SUFFIELD [2014 Spring/Summer] by Suffield Academy

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Suffield Academy 185 North Main Street Suffield, CT 06078

SAVE THE DATE! OCTOBER 10-12, 2014 www.suffieldacademy.org/reunion

SPRI NG/SUMMER 2014

2014 REUNION

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www.suffieldacademy.org / bookstore MANAGING EDITOR Maeve Ryan CREATIVE DIRECTOR Tobye Cook Seck ’88, P’16 ART DIRECTOR / PHOTOGRAPHER Hillary Rockwell Cahn ’88, P’18 EDITORIAL STAFF Charlie Cahn P’18, Hillary Rockwell Cahn ’88, P’18 Linda Colo, Tobye Cook Seck ’88, P’16, Kris Halpin, Alison Vigneau PHOTO CONTRIBUTORS Hillary Rockwell Cahn ’88, P’18, Tobye Cook Seck ’88, P’16, Todd Gates ’88, Paul Grimmeisen ’59, Highpoint Pictures, Bobby Hoyt ’87, John Marinelli, Nick Oleksak ’02, Mike Russo ’86, Jay Sullivan, Alison Vigneau CONTRIBUTORS Charlie Cahn P’18, Lisa Deni ’79, Anthony Deni ’15, Tom Dugan, Thomas Foote, Todd Gates ’88, Thomas C. Greene ’87, Kristin Hostetter Pandit ’86, Bobby Hoyt ’87, Shivang Jhunjhnuwala ’14, Harry Melendez III ’07, Betsy McComb P’04, ’06, Walter Moore P’09, ’14, Nick Oleksak ’02, Samantha Peterson Lynch ’98, Phil Riegel ’87, Maeve Ryan, Mike Russo ’86, Ann Selvitelli, Denny Smythe ’14

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Daniel R. Tisch ’69, P’02, President | New York, New York Jackson W. Robinson ’60, Vice President | Boston, Massachusetts Frederic B. Powers III ’83, P’14, Secretary | Greenwich, Connecticut Charles Cahn III P’18, Headmaster | Suffield, Connecticut Susan W. Autuori P’06, ’08, ’10, ’13 | West Hartford, Connecticut Nancy A. Brooks ’87 | Boston, Massachusetts Cindy M. Burke P’13, ’15, ’17 | East Longmeadow, Massachusetts Dennis W. Chalke P’08, ’12 | Longmeadow, Massachusetts Andrew C. Chase | Deerfield, Massachusetts Kate O. Cleary ’88 | Cambridge, Massachusetts Michael J. Daly ’59, Trustee Emeritus | Longmeadow, Massachusetts George B. Daniels ’71 | New York, New York Andrew Fabricant P’14 | New York, New York Matthew P. Fine ’95 | New York, New York Samuel S. Fuller ’41, Trustee Emeritus GP’04, ’05, ’06, ’08, ’09 | Suffield, Connecticut Valisha Graves ’81 | Brooklyn, New York Matthew W. Greene | Wilton, Connecticut Walter Harrison | Hartford, Connecticut Kathy G. Hoffman P’13 | Avon, Connecticut Christopher M. Houlihan P’05 | New York, New York Christopher T. Jensen P’07, ’09, ’11 | Riverside, Connecticut Kenneth H. Landis P’16 | New York, New York Karen L. McDonald P’12 | New York, New York Jeffrey K. McElnea ’67, P’12 | New York, New York Patricia Q. Moore P’09, ’14 | McLean, Virginia Tracy Orr O’Keefe ’85 | Westfield, New Jersey

SUFFIELD is published by the Marketing and Communications Department of Suffield Academy for alumni, parents, and friends of the school. All publications rights reserved. Contents may be reproduced or reprinted only by permission of the editor. Opinions expressed do not reflect the official position of Suffield Academy.

Steven R. Sheresky P’12 | Rye, New York Hope G. Smith P’12 | Locust Valley, New York John M. Tremaine ’66, Trustee Emeritus P’94, ’03 | New Canaan, Connecticut Suzy B. Vogler P’11 | Cornwallville, New York and San Francisco, California Jeffrey White ’65 | Westport, Connecticut Jacqueline R. Williams P’04, ’07, ’08 | New York, New York

COMMENTS May be addressed to Maeve Ryan mryan@suffieldacademy.org SUFFIELD is printed by Allied Printing Services, Inc. About Allied: FSC Certified, EPA Partnership & ISO 9001. The fundamental principle of Allied’s environmental policy is to minimize any negative impact to the environment, while conserving natural resources. Using educational and administrative controls, we continuously assess our processes and practices to identify areas for education in energy, waste, and emissions. www.suffieldacademy.org

MISSION Suffield Academy is a coeducational, independent secondary school serving a diverse community of boarding and day students. Our school has a tradition of academic excellence combined with a strong work ethic. A commitment to scholarship and a respect for individual differences guide our teaching and curriculum. We engender among our students a sense of responsibility, and they are challenged to grow in a structured and nurturing environment. The entire academic, athletic, and extracurricular experience prepares our students for a lifetime of learning, leadership, and active citizenship. NON-DISCRIMINATION Suffield Academy does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship, physical attributes, disability, age, or sexual orientation. We administer our admissions, financial aid, educational, athletic, extracurricular, and other policies so that each student is equally accorded all the rights, privileges, programs, and facilities made available by the school.

SUFFIELD SPRING / SUMMER 2014 FEATURES 15 2014 Commencement Suffield celebrates its 181st graduation. 26 Alums in Health and Wellness A look at three alums doing creative work in health-related fields. 36 Dish Crew A celebration of a beloved Suffield tradition.

CAMPUS NEWS 2 Headmaster’s Column 4 Master Plan Update 7 Board of Trustees 22 Chapel 24 Leadership Projects 30 2014 Parents’ Association Auction 43 A Career Milestone 48 Performing Arts 51 Spring Athletics PROFILES 34 Alumni: Nick Oleksak ’02 46 Alumni: Mike Russo ’86 57 Legacy: The Deni Family / Lisa ’79 and Anthony ’15 58 Class Agent: Paul Grimmeisen ’59 59 Alums in the News CLASS NOTES 60 Alums from the classes of 1942-2014 tell us what they have been doing.

HEADMASTER’S COLUMN CHARLES CAHN III

IN THIS ISSUE OF SUFFIELD YOU WILL SEE A PIECE ABOUT OUR STUDENT-LED DISH CREW, A BELOVED WORK PROGRAM ROLE IN OUR KITCHEN. I HEAR VIVID RECOLLECTIONS OF DISH CREW FROM ALUMNI AROUND THE WORLD, ESPECIALLY ABOUT THE CAMARADERIE OF THE EXPERIENCE. You will also see construction is underway on a major expansion and renovation of Brewster Hall, home of our dining room, kitchen, and Student Union. This gorgeous building opened in 1960, and timeless architectural features will be carefully preserved. These two topics symbolize an important issue in leading Suffield—sustaining the traditions we know work well while appropriately evolving. An organization like ours has currents trying to pull it in different directions all the time. There is a constant balancing act between tradition and change, between embracing our core values and responding sensibly to new forces and realities. Moments in the dining room play an important role in the Suffield experience, and Brewster does not currently have enough space for all of our students and faculty to dine together. It was built when our enrollment was much smaller. Each day, just after noon, we stop our activities for this gathering. Seating is assigned and randomly changed biweekly. It is an exercise in community and we love it.

Charlie Cahn P’18 and Hillary Rockwell Cahn ’88, P’18 with Suffield trustees Sam Fuller ’41 and Dan Tisch ’69, P’02

The expansion is a challenging construction effort given Brewster’s location in the center of campus. But 15 months from now we will have a new building that meets program needs and also thoughtfully connects our academic and residential quadrangles with a central walkway.

Like the other major building projects we have raised funds for over the past decade—including Tisch Field House, Hoffman College Counseling Center, Rockwell Hall, the Guttag Music and Williams Performing Arts Centers, and Holcomb Science—the Brewster expansion is directly tied to Suffield’s mission and core goals. It is about enhancing but not changing what we have done for nearly two centuries. This spring I have thought more than usual about Suffield’s essence, as I complete a decade in this role of headmaster. I have learned so much about our community, about leadership, and about myself. One of the most essential aspects has been the importance of the headmaster’s consistently articulating the school’s central philosophy and value position, which must be unwavering. Clarity drives decision-making. Our core philosophy of combining challenge and encouragement moves from the Board of Trustees to the headmaster to the administrative leadership, faculty and staff, students and parents. It infuses the community. I have seen the essential role of admissions in shaping and enhancing a school, and how exciting fundraising can be when the leap is made to seeing it as seeking support for a vision, not just asking for money. I have learned the vital importance of a strong Board of Trustees. Suffield has been so fortunate during the past decade to have talented, dedicated people in the governance positions, and that Dan Tisch and Don Opatrny have been fantastic Board presidents. Each day I am reminded that skillful, dedicated faculty members rest at the heart of the school, student pride and spirit elevate the quality of our community, attention to the physical plant pays major dividends, and a defined but not overly rigid disciplinary philosophy works best. Most of all, I have learned two fundamental leadership lessons: 1. Good luck is vital. It is most often the result of dedication and hard work, but luck is a key ingredient in leadership success. 2. Always striving to be better—as people and as a school—is a great source of motivation. As William Faulkner wrote, “Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” A deep commitment to our core philosophy, students who love the school, some good luck, and the immense generosity of the Suffield Academy community have helped us grow in significant ways over the past 10 years. Moving forward, our campus will be enhanced by the new Brewster Hall and the subsequent projects outlined in our master plan. Yet I strongly suspect and hope Suffield’s essence— an academically demanding school that is nurturing and encouraging—will remain unaltered.

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SNAPSHOTS OF A DECADE

Suffieldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Leaders

Three Headmasters

Advisor Lunches

Tisch Field House Groundbreaking

Arts Studio

Omelet Nights

Dorm Dedication

Leadership Program

Norway Scholarships

A Few Suffield Legends Spring / Summer 2014

MASTER PLAN UPDATE CONSTRUCTION OF A MAJOR EXPANSION AND RENOVATION OF ICONIC BREWSTER HALL IS UNDERWAY. ORIGINALLY BUILT IN 1960, BREWSTER NEEDS ADDITIONAL SPACE TO BEST MEET THE NEEDS OF SUFFIELD’S 410 STUDENT ENROLLMENT. The building will grow from 27,000 to 40,000 square feet with the addition placed on Stiles Lane. A new perimeter road opened behind the Kotchen Residential Quadrangle in 2013, removing vehicle traffic from the heart of campus. This provided the ideal space for the Brewster expansion and the opportunity to convert Stiles into a central campus walkway. Brewster Hall will have an expanded dining room that can effectively fit the entire student body and faculty. A new kitchen will be in the upstairs part of the addition, and there will be a separate food servery area. The student union will be enhanced on the ground floor with an extensive snack bar, various social

areas, better office space for student life faculty members, and a day student locker room. Large windows along the west exterior of the building will allow for expansive campus views. Headmaster Charlie Cahn said, “We are all excited about this project and grateful to the many donors that have helped make it possible. This new building and the Stiles walkway will positively impact everyone on campus. The dining room and student union are important places in supporting Suffield’s emphasis on community—especially our sit-down lunch. The new building will honor Brewster’s immense beauty and modernize it for the next era in Suffield’s history.”

OVERVIEW OF WALKWAY PLAN

BREWSTER VIEW FROM THE SOUTHWEST

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RENDERING OF STILES WALKWAY

CUPOLA RESTORATION Restoration of Fuller Hall’s cupola began on June 16 and will continue for three weeks. According to Director of Physical Plant Phil Cyr, the restoration has three components, including staging the cupola, stripping the old gold leaf, and applying the new gold leaf. In addition, the restoration company—The Gilders’ Studio—will be reglazing the cupola’s windows and Perry Cornelio with repaint the base of the structure. “It had been 15 or 20 years since the last restoration so it was time for a facelift,” said Phil. “These updates should last another 25 years.” Gilders’ Studio was founded by Michael Kramer. The company has an impressive resume of dome and cupola projects including the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., Faneuil Hall in Boston, Massachusetts, and the NY Life Insurance building in New York.

Spring / Summer 2014

Campus News

Admissions & Enrollment 2014-15 By Terry Breault, Director of Admissions & Financial Aid

As the 2014 school year ended with a dynamic senior class, we look forward to the new students who will be joining us in the fall. With more than 1,000 candidates for the 135 available spaces, this was Suffield’s most competitive year for admission. Next year’s students will come here from 17 states and 31 countries. The admissions committee was able to select candidates who are both academically strong and actively involved in extracurricular activities within their current schools and communities. Many participate in student council, the National Honor Society, and the Math and Science Olympics. We have team captains and athletes in all sports who also referee and coach younger children. They play a wide variety of musical instruments, are involved in drama, and sing in school and church choirs and in rap groups. The visual arts are widely represented, and many students are also writers for hometown and school newspapers and school literary magazines, and have been involved with yearbook committees and book clubs. They have demonstrated achievement academically, athletically, and in the arts, and we look forward to nurturing their current interests and encouraging new activities. These young people not only come with a diversity of interests and talents but also with an overriding passion to help others. From being involved in Change Our World (C.O.W.) to founding a community service group in Cambodia, they want to help make their world a better place. They have served in a variety of organizations, including Best Buddies, Key Club, National Charity League, Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity, Lead America, UNESCO, UNICEF, Unified Theater and Sports. They have been in anti-bullying groups and mentor programs and served as peer mediators and tutors. Additionally, they come with a strong interest in the environment, evidenced by involvement in the many environmental groups in their schools and communities. These students will uphold the strengths of our returning students and graduates who have set a high bar for helping others and for participating in a wide range of activities in school, their home communities, and the world.

Spring Parents’ Weekend Hundreds of Suffield family members visited campus for Parents’ Weekend on April 25 and 26. Activities included class visits, meetings with student advisors, and an array of home athletic games. In addition, junior parents met with college counselors and parents of freshmen and sophomores took part in a discussion series led by Academic Dean Sara Yeager. The 15th Annual Parents’ Association Auction and Dinner was part of the weekend and is highlighted on page 30.

SUFFIELD

Campus News

Board of Trustees Update Matthew Fine ’95 Joins Suffield’s Board of Trustees “My time at Suffield was an incredible experience, but it was only in more recent years that I came to fully appreciate its significance to me,” said Matt Fine ’95 as he joined the Suffield board in May 2014. Matt is portfolio manager of the Third Avenue International Value Fund and a principal of Third Avenue Management. He joined Third Avenue in 2000 and began working with the firm’s international team in an effort to identify investment opportunities in the wake of the Argentine crisis of 2001. He has since been responsible for myriad investments in developed and emerging markets across North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. After graduating from Suffield in 1995, Matt earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Hamilton College. He is a CFA charterholder and a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts. Matt was born in Hartford and lives in Manhattan with his wife Laurel and their two children, Eleanor and John. He commented, “Prep school years are highly formative, and at Suffield I was fortunate to be surrounded by a group of faculty who expected more of me than I had expected of myself. It was genuinely a life-changing experience at a critical time. As I have grown more involved with Suffield of late, I have come to better understand the level of ambition and achievement that has grown within the school. I am thrilled to become part of that effort by joining Suffield’s Board of Trustees.”

Peter Van Ingen P’06 and Robin Graham P’11 Complete Board Service Peter Van Ingen and Robin Graham concluded their service as Suffield trustees at the May 2014 board meeting. Peter is senior executive vice president at Aon Group in New York. One of his daughters, Kelly, is a 2006 Suffield graduate. He remarked, “My years as a trustee at Suffield have been some of the most rewarding times of my life. The ‘feel-good’ experience that I’ve gotten dealing with the teachers and students puts everything else in my life in perspective. I will miss seeing all of the great people at Suffield.” Robin is chairman of James Graham & Sons, a gallery specializing in important paintings and sculpture, European 19th Century sculpture, contemporary art, and contemporary British pottery. Robin’s son, James, was in Suffield Class of 2011. Robin commented, “Serving on Suffield Academy’s Board of Trustees was particularly Robin Graham with Charlie and Hillary interesting to me because I joined in 2008 with a background of over 15 years as a trustee at my alma mater, Middlebury College. I was very curious to understand the differences and similarities between the operation of a moderate size New England liberal arts college and a prep school of similar description. Suffield had struck me almost immediately as a preparatory school version of the Middlebury I knew in the late 1980s and early 90s: a beautiful New England campus nestled against a charming old town; moderate size; dynamic, intelligent, risk-taking leadership; and impressively on the rise amongst its peers. But not yet as broadly known, or as well endowed as much of that peer group.”

Peter Van Ingen

He continued by noting, “My experience on the Suffield Board and my son’s excellent three years as a student (now a junior at Middlebury), confirmed my initial impression. Suffield Academy is a school dramatically on the move, with inspiring leadership, an outstanding Board of Trustees, administration, and faculty. There is a clear sense as to what the school is now, and what it aspires to be in the future. I am grateful to Dan Tisch, Charlie Cahn, and the trustees for inviting me to join them in their ambitious and impressive mission to move the school forward. I have been privileged to be along for the ride.”

Spring / Summer 2014

Alumni Leadership

AWARDS

On May 5, 2014, Suffield Academy held its 12th annual Alumni Leadership Awards Day, honoring Kristin Hostetter Pandit ’86 and Thomas C. Greene ’87. The Alumni Association created the program to honor Suffield graduates who have displayed notable leadership in their professional careers or in a humanitarian endeavor. The Alumni Leadership Award Selection Committee is comprised of alumni, students, and members of the faculty. This year’s committee members were Ed Kaplan ’77, David Rockwell ’58, Phil Riegel ’87, Harry Melendez III ’07, Nicholas Booth ’14, Colleen Flynn ’14, Slater Fuchs ’14, Andre Koo ’14, Alec Wasser ’14, and Donald Wheeler ’14. THOMAS C. GREENE ’87 A native of Worcester, Massachusetts, Tom earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Hobart College and his master’s degree in writing from the former Vermont College. In 2006, Tom was asked to lead one of the MFA programs at Vermont College. A few years later, when the college announced it was closing, Tom took it upon himself to save the three nationally acclaimed MFA programs by creating the Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA). In just two years, Tom was able to raise nearly $14 million, build a national board of trustees, and develop a strategic plan and infrastructure to direct and run VCFA. In 2008, Tom was named the founding president of VCFA, which received accreditation faster than any college in the 125-year history of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and became the first new college in Vermont in over 30 years. Tom is also the author of four novels: Mirror Lake (2003), I’ll Never Be Long Gone (2005), Envious Moon (2007), and The Headmaster’s Wife (2014). His novels have been translated into 11 languages and have a worldwide following. For more information, visit www.thomaschristophergreene.com KRISTIN HOSTETTER PANDIT ’86 An avid outdoors enthusiast, Kristin has always been fascinated by gear that helps make outdoor adventures possible. She began reading Backpacker magazine and decided that one day she would work for them. In 1990, Kristin earned her bachelor of arts in art history from Boston College and later moved to Chicago, Illinois, where she worked part-time at Erehwon Mountain Outfitters. Then in 1994, her dream came true. According to an interview with T.J. Fraser, Kristin says,

SUFFIELD

You get where you want to go because you fight for it. You dream it, and you take the steps methodically to make it happen. You have to stay true to what you’re passionate about—whether it’s cooking or flowers or sports or writing or anything. You have to find that and follow it. Suffield is such a great place to find that. There are so many different opportunities here and I encourage you to savor every minute of the gift that is Suffield. It is such a great gift to be able to be here at this amazing place. You should look at all the opportunities around you,

try everything, get involved in everything that you can get involved in, and then finally—whether it’s here at Suffield or in college or even after college—when you do find what it is that makes you tick, that’s when it’s time to just put your blinders on and absolutely go for it. Kristin H. Pandit ’86

“I set my sights on Backpacker and literally hounded them until they hired me. Persistence pays off!” As a long-time gear editor for the magazine, Kristin regularly tests and reviews outdoor gear for the 350,000 and counting subscribers. During the past decade, Kristin has published several books, including the Don’t Forget the Duct Tape series (2003-2007), Complete Guide to Outdoor Gear Maintenance and Repair: Step-by-Step Techniques to Maximize Performance and Save Money (2012), Ask Kristin: 150 Essential Tips & Tricks from Backpacker’s Gear Pro (2013), and The 10 Essentials of Outdoor Gear: What You Need to Stay Alive (2014). She currently has a 2,800-member Facebook page called “I want to go hiking with Kristin Hostetter” dedicated to her. Kristin is recognized as a trailblazer in the world of outdoor journalism, which has traditionally been considered a predominantly male field. For more information, visit www.backpacker.com.

We are failing you—not your visionary headmaster or your talented faculty or your committed staff who do amazing work—but the whole climate of what’s happening in education. The pressure we put on you to know what you should be right now, the pressure we put on you to figure out a career, the aggressive deemphasizing of the importance of liberal arts education in favor of a more vocational one. So I’ll say one thing to you: You have time. Study widely and broadly and some day it will appear to you what it is you love, what makes you happy. Follow it, be it, let it consume you. Work hard at it. Don’t worry about how you will get paid…that will take care of itself. Honestly, it will. Find what you love and don’t let go. Make other people happy through the gift of your labor. And when you do that, you will want to work hard and it will never ever feel like work. It will feel like love. Thomas C. Greene ’87

50th Night The Class of 2014 celebrated the annual 50th Night with a banquet dinner and short program of speakers. Faculty member and senior class coadvisor Tom Dugan started off the evening with a memorable speech, which included a surprise faculty flash mob. Student Council Vice President Sam Feldman ’14 recounted his memories over the past four years. He reminded seniors of the importance of their last days before graduation and challenged his fellow classmates to finish the remaining days on a positive note. Headmaster Charlie Cahn talked about the core values of the community and the importance of a solid moral foundation. To round out the night, faculty members Tom Gotwals and Chelsea Kane ’09 led the community as they sang the school’s alma mater, “To Fair Suffield.”

2014

baccalaureate

2014

baccalaureate

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baccalaureate

Tom Dugan Faculty member Tom Dugan spoke at the Baccalaureate service. He served as co-class advisor for the Class of 2014 along with Patrick Booth P’12, ’14. Tom is a graduate of Mercersburg Academy and Emerson College. He joined the Suffield faculty in 2008. Tom leads the drama program and teaches English. Prior to his time at Suffield, Tom worked at Mercersburg and in the entertainment industry. Below are excerpts from his talk.

Congratulations to the Suffield Academy Class of 2014, and to your parents, faculty, and friends. I’m honored to address you tonight. As one of your co-advisors, I’ve had the pleasure of watching you grow into an outstanding senior class. You have led Suffield Academy well. A sincere thank you. After Mr. Cahn and I agreed that I would speak at Baccalaureate, I started drafting ideas and thoughts right away. What was I going to say to this class? Where do I start? This was all in the midst of planning a prom, rehearsing the vocal concert, and working with some of you on your Kent-Davis speech. My mind was filled with fireworks, music, pacing, budgets, costumes, diction, and PROMA—a term I’ve been using frequently as I dealt with the DRAMA of prom. With so much going on during the past week, it was clear I needed to take a step back and refocus my thoughts onto the meaning of this night. I started thinking about what this night means. I thought about past Baccalaureate speeches and about the traditions of the evening. And then…I remembered something. Something horrifying…something that made me extremely uncomfortable. It happens on this night. Every year. And it will happen soon. Yes, I’m talking about that awkward moment when you decide if we are going to hug tonight…or just shake hands. One of the highlights of tonight is the faculty receiving line that commences after this ceremony. We, the faculty, line up on High Street and you, the students, have the opportunity to say goodbye to us. For some this is an emotional evening. There are tears and laughter and heartfelt moments. For others, it’s a moment to say thank you. But undoubtedly, you will have that moment with one of us standing in front of you, wondering do I go in for the hug…or not? I am not a hugger. Many of you know this to be true. I generally don’t hug. A few years ago, stage crew made me a t-shirt that said, “Hugs” with a big circle around it and a line through it. I joke that I give hugs twice a year…after Baccalaureate and on my anniversary. I have found that it is the polite thing to do. When something makes us uncomfortable, it is natural to try and avoid it. Like you, I attended a boarding school. I spent four years away from home in a structured environment. Like you, I can eat meals in 15 minutes or less. I never got a snow day. I needed my parents’ permission to come home. I lived in a boarding school bubble. I remember wanting to leave my senior year. I was ready for college. I found myself focusing on the negative aspects of my boarding school in order to make my departure easier for me. Yes, I was ready to go—but truthfully—I knew I was leaving someplace special. It was easier to think about what I didn’t enjoy rather than think about everything I was going to miss. While I was excited about college, I was sad to leave. I was scared of leaving this comfort zone. A place where everyone knew my name. A place where I essentially grew up. Putting myself into the negative state of mind worked on some level. I know some of you have been doing that as well these last few weeks. I can only assume this is why you have been slacking a bit on homework, pushing the limits in the dorms, or coming late to class. You love us so much that you need to push us away. We understand, and we forgive you. It is a natural tactic when you are getting ready to move on from a place that has meant something to you. But I would bet there have been a lot of positive experiences that you have pushed out of your mind. Stuff you are avoiding thinking about because it makes you uncomfortable. For you, it may be the thought of leaving. For me, it’s the upcoming hugs. But that is the easy way out. Here’s the challenge. Here is what I need you to do. Stay positive. Your experience at Suffield was different for each of you. Think about the positive aspects of Suffield. Think about the people you have met, the experiences you have had, and the opportunities you have taken. Don’t spend the last few hours being negative. Take this time to reflect on specific activities, classes, competitions, and people that will still have meaning to you long after you leave Suffield. What experience made this place special for you? Who has made your time at Suffield more memorable? Appreciate them. Thank them. Enjoy it. Enjoy each other. Hug it out. There is nothing to be afraid of.

Spring / Summer 2014

baccalaureate

Denny Smythe ’14 Dennison Smythe spoke on behalf of the Class of 2014 at Baccalaureate. Denny was a four-year member of the class and this year’s student council president. Her leadership touched many areas, including the arts, athletics, and residential life. She served as a dormitory proctor, tour guide leader, and member of the disciplinary committee. Prior to Suffield, Denny attended Dutchess Day School in Millbrook, New York. She will head to University of Virginia in the fall. Below are excerpts from her talk. I’ve cried a lot this year. I’ve cried about my last games, my last concerts, my last sit-down lunch, my last student council meeting. I didn’t cry at my last Saturday class (only teared up), but I even cried at my last first day of high school. I look at this class and I think of so many happy memories, sad memories, and some outrageous ones, too. We all had a first day at Suffield, we were all nervous, and we’ve all had our own individual ups and downs throughout our time here. The thing about high school is that it is meant to be a challenge, and it is not meant to be a time all of us look back on as fondly as others. Some Suffield Tigers wear their orange and black stripes proudly, and others acknowledge they are there, but they do not have the same passion…which is understandable. All of us are here for different reasons, and all of us got something out of this place that is completely individualized. We have slightly over 14 hours left together on this campus. Maybe half will come back to the five-year reunion. Looking around, I’m curious as to whom I will keep in touch with, and who will keep in touch with me. The great thing about Suffield—which I can really only appreciate now that I’m looking at all of you—is that when I look back on my senior year class picture, I will remember each and every one of you. I’ve shared at least one memorable moment with almost all of you, and these will be the memories I will cherish later in life. What is important now, however, are these final moments we all share together in these next few hours. At this point in our Suffield careers, no one is distinguished by a title, position, or even a mistake they might have made here. None of us are captains, no one is a proctor, and no one is a president. Our lunch tables and our leadership positions do not matter anymore. Currently, we are all simply the Class of 2014 and we’re in this final stretch together. Tomorrow the only prize that matters, as we drive away from this incredible place, will be the diploma we proudly hold in our hands. Tomorrow, after the graduation ceremony, we all share the same even playing field, and what we do next is what matters. We are ready for the next adventure to begin. I believe from the bottom of my heart that every single one of you sitting in front of me will miss this place. We have all had our doubts about Suffield on some days, but the lessons we have all learned and the people we have met, they all have Suffield in them and you can’t escape that, no matter how far across the globe you live or how much fun we all have in college. Suffield is not just a high school; it is our home. It is filled with so many people that care. Mr. Cahn reminded me yesterday that none of us will ever be in an environment again in our lives that has so many people at once that care so much about us. That is sad and depressing to hear, but it’s true. Suffield is a place that is missed by alums and teachers when they leave. You can try to prove me wrong, but I know that deep down you all know exactly what I am talking about.

181st Commencement

Shivang Jhunjhnuwala ’14 Shivang Jhunjhnuwala was selected by his classmates to speak at Commencement. Shivang was a four-year member of the Class of 2014. He is from Hong Kong and attended Fay School in Southborough, Massachusetts, prior to coming to Suffield. Shivang excelled as a student leader, serving as a dormitory proctor, Leadership Program teaching assistant, tour guide leader, member of the disciplinary committee, president of the International Students Association, and varsity athlete. He will enroll at University of Denver in the fall. Below are excerpts from his talk.

Good morning, faculty, guests, family, and, most importantly, the Class of 2014! To be honest, I was pretty surprised when I heard I was chosen to speak at this year’s Commencement. I knew that writing a speech was going to be an exciting process, but there were a few situations, including a meeting with Mr. Cahn, that were rather befuddling. He got me so confused, he had my head tied in a pretzel. However, he did buy me a smoothie afterwards to make up for it, so he’s pretty cool. After writing about 10 bad ideas, I finally realized what I would like to share with all of you here today. In my four years here at Suffield, I have gotten a good education. And about half of that education was outside the classroom. By this I mean learning how to deal with people, and how to construct relationships. When I first started boarding school eight years ago, I thought I would never fit in with anyone. I honestly thought people would judge me. Like, seriously, I was some little Indian kid from Hong Kong who didn’t play any sports and had no special talents. I thought I was going to be the biggest outcast. When I first came to Suffield, even though I had already been at junior boarding school for four years, I was both nervous and excited. I wasn’t a little kid anymore. I mean I was still on the smaller side, but I had matured. I was going to high school, and I had the opportunity to meet hundreds of new people. On my first day, I made it a priority to go up to kids in my dorm and introduce myself.

As the year progressed, I made a good group of friends but still didn’t know that many people well. And in addition to the easy relationships I made, I also had some challenging relationships. During my sophomore year, I joined Mrs. Warren’s advisory group. She had been a huge help to me my first year on campus, so it seemed like a good idea. What I didn’t think about at first was that I would be the only guy in the group. When I realized this, I was worried that I would be seen as an outsider, or as the person invading the girls’ activities. And, in fact, during “manipedi” outings, I felt like I had done just that. However, Mrs. Warren made sure that no matter what the occasion was, I always felt included and, most importantly, loved. What I learned from Mrs. Warren was how important it is to take in an outsider and make him feel like he is one of your own. During my junior year, I had the opportunity to work with Mrs. Selvitelli, or as we like to call her around campus, Selvi, in college counseling. In our first college meeting, she said, “Shivang, where do you want to go to college?” I said, with a big smile on my face, “I want to play squash at Harvard!” After she realized I was joking, she helped me sift through all the choices to find my dream school. She made me a realist in the best way possible. One thing I learned from Selvi was to always hope for the best but don’t always expect it, especially in something as unpredictable as the college process. Selvi always kept it real with me. She wouldn’t let me live in a dream world or give me false hope. She was honest with me, even when I had an unorthodox idea about the college process, and she supported me through to the end. I decided to run cross-country my senior year. I could have done nothing and taken

my season off, but instead I decided to run upwards of five miles every day. Within a few days of meeting one of my coaches, Mr. Root, I said to myself, ‘Alright, this guy needs to take chill pill.’ He made me work so hard, way past my limits, and it was still not good enough for him. However, on the bus to an away cross-country meet, I heard him humming one of my favorite songs. So I asked him, do you like Fatboy Slim? I knew I would have to give this guy a second chance when I learned we loved the same music. Today Mr. Root is one of the people who I connect very closely with, both about music and also about running. In the short time that I have known him, he has been a mentor to me as well as a role model. I would like all of you to think back on some of the relationships you have made in your time here. Why are these bonds so important to us? At the end of our Suffield career, these relationships have had a huge impact on our time here and are now central to our identity. They have taught us the difference between wrong and right. They have taught us what is important, how to treat others, and why we should keep an open mind about people. You never know how important people will be to you later. We have all been lucky to bond with a certain group of people. The friends who are sitting with you today have seen you at your best and at your worst. You’ve been through everything together, and you can still call each other friends. These are what real friends are, so I urge you to stay in close touch with each other as the years go by. While we get ready to leave here today with our beautiful diplomas, let’s not forget what we are also leaving with: an extended family. Let’s remember what the famous TV show Entourage taught us: Life changes, friends don’t. Thank you.

Spring / Summer 2014

181st Commencement

Walter Moore P’09, ’14 Walter Moore P’09, ’14 was this year’s Commencement speaker. Walter has had a distinguished career focused most closely on healthcare and government affairs. He currently serves as Vice President of Federal Affairs of the American Chemistry Council. He shapes and guides the association’s federal legislative priorities. Prior to joining ACC, Walter was senior director and then Vice President of Government Affairs of Genentech, a global leader in the field of biotechnology. He was responsible for all of the company’s government and public policy positions. He has also held positions at Eli Lilly as Manager of Government Relations, and Pfizer as Director of Congressional Relations. In addition to these corporate roles, Walter has significant political experience with the American Hospital Association, the Federal Election Commission, and the office of Senator Lloyd Bentsen. Walter grew up in Texas, did his undergraduate work at Princeton University, and earned a master’s in public administration from University of Texas. Pat Moore, Walter’s wife, is a Suffield trustee.

Good morning. What a wonderful day for our graduates and for Suffield Academy. Thank you, Charlie Cahn and Dan Tisch, for inviting me here today. And thank you, Harrison, for agreeing to let me horn in on your big day. Thanks to all you graduates for allowing me to share in your celebration. I am going to keep this short because nobody wants to stand between these graduates and ringing the Bell. I first came to Suffield nine years ago in the spring of 2005 on an admissions Revisit Day. After visiting some other schools with our son Tod we came to Suffield, which I then saw as an afterthought, checking the box to say we had visited because it was on a list. But to my surprise, what I found was a dynamic young man leading a school that had a strategy to motivate and challenge both students and community. That purpose of a nurturing culture and rigorous academic standards are at the heart of this school. I knew that day Tod would choose Suffield. It was a day that changed the plans of everyone in our family. My first two thoughts after meeting Charlie Cahn were: who is that guy and how can I hire him? Then, I thought, what could I do with him if I did hire him? Well, we did not hire Charlie, even though there was an opening on my staff, and thankfully, he remains at Suffield today. But you should know that later, my staff reported that they had found a wonderful young woman to work with us in Florida and the south that turned out to be Charlie’s sister. I learned they were related only after the fact Suffield has flourished under the leadership

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of Charlie Cahn and Dan Tisch. The physical plant has never been better, and new plans are again in motion; at times I believe it is the perpetual state around here. The quality of the students and the faculty can be seen by the many accomplishments of this class of graduates. You have raised over $60,000 for Hearts of the Father in Ghana, received three presidential scholarships, included a National Merit Finalist and a National Achievement Program Outstanding Participant, won at least three Halo Awards with another 17 nominations this year, four Connecticut championships in riflery, two New England championships in skiing, and three Super Bowl wins. You will attend 81 colleges and universities. Here’s to you. It may not seem like it to you, as you have been at Suffield for a short time, but your impact will last. The rigorous training in academics, athletics, and the arts may create memories, but the relationships and friendships you have made here are what you will really remember. While your work here has led to accomplishments of which you are proud, it is the friendship and mentorship of others here that will be Suffield’s lasting legacy if you and this school are what I have come to know is true. When I was your age, 18 and a senior in high school, I learned an unexpected lesson that has served me well in every aspect of my life. Until the winter of my senior year, I had a series of goals and a plan. It had been in place most of my life. It came with definition and certainty. It gave me focus and discipline. It was a part of my identity. It revolved around football. Like just about every boy in Texas, I wanted to win the Texas High School State Championship and go on

to play for the University of Texas. To be a Longhorn, well that was just about as good as it got. And you know what? I played for a really good team. We were the Robert E. Lee Volunteers of San Antonio. Anyone you asked across the state knew Lee High School. In the fall of my senior year we won all of our games. We won the district championship. We kept winning all the way to the state championship game. There we were in Waco, Texas. With my best friend Greg, my teammates, and coaches. Our families and friends in the stands. 25,000 fans. It was right there, just like I had planned. And then it was gone. We lost. We lost the championship game. And then I was disappointed when I learned that I was not good enough to play for the University of Texas. I was doubly disappointed when my friend Greg was offered a scholarship to play at Texas. I was 18 and my life goals were in shambles. It was a tough week, no kidding. But I had a back-up plan. I was a good student and did well in high school. Okay, I’ll admit part of that back-up plan was fostered by a mother who was a math teacher and not about to put up with a football star with lousy grades for a son. I studied and made the effort in the classroom. We had to invent a new physics class after I and two other guys finished all the science classes offered by junior year. After football season, I attended a college fair at school and met Ted McAlister. He was a Princeton alumnus representing the school. He suggested I apply. He noted that a few students from my school got in from time to time. I applied to one school. I got in, and the Princeton coach came to ask me to play

football. To make a long story short (because I promised I would), I played for a short time, got hurt, and that was the true end of my football career but the beginning of a whole new path that led to a career that an 18-year-old senior at Lee High School could never have imagined. My horizon widened from a kid who had left Texas only a handful of times to a person who saw that there was a myriad of opportunities in this larger world. I was able to work in politics at a national level, in the Congress and even the White House. It has been, literally, a front row seat to history. But none of it was in my plan. Later, I worked for a company whose products rewrote the medical textbooks through groundbreaking research and novel biotech therapeutics. Not many kids from south Texas have had the opportunities I have enjoyed. I am glad to say, I savored them. But none of these experiences was in my plan. They all happened because I had a back-up plan and was open to the unexpected opportunities it brought. I learned a few other lessons along the way. They are simple, but important. First: pursue your goals and your plan. Work hard to achieve them. Plan for a career and have a back-up plan. Know that in your pursuit, “chance” may present itself in the form of the unexpected or in the form of your back-up plan. It is your passion and drive that will serve you in either circumstance. Know that you can fail and the effort will give you knowledge to work with when the next chance comes. Here’s a dirty little secret: Failure is a better teacher than success.

Second: study the culture of your environment. All institutions and communities have a culture. Good ones recognize that and work to make it a virtuous cycle for the institution. Suffield is an institution that holds to a rigorous standard but is complimented by a nurturing environment. The culture affects you and informs you. Look for it in groups and find what works best for you. At some point you will be called to lead a group and will need to set the model for its culture. The more you notice it and are curious about its origin, the better you will be able to shape it and secure your place in it.

heartbreak, but I learned that the day I found Tod and Harrison’s mother, Pat.

Third: get to know yourself. Ask your family and friends what talents and deficits they see in you—what are your strengths and weakness. Try to have a picture of skills you have and those you need to acquire to get where you want to go. When you know yourself, it is much easier to navigate through times when you need to be critical of people or organizations.

I would like to take a moment of personal privilege and say to Harrison, that while I share these ideas with our full Suffield community, I mean them most for you.

If you can cite a problem and recommend a solution, people and organizations will hear you and listen to you. I have an ironclad rule: If you criticize a process, organization, or person, recommend an alternative and listen carefully for new information. That information may change your calculation and solution. Finally, have a personal life. Be a friend to others, as you would wish a friend is to you. This, too, is hard work sometimes. Find love. I did. This one will hurt you before it really works and lasts, but the bruises here will heal and putting yourself out there is worth it in the end. It took a long time, with lots of

I have found that my life is a series of short tenures in schools, jobs, and relationships with a collection of lifetime friends. Nourish the friends and friendships you have made here and they too can last a lifetime. Remember my best friend? While I wasn’t good enough for the University of Texas, he was. And he’s right here in my speed dial. We’ve celebrated victories together, consoled one another through losses, and shared in the surprises that life has brought to each of us.

So make a plan and have a back-up. Get to know yourself through friends and family. Ask a lot of questions when making a decision about what and where you do things. When you are critical, offer a recommendation and listen for new information. Cherish the people around you. Long after the studying, athletics, and work is over, the people are what you remember. As you leave Suffield, look around you at the people you have come to know. Faculty, students, and staff have worked with and around you and you have surely learned from all of them. Thank them, you may need them later and will want them to remember you. They are the part of Suffield that can never leave you. Congratulations on your graduation!

Spring / Summer 2014

Spring Chapel

Sabbatical Presentations

Alan Palm

On April 14, faculty members Beth Krasemann and Bill Butcher P’06, ’14 shared their summer sabbatical discoveries with the Suffield community.

In honor of Earth Day, Suffield hosted guest speaker Alan Palm from Alliance for Climate Education and the GSAx New England Independent School Sustainability Conference. Alan addressed the risks of “living large” and the impact that has on our planet. He informed the community that the hottest days ever recorded have been within the past 15 years, and that carbon dioxide is being produced faster than ever before. While the reality of our energy consumption and the correlation it has had on recent natural disasters are frightening, Alan reminded us, “The solutions are out there.” When he asked the audience for suggestions as to how we can conserve, student ideas included carpooling more often and using biofuel and other alternative energy sources. For more information, visit www.change.acespace.org.

Beth used her sabbatical grant to research the Holocaust, an area of emphasis in the Foundations of Modern History classes she teaches. Beth traveled to Berlin, Paris, Washington, D.C., and Israel to research how each place documents the Holocaust. She showed images of concentration camps and memorials and asked the community to examine the importance of these places and artifacts. She hopes to inspire dialogue about the history of genocide and prompt people to find ways to understand and support one another. Bill updated the community about the restoration of his sailing vessel, Solomon Gundy. At 6,000 lbs. and 25-feet-long, the boat is also referred to as a “friendship sloop,” a traditional fishing boat used to catch herring in the 1880s. Bill has been working on Solomon Gundy for the past 33 years and plans to put her in the water this summer.

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Kent Davis

Speaking Competition

A great Suffield tradition continued with the annual Kent-Davis Speaking Competition on May 19. Fourteen Suffield seniors competed in two categories: 1) writing quality and presentation and 2) excellent oratory skills. The Emmett Kent Public Speaking Prize is awarded to a student who presents an original speech in three minutes or less, and the Charles G. Davis Oratory Prize is awarded to a student who presents an adaptation of an original piece of writing, authored by someone other than the speaker. This year’s Kent Competition participants included seniors Ashley Lombardo, Daniel Wiese, Jasmine Brooks, Katerina Gazis, and Sage Maggi. The Davis speakers were Amanda Leonard, Antonio Mayol, Denny Smythe, Harrison Moore, Jenna Rubin, Jono Nelson, Marisa Sittheeamorn, Ryan Malley, and Stevie Eagan. Jenna Rubin ’14 won The Charles G. Davis Oratory Prize for beautifully delivering Taylor Mali’s “The the Impotence of Proofreading,” and Katerina Gazis ’14 won The Emmett Kent Public Speaking Prize for her eloquent tribute to her late mother’s battle with cancer.

2014 Kent Davis Winner: Jenna Rubin ’14 “The the Impotence of Proofreading” Has this ever happened to you? You work very, very horde on a paper for English clash And yet you still get a very glow raid on it (like a D or even a D=) and all because you are the liverwurst spoiler in the whale wide word. Yes, proofreading your peppers is a matter of the the utmost impotence. Now, this is a problem that affects manly, manly students, all over the word. I, myself, was such a bed spiller once upon a term that my English torturer in my sophomoric year, Mrs. Myth, she said that I was never gonna get into a good colleague. And that’s all I wanted, that’s all any kid wants at that age, just to get into a good colleague. To view this and other Kent Davis talks, visit www.suffieldacademy.org/kentdavis.

Spring / Summer 2014

SOPHOMORE

LEADERSHIP PROJECTS Community service projects are a central part of the sophomore Leadership Program curriculum. Students plan the logistics of the projects with their teachers and TAs during the winter, and the projects are executed off-campus during the spring term. This year’s efforts included volunteer work in elementary schools, with homeless support organizations, Loaves and Fishes, a local farm, and an animal rescue shelter. Each section of sophomore Leadership highlighted its project with displays in Centuríon Hall on the evening of May 20. Leadership Program Director Dave Rockwell ’58 said, “I’m always impressed and pleased with the work our students do out in the field. Not only do the places they work benefit; our students develop a sense of pride and ownership in a job well done. The sense of accomplishment and joy is clearly evident in the wonderful term-end demonstrations of their projects. They learn a lot about setting and accomplishing goals.”

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Spring / Summer 2014

Alums in Health and Wellness

In the Winter/Spring 2014 issue, SUFFIELD addressed the concepts of mindfulness and balance and how these attributes canâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and already areâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;being integrated into the Suffield community with the addition of the Balance Barn. As a follow-up to that article, we interviewed three alums who not only work in the health and wellness fields, but also have established successful businesses that now help thousands of people heal, improve the quality of their lives, and feel better about who they are. We had the privilege of speaking with these alums about their contributions in the fields of strength training, nutrition, and yoga.

Todd Gates ’88 Owner, MCore FTS, LLC / www.mcorefts.com Todd’s journey to Suffield Academy began in the mid-1980s after one of his neighbors attended the school and recommended he apply. “I had a really good vibe on the tour,” says Todd. “As a minority, I was never judged. In fact, if everyone treated each other the way they do at Suffield, the world would be a much more peaceful place. I posted that comment to my Facebook page recently!” Todd came to Suffield after graduating from Fay School and flourished as a scholar athlete, winning the Butler Cup as the school’s most outstanding male athlete at the 1988 Commencement. Todd credits Suffield Academy for both directly and indirectly affecting his line of work. He says Suffield taught him teamwork, acceptance, and camaraderie. “The community pushes you to be better.” Todd is now pushing people to be better every day. While a certified strength and conditioning coach at Rutgers University, he grew frustrated with the limited equipment available to trainers. He wanted to provide his clients with more options and be able to use an exercise bench that would both fit his athletes and work their core at the same time. So in 2005, Todd recruited five seniors in the Rutgers mechanical engineering department to help him create the movable bench that is now known as the MCore TS3. A year later, he founded his company MCore FTS which sells different versions of the bench all over the country.

The MCore TS3 bench

The MCore TS3 bench is unique in that it’s compact and ideal for small city apartments that don’t allow for cumbersome workout equipment. “Gyms are shrinking, so the bench is great because it’s more compact...it doesn’t take up as much space,” Todd pointed out. “The Bowflex and Total Gym were for houses. My bench is a 21st century bench. It’s designed to be brought outside. You can push it, pull it, do rehab with it. It’s everywhere from studio apartments to training rooms to physical therapy clinics.” Todd’s inspiration to build something that would change the face of the fitness industry came from his own experience and the mentors he had in his life—these include strength coaches Johnny Parker, Robb Rogers, and Al Vermeil—whom he credits with pushing him to work harder and do better. “As soon as you improve someone’s quality of life and alleviate their pain, you got ’em! But you can’t take credit for your clients’ successes just like you can’t take credit for their failures. Your teachers can only tell you so much. My training philosophy is that the only reason we push you to your physical limits is because we care. If we’re not pushing you, it means we don’t care. That’s when you should worry. And if at the end of the day, you can look in the mirror and say, ‘I did everything I could to be better,’ then I’ve done my job.” Todd’s desire to change people’s lives for the better is not slowing down anytime soon. MCore FTS recently partnered with Bosu to make a new kind of bench. “It adds instability but in a safe way,” says Todd. “Finding the balance in life is what it’s all about.”

Todd’s Health and Wellness Advice

Learn under someone. Get with a credible fitness professional. Springfield College is a great resource. I used to work with graduate assistants from Springfield. They have a ton of strength & conditioning coaches. Juice. I love juicing. I do my own with carrots, beets, kale, and ginger. Make better choices. I don’t like the word “diet.” The first three letters are D-I-E. Remember that it’s about choices. Your heavier meals should be morning and afternoon, when you need more energy. Your lighter meal should be dinner. Higher protein and less carbs later in the day. Get more greens into your body and don’t eat processed foods. You can’t out-train a bad diet. Be accountable for your actions. Live healthy all the time, especially when you go off to college. The first trimester is the hardest because there are so many temptations. After that, it’s cake. Be smart. Have good people around you. I was lucky in that I was in the right place at the right time. But I’m an outlier. Timing really is everything.

Spring / Summer 2014

Samantha’s Health and Wellness Advice

Take it day by day. It takes 21 days to change or modify behavior. Start with one thing that you’re willing to modify and go from there (e.g., try replacing soda with water). Try new things. Sample healthy produce like farmer’s market fresh veggies and fruit this summer. People are pleasantly surprised with how they feel after they eat healthy foods. If you’re feeling better, and you notice the change, you’re going to want to continue doing it. Notice how much you’re taking. It comes down to portion sizes. If you have a craving (e.g., chocolate), try Ghirardelli chocolate small squares rather than a big piece of cake.

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Samantha Peterson Lynch ’98 Owner, Samantha Lynch Nutrition / www.samanthalynchnutrition.com Samantha’s passion for the wellness industry developed long before she arrived at Suffield in the mid-1990s. Her interest in nutrition as a preventative measure stemmed from her mother’s lifelong battle with diabetes. When her mother lost her eyesight as a result of the disease, Samantha knew what her career focus needed to be. It was both a professional yet very personal decision for her. “Eating well and having an active lifestyle have always been big parts of my life,” she said. However, it wasn’t until 2005 when she went to Canyon Ranch in Lenox, Massachusetts, that she was able to focus on a specific career path. Samantha took the advice of a Canyon Ranch nutritionist who recommended that she enroll in the clinical nutrition graduate program at NYU. She graduated with an M.S. in 2008. A year later, Samantha launched her business “Samantha Lynch Nutrition” and now treats patients of all ages—“from babies to geriatrics.” She helps clients with a diverse range of issues that include eating disorders, weight loss, gluten-intolerance, gastro-intestinal, pre- and post-natal, and sports nutrition. “We can do a lot more for people now than we could back then,” says Samantha. But like Todd Gates ’88, she does not believe in dieting as a means for getting healthy. “I hate the word ‘diet.’ When I think of diet, I think of a temporary thing.” In addition to her master of science in clinical nutrition, Samantha is also a registered dietitian (RD) and certified dietitian and nutritionist (CDN). She reminds her clients they should enjoy the process of self-improvement. “If you’re not enjoying it, it’s not the right program,” she said. She also doesn’t recommend particular supplements, as each person’s nutritional path is distinct. Instead she encourages her clients to examine the ingredients in the foods they buy at the grocery store. “Believing in the ingredients and understanding how they affect us emotionally and physically is often the missing link,” says Samantha. As a mom, she is motivated to watch her own nutrition closely. She wants to set a good example not just for her clients but for her own family as well. While a student at Suffield, Samantha was captain of the varsity field hockey team and “learned that good fuel was essential to performance on the field.” Her goal continues to be helping people perform as best as they can. “I help these people become self-sufficient,” says Samantha, “so they can lead better, more fulfilled lives.”

Bobby Hoyt ’87 Owner, Bobby Hoyt Vinyasa Yoga (E-RYT) / bobbyhoytyoga.com In 1984, Bobby joined Suffield Academy as a sophomore and came to campus with eleven other classmates from The Rectory School in Pomfret, Connecticut. He now lives in a very small town called Kapa’au, in North Kohala, Hawaii. North Kohala has a population of roughly 7,000 people. (To put that in perspective, the quiet town of Suffield’s population is more than twice the size of North Kohala). Bobby moved to Hawaii just over 10 years ago from San Francisco. “In San Francisco, I realized I was part of 20 different communities. After moving to Hawaii, I was part of just one community.” Once there, he bought a house that sits on the same land once used for visiting Hawaiian royalty and King Kamehameha, who united the Hawaiian Islands in the early 19th century. “People say our town is at the end of the road, but I tell them it’s at the beginning of the road.” While he says being on the island was difficult at first simply for being so far from home, he learned the importance of being comfortable with himself, being authentic, and not worrying about “keeping up with the Joneses.” He now runs his own business, Bobby Hoyt Yoga, and teaches yoga and meditation classes each week on the island, but also travels around the world to share his teachings. He was most recently at Wanderlust Stratton, an annual yoga festival. His refreshing perspective on life makes sense when you learn of his painful journey. In 1998, Bobby was diagnosed with severe radial tunnel syndrome. Less commonly known than carpal tunnel syndrome—which affects movement in the wrists and hands—radial tunnel syndrome can impede mobility from the hands all the way to the neck. Bobby, who couldn’t use his hands for two months, was forced to take medical leave from his job at AOL to begin aggressive physical therapy. He remembers doctors telling him the devastating news that he would never be able to use his hands in the same way again and would have to change his lifestyle. After taking his first yoga class (which he says “felt like he’d just finished a soccer match at Suffield”), his hands actually felt better for a few hours. He continued to practice asana (or, yoga poses) and eventually he agreed with his doctors. “They were right, I have never used my hands in the same way as I did before. Now I am more grateful for the use of my hands and mindful of how I use them. I have much more flexibility and movement, my hands and arms are stronger, and I can do a handstand—something I could never do while at Suffield.” In fact, his hand therapist at the time also became a registered yoga teacher after seeing the positive effects the practice had on Bobby. “I could have gone down a much different path,” says Bobby. “But yoga saved me physically, mentally, and emotionally. Actually, so many of the principles at Suffield Academy are based in yoga: strong unification of mind, body and soul, and training people to go out and change the world. Rocky started doing it a long time ago when he created SOLO.”

Bobby’s Health and Wellness Advice

Be a risk taker. I’ve done everything from starting a new Phi Delta Theta chapter at San Diego State University to working at America Online when no one knew what it was, to spending a year traveling. A lot of people called me crazy, but the rewards have been anything but crazy. Don’t be afraid to fail. Trust your instincts. My experiences in life, at Suffield, and practicing and sharing yoga have allowed me to trust my instincts to be innovative and think outside the box. “Normal” is only a setting on a washing machine. Do the very best you can. Suffield has never done anything halfway. Whether that’s the laptop initiative, the Leadership Program, or now the construction of the Balance Barn. It was like Gordy (Bobby’s theater coach and faculty advisor) used to say, “If you’re going to do something, give it 100% of your energy, or don’t do it at all.”

Bobby recalls how being a cast member in Gordy Glover’s theater performances served as an early motivator for him. “Theater is a moving meditation really...and Gordy was epic, caring, and compassionate.” It’s clear that Bobby has taken these lessons to heart. Visit his website and you’ll get a sense of who he is and how he impacts his community. With regard to class payment, he writes, “Donations range from $10 and up, but fortunately people also bring other things besides money. To me, it’s an exchange of energy, so when someone brings me a dozen fresh eggs, or lettuces from their garden, the balance is there.”

Spring / Summer 2014

parents’ association

auction

Over 260 parents, faculty, and trustees attended the 15th Annual Parents’ Association Auction held on April 25. The proceeds from this year’s auction will help fund the construction of Stiles Walkway and a major campus wireless Internet project. The event raised more than $300,000 for these initiatives. Headmaster Charlie Cahn shared auctioneer duties this year with Laura Paulson P’14, chairman of Christie’s Americas. The winner of the 2014 Audi Q5 car raffle was Suffield alum James Newman ’96. Special thanks go to the many parent volunteers and the auction co-chairs, Kathy Doten P’14, ’16 and Janet Rosenkranz P’17. From left to right Alex Fabricant ’14 with Trustee Andrew Fabricant, auction co-chairs Janet Rosenkranz P’15, ’17, and Kathy Doten P’14, ’16, Thomas Ianello ’14 with parents Ava Pannullo and Joe Ianello, Hillary Rockwell Cahn ’88 with trustee Suzy Vogler P’11, Laura Paulson P’14, Carol Beitler P’15 and Tara Liddle P’16, Lisa and Jim Lillie P’16, Karla Rocha P’13, ’15, Kay De Simone P’16

Earth Day On April 14, Suffield hosted the GSAx New England Independent School Sustainability Conference. This annual event allows educators and students from local prep schools to learn more about energy-saving solutions by participating in a series of workshops. There were over 50 participants at the conference, which included Suffield students and faculty from peer schools. Suffield Trustee Jack Robinson ’60, founder of Winslow Management Company, delivered the opening keynote. Beanie O’Shea ’14 said, “The New England Independent School Sustainability Conference was inspiring. It opened our eyes to the ways our schools are working to combat climate change and striving to improve the world.” To learn more, visit www.suffieldacademy.org/environment.

Sustainability

In celebration of Earth Day, Suffield students and their advisors participated in several environmentally conscious initiatives to help raise awareness and offer services to the extended Suffield community. Activities included taking nature walks, planting perennials, learning how to make flour from red wheat and farro, volunteering at Goodyear Farms, and beautifying various areas of the Suffield campus.

Community

Spring / Summer 2014

Hearts of the Father A Look Back at the Year-Long Student Fundraising Initiative

When several Suffield students volunteered at the Hearts of the Father (HFO) refuge home in Ghana during the summer of 2013, they set a goal of seeing if they could inspire the Suffield Academy community to raise $60,000 to provide clean drinking water and start a primary school. HFO is a non-profit charity that provides homes for orphaned, abandoned, or abused children that was founded by John Moritz ’74 and his wife Libby. Not only did the Suffield community exceed their fundraising goal, they also increased school spirit through three fun, successful, student-led events. On May 4, the student council opted to combine the annual Chill on the Hill event with Game-a-thon, the third installment in the year-long HFO fundraising efforts. Game-a-thon had a total of 20 different games including, donut on a string, relay races, Oreo challenge, and an egg toss. Students raised money by purchasing t-shirts and tickets for all access to the games. The day finished with an epic, all-school water fight on Bell Hill. As coordinators Stevie Eagan ’14, Denny Smythe ’14, and Sam Feldman ’14 look back on the three events (the Color Course in November, a live-streamed Telethon in March, and the Game-a-thon), they admit that it was no easy feat. In addition to organizing event logistics during a hectic senior year, they wondered if the two outdoor events would be impacted by poor weather conditions. As Denny later noted, “Thankfully, the rain held off and a huge crowd showed up. I’m always amazed by the support from our community!” Student council members—along with Dean of Students Greg Lynch and other committee members—spent hours brainstorming and planning meetings. Not surprisingly, their hard work resulted in the enthusiastic involvement of Suffield students, faculty, and staff, and a year that no one on campus will forget. Suffield will top off the year’s trifecta earnings with clothing collected—and hand-delivered— by students who returned to Ghana this summer to build a soccer field on the orphanage’s property. For more information, visit www.suffieldacademy.org/heartsofthefather.

Change the way you Bagel! by P hil Riegel ’87

When I heard Nick Oleksak ’02 and his wife Elyse were opening a bagel business in New York City, it crossed my mind that they might be insane. We all know New Yorkers love their bagels—and are the only people on the planet who enjoy “good” bagels. We also know New Yorkers are opinionated and not afraid to share those opinions. So why take on such a daunting task?

Bantam Bagels are doughnut-hole-size bagel balls filled with flavored cream cheese. They sound gimmicky, but they are delicious and as satisfying as a traditional bagel with a thick schmear of cream cheese—sans the carb coma that follows eating a full-size bagel. New York Post, February 23, 2014

When Nick and Elyse graciously invited me to Bantam Bagels on the trendy Bleecker Street near NYU, the reason he gave me for opening up the business didn’t set my mind at ease. The concept for Bantam Bagels (which are bite-sized and filled with flavored cream cheese) came to Nick in a dream. Nick arrived at Suffield as a freshman in 1998 and instantly knew that this was the school for him. “My parents were instrumental in my decision to attend Suffield,” Nick recalls. “We all knew Suffield would provide more opportunities than my regional high school and it just felt right from the moment I stepped on campus. It helped that I met Billy Simons ’02 immediately at orientation, who remains one of my closest friends to this day, but as the years passed there were a group of us that pushed one another to succeed. Dane Carillo ’02, James Cramphin ’02, Billy Simons, and especially Sarah Kerin ’02, were all great friends who encouraged and supported me. I have never worked harder in my life than I did at Suffield.”

Nick’s hard worked paid off and resulted in many accolades including the Dartmouth Book Prize and the Harvard Book Prize as an undergraduate, and Torch Society, Cum Laude, the Headmaster’s Book Prize, and the C.W. Austin Latin Prize at the end of his senior year. When reminiscing about Suffield, though, Nick doesn’t speak of his accomplishments but of his connections with the faculty members that inspired him. Nick commented, “Gordy Glover was the embodiment of the intellectual for me. He was both street and book smart. I thought that was really cool and I still do. I worked for Gordy during the summers around his house and our talks ended up being like another English class for me. He was a real Renaissance man!” Gordy wasn’t the only teacher that inspired Nick though.“I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention both Mr. Stillman and Mr. Guidrey,” Nick recalls. “They never let me accept the simple answer and challenged me at every turn. Although they were both tough graders, I knew that they only had my best interest at heart.” After his time at Suffield, Nick headed to New York City and Columbia University to study and play baseball. While there, he met his future wife and business partner, Elyse. Nick received his undergraduate degree in economics while Elyse received hers in sociology. When Bantam was started, Elyse left her job in the management and administration group at Morgan Stanley to focus on their dream full-time. Nick is still wearing two hats as a credit broker for GFI Group, Inc. while running Bantam Bagels. He remarked, “We are fortunate that Elyse has the work capacity of 10 people! She has been the driving force on the ground to get us up and running.” Nick commented, “Elyse and I are privileged to have come from families that value education, competition, and hard work—but nothing could have prepared us for

SUFFIELD

Is this bagel blasphemy?

With such an iconic food being turned inside out, purists are sure to be critical, but the Oleksaks believe they can win them over. “We were at [an event] and a sweet old grandmother came up to me and goes, ‘These aren’t bagels... You don’t know what a bagel is,’” Nick recounted. “I said, ‘I’ll see you in a couple weeks,’ and she ended up taking a dozen home with her.” TODAY Food

A Few Bantam Bagels... The Bleecker Street

Pizza dough bagel topped with a thin slice of pepperoni filled with marinara mozzarella cream cheese.

The Hangover

Cheddar cheese and egg bagel topped with melted cheddar cheese filled with bacon cheddar cream cheese and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Grandma JoJo

Italian spiced bagel topped with thinly sliced marinated tomato filled with fresh basil pesto cream cheese.

Box Lunch

Plain bagel topped with crushed, roasted peanuts and filled with peanut butter and sweet strawberry jam.

the realities of starting Bantam Bagels. It has been more challenging than I ever could have imagined and we’ve learned everything on the fly. There are enough stories to fill a book, but some of the highlights include a flood in the store, contractor nightmares, and literally stalking building inspectors to get the approvals we needed. We had the idea and the drive, and we have taken this one day at a time, issue by issue. This was about problem-solving and grit—things I learned long ago at Suffield.” To date, the results have been astounding. Nick and Elyse have gone from a bit insane in my mind to madly brilliant and the press agrees. Bantam Bagels has been featured on the Today Show, ABC and ar Friends, Good Morning America, QVC where TheNews, bagel Fox has been ound for a good 400 years, but and has probably they sold 36,000 bagels in five minutes. The following week they had orders for another 15,000 and QVC went on only existed as York we New know it for US the Magazine last half century. to order 45,000 more. In addition to these television spots, the Daily News, New Post, Yorkers Wall Street Journal, and USA Today have all run stories on the unique and trendy Bantam Bagel.

It’s one of those foodstuffs that people seem to enjoy with great and not, as itthree happens, innovation. Thoughthe there When asked where all this is headed, Nick comments, “We wouldconsistency like to spend the next to sixmuch months consolidating business have been pizza bagels and squagels, we happen to be partial to we have. Plans include a facility in Long Island City to help relieve the stress on our little store front to produce such large orders. These the “flagel,” a chewier, flattened bagel that is made when the boiled bite-size bagels are a natural for so many markets and ship so easily, we feel like the sky is the limit! I invite the Suffield family to come dough is smushed just before it goes in the oven. But that’s about check us out at 283 Bleecker Street in the West Village or online at www.bantambagels.com.” Having been there, I suggest we all take as whacked out as it gets, at least when it comes to circular, savory Nick up on his invitation. bread with a hole in it. Until, maybe, now. The Wall Street Journal

Spring / Summer 2014

Dish crew is one of my favorite memories from my time at Suffield. I remember Pete Roy ’04 and Ryan Cleary ’05 setting the tone as inspectors, and I tried to carry the torch when I was named inspector my senior year. Sorting and cleaning dishes could be a little boring, so we listened to music, danced, sang, and chanted while we worked. We made a sport out of dish crew; speed was of the highest importance and accuracy was secondary so, occasionally, messes were made. We were told to quiet down during lunch announcements at least three times per week, and I think they really started cracking down on the noise after 2006. Steve Root ’06

SUFFIELD

DISH CREW Why didn’t we make a documentary? Call it The Line or something and have Joe Begley ’11 talk about all his “tray of the week” titles. Adam Pistel ’08

One Suffield tradition that has evolved but not changed is the student work program. While the days of Leon Waskiweicz’s and David Nelson’s grounds crews have evolved to today’s program, Suffield still asks each student to pitch in during free time to help the community flourish. A long revered work job that remains in high demand is the lunch dish crew. Suffield alums around the world have fond and vivid memories of dish crew. Work job coordinator Lori Sych P’12 acknowledges that the dish crew workers “can be a little exuberant at times” but that it is one of the most sought-after jobs on campus. “Lunch dish crew is the hardest job on campus but 90% of it is filled by students who request it.”

DISH

CREW

DISH CREW IS NOTORIOUSLY KNOWN AS A “DRESS CODE RUINER”. TRASH BAGS ARE OFTEN USED TO COVER SHIRTS SO CREW MEMBERS DON’T GET SOAKED OR DIRTY FROM HANDLING ALL OF THE DISHES. DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE HARRY MELENDEZ III ’07, WHO WAS ON DISH CREW DURING HIS TIME AS A SUFFIELD STUDENT, REMEMBERS IT AS INTENSE, MESSY, AND EXTREMELY FUN. “IT GAVE ME A CHANCE TO GET TO KNOW PEOPLE AND GET A BETTER SENSE OF THE COMMUNITY. IT’S A GREAT BONDING EXPERIENCE AND I’M STILL FRIENDS WITH THE GUYS WHO WERE ON CREW WITH ME.” While students and alums bring a sense of humor to this role, Headmaster Charlie Cahn noted that students involved with the dish crew bring a “serious and passionate approach to their work. They all know their role on the squad and seamlessly do the many tasks. It flows.”

In Lori’s 10 years at Suffield, she says that dish crew is predominately male, but she makes an effort to assign the job as evenly as she can between boarding boys and girls and day boys and girls. “Often groups of students request the same shift so they can work together and have fun. I also try to assign kids from one dorm to a specific day so they have another chance to get to know one another.” In the 1964 issue of SUFFIELD, the work squad program addressed the serious role of the dish crew inspector: “In the position of inspector, each senior must determine whether or not his crew has done its job, and in turn if he, himself, has fulfilled his obligation to get the job done well. The senior inspectors this year have exceeded the point of just getting the job done well.” Fifty years later, the same can be said about Suffield’s current inspectors. They take their job seriously and make sure everyone gets their tray in on time so the day can run as smoothly as possible. As the expansion of Brewster Hall unfolds and Suffield looks to new facilities for dining, alumni will be pleased to know the dish crew tradition will remain. The new Brewster Hall and a slightly modified academic schedule during the 2014-2015 academic year will lead to an evolution of dish crew, but the essential experience will be unaltered. In the new building there will be three distinct areas dedicated to the dining experience: (1) a dining space with room for up to 55 tables and more space between them, (2) a separate servery area that will be located in the previous kitchen area, and (3) a new kitchen and dish room in the building’s addition. While the space will be new, the essential experiences of community meals, daily time together in a central gathering space, and the memorable experiences of dish crew will remain.

Always had to be ready to touch your nose when the magic word was said... Joe Pugliano ’09

As first man off the bench, serving as a utility player, I would probably say dish crew was the thrill of my junior and senior years. I’ll never forget patiently waiting for Joe McGovern ’10 to call out my name to then put on that black trash bag that shined of nothing but honor. On the other hand, once working the unloading station, Ben Adams ’10 threw me a curve ball and put all the bowls right side up causing them to fill with scalding hot water which inevitably got all over me... Oh the great times on dish crew! Everest Wein ’10

Dish crew was a unified, spirited group who had as much focus as any athletic team. They got the messy job done in a limited amount of time. They took pride in what they did... Not every work squad job demonstrated zest, but they did! Marilyn Connors (former faculty from 1969-2006)

When you work dish crew you develop camaraderie with your peers that allows you to be yourself, be silly, and have fun. There is just something about being with few friends, making funny announcements during lunch, being equipped with a hose, and propelling water at each other that makes me reminisce on the good times in Brewster. JD Collongette â&#x20AC;&#x2122;09

A game that consisted of yelling a certain word (not to be said) louder than anyone else during announcements. Jared Dubey â&#x20AC;&#x2122;00 would always win. Shawn Manafort â&#x20AC;&#x2122;00

DISH CREW

I wish I could call someone out for a late tray right now. John Camerota ’09

Remember how hot the dishes were coming out of the dryer? We had a blast! Abbie Rosene Flaherty ’81

Prior to the arrival of the Brewster House girls circa 1978-79, dish crew had been solely a man’s job. We petitioned Wasky to allow us to prove that we were perfectly capable of handling the task. In the spring of 1979, Abbie Rosene, Sue Morris, Ann Utley, Christine Milosis and I began our career as dish crew dames. I will never forget the heat of the plates as they came out of the machine nor the smell of the “maple syrup” that lingered on my hands throughout the day. It was a messy job but it was so fun. The hose had a pretty good trajectory and more than one innocent person got sprayed. We proved that we could handle the job and we did really well but never asked to return. Once was enough. Barbara Cartmell Howaniec ’81

COLLEGE PLACEMENT BY ANN SELVITELLI, DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE COUNSELING

The Class of 2014 took full advantage of life at Suffield, including the extensive resources offered to them through the college counseling office. With a focus on finding the right college match, this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seniors collectively applied to over 300 hundred colleges and submitted a record 1,000 applications. Suffieldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2014 graduates will head to colleges across the United States as well as around the globe. Intended majors range from undecided to business to engineering to sound design to acting. We are proud of the way this class led Suffield and look forward to hearing of their future successes in college and beyond.

ROCKY

DAVE ROCKWELL’S

50-YEAR

MILESTONE Rocky is a member of Suffield’s Class of 1958. Fifty years ago, when he received an offer from Headmaster Ap Seaverns to join the Suffield faculty, Rocky returned to the campus in 1963 with his wife Bonnie and their daughter Jennifer. All four of their children attended Suffield: Jennifer ’79, Geoffrey ’82, Jed ’86, and Hillary ’88. For the past 10 years Hillary has been helping lead the school with her husband, Headmaster Charlie Cahn. This milestone was recognized during the 50th Night dinner for seniors and faculty in April, and at the 2014 Commencement. Headmaster Cahn said, “Rocky is a legend. Not only does he have a beautiful dormitory named in his honor, he has helped and inspired hundreds if not thousands of Suffield students. Rocky has an incredible ability to make students feel good about themselves as he guides them to reach levels they never thought possible. Rocky has done it all—from teaching history, philosophy, and Leadership, coaching skiing, football, and track, running a dorm for more than three decades, to founding our SOLO program. His impact on the Academy has been immense. Fortunately he will keep at it but we wanted to recognize Rocky for this remarkable career milestone.”

Prom

The 2014 school prom was held behind Gay Mansion, the home of Suffieldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s headmaster and family. A committee of seniors worked with class advisors Patrick Booth and Tom Dugan to organize the eventâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s many logistics. Highlights included the red carpet heading into the tent and fireworks viewed from Bell Hill.

Mike with children Alley and Sam

ALUMNI PROFILE

MIKE RUSSO ’86 BY THOMAS FOOTE

GROWING UP IN NEARBY WINDSOR LOCKS, MIKE RUSSO ’86 NEVER CONSIDERED ATTENDING PRIVATE SCHOOL. BUT WHEN HIS FATHER SUGGESTED SUFFIELD ACADEMY COULD PROVIDE BETTER OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE FUTURE, MIKE AGREED TO GIVE IT A TRY. Beside his initial reluctance to wear a jacket and tie, Mike says, “I don’t recall any negative experiences.” Rather, he quickly realized, “I had it made at the Academy. They feed you, you go to class, you play sports, and they feed you again—what better racket is there?” Beyond the gustatory benefits, Mike recognized the impact the faculty, a group he calls “tremendously positive people,” had on him. Two classroom teachers Mike especially credits are the late Ed Banks and the late Phil Currier. Mr. Banks, Mike remembers, was very “by the book.” He’d explain what the class would learn and why—and then they went and did it. His clear explanations helped keep expectations and performances high. Mike was in Mr. Currier’s Honors Geometry class as a sophomore, but Mike wasn’t initially sure he was capable of honors-level work. About a week into the school year, he approached Mr. Currier and told him, “I don’t think this is the right fit. I’m not an honors student, so why stay in honors? What can I learn?”

SUFFIELD

MIKE RUSSO ’86

Mr. Currier explained, quite simply, “You’re going to learn to work hard.” Mike confesses this was a new concept to him, the connection between hard work and success. Today, he distills Mr. Currier’s most important lesson into an equation, though not one of the traditional numerical sort. Instead, Mike says, Mr. Currier taught him “Time + Effort = Results.” Out of the classroom, Mike played football, hockey, and baseball, all of which he remembers fondly. He especially enjoyed being a part of a team, and playing for Gerry LaPlante and Barry Cleary.

Mike says he didn’t want to leave Suffield upon graduation, and he freely acknowledges the Academy taught him more than he learned in college. “College was easy,” he explains, because Suffield prepared him well.

From those coaches, Mike learned a fundamental but important lesson: “Do what you say you’re going to do.” Mike recalls the immediate respect they garnered from him and his fellow teenagers, and it’s clear these feelings remain. Both men are still involved in Mike’s life, as Mr. Cleary’s wife Laurie is the godmother to one of Mike’s children, while Mr. LaPlante recently stepped in to tutor Mike’s oldest daughter when she took a challenging college biology course. Mike says he didn’t want to leave Suffield upon graduation, and he freely acknowledges the Academy taught him more than he learned in college. “College was easy,” he explains, because Suffield prepared him well. It proved so easy, in fact, that Mike graduated early from Springfield College and immediately founded Russo Lawn & Landscape in his hometown. He also immediately put into practice Mr. Currier’s lessons about the importance of hard work, and it shows. Mike’s company, which started as a small operation and served homeowners in Windsor Locks and Suffield, has grown exponentially over the last 25 years. Russo Lawn & Landscaping now provides landscape installation and management, irrigation services, and snow and ice removal to a host of commercial clients from Cromwell, Connecticut, to Springfield, Massachusetts, including the Academy. Mike currently has 85 full-time employees, but those ranks swell to 300 in the winter, when snow blankets the Connecticut River Valley. A visit to Russo Lawn, which straddles the border of Windsor Locks and Suffield, reveals a tremendous machine at work. To service his 200 clients, Mike explains, you need “stuff.” This “stuff” includes the company’s 40 trucks, as well as a fleet of mowers, trailers, and small engine equipment.

Most important to Russo’s success, though, are his people. Mike is quick to credit others, to point out how many employees he has who can run specific aspects of the business better than he can. Recognizing talent in others and delegating appropriate tasks have been a key aspect of Mike’s ongoing success. Mike’s director of operations, three account managers, three supervisors, and 26 foremen help keep things organized because, as Mike says, “when a customer calls, you want to be ready to go.” Russo’s mission statement hangs above a main doorway, making it one of the last things Russo Lawn workers see before they head out each day. “To exceed customer expectations and enable our employees to continually improve,” the sign reads, showcasing the high goals of the company. The rest of the walls of the Russo main building feature blueprints of future projects, charts of in-progress jobs and crews, and photographs of beautiful, completed work sites. But even more noticeable are the sheer number of plaques and letters of recognition from local towns, schools, and community organizations. Russo Lawn donates materials and services to beautify the town halls and common areas of Windsor Locks and Suffield, and the business has had continued involvement in various community projects over the last two decades.

Mike and his wife Molly

When asked about his company’s heavy investment in community service, Mike seemed surprised to hear it noted. After some prodding, though, he explained, “It’s just the right thing to do. As a local business, I expect that we give back to the community.” Mike is also on the Board of Selectmen in Windsor Locks, and he’s been involved with local government in various capacities for the last 15 years. As Mike says, “It’s all about where do you think you can serve the town best?” As a father, business owner, and community leader, Mike continues to serve, always remembering the lesson of Mr. Currier.

Spring / Summer 2014

PERFORMING ARTS

THE CRUCIBLE A single flame on the stage set a dramatic tone for the ominous opening of Suffield Academy’s The Crucible, which debuted on April 17. For three consecutive nights, the Performing Arts students portrayed Arthur Miller’s story of witchcraft in the town of Salem, Massachusetts, during the late 1600s and the madness that ensued as the townspeople betrayed and accused one another out of fear of the unknown. Director Tom Dugan led the talented 26-person cast which included Stephanie Greer ’15, Alex Mainolfi ’15, Briana Matthews ’14, Iza Ugarte ’14, Alexis Sarris ’14, Amanda Baildon ’15, Jesse Phillips ’15, Piper Holliday ’15, Marisa Sittheeamorn ’14, Caroline Vianney ’14, Nick Matera ’14, Caroline Skofterud-Nilsen ’14, Lindsay Reilly ’15, Greg Pentz ’15, Harrison Moore ’14, Jasmine Brooks ’14, Joe Islam ’16, Shivang Jhunjhnuwala ’14, Jamie Semple ’14, Jay Hutzler ’16, Ryan Malley ’14, Julie Doten ’14, David Johnston ’15, Clare Guerreiro ’14, Katie Madrak ’16, and Catty Seiler ’16. The dramatic set was designed and managed by Abigail Wang ’14 and Casey Lampert ’15. The Crucible also earned four awards at the annual Halo Awards, which are sponsored by the Seven Angels Theater in Waterbury, Connecticut, and recognize outstanding high school theater accomplishments in the state. Over 40 schools are involved in this program. A full list of award winners and nominations is outlined below.

CONNECTICUT HALO AWARDS Suffield received 17 nominations and five awards at this year’s Connecticut Halo Awards ceremony on May 27, including Best Play for The Crucible.

AWARDS q Best Play:The Crucible

q Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical: Jesse Phillips ’15 as Prince Herbert in Spamalot

q Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play: Nick Matera ’14 as John Proctor in The Crucible

q Best Performance by an Actress in a Comic Role in a Musical: Izzara Ugarte ’14 as Not Dead Fred in Spamalot

q Best Original Music or Scoring in a Play: Nick Booth ’14 for The Crucible q Best Lighting Design & Execution: Abigail Wang ’14 for Spamalot and The Crucible

q Best Featured Dancers: The Carnival Dancers— Nick Matera ’14, Ben Cooper ’14, Chad Malcolm ’14, Brendan Donahue ’14, Daniel Berchuck ’14, and Sam Feldman ’14 in Spamalot

q Best Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Musical: Jasmine Brooks ’14 as Patsy in Spamalot

q Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play: Izzara Ugarte ’14 as Abigail Williams in The Crucible

NOMINATIONS q Best Musical: Spamalot q Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical: Harrison Moore ’14 as King Arthur in Spamalot q Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical: Clare Guerreiro ’14 as Lady of the Lake in Spamalot q Best Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Musical: Alex Mainolfi ’15 as Sir Robin in Spamalot

q Best Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Play: Greg Pentz ’15 as Giles Corey in The Crucible q Best Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Play: Caroline Vianney ’14 as Mary Warren in The Crucible q Best Scenic Design and Execution: Casey Lampert ’15 for Spamalot and The Crucible q Best Stage Management: Abigail Wang ’14 for Spamalot and The Crucible

Spring / Summer 2014

GUITAR SHOW

SUFFIELD

spring athletics

BRANDON FEINBERG ’14

KEVIN COURNOYER ’14

VARSITY BASEBALL The baseball team rode strong starting pitching to a runner-up division finish and eighth straight WNEPBL playoff appearance. There, the Tigers fell 5-3 to eventual champion Salisbury School. CJ Moore ’14, who hit .511 and was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks at the conclusion of the season, was named Division Player of the Year. The pitching arms of Moore, Endy Sanchez ’15, Brandon Feinberg ’14, and Kevin Cournoyer ’14 meant the Tigers were always competitive, and catcher Ben Niles ’14 helped steady the staff. Suffield also graduates Alex Cruz and Jared Harper, but a solid core of players return to position the squad for another run at the league crown.

KIM MEUNIER ’15

JEN MOLLER ’15

VARSITY SOFTBALL A young softball team featuring only one senior in Sarah Boardman found success against a challenging slate of opponents. The squad ran off an early season four-game winning streak and also recorded big victories over Northfield Mount Hermon and Hotchkiss, but a spate of injuries led to a difficult second half of the season. A talented junior class, including Team MVP Marysa Massoia, hard-throwing pitcher Jen Moller, and sluggers Kira Demitrus and Drew Martin, helped lead a team poised to make noise next year.

SUFFIELD

spring athletics

KAISON IFILL ’15

TAHJ HERRING ’16

BOYS’ TRACK The boys’ track team rolled up an 8–3 dual meet mark and a fourth place finish at the New England Championships in a year that was highlighted by record-setting sprint performances. Tahj Herring ’16 broke the school record in the 100m dash, and he combined with classmates Oyikwan Asante and Kyle Barrett, as well as Bryan Vieira ’14, to smash the school mark in the 4x100m relay as well. At New Englands, Vieira won the high jump while finishing second in the 110 hurdles, while Kaison Ifill ’15 finished second in the 800m and Christian Wilkins ’15 placed in the top five in all three throwing events. As the team only graduates Vieira and Shivang Jhunjhnuwala, coach Heather Dugan’s squad looks ready to build on this year’s successes.

AMANDA LEONARD ’15

GIRLS’ TRACK The girls’ track team compiled an 8–3 record, including a season-ending victory over Taft, and finished eighth at the New England Championships. Yasmin Geradeau ’16 led the way at New Englands as the sophomore captured the shot put title. Seniors Jasmine Brooks, Amanda Leonard, and Haley Leishman all finished their careers with strong performances, scoring in the jumps, mid-distance, and distance events, respectively, while Jordyn Gonsor ’15 placed in the 400m. In addition to Brooks, Leonard, and Leishman, the Tigers graduate Briana Matthews. Returners including Geradeau, Gonsor, Tyler Ersoff ’15, Melissa Malley ’16, and Kiersten Ness ’16 hope to get the team over the top next spring.

KIERSTEN NESS ’16

Spring / Summer 2014

spring athletics

HANNAH BELLORADO ’15

KAT GAZIS ’14

GIRLS’ LACROSSE The girls’ lacrosse team blended a strong senior class with promising youngsters under first year coach Kate Bashaw. Led by captains Jillian Haywood, Beanie O’Shea, and Denny Smythe, the Tigers captured key victories over Kent and Kingswood. O’Shea and Hannah Bellorado ’15 were named New England All Stars, while Smythe and Kat Gazis ’14 received All Western New England recognition. Sophomores Michaela Quinn and Katie Kuzmeski provided a strong midfield combination and will be counted on as Suffield bids farewell to Christie Arnold, Gazis, Haywood, Charlotte Hinrichs, Julia Miller, Schyler Murray, O’Shea, and Smythe.

OLIVER MARTIN ’15

CHASE CREEN ’15

BOYS’ LACROSSE The boys’ lacrosse team faced the challenge of replacing 11 seniors, yet worked hard to lay the foundation for future success. Under first year coach Thomas Foote, the Tigers played competitive lacrosse throughout the year but dropped several close games en route to a 6–8 record. Kevin Barry ’14 and Hunter Newman ’16 were named First Team Western New England, while Oliver Martin ’15 and Tucker Newman ’15 were Honorable Mention selections. In addition to Barry, the Tigers graduate Chase Crean, Nick Matera, Zach McCormick, Sam Merrick, Charlie Steele, and Jordan Williams, but 16 returning varsity players aim to build on this season’s progress.

SUFFIELD

spring athletics

EMILY HUDSON ’14

NEELAM MAHTANI ’14

GIRLS’ TENNIS The girls’ tennis team worked hard and exhibited top quality sportsmanship in a season highlighted by a win over rival Pomfret and a fourth place finish at the year-end Tiger Invitational Tennis Tournament. Emily Hudson ’14 led the squad from her #1 singles spot, while Rebecca Reed ’16, Andrea Brundin ’16, and Neelam Mahtani ’14 were consistent contributors and Caitlin Marshall ’15 and Jessie Bicknell ’15 made a strong doubles partnership. In addition to Hudson and Mahtani, the Tigers will also miss Alex Fabricant ’14 next year.

PETER DERBY ’14

BOYS’ TENNIS The boys’ tennis team took steps toward future success under first year coach Sam Blank. Captain Peter Derby ’14 held down the top spot in the ladder, while sophomores Andy Bicknell and Save Boonsoong were strong contributors in both singles and doubles. Tarm Durongkapitaya ’15 and Brendan Donahue ’14 combined to form a consistently winning doubles team. Though the Tigers graduate Derby, Donahue, Daniel Berchuck, and Antonio Mayol, an underclassman group that also includes Ping Virameteekul ’17 and Baek Joon Kang ’16 has the team going in the right direction.

Spring / Summer 2014

spring athletics

NAOKI TAKAHASHI ’16

EMILY FERGUSON ’14

GOLF Challenging weather prevented the golf team from getting much time on the links this spring, but a young squad worked hard to improve, culminating in an encouraging performance at the year-end Kingswood Invitational Tournament. Lone senior Emily Ferguson ’14 provided strong leadership throughout the year, while Naoki Takahashi ’16 and Brad Gibson ’15 were among the team’s top players. Together with Pun Chotruchsakul ’15, Frances Bingham ’15, Graham Shannon ’17, and a burgeoning JV program that saw a record number of Suffield golfers, they provide hope for the future.

PURE MALEENONT ’15

LINDSAY HAYDEN ’15

GIRLS’ WATER POLO The girls’ water polo team was invigorated by fresh talent, while several veterans continued to excel in a season highlighted by a sweep of rival Deerfield. Pure Maleenont ’15 again led the team in scoring and provided strong defense, while classmates Lindsay Hayden and Ali Veitch were steady contributors on both ends. Freshmen Emma Paul and Isabella Pesaresi split goaltending duties, giving the team a potent combination for the future. Senior captains Ashley Lombardo and Amanda Mancuso will be missed, but gifted underclass players have the team poised for a breakout campaign.

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Legacy Profile

The Deni Family Lisa Palomba ’79 and Anthony ’15

The Palomba family has a long history at Suffield. In addition to Lisa ’79 (profiled here with her son Anthony Deni ’15), other Palombas at Suffield included Mark ’77, Ed ’78, Joe ’80, Alyssa ’10, and Joe ’11. Anthony now carries the tradition forward, as he joined Suffield Academy’s Class of 2015. Why did you choose Suffield? Lisa I actually didn’t choose Suffield. My older brother Mark ’77 begged my parents to send him here, and he paved the golden path for me and our other brothers, Edward ’78, and Joseph ’80. Mark got his way and, ironically, back in 1977 the Palomba family made history at Suffield Academy as the only family to have a child in every class all at the same time. God bless my mother. We were famous. We got our picture posted in the Suffield Bell. Anthony I chose Suffield Academy because I wasn’t enjoying or

excelling in my former high school. Also, I had heard so many stories about Suffield over the years from my mom, my three uncles, and two cousins—especially the rare accomplishment in 1977 when all four Palombas attended in the same year. Without my grandfather’s vision of sending his four children to Suffield, my attendance may not have been possible.

What was/is the best part of the Suffield Academy experience?

Anthony Suffield has influenced me in many positive ways, but the biggest has been the learning aspect. My academic focus has dramatically increased from my sophomore year in public school to my junior year here at Suffield. I also had a lot more fun my junior year and met some interesting new friends.

Were/are there specific Suffield faculty members who had an important impact on you? Lisa Too many to choose! I must apologize up front because I’ll

leave someone important out. In my case, it’s a really tough question as there were so many, but here are a few: Mr. Hamilton, the Rockwells, Mr. and Mrs. Lindfors, the Samaiis, the Mackeys, Wasky, Mr. Pervear, the Kinnes, the Pohankas, the Stones, Mr. Sawyer, Mr. Banks, and, of course, JR Fuller, my faculty advisor. Hands down he was always there for me (with a smile) to talk to and confide in. Memory Lane is incredible. Thirty-fifth reunion in October 2014! How’s that for a Reunion plug?

Lisa The best part was the special bond we all shared, regardless

Anthony A specific faculty member who has had an important

Anthony The best part is the fact that there is so much more

What is/was your favorite place on campus?

of where we were from or our cultures or religions. There was so much diversity in how we were raised, yet we were all connected. This experience is now being renewed again through Anthony’s attendance. It’s great to relive these treasured times with him. independence at Suffield than a public school, which definitely prepares you for the real world. It allows for freedom to determine your own success, much like a college.

How has Suffield influenced you in positive ways? Lisa I believe it’s the caring family atmosphere, the ever-present

positive outlook, and the ingrained culture of always believing that anything is truly possible. I continue to share that influence in my daily life with people I meet today or have known my entire life. My four children have made that belief a reality.

impact on me is HAT (Mr. Thomsen) because we have similar personalities, and he is always making sure I am staying on task. He’s been a great advisor for me through the transition of merging into a totally different school halfway through high school.

Lisa My favorite place on campus is Bell Hill, the triumph of the Bell and the meaning of victory and unity.

Anthony My favorite place on campus is the Student Union after dinner. It’s a fun place to be because everyone is unwinding and catching up with friends. It truly adds to the uniqueness of the Suffield experience.

Spring / Summer 2014

CLASS AGENT PAUL GRIMMEISEN ’59 BY BETSY MCCOMB P’04, ’06

LITTLE DID I KNOW WHEN I SAT DOWN TO TALK WITH PAUL ONE TUESDAY MORNING THAT HE WAS ENTERTAINING 22 MASTER GARDENERS FOR LUNCH. DESPITE HIS BUSY SCHEDULE, HE KINDLY TOOK A COUPLE HOURS OUT OF HIS FULL DAY TO MEET WITH ME. Paul was in the middle of moving from his home in Farmington, Connecticut— where he has lived for over 20 years—to Avon, Connecticut to make more room for the three young men he has taken in to help, care for, and mentor. He has given them a home, is funding their college educations, and is providing them with food, clothes, and transportation. The 1959 Suffield alums desire to help others intensified in 1998 when he had an allergic reaction to some medication and was hospitalized. It was touch and go for a while. When he recovered, Paul made a pact with God to help others in need. And that is exactly what he has been doing ever since. Paul, who grew up in West Hartford with his parents and three sisters, came to Suffield Academy as a boarding student during his junior year. His parents became so fond of the town that they built a house and moved to Hill Street in Suffield years later. What Paul remembers most about his experience at Suffield is “the camaraderie—the fellowship among classmates—and the personal relationships I had with the faculty and staff. They were very interested in every student and they brought out the best in each of us. My teachers instilled confidence in me. There was always someone to help me when needed.” The faculty member who Paul remembers most was Mr. Pendleton, his math teacher, who he says was a surrogate father to him. At Suffield, Paul learned various study skills and discipline that he “Put my life in some type of order and became the basis for everything I tackled. I came away from Suffield with a direction and path to follow.” After graduating from University of Vermont, Paul went on to earn his doctor of chiropractic degree from the Lincoln Chiropractic College in Indianapolis, Indiana. He opened his own practice and served as a chiropractor in the Hartford area for over 32 years. He officially retired in 2000 but has kept his practice open to substitute for other doctors who need coverage. Paul has always enjoyed gardening, has been a master gardener since 2000, and volunteers his services to help at community gardens and in Hartford’s Elizabeth Park. He is involved with a mission through his church to help families in Ecuador and will travel for the second consecutive year to South America to help build and refurbish homes for families in need. Paul’s passion for the arts and travel has taken him to many other places, as well. “I love visiting my friends in South Africa and the many safaris we take together,” he says. In between his busy home life, mentoring and caring for three young men, his volunteer activities, and his travels, Paul spends time with his two sons, Bill and David, and five grandchildren. Paul’s advice to current students reflects his philanthropic lifestyle: “Give back to the community. What I am doing is small, but what you can do for others is endless.” A dedicated Class Agent for seven years, Paul’s kind, benevolent, unselfish spirit shines through. “Being a Class Agent enables me to keep in touch with my classmates and give back to Suffield.”

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ALUMS IN THE NEWS JOHN ERAKLIS ’89 PRODUCER OF THE HERO OF COLOR CITY

Suffield alum John Eraklis ’89 recently teamed up with Max Howard—former head of Warner Bros. Feature Animation— to produce The Hero of Color City, an animated kids’ movie featuring the voices of Christina Ricci, Wayne Brady, Craig Ferguson, and Rosie Perez. The animated film tells the story of a boy’s magical crayons that travel to Color City each night while the boy sleeps. Like the highly acclaimed movies The Incredibles and Cars, Magnolia Pictures’ The Hero of Color City is already receiving rave reviews among critics. The expected release date for the film is October 2014.

JIM HAGAN ’80

APPOINTED TO WESTFIELD STATE UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES Jim attended Westfield State University after graduating Suffield in 1980. While there, he earned a bachelor’s degree in business management. After graduating from Westfield State, Jim received an MBA from American International College, and he now serves as the President and CEO of Westfield Bank. Jim, who stresses the importance of public higher education and collegiate sports, continues to receive a number of accolades for his commitment to Westfield State’s academic and athletic programs. He says, “This is an important opportunity for me to use my management and fiduciary skills, as well as my community relationships to help the university achieve its goals.” This is Jim’s second appointment to the board of trustees; he previously served as a trustee from 1996-2006 and was Chair from 1999-2001.

ANISH TRIPATHI ’99 FOUNDER, PANOH!RAMA

After his Facebook page started gaining more and more popularity, Anish Tripathi ’99 decided to launch his website PanOh!rama (www.panohrama.com) in May. He understands some people may not know their smartphones have a panoramic photograph feature so he hopes to educate users on how to take a photograph with an even larger perspective. He encourages aspiring photographers to browse, share, and “like” user-submitted photos on his website to get ideas. While Instagram helps users enhance their photos with filters, PanOh!rama’s goal has a much wider vision. Anish’s next step for PanOh!rama is building a mobile app that will soon be available through the App Store, and Google Play.

DOMINIC FIALLO ’12

MELLON MAYS UNDERGRADUATE FELLOWSHIP RECIPIENT The college lacrosse player and recent Suffield graduate always knew that he learned differently than many of his peers. Dominic says he was diagnosed with learning disabilities as a child, yet the struggles he had to overcome in his early years did not discourage him from succeeding as a young adult. Now a rising junior at Oberlin College, Dominic works closely with the college’s Office of Disability Services and serves as an advocate for others with learning disabilities. The East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, native is also a recipient of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, a prestigious award that seeks to increase diversity among higher education faculty. Dominic plans to continue his geological research at Oberlin, pursue graduate school upon graduation, and inspire other minority students to pursue their dreams.

Class Notes

1942 THOMAS MARTINELLI Still practicing law in Springfield, Massachusetts. My grandchildren are in college. I would like to reconnect with any classmates.

1948 CLASS AGENT Gene Spaziani GUSTAF BODIN We moved to the Masonic Retirement Village in April of this year. We are both in good health and are enjoying our style of life. RALPH HEMINGWAY Okay in sunny Florida! GENE SPAZIANI I am a retired college professor and basketball coach. I am also an author and journalist who writes the “Home Winemaker’s Companion” storybooks. I write the weekly column for the Manchester Journal Inquirer since May of 1985. I also serve on the editorial board/writer for Winemaker Magazine in Manchester, Vermont. 60

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BILL WALDRON Retired and enjoying watching my grandchildren grow.

1951 CLASS AGENT Sam Marks SAM MARKS Audrey and I are well and active in Stratford, Connecticut. We had all of our family together, three children and spouses and four of eight grandchildren for a great reunion. I am still working a bit representing a diamond blade manufacturer in Connecticut. Life is good. Suffield really set me on the right track and I am grateful.

1952 CLASS AGENTS Dave Johnston Gary Miller CHARLIE HERDMAN Gail and I have been very fortunate to attend six college graduations this spring. It may be a push for the twin great-grandchildren coming along.

GARY MILLER I admit it, I’m writing this class note to amass a point for the 1952 team. So, I guess the incentives offered by the “Best of the Decade” challenge worked, at least for me. I also have to catch up to Dave Johnston, who came through with a recent class note. This also brings up the fact of the Class Agents being the only source of our news. I’m urging the rest of our dwindling number to take up pen (or keyboard) and let us all in on what’s going on. Dave and I can write to each other, but it gets repetitive. As for myself and wife Marjorie, we’re still living near the inland waterway in Hampstead, North Carolina, just north of Wilmington, which if you don’t know about, you should. It’s a great place to live and is also known as Hollywood-East due to the filming of lots of big screen movies (like Ironman III) and TV productions (Under the Dome, Revolution). Also, the beaches are outstanding. We have three of our four children nearby in the Raleigh area along with our youngest grandson, Arlo. They are the reason we retired to this area, as we were looking for a home near the shore and our children. We’ve been here for 21 years, which is a record for us as we’ve moved 13 times during my career with the DuPont Company. I started

BOB HOUGHTON Still enjoy fishing, mostly inshore salt water. My wife (high school sweetheart) and I will celebrate our 52nd anniversary in September. DAVID JELLISON I continue to live in the Blue Ridge Mountains in western North Carolina. I work part time for the town of Highlands at the civic center and police department. My wife Mary and I still like to travel to places we have not yet visited. JACK O’CONNELL Barbara and I just welcomed our third great-grandchild. A happy addition to the family—six children and 16 grandchildren. I volunteer in the recreation department at two area nursing homes three times per week. Retired from state service, a DDS, in 2009.

1957

Jack ‘59 and Susan Plotkin at Bon Repos, Brittany

with DuPont in Kinston, North Carolina, after graduating from Georgia Tech and was there for nine years, which (adding a quick nine-month stint in the Wilmington, North Carolina, area in the late 70s) adds up to over 30 years living in North Carolina. We also transferred with Dupont to Isphahan, Iran; Dordrecht, Holland; and both Seaford and Wilmington, Delaware. We’re currently getting ready for our annual relocation for the summer to Maine, which has been going on since retirement. We have a camp on Sheepscot Lake, in Palermo, Maine, where I am currently president of the local Lake Association and getting into lots of conservation programs aimed at protecting Maine lakes from invasive plants and pollution from development. We take a week or more to make the trip north (and south) and always try to visit friends and family on the thousand-mile trip. Now it’s your turn.

1955 CLASS AGENTS Al Gesler Bob King WARREN BENNETT I hope to return to Suffield after 60 years for our 60th Reunion in 2015. My career was in the casino gaming business. I was a pitboss and instructor of table games. Las Vegas was a blast! AL GESLER Any of you that have not been back to Suffield in the past 10-20 years should try to so you can see what an unbelievable change has occurred since we left. Does anybody know where Tom Coates is now located? I would love to reconnect with him. Hope you are all doing well and have a great summer. WALT HOESEL Despite my medical crisis in September 2012, I am still standing (thanks to extremely competent doctors, my family, and many

prayers from my extended family). I have dialysis three times per week, do landscape work, am somewhat active in my extended families—The Ghost Horse Nation and WildernessAwareness.org. I have taught 24 people how to make native drums this year. I vividly remember Ap Seaverns, of course, Walton Baker ’44, John Taylor ’56, John Ferguson ’56, Jack Jobes ’57, and Ralph Jennings ’57. Hello to you guys still living! Toboggoning down Bell Hill and the Outdoor Club shaped many of my life undertakings as I taught high school age for 40+ years. Suffield is vivid in my memory. I am so thankful to have been there in the olden days and applaud the great strides engineered by the staff and trustees during the past 50+ years. Go, Tigers!

1956 CLASS AGENT Bob Houghton RONALD CORMIER My genealogical research has proven that I am a son of the American Revolution, and we have joined the Florida Chapter in Naples, Florida. My wife is also a daughter of the Revolution. Her grandfather fought at Bunker Hill and mine was part of Eddy’s Rebellion in Nova Scotia. We are enjoying our 23rd year of retirement now and we have 11 grandchildren to share it with, and our four children. One of our sons has a wonderful medical practice here in Naples while our nurse daughter, with her five children, is working at the hospital emergency center on Long Island, New York. Our oldest son is still the president of his welding company and our other son is a foreman in the steelworkers union. My health has been a problem for a time as I am now 70% disabled according to the Veterans Administration. I still go quite well on 30%. Until next time, Suffield!

CLASS AGENT Ralph Jennings JACK LOCKE My plans for the summer are to still be here in the fall. I still work on a reduced scale because I haven’t figured out what else to do. Most Saturdays I put on my tool belt and help build Habitat for Humanity houses. Youngest grandchild will be in college as of August.

1958 CLASS AGENT Mike Sheridan TOM ELMER Retirement is good. Nine months in Colorado, three months in Maine. Skiing throughout the winter, boating through the summer. Best to the Class of 1958!

1959 CLASS AGENT Paul Grimmeisen JACOB PLOTKIN As I write this email, Susan and I are about to begin a week-long bike trip in Brittany. We are accompanied by two of our former Michigan State math colleagues. Our European holiday ends with a week in Wengen, Switzerland, in the shadow of the Jungfrau and Eiger, where we plan to do some hiking.

1960 CLASS AGENT David Holmes BILL MACARTNEY Linda and I are blessed with six grandchildren. We spend a week every summer with our four children and the grands. This summer we will be in Utah. Suffield crosses my mind very often with Spring / Summer 2014

entered the interesting and exciting world of writing.

1962

1964

CLASS AGENTS Paul Connor Andy Spector

Bill Kelly ’65 with his grandaughter Tilly

fond memories and the realization of how fortunate I was to have had the privilege of being a student there. When someone from our class crosses my path, the experience is always wonderful. This past summer I had a chance to have lunch with Gerry Parsky, which was just terrific! Once again reminding me of Suffield and how special a place it was and still is.

1961 CLASS AGENTS Jerry Kargman Miller Longbotham Mike Menzies DONALD GRIPPO Upon retiring from my 34-year practice of oral and maxillofacial surgery, I began a new career as a writer. My first novel, To Sleep... Perchance to Die, was released in July of 2013. Its sequel, Revenge Best Served Bloody, was released on www.amazon. com in June of this year. A third work is in progress. I’m pleased to have

a great event. The change in the school from our time to now is simply remarkable, and a great testament to the quality of the educational opportunity provided.

PAUL CONNOR I’m still living in Noank, Connecticut, and working in Mystic, Connecticut. We own and manage the Steamboat Inn, an 11-room inn on the Mystic River and the Whaler’s Inn, which has 48 rooms, and is also located in downtown Mystic. I have five grandchildren, four girls and one boy, Connor. My wife and I race a Melges 24 on Wednesday nights and sail on a 39-foot 1956 Sparkman and Stevens Yawl, a sister ship to the famous, Finistere in classic boat regattas. Anyone coming to Mystic, please give me a call.

1963 CLASS AGENT Sandy Prouty DICK ANTHONY I just co-chaired my second Charity Classic at Shelter Harbor Golf Club benefit for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Westerly Hospital Foundation on June 2. Six months of effort produced over $250,000 for the cause. This was part of my payback (or pay-it-forward) for my miracle cure orchestrated by both institutions. Susan and I continue to do well, enjoying our children and grandchildren. Elisabeth ’93 has two potential students named Finn and Georgia, and our son Sam ’96 and his wife Erica are expecting a son in September. All is well in Weekapaug, Rhode Island, now that summer is finally here. Reunion last fall was

CLASS AGENT Tom Webster PETER ARANGO I read last magazine’s class notes, and it was great to see Tom Webster has been in touch with Willie Tigner! It’s been years since I’ve heard much from him. Sending Booth, Loether, Smith, and Tigner my very best. Hyde ’65 and Kolstad ’65, you belong with ’64. DONALD BUDREJKO I am a retired Commander from the Navy, and now own American International Solutions (AIS), LLC. I currently serve as the managing director. AIS is an independent business providing in-depth historical research and consulting services to diverse commercial, government, and private clients. My wife Mary and I have four children. Our son Bud graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1995, while Tom graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1996. Our daughter Jillian graduated from Salve Regina University in 2001, and our other daughter Catherine graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2004. I hope all of my classmates are doing well. NED SMITH Ok, fellow classmates! I’m really looking forward to seeing all of you in October, especially some of you who have just responded because it’s our 50th. The real treat for me is the return of Willie Tigner,

IN MEMORIAM JOHN D. SOLEK ’48 (5/5/14) PAUL E. RAFF JR. ’53 (5/16/14) Paul E. Raff Jr. ’53

Jean-Paul J. Aucoin Jr. ’76

John D. Solek ’48

JAMES K. MCCLURE ’73 (4/5/14) JEAN-PAUL J. AUCOIN JR. ’76 (3/24/14) NOT SHOWN WAYNE H. DAVIS ’42 (10/22/13) RUSSELL W. SARLES ’42 (12/13/13) RICHARD P. BRAINARD ’42 (1/27/14)

James K. McClure ’73

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Jim at Suffield

Front row (left to right): Matt Powers ’14, Christian Wilkins ’15, Jamel Torrence ’12, Reed Barbe ’12, Xavier Pollard ’10, Kyle Vigneault ’09, Ababacar Seck P’16 with son Djamil. Back row (left to right): Lorenzo Bernardez ’11, Jeff Depelteau ’02, Connor Kaplan ’12, Mike Budness ’11, Mack Montague ’13, Richie Freckleton ’13, Harry Melendez III ’07, Zach McCormick ’13, Jack Fay ’13, Shawn Manafort ’00, Sean Atkins, Erik Sanders ’12, Chad Woodfine ’13, Lammy Papalambros ’08, Colin Pascoe ’13, Ryan Sonberg ’09, Chris Sonberg ’12, Roshard Bryant ’09 and Tahj Herring ’16

GODIN-KINNE CLASSIC On May 30, over 30 alums gathered on Kinne Court to participate in the first annual Godin-Kinne Classic. The games were designed as a way to bring together alumni from the boys’ basketball program and honor faculty members Dave Godin and Dennis Kinne. Dave coached the boys’ varsity team for over 30 years, and Dennis Kinne coached both the boys’ or girls’ varsity basketball teams for over 40 years. Combined, Godin’s and Kinne’s teams won hundreds of games and a remarkable 11 New England Championships. Current boys’ varsity basketball coaches Jeff Depelteau ’02 and Harry Melendez III ’07, both of whom played for Dave Godin when they attended Suffield as students, orchestrated the event. The alums in attendance were split into four teams and competed in a round robin tournament throughout the afternoon. Coach Depelteau said, “It was great to get so many alums together in the same room. We talk every year with our team about the idea of the program being a big family, and that was certainly on display Saturday afternoon. The games were very competitive, but I think the guys also enjoyed just sitting on the sidelines sharing laughs and their favorite stories from their Suffield experiences. A turnout like the one we had shows the strength of the program and the pride our alums have in being able to have worn a Suffield uniform. We have a special school and special program at Suffield. Dave and Dennis are major reasons why both have been and will continue to be so strong.”

our elusive classmate, who “roamed” the halls of Memorial building only to constantly skip Mr. Ralph’s Spanish class. ALEX VYCE I am happily retired for 11 years. I taught for 35 years, concluding my career as the head guidance counselor at Chicopee Comprehensive High School in Massachusetts. I coached varsity basketball for 35 seasons, and cross-country for 10. Happily married to my wife Sandra for 46 years. I have two sons, two grandsons, and a granddaughter.

1965 CLASS AGENTS Tim Hemingway Bill Kelly GERRY ELLIS I am retiring after 45 years of working fulltime. Almost all of those years were spent in education: English teacher, admissions director, counselor, coach and more. My best regards to Bear, Bill, faithful reps,

and all my old teammates and classmates. Suffield is truly an exceptional school. BUTCH FULLER Jenn and I are doing a lot of traveling. Earlier this year, we spent two weeks on the Queen Mary 2 going from Sydney to Shanghai, and spent another two weeks touring China. In September, we cruise on Oceania from Barcelona to Instanbul, including a side trip to Jerusalem for three days. Afterwards, we fly to London to watch our Miami Dolphins play the Raiders in Wembley Stadium. LARRY HYDE My wife Molly and I are planning to visit Tim Hemingway and his wife Anne at their lakeshore home in Michigan for the fourth of July. We are looking forward to some water time, after 100+ degree heat here in Arizona. BOB MCFADDEN Ended my 16-year career as a caddie on the PGA Champions Tour in 2013. I am currently selling clubs and talking golf at Edwin Watts Golf in Houston, Texas.

1966 CLASS AGENTS Charlie Claggett Bruce Fletcher Chris Frost CHARLIE CLAGGETT All is well in St. Louis, Nashville, and San Francisco, homes of the Claggetts and Claggett daughters. Katie and I are active and busy. I’m still working full-time (marketing); looking forward to semi-retirement. Two daughters are married, one to go. No grandchildren on the horizon yet. Look for the release of my book, Max Starkloff and the Fight For Disability Rights, to be published by the Missouri History Museum and University of Chicago Press this December. Thank you, Mason Nye! FRED DOEPKE Loving life in beautiful Cape Coral, Florida. Enjoying reconnecting with alums, Roy Eshelman, Adrian Swain, and Fred Hebard. Our 50th is in only two years, be there!

Spring / Summer 2014

GREG EGGERT B.S. from Ohio State University, M.S. from University of Southern California, System Management, MBA from Kennesaw State University: Beta Gamma Sigma, Phi Kappa Rho. CHRIS FROST Still working, but enjoying trips to Marco Island, Florida, when I can get away. JOHN SCOTT I am still practicing law in San Francisco. Maybe I will learn how to do it before I hit 70. Stay tuned for a case in Denver against one of the Koch brothers: Martensen v. Koch.

1967 CLASS AGENT Chris Harlambakis SCOTT SCHROEDER Not much to report on my end. Hard learned lesson #418 (this year, so far): Avoid sending your children to a college with a nationally-ranked football team. As the season progresses and the team (FSU in this case) wins more and more games, your child will require more financial support (parties are suspected) and her grades will decline. Younger daughter thus advised she must go to a college that has not had a winning season in at least 10 years. I also discovered this past winter that a conspiracy exists between New England ski area operators and Florida real estate agents. They have discovered a way to keep the Northeast constantly snowing, while maintaining warm/beautiful days in Florida. Hope all is well with the Class of ’67. RICK ZWIRN At the annual County Bar Association Law Day Luncheon, the law firm of Zwirn and Zwirn was recognized and awarded a plaque which reads: The Cayuga County Bar Association wishes to congratulate Zwirn and Zwirn on 75 years of Law Practice Excellence, honorably serving Cayuga County. April 17, 1939 - April 17, 2014.

1968 CLASS AGENTS Tyler Bumsted Bob Morris PATRICK SMITH Last year was a big one on this end. I brought out my fifth book, Time No Longer: Americans After the American Century, with Yale University Press. Modest sales so far, but it will find its way. And don’t misread the title; I’m not a declinist; stepping back from our primacy will do Americans much good, providing they manage it with imagination and grace (which remains to be seen). I’m now on a new book and continue my weekly columns of commentary. Last year was also my last as a wanderer among borrowed houses and boarding houses. I have resettled in Norfolk, Connecticut, after some 64

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years’ absence, putting me 35 miles or so from Suffield.

1969 CLASS AGENT Greg Putnam LUIS GONZALEZ I graduated from the University of Puerto Rico School of Pharmacy, and I am actually a registered pharmacist working for CVS. I am a former McDonalds owner/operator and I have a daughter, three sons, and three grandchildren. STEVE KLESCZEWSKI One of my most memorable moments at Suffield was winning the WNEPSSA Cup in 1967-68, and Ken Lindfors comes to mind as someone who made a difference for me. I am married and have two children and work as a realtor for Intero Real Estate. I would love to see Dave Wenc, Frank Siver, and Dave Osowiecki again. PETER MORSE I am hoping to make it to the Reunion this October, and hope Archer Mayor and Tom Peck will make it as well. I am an optometrist, and have two children, Alison (30) and Andrew (24). Some of my best Suffield memories are the Cicero Latins and Richard Clark saying, “Lally! Render it!” Hope everyone from the Class of 1969 is doing well! JIM NANGLE My wife Melanie and I have two children, Brendan (Bates ’06, NYU Stern ’13) and Colin (Middlebury ’10, Tuck or Fuqua ’16). I am now retired, having worked at Chase for 19 years. We sold our home in Westport, Connecticut, in 2013, and embarked on a long held journey to return to the Lake Tahoe area of California. We drove cross-country in February. It was our first time, which was very interesting. We are building a home in Truckee and are renting a house nearby for the construction period. We hope to be in the home in late summer/early fall. I have many memories of my time at Suffield and would love to see classmate Donald Perry Lee. Feel free to email me at nangle.james@gmail.com

employed me for 21 years. Time seems to be flying by very quickly. Justina and I are looking forward to the day when I can retire and we can get on with the next phase of our lives. We want to purchase a motor home, do some extensive travel around the United States, and become snowbirds for as long as we stay healthy and the money lasts. Good luck to all my former classmates and all the students past and present at Suffield. DAVID SPERRY One of my best Suffield memories had to be while I was on the tennis team with Mr. Beams, Charlie Thomas ’68, Carl Oehrig ’71, et al. I am now retired from the health care administration field. My son Brett is a medical doctor, and my daughter Jenna is a registered nurse. I’m hoping to see Flip Bodine and Greg Putnam at Reunion in October. Best to the Class of 1969. SCOTT STILWELL Life is busy! My two boys are in college. My wife and I are still working, but having fun. Hope to see many classmates at our 45th Reunion!

1971 CLASS AGENTS Pierre Genvert Leo Letendre Doug Rebert RICHARD WEIL Paul Loether and I were roommates at Suffield for two years. We graduated in ’71 and have remained good friends for over 44 years. Our love for music was nurtured by our incredible teacher and mentor, Brad Gooch. He brilliantly conducted the glee club and smaller singing group, the COGS. Paul and I loved to sing and play guitar, so we formed a jug band with Paul, also playing a real wash tub bass, with upside down galvanized wash tub, broomstick, and bass string! Starting out as another way to meet girls, other than the occasional dance at our all-boys school, the glee club and COGS offered an opportunity to travel outside of Suffield. Fast forward 40 years and Paul

GREG PUTNAM As I prepare the mailings to my classmates, a continuous stream of memories flow across my mind. Each classmate elicits a specific memory, something that I remember about them way back when. I guess 45 years is not long enough to forget. It just goes to show how special a group these guys were and still are. And once more, I’m empowered as their Class Agent with enthusiasm and dedication. They do make this job fun. Thanks, guys! ED SMITH My wife Justina and I have now been married 29 years! I’m still living in southern California. I am just east of the Los Angeles area, where the same company has

Ed Smith ’69 with his two “kids,” Kai and Boomer, that he and his wife Justina adopted from a shelter

moved from Connecticut with his family to Maryland, where my family has lived for 35 years. We picked up right away, playing as a duo and in a band, “Silver Strings.” Our most recent accomplishment has been a CD of 16 songs Together Again to be released in July 2014. Paul and I have worked on producing, recording, mixing, and mastering the CD for almost a year and a half now, and we look forward to sharing it with classmates, faculty, and staff. All the best to our classmates and everyone at Suffield as we look forward to celebrating our 45th Suffield Academy Reunion in 2016!

1972 CLASS AGENTS Chip Spear John Therriault JIM WATSON My wife Lea and I enjoyed the first sail of the season with my daughter and her friend. We sailed back into Annisquam, Massachusetts, harbor (Annisquam lighthouse in the background in the photo). Our boat, Marlin, is a 1969 Pearson 30, a relic from the 60s like my Suffield classmates and me.

1973 CLASS AGENTS Jody Cranmore Jim Knight JIM RAPORTE I thoroughly enjoyed Charlie Cahn’s tribute to Brad Gooch in his recent Headmaster’s Column. Brad’s inspirational teaching touched me soon after I arrived at Suffield, first as a freshman in the COGS and later in an art history course. In that 70s era, Brad was the faculty anchor for the few music programs that existed at Suffield, and he subsequently played an integral role in their expansion during the next two decades. The Gooch/Vincenti Scholarship is yet another of his brilliant ideas to strengthen the future of the arts at Suffield.

1974 CLASS AGENTS Blair Childs Bud Hancock Tom Leonard JOHN MORITZ To my classmates, hope all is well with you and yours. Just arrived back from Ghana, Africa, where I was with the Suffield team that is working at our children’s home. They are a great group of kids and certainly reflect the school in the best possible light. This year the students raised over $60,000 for our water project and to help build a primary school! Hope to see some of you at our 40th Reunion, and you are invited to come to Africa with me anytime. Visit us at www.heartsofthefather.org

John Moritz ’74 with several Suffield students working on a project with Hearts of the Father in Ghana, Africa

1976 CLASS AGENTS Scott Craig Sharon Fischer Grubaugh JENNIFER CARTMELL I spent two weeks in April as a volunteer farm worker at the Spannocchia Foundation estate in Italy. Spannocchia, a centuriesold agricultural estate, located in central Tuscany, is a certified organic farm raising endangered breeds of domestic farm animals and producing wine and olive oil. My first day of work was spent bottling and labeling wine! Other workdays involved helping with the animals on the 1,100-acre estate including the pigs (not cinghiale, wild boar). Wonderful afternoons exploring the countryside, then wine on the terrace and incredible Tuscan dinners!

1977 CLASS AGENTS Charlie Alfano Ed Kaplan Beth Tyler DEBORAH DYER LEROUX Just got together with several classmates for a very enjoyable dinner in West Hartford. I have been running with my dog and driving my 12-year-old son to baseball and golf. Looking forward to summer!

in August. My daughter Megan is living and working in Boston. Enjoyed my recent contacts with our classmates at our Reunion last October, and watching the Yankees vs. Red Sox at the Suffield event this June.

1979 CLASS AGENTS Matt Cartmell Ruth Kennedy Renee McDaniel Margolis Lisa Palomba Deni Bob Stanley STEPHEN DUTCHER I went to Las Vegas recently for a couple days of real estate classes. Fred Abberley stayed at my condo for some time. He is renovating an oceanfront condo that I sold him this year. I am going to Luxembourg in May for an international real estate convention. Looking forward to seeing my classmates and Suffield in October for my birthday. Please send your prayers to my mom, who is recovering from radiation treatment for cancer; she will be 94 in July. I received an award in March for being the top producer for Illustrated Properties in Stuart for the 6th consecutive year. My four-year-old nephew has cystic fybrosis

1978 CLASS AGENTS Lisa Longo Ed Palomba ED PALOMBA Children are all educated and almost out of the house. Son Eddie is getting married

Jim Watson ’72 and wife Lea enjoying first sail of the season Spring / Summer 2014

LEFT PHOTO (left to right) Hillary Rockwell Cahn ’88, Drew Gelinas ’89, Jed Rockwell ’86. RIGHT PHOTO (left to right) Peyton Cahn ’18, Harrison Cahn, Jed Rockwell ’86, Kristin Hostetter Pandit ’86, Joey Pandit, Charlie Pandit, Shaun Pandit and Hillary Rockwell Cahn ’88 at Stowe this past winter

and we are raising awareness and money to fight the disease by having a walk in April in Stuart, Florida. We are represented by the Palm Beach/Treasure Coast chapter. Other than that, I am working on being of service to others and staying sober! ROD FRECHETTE My four kids keep reminding me that I’m supposed to be some sort of an adult! Rod III, Thiery Alan, Maggie, and Catie (ages 13 to 21) are like the kids from Lake Wobegone—above average—and my wife Michelle is strong, especially for putting up with me! I am just an unfrozen caveman lawyer trying to sell reasonable doubt on a daily basis. I’ve been in touch with Josh Smith who saw Prapin and Viwat in Thailand a year or so ago. I am still into history, coins, and stamps to keep my insanity level where it needs to be. Anyone who wants to play in the land of enchantment (New Mexico) is welcome to call and visit. Fond memories of times and folks at Suffield... Peace, Rod. CARL YOUNG Family is doing well. I continue to serve as the executive director of finance for the Hyde School, while my wife Susan is the program director for the Hyde Foundation. We purchased a house in Canaan, New Hampshire, where our son Devdan starts the sixth grade at Cardigan Mountain School. He is very excited about their science and math program and the ability to play sports everyday (especially hockey and lacrosse). I will divide my time between the HydeBath, Maine, campus, Hyde-Woodstock, Connecticut, campus, and Canaan, New Hampshire. I encourage ’79 classmates to attend our Reunion in the fall and look forward to reconnecting with folks on October 10th. 66

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1980

1983

CLASS AGENTS Jim Hagan Graham Lewis Linda McCullagh O’Leary Joe Palomba

CLASS AGENTS Bob Churchill Marybeth DiBuono-Riley

JIM HAGAN Spent Father’s Day watching my son Jimmy throw a no-hitter in Babe Ruth—what a great Father’s Day present! It was nice being back on campus this spring for a baseball game with Jimmy; he really enjoyed being at Suffield.

ELIZABETH OLSEN STEVENS I’m still teaching biology at Exeter and becoming older, rounder, and grayer each year. My oldest son just graduated from Exeter and my youngest son will be a freshman in the fall. Seeing my son graduate made me reminisce about the beautiful graduation ceremony at Suffield—much nicer than Exeter’s...Suffield has it right!

MORGAN REESE Hi to all the 1980ers. I’m still alive and somewhat kicking here on wonderful Long Island. I finally got me a muscle car and an ab blaster, so it’s going to be a rocking good summer! Where is “Buck” Nelson right now?

1984

1981

MICHELLE KAMINSKY I am living in Brooklyn with my husband and eight-year-old daughter, who attends the Little Red Schoolhouse. I was recently promoted to chief of the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Domestic Violence Bureau.

CLASS AGENTS Jack Ferraro Susan Goodwin Fera Valisha Graves David Spitzler Alison Welch DIANA DYER KEIR Hard to believe so many years have passed. My husband Drew and I have two sons, Kyle and Sam. Kyle is a junior at Westminster School in Simsbury, Connecticut. Sam is in eighth grade and is an avid lacrosse player. I am an attorney with the Law Offices of Nair and Levin, P.C. in Bloomfield, Connecticut. It’s been great to reconnect with classmates through Facebook. I was sorry to have missed the last Reunion. Hope everyone is doing well.

CLASS AGENTS Shelley Frazier Pelletier Michelle Kaminsky Lisa Paolini Schmidt

1985 CLASS AGENTS Andy Glover Michelle Hashioka Lord Jinnie Lee Schmid Jack Way JINNIE LEE SCHMID Hi, friends! First quarter of 2014 has been busy but great. I became a certified grief recovery specialist, rebranded my coaching & consulting practice to reflect this new

service, and launched my first business website! Please visit me at www.ChangeNavigatorsLLC.com and on various social media. Grief recovery is a wonderful way to heal from painful losses, and it would be my honor to support any members of our Suffield community who could benefit from it. Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying some lovely spring weather!

1987 CLASS AGENTS Betsy Coughlin Tod Jeff Martini Phil Riegel KRISTA RADZIEWICZ COLTHUP I visited campus in April with my kids and nieces and nephew (my sister’s kids, Kim Radziewicz ’84) and I can’t believe the wonderful changes! Phil Riegel and Betsy McComb were so welcoming, giving fun goodies to the kids and even a band-aid to my slightly injured daughter. It was so good to see Phil again, and I saw Kristen Federowicz Sullivan and her kids, too. I recently had lunch with Kim Delfino Mellekas and keep in touch with Jill Desautelle Newcomer ’88, Liane Phillips-Martinez ’89 and Anne Gallerani Lattanzio ’84. I feel such a close connection to Suffield—more than my college—and certainly more than my grad school. Suffield is a special place!

1988 CLASS AGENTS Beth Buoniconti Fernandez Kate Cleary Patrick Dorsey Jack Warren AYA MURATA Wrapping up my 22nd year at Andover and my first in the college counseling office.

Definitely a change of pace from my life as a dean! Looking forward to seeing Cindy Fontana, Tracy Hays Kroll, Bess Lumpkin Celio and to our Suffield Girls’ Getaway this summer—this year we will rendezvous in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Hope all is well with classmates near and far!

1992 CLASS AGENTS Marigrace Canter Morris Ntsekhe Moiloa Wadiya Peterson Wynn MARIGRACE CANTER MORRIS A warm hello to the Suffield community! I am happy to report that my family is doing well. Hard to believe how grown up my own children are: William (11), Laura (9), and Grace (6). NTSEKHE MOILOA I’ve been having flashbacks of study hall as I prepare my mind for school in the fall. It’s been a while, but I’m hoping to give my “old age head” a skip by exercising a couple of the remaining brain cells. It would be great to hear the experiences of others who have pursued further education in recent years.

1993 CLASS AGENTS Alexa Economou Rice Pam Eisen Lauren Roginski-Strelec Marla Zide PATRICIA RIORDAN CHALIAN I still work in New York City and live in New Canaan, Connecticut. In December 2013, I had a little boy, Luke. Two kids under two keep me busy!

Front (left to right) Tatum Colthup, Summer Potvin, Cooper Colthup, Caden Potvin, and Sienna Potvin; Back (left to right) Seamus, Ronan, and Cormac Sullivan—sons of Kristen Federowicz Sullivan ’87, and children of Kim and Krista Radziewicz gather in April

Scott Sartwell ’94 and daughter Skylar

1994 CLASS AGENTS Chris Saven Scott Sartwell Alison Kennedy Auciello SCOTT SARTWELL Still living in South Carolina on Lake Wylie and running marathons. I met Emily Van Law ’11, who is working at Lululemon, when visiting Charleston, South Carolina. Suffield alumni are everywhere! Looking forward to seeing class members and other alumni at Reunion in October. I am bringing my daughter Skylar for her first visit to Suffield Academy.

Martha Groszyk ’93 and Pam Eisen ’93 having their own winter carnival in Montana

Spring / Summer 2014

Noah, Greg, Sarah Cowan Johnson ’99 and newborn, Silas

1999

2002

CLASS AGENTS Mark Soticheck Patrick Stone Larry Griffin Maura Deedy Steven Darling

CLASS AGENTS Alison Carey Sari Biddelman Hilary Golas Rouse Erin Orr Ligay Lynx LaCroix

MAURA DEEDY Hi, classmates! My husband and I were driving down to New Jersey to visit family the other weekend, listening to songs on the radio. It brought me back to 1998, traveling to field hockey games with T and using my senior veto to change the radio station. I wondered about what technology will be available to our little daughter Beatrice in 16 or so years. Beatrice, or Bea as we call her, was born in December, with a full head of hair. We are looking forward to trips to the Cape and Gloucester with her this summer. We’ve been living in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, for the last three years. I’m heading back to work soon as the head of reference and adult services for Weymouth Public Libraries. I’m hoping to see lots of classmates this fall at Reunion!

SPENCER HOMICK Moving to Vermont and setting up a studio to practice as a freelance graphic designer.

Jena Greaser ’04

Pam Eisen ’93 and Linda Hellstrom ’93 with friends in Stockholm, Sweden

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2004 CLASS AGENTS Jake McComb Alex Naboicheck Will Taylor Anthony Rousseau Andrew Scully Kate Braden CARLA FRANCIOSE WOLDT Chris and I got married on April 5 in North Bergen, New Jersey, overlooking the city, surrounded by family and friends. After seven years, we continue to make Brooklyn our home. ALLIE MARKOWSKI I graduated in May 2013 from The New England College of Optometry in Boston. I am now an eye doctor practicing in Suffield, Simsbury, and West Hartford. It’s nice working in Suffield and driving past the Academy often. I am engaged to Timothy Nealon (a Loomis Pelican) and moved into an adorable house with him in North Granby, Connecticut. It’s close to an apple orchard and a vineyard. When we open our windows we can even hear a waterfall in our backyard. We are privileged to live tucked into a state-protected forest and have very few neighbors, except for the wildlife, of course. Thankfully, no bear sighting yet! I can’t believe it has been 10 years since we all rangthe Bell. I am so proud to be an alum and I hope to catch up with everyone at Reunion!

JENA PAGE GREASER It has been soooo busy here, but a really good busy! This summer is going to be a very important one for me on the professional mountain biking circuit. I just earned sponsorship by Scott Sports for bikes and gear (but I am not a paid athlete...yet!). The other exciting news is I am a new “Play Hard Give Back” (PHGB) athlete. “PHGB’s philosophy is simple: Play Hard and Give Back. Give back to your community. Give back to kids in need. Give back to planet earth, our big green playground. Give back because the world is connected and compassion is the only means of saving it.” PHGB has translated this philosophy into a business of selling varieties of trail mix in grocery stores and retailers across the West (and mixes can be bought online through the website). Please take a moment visit www.playhardgiveback.com to find out more about the organization.

2005 CLASS AGENTS Dan Fisher Casey Shanley Rick Devlin Steph Shaker JAKE DONNELLY Just finished broadcasting Middlebury College men’s hockey on WVTK in Middlebury, Vermont. I am now down in Wilson, North Carolina, as the new director of broadcasting and media relations for the Wilson Tobs (www.wilsontobs.com). Trying as hard as possible to talk about sports for a living, but unfortunately, have to miss Carolyn Rosca’s wedding this summer. CASEY SHANLEY Hi, Class of 2005! I hope all is well with you. I recently got married at my parents’ home in New Jersey and was so fortunate to have many of my friends from Suffield there to celebrate with me and my husband Harry. It was great to catch up with Suffield faculty members Andrea and Andy Lowe, Sean and

KAMARI WILLIAMS ’03 On March 24, 2014, Kamari Williams ’03 was selected as a 2014 Rhode Island College Athletic Hall of Fame inductee. Kamari was a postgraduate in 2002-2003, previously playing at Cathedral High School in Springfield, Massachusetts. He went on to play at Rhode Island College following his time at Suffield. During his time at RIC, Kamari scored over a 1,000 points, while dishing out 300+ assists and grabbing close to 300 rebounds. Kamari is honored to be selected and is looking forward to the induction on Saturday, October 4, 2014 during Rhode Island College’s Homecoming Weekend.

Yasmin Atkins, and classmates Matthew Shifrin and Jason Lavine! Erika Picciotto Zanussi and Bridgette Barbato were there by my side as bridesmaids. I wish you all a happy and healthy summer!

2007

Class of 2007 graduates Steve Marangos, Anna Childs, and Mike DiPietro

CLASS AGENTS Mike DiPietro Sydney Greenberg Matt Jones Catherine Mis Erik Osborne Meredith Rarus Charlie Huck Tyler St. Pierre Rob Zammito Katy Heydinger Harry Melendez HANA GOSNEY I am currently doing a two-year program in Hamburg, Germany, studying advertising while focusing on art direction and digital design.

2008 Alfred Ku ’06 and ’07 alums, Lauren Okano, Marissa Gialopsos, Anna Childs, and Mike DiPietro

Class of 2006 alums Steve Root, Mike Rose, and Ben Morgan

CLASS AGENTS Joel Glassman Rebecca Joslow Barbara Kaplan Kaela Keyes Isy Zellweger Becca Bathrick Thomas Drummond-Hay Kirsten Chalke FELICIA HOLM I’m studying for my masters’ in strategic market creation at Copenhagen Business School and will begin writing my thesis within the next few months. I’m also working part time as PR assistant at Sæther (www.saether.dk), one of Denmark’s greatest distributors and agents for international perfume and cosmetics brands, like Chanel, Burberry, and Valentino—where I am expected to receive a full-time job as PR manager once I graduate. Things are

going quite well! Hope all is well with the rest of the Class of ’08. Sorry I could not make it for the Reunion last fall. HARRISON KRAMER I am currently living in Queens, New York. I am working at Swiss Watch Connections, while also working as a juggler and magician at various parties and events. COURTNEY LAGANKE Hello, everyone. I hope you all are doing well! I am interning at Saint Joseph University in Philly for the summer as part of my graduate program. I am working within the Office of Residence Life, primarily organizing and coordinating the summer conferences and camps that come through the University, with my final one being the team basketball camp. I’m kind of excited since I get to meet Phil Martelli! After I complete my internship, I will be returning to Greensboro, North Carolina, to finish my degree by May 2015. I am hoping to head back to the Mid-Atlantic and/or New England area afterwards and begin working at a college. This degree is flying by, and I hope to reconnect with many of you in the near future. Hope everyone has a great summer! CHRIS SULLIVAN I graduated from the College of Charleston in May 2012. I am currently working as an analyst at AEW Capital Management, a Boston-based real estate investment firm.

2009 CLASS AGENTS Rosemary Chandler Liz Monty Tom Casey Kyle Vigneault Sam Stone Amy Samenuk SAM BELL In June, I officially accepted my dream job as a commercial real estate broker with Cassidy Turley in Colorado. I am excited about what the future has in store but want Spring / Summer 2014

to wish my classmates and Suffield the best. I hope all is well! SHELLY D’ALEO After graduating with a BS from Bentley University last May, I decided to continue my education and obtain my MBA with a concentration in finance. I lived in Boston’s beautiful North End with friends from college while taking classes and coaching Bentley’s diving team this past fall and spring. I have to thank Mr. Lowe and Ms. Picciotto for getting me into diving at Suffield, because being a collegiate athlete was one of the best parts of my experience, and now I love coaching, too. This summer, I was given the opportunity to live one of my dreams and waterski professionally at Sea World San Antonio. We perform four shows a day from May to the end of August, so come see me if you are in the area! Come September, I will be back to the real world and will graduate with my MBA in December. I hope everyone is having just as much fun this summer as I am. I can’t wait to see all of my ’09ers at our five-year Reunion!

Alison Leonard ’06 and Barbara Kaplan ’08 with the Bullpen Cop at Fenway

MIKE JACOBS Things in Chicago are great. I moved out here after gradation and fell in love with the city. I’m working for a medical device company selling orthopedic implants. Luckily, I love the job but it sure does keep me busy. It’s funny because at Suffield I dreaded science and technology classes and didn’t do well. Now it’s my job! Callie Aldrich ’10 and I are still dating, and she just graduated from Union College in June. I guess we can thank Suffield for that, right? I do plan on coming to the Reunion in the fall. I will be making my travel plans soon, but I definitely feel it is important to me to make it back and reconnect with those who impacted my life in so many ways. I hope to see all of you there in October! KYLE VIGNEAULT I hope everyone is doing well and is excited for our five-year Reunion in October. I will be returning to Suffield in the fall as a faculty member for the 2014-2015 academic year. Suffield has played a vital role in my development to becoming the person I am today. I cannot wait to begin the next chapter of my life and call this wonderful place my home once again. See you all in the fall!

2010 CLASS AGENTS Ben Adams Michelle Autuori Justine de Chazal Tommy Leonard Mariah Gonzalez Alyssa Palomba Lucas Traber CALLIE ALDRICH I graduated from Union College in June with a bachelor’s degree in visual arts and mathematics, with a concentration on graphic design. I will be attending Chicago Portfolio School this fall to continue my 70

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Max Kalk ’18 and Emily Kalk ’10 on vacation in Hawaii

studies and gain more experience for the field of advertising. This summer I will be working as a junior art director for the advertising agency Laughlin Constable in Chicago. I hope all is well, and congratulations to those in the Class of 2010 who just graduated! TYLER ARNOLD I recently accepted a job with Republic Records, a leading division of Universal Music Group. I’ll join their A&R department full-time beginning in June, where my focus will be on signing and developing artists. I just recently got my first band, Us The Duo, signed to the label and it’s been really exciting to see their success so far. It’s crazy to think its been four years since the 2010 class graduated. I miss Suffield and can’t wait to see everyone next year at the Reunion!

JUSTINE DE CHAZAL I graduated May 10th and earned a bachelor of arts degree from the College of Charleston! I majored in studio art (focusing on photography) and minored in art history. I will be staying in Charleston for the summer and working at a gallery downtown called Redux Contemporary Art Center. I am going on a road trip in July and driving from Vancouver, British Columbia, down the West Coast with a friend from middle school—and after that I have absolutely no plans! In the meantime, I am applying for a job in galleries both in Charleston and Manhattan. I hope all is well at Suffield; sending everyone my best!

Billy Glidden ’10 and mother Susan at Williams College commencement in June

EMILY KALK Hi, everyone! Hope everyone has been doing well. I have been using this summer for MCAT prep and will be pursuing medical school for the fall of 2015. In the meantime, I have been shadowing doctors in Los Angeles and enjoying every minute of the sunshine! Also my brother Max ’18 will be joining SA this upcoming fall! He is so excited to be going to SA and to have the opportunity to form new, happy memories. We just got back from Hawaii and wanted to share this memory with everyone! TRISH KEARNEY Hello, Suffield Class of 2010! For those of you who graduated this year, congrats! I can’t believe how fast these past four years have flown by! It feels like just yesterday we were all ringing the Bell in our white dresses and orange ties at our Suffield graduation. I graduated from Endicott College at the end of May with a few of my fellow class of 2010ers Meg Madden, Mackenzie Coombs, and Colin Dowd. I graduated with my bachelors of science in hospitality management and started working for a catering company (Capers Catering) in Stoneham, Massachusetts, in June. I will be helping to plan events and weddings for them, and I am loving it so far. I also just moved to Arlington, Massachusetts; if any Suffield alums are in the area let me know! I miss all of you and look forward to catching up with everyone at our five-year Reunion in October! CONSTANCE TURNER I am currently finishing my bachelor’s degree at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. I will be interning this summer for MILK production studio after interning for Clear Channel and Northside Media Studios over the last school year. Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying summer!

Recent Endicott College graduate Trish Kearney ’10

Recent Syracuse University graduate Bridget Walsh ’10 (cum laude, Lambda Alpha National Honor Society) with her father, Dan

2011 CLASS AGENTS Joe Begley Serge Derby Kachenta Descartes Didi McDonald Shamier Settle Lester Taylor Karoline Hegbom Colin Dowd SAM CLARK I am finishing up my junior year at SMU, where I was inducted into the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS). I became a member of Beta Theta Pi Fraternity and last year was accepted into my plan of study: Applied Physiology Enterprise. I am still enjoying sports teams and am an avid CrossFit enthusiast. I have completed two Tough Mudders in Texas. In October, my dad joined me for the one right outside of Dallas. I plan to voyage with the Semester at Sea this summer for 66 days. I hope everyone is doing well from the Class of ’11.

fall at Bryant, but fortunate to be redshirted. I am interning at Fidelity for the summer and working with my strength coach to stay in football shape. I have two years left of eligibility and I am going to stay at Bryant to receive my MBA. Hope to see some of my fellow ’11s soon! MAX WARNER Hey, everyone! Seems hard to believe still that I graduated from Suffield three years ago. I’m currently taking a few summer classes at my college. Suffield will always have a special place in my heart. TELL WHITE I will be living in Beverly, Massachusetts, this summer at Endicott and working for the Swix Sport ski company in sales and marketing. I hope everyone in the Class of 2011 is doing well.

JOEY PALOMBA Things are going well for me this year, I am finishing up my chemistry major, and I got the opportunity to present at the American Chemical Society spring meeting. I am also involved with sexual assault prevention here at Boston College and received an amazing opportunity to go to Washington, D.C., to meet Joe Biden. Looking ahead, I am going to Germany this summer to do research and will be applying to PhD programs next fall. Due to all that is going on, I haven’t been back to Suffield, but hopefully I will make it back to campus next year. JUSTIN ROBINSON-HOWE Hello, Suffield. I hope everyone is doing well. Unfortunately, I injured my knee last

Chris Bae ’07 and Annie Nao ’10 visiting campus Spring / Summer 2014

Left to right 2013 graduates Erin Ferraro, Georgina Blakeley, Jacqueline Autuori, Jordan Stanley, and Natalie Deliso at Commencement with 2014 graduate Annie Osiecki (third from left)

2012 CLASS AGENTS Reed Barbe Katherine Battle Will Evangelakos Jameson Everett Josh Galant Taylor Jett Connor Kaplan Caroline Leonard Izzy McDonald Carly Smith Colin Dowd David Huang Alex Porter FRANK BOLELLA My sophomore year at Boston University was educational, exciting, and filled with rewarding opportunities. Over the course of the year, I maintained contact with classmates Alex Michel, Emily Mandirola, Dan Bailey, Alex Apkin, Zac Czikowsky, Will Sartorius, Dong Hyun Lee, Chris Sonberg, and Billy Degen. In addition, I earned a spot on the Dean’s List for both fall and spring semesters and served as the treasurer of my fraternity (Chi Phi), treasurer of BU’s Interfraternity Council, and as the transportation chairman for the BU Community Service Center. This summer I will be returning to my internship at United Technologies Aerospace Systems, participating in Deloitte’s Boston Mentor Program, and preparing to be a career skills coach in the Boston University School of Management’s Career Center, where I will assist my peers with career development. For the upcoming year, I look forward to maintaining the close relationships that I established during my time at Suffield, while utilizing the resources that Suffield provided me with to continue growing as a person and as a professional. 72

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Ben Cooper ’14 and Anna Strzempko ’13 at 181st Commencement

DOMINIC FIALLO I am happy to say that I am still at Oberlin, still playing lacrosse, and still enjoying life to the fullest. Here at Oberlin I am pursuing a geology major with a minor in chemistry. I am also working as a student accessibility advocate for the Office of Disability Services. This summer has already been a blast, and there is much more adventure to come. In June, I was able to visit the Suffield campus for Commencement. Congratulations to the Class of 2014! Also, I got to help Coach Foote put on a clinic for some of the sophomore defensemen; I can definitely say that the future of men’s lacrosse at Suffield looks bright. I will spend the month of June in Oberlin doing research in the Geomorphology lab. Specifically, I will continue researching the effects of land use on erosion in mountainous regions. At the beginning of July, I will head out to New Zealand to start my semester abroad. Other highlights of my life include—but are not limited to—a half-marathon this month, hanging out on my porch in Oberlin, January term in the Bay Area with Josh Galant, and being selected as a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Research Fellow. My sister Olivia ’13, is thriving at College of Charleston and loving the South. Unfortunately, my brother John will be a freshman at Loomis this fall. We tried to push Suffield, but he wanted a school with hockey. Hope all my 2012 classmates continue killing it out in the world! I also want to give a quick shout out to Mrs. Bauchiero, Rocky, Shanny, Amy, the Schildges, Mr. Zwirko, Ms. Andrysiak, Mr. Edwards, the facilities staff, the dining staff, and all of academic support. You were great mentors during my high school years! SU SIE PARK I took a leave of absence in the spring semester from New York University this

January and have been home in Korea since. Because I lived away from home for a long time, I rarely spent time with my family. This was the only time that I could share some time with them and make memories. I traveled to Taiwan during the winter and other places like Daegu and Yeosu in Korea during the spring. During the summer, I may stay in Korea until the fall term or probably visit my hometown, Oxford, in England. When I was in New York, my friendship with Kate Nivero ’11 developed more. We often hang out in New York on the weekend. It was really nice to know someone from Suffield, and she helped me adjust to life in New York. I also keep in touch with Val Klimenko, who is also at NYU. Suffield has always crossed my mind. I miss the peaceful atmosphere and close connection at Suffield. I miss Mr. Cahn, my advisor, who was always willing to help me like my parents. I miss the staff in the kitchen. They really gave me great memories of working there, especially Lynette’s warm smile! I really appreciate Suffield for having a great impact on my life and I am a proud alum. MOLLY STROMOSKI I finished my sophomore year at Pratt Institute making Dean’s List. This year was a tough one, but the support of my friends and family helped me get through it. The last two years at Pratt Institute have taught me about art, relationships, and how to really push myself. I continue to look back on my Suffield experience with great fondness and keep in touch with many of the wonderful people I met there. I will be forever grateful for the experience I received as a student at Suffield Academy.

Left to right 2014 graduates Robert Douglas, Sam Feldman, Jono Nelson, and Ben Cooper complete Tough Mudder at Mount Snow

2013 CLASS AGENTS Georgina Blakeley Andrés Fernández Vílchez Jay Fields Jamie Johnson Paul Metscher Jay O’Brien Emilio Rocha Mike Simmons Jordan Stanley Anna Strzempko Chris McCormick Noel Nakamura Wynn Mason ERIN FERRARO Coming back to Suffield was great! I was so happy to see some of my favorite classmates and faculty again. I can’t wait to be at SA this summer for Summer Academy and enjoy a few more weeks at my “second home.” MARIAM IBRAHIM Wrapped up a great freshman year by declaring my mechanical and aerospace engineering major and joining Orange Key, Princeton’s tour guide group. Raced back to Suffield to see many friends in the Class of 2014 graduate and see a number of missed faces. Spending this summer in Bordeaux and Lyon, thanks to Suffield’s Waskiewicz Award, and visiting Spain. Hope everyone is doing well! ANGELINA MASSOIA Going to a school as close to Suffield as Wesleyan is, I was happy I could keep in touch this year. Although this softball season was not all I hoped it would be due to a broken hand, I was at least able to start the last part of the season at shortstop and still had a good time with it. It was great to see

a lot of the Class of 2013 at graduation and I’m looking forward to a summer of working and friends. NOEL NAKAMURA I can’t believe my freshman year at Franklin and Marshall is already over! It has been a crazy year, but a fun and exciting one nonetheless. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss Suffield. It seems like just yesterday I was sitting outside the Union hanging out with all my friends, while soaking in the sun and getting ready for our final weeks at Suffield. It’s crazy to think that it has already been a year! It was great seeing everyone at Commencement, and a huge congratulations to the Class of 2014 on graduating! ANNA STRZEMPKO It was wonderful to be back at Suffield for graduation and see some loved ones make that accomplishment. While I miss Suffield, Wesleyan has been ideal in teaching me how to be better at what I love to do. I learned how to write and speak at Suffield, and I am beginning to take those talents seriously now at Wesleyan! RYAN TETTEMER I can’t believe my freshman year is over. I had a great year studying business and playing for the Brandeis baseball team. Since I’m so close to Boston, I was able to experience the Red Sox winning the World Series firsthand with my fellow teammates. This summer I’m working at Westfield Bank and playing Tri-County baseball. Since I’ve been home, I’ve spent time with many of my Suffield friends, including Jack Patterson, Natalie DeLiso, Ben Stein, and Paul Metscher.

Sam Clark ’11 at Texas Tough Mudder

2014 CLASS AGENTS Kevin Cournoyer Julie Doten Sam Feldman Charlotte Hinrichs Shivang Jhunjhnuwala Griffin Manos Briana Matthews Brice McAllister Zach McCormick Jono Nelson Alexis Sarris Denny Smythe Izzy Thompson KEVIN BARRY Attending Endicott College, where I will be majoring in business and playing both football and lacrosse. ROBERT DOUGLAS Toughest 10 miles of my life during the Tough Mudder I participated in with Jono Nelson, Sam Feldman, and Ben Cooper in June! The only time we weren’t climbing up or down 45+ degree gradients, we were completing physical puzzles, like pushing each other over wooden walls 10 feet high or diving into icy water that would immediately send our bodies into shock. Each of the 15 obstacles posed unique challenges that tested us as individuals and as a team. The four of us even stayed back for a short while on some to help others. While I can’t say it was the team’s best idea to go shirtless (by the end of the first obstacle I had shed my first round of blood), I’ll be wearing my ‘mudder’ ID numbers all summer after the scorching sunburn we all received, and I couldn’t be happier. Right after we finished, the majority of us signed up for next year’s race.

Spring / Summer 2014

engagements 1

1 Drew Betts ’06 and Amanda Camerota ’06 2 Will Doar ’06 to Katy Heydinger ’07 engaged on the Great Wall of China 3 Bianca Molta ’07 to Billy Cargill ’07

births 1

1 Adopted by Denise Choquette Leber ’84, a daughter, Sophia Leber on 2.20.14 2 To Jenn Fisher Taiwo ’01 and husband Adeniyi, a son, Jacob Emmanuel Taiwo on 5.13.14 3 To Vicki Elliot ’09, a son, Alexander Sebastian Montalvo on 5.4.14

SUFFIELD

weddings 1

5 6

1 Jamal Holley ’98 to Ogo Okweozor on April 26, 2014 2 Casey Shanley ’05 to Harry Kegelman on June 7, 2014 3 Katherina Duong ’02 to Bastien Bernet on June 7, 2014 4 Carla Franciose ’04 to Chris Woldt on April 5, 2014 5 Caroline Powers ’07 to Scott Jackson on July 21, 2013 6 Amy Groszyk ’99 to Rick Sheiber on June 29, 2013

Spring / Summer 2014

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SUBMIT A CLASS NOTE FOR THE FALL EDITION OF SUFFIELD Send your class notes and photographs to Harry Melendez III â&#x20AC;&#x2122;07, Development Associate Email: hmelendez@suffieldacademy.org Mail to: Harry Melendez, 185 North Main Street, Suffield, Connecticut 06078 Note: If submitting digitally through email, please send high-quality JPEG files (preferably 1MB or larger) to suffield.magazine@gmail.com. If submitting prints through the mail, please send a photo-lab quality print.

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SAVE THE DATE! OCTOBER 10-12, 2014 www.suffieldacademy.org/reunion

SPRI NG/SUMMER 2014

2014 REUNION

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