Echoes Winter 2023

CELEBRATING THE LEGACY OF DR. MARISA PORGES

First Day of School

In the dunk tank

Reading in the Lower School Library Head of School Installation

Widener High School Leadership Award

VisitingwithalumnaeinNewYorkCity

’96

Halloween

Visiting with Middle School students

Patron Party Commencement

THE LEGACY OF DR. MARISA PORGES ’96

Dr. Marisa Porges’ time as Baldwin’s 8th Head of School draws to a close, we honor her leadership over the last seven years.

Editor: Lisa A. Algeo

Design: Veronica A. Utz

Photo Credits: Abby Anthony, Jay Gorodetzer, Ivory Tree Portraits, Melissa Kelly and Molly Schlachter

All photographs are identified left to right unless otherwise noted.

We welcome letters regarding the contents of the magazine and/or issues pertaining to the school. Letters must be signed. The editor retains the right to edit at her discretion.

Please send correspondence to: Lisa A. Algeo, Editor, Echoes The Baldwin School 701 Montgomery Ave. Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 lalgeo@baldwinschool.org

For general alumnae requests or information, please contact the Office of Advancement and Alumnae Engagement: Laura Armstrong, Chief Development Officer laura.armstrong@baldwinschool.org or (610) 525-2700, x286

CORRECTIONS

In the Echoes Summer 2022 issue, we inadvertently did not name Susan Flood Thorkelson ’70 on page 21 in the 1970 group photo and misspelled the name of Val Weisberg Braunstein ’01 in a caption on page 45. Also, on page 48 in the Relative Deaths section, Sophie Littleton Behlen ’74 was not listed in her mother’s death notice. We regret these errors.

As

Now Now Then Then & &

1994 Field Hockey Team

Enjoying Baldwin's campus

Banner Day for the Class of 1996 2017 Celebration of Philanthropy 2022 Graduation

Showing her Baldwin spirit

2016 First Day of School

DR. MARISA PORGES ’96

1995 Model UN Club

UPFRONT I

have been honored to serve as Baldwin’s Head of School, especially during such an important chapter in our School’s history. So it will not surprise you to hear that these final months are bittersweet. It seems as if I just moved into Krumrine House and began to reacquaint myself with the amazing people, places and programs that always made Baldwin feel like my second home.

The seven years since have provided many treasured memories and countless moments of Baldwin pride, too. From the warm welcome I received from our community at my installation to the love and support that Scott and I felt as we celebrated our marriage in the Residence, when over 90 students watched our ceremony. Plus all of your support as I published my What Girls Need: How to Raise Bold, Courageous and Resilient Women. As we expanded our family – first with Isaac born in August 2019, then when his little sister Adrienne joined us in April 2022 – all of Baldwin embraced our children like their own. I will forever be grateful for the love, attention and treats(!) that so many teachers, students and parents gave “Zac” and “Addie” during their infant and toddler years on campus. Thank you.

I am also grateful to see how much we accomplished together in support of Baldwin’s mission, as we reaffirmed our School’s national standing and enhanced the Baldwin experience for all of our students – those here today and those who will follow in the years to come. Highlights include launching our strategic vision for interdisciplinary learning, introducing new approaches to student academic and social-emotional support, expanding our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work, expanding our new community-building initiatives, robust fundraising to support our teachers, girls and programs, renovating our campus spaces and more. Thank you for your support on these and many other important projects. Our shared legacy prepares Baldwin to lead the way in girls’ education for decades to come.

Most especially, I am grateful for the special moments I shared with all of our Bears, past and present. Returning to Baldwin as its 8th Head of School reaffirmed for me the power of our School community. I will cherish the relationships that I formed with so many kind, generous, smart and inspiring Baldwin alumnae, students, families, faculty and staff, as we found new ways to honor Florence Baldwin’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of bold young women who will make lasting contributions to the world. Thank you for the privilege of serving this extraordinary community.

Marisa Porges ’96, PhD Head of School

facebook.com/marisaporges

Instagram: @MarisaPorges

Twitter: @MarisaPorges

2022 – 23 Board of Trustees

Members of the Board are: (Row 1, front): Amanda Bernard; Gene Pratter (P ’94); Head of School Dr. Marisa Porges ’96; Rachel Stern ’83, Vice Chair; Sejita Page (P ’19, ’22), Secretary; Laura Small ’04, President, National Board of Advisors; Bridget Doherty, Faculty Trustee (Row 2): Jaimee Fitzpatrick (P ’32), Faculty Trustee*; Pat Weiser (P ’22, ’24), Chair; Rachel Dean Matthews ’84*; Marje Armstrong (P ’31, ’36); Louis Capano (P '31)* (Row 3): John Pearlstein (P ’21, ’24); Scott Deitz (P '27); Brian Halak (P ’22, ’24), Vice Chair; Blair D. Stambaugh, Honorary Trustee; Martha Ortiz (P ’16), Treasurer; John Karamatsoukas (P '28, '32)*; Darren Bramen (P ’22, ’24) (Row 4): Thomas Heverin (P ’26); Phil Rosenzweig (P ’22); Tom Bachrach (P ’29, ’31) Not pictured: Katayoun Copeland '85*; Marlo Dilks (P ’29, ’30, ’31, ’35, ’35), President, Parents’ Association*; Pontea Fazeli Dixon '98; Kim Heuer (P ’27); Carolyn Jones ’73 (P ’14); Julia Pudlin ’02; Alicia Roebuck ’05, President, Alumnae Association Executive Board; Amy Sobel ’86; Samuel R. Scott (P ’96, ’98, ’00, GP ’35), Senior Trustee; and Rachel Funk Jenkins ’44, Honorary Trustee. *New board member

BOSTON-AREA ALUMNAE GATHER

Baldwin hosted its first in-person regional event of the academic year in October. It was great to connect with Boston area alumnae at a happy hour reception. Whether it is on-campus or a regional event, we hope to see you at an event soon!

HILARY GROSKOPF ’09 VISITS WITH UPPER SCHOOL STUDENTS

Hilary Groskopf ’09, founder of Awake Leadership Solutions, visited individually this fall with each Upper School class. Hilary discussed ethical leadership with the students and provided workshops to help them better understand what that looks like in practice, both in their time at Baldwin and beyond in the workplace. Hilary holds her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in systems engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. She started her career in retail supply chain at large corporations such as Urban Outfitters. After realizing that many leaders at all levels lack the action-oriented guidance and exercises they need to truly take the lead successfully, she wrote and published her first guidebook, Awake Leadership: A system for leading with clarity and creativity. Hilary started Awake Leadership Solutions in 2017 to educate and inspire leaders seeking more mindful, ethical and creative leadership practices.

Emily Unger Daly ’04, Barbara Wham Waite ’52, Major Gifts Officer Tristan Morales, Director of Alumnae Engagement Wendy Waltman, Jane Westrich ’69, Richelle Gewertz ’11 and Lauren Sheerr Beshears ’00 gathered in Boston.

BALDWIN’S 2022 – 23 BOARD OF TRUSTEES GATHERED IN OCTOBER FOR THEIR FIRST MEETING OF THE YEAR.

Lynne Macziewski Named Baldwin's 9th Head of School

The Baldwin School Board of Trustees announced that it selected Lynne Macziewski, Associate Head of School at Girls Preparatory School (GPS) in Chattanooga, TN, to lead the next generation of Baldwin students. This was a unanimous decision by the Search Committee and the Board of Trustees. She will be Baldwin's 9th Head and will succeed current Head of School Dr. Marisa Porges ’96, on July 1, 2023. A 20-year teaching and educational leadership veteran, Ms. Macziewski began her career as a middle school science teacher and advisor at The Blake School, a co-educational day school for Pre-K –Grade 12 in Hopkins, MN. During her tenure at GPS and The Blake School, Ms. Macziewski has held various leadership positions including Associate Head of School, Head of Middle School, Middle School Assistant Director and Pre-K - Grade 12 Science Department Chair. Read more about Ms. Macziewski on our website at www.baldwinschool.org.

All-School Thanksgiving Assembly

More than 40 alumnae returned for this year’s All-School Thanksgiving Assembly. Alumnae were invited to lunch prior to the assembly, where the entire community enjoyed all the special moments including the beloved Turkey Song performances with our 13- and 14-Year Club seniors and our Pre-K and Kindergarten girls. The assembly video can be found on our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/BaldwinSchool, and photos can be seen at www.baldwinschool. smugmug.com.

HOMECOMING 2022

Students and families enjoyed Homecoming this year despite the soggy weather. There were various activities, food and fun for all, including a BBQ hosted by the Junior Class to raise money for prom.

ALUMNAE SURVEY

An electronic survey is coming this spring to collect your feedback on future programming, volunteer opportunities and how you want to engage within the Baldwin network. Please make sure we have your current email address so you don’t miss this opportunity to share your thoughts. Please contact Director of Alumnae Engagement Wendy Waltman at alumnae@baldwinschool.org with any questions or to update your information.

GRADE 8 STUDENTS TO PUBLISH CYBERSECURITY PAPER

Grade 6 Language Classes Team Up with Engineering

Dr. Thomas Heverin (P '26, Trustee), Professor at Drexel University and Cybersecurity Systems Engineer, and three 8th graders - Eve Cohen ’27 (left), Elsa Deitz ’27 and Jordana Wilkes ’27 – wrote a paper together titled “Development and Analysis of a ReconnaissanceTechnique Knowledge Graph” and submitted it for the International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security. The paper was accepted and will be published later this spring. Eve, Elsa and Jordana were contributors to the paper and assisted in developing ideas surrounding the topic, as well as testing some of the strategies discussed in the paper. In addition, Eve and Elsa, along with Dr. Heverin found a vulnerability in electronic key-box software. Across bug bounty programs, they found that they could replicate the vulnerability and access highly confidential data (which they reported). They then submitted the vulnerability to the National Vulnerability Database.

This year, 6th grade Spanish and French teamed up with Engineering to create a new interdisciplinary project. In their respective language classes, 6th graders worked with partners to research and present on famous monuments and landmarks (buildings, statues, ancient ruins, etc.) in Spanish- and Frenchspeaking countries. In their Engineering class, students learned about architecture more broadly and built scale models of their monuments. The project’s goal was to get students thinking about cultural history and to appreciate and showcase the diversity of Spanish- and French-speaking countries. Since Engineering was studying architecture and different styles and methods of building, this presented a unique and organic opportunity to have students connect across disciplines. Given the diversity of the Spanish- and Frenchspeaking world, the landmarks chosen represented a wide array of architectural styles, time periods and cultures. In Engineering class, students spent time fabricating their architectural wonder out of various materials including wood, clay and cardboard.

Speaker Visits with Grade 7

Zehra Wamiq, who grew up in Pakistan but has been a long-time resident of the Philadelphia area, came to Baldwin to speak to Grade 7 students. The girls read A Thousand Questions by Saadia Faruqi, which is set in Pakistan. Zehra is a founding member of the Delaware Valley Speakers Bureau, and she discussed what it's like to be a girl in Pakistan, how American girls can support the girls in Pakistan and some of the actions Pakistanis are taking to address climate change.

GRADE 11 HONORS BIOLOGY STUDENTS PRESENT TO GRADE 4

SENIORS RECOGNIZED AS TOP SCHOLAR, SCIENCE AWARD WINNER

Yuru Lin ’23 (left) was named a top 300 Scholar in the 82nd Regeneron Science Talent Search — a prestigious science and mathematics competition for high school seniors. Yuru received a cash prize and Baldwin received a matching gift to use toward STEMrelated activities. Betti Pang ’23 was honored with an Excellence in Science award by the Delaware Valley Science Council. Betti completed a rigorous application and participated in interviews with scientists.

Megan Chan ’24 and Olivia Stephan ’24, Honors Biology students, visited the Grade 4 Science class as part of their biodiversity and conservation project, which is focused on bringing awareness to the endangerment of green sea turtles. Megan and Olivia presented about environmental dangers to green sea turtles, such as plastics. The 4th graders then brainstormed possible solutions and took part in an activity that helped them understand the small percentage of sea turtles that survive when faced with environmental dangers.

Zehra Wamiq, a founding member of the Delaware Valley Speakers Bureau, along with Asiyah Jones, Youth Leadership and Advocacy Projects Coordinator with CAIR-Philadelphia (front row), visited with Baldwin’s 7th Grade.

Ana Donley ’29 and Isabelle Pinto ’29 work on their engineering project.

Megan Chan ’24 and Olivia Stephan ’24 visit Emma Armstrong '31 in science class.

Chemistry Classes Study Light Spectrum

Baldwin’s Chemistry classes explored the light spectrum through seeing visible electromagnetic radiation. Some light, like white light, is composed of every color in the rainbow in a continuous spectrum. Different chemicals emit various wavelengths of energy, called photons, when they absorb and release energy. Students were able to view these photons during their flame test lab as the flame acted as the energy source and excited the electrons in the atoms of metallic ions.

17

Seniors Honored by National Merit Program

Baldwin is proud to announce that nearly one-third of its senior class has been recognized by the National Merit® Scholarship Program.

Eight Baldwin students were named Finalists: Julie

Brose, Christina Cai, Batya Kaplan, Eugenia Li, Yuru Lin, Betti Pang, Makenna Walko and Emily Zhang; seven students were named Commended Students: Wynne Conger, Sahsa Deringer, Rachel Gopalani, Eri Maeda, Sophia Ran, Lydia Snyder and Scarlet Xing; and Ryan Shelton was honored with a National African American Recognition Award and Aleida Skogland was honored with a National Hispanic Recognition Award.

SPEAKER VISITS UPPER SCHOOL SOVIET UNION CLASS

Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon visited the Upper School Soviet Union elective class to discuss her research and experiences as a woman of color in Slavic studies. Kimberly is a historian of Russia, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union and is a second-year doctoral student earning her PhD in History at the University of Pennsylvania. Experience, identity, subjectivity, nationality policy and the constructions of race and nation define the core of her work. Kimberly’s dissertation project is an exploration of the form, function and understandings of race in the Soviet Union and the German Democratic Republic through the experiences of African Americans and Africans.

HONORS GEOMETRY PARTNERS WITH GRADE 1

Grade 9 - 10 Honors

Geometry students were partnered with 1st graders to create math beads. Together, they strung the beads to create a chain of 10 blue and 10 gray beads. Many of the older students were 1st graders in the same room they visited and recalled their years in the Lower School with their new buddies. Math beads are a hands-on approach for counting, adding, subtracting, multiplication and division. This visual and kinesthetic tool aids all learners while practicing number sense and math facts.

Row 1 (front): Julie Brose, Christina Cai, Gwenyth Conger, Sasha Deringer, Rachel Gopalani; Row 2: Sophia Ran, Betti Pang, Eri Maeda, Yuru Lin, Eugenia Li, Batya Kaplan; Row 3: Ryan Shelton, Aleida Skogland, Lydia Snyder, Makenna Walko, Scarlet Xing, Emily Zhang

Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon, a second-year doctoral student earning her PhD in History at the University of Pennsylvania, visited the Upper School Soviet Union elective class.

Top: Students view the light spectrum. Right: Chemistry students work on their flame test lab.

Tori Benjamin '25 and Lily DiBona '34 make math beads together.

ARTS

PRE-K CREATES SNOWMEN & PENGUINS

Winter Performances at Baldwin

This winter in Pre-K, the Marandiuc and Johnson families donated fantastic holiday crafts. Our youngest Bears created do-it-yourself snowmen and step-bystep winter penguins.

GRADE 1 PERFORMS THE DAY THE CRAYONS QUIT

This fall, the 1st grade presented a musical program based on the book, The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers. The crayons wanted to go on strike. Red is overworked, blue is stumpy and tired of being the favorite color every year and yellow and orange argue over who is the actual color of the sun. Performing Arts Chair and Lower School Music Teacher Angela Bensinger taught the girls songs such as “Coloring Book,” “Mr. Sun” and “Sing a Rainbow.” The scenery was courtesy of Lower School Art Teacher Andre Teixeira.

The Middle and Upper Schools held their concerts before winter break. Performing for the Upper School was Belles, Bronze, Upper School Chorus, B-Flats, Upper School Orchestra and Jazz Band. The Middle School concert featured their Chorus, Orchestra and 8th Grade Handbell Ensemble.

Lighthouse Wu ’24 Wins First Place in Art Competition

Lighthouse Wu ’24 won the first-place award in the “Sustainable Development Goals” Art Competition sponsored by the Youth Entrepreneurship and Finance Association. The goal of the competition is to “challenge the ambitious and creative minds of Gen Z in understanding the concept of sustainability and applying it to a better future.” Lighthouse’s winning entry is a watercolor painting titled “Protein and Carbohydrates.”

BALDWIN WELCOMES ORDRUP MUSICIANS

Baldwin, along with The Haverford School, hosted a musical exchange program with students from Ordrup Gymnasium, a school in suburban Copenhagen, Denmark. The Baldwin B-Flats were joined by the Haverford Notables and the Ordrup Gymnasium Be-Sharps to perform a collaborative concert of a cappella and rock music. As part of the ongoing music exchange, the Danish musicians visited for a week this fall, observing classes, performing locally and working with our singers. Later this spring, Baldwin and Haverford students will travel to Denmark to do the same.

Ordrup Gymnasium's Be-Sharps performed during their visit.

Emilia Moore ’34 (green), Eila Gupta ’34 (red) and Nina Luis ’34 (yellow) performed in the Grade 1 play.

Eleanor Schmid ’36, Mina Way ’36 and Julia Marandiuc ’36 (top) enjoy making their snowman crafts (bottom)

Top: The Upper School Chorus performed a variety of songs including "Marshmallow World." Right: The Middle School Orchestra performed the fourth movement of "The New World Symphony."

Young Alumnae Art Exhibition

For the month of January, the Fackenthal-Pethick Art Gallery displayed a young alumnae art exhibition. Works of art from Sam Dewey ’16, Alexa Diecidue ’19, Sophie Lewis ’18, McKenna Matus ’19, August Park ’18, Erin Roman ’19, Olivia Steckman ’19 and Leanne Sun ’19 were on display and an opening reception was held on January 5.

Theater Students Create Props

Middle and Upper School theater students took a break from memorizing monologues and scenes to make some hot chocolate. Although these delicious treats may look good enough to eat, they're actually props. In their prop-making unit, the students learned to identify and analyze a prop’s form and function and created props that would last for an entire run of a show - and beyond. That whipped cream you see?

Lightweight wall spackle fed through cake piping tubes and tips. Those sprinkles? Craft beads. The candy canes? Those are real but were kept in plastic so the food dye didn’t bleed into the spackle. Students across the divisions celebrated their creations with a toast around Baldwin's beautiful fireplace.

MIDDLE SCHOOL ORCHESTRA ATTENDS PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA PERFORMANCE

This fall, the Middle School Orchestra, along with Orchestra Director Oxana Harlamova (P '14, '20), attended the Philadelphia Orchestra performance of “The New World Symphony” by Antonin Dvorak and "Double Concerto for Clarinet, Viola and Orchestra" by Max Bruch, featuring Ricardo Morales on clarinet and CJ Chang on viola. The students were able to talk to the soloists and get their autographs.

LOWER SCHOOL HOLDS DOOR DECORATING CONTEST

In December, the Lower School held a winter door decorating contest. Students in each class collaborated together on ideas for their design. Using various materials, they decorated their classroom doors to create a winter wonderland in the Lower School. Peter Greenhalgh’s Grade 3 class won first place, while Hope Feher’s Pre-K came in second and Mallory Becker’s Grade 5 class came in third.

ANATOMY ELECTIVE SCULPTS HUMAN SKULLS

Upper School students taking the Anatomy class worked on an interdisciplinary project, learning about the physical aspects (proportions, symmetry and form) of sculpting a human skull. Simultaneously, they learned about the cranial and facial bones.

Left : McKenna Matus ’19 poses in front of her artwork.

Right: Alexa Diecidue ’19 and Olivia Steckman ’19 visit with Art Teacher Janice Wilke during the opening reception.

Mr. Greenhalgh’s Grade 3 door won first place.

BELLA HU ’24 WINS INTER-AC TENNIS TITLE

Fall Sports MVPs and 2023 Captains Announced

Athletics celebrated the fall teams, announced Most Valuable Players (MVPs) and presented newly elected co-captains for next year.

2022 Fall MVPs

• Cross Country - Lauren Brown ’23 and Lauren Halak ’24

• Field Hockey - Addison Ford ’25

• Soccer - Ana Naylor ’23

• Tennis - Bella Hu ’24

• Volleyball - Joelle Pearlstein ’24

Bella Hu ’24 captured the Inter-Ac girls tennis singles tournament title. The top-seeded player in the field, she won all three of her matches and defeated the No. 2 seed from Springside Chestnut Hill in the championship final.

MIDDLE SCHOOL HOSTS HAVERFORD FOR GAME DAY

2023 Fall Captains

• Cross Country - Lauren Halak ’24 and Olivia Stankiewicz-Goldsmith ’25

• Field Hockey - Riley Carickhoff ’24 and Laura Mantini ’24

• Soccer - Brenna Ferreira ’24 and Zoe Levine ’24

• Tennis - Bella Hu ’24 and Marin Alter ’24

• Volleyball - Bella Gillis ’24 and Cynthia Huang ’24

Rowers Excel at Head of the Charles

This fall, Baldwin Middle School hosted Game Day with The Haverford School. The girls and boys enjoyed spending a sunny afternoon together on Baldwin's campus playing a number of different games including kickball, tennis and volleyball.

SOCCER TEAM EARNS 8th CONSECUTIVE ACADEMIC AWARD

Grace Colucci '23, Anna Johnson '23 and Harper Hoffman '24 traveled to Boston to compete at the Head of the Charles Regatta October 21-23. Anna finished 26 out of 45 (first scholastic boat) and Grace and Harper finished 38 out of 55 (second scholastic boat), beating all local Philadelphia Scholastic Rowing Association competition.

The Upper School Soccer program kicked off the 2022 season on the road in sunny Ocean City, NJ, against Lansdale Catholic High School. The Bears competed on the field and enjoyed some team bonding after the games at the beach and on the boardwalk. Additionally, the program received the 2021-22 United Soccer Coaches Organization Team Academics Award for the 8th consecutive year. The Bears accumulated a 3.73 GPA for the 2021-22 school year. Baldwin was the only Inter-Ac League school to earn the honor.

Tennis Coach Antonio Fink with Bella Hu ’24 after she won the InterAc tennis singles tournament title.

Fall MVPs: Bella Hu ’24, Ana Naylor ’23, Lauren Halak ’24, Lauren Brown ’23, Joelle Pearlstein ’24 and Addison Ford ’25

Haverford Middle School students compete with Suri Khorram ’27 and Eve Cohen ’27.

Harper Hoffman ’24, Anna Johnson ’23 and Grace Colucci ’23 at Head of the Charles Regatta.

The 2022 Soccer team.

Community Spirit Shines at Winter Spirit Night

In December, the Baldwin community came together in the Athletic Center to show their support for the winter sports teams. Swimming hosted league rival Agnes Irwin and basketball welcomed Germantown Friends School. The Dance team performed at halftime and squash had an inter-squad scrimmage. Baldwin’s Athletic Association leaders organized fun activities to get everyone in the holiday spirit before embarking on winter break.

Powder Puff Flag Football Tradition Continues

The community gathered on November 9 on Lower Field for the annual Powder Puff flag football game. A great crowd filled the sidelines to watch the 7-7 tie between the Class of 2023 and Class of 2024. The Faculty and Staff team then proved to be too much for the Seniors, winning 14-0.

RYAN SHELTON ’23 SIGNS NCAA NATIONAL LETTER OF INTENT

FALL ATHLETES EARN ALL-INTER-AC LEAGUE HONORS

Seven fall student athletes were recognized with All-Inter-Ac League honors:

SOCCER: Ana Naylor '23 - Second Team

TENNIS: Bella Hu '24 - League MVP & First Team, Eesha Sharma '24 - First Team, Sophia Ran '23 - Second Team, Avani Shah-Lipman '25 - Second Team and Amelia Skawinski '25 - Second Team

VOLLEYBALL: Joelle Pearlstein '24 - First Team

Ryan Shelton '23 signed her NCAA National Letter of Intent to play Volleyball at Saint Peter's University. Highlights from Ryan’s athletic career include 2019 AllMain Line Honorable Mention, 2021 Baldwin Volleyball Team Captain, 2021 Inter-Ac League 2nd Team and 2021 and 2022 All-Main Line 2nd Team. Ryan is also a member of the East Coast Power Volleyball Club program.

Baldwin’s basketball team celebrates during Spirit Night.

The Class of 2023 Powder Puff team (top) fell to the Faculty and Staff team (bottom).

Sophia Ran '23 Avani Shah-Lipman '25 Amelia Skawinski '25 Joelle Pearlstein '24

Ana Naylor '23 Bella Hu '24 Eesha Sharma '24

FACULTY

ANGELA BENSINGER HONORED WITH REED FELLOWSHIP

One of Baldwin’s most special traditions is to recognize community members who have shown a commitment to the School’s mission and core values, while making a lasting difference to the School and its students. The Reed Fellowship for Excellence in Teaching is awarded annually to a full-time teacher who demonstrates a passion for teaching at any grade level from Pre-K through Grade 12. This endowed fellowship awards sustained excellence, passion for and innovation in teaching and recognizes someone who leaves a profound mark on the community.

Congratulations to this year’s recipient Performing Arts

Department Chair and Lower School Music Teacher Angela Bensinger. In her fourth decade at Baldwin, Angela has taught across all divisions and has prepared generations of students for numerous concerts, plays and performances. According to her colleagues, “In every class, she provides opportunities for students to build confidence, solve problems, express their emotions and creativity, collaborate with others and contribute to something bigger than themselves.”

Angela is the true definition of a lifelong learner. As technology has progressed over the years, she has kept up with its use in her classroom and department as a whole. “Her strong teaching and her ability to think creatively and flexibly allowed her to model for her department what keeping a music program alive during the pandemic would look like,” explained her colleagues. In addition, Angela’s institutional knowledge, strong organizational skills and genuine love of children make her an invaluable member of the Baldwin community.

PRESENTED

Head of School Dr. Marisa Porges ’96 participated in a panel discussion hosted by The Forum of Executive Women in celebration of Veteran’s Day. The organization honored female military officers who have achieved success in both their military and professional careers. The panel discussed how their education, leadership training and experience in the military allowed them to achieve their corporate or organizational goals. Dr. Porges also was the keynote speaker at a Veterans’ Day Luncheon hosted by Surrey Services for Seniors to benefit the Valor Fund. Surrey is a non-profit organization that provides opportunities and solutions for older adults, regardless of income. Joan Taylor Prewitt ’58 and her husband David Prewitt (P ’86, ’88, ’88) founded this veteran's group.

For the 5th consecutive year, Middle School Spanish Teacher and Dean of Students Gabbie Álvarez (P ’20, ’27) and Kerry Kettering-Goens (The Haverford School), presented their workshop "Colorism in the Latine Community" at the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) People of Color Conference (PoCC) on December 2. This workshop discussed instances of colorism from varying Latine lenses, and attendees explored their own experiences, looked at case studies and walked away with strategies and vocabulary to address colorism when they witness it.

BOOKSHELF

Check out these latest releases from alumnae.

My Journey: A Look Into Gaining Admission to the Ivy Leagues and Top 40 Colleges

Krisangi Bhargava ’21

Covering Our Children: Declarations and Prayers to Decree Over Your Children

Maxine Baker Jackson ’96

Let Your Heart Be Broken: Life and Music from a Classical Composer

Tina Davidson ’71

While at the Surrey Services Veterans’ Day Luncheon, Head of School Dr. Marisa Porges ’96 met with Betsy Brooks Stull ’46.

In November, Middle School Director

Dr. Shauna Carter presented to the 2022 Carney Sandoe & Associates Women’s Institute. Her session was “Develop Your Leadership Skills and Become the School Leader You Want to Be.” Through selfassessment and discussion of strengths and deficits in interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, Dr. Carter helped workshop participants to identify their communication styles, relationship-building strategies, organizational preferences and approaches to work-life balance, problemsolving and conflict-resolutions. Participants left with a better understanding of who they are as leaders and how they can better serve in a school leadership role.

Computer Science and Engineering

Department Chair and Middle School

DREAM Lab® Coordinator Addison

Lilholt presented at the Virtual Ed Tech Conference through the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools in October. His presentation, “Beating the Hackers: Gamifying Cybersecurity for All Ages,” shared ideas for engaging learners in hands-on and gamified cybersecurity lessons.

PUBLISHED

Upper School Art Teacher Janice Wilke was a contributor to the second installment of Maureen Connolly and Jonathan Ryan Davis’s five-book “Building Your Teaching Toolbox” series. This latest volume, titled Creating Positive Classroom Climate, includes Janice’s strategy of “Spotlighting Students.” The book is published by Rowman & Littlefield of New York.

ATTENDED

Upper

School

Counselor Allison Davis, Athletic Director Meg

Glascott-Birch, Middle School Counselor Liz Koster and Assistant Athletic Director for Health and Wellness Kerrie Snead attended a Wellness Summit sponsored by the Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools and Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools. The keynote addressed student wellness and "The Whole Child Means Centering on Health." The closing address was titled "From Panic to Purpose and Passion: A Teacher's Story of SelfCare, Healing and Transformation." Workshops were also offered on student wellness, educator and staff wellness and cultivating a culture of wellness.

Grade 3 Teacher

Emily Boyce, Middle School Director Dr. Shauna Carter, Middle School Counselor Liz Koster, Coordinator of Civic Engagement

Ida Malloy and staff members Susie Choitz, Crystal Johnson, Tracy Stevens (P ’11, ’18) and Sona Velani attended the NAIS PoCC, which is the flagship conference of the NAIS commitment to equity and justice in teaching, learning and organizational development.

Maintenance Technician Jon Horn earned a new certification from the Delaware County Community College educational program in "Building and Facilities Maintenance," a skills development course in plumbing, electrical wiring, HVAC and carpentry. In completing this course Jon has added to the already valued services he brings to Baldwin.

The Brilliant Calculator: How Mathematician

Edith Clarke Helped Electrify America

Jan Lower ’71

Justice for Animals: Our Collective Responsibility

Jewish Literary Eros: Between Poetry and Prose in the Medieval Mediterranean

Isabelle Levy ’01

A Song for the Cosmos: Blind Willie Johnson and Voyager’s Golden Record

Jan Lower ’71

Martha Craven Nussbaum ’64

PORGES ’96

As we prepare to say farewell to Baldwin’s 8th Head of School, Dr. Marisa Porges ’96, we look back on her years of leadership and service to her alma mater.

— Innovations for Baldwin’s Academic Program —

At the start of her tenure as Head of School, Dr. Porges and the Board of Trustees conducted in-depth research on trends in higher education, the workforce and how girls learn best. The goal was to ensure that Baldwin continues to innovate its academic programs to prepare today’s students for the world that awaits them in 10, 20 and 30 years’ time.

As a result of this research, Baldwin announced a new strategic vision in Fall 2019 that emphasizes interdisciplinary studies and curricula that inspire our girls through hands-on projects applied to real-world problems. This focus was designed by our expert faculty and staff so that our girls grow into adaptable thinkers and life-long learners equipped with the skills and emotional intelligence crucial for tomorrow’s world leaders and changemakers.

Baldwin’s faculty already capitalized on the connections between disciplines, but our future-focused strategic vision built on this foundation with new programs and curricular offerings. To help prepare our teachers for this work, Baldwin sent a cohort of faculty to the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education ProjectBased Learning program. While there, faculty gained graduate-level experience in developing classes that bridge subjects and integrate authentic, student-driven projects to apply learning in new ways. This work continued during the school year, as faculty concentrated their professional development around interdisciplinary learning and ongoing work with pedagogical leaders from around the country.

The impact on Baldwin’s academic program has been inspiring for students

———— THE LEADERSHIP OF ———— DR. MARISA

Today’s Baldwin girls are taught to understand subjects not in silos but in connection with each other, and to nurture their passion for learning by showing them how their classes apply to real-world problem solving.

and teachers. As faculty brought the strategic vision to life, students explored their coursework more deeply and creatively through discussions facilitated by teams of faculty from different academic departments, student-led research using real-world data sets and unique projects during class and during extra time set aside for in-depth interdisciplinary work. In addition, we tapped into the wealth of resources in the surrounding community and Baldwin’s extensive alumnae network, so that experts from various fields of study partner with students and faculty on projects inside and outside the classroom.

The Lower School Wyss Interdisciplinary Incubator (i2) and the Middle and Upper School Wyss Interdisciplinary Institute (I2) are two additional outcomes of this innovative focus for our academic program. These special initiatives allow students more time to combine lessons learned in different content areas and to do special projects that help them practice their collaboration, communication and problem-solving skills.

Examples of new units launched during Lower School i2 include our Kindergarten studying dinosaurs and paleontology in cross-disciplinary Language Arts, Music, Physical Education and Science lessons and our 3rd grade using their humanities, science and DREAM Lab classes – alongside time with rangers from the National Park Service – to study the ecosystem, animals and geography of America’s national parks. The 5th grade also integrates interdisciplinary learning into their study of Ancient Egypt, for which the culminating project is sharing their research on a website they design in the DREAM Lab.

In the Middle and Upper Schools, I2 provides students the chance to take mixed-grade cross-disciplinary seminars like “Maps, Math and Democracy,” “Using Music, Theater and Animation to Teach Science,” “The Chemistry of Jewelry,” “Francophone Women of the 20th and 21st Centuries” and more. They also have the opportunity to see and hear how their interdisciplinary studies apply beyond Baldwin’s gates, where our girls connect with outside experts, visit museums and labs and see performances in the local area. Driven by students’ passions and interests, each seminar culminates in different ways – from art exhibits to plays to published writing. These new academic programs thus re-enforce the feeling of fun and love of learning so essential to girls’ Baldwin experience.

This academic focus also inspired Baldwin to update facilities to increase access to digital tools in classrooms and common spaces, develop new cutting-edge, research-based courses for our curriculum and introduce more authentic learning experiences during local and global trips. We are proud of the numerous ways that our strategic vision ensured Baldwin continues to leads the nation with its innovative programs tailored to what our girls need – for today and years to come.

Top: Grade 2 launched their i2 project in 2019 with different learning centers that focused on dental health.

Bottom Left: Lower School students study Monarch butterflies.

Bottom Right: Upper School girls work on an engineering project in the DREAM Lab.

— Fun and Sisterhood —

Since 1888, Baldwin's close-knit community has created a deeply felt sisterhood amongst our students, teachers and alumnae. This feeling of family is evident as you walk down the hallways, observe students’ interactions in and out of class or watch how Baldwin’s Bears connect across divisions and generations.

School spirit and our sense of sisterhood were important to Dr. Porges when she returned to Baldwin as Head of School, not least because she recalled how much fun she had as a student and wanted to ensure today’s students felt the same about their Baldwin experience. From the opening all-school celebration each year to annual theme songs and dance parties, the joy of our Baldwin Bears was felt inside and outside the classroom. Highlights each year include celebrating the birthday of Disco, Dr. Porges’ dog and our unofficial mascot, having Winnie lead all-school dance parties, food truck Fridays during the pandemic and many more moments of fun and sisterhood.

Seniors celebrate during the 2017-18 All-School Opening Assembly.

Dr. Porges leads the dancing before her 2016 Installation.

Disco and Dr. Porges pose with Maya Murray ’21 and Presley Daggett ’21 at Disco’s birthday party in 2019.

Students celebrate during an All-School Opening Assembly in 2018.

The Baldwin community came together to kick off the school year during the All-School Celebration in 2022.

Winnie celebrates a Friday in 2020.

Upper School students enjoy a Food Truck lunch to kick off the 2021-22 school year.

—Energizing Alumnae —

When Dr. Porges returned to Baldwin in 2016, she made it a priority to reach out to fellow alumnae and connect them with each other and our Baldwin community. Throughout her tenure, she enjoyed hearing alumnae’s favorite memories, listening to stories about Baldwin’s impact and helping them engage with other passionate alumnae. Over the years, she had the opportunity to see alumnae in the local area and during visits to Boston, London, New York City, Seattle and Washington, D.C., plus trips to California and Florida.

Dr. Porges was also excited to welcome alumnae back to campus during reunions each spring, admissions tours for their daughters and granddaughters and informal visits when alumnae returned to reconnect with their favorite Baldwin teacher or place on campus. We hosted dozens of alumnae as guest speakers who shared their wealth of knowledge and life experiences with current students, and were proud to have four amazing alumnae give the keynote speech during Commencement.

Dr. Marisa Porges ’96 poses with alumnae leaders of the 2016 National Board of Advisors.

Allison Wiener Goodwin ’89, Carmen Lennon ’95, Dr. Marisa Porges ’96, Kathy Taylor ’70, Steffie Wright Crowther ’68 and Roberta Dranoff (P ’96) at the Philadelphia event in June 2017.

2018 alumnae award winners Dorothy Rodgers Mayhew ’93, Martha “Meg” Gaines ’73 and Carolyn Jones ’73 pose with Dr. Marisa Porges ’96.

— Navigating a Pandemic —

Recapping Dr. Porges’ tenure would not be complete without mentioning the pandemic. From March 2020 and for the 202021 and 2021-22 school years, Baldwin was fortunate to have her leadership alongside the support of our Board of Trustees, administrators, faculty and staff, all our families and students and many other members of the community, as we navigated this challenge.

It became clear that Baldwin had numerous advantages, including a purposefully small student body, a relatively large campus space and the renowned expertise, creativity and adaptability of our faculty and staff. Extensive research, planning and collaboration allowed us to welcome students back to campus in Fall 2020, providing in-person learning for all students, five days a week for normal school day hours, while also offering virtual learning options.

To make this happen safely, we transformed Baldwin’s campus. Classrooms were spread across all spaces, including in the Residence, Dining Room and the Assembly Room, and we set up WiFi-enabled outdoor classroom, too. Handwashing stations, ventilation fans, social distancing signage, tents and new outdoor furniture also helped keep everyone healthy.

The transformation continued in class, where our committed faculty embraced new technology and new approaches to teaching to keep all students engaged in learning and connected with their Baldwin sisters. Using webcams, headset microphones, online whiteboards and countless other digital tools, Baldwin brought together the community in physical and virtual spaces, kept up students’ academic progress and found creative ways to support our girls emotionally and socially.

It took a lot for Baldwin to so successfully navigate the pandemic, including the creation of a new Wellness Team, additional staff to support in-person and online learning, input from a Head of School-led task force of school leaders and area medical experts and the unparalleled commitment of our teachers, students and families. We are grateful that Dr. Porges was “captain of our ship” during this extraordinary time.

Winnie welcomed students back to school in September 2020.

Throughout the pandemic, Baldwin led the nation in creating a safe learning and teaching environment where we could support all of our students and teachers in the most flexible and imaginative way possible.

During the pandemic, students and teachers enjoyed time in our Wi-Fi-enabled outdoor classrooms.

— Renovating the Residence —

Inspired by Residence updates completed early in Dr. Porges’ tenure and new ways we used campus spaces during the pandemic, during the last few years we continued to revitalize the historic landmark that has been a symbol of Baldwin for over a century. An entire floor of new classrooms was designed specifically for the academic and emotional growth of Middle Schoolers, additional space was created for our Early Childhood Center (ECC) and office spaces were updated for administrators and staff who support Baldwin’s people and programs.

To achieve all of this, major construction work was undertaken during the summer of 2021 and 2022, to knock down walls, install new wiring and digital hardware and find other ways to reimagine Residence spaces for today’s girls – while not losing the fireplaces, high ceilings, large windows and other special touches that reflect Baldwin’s storied past. The Residence second floor now has spacious classrooms, collaborative student spaces, student support offices and all of the technology our Middle School students and teachers need. We also created a new Middle School DREAM Lab in the Residence, which has the laser cutters, 3D printers and other tools our girls use to engineer whatever they imagine.

We expanded the ECC with new spaces designed to meet the developmental needs of four- through six-year-old girls. The ECC now spans two floors and includes larger classrooms, dedicated areas for ECC specials including a new library, science classroom and DREAM Lab, and additional rooms for Baldwin’s after-school and enrichment programs. Our new ECC reflects the warmth, joy and tailored programming that are hallmarks of our Pre-K and Kindergarten grades.

Updates have continued during the 2022-23 school year. We installed a modern elevator in the Residence and renovated the Assembly Room, which became our Baldwin Commons. Modeled after student unions at college, our older students now have more space to study with friends, convene their clubs or simply hang out. We are grateful for generous gifts from the Class of 2023 parents, who helped fund new furniture in this space.

Before Dr. Porges’ tenure is complete, there is one final step to the Residence transformation: plans are underway to create a new space for Baldwin’s Archives, which will provide a dedicated area for students to explore Baldwin’s robust history and collaborate on projects that reflect our School’s proud legacy, while helping us preserve our most important artifacts for generations to come.

A new Middle School classroom.

The new Middle School DREAM Lab.

The expanded space in the ECC.

The new Baldwin Commons offers a comfortable gathering spot.

— Innovation Center —

One of the most exciting additions to Baldwin’s campus during Dr. Porges’ tenure is the state-of-the-art Innovation Center, which transformed the old pool house into a welcoming academic hub that seamlessly integrates the latest technology with the architectural traditions of our campus.

Completed in Spring 2022, the Innovation Center is home to interdisciplinary teaching and learning across all classes, grades and divisions and supports our girls’ focus on creativity, teamwork and adaptability. The open, flexible space provides a place where students partner with each other and with outside experts on projects that simulate work in the real world, where faculty collaborate on new courses and electives, and where students present their research

and projects to classmates, parents and public audiences.

We are grateful to Sally Warehime Yelland ’54, who provided the lead gift that allowed construction of the Innovation Center to begin in Summer 2021. Sally was inspired to support this project by the strength of the School’s strategic vision, the bold leadership of Dr. Porges and her personal commitment to sharing the gifts of Baldwin with future generations.

A building dedicated to the tangible, hands-on work of interdisciplinary learning was a significant addition to Baldwin's future-focused academic programs.

— Comprehensive Campaign — The Future Is Baldwin

Summer 2022 marked the conclusion of The Future Is Baldwin, the most successful fundraising campaign in the School’s 135-year history. Over four years, The Future Is Baldwin continually gathered momentum and attracted enthusiastic support from across the community, even during the pandemic.

Campaign Highlights:

q $32,045,684 raised, surpassing our $25 million goal by nearly 30%;

q $5 million lead gift from Amy Wyss ’89 – the largest outright gift in Baldwin history – to permanently endow the Wyss Interdisciplinary Institute;

q $3 million lead gift from Sally Warehime Yelland ’54, to help fund construction of our new Innovation Center;

q Six leadership gifts of $1 million or more, and 39 gifts of $100,000 or more in support of the endowment, academic programs and co-curricular initiatives;

q 2,263 total donors, with 495 first-time donors; and

q 487 hours of faculty and staff professional development funded, to enhance Baldwin programming across all three divisions.

Baldwin’s endowment, an important asset for our School’s long-term financial health and sustainability, was a priority for the campaign. We wanted to ensure the School has a steady and robust stream of income to help maintain the campus, nurture new programs and lean into unexpected opportunities for decades to come. The Baldwin community responded with

generosity and a keen understanding of the lasting impact endowment has on our School, our girls and our teachers by providing critical resources for day-to-day operations and strengthening our ability to offer financial aid and enrich students’ experience.

Thanks to new funds donated during the campaign alongside effective investment and fundraising strategies throughout Dr. Porges’ tenure, Baldwin’s endowment tripled since she arrived in 2016 – growing from just over $11.5 million to $35 million as of early 2023. New endowed funds created by the campaign include the Cherry Tree Preservation Fund, which supports the care of our cherry trees and helps maintain Baldwin’s beautiful 25-acre campus, and a new fund to support faculty and staff professional development.

While the comprehensive campaign was the school’s largest fundraising effort, it was only one of several philanthropic accomplishments achieved during Dr. Porges’ tenure. Other highlights include the School’s first seven-figure gift from an alumna, donated during her first year as Head; increased support for financial aid through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program and the Maguire Scholars Program, which provides scholarships to students for academic achievement, community service and leadership; and consistent year-over-year growth of individual contributions to and participation in The Baldwin Fund.

During The Future Is Baldwin Campaign, new flags and banners were proudly displayed throughout the campus.

Campaign Co-Chair Rachel Gerstenhaber Stern ’83, Dr. Marisa Porges ’96 and Chair of the Board of Trustees Patricia Weiser (P ’22, ’24) kicked off the campaign with a celebration.

Baldwin's youngest Bears celebrate The Future Is Baldwin.

TO COMMEMORATE THE SUCCESSFUL TENURE OF DR. MARISA PORGES ’96

as our 8th Head of School, we hope that you will join us in honoring her leadership and legacy with a farewell gift in support of the BALDWIN ARCHIVES FUND!

DONATIONS TO THIS NEW FUND

in honor of Dr. Porges will support ongoing renovations to our historic Residence building and help inspire future generations of students and alumnae by providing:

A NEW HOME in our Residence for the Baldwin Archives

A MIXED-USE GATHERING SPACE for students and faculty where they can access primary sources about our School’s history, hold academic classes and collaborate on projects or other interdisciplinary work

A READING ROOM for alumnae gatherings and informal student study

ON-GOING SUPPORT to help us catalog, display and preserve our School’s unique history

As the first alumna Head of School, Dr. Porges’ tenure at Baldwin will have a deep and lasting impact on our community in so many ways. Now is the time to celebrate together her years of service and all she has done for Baldwin by supporting this special initiative that connects Baldwin’s exceptional past with our exciting future!

You can make a gift to the Baldwin Archives Fund in honor of Dr. Porges by visiting

† SCAN HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ARCHIVES PROJECT.

ATTENTION CLASSES OF GOLD!

Mark your calendars now and save the date for Reunion 2023, May 5 - 6

Plans are being made to welcome alumnae back to campus! The schedule is coming soon, so watch the website for details.

We look forward to seeing you in May!

www.baldwinschool.org/reunion