Cathedral Magazine (Spring 2020)

Cathedral T H E M AG A Z I N E O F T H E C AT H E D R A L S C H O O L O F ST. J O H N T H E D I V I N E

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Cathedral Connected

Cathedral T H E M AG A Z I N E O F T H E C AT H E D R A L S C H O O L O F ST. J O H N T H E D I V I N E S P R I N G 2 020

F E AT U R E S

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Cultivating Character Cathedral brings Core Values to life through sustainability efforts

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The Years That Count Head of School Marsha K. Nelson reflects on the unique nature of The Cathedral School and how our K–8 learning environment prepares students for success—in high school, college, and beyond

D E PA RT M E N T S

02 Letter from the Head of School 03 Notes from Amsterdam Avenue 22 Uniquely Cathedral 26 O n the Close

36 Beyond Cathedral 37 Embodiment of the Mission 38 Graduation 2019 42 Alumni Notes 48 T he Last Word

#CathedralNYC #TheCathedralSchool #KnowWonder / Cover: Jake Blaustein ’19, TOC: Caroline Voagen Nelson, Back Cover: Marjorie Becker

Head of School Marsha K. Nelson Director of Institutional Advancement Elizabeth Oswald Editor Colin Murray Writers Mandy Cole Daniel Hrdlicka Benjamin Jacoff Kellyann Conners Morgan Colin Murray Elizabeth Oswald Mary Jo Rohrer Design Aldeia www.aldeia.design Photography Marjorie Becker Daniel Hrdlicka Blair Jarvis Colin Murray Caroline Voagen Nelson Printing Lane Press Please send magazine submissions to: The Cathedral School of St. John the Divine Attn: Cathedral Editor 1047 Amsterdam Avenue New York, NY 10025 news@cathedralnyc.org

JOIN US FOR SPIRIT WEEK, MAY 11–16!

All are invited to celebrate the wonder and spirit of our community during our firstever online SPIRIT WEEK, May 11–16. Stop by a Spirit Session on Zoom; enjoy stories from Cathedral School students, faculty, and alumni; and help us pay tribute to three departing faculty members. Visit www. cathedralnyc.org/spiritweek for more information and to register!

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Letter from the Head of School MARSHA K. NELSON

The Cathedral Spirit The Girls Varsity Basketball Team was playing in the Championship Game of the AISPL Finals, and my pom-poms were ready.

“We’ve got spirit, yes, we do! We’ve got spirit, how ‘bout you!”

The stands were packed with parents, grandparents, and students—all there to cheer our girls team to their third league championship in as many years.

As I scanned the gym, the excitement, enthusiasm, and spirit were palpable, and I felt an overwhelming sense of pride—not just at the accomplishments of our athletes and coaching staff but at the development of all of our Cathedral programs over the years. Ninety percent of Upper School students participate in at least one team sport each year.

Our academics are stronger and more specialized than ever. In addition, the extracurricular life of our school is rich and robust, offering affinity groups, service clubs, and opportunities in the visual and performing arts, including the wonderful Lower School Chorus and our historic Cathedral Choristers.

I reflected on the recent announcement of our 10-Year Accreditation from the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS), which was not only a fabulous opportunity for reflection and self-study, but yet another confirmation of the many strengths of our people and program.

My heart swelled while considering our community’s growth over this past year, a year which saw the activation of a 21st-Century Expansion that maintains the glory and grandeur of our original building while providing new spaces and opportunities for learning, including spaces for Assembly and community gatherings; a beautiful library for reading, researching, and imagining; and a

dynamic Innovation Lab for designing and building a better tomorrow.

I was jolted from my reverie by the roar of the crowd, as a sudden turnover and breakaway had given our Cathedral athletes control of the ball.

Their lead grew to 27–22, and our girls team claimed victory and their third consecutive championship. (An important note: our boys basketball team also experienced a very successful season, making it to their own league championship game—a powerful testament to their teamwork and dedication.

Congratulations, all!)

As I write this letter, it is hard to believe that this basketball game was in February. So much has changed in our world since then. It is even more difficult to imagine what will have changed by the time you read this magazine.

These are strange and uncertain times.

From our founding in 1901 as a choir school for boys through our transition to a day school in the 1960s and the introduction of co-education in the 1970s, The Cathedral School has weathered many changes throughout its history while remaining steadfast to its Mission and Core Values. We educate children of all backgrounds to grow into articulate, confident, responsible citizens of the world, with a deep knowledge of themselves and a well-refined sense of justice and engagement. This underpinning has remained steadfast and will continue to be at the forefront of who we are and all that we do—come what may.

Through every change, the spirit of The Cathedral School community remains unwavering. Ours is a community where every voice matters and all members feel safe and cared for; a community dedicated to equity, justice, and inclusion; and a community whose

dedication and generosity cannot be taken for granted. I am more grateful than ever for these defining features, as well as the generosity of spirit of each and every community member—students, parents, grandparents, alumni, alumni parents, faculty, staff, and friends.

On a deeply personal note, as announced earlier this spring, I have made the difficult decision to retire at the end of the 2020–2021 academic year. It was certainly not my intention to make this announcement amidst the uncertainty of our present moment, but, in partnership with our dynamic Board of Trustees, it was decided to be in the best interest of the institution to launch a search for our next Head of School as quickly as possible.

Fittingly, our April Core Value of the Month is Courage, which our Character Curriculum defines as “the ability and willingness to face challenges without retreating by developing the mental, moral, and spiritual strength needed to act confidently, take risks, and advocate for ourselves and other people.”

I am guided by the primacy of our Mission and Core Values in the life of our school and take great comfort in knowing that these ideals are shared at all levels of our community and will endure into the future.

It has been among my greatest privileges and joys to serve as Head of The Cathedral School for what will be 18 years next June. I am deeply grateful for the partnership and support of each and every one of our constituents, and thank you for your stalwart championship and dedication to The Cathedral School. Words can hardly express my gratitude—I can imagine no better ambassadors of the Cathedral spirit. s

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Notes from Amsterdam Avenue

Notes from Amsterdam Avenue

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Cathedral

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Notes from Amsterdam Avenue

The first morning meeting of the school year. >>

The First Six Weeks In the Lower School, shaping the classroom community early on sets up students and teachers for a full year of success

On the first day of school in Massiel Santos’s 3rd grade classroom, warm late summer air drifted in over gleaming desks and crisp white notebooks.

After the parents had left and the students had reconnected with their friends, Ms. Santos gathered the class for the first morning meeting of the year. Students loosened up with an ice-breaker activity before Ms. Santos reviewed the morning message, greeting, and schedule for the day. Across all grades in the Lower School, these meetings will be held every day for the rest of the year. Even during Distance Learning, morning meeting remains a critical part of the day.

Morning meeting is the foundation of Responsive Classroom, an approach to learning that posits that a successful social environment is proven to lead to academic success. In the first few weeks of school, the students in Ms.

Santos’s class established their own goals (learning cursive, becoming better readers) before coming together as a group “to talk about what rules we needed to have in place to fulfill those goals,” said Ms. Santos. “We all get a real sense of clarity of what’s expected in the classroom, in terms of how we treat each other. It builds a community where we’re all invested in each other’s hopes and dreams, and also our individual goals.” Even the first few weeks of recess are structured so that all students feel included and that it is a safe space for them.

Building an inclusive and positive classroom community, setting clear expectations, and promoting student independence creates an environment where students can collaborate effectively, take risks, and realize their

academic goals. Students refer to the rules and reflect on them after lessons throughout the year. Time is also set aside each day for Academic Choice, where students can pursue projects and subjects that interest them.

Combined, the structure of Responsive Classroom fosters a self-driven joy of learning for Ms. Santos’s students.

Later in the year, 3rd graders must work in groups to tackle difficult engineering and robotics challenges in science class. The simple skills developed in morning meeting of listening to others and taking turns to speak become the basic building blocks of successful group work. “When there’s structure in place from day one, and you take the time to build routines, it really sets up the year for success. I can’t imagine not using it,” Ms. Santos shared.

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Notes from Amsterdam Avenue

I found it inspiring to see that the manifestation of my work was both efficient and beautiful.

Angela G. ’20 with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at the 2019 Women’s History Month luncheon in Astoria.

Student Advocacy When the city solicited community input in 2016 for a planned renovation of Astoria Park, Cathedral student Angela G. ’20 wrote a proposal for rain gardens and presented it at one of the public meetings held by the Parks Department. “I’m not scared of discussing my ideas,” Angela told Cathedral. The proposal struck a chord with park officials. “I was blown away by what she wrote about the importance of our future, about sustainability and how we have to do the right thing here in Astoria Park,” Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver said.

Based on her advocacy work, Angela was honored in 2019 at a Women’s History Month luncheon hosted by New York State Assembly Member Aravella Simotas and Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney.

Notably, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, in presenting one of the three awards Angela received that day,

spoke directly about Angela’s sustainability work and innovative proposal to include rain gardens in Astoria Park.

A longtime resident of Astoria, Angela is passionate about reducing pollution in the East River and turning it back into a clean waterway. Rain gardens capture runoff and naturally filter out pollutants through the soil. She also plans to advocate for the implementation of permeable sidewalks and rain barrels in her neighborhood, which also help mitigate runoff. Her dream is to be able to fish in the river one day.

This past fall, the city’s Parks Department completed Phase I of its renovation of Astoria Park, which included the installation of rain gardens around the main track and reconfigured paths to further reduce runoff. Angela was ecstatic: “I found it inspiring to see that the manifestation of my work was both efficient and beautiful.”

Notes from Amsterdam Avenue

Allies for All Faiths

MISSION ALIGNED

Amid the rise in antisemitism both locally and around the world, Upper School students participated in a day of solidarity with the Jewish community on January 6, 2020. The students attended a special assembly coordinated by Mosie Choudhry, faculty advisor to the school’s Jewish Affinity Group, newly formed this year. “They learned about the historical creation and proliferation of antisemitic rhetoric, behavior, and policies, and then divided into small groups in which they discussed what they learned, what they believe, and how they can be allies of Jewish people,” said Dr. Worokya Duncan, the school’s Director of Inclusion & Community Engagement and Interim Head of Upper School. “It was a heart-expanding time for all.” Throughout the day, students took pictures with the hashtags #JewishandProud and #JewishandProudAlly, a movement encouraged by Michael Curry, The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, as coordinated by the American Jewish Committee (AJC). Cathedral will continue its commitment to honoring religious diversity by working in solidarity with communities of all faiths and serving as upstanders against all forms of discrimination and persecution.

After a year of community-wide self-study and a week-long visit by a Visiting Committee of independent school peers, we are pleased to report that The Cathedral School received its renewed accreditation by The New York State Association of Independent Schools in the winter of 2020. In their report, the Committee commended Cathedral for its close alignment to mission, commitment to equity and inclusion, and its Core Values. The Committee also praised Cathedral’s unique campus and its benefits for the student body. The full accreditation lasts five years. The school looks forward to continued growth and success for many years into the future.

FAC U LT Y N E W S + N OT E S

A group of 5th grade students show their support for the #JewishandProud campaign.

Responsible Citizens As leaders of the Lower School preparing for the transition to Upper School, 4th graders are at a critical inflection point in their development at Cathedral. For 4th grade teacher Patrice Samuels, the social studies curriculum is designed to push students to engage more broadly with the world. Students start the year by studying what it means to be a citizen and how to participate in society.

They interview adults in the Cathedral community and study individuals who have made a historically big impact, such as civil rights leaders or contemporary examples like Greta Thunberg. These studies give the students “a sense of agency, and that they can play a role,” said Ms. Samuels.

Ms. Samuels’s goal is for her students to take their knowledge and feel empowered to make an impact. In one unit, students write persuasive letters to political leaders about issues that they are passionate about, from conservation to gender and racial discrimmination. They also examine events like the 1963 children’s march in Birmingham as a lens to discuss the extent children should be involved in civil society. With each exercise, 4th graders learn to look beyond themselves and understand how they can make a difference.

6th Grade Humanities teacher Parnell Adam and his wife welcomed their third child Shea Leor Adam in November 2019. (1) ¶ Suzanne Oster (Upper School Math), Meglena Zapreva (Lower School Science) and Mario Flores (Food Service) ran the 2019 New York City Marathon. “I loved seeing faculty and students along the course and could not have asked for a better support team!” Ms. Oster said of her experience. (2) 2

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Notes from Amsterdam Avenue

Big Win! GIRLS BASKETBALL WINS 3RD CHAMPIONSHIP IN A ROW At the conclusion of the 2019–20 season, the Girls Varsity Basketball team defeated St. Ignatius 27–22 in the AIPSL final. With a tenacious press and crisp offense, the Cougars jumped out to an early lead and held on to win. They were also supported by a substantial crowd of students, parents, faculty, and staff who cheered them on to victory.

This is the third consecutive year that the Cathedral girls basketball team has won the league. The past two years the team had gone undefeated in league play. “The girls came into the season

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wanting to win the championship, but they knew they needed to grow as a team,” Coach Shawna Altdorf said. They worked hard in practice, focusing on three keys: their press, 2–3 zone, and rebounding. Once the team bought in,

they became a defensive force—in more than a few games the opposing team had zero or two points at halftime. Two tough losses during the regular season did little to deter them. “It was actually good losing games this year because the pressure to keep winning wasn’t there.

We were really focused in the playoffs, and we weren’t afraid of making mistakes,” said Coach Lucy Oswald. Thanks to one of the player’s parents filming all the games, the girls were able to review the tape from one of their losses and learn from their mistakes, which only spurred them to work harder. “Every year, we have great leaders who rally the other girls and improve the team as a whole,” Coach Altdorf said. Their mettle paid off for the third year in a row.

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Notes from Amsterdam Avenue

A RTS W ING

The Two Yous Clockwise: Offsetting two halves of a selfportrait; black and white self-portrait; splitting a self-portrait in two with color; the final piece

In this cross-curricular project, 5th grade Spanish students designed mixed media double portraits of themselves in art class, inspired by Frida’s Kahlo’s iconic painting The Two Fridas.

In the piece, students contrast the personality they show to the outside world and the one they show in private to the people closest to them.

They then presented the meaning of their pieces in Spanish to their fellow classmates.

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Notes from Amsterdam Avenue

Notes from Amsterdam Avenue

F RO M T H E A RC H I V E S

Spring Fair Through the Years Food, rides, games—the beloved community event has entertained Cathedral families and the surrounding neighborhoods for generations.

Cathedral looks forward to a time when we can gather once more!

Left: An advertisement for Spring Fair from the May 9, 1986 edition of the New York Times. Top: Relaxing on the lawn outside Cathedral House at the 2001 Spring Fair.

Bottom: Classic carnival games on the upper playground from the early 2000s.

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Notes from Amsterdam Avenue

Making their Mark: New Faculty

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ESTANISLAO “STAN” RAMOS

JEFFREY COLLAZO

Physical Education and Health Teacher

Upper School Music Teacher

Education York College

Education New England Conservatory of Music

Hometown Mao, Dominican Republic

Hometown San Antonio, Texas

Teaching Experience 7 years

Teaching Experience 8 years

My teaching style is really open-minded. I always bring a high level of energy, flexibility, and a positive attitude to my classes. I teach all different grades: 1st, 3rd, 7th, and 8th. I have to adapt to a range of ages, skills, and abilities to make sure every student is learning and having fun. I am always looking to connect with students, so they know that I’ve noticed them and that I care about them. That really helps when they come into PE class. I also love how busy I am, and how different my schedule is every day. It keeps me fresh, and it makes me think outside the box.

Variety is the spice of life. I like to include a lot of music from different cultures in my lessons, and instruments from different parts of the world.

Music doesn’t just come from a radio or computer.

Music is a living thing, and students can make their own. I’ve held two composition classes for electives.

In my music classes, students are composing their own songs, and I worked with the 6th grade to improvise music for their cultural play. I also love that kids have been very open-minded, allowing me to introduce new ideas and techniques to their musical endeavors.

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Notes from Amsterdam Avenue

W E H I G H L I G H T T H E F R E S H P E R S P E C T I V E S A N D C O N T R I B U T I O N S T H AT S O M E O F O U R N E W FAC U LT Y M E M B E R S A R E B R I N G I N G TO T H E C AT H E D R A L C O M M U N I T Y

PARNELL ADAM

NICOLE GORDAN

Sixth Grade Humanities Teacher

Learning Specialist, Grades 3-5

Education Amherst College, Teacher’s College, Columbia University

Education Temple University, Mercy College

Hometown Montreal, Canada

Hometown Syosset, New York

Teaching Experience 7 years

Teaching Experience 8 years

My teaching style is friendly and familiar.

Familiarity helps me develop good relationships with my students because it allows them to connect with me as a person. These relationships provide the foundation for effective teaching and learning. I am also enjoying coaching soccer and basketball—it gives me another opportunity to see students outside the classroom. I want to make the humanities classroom more proactive. I want students to not only understand the content, but to demonstrate their understanding in nontraditional ways. My students have really liked the multimodal projects we have already completed.

I teach to the child as an individual. Every child is unique, and I try to hone in on what motivates them and inspires them to be successful in their own way. I was really excited to be on a team that was so collegial and collaborative. In my position, where I work in the 3rd-5th grades and bridge the gap between the Lower and Upper School, is it especially important for me to bring ideas across grade levels and be supported by the classroom teachers.

I’ve been able to share a lot of the strategies I’ve learned, such as scaffolding in writing or classroom management. I love how the parents and teachers are so involved, and I really enjoy the evensongs, where the whole community comes together.

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#TheCathedralSchool Keep up with The Cathedral School wherever you go by following us on social media! Join the conversation by using our hashtags #KnowWonder, #TheCathedralSchool, and #cathedralnyc.

Thank you for helping spread the good word about Cathedral!

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The Cathedral School of St. John the Divine

Notes from Amsterdam Avenue

SP ORTS DE SK

Natural Leader Q&A With Sasha Schwartz ’16 This past fall, Sasha Schwartz ’16 signed a letter of intent to play Division 1 soccer at Wake Forest University. Wake Forest is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), traditionally one of the most competitive conferences for women’s soccer in the nation. Sixth Graders Michael W. and Simone B., members of the Cathedral Sports Network, interviewed her about her journey from Cathedral to Wake Forest.

Sasha, will you tell us your background and what you are doing currently? I graduated from Cathedral in 2016, and right now I am a senior at Marymount School.

I’m going to be playing soccer at Wake Forest next year.

We know that your sister (Annaliese ’15) also plays soccer. Do you ever argue over who is better?

We always have and always will! My sister and I played at Cathedral, on the same club team, and at Marymount together. Now she’s playing at Roanoke College. We always give it to her just because she’s the older sibling, but I have my own opinions!

What challenges have you faced managing soccer and high school?

Soccer is a very big time commitment.

You have to learn how to do your work and be able to travel and practice for two hours a day. You also miss a lot of hanging out with friends. But once you find a group of people that support you and aren’t mad at you if you miss a few things, it’s worth it. When you find friends that understand your passion— those are the good friendships.

Do you think Cathedral helped prepare you for your soccer career?

I think the fact that my teachers were super supportive at Cathedral, and that

Learning how to become a leader at Cathedral was definitely something I brought to my high school and club teams.

Sasha Schwartz ’16

it was never soccer or school, but soccer and school, helped me to be able to do both, rather than have to choose.

Cathedral showed me a path of knowing that it was possible. I think if I grew up in a different environment I would have had to choose, and I’m glad I don’t have to choose now—I’ve learned how to do both school and soccer.

What are some of your favorite memories from Cathedral?

Honestly, sports are my favorite memories from Cathedral.

Basketball was my favorite. We would always bring our speaker, listen to

our favorite music and maybe mess around a little too much, but we always had a lot of fun. My best friends and I also had a great time playing softball.

We’d get up at 7 A.M. and be ready for school, and it was just so much fun.

What are some of the lessons you learned at Cathedral that you brought to high school?

At Cathedral the teams were really focused on working together, and I think that really helped me. One of my favorite things about being a scholar-athlete at Cathedral was being able to be a leader on my teams. Since I often knew more about soccer than my teammates, I was able to take charge and help my teammates. Learning how to become a leader at Cathedral was definitely something I brought to my high school and club teams.

What do you want to study at Wake Forest? I still have to figure that out! I know that I want to help people and make an impact, but I don’t know how I want to do that yet. I like body sciences like biology, but I also like business, which is very different. Wake Forest also has some amazing clubs that I’d like to join. I’m excited to meet new people and broaden my horizons.

—Michael W. ’21 and Simone B. ’21

Notes from Amsterdam Avenue

Moments in Time Training an eye on sports David C. ’20 discovered his passion for photography just two years ago, in the 6th grade. He started by snapping photos on his phone, experimenting with different exposures and points of view. When his interest became more serious, he got a camera and a few different lenses so he could control more aspects of the picture-taking process. He began bringing his camera to Cathedral sporting events, covering his teammates in detail both on and off the field. “Being able to capture one frame in time is fascinating to me,” David told CM. His interest has only grown over time: “All of my dream jobs in the future are related to photography in some way. For now, I’m really enjoying it. It’s super relaxing to me.”

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Photographer David C. ’20, snapped here at a track meet.

Notes from Amsterdam Avenue

A Day in the Life: Mandy Cole Cathedral School’s K–2 Literacy Specialist

A day in the life of K–2 Literacy Specialist Mandy Cole epitomizes what student-centered teaching looks like at The Cathedral School. A fifteenyear Cathedral teacher, Ms. Cole offered to show and tell snapshots of her extraordinary work:“I’ve always worked with kindergarten through 2nd grade. I love the fact that I follow students’ progress over that three-year period. I feel like I really get to know each student and their families. My main goal is to instill a love of literacy in our youngest students. I want them to become excited about reading and exploring books! Starting in kindergarten [ 1 ], I’m in the classroom twice a week. We begin our multi-sensory word study program, Fundations, which helps students to learn letter sounds. The teachers and I do a lot of team teaching, working on things like letter formation and rhyming, and eventually work with students in small guided reading groups. Most children do not come into kindergarten reading, but by the end of the year, they are well on their way!

“First grade gives me another opportunity to take a look at the strengths and challenges exhibited Mandy Cole by each student and support each of them as appropriate. I work with small reading groups four times out of the six-day cycle. During that time, they also continue Fundations and are ready to progress to the next level. This structured approach to phonics and reading is very consistent and allows students to receive a “double dose.” Receiving the same instruction in their classroom as well as in a small group setting helps to reinforce the concepts.

“In 2nd grade [ 2 ] , I do a combination of pulling out students for personalized study and working in the classroom. Second grade reading focuses less on phonics and more on comprehension. Children become experts at choosing “just-right books” and are able to think about the text on a deeper level. They make more connections to stories and are able to develop higher level thinking skills such as inferencing and character motivation. Second grade is also an exciting year in the writing process. Students learn how to write different narrative pieces such as “small moment stories” and even get to “fracture” traditional fairy tales.

One thing I love about Cathedral is the fact that the teachers value collaboration!

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I really try to help out the teachers during this critical time—the more hands the better!

I plan lessons [ 3 ] with the [kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade] teachers once a week—it makes a big difference to have that time carved out in our schedule, because we are able to map out what we want to do for the rest of the six-day cycle. One thing I love about Cathedral is the fact that the teachers value collaboration! I believe this is an essential component to effectively planning literacy lessons. I also have grade level meetings once every cycle with each classroom teacher. We review the specific needs of each student and compare our notes about each child both academically and socially, such as how a student is performing in a small group setting versus a large group.”

This year, Ms. Cole serves as co-chair of Cathedral’s inaugural faculty/staff white affinity group. Ms. Cole and co-chair Kevin Hughes attend monthly WARE (White Anti-Racist Educators in Independent Schools) meetings across the city, and bring back activities and discussion topics to Cathedral. We asked Mandy to tell us about the white affinity group at Cathedral [ 4 ] : “It’s such important work.

This forum allows us to examine how race and identity shape us as individuals and as educators. It enables us to view our teaching through a different lens. It’s not always easy work, but it’s something I’m committed to and want to explore further. Our Lower School students have been doing this (affinity group work) for about ten years now, so it’s exciting that we have the opportunity to start it with the adults. We have three meetings a year, which is a great stepping-off point.

I’d eventually love to have more meetings to help us learn and grow in this process together. It’s important to recognize that everyone is in a different place in this work.

I think this is an important first step in opening up the conversation about race and making sure we keep it going.”

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Notes from Amsterdam Avenue

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Notes from Amsterdam Avenue

The Royal Treatment The choir room was buzzing as the Choristers prepared for their trip abroad this past August. The first stop was London where the group began with a bus tour and neighborhood exploration. They sang at St. Paul’s Cathedral the first half of the trip, where one of the Canons told them that they were the best visiting choir he has ever had! Bryan Zaros, Associate Choirmaster, described St. Paul’s as an inspirational place. He said, “Every stone and every corner are absolutely stunning, and the space is remarkable in both a visual and acoustic sense.” Lucas O. ’21 shared that singing at St. Paul’s was the trip’s highlight. After performing at St. Paul’s for three days, the group took a bus to Oxford and toured Christ Church. That evening, they watched Shakespeare’s As You Like It at the famous Globe Theatre. Grace O. ’22 shared, “Visiting the Globe Theatre was my favorite part of the whole trip. It was so cool to see old landmarks like that.”

The Choristers spent the second half of their trip performing at Canterbury Cathedral. The Choristers were given “the royal treatment” by the Archdeacon of Canterbury Cathedral, The Ven Jo Kelly-Moore. She was so impressed by the students that she gave them a private tour of the Archdeacon Gardens, followed by a lovely dinner in the gardens. David Flood, Organist and Master of the Canterbury Cathedral Choristers, commented that he was only brought to the gardens once in his 20 years of working at the Cathedral. “This made us feel very special,” commented Natalia G. ’20. The students were grateful for the opportunity to explore Canterbury Cathedral, a venerated space that dates all the way back to the year 597.

The Choristers cherished this once in a lifetime experience. It was the perfect balance of hard work to prepare and perform at several evensongs, and tour different parts of England. They saw many amazing sights and sang to more than 1,000 people over the course of ten days. Traveling to London generates more than lifelong memories, however. Sasha B. ’20 shared, “The last night we gathered for a crowded dinner at the hotel. We sat with some current 6th graders and learned a lot about them and how cool they are!” The Chorister trip also gives students from different grades the chance to get to know each other and create lifelong friendships. “It has given me an opportunity to be active in the school, and interact with people I normally wouldn’t get to know otherwise,” said Sage V. ’21.—Mary Jo Rohrer

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The [Choristers] sang at St. Paul’s Cathedral … where one of the Canons told them that they were the best visiting choir he has ever had!

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P H OTO BY B L A I R J A RV I S

The Choristers Return to England for a Whirlwind Tour

Notes from Amsterdam Avenue

The Choristers sing at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.

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Uniquely Cathedral

The Seven Candles Award A new library project asks students: what makes a great children’s book?

This spring, Cathedral students will choose the inaugural winner of The Cathedral School’s Seven Candles Award, given out to the best picture book of the year. The voting and subsequent selection from five finalists will be the culmination of a year-long project led by librarian Ricca Gaus and the 6th grade. What started as an idea morphed into a collaborative undertaking that involved contributions from several faculty members, administrators, and students of all grades. Like many other school-wide initiatives, the process of creating the award reflected the principles Cathedral holds so dear—a cooperative effort defined by deep inquiry and A group of 6th grade ultimately rooted in the school’s students prepare scripts for their book trailers. traditions and Core Values.

As any old choir boy could tell you, The Cathedral School has a long history of award giving. Traditionally, graduation was called “Prize Day”—the 1913 Prize Day “included medals won at the athletic field day, three medals for excellence in music, three medals for scholarship, one for punctuality and one for conduct; also the Edson prize of $25 for the greatest progress in all branches.” Archival trophies from the 1940s and ’50s bear such titles as “The Larmor Science Award,” “The Alter Cup for General Musicianship,” and “The Coke Jephcott Cup for Reliability.” Today, while there are no longer individual academic or character awards, 8th graders in the Choir serve as Head Choristers and wear medals to honor their commitment. At graduation, every 8th grader receives a personalized copy of The Odyssey from a teacher, with the speech the teacher delivers about them at the bookplate ceremony affixed to the frontispiece as a

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Uniquely Cathedral

Creating a book trailer in iMovie.

T H E S E V E N C A N D L E S AWA R D C R I T E R I A In order to win The Cathedral School Seven Candles award, the book must be inspiring to readers. The writing and images should stand out. The images should be bold, vibrant, original, detailed, and complement the story. The reader experience is the essence of this award. The book should promote open-mindedness—where the reader is left with more than they had at the beginning of the story. While it is not realistic to expect the book to exemplify all Cathedral School Core Values, they are the heart of The Cathedral School, and at least one should be present in the book. The application of the Core Value should show readers how it can be applied to life.

keepsake. As alumni parent Catherine Salisbury wrote for CM in 2015, “Giving The Odyssey is very apt—a Cathedral education is both classical and modern.”

This confluence of “classical and modern” also applies to the creation of this year’s Seven Candles Award. Prior to Cathedral, Ms. Gaus worked as a Senior Librarian in the New York Public Library System. While she was there, she served on a committee of children’s librarians that was tasked with selecting an annual list of “100 Children’s Titles for Reading and Sharing.” The committee met monthly, reviewing hundreds of books each year. The meetings were a welcome change from her day-to-day work. “Librarians are usually siloed. You’re typically the only one at your library, and at

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a school it’s the same,” said Ms. Gaus. At the meetings, “We would all read, and discuss, and argue, and fight for our favorites. It was like the best book club ever,” she recalled.

When she came to Cathedral, she was determined to replicate the same rich experience with her students.

The process of creating the Seven Candles Award was modeled after the Zena Sutherland Awards for Excellence in Children’s Literature, which were developed by four librarians at The University of Chicago Lab School in the mid1990s to allow students to become their own book critics. In the fall, Ms. Gaus and the 6th grade first studied the criteria for a variety of existing children’s book awards: Newbery Medal (most distinguished children’s book), Caldecott Medal (most distinguished picture book), Coretta Scott King Book Award (outstanding African-American author or illustrator of books for children), Pura Belpré Award (outstanding Latinx author or illustrator of books for children), and the Stonewall Book Award (exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience).

Based on their initial research, the 6th grade spent the next six weeks forming the criteria for Cathedral’s book award. “When the kids were discussing what makes a book The Cathedral School’s winning book, they seemed to feel very strongly that the book should have a message that spoke to our mission and values, and an embodiment of what we stand for,” said Ms. Gaus. To further inform their dialogue, Chaplain Patti Welch joined one class session to teach the students about the school’s history of Episcopal identity. A series of writing exercises honed in on the main categories the award would focus on: mission, Core Values, writing, art, and inclusion. Students brainstormed ideas that fit within these categories, and then wrote their own statements. From these collective statements, they settled on a single set of criteria (see left).

With the award criteria completed, it was finally time for the students to evaluate a pool of 22 picture books chosen

by Ms. Gaus. After reading each book, students filled out a Google Form that had turned the criteria into a series of yes/no questions, e.g. “Does the book promote open mindedness?, Does the book exemplify at least one Core Value?” “When they were actually doing the evaluation, the mood was serious and focused,” Ms. Gaus said. “They

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It has been a great leadership opportunity and culminating project for [the 6th grade].

Ricca Gaus

truly enjoyed just reading the books. Developing the criteria had required substantial conceptual thinking, and reading was their reward.” Once all the data was gathered and parsed, the five books with the most “yeses” were chosen as finalists.

With the hard work out of the way, it was time to promote the finalists to the rest of the school, who also joined in the process. Each 6th grader produced a short trailer for one of the finalists in iMovie, which were played at Lower School Assembly and on monitors around the school. The trailers were even designed to appeal to kindergartners, so that all students would be invested in the voting. The 4th grade made campaign posters for each book in Brian Delacey’s art class. Ms. Gaus distributed sets of the five finalists to each homeroom so that students could read them at their own leisure. The name of the award was chosen from a pool of suggestions solicited from the faculty and staff, and the award’s seal was student-created.

Though the winner has yet to be chosen, Ms. Gaus has been pleased with the progress so far. Sixth grade is the last year students have a Library class at Cathedral: “It has been a great leadership opportunity and culminating project for them,” she commented.

The natural alignment of the the school’s commitment to inclusion with the award’s ethos was particularly heartening. Fittingly, three of the five Seven Candle Award finalists have already received prestigious awards and honors from the American Library Association. Ms. Gaus is already looking forward to the 2021 Seven Candles Award, and with it, a new tradition at The Cathedral School. s

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My Papi Has a Motorcycle Written by Isabel Quintero Illustrated by Zeke Peña • Pura Belpré Illustration Honor Award Truman Written by Jean Reidy Illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins The Undefeated Written by Kwame Alexander Illustrated by Kadir Nelson • Winner of the 2020 Caldecott Medal • A 2020 Newbery Honor Book • Winner of the 2020 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award What Is Given from the Heart Written by Patricia C. McKissack Illustrated by April Harrison • Coretta Scott King—John Steptoe Illustrator Award for New Talent Winner When Aidan Became a Brother Written by Kyle Lukoff Illustrated by Kaylani Juanita

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On the Close

On the Close

On the Close

For the first time in its history, the annual Cathedral School ice skating party was held right on the Upper School playground on January 24, 2020. Students, parents, and alumni skated inside the tent and enjoyed hot chocolate and camaraderie off the rink.

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Installed in the Kindergarten Center in Summer 2019, this vertical hydroponic garden is the latest addition to Cathedral’s ever-growing collection of spaces for urban farming, which also include raised beds, ground beds, container gardens, and corn planted along the Morningside Drive staircase.

“We’ve grown radishes, greens, cucumbers, potatoes, and herbs [including sage, pictured],” said Deja Williams, Lower School Science Teacher.

“As students observe the life cycles of planting, they come to recognize that even the smallest changes can have a huge effect on the yield. This is just one way that we give them a framework for understanding that their actions can have global impact.”

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Cathedral brings Core Values to life through sustainability efforts

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he Class of 2024 knew that something had to be done, and that they were the ones to do it.

Galvanized by discussions of climate change and inspired by the efforts of Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, a group of 4th graders began formulating a plan to offset the tide of climate change.

These student-driven conversations resulted in the founding of the Save The Earth Club (STE), a new organization—moderated by Science Teacher and STEAM Coordinator Meglena Zapreva—dedicated to conservation, sustainability, and action.

“We know one person can make a big difference—just look at Greta Thunberg!” said Julia D. ’24. “But also, when we get together in STE, we know we’re stronger together.

We’re passionate, and our voices are louder.”

“The STE is in its first year, and totally student-initiated,” Ms. Zapreva said. “Nobody told them to do this, but they just couldn’t not do something.”

Since its inception, students in STE have produced videos and comic books about climate change; written letters to elected officials; petitioned Frito-Lay, Inc. to introduce biodegradable packaging; and presented at Lower School and Upper School assemblies to encourage peers and parents to take tangible steps toward sustainability.

“STE shows Core Values like passion for learning, responsibility, and kindness,” said Lindsay H. ’24. “It’s our responsibility to make the world a better place because if we can’t, no one will. I also think how we have to

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be considerate of future children and future generations.”

Laura Higgins, Head of Lower School, agrees. “As our students grow, we teach them to develop their passions, speak up for themselves, and be connected to the world,” Ms. Higgins said. “They really start to see themselves as changemakers, and this is reflected in all seven of our Core Values, which help them bring not only conservation and sustainability but also equity and justice to life as they recognize the growing power of their voices.”

Globally-Minded Thinkers The Cathedral School program is not only informational but also formational, combining rigorous academic inquiry with leadership opportunities and dynamic Character Education.

This process begins in Lower School, as students are taught to think globally and recognize the power of individuals to enact change in an increasingly-complex world.

“The conversation about 21stcentury thinkers drives what we do—specifically, how we prepare students to be globally-minded and take on the problems that will exist in the world that we send them off into after they leave Cathedral,” Deja Williams, Lower School Science Teacher, said. “It’s certainly become very apparent that we cannot, in good conscience, send students out into the world without a working knowledge of sustainability.”

But it’s more than just knowledge— The Cathedral School program also empowers and inspires action.

“We teach them how what they do on a daily basis can affect the earth as whole—not just New York—and that individual actions can change the

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world, which is a very concrete and abstract thing to have them understand,” Ms. Williams said. “Giving our students that voice and sense of leadership is so important in this work.”

“In our curriculum, whether we’re studying plants, urban farming, the origin of materials, or environmental issues like erosion, pollution, or climate change, we make time for students to think about solutions and ask them, ‘What is your action plan?

What can you do to help solve these problems?’ which leaves them feeling empowered and inspired,” Ms. Zapreva said. “This was the catalyst for students to start the STE—part of a very tangible wave of sustainability and action at Cathedral.”

Taking it to the World These conversations broaden in the Upper School as students, armed with knowledge of their own power and responsibility, delve deeper into the intersection of sustainability, justice, and action. The People’s Environmental Action Club of Cathedral Kids (PEACOCK) has long been a focal point for efforts of conservation and leadership in the Upper School—supplemented this year by new electives encouraging responsible consumption, as well as the introduction of the War on Waste.

“Everyone in PEACOCK is passionate about learning how to save the earth, and we all come from different circles to cooperate on these efforts because we know how important they are for the future health and well-being of us and our planet,” Susannah Z. ’20, President of PEACOCK, said.

“PEACOCK helps Cathedral students demonstrate our Core Values and share these with businesses and other organizations in our community. I’m

We know one person can make a big difference— just look at Greta Thunberg!”

T H E M I S S I O N E N AC T E D : C AT H E D R A L’ S C O R E VA LU E S Developed in the early 2010s by a committee of faculty members and administrators to reflect and define our Character Education curriculum, The Cathedral School’s Seven Core Values have become a pillar of our program, shaping curricular and extracurricular activities from kindergarten to 8th grade. In June 2019, the Board of Trustees voted to amend our Mission Statement to include these Core Values as the manifestation of our school’s Mission enacted. This important steering document defines the Core Values as follows:

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Cooperation: working together in harmony for a common purpose

very proud of how we were able to petition businesses to sign a pledge to reduce plastic consumption by limiting single-use straws and how we advocated for the ban on plastic bags.”

These, like Upper School students using old PE uniforms to make pouches for marsupials displaced by wildfires in Australia or repairing a broken alarm clock rather than buying a new one, may seem like small steps, but for Dr. Worokya Duncan, Director of Inclusion and Community Engagement and Interim Head of Upper School, they’re also powerful demonstrations of character and hope.

“In the Upper School, we talk a lot about what it means to be an ally,” Dr. Duncan said. “Being an ally is about doing something which is not necessarily going to benefit yourself and, perhaps most importantly, doing good because it’s the right thing to do. This is where equity, justice, and our Core Values come in—not to mention hope.

We may not see the positive changes immediately, but we know that our students are an important part of the story, somewhere down the line, of building a world where everybody can live and breathe freely.” s

Courage: the ability and willingness to face challenges without retreating Integrity: decency, sincerity, and honor Kindness: making a conscious effort to be friendly, generous, and compassionate Passion For Learning: constantly striving to better understand ourselves and the world Respect: willingness to listen to the viewpoints of others in order to better understand their perspectives, even when the ideas do not align with our own Responsibility: to take ownership of our actions

The student-created logo for Cathedral’s brand-new Save The Earth Club

Head of School Marsha K. Nelson reflects on the unique nature of The Cathedral School and how our K–8 learning environment prepares students for success—in high school, college, and beyond B Y

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THE YEARS THAT COUNT I’ll never forget sitting in Synod Hall watching the Class of 2012 sing, dance, tell jokes, and cheer for one another during their 8th Grade Musical performance of The Music Man. While all classes are one-of-akind, each with their own blend of personality and presence, the Class of 2012 was a particularly warm, tight-knit bunch, always enjoying each other’s company and unwavering in their care and support—not to mention fabulous leaders in our school community. I was (and remain) so proud of them and was delighted to witness their camaraderie and success onstage—a certain sign of things to come.

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As part of the school’s Character Education curriculum, an Upper School and Lower School student discuss the meaning of respect, one of the school’s Core Values.

5-year-olds into a safe and structured learning community; inspiring children to grow and stretch through careful risktaking into the primary grades; thoughtfully elevating what is expected of them as they enter the upper grades; empowering them to be leaders; and preparing them to share who they are and what they know with a world that desperately needs their vision, creativity, and care.

But it’s not magic, of course—the transformation of Cathedral School students, year in and year out, is the result of a finely-honed program, and made possible by the dedication of a tireless faculty whose expertise in elementary education helps them bring out the best in each and every child entrusted to their care, no matter the age. This is the power of an educational experience where every student is known, loved, challenged, and cared for—the very foundation of The Cathedral School’s K–8 program.

I often felt like I shared a unique connection with this particular group of students since we had entered The Cathedral School together—arriving in Fall 2003 as kindergartners, and Head of School. In the years following, it was an absolute joy to witness their transformation from eager, curious kindergartners to articulate, confident, responsible 8th graders, ready to take on high school and the world as thoughtful, engaged citizens.

As I reflect on my time at Cathedral and look ahead to my retirement at the end of the 2020-2021 school year, I am deeply

moved by and forever grateful for the fact that I will have been able to witness the full scope of this transformation, from kindergarten to 8th grade, ten times throughout my tenure—not to mention the hundreds of other Cathedral students (spanning 26 different class years) whose K–8 experience I have also had the privilege of witnessing and supporting.

No matter how many times I see this transformation, though, it just doesn’t get old. There’s something almost magical about what we are called to do as K–8 educators—that is, joyfully welcoming

K N OW N A N D LOV E D The Cathedral School makes two key promises to its parent community—that their children will be known and that they will be loved. Teachers know our students as learners and unique individuals and, armed with this knowledge, nurture their growth and development through highly personalized instruction—a unique opportunity within our small and mighty school.

Laura Higgins, Head of Lower School, said, “Parents bring students to us as they are, and then, under the careful guidance of our faculty, they gradually grow into who they are going to be. We do this well because we are so focused on elementary students, always engaging in the work through the lens of their development, at every age.”

Focusing attention on these crucial years helps us meet students where they are, developmentally, by hiring teachers who specialize in these ages and who appreciate the unique educational

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opportunities of these foundational years—all while providing a challenging curriculum in a safe and nurturing environment. By the time students are in the Upper School, they are able to articulate their unique identities, as well as their own strengths and challenges, preparing and positioning them well for their high school search—another unique opportunity of the K–8 experience.

By helping students understand who they are as learners (a process that begins in the very first days of kindergarten), they are emboldened and empowered to choose the right secondary school for them—in partnership with their families, of course. The result of this culminating process is that The Cathedral School sends graduates to a wide range of independent, specialized public, diocesan, and boarding schools year over year, and because Cathedral students are known and loved, they matriculate into the high school that is right for them, already effective learners and leaders.

LEADERSHIP As a K–8 school, Cathedral is able to offer leadership opportunities to Upper School students at a time when they are naturally looking to expand their own skills and will thrive with the visibility, encouragement, and responsibility that come with being the oldest students in a community.

This means that leadership opportunities that might normally be assumed by high

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schoolers in a K-12 scenario become the expectation of Upper Schoolers within our K–8 model. From serving as student ambassadors and yearbook editors to leading the annual Day of Social Justice and so much more, Upper Schoolers are well on their way to developing their leadership styles by the time they graduate.

Cathedral’s very structure also provides older students with a chance to serve as role models for our younger students, a practice seen every day in the life of the school. Chaplain Patti Welch noted, “Upper Schoolers know that they are expected to be leaders and, as such, know they are being watched and emulated by the younger students. This is inherent in their development at The Cathedral School.” Mentoring and role modeling are vital to the ethos of this school; in fact, it is this collaboration that brings our Core Values to life. Upper Schoolers stand taller, speak more clearly, and find the words to speak with Lower Schoolers about these ideals, and innumerable other subjects. Relationships are formed, and students across divisions truly come to know one another.

I have had the pleasure of witnessing these leadership and mentoring opportunities in action time and again—not only as Head of School but also as a Cathedral School parent. It was remarkable to see what Cathedral opportunities my son and daughter gravitated to and, therefore, to see what has had the greatest impact on their growth.

For my son Lucas (’16), one of his most formative experiences came as early as kindergarten, when he was assigned a reading buddy—a wonderful tradition that flourishes to this day. His 2nd grade partner was hugely influential in his desire to become a better reader. He so looked forward to his time with that older student and wanted to impress him week over week. This had the very tangible effect of accelerating the development of his reading skills, but what was even more influential from my vantage point was that, in turn, Lucas took the responsibility of his becoming a 2nd grade buddy very seriously. He felt so responsible for ensuring that his own kindergarten buddy had a good experience that he even practiced

at home. He would ask me to work with him on how best to hold the picture book and read with expression to be sure that his kindergarten partner remained active and engaged—a wonderful demonstration of our Core Values of responsibility and respect.

Likewise, my daughter Emmy’s (’21) growth as a leader has been on full display throughout her time at Cathedral— most notably within our athletics program as a member of our basketball team.

I’m tremendously proud of the school’s distinguished athletics program, which has grown in leaps and bounds over the last two decades, in particular. With 24 teams and 9 out of 10 Cathedral Upper Schoolers participating in at least one team sport each year, there is a place for everyone. In addition to its inclusivity, what I love about our program is that our coaches are also teachers, which lends consistency of mission and vision. These accomplished teachers and coaches ensure that students become not only skilled and competitive athletes but also amazing teammates and generous and kind competitors. In the classroom, on the court, and throughout our beautiful campus, expectations for curriculum and character remain high.

CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY The concept of community is inexorably linked to the Cathedral experience.

It can be witnessed at the very start of

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the day when students line up on the porch while parents catch up with one another and remain long after the children have filtered into the school building. It is evident at Lower School Assembly as parents, teachers, and students alike cheer for one another during Passion for Learning presentations, joke-telling, songs, and more. At Cathedral, everyone participates in student growth and exploration.

This strong sense of community— combined with the Close’s expansive campus—gives students the space, security, and support to take risks and become their most authentic selves.

I love that Cathedral students are able to be unabashedly joyful. In fact, the Close’s two playgrounds and 13 acres of art, gardens, and green space encourage play through all grades.

Janet Barzilay, Director of Outreach and Enrollment Management, noted, “Children get to be children a little bit longer at Cathedral. This is unique in the New York independent school landscape— where schools are often compressed into one building.” And what’s more is that our campus is not simply an outlet for physical activity—it also serves as a literal classroom, whether it be via 1st graders conducting an in-depth study of the Cathedral and leading tours of the space or 4th graders identifying flora and fauna on the Pulpit Green, just to name a few.

Furthermore, our campus serves as a gateway through which students come to experience our broader community of Morningside Heights. One of my favorite projects each year is the guided walk our 1st graders take around the neighborhood in which they are asked to consider buildings and businesses through the lens of ADA accessibility—an early introduction to the idea that not everyone has the same experience of the world and a powerful, tangible demonstration of the need for equity and access.

I N C LU S I O N Like our neighbors at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, which was founded as a house of prayer for all people and a unifying center of intellectual

Children get to be children a little bit longer at Cathedral.”

J A N E T B A R Z I L AY Director of Outreach and Enrollment Management

light and leadership, The Cathedral School has long charged to the forefront of equity, justice, and social change.

Founded in 1901 as a tuition-free boarding school for boys in the Cathedral’s choir, The Cathedral School grew into an independent, coeducational, Episcopal K–8 day school for children of all faiths through the 20th century. In the 1960s, at a time when school integration was being challenged, The Cathedral School became one of the most substantially integrated independent schools in the country. Ten years later, in the fall of 1974, Cathedral admitted its first female students.

Because equity and inclusion are intrinsic to the very ethos of our school, Cathedral’s approach as a K–8 institution is not to cocoon or shelter our students from challenging questions or experiences of the world but rather to help them grow in leadership, confidence, and understanding of the world through guided, age-appropriate inquiry. This begins in kindergarten with Identity Time, as students give voice to their own families, their own communities, and their own experience of the world—even at that young age. This lens is broadened gradually, through each progressive grade, via curricular and co-curricular experiences of leadership, service, and justice.

Dr. Worokya Duncan, Director of Inclusion and Community Engagement and Interim Head of Upper School, spoke to this and said, “Our kids are encouraged to ask really hard questions beginning in kindergarten and continue to do so through 8th grade because they know

this is a safe place in which such questions can be asked and answered and wrestled with, and because our teachers have the courage to go there with them.

In turn, because our students have experienced a place where they can be who they are and ask these hard questions, they are ready to go out into the world and build similar spaces in their high schools, colleges, and beyond.”

H E A RT A N D M I N D Students of the Cathedral School Class of 2012 are now seniors in college, and while the world into which they are graduating may feel increasingly uncertain, what I am absolutely certain of is their readiness to engage with the challenges and opportunities of today and tomorrow

with their signature habits of heart and mind. While The Cathedral School cannot take singular credit for their success, of course—it truly takes a village—I am confident that we as a K–8 institution helped plant seeds and build a solid foundation for these (and generations of ) young people who are blooming into remarkable individuals navigating life with clarity, intelligence, and purpose. And isn’t that what education is all about? I can imagine no more fulfilling work. s Class of 2012 self-portraits courtesy of Brian Delacey.

This traditional art project continues to this day.

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Beyond Cathedral

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Embodiment of the Mission

Mission Driven Q&A with Sade Lythcott ’91

Sade Lythcott ’91 is the CEO of the National Black Theatre in Harlem, one of the nation's most iconic Black arts institutions. She is also the chair of the Coalitions of Theatre of Color and serves on the national board of advisers for ArtChangeUS.

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Can you give CM a little bit of background on the National Black Theatre and how you came into your current role? The National Black Theatre (NBT) was founded in Harlem by my mother, Dr. Barbara Ann Teer, in 1968. Our mission is to use theatre as an instrument of power and inspiration to tell stories of Black lifestyles in a way that creates transformative experiences, whereby whomever the audience is becomes active witnesses in their own humanity. When my mom passed away in 2008, the Board of Directors asked me to be the Interim Director until they found someone to replace her. I have been there ever since and turned it into my life’s work.

Can you share how your experience at Cathedral led you to this line of work? When my mom learned about Cathedral, she knew there was no other place she wanted her children to be, so she asked, “What do I need to do to send them here?” and worked at the school so that my brother and I would be able to attend.

There are so few spaces where you can bring your children that check all of the boxes—not just by providing a great education but for children of

color to feel seen and free while growing and learning. There is something so liberating about my experience at Cathedral that taught me to be deeply empathetic. I had diverse friends, faculty, surrounded by a diverse neighborhood, all preparing me to be able to go out into the world.

Cathedral led me to not only champion Black artists but to create bridges of understanding between our community and other communities because Cathedral was that space for me. Culture should be inclusive, not divisive.

What were the highlights of your Cathedral experience? My biggest takeaways are the faculty who felt like an extension of family. Ms. Linda Brown was my 3rd grade teacher, and she was everything to my brother and me. She helped us feel fearless and protected at the same time. I also made lifelong friendships with people who I am still close with today.

Also, learning about the architecture and history of the Cathedral was mind-boggling, especially when I ended up majoring in Art History at NYU. My friends who were Choristers sang at James Baldwin’s funeral and Jim Henson’s funeral. History was unfolding all around me... it was just mind-blowing to have grown up in that space.

Do you have any piece of advice you could share with current stu-dents and future alumni? Change is hard and can feel overwhelming and stressful, but change is also the most constant thing we will ever interact with in our lives. Acknowledging the shift from community and the protection that we feel at Cathedral in a new space doesn’t mean you have lost something. It is really an opportunity to come into a relationship and be at peace with change. Those magical years we spent at Cathedral are always with us. We have the opportunity to take that magic and make it something in the world.

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Graduation

CLASS OF 2019

The Graduates Independent Schools Avenues: The World School Beaver Country Day School The Berkeley Carroll School The Brearley School Brooklyn Friends School The Browning School Buckingham Browne & Nichols School Calhoun School The Chapin School Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School The Convent of the Sacred Heart The Dalton School Dwight-Englewood School Ethical Culture Fieldston School Friends Seminary Grace Church School Hewitt School Leman Manhattan Preparatory School Little Red Elisabeth Irwin School Loyola School Marymount School The Masters School The Nightingale-Bamford School The Packer Collegiate Institute Poly Prep Country Day School Riverdale Country School The Rivers School The Spence School Trevor Day School Trinity School The Winsor School

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Boarding Schools Choate Rosemary Hall Emma Willard School Garrison Forest School Kent School The Lawrenceville School The Madeira School Millbrook School Milton Academy Miss Hall’s School Miss Porter’s School Peddie School Ross School The Storm King School Westover School

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Congratulations to the 30 members of the Class of 2019 who received acceptances to the following independent, public, and diocesan schools:

Public Schools Bard High School Early College Bronx High School of Science Brooklyn Latin School Brooklyn Technical High School Frank Sinatra School of the Arts High School of American Studies The High School for Math, Science, & Engineering Laguardia High School of Music & Art Professional Performing Arts High School West End Secondary School Diocesan Schools Archbishop Stepinac High School Fordham Preparatory School Iona Preparatory School La Salle Academy Notre Dame School St. George Academy Xavier High School

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Graduation

W H E R E A R E T H E Y N OW ?

Class of 2015 Members of the Class of 2015 are attending the following colleges and universities: < Members of the Class of 2015 gathered for a reunion and ice cream social in June of 2019. From left to right: Christof Inderbitzin; Malcolm Laws-MacDonald; Tiara Lewis-Falloon; Mia Asofsky; Ruby Levitin; Yasmin Ghatan; Nia Johnson; Kenta Neary; Rian Bogle; Hugh-Jay Yu. Ruby Levitinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s younger sister, Cora, is centered.

Berklee College of Music Boston University Brandeis University Colgate University (2) College of Charleston Columbia University Cornell University Delaware University Franklin & Marshall College

Binghamton University George Washington University Georgia Institute of Technology Hamilton College Lehigh University Middlebury College The New School New York University

Northwestern University (2) Pitzer College Southern Methodist University Tufts University (2) University of Colorado, Boulder Wesleyan College Yale University

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Beyond Cathedral

Leo Jordan â&#x20AC;&#x2122;16 assists a trio of campers with their Lego Robotics project.

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Peer Counselors At Cathedral’s Summer STEAM Camp, alumni counselors get to experience the school from a different perspective B Y C O L I N M U R R AY

When Emmanuel Saldana, a former Upper school social studies teacher and Dean at Cathedral, started the school’s summer STEAM Camp five years ago, he decided to staff his camp counselor positions with high-school age Cathedral School alumni: “I wanted counselors, but I didn’t necessarily want college-age kids who didn’t know Cathedral. I thought it was a great opportunity for Cathedral to connect with its alumni, but more importantly, it’s really hard for a high school kid to get a job in New York City.”

Many entry level jobs or internships in New York require at least a high school degree, making it challenging for kids under 18 to gain any work experience. For six weeks, STEAM Camp counselors work in classrooms under the guidance of a lead teacher, typically a Cathedral faculty member. Counselors prepare projects for the day’s STEAM lessons and teach and manage campers throughout the day. First grade teacher (and current camp director) Michael Demianiuk has taught at STEAM Camp and mentored alumni counselors in his classroom for the past several years: “We have invested in our students for nine years, and the camp is a great opportunity for them to learn from a teacher and walk away with some transferable skills from an entry level job.”

Many young alumni find that a camp counselor position at the school they grew up in is the perfect entry point for a first job. “It’s familiar,” said Jennevieve Culver ’17, who has worked at the camp for the past three summers. “But at the same time, you need to be professional, because it’s a job and you are managing young children.

High expectations are set [by the lead teachers] because of the responsibilities you have.” The transition from being a Cathedral student to working alongside Cathedral faculty “shifts your perspective,” said Peter Smith ’19. “It gives you

new insight on why teachers do things a certain way.” “I’ve learned that it’s not easy to be a teacher,” laughed Leo Jordan ’16.

Beyond this newfound respect for their former teachers, many alumni counselors discover their own passion for teaching. This past summer, Leo Jordan realized he could apply what he learned in his AP Biology class during the school year to the molecular biology lesson his campers were working on. “I just love being able to actually connect with kids. I found my interest in teaching at STEAM Camp, and I really enjoy doing it.”

Jennevieve Culver worked in Mr. Demianiuk’s classroom this past summer: “Getting to observe and watch his teaching style was really interesting,” she recalled. Mr. Demianiuk paired her early on with a particularly shy camper. By the end of camp, the child had opened up to her and the rest of the group. The time with the camper taught her patience and how to connect and persevere with a challenging student. Her experiences at camp have also sparked an interest in a future teaching career.

After spending so many years in the Cathedral School community, alumni counselors reconnect and deepen their bonds with one another when they return to the Close for camp. “The job becomes more enjoyable when you already know the people around you,” Josh Golden ’17 told CM. In the afternoons after the campers have left, counselors chat with each other about funny moments that happened during the day.

They swap stories about their Cathedral classes, but they also talk about their new experiences and lives beyond Cathedral. As a rising 9th grader this past summer, Peter Smith received valuable high school advice from the older counselors. “Cathedral is a special place,” said Mr. Saldana, “and I wanted alumni to hold on to those relationships that they built here.” s

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Beyond Cathedral

Class Notes 1992 1967

Leonard Fleisig: Mr. Fleisig was born at the Woman’s Hospital (now St. Luke’s), and while still in the hospital, his mother wrote a letter to Choirmaster Alec Wyton asking for an application. Ten years later, she applied and Mr. Fleisig was admitted to The Cathedral School in 1963. His Jewish father became good friends with Canon Harold Ransom Landon, and he went on to be the first head of the ParentTeacher Association. His fondest memory is of meeting Ray Charles during choir, who was on tour and wanted to try Cathedral’s great organ. He asked the boys if they knew “Hit the Road Jack,” to which they all responded with a resounding “heck yeah,” giving themselves the nickname of the “Raylettes.”

Mr. Fleisig has such fond memories of the school that he had his daughter Caitlin baptized at The Cathedral by Canon Landon in 1991, 24 years after he graduated. “I am really proud of how The Cathedral School has turned itself into a diverse, welcoming environment where kids from across the rainbow of our existence can come for a wonderful education while embracing the differences that unite us.” Mr. Fleisig lives in Virginia Beach and is practicing Admiralty and International Trade Law in Norfolk, Virginia.

Haig Nalbantian: Mr. Nalbantian and his wife, Thelma, welcomed their new baby boy Stepan, on September 4, 2019.

1988

N’Kenge Pacurar: Being a part of the Choristers at The Cathedral School really was a pivotal point in my career path. I now have sung all over the world as an opera and Broadway singer. I’m currently producing a Broadway-bound musical, and on the side I teach privately and give master classes throughout the country.

Thank you, Cathedral School.

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Kasara Davidson: Ms.

Davidson is currently splitting her time between Cuba and Washington, D.C. She is the owner of Diaspora Travel and Trade, which is a “full-service consulting company specializing in the curation of travel experiences, commercial opportunities, relationships and networks, and related content for those travelers and traders interested in the Americas.”

1996

Jessie Spellmann Mignone: Ms. Spellmann Mignone lives in Westchester with her family. She enjoys the many creative opportunities her profession as a photographer allows—from family sessions to weddings, products and creative Photoshop work. Jessie still keeps in touch with many of her Cathedral “family.” You can view her work at www.jessiem.org.

1999

Madeleine Rumely: (see picture) holds her baby Bert Naidich with husband Zach Naidich, joined by Adam Robbins ’99 and his wife Jennifer Robbins with their baby Hannah Robbins. Bert was born on October 17, 2019 and Hannah was born just one week later, on October 24!

2002

Patrick Georgia: Patrick received his Masters of Public Health from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in 2013. He shares that, much like Columbia, Cathedral prepared him for the real world. Patrick currently works at Komodo Health as a Customer Success Manager and serves as a board member of Columbia’s Mailman Alumni Association, mentoring current graduate students.

2004

Lucy Greer: Lucy had a new baby boy named Cosmo on September 26, 2019.

Claudie Mabry: After receiving her undergraduate and masters degrees in

Urban Planning from the New School, Claudie has worked as a consultant, both independently and collaboratively, with government and nonprofit sectors, working towards a more just and equitable city for all New Yorkers. She still holds dear the values she originally learned at Cathedral. She currently lives in Central Harlem with her husband Giorgio Milella.

2006

Will Morrison: After graduating from Cathedral, Will attended Riverdale Country School followed by Trinity College (with fellow ’06 alumnus Ben Plumer, a close friend to this day) where he studied Political Science and Urban Studies. He now works for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation as the Senior Manager of Marketing & Citywide Special Events.

The role sends him across the city and on occasion to parks like Morningside, Randall’s Island, and East River Park— all full of memories playing soccer for The Cathedral School. Will now resides with his fiancée in the East Village, and in his spare time is a freelance photographer as well as an avid camper, skier, and lover of music and literature—all passions seeded at Cathedral from the Boy Scout program in the cafeteria, the love of art and music from Mr. and Mrs. Delacey, the love of literature from Dr. Vitale and Ms. Thurber, and the ski trips organized by Mr. Turner and Mr. Pfiefer. Will (and his sister Catherine ’08) both enjoyed recent trips back to Cathedral to see all of the beautiful renovations at the school and to say hello to former teachers. It will always remain a special place in their hearts.

Benjamin Plumer: Ben Plumer works at Concordia, a non-profit in New York that is “dedicated to actively fostering, elevating, and sustaining cross-sector partnerships for social impact.” Benjamin manages the day-today operations, schedule, and engagements of the CEO in coordination with

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Cathedral in student government and in Girl Scouts to improve the way people engage with their local businesses.

Before Thumbtack, Catherine built Apple Watch fitness and communication apps at Apple. She loves staying active, which she picked up on the volleyball and basketball teams at Cathedral, and now enjoys yoga, dance, skiing and most recently, surfing. Catherine (and her brother Will ’06) both enjoyed recent trips back to Cathedral to see all of the beautiful renovations at the school and to say hello to former teachers. They say that it has been fantastic to see how the school has evolved, but stays true to the core values they experienced there growing up.

2009

Top to bottom, left to right: Graduation Day for Leonard Fleisig ’67 at Cathedral. • Madeleine Rumely ’99 (right) holds baby Bert with husband Zach Naidich, joined by Adam Robbins ’99 (left) and his wife Jennifer Robbins with their baby Hannah. • Olivia Greer ’94 and Lucy Greer ’04 with baby Cosmo. • Leo Jordan ’16 playing ultimate for his YCC club team. • Ben Ghatan ’18 and Head of School Marsha Nelson at the NYSAIS Heads of School Conference • Alex Leddy ’19 using a bee smoker

the Advisor to the CEO. He also manages the New York office and works on special projects across the organization.

Prior to joining Concordia, Ben worked as a Project Coordinator for a luxury residential real estate contractor in Manhattan where he was responsible for the day-to-day operations and cost tracking for ongoing projects and assisted with bidding new projects.

Ben holds a degree in History from Trinity College (’14) where he was a member of the crew team. He is an avid fan of opera and the Tottenham Hotspurs.

Eric Saltzman: I started my MBA at Emory University this past fall.

2008

Catherine Morrison: After graduating from Cathedral, Catherine attended The Chapin School followed by Princeton University, where she earned a degree in Computer Science. She now lives in San Francisco working as a Product Manager at Thumbtack, a local services marketplace company. Her role sits at the intersection of business and technology, where she is able to use the leadership skills she developed at

Katherine Saltzman: I graduated from American University (Washington, DC) in 2017. I am still living in DC and working at this great non-profit association called Water Environment Federation.

The association provides technical education and training for water/ wastewater quality professionals, and supports multiple public education and programming initiatives for members and their communities.

2011

Claire Hawkins: I graduated from NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music this past May and moved to Dublin, Ireland in August to pursue my career as a singer/songwriter and travel vlogger. I released my travel-themed EP Foreign Voice in late November 2019, and I’ve performed around Europe on my Foreign Voices Travelers Tour, where instead of performing in traditional music venues, I’m playing in youth hostels in order to connect with travelers from all over the world. I started with a show just down the street from Cathedral School at Hostelling International NYC back in July, and since then I’ve performed in Germany, Sweden, England, Bulgaria,

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Beyond Cathedral

Athletics Beyond Cathedral It’s no secret that The Cathedral School’s athletics program is extremely robust—this year, over 90% of Upper School students are a member of at least one sports team. We caught up with some of our recent graduates (Class of 2019) who are pursuing athletics beyond Cathedral.

Isabelle Ewing ’18, Julia Carey ’19, and Amelia Dupont ’18 at a NYSAIS crosscountry meet this past fall

Dalyn Booker Marymount School of New York Varsity Basketball Zoe Brown, Miss Porter’s School Coxswain (rowing) Anna Jordan Brearley School Volleyball Alex Leddy Grace Church School Cross-Country Hara Schwartz Spence School Cross-Country Cristina Toro Spence School Cross-Country

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and Romania, as well as several cities and towns across Ireland and Northern Ireland. I was really fortunate that the travel guitar company Journey Instruments agreed to partner with me on my tour. They sent me one of their collapsible guitars made to fit in the overhead on airplanes, and have been very supportive, always sharing my new music and videos with their following.

Over the course of my tour I’ve been creating behind-the-scenes videos to share my experiences on the road. I also started an interview series called Foreign Voices, where I interview a local artist in each city I visit about their experiences in the local independent music scene.

I’ve learned so much about different styles of music and made so many friends from around the world and returned to NYC for the holidays and sang with the Cathedral Choristers at Midnight Mass.

I’m really excited to continue touring in 2020! I have more information about my tour and music on my website www. clairehawkinsmusic.com.

2015

Kenta Neary: After graduating from Kent School last spring, I joined Durham School as a post-graduate for one year. Durham School, located in the Northeast of England, is a boarding school for ages 12 to 18. Luckily, Kent School and Durham School are related through the ESU SSE (English Speaking Union Secondary School Exchange) which sends students like myself to the UK for a year. So far I have had a blast in the UK. It’s hard to describe but it’s been an incredible experience. Not only do I learn about British culture but I also learn about how the US is perceived by them.

I knew that Kent School would open doors for me beyond my time there, but I am truly grateful for their involvement in getting me to the UK. That, in part, is also a tribute to The Cathedral School for helping me get accepted into Kent School.

Cathedral School prides itself on creating global citizens, and that has definitely

resonated with me beyond Cathedral School. Having friends from all over the world and the opportunity to travel is an experience that many people do not have or do not value, but Cathedral School definitely helped me appreciate the world beyond the Upper West Side. Next fall, I will attend Binghamton University where I will study chemical engineering. I wish my fellow 2015 classmates great success in college and beyond.

2016

Leo Jordan: This past fall I was invited to tryout for the men’s U-20 ultimate frisbee national team, which will compete at the 2020 World Junior Ultimate Champions in July.

The top 100 players in the country were invited. Though I hurt my hip the second day, I had an amazing time playing ultimate at the highest level. The coaches were all extremely knowledgeable and I learned a lot from their approaches to the game. I started playing ultimate at Cathedral because of my former English teacher Ms. Thurber, and have continued playing for my high school and club teams. I plan to play this fall for Carleton College, which has one of the best ultimate programs in the country.

2018

Ben Ghatan: Ben, currently a sophomore at Riverdale, was part of a select group of NY state high school students invited to speak at the NYSAIS Heads of School Conference at Mohonk this past November. Ben spoke passionately about the need for diversity in school curriculum, including religious diversity, and the importance of preparing students for conversations with people who have different political opinions.

He stressed that having a diverse student body is key to preparing students to understand multiple viewpoints.

2019

Alex Leddy: Alex joined the Beekeeping Club at Grace Church High School. He heard about it through a friend of his on the Cross Country team. She encouraged him to

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join and come to the first meeting of the year, which happened to be a visit to the bee hives on the roof of the adjacent middle school. Many years back, the hives were brought to the school to teach third graders about a bee’s impact on the environment.

It has since become a club of active high schoolers who prepare the honey to sell to the community and raise awareness of the role of bees in our ecosystem. One year, the money raised was used to attend a climate change march. This activism has been influential with other schools in the area who want to offer more opportunities for their students to get involved with environmental issues.

C SPIRIT WEEK May 11–16, 2020 Join us for an online celebration of the wonder and spirit of our school!

Stop by a Spirit Session on Zoom; enjoy stories from Cathedral School students, faculty, and alumni; and join in the conversation by sharing your own.

Then, help us pay tribute to Cathedral legends Ann Bryant, John Vitale, and Patti Welch by recording a farewell video as they embark on exciting new adventures.

ALUMNI, we need your help to claim a $5,000 Alumni Spirit

Staff Tributes The Cathedral School says Goodbye to Three Stalwarts of the Lower and Upper School: The Rev. Canon Patti Welch, Ann Bryant, and Dr. John Vitale B Y C O L I N M U R R AY

Every school has its legends—the teachers and community members who are as integral to the DNA of an institution as the brick and mortar of the school building. These educators are dedicated to every student who enters their care, leaving an indelible impact on these young people, an impact that will be felt for the rest of their lives. This year, we bid farewell to three such educators: Chaplain Patti Welch, Ann Bryant, and Dr. John Vitale.

Chaplain Welch leading the Peace Tree Dedication in 2004

Challenge Grant, offered by an anonymous donor. Please consider sharing your Cathedral spirit by making an Annual Fund gift!

www.cathedralnyc.org/spiritweek

T H E R E V. C A N O N PAT T I W E L C H Chaplain Patti Welch first set foot on campus as a student at General Theological Seminary.

Her homiletics professor, then the Chaplain at The Cathedral School, invited her class to the Cathedral Church. Patti vividly

remembered climbing the pulpit in the Cathedral Crossing and looking down towards the Rose Window, savoring a moment she thought might never come again.

Just two years later, Chaplain Welch came to The Cathedral School as a maternity leave replacement in 2002. Of her

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Beyond Cathedral

three-month stint as interim Chaplain, she said, “I fell so madly in love with the school, I couldn’t imagine having to leave. The community was incredibly embracing and welcoming—faculty, parents, and the students.

Everyone was so supportive.” Fortunately the position opened up the following school year, and she joined The Cathedral School and clergy of the Church fully in 2003.

As the spiritual leader at Cathedral, Chaplain Welch has treasured her continued exploration of faith with her students. “The creative energies kept me here,” she told CM. There is a “desire to openly explore who we are in all ways, not only academically but also undergirded by the spiritual aspect the school is founded on. I found it to be spiritually enlivening.” She will always remember sharing early morning chapels with

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students in the Cathedral: “Giving gratitude to be awake and alive and together, you can’t start a day better than that.” Another highlight for Chaplain Welch was working on the Lower School- and Upper School-led evensongs with each class. Though the students were often challenged in the process of creating the evensongs, they would ultimately come together beautifully to lead their fellow students in the tradition.

After 17 years at Cathedral, Chaplain Welch will be pursuing a new chapter this spring as the Senior Pastor at St. Luke Lutheran Church in Portland, Oregon. As Head of School Marsha Nelson wrote in her announcement to the community, “[Chaplain Welch’s] inclusive approach to teaching students about spirituality and her deeply thoughtful pastoral care will be missed.”

As one of the key bridges

between the Cathedral Church and the school, Chaplain Welch’s impact has been felt throughout the community. “We have lots of different ways of gathering at The Cathedral School, from evensongs and assemblies and plays” she said. “We’re unique in that we can have all that here, because the Cathedral and the school are hospitable for all.”

A N N B RYA N T A fixture on The Cathedral School’s second floor for the past 16 years, Ms. Ann Bryant has taught 1st grade with a mixture of humor, grace, and tough love.

Originally from the U.K., Ms. Bryant cut her teeth teaching 28 kindergarten-age students by herself in a London public school. “It was sink or swim,” she recalls. “I came out feeling if I can do that, I can do anything. It gave me a lot of confidence in terms of classroom manage-

ment and how to run things effectively.” She moved to New York City, teaching in independent schools before taking time off to start a family. Her daughter Emily Gordon ’09 enrolled at Cathedral in 1999, and her son Nathan Gordon ’12 came in 2002. The feeling of friendliness, community, and diversity, both racially and socioeconomically, drew Ms. Bryant and her family to the school. When a 1st grade teacher position opened up in 2003, Ms. Bryant applied. “ I knew [Cathedral] was where I wanted to be.”

For Ms. Bryant, the essence of Cathedral, from its unique setting to its mission and values, has remained unchanged during her tenure. She is particularly fond of the community-building traditions of evensong and Lower School Assembly and will also miss the collegiality, good humor, and kindness of her Lower School colleagues. She is most proud of developing the Lower School’s Identity Curriculum in the summer of 2009, in collaboration with a few other faculty.

“Equity and justice was always in our DNA, but it wasn’t formalized,” she tells CM. As Identity Time evolved, teachers wove it into the general curriculum.

“Teachers can now teach about bias and stereotypes as they come up throughout the day,” says Ms. Bryant.

Every student “learns the language and has the knowledge to approach these complex issues of identity.”

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Left: Ann Bryant teaches a literacy lesson. Right: Dr. Vitale leads a Latin lecture.

Ms. Bryant’s passion for combining knowledge and skills with empathy truly embodies the Cathedral ethos: “We make different human beings here at Cathedral. We make kids who are comfortable pointing out injustice and inequity and doing something about it. And that’s a crucial aspect of our mission, making kids who are changemakers. And that is absolutely unique.”

D R . J O H N V I TA L E For the past 26 years, the Latin program at Cathedral has been synonymous with Dr. John Vitale. Generations of Cathedral students have been inspired to learn Latin, grappling with its notorious declensions and the workings of Latin grammar in order to read the great classical texts of Caesar, Cicero, Virgil, et al. and to comprehend their lasting significance.

Prior to Cathedral, Dr. Vitale taught philosophy at

Seton Hall and Montclair State University. However, since Latin had always been his first love, he returned to it later, seizing the opportunity to teach it at Cathedral starting in the fall of 1994.

Dr. Vitale began studying Latin at age 14 in the 9th grade and took to it immediately. If it is possible to fall in love with a subject at school, for him it was Latin.

It was love at first sight. It was his “academic salvation,” he said. His affinity for the language was fueled as a Catholic boy attending mass on Sundays in the 1950s when everything was said in Latin. At the same time, he had the good fortune to be taught by extraordinary Latin teachers whom he revered as intellectual role models. He credits them with teaching him to see Latin as if looking through a glass clearly, making it crystal clear.

Dr. Vitale always considered the teaching of Latin as

an avocation, rather than a vocation. It has succeeded in keeping him rejuvenated in the classroom all these years. He believes that it proved to be an edifying experience for both parties: student and teacher.

“Although it is an ancient language, Latin never gets old,” Dr. Vitale mused. “It is a treat instead of a treatment, once you get the hang of it.”

Dr. Vitale recalled taking teams of 8th graders to compete in city-wide competitions, [CERTAMEN, sing. in Latin], winning several first-place awards, going up against high school students.

Reminiscing further, he recalled the excitement and sheer willingness of students to come to school early at 7:30 for review classes, waiting there like Oliver Twist, for more. Also, over the years, he has looked forward to alumni coming back to say “SALVE:” “hello.”

OMNIA MUTANTUR NOS ET MUTAMUR IN ILLIS: All things are changing and we change with them.

Ovid

Dr. Vitale ended his interview with a few of his favorite Latin quotes for CM. The first, attributed to the poet Ovid, referring to the changes that the passage of life brings: “OMNIA MUTANTUR NOS ET MUTAMUR IN ILLIS:” “All things are changing and we change with them.” Another, looking back on his teaching career, from the Virgil’s Aeneid: “FORSAN ET HAEC OLIM MEMINISSE IUVABIT:” “Perhaps it will be pleasing to remember even these things one day.” The last, most fittingly the famous valedictorian of Catullus: “AVE ATQUE VALE:” “Hail and farewell.”

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The Last Word

Navigating the Ebb and Flow

BY BENJAMIN JACOFF

Every summer, when the heat of the city has almost reached its tipping point—when open windows bring in the sounds and smells of a New York summer along with the much-needed breeze for which they were opened, I have packed the essentials (rain jacket, good socks, a new deck of cards) and traveled north into the rolling hills and green forests of Vermont.

There, tucked away in the woods is my second (or maybe really my first) home: a summer camp where I spent my childhood summers learning how to canoe and build fires, and where I now help train staff and manage the day-to-day business of shepherding 250 boys through their own summer adventures. All good camps, like all good schools, have a central idea that sets them apart from the rest, and for my camp that idea is tripping. All of our campers, from age 7 to 16, go on canoe trips. For the youngest boys, those trips last 4 days. By the time our campers reach their final years, the trips are longer (up to 35 days for the oldest) and require several days of driving, canoes in tow, to reach the put-in. Canoe tripping has long been a hobby of mine, but in recent years, as I’ve navigated the ebb and flow of my classroom, 4J, I have begun to see that canoe trips and classrooms are similar endeavors.

Canoe trips are not convenient, but they do offer a model for what a good classroom can be. Canoe trips do not offer great views or final destinations—the journey itself is the goal for a canoeist. Canoe trips reward exploration, flexible thinking, and teamwork. Most importantly, though, canoe trips are like classrooms because the secret rhythm of a good canoe trip is the same as that of a classroom: both, on their most basic level, offer children the chance to confront challenges and risks and to overcome them through their own efforts. Of course, the kinds of challenges offered by a canoe trip seem different at first: building a fire in the rain has a different feel than mastering addition facts, but the effect is the

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same. On a trip, like in our classrooms, success is the reward of hard work.

Trips and classrooms are similar in one other regard as well: success in either would be impossible without strong bonds between the children and the adults guiding them. In order to ask the most of the children in our care, in order to push them beyond what they think they can do, we have to connect on a personal level. Imagine asking a camper to carry his canoe another mile because he took a wrong turn on the portage trail if you hadn’t spent the past weeks learning about his family, his interests, and his fears. It would be just as difficult as asking a student to return to her outline to rework her essay if she didn’t know you saw her as more than just a struggling writer. On trips, these bonds are reinforced naturally during the play times and close living quarters built into the camp experience. In our classrooms, however, those bonds have to be built more intentionally.

Our school days are built on routines, but routines are not enough to build connections. Instead, if we want to make those routines worth it, we must focus our energies on the little moments throughout the day when they break down. These moments are typically small: a genuine laugh at a student’s joke, a follow-up question after a weekend tournament, or an invitation for a lunch date offered to a student. Small as they might feel, however, these moments are impactful. The act of learning is an inherently emotional process for our students, and it requires an equally strong emotional investment from us to be possible.

So make your classroom like a canoe trip. Seek adventure; encourage risk and challenges. Emphasize the journey not the destination. But before you do, remember the importance of the relationships you are trying to build, and the little moments throughout the day that make them possible.s

Cathedral

S P R I N G 2020

M I S S I O N STAT E M E N T The Cathedral School of St. John the Divine—an independent K-8 school rooted in the Episcopal tradition—educates students to become articulate, confident, and responsible citizens of the world through rigorous academics, innovative approaches to learning, and the nurturing of their aspirations in a diverse community of all faiths.

T H E M I S S I O N E N AC T E D : T H E S C H O O L’ S C O R E VA LU E S The Cathedral School is committed to academic excellence in a curriculum that integrates critical thinking, the arts, athletics, and leadership development.

The School believes that the recognition and appreciation of differences in race, socioeconomic status, cultural or religious tradition, age, gender, ability, or sexual orientation enhance the individual’s sense of identity and broaden respect for others.

Through curriculum and informal school experiences, students at The Cathedral School come to understand the inherent value of all people and the importance of working towards equity in all that they do.

The School’s mission is brought to life on the idyllic 13-acre campus of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Morningside Heights on Manhattan’s Upper West Side through seven Core Values: Cooperation, Courage, Integrity, Kindness, Passion for Learning, Respect, and Responsibility.

201 9 -202 0 B OA R D O F T R U ST E E S The Right Reverend Clifton Daniel, III Chair and Dean of the Cathedral Bill Bermont President Katie Conway Vice President Everett Alexander Secretary Troy Wagner Treasurer Marsha K. Nelson Head of School Satrina Boyce Amelia Brewer Jaye Chen Joseph Ciancaglini Roberta Connolly Lucy Culver Martha Escobar Danielle Felczak George Filopoulos Carey Flaherty John Gallo Noah Greenhill ’83 Kristy Milkov Lee Morakis Bruce Paulsen Jefrey Pollock Daphne Rubin-Vega ’99 Neeta Singh Brian Smith Martha Consor Tedesco ’96 My Chi To

1047 Amsterdam Avenue New York, NY 10025 212.316.7500 www.cathedralnyc.org