Landmark School Fall 20/Winter 21 Lantern Magazine

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FALL 2020/ WINT ER 2021

THE MAGAZINE OF LANDMARK SCHOOL

NEW WORLD SAME LANDMARK When the pandemic changed everything, Landmark stayed true to its mission.

We’re Back!

Help us sp the wor read d about our Sum me Program r s.

BOOST SKILLS, GAIN CONFIDENCE, GET BACK ON TRACK Landmark School offers three programs for students in grades 1–12.

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Elementary•Middle School Program July 6–August 6, 2021 Full and half-day options for students entering grades 1–7.

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High School Program July 5–31, 2021 Full and half-day for students entering grades 8–12.

Both programs offer a one-to-one daily tutorial and challenging academics, all in a small collaborative environment followed by exciting and fun afternoon activities. Designed for students with a diagnosed language-based learning disability, such as dyslexia.  Learn more at Landmarkschool.org/summer

• 978-236-3000

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Skills+ Study Skills Workshop July 26–August 6, 2021 Half-day program for middle and high school students Get your academic edge this summer with skills and strategies to get and stay organized, manage time, gain focus, and so much more.

Designed for students in traditional learning environments who need to improve executive function skills.

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The Lantern is published twice yearly by the Marketing and Communications Department at Landmark School, P.O. Box 227, Prides Crossing, MA 01965-0227 The Lantern is available online at landmarkschool.org/lantern Contact us at lantern@landmarkschool.org Lantern Editorial Committee and Contributors Scott Blanchette Bob Broudo P’11 Hazel Crowley Danielle Figueira Michelle Granese Scott Harlan Rob Kahn Brittany Kenney Katie Mullen Beth Rowen P’20 Susan Tomases Designer Melanie deForest-Malloy

Contributors Kyle Clark Emma Hiott ‘27 Tara Joly-Lowdermilk Taylor Nault ‘21 Karl Pulkkinen Amy Veling Kayla Vestal

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Photographers Carolyn Aliskevicz Carl Gasowski Lauri Johnson Courtney Joly-Lowdermilk Kieran Kesner ‘09 Illustrator Olivia Malloy

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

COVER STORY

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new world lsaamnedmark

13 From Chicken Coop to Chromebook 16 State of the Art

18 Maintaining a Sense of Community

21 Document Cameras Help Teachers Deliver the Six Teaching Principlestm

22 Everything Old is

New Again

24 Sharing What We Know 26 Same Methodology, New Tools

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FEATURE ARTICLES 28 The View From 50 Years of Hindsight

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DEPARTMENTS ◗ HEADLIGHT

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Landmark School, New World, Same Landmark

◗ THE BEACON

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Landmark’s News in Brief

◗ PROFILES

32 34 36 38 40

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Penlight: In Her Own Words, Emma Hiott ’27 Spotlight/Faculty: Andrea Meade Love Story: A Love Letter to Teaching Penlight: In Her Own Words, Taylor Nault ’21 Spotlight/Trustee: Thilo Henkes P’24

◗ STARLIGHT

42 Athletics 43 Performing Arts ◗ FLOODLIGHT

44 Events 49 Alumni Notes ◗ IN MEMORIAM

56 Charley Harris

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 HEADLIGHT a message from the Headmaster

New World, Same Landmark

by Bob Broudo

In 1971, following several summer programs, Landmark School was founded for students with dyslexia and other language-based learning disabilities (LBLD) with the mission to change the course of these students’ lives. At this time, it was evident that such disabilities were not only devastating when undiagnosed or unremediated, but it was also clear that with appropriate support, children with LBLD could develop language and learning skills, have positive educational experiences, and enjoy great success.

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35 buildings, 319 employees, and a proven model that had been refined for 48 years based on experience and research.

One year later and six months into the COVID-19 health pandemic, Landmark opened with 439 students. In this new world, we quickly applied our teaching methods to in-person, hybrid, and remote models. While this was not what was planned after 49 years of program development, Landmark has continued to learn, increasing the integration of technology into our teaching and learning process to provide the best programs and practices for students with LBLD within this environment, again based on our diagnostic/prescriptive individualized model.

In the end, within this new and unexpected world, what works for our students is Landmark being Landmark, and meeting each and every student exactly where they are in the learning process. Now, as we are in our 50th year, we can proudly say that despite the odds, Landmark is still Landmark! BOOK-OPEN

“ What works for our students is Landmark being Landmark, and meeting each and every student exactly where they are in the learning process.”

K I E RA N K E SN E R ’ 09

The Landmark Approach From Day One, specific, individualized, remedial intervention has been the key to Landmark’s program design, including our one-to-one tutorial, skills-based classes, and academic advisory system.

Ongoing experience and research partnerships (Yale, Rutgers, National Institute of Health Professions, Harvard, MIT) have been integral to Landmark’s evolving programs from the outset. As we once hypothesized, we learned scientifically that LBLDs are neurological in nature. Merging this science with our teaching and observational experiences formed the foundation of Landmark’s teaching principles and best practices.

Landmark opened in September 1971 with 40 students, two main buildings, and several construction trailers that doubled as dorms and classrooms, along with a diagnostic/prescriptive, individualized medical approach to teaching. By September 2019, Landmark’s enrollment was 470, one of our highest in the school’s history, with students from 20 states and six countries,

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Beacon Landmark’s News in Brief |

SPORTS

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FACULTY

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THE ARTS

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STUDENTS

❱❱ FALL/WINTER 2020–2021 |

SERVICE

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ALUMNI

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RESOURCES

❱❱ POSITIVITY

Spreading Kindness Freddi Triback’s Social Studies and Kids Around the Globe classes spent the fall spreading kindness.

Each class assembled a long list of ways they have been kind or seen other acts of kindness displayed toward friends, family, or even the environment. She challenged her students to do something kind for someone and pass on a “Smile Card” with hope that the kindness will continue and spread.

International Day of Peace In September, the InterCultural Group observed the International Day of Peace by discussing different aspects of peace and reflecting on the questions: What does peace mean to me? How can I create peace in my world?

Stay in the Loop

WHAT PERSONAL PEACE MEANS TO ME:

CONNECT WITH US:

chevron-circle-right N ot feeling anger or other bad feelings toward

your friends.

HOW CAN YOU CREATE PEACE IN YOUR WORLD? chevron-circle-right B e respectful and flexible.

chevron-circle-right B eing in an environment that is not stressful.

chevron-circle-right A ppreciate everyone and understand them.

chevron-circle-right C learing my mind and taking a break from the

chevron-circle-right P ut things into perspective.

world.

EVENTS! SEE YOU THIS SPRING FALL 2020/WINTER 2021

 facebook.com/landmarkschool  @landmarkschool landmarkschool

 The Landmark School Alumni landmark360.org

LANDMARK LEARNS ONGOING

MAKING WAVES APRIL 14

GOLF BENEFIT JUNE 7

Webinars on Executive Function, Anxiety, Motivation, and more. landmarkschool.org/ landmark-learns

Celebrate the Landmark community at this first-ever virtual event and auction. You won’t want to miss this! landmarkschool.org/ making-waves

Join us for one of our most popular events of the year when we take to the links at Ipswich Country Club.

Learn more at landmarkschool.org/ golf-benefit. See page 48.

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International Group Rebrands

The International Group, which celebrates Landmark School’s diverse cultural backgrounds, has been an active club at the High School for many years. This year, the group voted to change its name to the InterCultural Group. The new name reflects the shift in the demographics of its membership, as well as its overall focus, which will be to address social and cross-cultural issues.

Landmark faculty members wear black to show their support of the BLM movement

or cultural attire and play ethnic music. Our enthusiastic SAGE staff served a special lunch, and the dining hall was decorated with flags representing various countries.

United Nations Day

The InterCultural Group observed United Nations Day in late October. This year, the annual event celebrated our interconnectedness in the COVID-19 environment and broadcast a music/dance performance that encouraged “genuine solidarity” at a global level.

The InterCultural Group invited the community to wear ethnic

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Solidarity Day

Flags reflecting the heritage of some of our students hung in the high school dining room.

Each year, Landmark High School’s Gender and Sexualities Alliance (GSA) sponsors Ally Day and encourages community members to reflect on values and actions, commit to end harassment and bullying, and support their peers, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression.

In 2020, the GSA expanded its focus to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement, and renamed the event Solidarity Day. The GSA drew attention to the historic harm done to Black people and emphasized the responsibility we have to adjust our language, ideas, and actions so they are appropriate and reflect the voices of those most impacted by oppressive systems and behaviors.

Showing Support and Unity

At the beginning of Landmark High School’s 2020–2021 academic year, the newly formed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee asked faculty and staff to wear black each Friday to show solidarity with and support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Responding to the initiative, High School faculty member Jamaal Dixon said, “As I watched Jacob Blake get shot in his back seven times as his kids watched, I couldn’t help but think, what if that was me? Many of you may not understand that feeling,

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but as a people, we just want to be valued, it’s really quite simple. We will continue to have the necessary conversations throughout the year and push our campus to be an accepting and inclusive community. I believe that is what we all want.”

The committee’s work is an institutional priority for Landmark School. A counterpart committee exists on the EMS campus.

Headmaster Bob Broudo said, “Members of the Landmark community tend to be inherently empathetic, and sensitive to social issues, knowing that our students have often been marginalized in prior school experiences. The Black Lives Matter movement and other human rights movements are often wrongfully politicized.

Treating people with dignity and humanity is not political—it’s a basic human right.”

Broudo added, “As a community, we know we need to do more. The work of the committees on both campuses

is to help students and faculty become informed, invested global citizens who have an awareness of inequality, injustice, and institutional racism.”

Chelsey and Michelle read books from each category and created 42 thought-provoking, engaging lessons that include activities, articles and questions, pictures or videos, and reflections.

Teachers Spend Summer Developing Timely Curriculum

Every summer, the family of former faculty member Andrew Burke sponsors a summer stipend for curriculum development. The Andrew Burke Memorial Award is open to social studies, language arts, and tutorial teachers.

In 2020, Chelsey Bergsten and Michelle Boucher developed curriculum to provide tutorial students with diverse perspectives on an array of topical issues. They drew on the summer reading list curated by High School Librarian Amy Veling that includes books about race, gender, sexuality, immigration/culture, religion, socioeconomic status, and family.

Adapting Curriculum for All Learning Environments

Andrew Burke Awardees Michelle Boucher (left) and Chelsey Bergsten (right)

Another Burke Awardee, Kyle Clark, converted the High School’s language arts grammar curriculum into a digital friendly format that uses aesthetics (color, fonts, images, diagrams) and structural formatting (tables, dividers, sections) to support parts of speech work and sentence structure for students participating in classes on campus, remotely, and in a hybrid environment. His work eliminated the need for teachers to adapt worksheets for each type of learning environment.

High School Science Teacher Receives Prestigious Fellowship

Sarah Ciras, a Landmark High School science teacher, was selected as a Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) 2020 Equity Fellow. She is one of 15 teachers across the country to receive the honor.

The CSTA Equity Fellowship involves collaborating with a group of other educators across the country to promote an equitable landscape in computer science education. Its goals are to bring an intersectional lens to the computer science education community, with the goal of making the field a more diverse and welcoming space for all.

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❱❱ COMMUNITY OUTREACH

2020–2021 Student Advocates

Landmark High School students juggle many responsibilities each day: school, homework, community service, and often long commutes.

Each year, 10–12 seniors add another time-consuming commitment to their schedules: being a Student Advocate.

The Advocates, led by faculty members Jason Mansfield, Dan Ahearn, and Ashley Norman, present to graduate and undergraduate education students at local colleges and universities, as well as to students, teachers, and administrators at elementary and middle schools. They talk about their learning differences, how they affect them, and how they overcome these challenges.

In addition, they offer advice and strategies to teachers about how to support students with learning differences.

Mia

Makayla

Lilly

Heather

Ethan

Josh

Morgan

Landon

Maggie

Nathaniel

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Ruby

Student Council Election

A record 233 Landmark High School students—an impressive 86% participation rate—voted to elect Student Council officers in September. Ethan Kerr ‘21 won the race for president, Nathaniel Smith ‘21 secured the vice president slot, Ally DeAraujo ‘21 became treasurer, and Heather Graham ‘21 assumed the position of secretary.

Ethan said, “We are going to build a Landmark community that is more united, more a family than ever,” he said. “We are going to have campus events on campus so we can see each other and interact, and create that bond that we hold dear.”

Nathaniel stressed his desire to relax the dress code and interest in working with the administration to extend lunch periods and to allow students to drive off campus for lunch.

Ally drew on her fundraising, accounting, and money management skills to make the case that she’d be a responsible treasurer.

“I will work to spend the money in order to make our time at Landmark more fun.”

Heather acknowledged the inconvenience of wearing a mask for eight periods a day and promised to work with the administration to offer students more outdoor programming.

In addition to organizing campus-wide events, the Student Council raises money for organizations near and far, including the Open Door Food Pantry in Gloucester, Beverly Bootstraps, nAGLY, Ddembe Home Uganda, Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos (NPH), and many more.

O’Riordan Elected President of Athletic Association

Tom O’Riordan, Landmark High School’s veteran varsity cross country and track and field coach, was elected president of the New England Prep School Track and Field Association (NEPSTA). In his new role, Tom will serve as head of the Cross Country and Track and Field Coaches Association for some 280 NEPSAC schools throughout New England, New York, New Jersey, and Quebec. Tom will continue to coach and teach at Landmark.

“I’m honored and excited to serve as the next NEPSTA president,” said Tom. “I’m eager to work with the Executive Board and coaches as we look ahead to offering all NEPSTA athletes the chance to compete again as soon as safely possible.”

Art with a Message

Several students in Doug Turnbull’s woodworking class participated in making a Black Lives Matter sign, using lettering FALL 2020/WINTER 2021

techniques and fonts of their choice.

“The project sparked a lot of valuable, thoughtful, and intelligent conversation,” he said.

Students who worked on the sign wrote a reflection on the project and expressed what Black Lives Matter means to them. Below is a sampling of their comments.

spend time spraying their hoses at the houses that aren’t on fire because those houses don’t need their help. This is what I think about when I hear people say ‘all lives matter.’ No one is saying that they don’t, but they’re saying that there’s a community on fire and they need everyone’s help to put the fire out.”

DAVID D. ‘21 “All people should be treated equally, through the system and through the eyes of others. One group does not and should not stand above all.”

Food Drive

Before the Thanksgiving break in November, the High School Student Council organized a food drive for the Open Door Food Pantry in Gloucester. More than 830 pounds of non-perishable food was collected, as well as $200 in monetary donations.

ROWAN H. ‘24 “I have noticed that our country has been facing a lot of hatred lately, and it makes me want to help others increase awareness about the topic. Working on this sign gave me a sense of pride.”

ALIYAH K. ‘21 “When people tell me they don’t understand why ‘only’ Black lives matter, I tell them to think about this: if there’s one building on fire in a neighborhood, the fire department will help the house on fire. They’re not going to FALL 2020/WINTER 2021

High School Woodworking students collaborated on a striking Black Lives Matter sign.

EMS Care Packages

Every year at the Elementary•Middle School, faculty, staff, and students make care packages and thank-you cards to show appreciation for the hard work and dedication of service workers, such as police, firefighters, postal workers, and public works staffers as well as the kitchen and custodial staff at EMS. This year, they added Operation Troop Support to the list of recipients.

Parents’ Days

Predictably, fall 2020 Parents’ Days looked different this year on both campuses, with hundreds of parents and guardians attending thousands of conferences with teachers, academic advisors, and administrators through Google Meet.

Faculty and administrators produced videos to welcome parents and guardians, provide overviews of academic departments, and showcase our Visual and Performing Arts Programs. The High School’s short film production class created an entertaining, behind-the-scenes The Lantern

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look at a day in the life of a Landmark student.

Scheduling 2,178 conferences at the High School and 788 at the Elementary•Middle School required hours of planning, link checking, and coordination. The meticulous attention to detail paid off. By all accounts, virtual Parents’ Days on both campuses were a resounding success.

Eighth Grade Leadership Kicks Off 2020–2021 Program

A key component of Landmark School’s mission is to empower students to reach their academic and social potential. The Eighth Grade Leadership Program at the Elementary•Middle School fosters that growth, as well as builds community and emphasizes the importance of service.

While the program looks different this year, traditionally students participate in community service initiatives both on- and off-campus. They host fundraisers to collect money for their eighth grade cruise, class gift, and offcampus activities. The students have partnered with elementary

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students as a part of a pen-pal exchange and organized special milkbreak events for the other classes.

Eighth grade students participate in a communitybuilding game.

KICKOFF EVENT The 2020–2021 Eighth Grade Leadership Program held its first meeting in the gym on a snowy day in late October. The group’s leaders, Tara Joly-Lowdermilk and Laura Polvinen, facilitated the meeting and asked students to use one word to describe the entire eighth grade class.

The answers illustrated the camaraderie and compassion the students feel for each other: family, respectful, leaders, friends, responsible, kind, independent.

Students Take to the Mats

The 2020–2021 school year is certainly one like never before.

However, the Elementary•Middle School is committed to providing students as much normalcy and continuity as possible, including a selection of on-campus and remote electives.

YOGA New to EMS this year are yoga and drama electives (see p. 45 for more on the drama elective).

EMS faculty member Lisa Nichols teaches yoga to both elementary and middle school students. “It is really exciting to see the confidence and body awareness as it develops so differently in each student,” she said.

Students practice a combination of breathing, relaxation, positive thinking, and asana poses. In addition to the poses, students learn mindfulness practices to promote self-awareness and positive thinking.

Given the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, yoga is a perfect outlet for our students.

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Using Tools to Engage Remote Learners

In the fall, middle school science students used tech resources to gain a fundamental understanding of the periodic table and basic structures of atoms. They determined the orientation and numbers of protons, neutrons, and electrons of a chosen element, and then applied computer tools in Google Slides to create their own atomic models.

“The use of technology and the capability of Google Slides to see edits in real time allowed students to better view other’s work and collaborate,” noted Sophie Wilson, Science Department head. “Students engaged with the content, created their own models, and gave feedback to one another.”

“We had been studying U.S. government, and our goal was to bring this subject to life through a live visit with the mayor,” said Mrs. Conant. “The students practiced their questions, and each student spoke clearly and respectfully. It was a great success!”

Bringing Government to Life at the EMS

Students in Amy Conant and Liz Scola’s classes were treated to a first-hand lesson in government in early November, when Gloucester, Mass., Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken visited the Elementary•Middle School via Google Meet.

The questions included: • What does your job entail?

• Why did you want to be the mayor?

• What is your greatest accomplishment?

• How can kids help their communities?

Winter Fest

The annual Fall Festival at the Elementary•Middle School was put on ice this year because of the pandemic, but students were not denied an activity-packed celebration. Fall Fest morphed into Winter Fest, which took place on two Fridays in December to accommodate the two-pod format.

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Warm weather and sunny skies made the EMS Winter Fest a fun and comfortable outdoor event.

Students were treated to decadent hot chocolate, garnished with chocolate chips, marshmallows, and whipped cream, and hot, buttery popcorn.

An assortment of hands-on, winter-themed activities kept students and faculty engaged and entertained. Activities included a photo booth, freeze dance, reading by the fire, snowman and mini-sled making, basketball shooting contest, cornhole, and more!

“It’s fun to see teachers I haven’t seen in a while,” said Caroline, a fifth-grade student.

Judging by the participation and the bright eyes (masks hid smiles), Winter Fest was a big hit for both students and faculty.

“Given the changes and restrictions that we’ve experienced this year, Winter Fest gave campus a more ‘normal’ feel,” said Tara Joly-Lowdermilk, the assistant dean of students.

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d l r o w w e n same landmark Karl Pulkkinen (top left) in Landmark’s early days.

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From Chicken Coop to Chromebook

Contributors: Karl Pulkkinen, founding faculty member and current Elementary•Middle School Public School Liaison Kyle Clark, current High School faculty member and coach

1971 (Karl Pulkkinen)

Drake. Other faculty members meet to share daily news and updates on the routine and students.

6:30 a.m. We wake up our boarding students in Norrie House (now Alexander Academic Center), make sure they wash up, brush teeth, make beds, tidy up rooms, and get ready for breakfast.

12 p.m. We all make our way back to the dining room for lunch, clear our dishes, and then head to our afternoon classes.

7:15 a.m. A family-style breakfast is served to teachers and students in the small, elegant dining room on the first floor.

8:00 a.m. Students disburse across what is now the High School campus to begin classes in any manner of buildings, from the stately Norrie House to trailers and even a converted chicken coop.

I head off to teach two 1:1 tutorials, providing reading instruction using a linguistic approach where my students practice decoding specific patterns in a controlled reading series called Let’s Read. I reinforce the decoding of these patterns with spelling dictations and we practice students’ application with non-controlled reading material.

As it still is today, the approach is completely individualized based on each student’s strengths and weaknesses.

9:40 a.m. Milkbreak is a welcome daily reprieve for teachers and students who work hard in small classes, tutorial, and a new method of teaching based on the same Six Teaching Principlestm that today provide the architecture for Landmark’s proven approach. Students take a break, grab a snack, and stretch their legs while some faculty meet with founding Headmaster Dr. Charles FALL 2020/WINTER 2021

A donated chicken coop gets retrofitted to serve as a classroom space.

1:00 p.m. My social studies class is held in an office trailer that provides additional classroom space. I use accessible social studies texts that allow the six students to apply their decoding skills. They are learning how to approach the text to glean the main ideas and details and then commit these to two-column notes for future reference.

2:00 p.m. Faculty and staff wear several hats here, and I also teach physical education, which is often held outside or in the “chicken coop” (now the site of Collins Field) in inclement weather. Our new gymnasium (now the Black Box Theater) and classroom building (now the Dudley Classroom Building) are under construction for most of this first school year.

3:00 p.m. I am on duty every other day and every other weekend. If it’s my shift, I am responsible, along with other teachers, for after-school activities until 5:30 p.m. These can range from taking a group to a local laundromat, leading an outdoor activity, or supervising free time.

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Students take turns waiting on tables and helping out in the dish room. Once again, we dine family style, and at my assigned table, I facilitate polite conversation and proper manners until students are dismissed.

6:30 p.m. Students return to their rooms for a one-hour study hall. If I’m on duty I pass from room to room on the second floor, answering any questions students may have while they do their homework.

7:30 p.m. After study hall, students may go downstairs to watch TV, socialize with their friends, or stay in their rooms to finish schoolwork, read, or listen to their radios or record players.

8:30 p.m. We supervise students as they prepare for bed with “lights out” at 9:00 p.m. for our youngest kids and 9:30 p.m. for the older ones.

10:00 p.m. After everyone is settled, I return to my room to prepare my lessons for the next day.

Dr. Drake and his wife, Marjorie, live on campus down the hall from my roommate, Bob Broudo, and me. There is a strong feeling of family on campus, where we are continuously reminded that our students’ academic and social needs are under our shared care and responsibility.

We are so immersed in our daily lives and work that the first year seems to fly by!

Kyle Clark (2021)

Due to COVID-19, Landmark paused its residential program. Under normal circumstances the day would begin for our residential team at 6 a.m. and would end long after “lights out.”

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A distinctive shift from the routine from 50 years ago, High School faculty member, Kyle Clark’s day now includes dizzying classroom tech, and a healthy dose of cleaning and sanitizing.

7:30 a.m. I arrive at school wearing a mask and sanitize my hands before I get out of my car. Setting up my COVID-19– compliant classroom involves turning on the Chromebook in the back of the room and logging into a Google Meet through Google Classroom so my remote students can see the whole room and participate along with those on campus, turning on the projector, flipping on the air filter, cracking an exterior door to create some airflow, and writing the class agenda on the board. Then I make sure to have all the activities I will need during the class open in various tabs on my browser for easy access. I set up another Google Meet (the same one as the Chromebook in the back), which will be used to communicate with the remote students, monitor their attention and body language, and share the day’s material so they can access the same content that the in-person students are seeing on the whiteboard.

7:50 a.m. Once all remote and in-person students arrive, we start with a warm up and then review homework. I typically use Google Jamboard to encourage collaboration and participation from remote and in-person students. We then proceed with our lesson for the day.

As students leave, I wipe down each desk, chair, commonly used spaces, doorknobs, light switches, and my own gear. I then sanitize my hands as I follow the one-way traffic patterns out of the room and on to my next location, Campus Cottage.

8:50 a.m. I settle into my tutorial space and log into a Google Meet, where my student is waiting for me, sitting at an assigned desk in the middle of the wrestling room on the other side of campus.

Landmark has developed this workaround to make tutorial as effective as possible while keeping us socially distanced, healthy, and safe. It’s been an adjustment but we’re all making it work. (See “Still Landmark” p. 23).

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CA RL G A SOWS K I

5:30 p.m. Residential students and teachers return to the dorms on the second floor of Norrie House, where we get ready for dinner, which, according to tradition established by Dr. Drake, includes boys and men wearing a jacket, tie, and belt.

9:40 a.m. If it’s Friday, I remain in my tutorial location and attend a Zoom Milkbreak meeting, a tradition that started at Landmark on day one, 50 years ago. Our campus head, Bill Barrett, leads us through announcements and other important information: the awarding of the Silver Bullet to a deserving colleague and Christine Barrett pulls a number from the virtual “bucket” where faculty win money from a pool many of us have contributed to. Despite all of the physical restrictions—we feel connected to each other and our traditions.

K I E RA N K E SN E R ’ 09

12:15 p.m. I head to the dining room in the Alexander Academic Center (formerly Norrie House), sanitize my hands, am served my food from a SAGE Dining staff member and, weather permitting, take my lunch outside to appreciate the fresh air and an opportunity to remove my mask and eat safely. If I’m indoors, I sit alone in a plexiglass carrel that has been sanitized before and after I use it. The dining room is quiet and strange without the laughter, bustle, and sense of camaraderie that we enjoyed when faculty, staff, and students ate together.

5:30 p.m. As I prepare to leave for the day, I wipe everything in my room down one more time, including my cell phone, keys, computer, and water bottle. I turn off the air filter, find my car in a dark, cold, empty parking lot, and head home after a long day.

Masks and hand sanitizing have become the norm, but our method and approach are still the same.

Life and learning has changed dramatically since 1971—and COVID-19 has added a level of complexity we never could have imagined.

But we take comfort in our efforts to maintain the spirit and routines that make Landmark so special and look ahead with optimism to Landmark’s next 50 years.

3:13 p.m. At the end of the school day, I remain in my classroom, keep my mask on, and engage in some light-hearted banter with the nighttime custodial manager before I plan for the next day.

Some days, I log on to another Google Meet for a film appreciation afternoon activity with students, where we watch and analyze movies.

If it is a Monday, I head down to the Student Life office to make sure students find their transportation home in buses, vans, carpool, and even on the commuter rail. I then walk around the entire campus and make sure all of the buildings are locked up safely. Afternoons are peaceful, contrasting dramatically with what my Mondays have been like for the past five years, managing all aspects of residential life for that particular day. I miss that aspect of my Landmark life, the people I worked with in that department, and getting to engage with the “person” and not just the “student.”

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new world same la ndmark Co-Head of the High School Visual Art Department, Kara Healey, demonstrates a sketching technique to students in the classroom and those joining remotely.

K I E RA N K E S NE R ’09

State of the Art by susan tomases

Masked students sit in front of computer terminals at individual

8-foot-long tables in the Inspiration Gallery, which has been converted to a graphic design and digital photography studio. Some students are logged in, hundreds of miles from Prides Crossing, watching Visual Arts teachers demonstrate a new technique or skill. Student artwork is illuminated to the rest of the class from a document camera projected through a tablet computer and onto a SMARTBoard. This is Visual Arts at Landmark High School in the COVID–19 age.

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Electives in the Early Days

Since Landmark opened its doors in 1971 to a fledgling class of just 40 students, the young, idealistic faculty realized that students would need opportunities to shift from reading, writing, and arithmetic to activities that allowed them to free their mind and explore new and creative endeavors. Early offerings included athletics, auto mechanics, performing arts, visual arts, and woodworking.

Founding faculty member and current Headmaster Bob Broudo said, “Getting this place up and running was challenging but thrilling too. We begged, borrowed, and stole (well not really!), and we accepted whatever was given to us. Someone donated a printing press that sat in the middle of the carriage house, which was then, and still is, the home of our High School Visual Arts Department.

So in addition to exploring painting, drawing, printing, photography, and pottery, students learned how to operate the press. My father, David Broudo, was the head of Endicott College’s Art Department and a nationally known ceramics artist, and he passed along ceramic wheels and clay. In our Woodworking Department, students made everything from canoes to tables, cutting boards, and even signs. Students repaired donated cars, including a 1964 AMC Rambler Classic 660, and many went on to pursue these fields after Landmark. The creative arts were a way for our students to express themselves, and we wholeheartedly encouraged that.”

A sand floor didn’t deter students from playing any manner of games in the new gym.

(Chad) Drake, who would no doubt be gratified by the dozens of Scholastic Art Awards won by Landmark students annually.

Today, Landmark has added a STEAMworks (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) lab to its elective offerings. “Our teachers are stretched thin and they’re exhausted, but every day I continue to be amazed at how they innovate and find ways to meet our students’ needs, regardless of whether they are on campus or learning remotely,” said Bill Barrett, head of Landmark High School.

Despite the limitations from COVID-19, Landmark students are still making prints, building boats, replacing carburetors, and dancing their way across computer screens and into our hearts.

Ahead of Their Time

In the early 2000s, as the science behind learning disabilities was becoming more sophisticated, neurobiological evidence proved that physical, hands-on interests provided students more than outlets for stress and creativity. Motor activities help build visual, auditory, and kinesthetic pathways that aid in brain development at the cellular level, affirming the instincts of Landmark’s founder, Dr. Charles FALL 2020/WINTER 2021

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K I ER A N KE S NE R ’ 0 9

Maintaining a Sense of Community by beth rowen P’20

Community has long been a defining feature of Landmark School, among

faculty and staff, faculty and students, and the student population. More than ever before, fostering relationships is especially important for educators who face new, stressful demands of remote and hybrid teaching models and for students who may feel isolated while learning remotely or miss seeing their peers on campus each day.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has made maintaining camaraderie challenging on both campuses.

Nevertheless, our faculty and students have innovatively created new ways to stay connected, while also preserving tried and true community-building traditions.

Elementary•middle school initiatives

At the Elementary•Middle School (EMS), Laura Polvinen and Alli Armstrong-Javors of the Counseling Department, initiated a Secret Buddy program. Teachers perform simple acts of kindness toward each other, such as writing a secret note, leaving a plant on a colleague’s desk, or mailing a painted rock to another faculty member’s home.

“These simple yet meaningful gestures bring a bit of excitement and joy during an otherwise tough time,” Polvinen said.

Administrators encourage teachers to socialize, both remotely and in person at a safe distance.

Teachers can eat lunch together in a “Virtual Faculty Dining Room,” and occasionally staff meetings are cancelled so teachers can enjoy fresh air in “Milkbreak Minglers.”

I LLUSTR ATI ON S BY OL I VI A M A L LOY

Hazel Crowley, known on campus for her love of puzzles and expertise at word games, organized monthly EMS Trivia Nights in the spring and the tradition continues.

“Trivia is a perfect way to challenge the mind in a fun way outside of work. It’s also a terrific team sport—if you don’t know the answer, it can be exciting (and unexpected) to see which of your coworkers knows what random facts—and why!,” she said. “The event is a good morale booster— everyone has the chance to shine!”

Morning Meeting has become a place for both students and faculty to connect and share musings about anything from the Milkbreak menu to a fun fact about elections to the score of the previous night’s big game.

Deirdre Mulligan, the head of the Elementary Social Studies Department, created a digital Shout -Out Notebook for teachers to acknowledge accomplishments both large and small and offer each other words of encouragement. Sharon Musto, a public school liaison and academic advisor at EMS, was thrilled to receive a shout-out.

The Golden Croc, a tradition in honor of former faculty member Matthew Rutter, is still exchanged between faculty members to honor a special achievement, trait, or act of kindness.

“Opening my email at the end of a busy day to find a staff shout-out was a very nice surprise! It feels good to know that people notice my effort and hard work, and it made me feel appreciated,” she beamed.

Show and Tell, which was conceived by EMS Reading Supervisor Meghan Sebens in the early days of the pandemic, remains a vehicle for FALL 2020/WINTER 2021

teachers to share discoveries, tips, strategies, and resources for remote teaching.

Laura Polvinen also organized Pod Mixers so students in each pod can “see” each other and interact. Students who are on campus gather in the counseling room and remote students participate via Google Meet, projected on a large whiteboard.

“We’ve played freeze tag, name games, category challenges, and charades,” Polvinen said. “The inperson students love to see their peers on the big screen, and it’s wonderful to see kids being kids together! They crave having activities in which they can just be social.”

EMS students also have opportunities to participate in several after-school activities, such as Bingo, American Sign Language lessons, cross country running, and soccer skills and drills.

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High School Programs

Landmark High School students and faculty are known for their altruism and dedication to community service. Although the annual leaf-raking marathon was cancelled this year, nearly 20 faculty members—after two days of conferencing with parents—and a few young helpers gathered on a warm, sunny Friday afternoon to rake the yards of fellow Landmark faculty and staff.

“It was wonderful to help fellow community members. The best part was in-person time with such wonderful, giving people,” said Kim Hildebrandt, a member of the Marketing and Advancement teams.

The raking event was one of the few initiatives held face to face. Rev. Bill Ferguson established a community service club that meets once a month virtually. Students discuss ideas for service and how to make them happen, and the month is spent implementing the initiatives. Students are making blankets and assembling care packages for the homeless, making masks for area hospitals, and recruiting volunteers to help at a local immigration center where they teach English.

“Everyone takes the virtual situation in stride, realizing that this is a temporary inconvenience and we do it for good reasons,” said Rev. Ferguson. “The students have simply been great about it, upbeat, and delightful. That’s one thing that hasn’t changed!”

Kiley Murphy, a High School faculty member, teaches yoga to fellow educators once a week. Her classes combine Vinyasa Flow and restorative yoga. Early in the fall, classes were held outside, but as the weather got cooler, the classes went virtual.

She said since the pandemic began, teachers have been feeling a lot of stress and experiencing burnout.

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“Since our approach became so much more complex and stressful since COVID-19 started, I thought that the faculty and staff could benefit from something just for them,” she said. “The classes offer teachers an opportunity to get together and relax. Before and after the class people chat with each other. It’s nice to know that we aren’t alone in how we feel and to enjoy each other’s company outside of the classroom.”

On Friday mornings, faculty members gather for a virtual Milkbreak. Along with sharing news and updates, Milkbreak provides teachers a chance to pause mid-morning and gather as a community, problem solve, and take a deep breath. Each week, a faculty or staff member presents the Silver Bullet to a colleague who has made a difference to the community. The “bucket” is another Milkbreak tradition that continues. Teachers contribute money to the bucket fund, and at least one teacher starts the weekend off with a few extra dollars in their pocket (or Venmo account) when Christine Barrett, head of the Early Literacy Program, uses a virtual tool to select the winner.

Student Connections

Athletics and after-school activities have always provided opportunities for our students to try something new, further explore an area of interest, or just hang out with like-minded classmates and friends. After winter break, the Student Life Department introduced a wide range of virtual activities, including chess club, improv theater, stock club, team training, yoga, and mindfulness to keep students connected.

“These activites are a great way for students to interact and connect outside of school. It’s important for our students who are remote or hybrid to socialize with friends so they don’t feel isolated,” said Jeff Fauci, assistant dean of students.

While we’ve all become adept at navigating virtual meetings and classes, the importance of taking time to engage socially to share a joke, anecdote, or observation has never been more evident.

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Document Cameras Help Teachers Deliver the Six Teaching Principlestm

by Kayla Vestal

Students and faculty at Landmark

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L AUR I JO H NSON

Elementary•Middle School (EMS) have adapted and innovated out of necessity amid the limitations and protocols in place as a result of the pandemic.

HUE HD document cameras have been a valuable tool in allowing teachers to watch in real time as students perform work and assignments.

When students are learning remotely, they show their work in a Google Meet via the camera’s video feed. The cameras have a flexible gooseneck, which is helpful for angling above a worksheet to see student work, handwriting, and math problems.

Tutors use the cameras to see a student’s spelling activities, their handwriting and cursive formations, and even their LiPS tracking activities in real time. Kaufman spelling tests were also administered this fall with the use of these cameras, so advisors could see how students were spelling words from the list without having to ask students to read the work to them.

Christopher Woodin, Landmark EMS Mathematics Department head, said, “The cameras enable teachers to receive written feedback from students as they perform their work. Math written output is not linear and does not lend itself to being typed into Google Docs. Access to the camera’s real time view of the students’ written work product lets math teachers provide on-the-fly feedback to guide them as they work through problems.”

Cameras have also been used during keyboarding instruction to ensure that students are using the proper hand posture when typing.

With these cameras, teachers can better handle error correction while students are working. Teachers are collecting work from

The HUE HD document camera has become a trusted tool for EMS students and teachers.

students as they arrive to class during their in-person week, but the impact of watching their production unfold while virtual has really helped keep Landmark’s core principles and values alive. We provide opportunities for student success when we can help walk them through the steps of a math problem, use multi-sensory approaches when virtual with the use of the tracking blocks and felts, and ensure automatization through practice and review because mistakes can be corrected in the moment, when it is meaningful for them.

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K I E RA N K E S NE R ’09

Everything Old Is New Again

by Rob Kahn

Spring 2019

A 19 th century French critic once famously observed “the more things

change, the more they remain the same!” Intended as a somewhat cynical observation at the time, the epigram has relevance for Landmark’s adjustment to a pandemic. It seemed to many in mid-March 2020 that everything had changed. Human connection was most central to our lives as educators and colleagues, yet overnight it became dangerous to connect. As we have adapted to our new realities, some expectations, structures, and routines of Landmark Elementary•Middle School (EMS) have mutated from their original forms, with a COVID-19 twist.

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FALL 2020/WINTER 2021

Visiting Landmark from the Comfort of Your Couch

Still Landmark

Pre-pandemic, EMS hosted monthly tours and Informational Visits on campus for prospective students and their families. EMS students volunteered to be panelists at Morning Meeting, sat on stage in the Meeting Room, and answered questions from prospective families. Now, those same events are once again routine: admission representatives host parents on a Google Meet, Landmark students “drop in” on their break time either from home or from a socially distanced location on campus, and the overall effect is exactly as it was intended to be: informative, personal, and reflective of the new experience of being a Landmark student. Visitors (and faculty!) are amazed at the comfort level and presence of our students in a remote mode.

Good Morning Elementary•Middle School

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Masks and social distancing are par for the course on Landmark's campuses— even outdoors.

K I ER A N K E S NE R ’ 0 9

The school day once began with Morning Meeting, a tradition that goes back decades. Eleven months into the pandemic, the prospect of 50 elementary students, 115 middle schoolers, deans, campus heads, teachers, counselors all in the same space is...horrifying? Definitely not advisable from a public-health standpoint. School assemblies everywhere have largely been discontinued, but not at Landmark. As the school day has built back a replica of former years, protocols for Morning Meeting are alive and well once again. Faculty volunteers have taken turns convening a link at 7:40 a.m. each day, as elementary or middle school students join their respective Google Meets. Prior to the meeting beginning, friendly chatting is again happening with social conventions in place including hand gestures, the chat function, mute buttons—modifications of in-person connections.

Once the meeting starts, students watch from their homes or from a hybrid classroom on mute except for people who are speaking, and each day’s meeting consists of content, announcements, interviews. In short, very much a remote adaptation of the Morning Meeting.

The altered landscape in other ways is stark. At any given time, so much of the school business has been moved to the cloud. Gone are the jostling crowds in narrow two-way corridors, diners jockeying for position around salad bars, crowded faculty workspaces, and in-person training sessions. Milkbreak and lunch remain, with the multicolored social distancing dots and the plexiglass shields to remind us all of what cannot be seen. Mentoring and supervisory observations are done virtually in many cases due to space constraints. Classroom teachers have adapted beautifully to smaller classes and are making the adjusted environment—with one-way traffic, face masks, social distancing, and cleaning protocols—work. But tutoring, paradoxically, is done remotely because the need for close 1:1 instruction with a focus on faces, mouths, and eyes cannot be done in a mask, and perhaps also because the reflexive need to share and explain in close proximity is too tempting.

Until the pandemic ends, the days of a student and tutor sitting side-by-side in a tutorial station have given way to a virtual reality.

Fall 2020

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Milkbreak 2.0

The traditional Milkbreak meeting for staff has also transformed into a Google Meet, though technology and time constraints have clearly altered the feel of this daily Landmark tradition.

Where many staff would once take a breather together over coffee and snacks, and much professional business and decompressing would get done in a convivial atmosphere, now the allotted 15 minutes necessitates a briskly paced agenda, limiting the ability to do mini-inservices and presentations. Before Milkbreak is called to order, the buzz is missing as a mixture of remote and on-campus teachers have their cameras on but spontaneous conversation is limited by the technology.

Sharing What We Know Landmark Outreach Provides Content to Help Teachers Navigate New Classroom Environments

By Kaia Cunningham and Lauren Murphy

Lean and Mean

The campus itself is quieter, partly because it is less populated but also because travel is designed purposely to minimize contact. Events happen outdoors—if at all, and parents and visitors are not present. Fall Parents’ Days in November were a strange cyber-version of the usual over-crowded agenda, with conferences happening virtually, and the social feel replaced by an ability to access a link.

At a top level, many things remain the same.

A Google Earth drone’s view of Landmark would still bring up the familiar buildings and grounds. But closer inspection would show many adaptations, both physical and cultural, brought about by the health-and-safety response to a global pandemic.

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During this challenging time in education, Landmark

Outreach has made changes in response to the needs of educators while staying true to our mission to empower students with language-based learning disabilities (LBLD) by offering educators meaningful and effective professional development grounded in theory and practice. Though the needs of educators have changed drastically as a result of the pandemic, what has remained the same is the importance of supporting students with language-based learning disabilities in new school environments.

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year, our goal shifted to help teachers (and ourselves) navigate the new world of hybrid, in-person, and remote learning. To support all educators in making sense of our new classroom environments, we adapted the focus of the Blog for Busy Teachers and our series of Free Teaching Strategies to feature remote learning tips and resources taken from research and in-classroom experience that highlight what it means to teach students with learning disabilities in remote settings, as well as how to make the digital landscape more accessible for all students.

A New Spin on Summer Programs for Educators

Adapting to New Educational Demands

Landmark Outreach, like many other educators and professional development providers, quickly adapted to this unfamiliar territory. As classroom teachers, we are learning alongside everyone else, and we quickly recognized the need for relevant and practical content to help educators (and ourselves) pivot to teaching online in the spring of 2020. For the current school FALL 2020/WINTER 2021

Last summer, Landmark School Outreach replaced our annual three-week Summer Institute with one virtual week full of webinars, one-day workshops, two-day seminars, and five-hour online courses that served over 700 educators across the United States and beyond.

Our online courses continue to attract educators in search of professional development and have been adapted to include more information and resources about remote learning. Many of our partnerships with local schools continue to flourish, though meetings now take place in virtual formats. We recently launched our newest venture, a series of monthly webinars, providing quick and accessible content for busy educators on timely topics relevant to teaching students with LBLDs in a variety of settings. As we plan for summer 2021 programming, we will continue to offer educators hybrid and remote options to earn professional development credits.

Always Mission Driven

Landmark Outreach is continually keeping the profiles of students with LBLDs at the forefront of our planning: What are their unique needs?

What are their limitations and advantages as they navigate this new and challenging school setting? Keeping these questions in mind helps us to stay mission-driven and focus our instructional efforts to best support students.

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K I E RA N K E SN E R ’ 09

Same Methodology, New Tools

by Hazel Crowley

when a global pandemic has changed each and every familiar routine, it’s easy

to wax nostalgic for “precedented times.” In those rosy pre-COVID–19 days, Landmark functioned much like a well-oiled machine: a complex apparatus, bustling with students, operated by dedicated faculty, and fueled by Six Teaching Principlestm.

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FALL 2020/WINTER 2021

Then, in March, the intentionally streamlined lessons honed by teachers ended abruptly. The multifaceted activities meticulously individualized for students went on hold. COVID-19 threw a wrench into the system…but the system did not break. “For me, the silver lining of going online, is how it has revealed the innovative talents of so many Landmark teachers,” said tutor Mary Kahn.

Challenged to broaden her focus while teaching virtually, Kahn has relied on digital versions of classic games like Tic-Tac-Toe, Chutes and Ladders, and Candyland to “maintain student engagement while providing continual reinforcement of critical decoding skills.” Such simple, traditional games provide both the anchor and the propeller needed by students who may feel at sea in the remote setting.

Similarly, the Elementary•Middle School (EMS) Science Department has supported students by sending kits of materials home, where kids can set up their own “laboratories.” Teacher Lauri Johnson explained, “Each week, I send home experiment bags and tools to keep the learning hands-on and engaging.” Equipped with pennies, aluminum foil, rubber bands, and more, students in her department have built weight-bearing boats and created their own musical instruments to demonstrate their understanding of learned concepts. Once again, what’s most familiar turns out to be what grounds students and gets them off the ground, so to speak.

To provide multimodal reinforcement virtually, EMS Math Department Head Chris Woodin encourages his students to look no further than their own hands. “My goal is to help students internalize concepts, using their primary frame of reference—themselves. When we’re remote, everything’s externalized, so it’s even harder.” As a solution, Woodin has his students perform an idea, like moving the length of their hand around their face, before finding an efficient formula to discuss FALL 2020/WINTER 2021

that concept, like the formula C=2π R for finding a circle’s circumference. Woodin compares it to cooking. “Rather than follow a recipe to make the souffle, we are making the souffle, then writing the recipe together, so they can eventually make the dish themselves.” Though the circumstances are new, his approach remains the same.

At the High School campus, where remote and in-person students attend classes together, finding creative alternatives has been even trickier. “Before the pandemic, my lessons included a lot of group work,” said language arts teacher Kyle Clark. “Now, in order to get students on the same page and to make sure that they all feel like ‘one’ class, I have to create a digital platform where students can write out their ideas before sharing aloud.” Though the setting is different, Clark’s fall semester students have discussed abstract and complex subjects, such as cognitive bias. “Equity is the name of the game. I do everything I can to allow their voices to be heard.”

In already challenging times, High School Math Department Head Adam Craig has tasked himself—and his students—with a big, new challenge. Adopting the “discovery method,” Craig has encouraged his students to use the phrases “I notice” and “I wonder” in order to understand concepts globally, problem solve creatively, and initiate various solutions.

Together, his classes have done everything from locating the geographic center of the math building at Governor’s Landing to creating art using tessellations and neoplasticism. It’s new and different, but he’s leaning into the awkwardness of it all. “The exploring part, yes, it’s going to feel a little uncomfortable. But math was invented to make sense of the world, and that’s what we’re doing.”

Craig’s encouragement to his students feels universal to Landmark. These unprecedented times? They’re tough. But as this “new normal” takes precedence, Landmark can only get better.

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The View From 50 Years of Hindsight A conversation with Bob Broudo 28

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FALL 2020/WINTER 2021

Bob Broudo is a living symbol of Landmark School. He is a founding faculty member, has served in almost every role during his tenure at the school, and has led the school as headmaster since 1990. Last month, Bob announced that he would be retiring from this role at the end of the 2021–2022 school year, and we recently sat down with him to reflect on his 50 years at Landmark School.

Q: What is your fondest Landmark memory?

A: “Wow, there are so many memories, but I am always moved by my memories of opening day in September of 1971. It was like watching a rocket ship go off. There was a sense of excitement, opportunity, hope, amazement, commitment...a sense that we were starting something brand new here that had never been done and would change lives. We all had so much passion. People were putting in 120 hours each week just so the school would be ready. Many of the things that took place on the first day in 1971 related to our teaching methodology, student profile, mission— even traditions like Milkbreak still take place today.”

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Q: How did you attract students to that first cohort?

A: “In the late 1960s and early ‘70s, there was significant new information and awareness about dyslexia. Dr. Charles (Chad) Drake, Landmark’s founder, opened the Reading Research Institute, a diagnostic testing center in Wellesley, Mass., and there were other testing centers, such as at Children’s Hospital. Frustrated by the lack of appropriate services and programs for students diagnosed with dyslexia, Dr. Drake ran remedial summer programs in Maine in various locations, including Camp Deer Trees, Bates College (which is where I went to college and how I met Dr. Drake), and at Hebron Academy. Many of the summer students and “word of mouth” produced the first cohort of Landmark students (40 on opening day!).

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Q: What do you plan to do after you leave Landmark?

A: “My last year as head of school will be the academic year of 2021–2022. The new head will take over at the end of June 2022.

Landmark will always be part of my life, and I will stay involved to work on specific important projects for the Board and the Landmark community. I am also looking forward to having time to write, volunteer with meaningful nonprofits and the City of Beverly, and do some traveling with Maida.”

Q: What has been the most significant change in the school since 1971?

A: “This change has come from the outside— mostly in the form of neuroscience and the validation and insight it has provided for our work. We designed programs based on hypotheses and then experience. Neuroscience advanced us and helped us get to the next level.”

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“ Landmark articulated early on what our mission would be and the specific profile of our students for whom we designed our programs—and we stuck with these two basic tenets.”

Q: What do you hope your legacy will be?

A: “To be able to outrun any student up the hill until I retire (he chuckles). Seriously, I hope my legacy will be to help build and support our human capital so that we can support our faculty and help more kids with language-based learning disabilities.”

Q: What about Landmark has made you most proud?

A: “Landmark articulated early on what our mission would be and the specific profile of our students for whom we designed our programs— and we stuck with these two basic tenets. Over the years, we’ve developed and refined our programs but never watered them down. During the recession of the early ‘90s, our enrollment and finances took a huge hit. We labored over the difficult decision to reject approximately 120 applicants that would have helped our bottom line—but we knew we couldn’t serve their needs FALL 2020/WINTER 2021

Q: Who influenced you most in your life?

•M y mother. When I was 13, my mom died at the age of 39 from Hodgkin’s disease.

She was, and still is, my social and emotional guide.

•M y dad. A non-judgmental, creative, passionate, pragmatist.

• Dr. Charles (Chad) Drake. His influence was game changing for me and so many others.

• F red Hammond. My high school track coach taught me about achieving potential and leadership.

• J eff, my college roommate, opened doors I hadn’t thought of.

•T hursday night Newburyport men’s group from the late ‘70’s to the present day. Too much to say, but they are brothers forever.

•N ative American Chief, Little Bear. He helped me understand what is and what is not “my medicine.”

• L arry Silver, M.D. A leading mind in the field of learning disabilities and a very wise, humble man and friend. based on our mission and student profile. As hard as that was, I’m really proud of that. If you have a blown out knee you go to an orthopedic doc, not a generalist. We are specialists and it’s helped us stay strong and help more kids.”

Q: What advice would you give your 22-year-old self?

A: “Continue to take advantage of opportunities.

Assess them and choose them carefully as they come to you. Check in to see what’s in your heart and if it’s wrong—don’t do it. And one more thing. You are not going to be able to change the world—but you’ll make a difference.”

Q: What is your one wish for Landmark’s future?

“Maintain who we are—the Mission.

Sustain Landmark by making sure the business works, allowing the school to go on forever.

Expand our impact to reach more students and families.”

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“ You are not going to be able to change the world—but you’ll make a difference.”

•N ick Lopardo. From day one, we were always on the same page with a sense of “Yes, we can!”

•N elson Mandela. He never doubted his sacrifice and made a difference in the world.

•A braham Lincoln. He was a unifier during the most tumultuous time in our country’s history.

• J ack Kornfield. The Buddhist author taught me that when you have multiple paths, pick the one with your heart on it.

•R umi. I love the Persian poet’s simple, basic enlightening truths.

•M ary Oliver. Nature, nature, nature, nature, nature!

•W .H. Auden. His poem, “For the Time Being,” changed my life.

•M assachusetts General Hospital taught me about trust, faith, letting go, and priorities.

•M aida. Taught me about that higher power of love on earth that I was always digging for.

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 PENLIGHT

in her own words

Seeing the Light

By Emma Hiott ’27

My first week at Landmark was amazing for many reasons. I was introduced to all the staff and to my teachers, who were super nice and helpful. I could see that they cared about me and wanted me to succeed. After my first few days at Landmark, I could feel the sense of school dread start to disappear, and I began to feel happy not just at home, but also at school.

In the first week, I learned that my tutorial class was unique and I was the only student in it. Everyone has it every day and mine was designed just for me. I didn’t have to get pulled from another class, like I did at my last school.

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left out, but included. My classmates were very nice and kind to me and helped me find my classes. I could relate to my classmates because no one had to shy away from asking any questions of each other. We were all there for a reason and were all working on learning new skills individually and together.

Looking back on my past school experience, it felt like I was walking around in the dark. I had no one to guide me, and I felt very much alone. Now, at Landmark, my fellow classmates and teachers have acted as flashlights and have led me out of a dark time. Because of them, I can see the light and have more hope about my future and all that I will be able to accomplish at school. BOOK-OPEN

“ Because of them [my fellow classmates and teachers], I can see the light and have more hope about my future and all that I will be able to accomplish at school.”

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M EL A NI E D EFOR EST- M A L LOY

Before coming to Landmark, I felt like there were two sides of me. Part of me was shy and sad because I felt like I was stuck in a corner and unable to learn at my school. My peers made fun of me because I could not read a word in English. It was hard to have someone laugh at me for something that I could not control. I was a fifth grader who dreaded going to school each day. The other part of me, though, was happy when I was with my family, hanging out with my friends, and wrestling, a sport I am passionate about. I wanted my home life and school life to be places where I could feel happy, but that is not how it was. On March 13, 2020 school shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and 10 days later I learned I would be going to Landmark School in the fall. I knew Landmark was a school for kids with dyslexia, and I hoped that it would be a better place for me.

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 SPOTLIGHT faculty

The COVID-19 Queen

The Engine Behind Landmark’s Pandemic Response and New Health-andSafety Standards By Amy Veling Little did the High School faculty and students know when they left campus on March 6, 2020, for spring break that they would not set foot on Landmark grounds again until August 24.

Plans to Reopen School Daily meetings were held with faculty and staff to discuss everything from technological needs, the social-and-emotional health of our community, and how to continue to deliver our unique program and approach remotely. Throughout the spring and summer the group gathered through Google Meet to discuss whether and when to reopen, what campus modifications would need to be made, how to source enough plexiglass, hand sanitizer, and alcohol wipes, and what the effect would be on the school’s financial future, among a myriad of other issues.

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Meet Andrea Meade Being a germaphobe and a clean freak, I called the one person I knew who could give me the unfiltered truth about the virus: Andrea Meade. Complete with her science background, extremely high standards for cleanliness, and impeccable organizational skills, Andrea— coordinator of the ERT—took on the Herculean task of preparing our campuses and community for a safe return to school at the end of the summer, much sooner than most other schools.

Working Behind the Scenes In May and June, Andrea spearheaded the effort to pack up the dorm rooms of our residential students and safely bring these families to campus to pick up their belongings. For students who lived outside a reasonable driving distance, she worked with other members of the residential team to ship countless boxes. Throughout July and August, Andrea could be seen with her tape measure, colored duct tape, mask, and gloves, rearranging classroom furniture, marking out traffic patterns, hanging signs, and installing hand-sanitizing stations. She measured hundreds of feet of plexiglass, sent out hundreds of emails, and spent countless hours preparing for the start of school.

K I E RA N K E SN E R ’ 09

Unexpected School Closure On March 10, 2020, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency.

Three days later, Landmark’s Elementary•Middle School closed, uncertain of what was to come next. In the days and weeks that followed, most people across the country hunkered down at home, as mandated by stay-at-home orders. For the first time in its history, with both campuses closed, Landmark shifted to a fully remote learning model. And while the school has always had an Emergency Response Team (ERT) to deal with general campus safety issues, this 28-person committee was now faced with the daunting task of running a school during a global pandemic.

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Andrea worked closely with Landmark’s own “Dr. Fauci” (Jessica Fauci, director of the Health Center) and Shari Gallant, Elementary•Middle School nurse, setting up MyMedBot—Landmark’s daily health screening app, interpreting the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) recommendations, and reading, analyzing, and summarizing Department of Public Health weekly updates to report all of this information to the rest of the school community. As school was about to begin, Andrea and Jess hosted several training sessions to discuss COVID-19 healthand-safety protocols and answer the endless “what if” questions from faculty. Andrea finetuned the complex plans to keep our community safe before, during, and after the holidays.

While the virus continues to impact everyone’s daily living, Landmark can proudly boast that it has made it through nearly five months of school without a major outbreak due to the dedication and fastidiousness of Andrea Meade in collaboration with our nursing teams, as well as many other faculty and staff members on both campuses.

Wearer of Many Hats In addition to her role as the Emergency Response Team Coordinator, Andrea wears many hats, including High School chemistry teacher; mom of a Beverly High School senior and Landmark School freshman; wife of Guido Meade, a member of Landmark’s residential team; assistant dean of students at Landmark High School, and doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership at Vanderbilt University.

And now she has been dubbed The COVID-19 Queen. Other adjectives used to describe her are: dogged, trustworthy, caring, intelligent, and diplomatic. To summarize—simply the best.

Thank you Andrea, for all you did and continue to do to keep all of us at Landmark safe! BOOK-OPEN FALL 2020/WINTER 2021

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Heart LIMELIGHT love story

A Love Letter to Teaching

By Scott Blanchette

Dear Teaching, This year has been a tough one for us. Our relationship has been through so much over the past 12 months. We’ve been forced to change our ways, go long distance, and test our commitment to each other like never before. Yet despite all that, my love for you remains strong.

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unpredictability of each day, like when a student says, “I didn’t think your face would look like that,” after seeing me without a mask for the first time. (Still not sure whether that’s a compliment or an insult.) Finally, it’s the surprising resilience of young minds that I’ve come to love most about you during this time. Seeing a community of teenagers adapt to a constantly changing world has been a beautiful thing to witness.

So what I’m here to say, Teaching, is that my love for you is unconditional. It is not dependent on a physical space or the use of certain materials.

It has no expectations for what the future may hold for us because I know whatever it holds, we’ll face it together. And I know this love is mutual, because I feel it everyday. I love you, Teaching, and I always will. For better or worse, in sickness and in health, through COVID and beyond. BOOK-OPEN

“ That same love I had before is still there, it just looks a little different.”

CA RL G A SOWS K I

Before the pandemic, loving you was easy. It was familiar and routine. It was the feeling of walking out of a classroom and knowing that I executed a near-perfect lesson. It was seeing a student smile at one of my stupid jokes or seeing that figurative lightbulb go off in their head when they made a deep connection to what we were learning. It was giving high-fives and fist bumps in the hallway or sitting next to them at their desk to help them stay focused.

Now, with one-way traffic patterns, limited social interaction, and an ever-changing combination of in-person and remote learners, I’ve come to see you in a whole new light. My passion toward you has only grown stronger as we’ve navigated these changes together. That same love I had before is still there, it just looks a little different. It’s the challenge of planning engaging lessons, for students both in the class and at home. It’s the comfort of a new routine that includes sanitizing every square inch of my classroom multiple times a day. It’s the

Yours truly, Scott Blanchette FALL 2020/WINTER 2021

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 PENLIGHT

in her own words

Prepared for the Next Challenge

by Taylor Nault ’21

My name is Taylor Nault, and I’m a senior at Landmark High School from North Hampton, New Hampshire. I came to Landmark eight years ago to work on my reading and writing skills. Not only do I have a learning disability, but I also have Dwarfism, which makes me unique. Dwarfism is defined as a shortness in height that comes from a hereditary or medical condition. At Landmark I have different accommodations than other students. For example, I get rides up and down the hill, use a stool for sitting in a classroom, and have an adjustable chair. Though I am the only student at Landmark with Dwarfism, having dyslexia is something that I share with most of the students here.

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am planning to either do a post-graduate year or go to college. A post-graduate year would allow me to learn more skills at another prep school or community college and also to complete an internship. I know how important it is to go to college, but waiting an extra year to see if the world goes back to normal is probably a good idea. If I do decide to go to college the fall after graduation, I’d like to study Early Childhood Development. I want to study this because I was inspired by the people who helped me during my surgery. Landmark has taught me many skills, such as working hard and maintaining a positive attitude, that I’ll take with me through the next phases of my life. No matter where I end up, I know I will be prepared for what my future holds. BOOK-OPEN

NAME

 Taylor Nault

 North Hampton, NH HOMETOWN

CLASS OF

 2021

FUTURE PLANS

Book-Reader Studying Early Childhood Development

A L LI E BU RK E PH OTO G RA P H Y

My transition from Landmark Elementary• Middle School (EMS) to the High School came with some challenges as the only person with Dwarfism. But I was comforted to be moving up to the High School with some friends from EMS. During the summer of my sophomore year, I underwent major surgery on my legs that caused me to be in a wheelchair for six months. Because I had two frames on my legs, I felt like I stood out even more than usual. Although this part of my life was difficult and scary, I learned to overcome my fears by maintaining a positive attitude.

Now, as I begin to transition into another part of my life, I know that I will be able to take on the challenges that lie ahead.

After I graduate from Landmark this spring, I

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 SPOTLIGHT trustee

Looking Ahead

by Beth Rowen P’20

Headmaster Bob Broudo oftens calls Landmark a mission with a school, rather than a school with a mission. That philosophy resonated with Thilo Henkes P’24, chairman of Landmark’s Board of Trustees.

“Landmark provides the right kind of instruction for students with dyslexia and other languagebased learning disabilities (LBLD)and is at the forefront of current research,” says Henkes. “It is a wonderful, strategic opportunity to combine research and experience, and disseminate it to all who could benefit.”

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This ambitious goal is personal for Henkes. His son Rowan enrolled at the Elementary•Middle School in 2016. Rowan’s outlook on education—and life—changed just a few weeks into his tenure at Landmark.

“It was magical what Landmark did for my son in such a short time. The most immediate change was his increased confidence and self-advocacy skills,” Henkes said. “I was fascinated with the miracle that Landmark produced and knew I wanted to be actively involved in the school.”

Henkes’s involvement began with a seat on the Board of Trustees in 2017, before becoming chair in 2020. Along with a parent’s perspective, Henkes brings experience and expertise as a member of the board of First Lutheran Church of Boston, a former board member of Beaver Country Day School, and 20 years as a strategy consultant with L.E.K. Consulting, a global management consulting firm.

Leadership Role at Landmark As Henkes assumed the role of Board Chair, Landmark was planning its 50th anniversary celebration, a major capital campaign, and implementing a five-year strategic plan. Then, in March 2020, the pandemic occurred. The trustees focused on support for innovative, practical ways to adapt and update the campuses so faculty and staff could continue to provide students a quality and safe Landmark education.

“Without a doubt, the pandemic shifted our thinking and priorities. It forced us to be creative in service delivery, think practically about our physical plant and investments, such as HVAC and air filtration systems, and maintain our high standards for health and safety.”

“The pandemic may, in fact, have had a silver lining,” added Henkes. “By adapting our in-person FALL 2020/WINTER 2021

methods, we’ve developed online learning tools better suited to reaching the one-in-five students with language-based learning disabilities in different states and countries. It expands the field of vision.”

50 Forward As the Landmark community looks back to celebrate its 50-year history, the Trustees are looking ahead. Henkes outlined where he sees Landmark going in the next 50 years.

“In 50 years, Landmark will still be the leader—the beacon—in educating students with language-based learning disabilities. That will remain our core, with an incredible teaching and administrative staff. We also will be at the forefront of LBLD research and expand Outreach so that more students can benefit from a Landmark education without being present on our campuses.”

A Man of Many Talents As passionate and invested in family as he is in professional life, Henkes can be spotted pedaling around the North Shore with his wife, Lucy Armstrong, on their tandem bike, or navigating technical downhill mountain biking trails in New Hampshire with Rowan. He and Rowan also share an interest in woodworking. Rowan is enrolled in Landmark’s woodworking class and shares tips with his father in their home woodshop.

Music brings the entire family together in jam sessions, with Thilo on bass, Rowan on fiddle, Lucy on piano, Willem on guitar, and Colin on keyboard. Their interests range from jazz to classical to classic rock.

Landmark is looking ahead with a commitment to our mission and a passion for our purpose, with Henkes and the rest of the Board of Trustees leading the way. BOOK-OPEN The Lantern

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 STARLIGHT athletics

Running Against the Odds

by Tara Joly-Lowdermilk

The Elementary•Middle School campus opened its doors to eager students this fall. One ingredient that was missing for many middle school students was athletics. Our student athletes were hungry to get into shape, practice skills, and create bonds with teammates. Due to COVID-19 health-and-safety requirements, plans to offer a full athletic program were put on hold. However, the students were flexible and adapted to a more skills-based approach that provided them an opportunity to participate.

Soccer: Skills and Drills Our soccer team transitioned from practicing off campus each day on league-sized fields to staying on campus with a more backyard feel.

Despite the change of venue, the team was able to learn more about the game and grow as players. The veteran coaches challenged the students to be laser-focused on targets while using their communication skills to call out locations and react swiftly to directions.

They shifted from a more intensive training and conditioning style of practice to a thoughtful skills-and-drills approach. Players were able to concentrate on areas of interest and see the game in a different way.

cheering each other on as they ran the course.

As a way to celebrate the abbreviated but spirited season, the clubs came together to compete in relay races, a group run to West Beach, and express words of gratitude to each other and their coaches for their efforts. Nearly 30 student-athletes committed and excelled in middle school athletic clubs this fall. They are sensational representatives of the strength, resilience, and dedication Landmark students have to their school, community, and each other. BOOK-OPEN

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COU RN ET J OLY- LOW D ER M I LK

Cross Country The cross country coaches approached their season with a concentration on grit and a growth mindset. While the kids weren’t able to participate in races with other schools, they used their time to develop as runners and teammates.

They concentrated on timed runs to set personal and team goals. The athletes focused on doing their best, while supporting their peers to dig deep, beat the clock, and ensure that everyone was improving. Runners quickly came together as a group and could often be heard after school FALL 2020/WINTER 2021

 STARLIGHT

CAROLY N AL I S KE V I CZ

performing arts

Cultivating Creativity

by Beth Rowen P’20

Landmark has found innovative ways to provide students outlets to cultivate their artistic talents, whether in an in-person or remote environment.

The Elementary•Middle School (EMS), for example, added a drama elective for the 2020– 2021 school year.

Carolyn Aliskevicz, an EMS faculty member and a talented actress herself, teaches the class. “Every other week when we’re on campus, we hold classes outside, moving, stretching, pretending, and using our voices,” she said. “On the alternate weeks when we are remote, we focus more on facial expressions FALL 2020/WINTER 2021

and language expression, including group and solo storytelling.”

“Electives are an important part of the school day because they allow our students to exercise talents other than academics. Drama provides an opportunity for students to stretch, move, and be creative. It allows the students to shine in ways that may not happen in academic classes,” she added. (See more on electives on p. 16) Ever the optimist, Aliskevicz sees a benefit of the mask mandate. “Masks have challenged the students to really project their voices and articulate behind a mask,” she said. BOOK-OPEN The Lantern

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Landmark Fund Signature Events

Landmark Cares Week MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 – SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2020 During Landmark Cares Week our community stepped up and came together like never before. We raised vital funds for Landmark’s annual giving program, the Landmark Fund, while showing support for our essential workers, Landmark’s teachers and staff. A central event was a virtual 5K road race, where participants ran representing friends, family, and Landmark friends.

Three days into our weeklong initiative, we reached our initial goal of receiving 280 gifts, representing our 280 incredible teachers and staff. So we did what we always do at Landmark, we tested the limits and stretched the goal challenging our community to help raise $100,000 by the end of the campaign. In true Viking spirit,

by Saturday morning we had successfully reached that target! Thank you!

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Heart 428 Gif ts $107,95 2 Heart FALL 2020/WINTER 2021

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Grab your spikes and clubs...we are on!

BENEFIT SCHEDULE:

MONDAY Ipswich Country Club

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11:30 a.m.

Registration Driving Range & Putting Green Open Lunch

1:00 p.m.

Shotgun Start

6:00 p.m.

Reception and Awards

Secure your spot today!

Follow this link to register online:

landmarkschool.org/golf-benefit

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Landmark Parents’ Association Events

LANDMARK Parent LEARNS Education subjects

learn more

Landmark Learns Parent Education Landmark Learns is a new series of educational workshops, presentations, and other resources for current Landmark School parents and guardians.

The Landmark Parents’ Association (LPA), Outreach Program, and Student Life teams collaborate to deliver timely and relevant content addressing the unique needs of our families.

Topics covered during the fall included executive function and motivation.

Workshops planned for 2021 include anxiety, maintaining relationships in a digital age, and more. There are two sessions for each topic, one for families with High School-age students and another for families with Elementary*Middle School-age students. All are led by Landmark School faculty. The presentations are held virtually in the evening, run about an hour, and include ample time for questions and sharing of additional resources.

The Landmark Learns webpage features resources from past presentations, as well as details about upcoming workshops. landmarkschool.org/landmark-learns FALL 2020/WINTER 2021

Have an idea for a presentation?

Share it with us!

Email Danielle Figueira, director of Alumni and Parent engagement at Dfigueira@landmark school.org.

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Landmark Parents’ Association Events

Landmark Parents’ Association The purpose of the Landmark Parents’ Association (LPA) is to cultivate a strong sense of community and to support Landmark School in its mission to foster an understanding of language-based learning disabilities. All parents and guardians are automatically members.

While this school year may look different, the LPA remains committed to its mission.

The LPA invited all parents and guardians to join a virtual meeting in October to brainstorm ways to adapt their typical faculty and staff appreciation events given the limitations during the pandemic. Of the many ideas collected, several are being put into action. Stay tuned for ways to get involved.

Upcoming Meetings & Events While the LPA continues to host planning meetings, this year the LPA is partnering with the campuses and Advancement team to provide a menu of parent educational events. Check out Landmark Learns (page 47) for those details.

Danielle Figueira

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Staff Support Are you looking to connect or learn more about the LPA? If so, please contact Danielle Figueira, director of Alumni and Parent Engagement, via email: Dfigueira@landmarkschool.org

2020–2021 Officers Co-Presidents: Angela Timpone Gowans P’23 Robert Gowans P’23 High School Co-Vice Presidents: Jacquie Gardner P’23​ Jeff Appelstein P’21 EMS Vice President: Meghan Cashel P’28 Treasurer: Mark Moreschi P’23 Secretary: Carolyn Beatty P’27​ Landmark Fund Liaison: Maureen Palmer P’21 *An election for next year’s officers will be held in the spring.

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Alumni Notes facebook.com/landmarkschool

@landmarkschool

landmarkschool

The Landmark School Alumni

Stay in touch! Please email us and let us know what you’ve been up to.

Send updates and pictures to dfigueira@landmarkschool.org Grey Kearney ‘76 I am one of the original students dating back to the old Reading Research programs before the founding of Landmark in 1971. Today I work as an editorial cartoonist and illustrator. My work has been published in over 100 publications in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

Mike Burns ‘77 I have a small goat and sheep farm in North Carolina and it works for me!

Jonathan Rock ‘77

drafting school in Stratford, Connecticut. I worked in that field until I decided to follow my dreams of driving professionally. I’ve been in this line of work since. It’s hard to call it work when you enjoy doing it and have free travel to boot, but my lifestyle isn’t for everyone. I’ve been married twice. When not trucking, I enjoy showing my classic 1970 Charger at the many local car shows around my home town of Lago Vista, TX. I enjoy healthy cooking and have Stephen Gallagher ‘78

Robert Baldera ‘77 Still here in Florida, I can’t believe how time flies.

I’m turning 60 and have been happily married for 33 years!

Stephen Gallagher ‘78 My wife and I were in Camden, Maine, for the summer. We headed to Florida in October.

We are full time RVers with our two black labs, Lexi and Kizzy.

Greg Paxton ‘79 I’m currently a business owner in Winchester, Virginia. After Landmark, I went into the Marine Corps and was stationed in Washington D.C. as a presidential Marine. I was there when President Reagan was shot. I’m into history and research. I do a lot of forensic work on artifacts. I specialize in American colonial society up to the American Civil War. If you have a relic, I’m the man to talk to!

Stephen Baetz ‘82 After leaving Landmark in 1977, I went into public schools, then graduated with my class in 1982.

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Stephen Baetz ’82

Phil Monier ‘83 Hi everyone, I reinvented myself many times over the years...I guess my biggest claim to fame after Landmark is my 12 seasons being a Vail Children’s Ski & Snowboard coach and instructor. Next up was a decade landscaping on the southeastern Florida coast. I have a home down there but am out on the road about 300+ days a year in “Sweet Jane.” She’s a freightliner Cascadia and we’ve got 500K under our belts now! When I’m not out there running the “Western Eleven” there is probably sand between my toes…

Janine Klein Roache ’83

Phil Monier ’83

Stephanie Sacks ‘85

Jorge Arellano ‘85 In 1999 I created the company Ocala Gran Prix (OGP), a kart racing track. The company deals with every part of racing, from schools to sales to repairs, local racing, state series, national series, and international series. OGP provides trackside service for all kart racing experiences. I am also involved in my family business of Bacardi Rum. I help with the board of directors, not the day-to-day operation. I am married for the second time, to Ann Stewart, for 15 years. I do not have any children. I am currently living in Ocala, Fla. I still love power boating.

lost over 130 pounds on Optavia. I enjoy attending concerts, going to the beach, and sailing. Many thanks to Landmark School for this hobby! I also enjoy attending all of my grandchildren’s sports activities.

Stephanie Sacks ‘85 I’m working at an art store, selling greeting cards and other people’s art. My puppy is now 2 years old, and I’m just waiting for things to get back to normal after the pandemic.

Mark Elliot Graham ‘83 I am a retired pediatric ICU nurse and am now a commercial pilot!

Mara (Elliott-Hazard) Paul ‘86 I am an assistant director at a childcare facility, and over the past two years I’ve lost 100 pounds and am thinner than I was at Landmark! I live in Derry, N.H., with my husband, Brian, and my son is a sophomore at UNH.

Janine Klein Roache ‘83 This past May I celebrated my 21st wedding anniversary with my husband, Larry, and our beloved dog, Ruby. Since COVID-19 hit I lost my job that I had for 13 years working with exchange students and au pairs. I worked with both F1 and J1 visas. Now, I’m reinventing myself. I have become a fulltime student at Catherine Hinds Insitute in Woburn, Mass. The thought of not being in a classroom scared me. I wasn’t sure if I would like being in class through Zoom, however I love it so far. I am getting my master’s degree in aesthetics.

My dream job is to be able to assist doctors in skin grafts at the Shriners Hospital in Boston. In the near future I hope to open my own practice. I am excited for what the future holds!

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Alexis Arenella ‘87 I have a few irons in the fire. I’m a professional drummer at a studio in Little Rock and Long Beach.

I work in property management, private branding of supplements and wholesale distribution via www. apawellness.com. I am a loving father to 10-yearold Carmen Lee Arenella. I currently reside in Long Beach, Calif., and Little Rock, Ark. Sarah (Nenner) Zabriskie ‘90 I’ve been retired now for 11 years and enjoy traveling with my husband when we can. I volunteer in the community with the seniors at our local senior center. Life is good...

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Mary Devereaux ‘91 Most recently I have been working as an infant and toddler teacher in Braintree, Mass. I have been with Hugs Plus Learning Centers for 10 years now. My husband, Robert Devereaux ‘92, and I have been living in Hanover, Mass., since 2014 and we have a beautiful German Shepherd named Missy who is 4 years old.

Noah Pearce ‘93 After graduating with a BFA from Adelphi University in 1997, I began a career in the jewelry industry, working for Tiffany and Co. and Mikimoto in New York City. In 2018 my wife, Sarah, and our two daughters, Norah and Jackson, relocated to Bainbridge Island in Washington State to join me for my current position with Blue Nile as VP of Fulfillment Operations Over Quality Assurance, Jewelry Production and Career Logistics. After a life in the Northeast, they are absolutely in love with the Pacific Northwest and are taking advantage of all the surrounding mountains and Puget Sound have to offer. If any other Landmark School alumni are in Seattle, let’s connect!

David Breen ‘92 I have been keeping very busy writing, directing, and performing a show with my troupe, the King Serpent Variety Troupe, which continues to find audiences all over New England. I’ve also been very busy working as the theater director and drama and acting instructor at Camp Evergreen Day Camp in Andover, Mass.

Sue Kesselring ‘97 We welcomed our fifth grandchild last spring. He’s a happy and healthy bouncing baby boy. We’ve been doing some work around our house while being home during this pandemic and have been spending some very much-needed time together.

Zachary Fine ‘92 Last year I received my doctorate in education from Northeastern University.

Taylor Grinnell ‘98 I’m living in Boston with my wife, Jillian, and beagle, Olive, and still working for the Red Sox in sales.

David Breen’ 92

Sherry Souza-Bowden ‘92 with partner Tasha Pearce

Joshua Westfield’ 99

Noah Pearce’ 93

Joshua Westfield ‘99 I live in Dedham, Maine, with my wife, Alicia, who runs her own daycare, and our three sons, Trevor 12, Gavin 7, and Lucas 5. I’ve been working for the railroad for almost seven years now. We spend our summers and every weekend at our family camp near Moosehead Lake. Most of our free time is spent doing things as a family!

Jason Ventura ‘99 I recently have become unemployed due to COVID-19. I am currently looking for new opportunities. I am using this valuable time to start a new business called Picks for Poverty that will help fund local and national food banks. We will also provide musical instruments and lessons for low-income families.

Thomas Tyson ‘02 For the last five years, I have been living and working in Hong Kong. I helped to set up and train an engineering team in mainland China. It has been truly challenging, but a rewarding experience to learn and grow with my team. My wife and I love our careers, and enjoy exploring the world on our

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time off from work. In my free time, I enjoy building electronics (one of the reasons I love being in southern China), oil painting, hiking (Hong Kong has some beautiful trails and beaches that are easy to access), travelling, and scuba diving.

Even though my time was short at Landmark, it (people and place) had a significant impact on my life and career. To this day, I am still learning on my own and taking classes, in which I utilize the tools from Landmark. I could not be a bigger advocate for Landmark and its staff.

Vivienne Brefini ‘05 After graduation, I went to school for fashion design and construction. Then I worked several fashion jobs. My idea was to one day work for myself and have my own clothing line. That became a reality when I started my shop, TIEN 2 (clothing and jewelry), located in Beverly, Mass., with my mother six years ago. Three years ago this past July I got married and still live in Beverly.

Vivienne (Lowe) Brefini ’05

an MVP proof of concept for an internal tool for In4fmation Insights in Needham. On the side over the past two years, I have been developing my own time-tracking software that provides structure for my time management needs for working with clients and other members on projects.

Jennifer Sweeney ‘06 I am working at New England Baptist Hospital and have been there for 10 years. I’m enjoying my time with my family.

Tim Barrett ‘07 I am currently living with my girlfriend and our dog. I work in the technical support department for a company called Texthelp Inc. It’s a software company that develops accessibility software for people that may have learning differences. As a former Landmark student, I was very excited to join this amazing company. I can say that I have helped some of the Landmark teachers with our product Fluency Tutor. Being able to help the school that helped me so much gives me a lot of enjoyment.

William Ruez ’07 I’m working at Alvarez and Marsal in their Disputes and Investigations group, where I assist lawyers in calculating financial damages in corporate lawsuits.

I live in Houston, Tex., with my wife, Caroline, and our three children who range in age from 2 to 6.

Eva Fisherman ‘08 For the past two years, I’ve been working as a software engineer for my own company, which subcontracts out to other firms, such as Keller Williams. I’m currently working on their internal real estate software for all of their agents. I built 52

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Thomas Tyson ’02

Caroline Cohen ‘09 I’m grateful to live in Boulder, Colo. I recently started my own coaching business to support a small number of individuals working to create an environmentally sustainable future.

Christina Norton ‘09 2020 was a challenging year to say the least. I graduated as a surgical technologist from Bunker Hill Community College. I was forced to give up a job at Tufts Medical because I was unable to pass my boards. Winchester Hospital agreed to give me a year to work while studying for my certification exam. After three unsuccessful attempts, the fourth time was a charm. Unfortunately, this is a very hard exam to pass and only 7% of my class was able to pass on the first try. Nothing was going to stop me, and now I am officially a certified surgical technologist. Now that I am certified, I am able to apply to any hospital in the world. I am very proud of this accomplishment. When COVID-19 hit I was “deployed” from the operating room and forced to work long and unpredictable hours in the emergency room to utilize my skills as a medical assistant. I will FALL 2020/WINTER 2021

Christina Norton ’09

Elizabeth Johnson ’13

never forget my first shift in the ER, when I was asked to take care of postmortal care on multiple patients.

As you can imagine this was a very scary time for me. However, I am back to my normal routine working in the operating room. I have been forced to take calls every other weekend since COVID-19 hit, and I’m working close to 50 hours a week. I am also taking anatomy and physiology, which has been the hardest class I have ever taken at Bunker Hill Community College. (My first exam I received an 80%!) I am determined to continue my journey to become a nurse one day, even if that means taking one class at a time. My path in life has never been the norm, but every accomplishment has prepared me for the next and I have to be grateful for that.

Kristen Mulvey ‘10 I graduated from NYU School of Law in 2019. I spent the past year as a fellow at the ACLU of Massachusetts as a civil rights and civil liberties lawyer. I am now a law clerk for a judge.

Sam Seckler ‘12 I’m working my way through my electrical apprenticeship in Utah.

Laura Clayton ‘13 I recently graduated from Lesley University with a degree in user experience design, moved, and got a job at Rockport Shoes.

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Summer Kelley ’15

Elizabeth Johnson ‘13 My boyfriend and I are owners of a small business called Pet-A-Tude Pet Care. We do daily walks for teachers and nurses who live in Manchester, Beverly, Danvers, and Gloucester. We also do house stays if people go on vacation.

Jocelyn Fumo ‘14 I’m a clinician working at Westborough Behavioral Healthcare Hospital in intensive outpatient services and its partial hospital program. I love it!

Summer Kelley ‘15 I graduated from Framingham State University in 2019 with a BA in English. After graduation, I started working at Austin Prep in Reading, Mass., in the dean’s office as an administrator. This fall I will be starting my second year at Austin Prep!

Dylan Shrier ‘15 I just started a new job as a junior/fellow designer at SJR Group, designing for clients like Pfizer, Exxon Mobil, and more.

Shaurya Agarwal ‘16 I’m working on an entrepreneurship venture and currently running two companies.

James Colby ‘19 I’m currently attending the University of Denver.

I have an internship where I am creating a commercial drone company.

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Callie Dangel ‘20 I am studying fine arts at Lesley University.

AJ Hughson ‘20 I am happily enrolled at Emerson College, majoring in theater and performance.

Ekaterina Leikikh ‘20 I am attending University of Wisconsin—Madison as a nursing major.

Olivia Moran ‘20 I just started my freshman year of college in the midst of a global pandemic. Definitely not how I expected college to start out. Despite the unexpected way to enter this next phase of my life, I am glad I had four years learning Landmark’s skills and tools to help me get through it.

Janet Foley (now Jentilet) FORMER FACULTY: Taught 1986–1988 I was an instructor in math, language arts, tutorial (of course). I also was a “duty master” one summer and a houseparent another. I’d love to hear from other former faculty and any/all of my students!

After leaving Landmark and getting an MBA in finance (Indiana University), I spent most of my career in corporate finance for Fortune 100 companies. I now work at the Oak Ridge National Lab (Tennessee) in project management.

AJ Hughson ’20

Stay in Touch

We are a community at Landmark and we love it when our alumni stay in touch. Let us know what you are up to. No news is too minor or major—it’s all good. landmarkschool.org/landmark-alumni

IN MEMORIAM: Michael Evan Zlot ‘92 July 1, 1974–June 10, 2019

S MAKING WAVES Stories, Surprises & Annual Spring Auction Stories, Surprises & Annual Spring Auction APRIL 14, 2021 • 7:00 p.m.

VIRTUAL EVENT

Join us for this first-ever VIRTUAL event to celebrate our extraordinary community at a remarkable time in history.

You won’t want to miss out on the fun—or the surprises we have in store. Tickets are $25. Reserve yours today! landmarkschool.org/makingwaves

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FALL 2020/WINTER 2021

You are invited to a virtual Alumni Town Hall meeting with Headmaster Bob Broudo and Board Chair Thilo Henkes P’24 in February.

These meetings are designed for alumni to get an update on the school, hear plans about Landmark’s future, and learn how you can be involved. You are welcome to join one or both sessions.

A New Chapter for Landmark School

After 50 years at Landmark School and 30 as headmaster, Bob Broudo, recently announced his retirement at the end of the 2021-2022 academic year.

We are in the process of conducting an international search for our next head. We invite you to participate in this important process. You can get involved by filling out our community survey and attending an upcoming town-hall meeting to learn about our progress and share your thoughts with the search committee and our executive recruitment partner, Spencer Stuart. chevron-circle-right Learn more at: landmarkschool.org/head-search FALL 2020/WINTER 2021

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 IN MEMORIAM

Charles P. Harris: Farewell to One of Landmark’s Finest

by Bob Broudo P’11 Charles (Charley) Harris was a long-time leader at Landmark and a very dear friend and colleague.

He was an exceptional human being anyone was fortunate to know. Landmark, where I met Charley, had the pleasure and the benefit of his professionalism, wisdom, and influence since the pre-Landmark planning period in the late 1960s, which means that I, too, had that pleasure and benefit going back that far with Charley.

Charley leaves behind many legacies, perhaps the most pronounced being that he always put people first, and he was a tenacious advocate for children, adolescents, and adults with learning disabilities.

Finally, within this legacy, Charley exemplified nonjudgment and inclusiveness.

Charley’s many hats included: U.S. Army veteran; husband, father (son Peter is head of the Language Arts Department at the Elementary•Middle School), grandfather (grandson Chris is an EMS faculty member); school administrator; mentor; ombudsman; project coordinator; personnel director; linguist; reality checkpoint; board clerk and parliamentarian; standard bearer for honesty, integrity, kindness and clarity; ballast serving to stabilize any rocky ship; friend; advisor; unending source of wonderful book suggestions; 56

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humorist; humanist; and loyal Red Sox Fan. Yogi Berra (a Yankee!) once said, “You can observe a lot by watching.” So many people have observed and learned a lot by watching Charley Harris.

A gracious gentleman, extraordinary and sensitive writer and communicator, and a humble man and leader, Charley helped build Landmark from a concept to its present reality and positively touched and guided more lives than can be counted, very definitely including mine.

Charley Harris was one of the very finest human beings I have ever had the privilege of knowing, and one of the brightest guiding lights of my life.

Rumi wrote: “Out beyond ideas of wrong-doing and right-doing, there is a field. I will meet you there.” That’s how Charley lived—he met everyone in the open field. BOOK-OPEN FALL 2020/WINTER 2021

Landmark School 2021 Board of Trustees Thilo Henkes P’24 CHAIR Georgetown, MA Managing Director and Partner, L.E.K. Consulting

Jeffrey Alpaugh P’21 Wellesley, MA Growth and Industry Practices Leader, Marsh & McClennan

Moira McNamara James P’10 SECRETARY Marblehead, MA Director of Video Operations The Conference Board

Harvey L. Alter ’82 Glenview, IL Executive Vice President, The Alter Group

*Nicholas A. Lopardo P’92, GP’20,’22 ’23, ’24 CHAIRMAN EMERITUS Sanibel, FL Retired, Vice Chairman State Street Corporation Robert J. Broudo P’11 PRESIDENT AND HEADMASTER Beverly, MA Landmark School, Inc.

Jennifer Buddenhagen P’23, ’27 Magnolia, MA Chief Marketing Officer, Carling Technologies, Inc. Jennifer Paul Casey P’02, ’06 Annapolis, MD Community Volunteer and Artist Nancy Crate P’19, ’21 Ipswich, MA Volunteer

Larry Karle VICE PRESIDENT Norwell, MA Landmark School, Inc.

Alan Dachs San Francisco, CA President and CEO, Fremont Group

Kim Hildebrandt CLERK Beverly, MA Landmark School, Inc.

Julie Donovan P’23, ’28 Marblehead, MA Recently Retired Senior Vice President, Fidelity Investments Lori H. Freedman P’23 Winchester, MA Vice President & General Counsel, Organogenesis Nadine Gaab, PhD Newton, MA Associate Professor of Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Robert S. Merowitz P’06 Sudbury, MA President & CEO, Universal Realty Corporation Joseph H. Morgart P’12,’22 Waltham, MA Alternative Investment, Amundi Pioneer Investments Shelley Moses-Reed P’23 Greenwood Village, CO Customer Experience Executive, Medallia Michael Pehl P’21 Wayland, MA Founder and Managing Partner, Guidepost Growth Equity Catherine Slark P’01 Burr Ridge, IL Volunteer Martin P. Slark P’01 Burr Ridge, IL Retired, President and CEO, Molex, Inc. Spencer Smitherman ’08 Mission Viejo, CA Founder/CEO, Switchboard Technologies, Inc. Michael D. Tancreti P’09, ’11 Nashua, NH Chief Executive Officer, Ashwood Development Company David A. Tessier P’10 Del Ray Beach, FL President,Hospitality and Gaming Advisors

BOARD SPOTLIGHT

Bill Gersh ’06 Los Angeles, CA Agent, The Gersh Agency John Leslie P'21 Newton Centre, MA IHS Markit, Office of the CTO

As of January 2021

Check out our profile of Board Chair, Thilo Henkes, on page 40

Sam Vigersky ’98 Brooklyn, NY Senior Humanitarian Advisor, United States Mission to the United Nations TRUSTEES EMERITUS Robert J. Campbell P’04 Rockport, ME Investment Counselor Beck, Mack, & Oliver David G. Peterson P’08 Bedford, MA Sales Management Consultant Suzanne H. Sears P’02 Hamilton, MA ALUMNI AND PARENT RELATIONS Robert and Angela Gowans P’23 Landmark Parents’ Association Representatives Beverly, MA Fire Chief Educational Advocate Gabriella Pecoraro ’07 Alumni Representative Salem, MA Global Wealth and Asset Management Strategy Leader, John Hancock

Post Office Box 227 Prides Crossing, Massachusetts 01965-0227 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED