 (Washington, D.C.) Alicea Rieger ’89 (Seattle) Katy Rugg ’88 (Boston) Charlie Spiegel ’76 (San Francisco) Martha Flach Wilkie ’83 (New York)

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SSFS Community News

From the Archives Below are photos from the archives from past art events at SSFS. Please email school archivist Dave Burgevin at dave.burgevin@ssfs.org if you can identify these Springers. Also be sure to take part in the "Name That Alumnus" archive event at this year's Alumni Weekend!

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