Alumni News September 2020
On the cover: Vegetables gathered for a cooking demonstration for Sow, Grow, Savor, an undertaking by Sarah Platt ’14 to foster healthy eating, community, and sustainability through an intergenerational gardening and cooking program she developed with a grant from the University of Connecticut.
Thank you, Country School Alumni! During the spring of 2020, as COVID-19 swept across the globe, Country School alumni stepped forward to serve the broader world, their local communities, and The Country School. Some were engaged on the frontlines in the fight against Coronavirus, while others used their ingenuity to design testing equipment or protective gear to support health care workers. Still others focused their efforts on assisting those with limited resources. We also had countless alumni step forward to support teachers and students at The Country School after, like schools across the country, we had to move all teaching and learning to an online platform. Alumni brought their expertise and their wide array of experiences into the Zoom classroom, augmenting the academic program and sharing their real-life interests and expertise. From virtual interactions with zoo animals and a virtual tour of ancient sites in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to virtual conversations with a professional, would-be Olympic skateboarder and a Big 10 quarterback, Country School students were able to engage with bright, purposeful, talented individuals who once sat in the same classrooms our students sit in, at least until they had to move to distance learning. In the words of the school Mission Statement, at The Country School we honor our “students’ creativity, sense of wonder, and intellectual curiosity.” Our integrated curriculum features “rigorous academics” with a concurrent “commitment to character and leadership development.” We “nurture every student’s unique role in the community, empowering each to serve the common good.” And finally it says, “Graduates of The Country School face the future with confidence and an education that lasts a lifetime.” This spring more than ever, those words rang true. Thank you, Country School alumni, for living our mission so fully at such a critical moment in history. In the following pages, read about our alumni and how they stepped up to serve the common good. We are proud of and grateful to all of them!
Alumni Serving the Common Good During the Pandemic Dr. Sage Aronson '04, Scientist and Innovator, Delivers Elmore Leadership Talk April 2020
Sage Aronson, PhD, loves solving problems. He loved it back when he was a student at The Country School and he loves it today as a scientist/innovator/entrepreneur taking on one of the world's largest challenges. Sage, a member of the Country School class of 2004 and the CEO and founder of a company called Neurophotometrics and its new, pandemic-prompted offshoot, the Swab56 Project, joined students and teachers on Friday for the school's first-ever Zoom Elmore Leadership talk. Speaking from his office in San Diego, where he and his colleagues have temporarily ceased their microscope design and production to produce nasal-pharyngeal swabs to test for Coronavirus, Sage talked about his work with Swab56, his experiences as a scientist and business developer, and how he got to where he is today. He also shared some advice for students.
This is where Sage and his colleagues hold a lot of their brainstorming sessions. It's also the room where they iterated through dozens of 3D swab models during those first 36 hours. They went through 55 prototypes before hitting the jackpot with the 56th – hence the name Swab 56.
Neurophotometrics isn't Sage's first company (and Swab56 isn't his second). When he was 10 years old and a student at The Country School, where he embraced being challenged by his schoolwork, particularly science, Sage began carving wooden ornaments to sell at craft fairs throughout New England. As a teenager, he expanded his venture, hiring adults with disabilities to work with him (and paying them high wages to create his first social development project), eventually securing a contract with L.L. Bean.
He went on to Oberlin college, where he majored in Neuroscience and minored in Creative Writing, while also playing tennis, tutoring students in math, teaching writing, and starting a social development project in Nepal. After graduating, Sage started a construction company and worked for a nonprofit. He also spent 80+ days working on a sailboat on the Indian Ocean and then, realizing he was bored and missed science, he started writing essays for his grad school application. The essays were finished by the time he reached dry land, and he went on to the University of California San Diego, where he received his PhD in Neuroscience. While studying for his PhD, and searching for a better way to view brain activity, he designed a specialty microscope (his first design involved a cardboard box and a camera lens on a stick), and that led to the creation of Neurophotometrics. His co-founder in the project was a fellow student, Kelsey Ladt, who became his wife as well as his business partner. While running Neurophotmetrics/Swab56 alongside him, Kelsey is also studying for her joint MD/PhD; Sage describes her as the high achiever in the family. As for how they happened to pivot from microscope design and production to swab design and production, Sage described it this way: Things were going well, the company was growing, he had finished PhD, Neurophotometrics had microscopes in dozens of labs around the world, and they were about to launch a new one that is "five years ahead of what everyone else is doing." "And then last month happened," he said. "We were in a tricky situation." Sage and his colleagues weren't sure if the orders would keep coming, given that most universities were shut down. They considered going into hibernation, but Kelsey, who is hooked into the public health world because of her joint MD/PhD, connected with a San Diego-wide group looking to tackle COVID-19 in a multifaceted way, from testing to protective gear to caring for patients. They heard about the need for nasal-pharyngeal swabs and realized 3D printing capabilities could be a major asset. They began prototyping dozens of models, and finally settled on their 56th design. In the span of a few weeks, they developed the design, the process, the fixtures, and the tooling, registered with the FDA, engaged with a consortium of other companies, and went to market. And then another problem presented itself. "Though I'm used to building things, I'm used to building 100 microscopes a year," Sage said. "It's a very different problem to build a million of something." Sage and Kelsey and company set about hiring new employees so they could scale up, adding 30 people in a week (they look to add more new hires within the next week or so, bringing the number to 100), and production volume and yield have been increasing exponentially. "It's been a whirlwind," Sage said, adding that they've been having conversations with major companies and national and international organizations, given that the estimated demand for testing is 20 million tests per day. "Currently, the other manufacturers of swabs can do 4 million per month so there's a bit of a gap there," he said. "That's where we're at," he said. "It's been crazy. We've taken quite a few risks with this, both business wise and personally. But we feel like it's the right thing to do. Things are flying off the line at about one every four seconds. ... The problem I'm dealing with right now ... is how to make a million of something." As for his words of advice for students, here are some nuggets (watch the full video for more – it will be time well spent): 1) Don't think there is just one thing in life that you can do. "No one has a calling. I've seen many people go through life trying to figure out this one thing that they're good at and they drive themselves nuts. I'm sure that all of you have many things that you're good at. It's much more important to be passionate about what you do."
2) In response to a question about how you get big companies to listen to you and whether it's difficult to succeed in science, Sage offered this: "The second thing I want to disavow everyone of is this idea that smart people are unique. Smart people love to think they have a monopoly on being smart. ... There's no shortage of creative people out there. ... As long as your focus is that that way of approaching the world is cool to you, it's awesome. It's super easy." 3) Don't put too much pressure on yourself to make the "right plan" or the "right decision." "If you're on a path and you're enjoying it, who cares? If it's fun, keep going. ... I don't think you need to be a serious person to make serious change. There's very little likelihood that decisions that feel huge right now will have a great bearing on your life." 4) There's always time. There's no need to rush. "If you feel like taking a year between high school and college, take a year.... Do something interesting and cool." 5) The details are often less important than the process. "The process and the way people solve problems is something that's worth holding onto, and if that's your focus then everything becomes really, really easy." Sage and the Swab56 production team.
One question we forgot to ask Sage during the course of our informative, inspiring Zoom session was this: Given that you're not yet 30, do you have any inkling what your next decade will bring? The answer, we're guessing, is probably not. As Sage himself said, "If you're on a path and you're enjoying it, who cares?" At The Country School, we just look forward to watching and cheering from the sidelines as Sage tackles the next problem he comes across.
Sow, Grow, Savor: Intergenerational Gardening with Sarah Platt '14 One great plan blossoms into another great plan May 2020
Sarah Platt '14, a sophomore at the University of Connecticut whose long-term goal is to be a physician-scientist, will be answering some of our community's nutritional, sustainability, and social cohesion needs this summer through "Sow, Grow, Savor," an intergenerational gardening and cooking program she developed. The recipient of a UConn IDEA grant, Sarah had initially planned to run the program out of the Madison Senior Center, engaging both seniors and young folk in a garden project aimed at fostering public health, promoting social cohesion, bridging generational gaps, and cultivating an interest in gardening and cooking in the younger generations. She was also planning to offer interactive, hands-on learning activities and community dinners through which participants, both youngsters and seniors, could develop skills they could use to create a cookbook. Like so much else, Sarah's initial plans have been drastically altered by the arrival of COVID-19 and social distancing requirements, and so she has made some adjustments. Rather than basing her project at the Senior Center, Sarah plans to use the Country School's Children's Garden as a headquarters for much of her planting and growing activities. And if it turns out that social distancing requirements mean others can't physically join her, she will video her work and share activities through an interactive blog. "Hopefully there will be as many participants who will garden at home," Sarah said, adding that she looks forward to "using the TCS garden as a place where I can grow and experiment and post about it." Sarah said she hopes to share produce from the garden through a donation system, making announcements each week about what items are available and allowing people to retrieve them through a pickup station. She is also contemplating a delivery system for seniors. In addition, Sarah is exploring working with a Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, program at a local farm, through which vouchers from her IDEA grant can be used to support farmers while providing fresh, locally grown produce for participants in her program. Although coronavirus has changed the direction she thought she'd be taking this summer, Sarah thinks the cookbook idea might actually be helped by it. "The number of people cooking has just exploded," she said. "I think a collaborative cookbook might just take off because of the current environment." A Biological Sciences major and French minor who is involved in a host of other activities at UConn, including serving as President of the of UConn French Club and National Communications Coordinator for the Residence Hall Association, Sarah was inspired to start "Sow, Grow, Savor" after a summer internship through UConn's Sustainable Community Food Systems program. Ultimately, she hopes to incorporate nutritional education into her practice as a physician-scientist.
Recently, Sarah shared information about her project during a Zoom meeting with members of Louise Jackson's Integrated Algebra and Geometry Class, which Sarah fondly recalls taking herself. (During their conversation, she and Mrs. Jackson remembered the sustainable house of the future she designed as an 8th Grader; perhaps that – as well as her experiences gardening with her grandparents and working on an organic farm in France – helped lead to her interest in sustainable and healthy food systems.) Mrs. Jackson's students, who have been giving presentations on sustainability and food, alternative energy, upcycling, recycling, composting, and water, enjoyed talking with Sarah, hearing about her academic interests and plans, and learning about the process of applying for a grant. Sarah is looking forward to getting the Country School garden, which was pretty much abandoned when everyone had to leave campus in March, back into production mode. She can't wait to see what she can grow and distribute to local residents. And then, when students come back in the fall, "There will be a garden that hasn't been neglected," she said. Who knows what will be there for the picking? POSTSCRIPT: We caught up with Sarah at the end of September, now back at UConn after a very successful Sow, Grow, Savor season. We wanted to know how things went for Sarah and her project. “It turned out better than I expected it to,” Sarah told us, mentioning some of the highlights, such as her final cooking demonstration of the series, featuring Nour, a Syrian. Sarah described how she picked up produce from a local farm and delivered it to Nour, then went home and jumped on Zoom. “Everyone was attending and Nour was using the produce that I brought her, and [the other participants] were showing their produce,” she said. “Everyone was coming together the way I had hoped. We were able to remove that barrier about getting people together, doing it online, and getting people involved.” Another highlight was being able to use the TCS garden for much of her growing season and coaxing the campus garden back to life. “It was really exciting for me because I remember when the garden was built and that first year it was just luscious,” Sarah said. Back in May, when she first started Sow, Grow, Savor, she said she was “worried that I wouldn’t be able to achieve what I had envisioned with the garden because it was a lot to manage and I don’t have that much experience gardening. Plus, in May, it’s still chilly and everything was growing so slowly. The seedlings were just sitting there and then, finally, when the temperatures got to be in the 80s, things exploded.” Some bounty growing in the TCS Garden.
So much so that the garden was still exploding with produce when school was able to reopen in early September. Which gave Sarah and Stephanie Johnson, her former science teacher, an idea. Although she was back at school herself, Sarah arranged for the produce to be harvested and collected in Mrs. Johnson’s classroom. It was then distributed to 4th Graders for what they called the TCS Garden Harvest Family Cooking Project. Working with Mrs. Johnson and 4th Grade teachers Caitlin Hurtgen and Meg Lyons, Sarah asked students to collaborate with their families to make a meal using the produce and then sit down and dine all together. She also requested that participants share recipes and photos (having been lucky enough to sample a delicious zucchini casserole courtesy of Laila G., a 4th Grader, we can attest that there were some tasty results that came from the endeavor). Contact us if you’d like some recipes. There were other benefits from the TCS Garden Family Cooking Project as well. “What draws me to cooking is the tangible, meaningful expression that can be shared with others,” Sarah said in her note to 4 th Grade families. “An exquisite meal is a piece of art that doesn’t go to waste. Instead, it sustains everyone involved in its creation and consumption, from the growers of the produce, to the chefs, to the people enjoying it.” Given that her summer project is over, what is next on Sarah’s agenda? ● For starters, she is hoping some of the 4th Graders might want to continue their partnership with Sow, Grow, Savor by planting garlic in the Senior Center’s newly completed raised beds. Stay tuned for news on that front. ● She is back to her studies and beginning to think about medical school applications. ● She continues to be engaged in the French Club. (Everyone wants to learn French these days, she says.) ● She is helping to plan a Global Health Committee symposium, where participants will focus on how we can use this moment – during this pandemic – to better plan for future catastrophic events. ● And she is looking for a successor to continue the momentum she started this summer with Sow, Grow, Savor. She recalls the advice of one of the early speakers for her summer speakers, who had started several initiatives related to sustainable food systems. “’Once you start something, it can’t always be your baby,’” Sarah remembers her guest speaker saying. “You have to give it up, you have to lend it to the community so other people can also have those leadership opportunities. It’s not for you; it’s for everyone.” If there’s someone in the TCS community who is interested in continuing the work of intergenerational edible gardening for the benefit of everyone, just let us know and we’d be happy to put you in touch with Sarah.
Luchini siblings serve the common good May 2020
In May we saw an Instagram post by Ali Luchini '10, an ICU nurse at Yale New Haven Hospital, in which she thanked the rest of us for our support at this momentous time in history. Ali, who heads in to New Haven every day to care for patients diagnosed with COVID-19, actually took the time out of her own busy schedule to show her gratitude to the rest of us. Reflecting on the "whirlwind that these past few weeks have been and still are," Ali wrote that she wanted to thank everyone who has shown support for health care workers at this time. "On my way to work I see hearts in my neighbor's windows, signs of encouragement and this beautiful sign on the way to the hospital garage."
Describing an array of gifts people have given her or items that have been donated to help protect her and her colleagues in their work, she wrote, "My sincerest thank you to my incredible family, friends, and strangers ... your support and kindness really does mean the world to us. I put my heart into the profession because of you. I take better care of my patients because of your motivation and encouragement. Thank you." And, of course, we had to reach out and say thank YOU to Ali for her service and courage during the pandemic.As the sign at the entrance to Yale New Haven Hospital indicates (and as so many of Ali's former teachers have said), you, Ali, are the hero. We were not the only ones to do so. Check out this public thank you, posted by Fox 61. (We THINK Ali is front row, second from the right.)
Ali isn't the only Luchini who has stepped up at this challenging time. Her younger siblings, Michael and Ashley, twin members of the class of 2012, are also actively playing roles. Michael, about to graduate from Boston University's College of Engineering with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a concentration in manufacturing, has been producing face shields to be used by doctors and nurses treating patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Michael, who took a course on 3D printing last fall, found it so interesting and enjoyable that he bought a 3D printer, intending to use it for personal and academic projects. And then the world changed. "When the pandemic began, I spent some time researching ways that I could use my printer to help," he said. "First, I tried printing a HEPA filtering mask, but it was time consuming to create and possibly not medically safe. I kept searching, and eventually I found an article ... created by a Swedish designer, which explains how to create protective face shields/visors. All I needed to do was adjust the settings on my slicer to match his specifications, and I could print a visor frame in just under one hour. I ordered some transparent plastic sheets to use for the shields themselves, and I started printing. " So far Michael has printed more than 300 face shields using nearly a thousand yards of plastic filament. With Ali's help, he has distributed most of the shields to departments at Yale New Haven Hospital, where doctors and nurses, including Ali, have used them for protection while treating patients diagnosed with COVID-19. He donated the remainder of the face shields to the Branford Fire Department to be used by firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics who are working to combat the virus.
Ashley is also doing her part. She graduated this month with a Nursing degree from Fairfield University and is currently working as a Patient Care Assistant at Yale. This summer she will take up her dream job as a Labor and Delivery RN at Yale. We caught up with Ashley last summer, when she participated in the Pan-Mass Challenge, an 80-mile bike ride to raise money for cancer treatment and research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. At the time, she said she was dedicating her ride to "not only to those patients, families, and survivors affected by cancer, but also to all of the kickass nurses that take care of this community day in and day out." We echo Ashley's sentiments. Thank you, Ashley, Michael, and Ali, for so selflessly serving others, taking care of our community day in and day out. POSTSCRIPT: Country Connections that Last a Lifetime: Ali Luchini '10 and Bob McGee
A few weeks after we shared the first story about the three Luchinis, we learned about this reconnection story between a former student and her former teacher. Recently Middle School math teacher and advisor Bob McGee, about to conclude his 37th year at The Country School, was inspired to reach out to one of his former students. He had heard about the Instagram post shared by Ali Luchini '10, an ICU nurse who works in the COVID unit at Yale New Haven Hospital. (See above.) "When I read your post of thanks, my eyes teared up," Mr. McGee wrote in an email to Ali (shared here with permission from both parties). "That is just so you ... exactly the same young lady I so adored when I taught her. You were and are remarkable. You just so care about others, you don't put your priorities at the forefront ever, and just always, always remain positive with the absolute conviction that doing what is right is the only true path." For her part, Ali responded with a similar message of gratitude and admiration. “Thank you so much for your kind note," she wrote to Mr. McGee. "It couldn't come at a better time, as I read it in my driveway after my shift Thursday. Reading your email made me tear up, I can hear you saying 'you go girl' as you did so many times at the wonderful Country School that made such an impression on me at a young age." She went on to describe what it has been like in the hospital over these last several weeks, working with gravely ill patients, watching some come back from the brink of death and others who at first seemed to be improving instead grow sicker. She has watched her colleagues pour their hearts and souls into their work, using some of the "most innovative ideas I could imagine." "If anything comes from this pandemic, I've seen the true trial of the human spirit," Ali wrote. "My coworkers are the kindest, strongest, and most courageous people I know. I feel completely blessed to be a part of this experience."
Supporting Women and Girls During a Pandemic: Maggie Keeler ’14 April 2020
Maggie Keeler ’14 is another young alum who is doing her part to support others during the pandemic. In Maggie’s case, her focus is on women and girls and their unmet and often overlooked needs. “While the COVID-19 virus itself is unnerving, it also has made a lot of inequities within our society more visible than they have ever been,” Maggie says. “Women make up 91 percent of nurses fighting the Coronavirus pandemic in the United States, but their normal biological needs are being overlooked.” Maggie has created a fundraiser, Periods During Pandemics, to help women and girls gain access to sanitary hygiene items. In addition to the women working in health care, other women and girls are also impacted by the pandemic, perhaps because they cannot afford to purchase feminine protection or they can't get to a store, or, when they do, they find that panic shopping has left the shelves empty. "People who have never had to worry about access to period products before the pandemic hit are now considering the reality many low-income women face on a monthly basis," Maggie says. "We as a society need to collectively pay greater attention to women's needs and work to normalize the conversation around menstruation." One hundred percent of the funds raised through Periods for Pandemics will be used to purchase and provide menstrual hygiene products to shelters and hospitals in need through the nonprofit I Support the Girls. You can read more about I Support the Girls their work to provide menstrual hygiene products for women and girls in need in this recent New York Times article, Periods Don't Stop for Pandemics, So She Brings Pads to Women in Need. Maggie decided to take on this project in part because of what she's doing every day as a student at Georgetown University, albeit from her home in Madison rather than in a classroom in Washington, D.C. As a Healthcare Management and Policy major and a Women's and Gender Studies minor, the courses she's currently taking focus on world healthcare, epidemiology, politics, and gender equity/inequity. "The fact that there's a global pandemic is especially crazy for me because I'm studying epidemics and pandemics that have happened in the past, and all of a sudden this happens in the real world," Maggie said. Her Feminist Theory class, meanwhile, offers "a completely different take on what's going on and how the virus is affecting women's rights," she said. When she came across the New York Times article, it got her thinking about how she could help. "Obviously it's important to worry about masks and gowns and gloves because that's very crucial but I also think there are a lot of other consequences that may not be as severe and shouldn't be overlooked," she said. "I felt like it was a good opportunity to get involved and it perfectly aligns with my interests."
Reflections on the Pandemic: Alice Gadon '15 April 2020
Many thanks to Alice Gadon '15 for allowing us to share the reflection she posted on Facebook. Alice is finishing up her first year at Northeastern University, where she is studying Industrial Engineering with a minor in Mathematics and Business Administration. She tells us she was fortunate to have studied abroad in Ireland for her first semester and was on campus in Boston for just two months when she and her schoolmates were sent home, thanks to the Coronavirus. "My first year of college has been anything but normal, but this pandemic has taught me to value my education much more than I had in the past," she says. "I never could have predicted this would happen, but ... it can only go up from here!" Here is the reflection Alice shared on Facebook. We share it with her permission and our admiration and gratitude: I was writing a final reflection for a class and somehow became very sidetracked. I'm not much of a Facebook poster, but I felt like my thoughts should be shared. I am just a 19-year-old, but maybe reading this could help someone. I would never wish a global pandemic on anyone or anything, but there has to be a silver lining to everything. Prior to this, the world, but specifically our country, was becoming a nastier place by the second, filled with climate change, recurrent shootings, opioid crises, political divides and various other events, so maybe everything just needed to stop for a moment. As humans we need mental resets, whether that be by taking a vacation or just going for a walk, so why can't we let the earth be the same? I believe this is the silver lining. I hope people can see the rabbit hole we were going down and show more gratitude for the life we were given. These are hard times, whether you now work or are a student working from home, you're still required to physically go to work, or you're just trapped in your house. But we will get through this and there will be a light at the end of the tunnel. It makes it so much harder that the future is so unclear, but maybe it's finally time we live in the present. We utilize this free time to catch up on life, while the Earth gets to breathe again, and morals can be rethought. Life may never go back to the way it was pre-COVID19, but maybe that's for the better. I know I'm too optimistic about our current situation, and yes, it has definitely taken a huge negative mental toll on me, but I feel if I put the energy out there for other people to believe what I'm saying, then maybe I can start to believe it. Part of me feels regretful for all the complaining about online classes, but maybe the real education here is how you as a human being behave while the world is in a pandemic. We're learning science by listening to new research on the virus. We're learning hygiene by washing our hands and properly and cleaning all around us. We've become more emotionally intelligent with how we let quarantine affect us. And we're learning how to love because in times like these, when physical contact is not recommended, communicative love is essential to all who crave human contact. And maybe with all the free time, you're learning even more. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by this virus, and I cannot even begin to describe my appreciation for the front-line workers. Now, go. Go and show love and gratitude. It will get better. Just believe.
Social Innovation During a Pandemic: Alec Murphy '02 April 2020
If you ask his teachers to describe Alec Murphy '02 back in the day, these are the kinds of words and phrases you get: charismatic, bright, resilient, a natural born performer, engaging, enthusiastic, energetic, a brilliant smile, a gifted athlete, friendly, playful sense of humor, not one to back off, a people person, easily able to converse with both adults and peers, "all in" on almost anything he does, a Middle School boy who "sings his heart out." So maybe it's not surprising to hear that,18 years after his Country School graduation, this ultimate people person is metaphorically singing his heart out through StyleSpace Social, a digital networking hub he created to allow experienced and up-and-coming entrepreneurs in fashion, design, production, real estate, fitness, and all forms of art to come together, interact, and collaborate. A few weeks ago, thanks to his inclination to "go all in," Alec responded to the coronavirus outbreak by creating an off-shoot project, StyleSpace Supports, to benefit the American Red Cross as it wages war against COVID-19. Alec, who has an MA in Luxury Brand Management and Marketing and has worked in real estate, fashion, and event promotion in New York City and London for the last decade and a half, describes his undertaking this way: "StyleSpace Social started as a project to form a networking group ... where people would pitch ideas, promote their brands, and create an audience for small businesses and entrepreneurs," he said. As it grew, it "became an attraction for young, entrepreneurial types who wanted to meet and share thoughts and potentially collaborate." Just after Christmas, Alec launched an Instagram page for the project called Collaborators Collective (Alec describes Instagram as "the best free marketing mechanism in the world"). As Collaborators Collective grew, Alec created a digital, multi-vendor marketplace, "kind of like Amazon but much smaller," he said. Basically, the platform offers a "networking spot where individual brands can sell on the same page, bringing like-minded markets together, and creating a sort-of 'main street' where one brand can benefit from the traffic of other brands," Alec said. In early spring, though, almost in the blink of an eye, it was suddenly a whole new world. "After a one week vacation at my parents' house in Connecticut, there was the Oval Office announcement, and all plans changed," Alec said. Shopping halted, Alec's brands weren't making money, and people were getting sick. Alec immediately pivoted the purpose of the project toward charitable efforts to assist the country, starting the project he calls StyleSpace Supports. Under the new, coronavirus-inspired plan, Alec is continuing to promote brands on his site, but once the seller of a featured brand has recouped costs, all profits are now going directly to the American Red Cross, a nonprofit Alec has done fundraisers for in the past. (They know where help is needed better than I do, Alec says.)
The first featured StyleSpace Supports brand was a company called Harrison Blake Apparel. As an entrepreneur working in textiles, Harrison Blake was able to create small accessories, so Alec asked them to design and produce red rose lapel pins. Alec thought the rose pins would have symbolic value and could create solidarity and support for the first StyleSpace Supports project. All profits from the pins' sales were donated to the Red Cross. "Basically, once we did that, one brand after another came to me saying they want to do the same thing," Alec said, explaining that his solution was to rotate brands, letting each one be featured in the spotlight for a week or two so he could regulate the flow of products coming in. Alec is doing the StyleSpace Supports project entirely on his own and taking no income from it, which is fine by him. "It really is for charity completely at this point," he said – a way for him to leverage his contacts and his unique talents and to do some good in a time of uncertainty. He also figures he stands to learn something in the process . Asked how he is doing during his unexpectedly long stay in Connecticut, Alec responds with a thumbs up. "I haven't been home for an extended period of time since I was 13," he said (after he graduated from The Country School, he went on to boarding school at Choate and has been in college or living in New York or Europe ever since). "I'm the happiest that I've been in a while." In addition to StyleSpace Supports, Alec has a few other projects going while he is in Connecticut, including #stickschic, a fun, rural property development project on a piece of land where he and his twin brother, Graham '02, created a campground as kids. Now overgrown, the property is being cleared by Alec, with the project being recorded in an Instagram vlog on Alec.stylespace. (If you check it out, you might also catch a glimpse of Quarantine Cowboy, a persona Alec takes on from time to time in the vlogs. For those of us who knew him way back when, it might call forth memories of various Country School stage productions with some pretty spectacular, and often comedic, acting.) As for his StyleSpace Supports endeavor, Alec understands that funds are limited for many of us at this moment in time, and not everyone is going to be able to purchase items, even if the purchase stands to benefit the Red Cross and the people it serves. But he says, "Even if you can't contribute, join the facebook page because that's how we can start a movement." A Throwback: Alec, far right, sings and dances with Alex Long and Lauren Cianciolo in a Country School musical.
Alum scientist helps address shortage of PPE materials May 2020
When coronavirus began to sweep across the country in early March, the Washington, D.C.-based Lowell School was shutting its doors for spring break. Rather than taking his time off to relax, Max ’05 opted to join Open Source Medical Supplies (OSMS), a group of more than 70,000 people worldwide who bring their skills and expertise together in a public forum to address the shortage of materials in the personal protective equipment supply chain and share stories about response efforts to the COVID-19 pandemic. Max and science students at Lowell School.
We reached out to Max after spotting an article, Crisis Response Alternatives, on the Lowell School website about his activities. Here is an excerpt: OSMS has attracted people from all types of industries and businesses—from physicians and engineers to individual makers, educators, and field organizers. "I'm using what I know about science to help people," said Max. As part of the documentation team, Max is researching how to use tools in a crisis to create non-traditional pathways to supply production. The resulting 80+ page medical supply guide captures stories of non-traditional efforts used in a crisis. Max and his colleagues hope to clarify for clinicians what individuals are trying to do and to document how to do it well to create more opportunities for crisis-response alternatives. "All kinds of people have a part to play in this because we all have different gifts," said Max, who is particularly interested in small efforts that can become scaled up for mass production.
Growing shortages of medical supplies include face shields, bonnets, isolation gowns, booties, ventilator components, test kit supplies, and masks. As Max dove into the process of producing masks, he became the point person for making and donating masks, as well as a leader in organizing others to mass-produce masks. He has since worked with others on the OSMS team to publish two guides—a local response guide directing organizers of individual local chapters and a more specialized guide for people organizing mask-sewing groups and individuals sewing masks. ... Now there are 153 groups in 36 countries using the guides to make masks, and other supplies with more chapters are on the rise. "Everything is a team effort," Max said, "and it is only by working together that we can make a difference." We enjoyed catching up with Max, who was a student at Swarthmore College contemplating a career as a science teacher the last time we spoke. He has been at Lowell, where he teaches science to students in 2nd-4th Grades and Outdoor Education students in Kindergarten and 1st Grade, since 2017. (We can think of a few current and former Country School teachers who will love to hear this news!) After earning his BA in Biology from Swarthmore, Max moved to Washington to work as a post-baccalaureate research associate in a laboratory at the National Institutes of Health. He also served as the Prevention and Education Program Coordinator for the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault, working to develop abuse and assault prevention programming for students in grades K-12 and higher education. Max tells us he thinks about his Country School experiences on a regular basis as he works with students at Lowell. "This school reminds me of TCS in so many ways – small, tight-knit community, a big focus on student voice and choice, innovative curriculum, engagement with the outdoors, and an emphasis on understanding children as whole people," he said. "I find myself thinking about the experiences and people that made TCS special for me as I plan activities to do with my own students. (Could anyone ever hope to be as impactful as Wendy Meyer or Bob Borden?)" Max said he enjoys reading about what Country School students, teachers, and alumni are doing and appreciates staying connected through social media, particularly at this time. He's also enjoyed hearing about some of our new undertakings, including the Witness Stones Project, the 8th Grade's effort to restore the history and honor the humanity of Lettuce Bailey, a woman who was enslaved in the town of Madison during the 18th century. "One of my colleagues at Lowell brought up the project in a meeting of our SEED group a few months ago, and I know that I felt really proud being able to say, 'Oh! The school that I went to is working with that,'" Max said. Right back at you, Max! It makes us proud to read about your activities, both as an educator and as a scientist seeking ways to combat this global pandemic. Thank you for embodying the Country School mission, which calls on our students to serve the common good.
Makin' Lemonade: Will Levis '14, Penn State QB May 2020
Will Levis had quite a season last fall as the backup quarterback for the Big Ten powerhouse Nittany Lions, appearing in seven games, logging one start, and rushing for 108 yards in the game against Rutgers, the 10th most in program history by a quarterback. Against Big Ten rival Ohio State, the 2019 conference and Rose Bowl champion, Will was called in to the game to relieve the starting quarterback when his team was down 21-0. He went on to complete 6-of-11 passes, rushing for 34 yards, and scored on a 1yard run. In the end, his team didn't win, but the Lions gave Ohio State a game, finishing with a score of 28-17. Will's performance in the Ohio State game drew accolades from many corners, including this from reporter Neil Rudel: "Will Levis was outstanding. In fact, it's difficult to remember a Penn State quarterback coming off the bench in a more hostile environment and doing more to put the underdog Nittany Lions in position to beat one of the nation's best teams than what Levis did here."
His accomplishments weren't limited to the field. Will, who studies at Penn State's Smeal College of Business and is on track to receive his BA in Finance, was an Academic All-Big Ten designee and was honored as the student with the Highest Academic Average (cumulative GPA) on his team, along with Blake Gillikin. "Academics have always been a priority for me, and I have TCS to thank for planting the seed that sprouted my obsessive attitude towards intellectual advancement and academic achievement," Will said, a comment that will no doubt bring a smile to the faces of his former teachers.
After his very promising year both on and off the field, Will is excited about what will come next, but coronavirus has made it difficult to plan. And, like college students everywhere, he has had to spend most of his spring semester learning remotely (and training on his own), at home in Connecticut rather than on campus with his peers. Still, he is choosing to make the most of it. "I decided at the beginning of this 'quarantine' that there were two ways to look at it: either positively or negatively," Will said. "I knew that if I allowed myself to look at the situation in a negative light (which is quite easy to do considering I was missing spring football, missing my social life, transitioning to online classes, along with many other things) that I would undoubtedly not come out of all of this as an improved individual." So he's spending time studying his play book and training, both physically and mentally, so that when he returns to the team he's ready to contribute immediately. He's embracing time with his family (he estimates that since starting college he's probably spent a total of one week under the same roof with his siblings and parents), because he knows family time might be limited in the future. And he has opted to join Makin' Lemonade Fund, a fundraising network started by a Penn State alumnus and joined by students and graduates from colleges across the country who want to make a difference at this challenging time. All funds raised through the Makin' Lemonade Fund effort support the CDC Foundation in its COVID-19 response, the Direct Relief Fund, which coordinates with public health authorities, nonprofit organizations, and businesses to provide personal protective equipment and essential medical items to health workers, and Feeding America, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization. As athletic director for Penn State's Makin' Lemonade Fund group, Will's goal is to increase athlete involvement. He's also serving as a role model, embarking on his own RunninOnLemonade challenge to support the Makin' Lemonade Fund. "We remember the days of making our own lemonade stands to help the community and always loved the hustle, so I've joined the #RunninOnLemonade Challenge," Will says in his challenge announcement (click here). Being the nimble-footed athlete that he is, Will has added an interesting twist to his personal challenge. "In the spirit of how backwards the world we live in right now feels, I thought it would be fun and challenging to complete my choice distance of 5 miles the same way," he writes. "Please pledge per mile I run (backwards) and motivate me to go further for others!" Asked why he opted to get involved in Makin' Lemonade, Will said a friend of his who was involved from the start asked if he'd be interested in participating, and he was immediately intrigued. He joined the team and watched the movement grow from a group chat into something much more widespread. "This was so important for me because I was constantly looking for things in quarantine that would better me as a person," he said. "And I thought, 'What better way of doing this than by helping others?" Will said he believes that giving back is "the most noble and rewarding thing to do in one's life," adding, "I wanted to make sure that when I looked back on this bizarre time in my life ... I made a positive impact on the world around me." Will has also kindly agreed to speak via Zoom with a 7th Grader, about football for the student's end-of-year passion project. No doubt Will will tell him exactly what he told us – that attending a school like Penn State and to play football for them is a unique opportunity. That it's not easy, but it's rewarding. "There is so much demanded of us as student athletes, and I believe it takes time for each and every one of us to truly understand this and the fact that we are held to a much higher standard than other kids our age," he said. "It truly tests your mental let alone physical strength to be a part of a program like this, but it is so rewarding. We have the largest alumni base in the country, and along with this, I imagine we have the largest college football fanbase as well. Beaver Stadium's atmosphere is second to none, and if you are a fan of sports in general, experiencing a game there should be on your bucket list."
Mask Maker Extraordinaire: Annette Sachs Cook '77
Until a few years ago Annette Sachs Cook '77 was busy designing and producing unique handbags under her label, Pink Tulip. Two years ago, she closed down her business, and when coronavirus struck she was ready to use her talents and her sewing machines for a new purpose. For several months she worked to create masks for local Killingworth residents (read a story from Killingworth Today), and she later turned her creative efforts to make masks to share with local servicemen and women. Thank you, Annette!
Alum Donates Masks to The Country School: Country School is able to support frontline workers International student Rongjiang (Stoney) Xu '19 spent his 8th Grade year at The Country School and his ties remain strong. During this time of Covid-19, Stoney and his mother were especially concerned for the wellbeing of his Country School friends, teachers, and host family. To help out, they sent hundreds of disposable masks to The Country School to be shared as Stoney’s peers saw fit. After setting some aside for the school community and Stoney's host family, student leaders elected to donate 500 masks to Yale New Haven Hospital.
Elke Zigmont '19 and family (and Country School friends) sew PPE for Middlesex Health System Elke Zigmont and her family have also been helping out in the PPE arena. After seeing a piece on WTNH about Country School families, including Elke and her family, making masks for Middlesex Health System, we came across this article from Westover School, where Elke has just finished her freshman year: Between Virtual Classes, a Student Makes Masks for a Hospital. To watch the WTNH video, click here.
Serving the Country School Community Will Levis and Sage Aronson were just two of the Country School alumni who opted to share their expertise with students and teachers at The Country School during our distance learning adventure last spring. Read about several others in the following pages. Alumni, please know that we ALWAYS value your presence and input; please contact us if you are interested in reconnecting or sharing your expertise with students. Email alumni@thecountryschool.org.
Collaborating "on" Campus: Wiley Johnson '18 May 2020
Inspired by a project initiated by students at MIT, Cambridge, Penn, and elsewhere, Wiley Johnson '18 and his friend, Ben Mulligan, have been helping Country School students build a digital replica of the Country School campus using Minecraft. The popular after-school offering has allowed participants to connect and collaborate together. And who knows? Maybe they'll even come up with some cool new campus enhancement opportunities for their school. Wiley (right, working on the project) and Ben, schoolmates at Hopkins in New Haven, collaborated last summer to teach robotics camp at the Country School's Summer Fun and Learning program. After the arrival of COVID-19 and the subsequent shift to distance learning at Hopkins, they began spending some of their out-of-school hours building the Country School campus in Minecraft. They pitched their idea for an after-school program to teachers at school, and for the last several weeks, an avid crew of 2nd-8th Graders have been joining them virtually a few afternoons a week to recreate campus A rendition from Wiley, Ben, and students.
The inspiration for the after-school activity came from similar efforts at MIT, Cambridge and other universities. For instance, as reported in a Business Insider story: The coronavirus ended their semester early, but MIT being MIT, students knew they could figure out some kind of technical workaround. A group of MIT students built a server in "Minecraft," where they've been building the campus in stunning detail, working on recreating places that are especially meaningful to them. The project follows other schools like UPenn and Brown, who have similar virtual campuses in the works.
This particular after-school, campus-centric gathering may have another added plus. According to a recent piece on NPR, Minecraft may help kids learn to code (click here). Thanks, Wiley and Ben, for giving this opportunity to our students. You've come up with a great way for students to come together virtually, to collaborate, and to create. Not to mention some of the exciting design ideas that may have been spawned.
Bringing the Zoo to the Classroom: Nora Lee '10 May 2020
Even though they've been relegated to distance learning, 2nd Graders studying African animals and 4th Graders learning about endangered species and conservation have had a special resource this spring: the animals and experts at Zoo New England. Nora Lee '10, education specialist for Zoo New England, has Zoomed with students, introducing them to some of her animal friends at the Franklin Zoo in Boston and to important concepts in wildlife conservation. The idea of zoo Zoom sessions came to Nora and her colleagues earlier this spring when they realized they would need to move to online classes, given that the zoo is currently closed to visitors, thanks to coronavirus. Nora Lee discusses endangered species with 4th Graders.
Nora, who discovered her love for nature and wildlife during Country School trips to places like Grass Island and Gulick's Pond in Lower School and the Delaware Water Gap and Moab, Utah, in Middle School, thought of her former teachers when she and her colleagues began talking about piloting virtual programs. "I figured this would be a good opportunity to do some programs for the school since travel is no longer a limitation," she said in her query email to TCS. "It would also help us get a better understanding of what teachers and students are looking for in an online program and what works in those situations." The answer from her former Country School teachers was a resounding yes. To date, Nora has had live Zoom chats with 2nd Graders, who, as part of their study of the African continent, discussed camels in the Sahara (and met some of the zoo's Bactrian camels – Nora explained the differences between Bactrians and Dromedaries) and lions in the Savannah. They will also "meet" and discuss gorillas for their exploration of the Tanzanian rainforest.
During her Zoom sessions with 4th Graders, Nora and students have discussed endangered species and the zoo's conservation efforts as well as actions students can take to protect wildlife. Since the 4th Grade is in the middle of the traditional state study (who could forget "Fifty, Nifty"?), Nora has also been able to share information about animals from different regions of the country. She has even had some one-on-one conversations with a 4th Grader who has a deep interest in shark conservation. Stephanie Johnson, who taught science to Nora back in the day – and whose classroom houses the Lee Discovery Center, a gift from Nora's family – says it has been wonderful to bring an outside expert into her classroom. And it's a special treat that the expert is a former student.
The Lee Discovery Center and some of the specimens available in it. As for Nora, she says it's been "really cool to teach a lesson for my 4th Grade science teacher's current class." Nora, who received her studied BS in Ecology and Conservation from Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK, wrote her thesis about the impact of Environmental Education programs on attitudes and behavior, drawing on both her Country School Outdoor Education experiences as well as her experiences interning at the Franklin Park Zoo. "The fact that I was able to reach out to teachers 10 years after graduating and receive such an enthusiastic response demonstrates how strong the TCS community is and how special those student-faculty connections are," she said. "I hope the students know that they've played an important role in helping the zoo continue to educate and inspire!" Thank you, Nora, for bringing such a rich experience to The Country School – no doubt these students and teachers would be happy to help test a pilot program any time. For more about Zoo New England, visit https://www.zoonewengland.org.
Noah Hastings '11 Talks Ancient History and Archaeology with 6th Grade May 2020
by Jason Wainio History and Latin teacher Over the course of the year, the 6th Graders have been learning about ancient life in locations such as China, India, Israel and Rome. None of us could have predicted the incredible shift from studying each day in the classroom to joining each other in the virtual world. Although we have gotten used to this new vehicle for learning, it was definitely time to change the routine up a bit. We did that during this past Wednesday, as we connected with one of our Country School alumni. The 6th Grade history class was so excited to welcome Noah Hastings '11 to join in their Zoom time. Mr. Hastings is currently teaching ancient history to 9th Graders at King's Academy in the country of Jordan. He was happy to share some of his experiences regarding living and teaching in Jordan and also discuss some of the great archaeological sites that exist in the country. Noah Hastings ’11 talks with Mr. Wainio and his 6th Graders.
Mr. Hastings describes Jordan as the "quiet house on a noisy block." Being surrounded by countries such as Israel, Palestine, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, Jordan has been in a position to encourage and facilitate dialogue between countries of the region. He also shared that the weekend in Jordan is considered Friday and Saturday, which was a bit of a shift from living in the United States. Prior to the quarantine, Mr. Hastings would use his Saturday's to visit a new place in Jordan each
week. He shared with the students some of his photographs and information regarding Wadi Ghuweir, Mukawir, Kerak, Gerash and Petra. Mr. Hastings also shared with the 6th Grade the influence of a group of people called the Nabataneans who inhabited and ruled over the area prior to the arrival of the Roman Empire. The Nabataneans were essential in bridging the Silk Road between East and West and created the trade hub of Petra. Mr. Hastings shared so much with the class in a short period. It was also great to catch up with him and talk about living abroad during this unusual time. He also let us know that he is still an avid player of Ultimate Frisbee, participating on a local team in Jordan and even competing in tournaments in other countries in the region. The students were quick to spot the array of discs he had mounted on his wall behind him. I wish to personally thank Noah for sharing his time and talents with us. It means so much to connect with him. I also want to thank Mrs. Liz Lightfoot for facilitating this opportunity in her role as Alumni Relations Director. We loved hearing about another culture to learn about and celebrate our differences and commonalities. Editor's Note: Since last fall, Noah Hastings has been teaching at King's Academy, a boarding and day school for students in Grades 7-12 in Jordan, where he is a Teaching Fellow in the Department of History, Religion, and Society. After graduating from The Country School, he went on to Choate Rosemary Hall, enrolling in the Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies program. He earned his Bachelor's degree in Near Eastern studies with a minor in archaeology from Princeton University. He also spent some time at Pembroke College in England studying archaeology with the University of Cambridge's Department of Archaeology. Mr. Hastings has worked in the field on archaeological projects in England and Portugal and is an avid outdoorsman with experience working as a summer camp counselor. He has had a chance to meet up with other Country School alums who were in Jordan. First up was Tara Maloney '13 (pictured with Noah at right), a student at Georgetown's School of Public Service who was in Jordan for a junior term abroad. The two had lunch together in Amman. Next was Gabe Davis '10, who was in Morocco on a Boren Scholarship after graduating from the University of Chicago. They, too, met up at Amman before Gabe headed home for winter break. For the coming school year, Noah will be joined by another Country School alum: Charlotte Madere ’03 who, having recently received her PhD in English at the University of Minnesota, will be joining the English faculty at King’s Academy.
Finding Your Voice: A repeat visit from Alvin Bess '77 During the spring of 2019, then-6th Graders enjoyed a visit from Alvin Bess, a transportation planner, published author, and public speaker. This past spring, Alvin returned to school for a Zoom talk with the current 6th Grade, once again sharing a story about an event that took place during his own 6th Grade English class, when his teacher, Robert Morrison, insisted he read aloud. He wrote about that event in A Transformative Experience, an essay he shared with the school after his first visit. “Maybe, my teacher, this teacher, saw something in me that my other teachers—up to that point—had not,” he wrote, describing how Mr. Morrison’s insistence that he read aloud made him realize he could do it, in spite of a longstanding stutter. (As we mentioned, Alvin is a frequent public speaker these days.) “I am so very thankful for having had that particular teacher at that specific time,” he told 6 th Graders. The photo below is from his first visit to campus in 2019.
Peter Burdge '09 and KO Students Convene with TCS Students and Teachers
Thank you to Peter Burdge and his students at Kingswood-Oxford, where he is a history teacher, for joining members of the IDEA Student Alliance (IDEA = Inclusion, Diversity, Empathy, Action) and the Elmore Leadership Team to brainstorm ways we can stay connected during this period of distance learning. Student leaders from both schools exchanged some fun and creative ideas during a spring Zoom meeting. We look forward to reconvening in the future.
Help with Website Construction: Alastair Clements '08 Just before spring break and the shift to distance learning, Alastair Clements joined 8th Graders to help them develop a website for their Witness Stones Project. For much of the year, students in Heather Butler's and Kristin Liu's History and English classes explored the history of enslavement in the town of Madison, seeking to restore the history of a woman named Lettuce Bailey. Alastair, who works as a digital strategist for political campaigns, helped students plan and create their site, which will be updated each year as a new set of students takes on the Witness Stones project. To see the student website, visit https://sites.google.com/view/tcs-witness-stones.
Sharing their Passions for the 7th Grade Passion Project
A slew of alumni were among the “mentors” who spoke with 7th Graders as they embarked upon their “passion projects” at the end of the school year. As part of the assignment, students were asked to interview an expert in their field of interest, and many ended up speaking to former Country School students. Among the alums who agreed to speak with current students were: Matthew Wallack ’10, a former UConn player and now a coach – basketball; Kerry Wallack ’06, a former D1 women’s player – basketball; Joseph Coyne ’15, a member of the Georgetown University sailing team – sailing; Sarah Platt ’14, gardening and science – sustainable agriculture; and Alexis Sablone ’00, professional skateboarder, artist, architect, and would-be Olympian (she was headed to Japan before COVID delayed things) – skateboarding. Also participating were Will Cooley ’99, a carpenter/builder – woodworking; Michael Waters ’12, a journalist – writing, and Will Levis ’15, a quarterback for Penn State – football. Thank you to everyone who agreed to speak with students about their interests.
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