Spring 2022
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Board of Trustees Leadership 2021-22
Editor Karin Storm Wood
Jennifer Weyburn Head of School
Managing Editors Tori Gibbs Ana Tiwathia
Karin Storm Wood Director of Communications
Contributing Writer Liana Frasca Class Notes Editor Jacque Jones Photography Liana Frasca Karin Storm Wood Contributors as noted Layout CZ Design Printing JS McCarthy Printers The Packer Magazine is published once a year by The Packer Collegiate Institute, 170 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201. Nothing herein may be reprinted wholly or in part without the written permission of Packer’s Development Office. The Packer Collegiate Institute © 2022 More content at www.packer.edu/magazine
Ana Tiwathia Assistant Director of Communications LIana Frasca Tori Gibbs Communications Specialists Sara Shulman Director of Development David Minder Director of Alumni
Jamillah Hoy-Rosas ’94, P’22, P’27 Vice Chair Megan Sheetz P’23, P’24, P’26 Vice Chair Reed Lowenstein P’24, P’26 Treasurer Neal McKnight P’15, P’18, P’22 Secretary Steven Fineman P’20, P’29 At Large
Susan Moore Director of Annual Giving
Marnie Worth ’88, P’20, P’22 At Large
Shriya Bhargava-Sears Director of Special Events Aaron Heflich Shapiro Manager of Development Services Communications Alumni Registrar General www.packer.edu
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OhSang Kwon P’17, P’22 Chair
(718) 250-0264 (718) 250-0229 (718) 250-0263 (718) 250-0200
Alumni Association Leadership 2021-22 Jeremy Schiffres ’07 President Rebecca Chovnick Beck ’02 Vice President Francisco Tezén ’93 Secretary Cynthia Gardstein ’66 IVAc Ellin Rosenzweig ’52 Directors Emeritae
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Head’s Message
4 On Campus
Packer welcomes a new Head of Middle School, new academic leaders, and new Board members — and says farewell to five veteran teachers. The Student-Faculty Justice Committee shifts its approach. The 2020-22 Babbott Chair considers how jazz informs his teaching. Chess thrives. The Class of 2021 takes flight.
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This generation is realizing that we don’t have the luxury to just wait it out. If change is going to happen, it’s going to be with us. — Lucy ’22. Leader of Citizens Action Network. Co-leader of History Club. Students for Diversity and Equity in Communications. SOPRALTO (a capella group). Policy Group Leader of Earth Club. Student-Faculty Sustainability Team.
16 A NEW GENERATION OF STUDENT VOICES In a roundtable discussion, a dozen Packer juniors and seniors share what inspired them to become leaders in our community. Also: Excerpts from The Prism, college essays, and voices of our younger students. Plus: Alumni reflect on the Packer teachers who helped them find their voices.
Above: In the November NYSAIS league semi-finals, Packer’s Girls Varsity Soccer Team beat Poly Prep on their home field — the team’s first appearance in the finals in 20 years! “This season brought out the best in each and every player on the team,” said coach John Keaveny. “To see each girl have a voice and use it to help their team along this journey was so enlightening as a coach.” For recaps of other varsity teams’ seasons, go to www.packer.edu/2021fallsports.
26 Alumni News
Newly elected City Council Representative Lincoln Restler ’02… 110th Founder’s Day speaker Aysha E. Schomburg, JD ’91… Zamien Allard ’19 on @BlackatPCI… Beloved children’s author Lois Lowry ’54 IVAc in The New Yorker… and more.
On the cover: Our Pre-K Three students use creative expression to begin to learn the process of documenting and sharing their thoughts, whether embodying different animals in dance class, creating images and text in their writer’s notebooks, or painting during choice time — as Claire ’36 demonstrated (on Halloween!).
PHOTO: BRIAN HARLIN P’24
34 Class Notes 54 In Memoriam
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Head’s Message
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Student voice is core to the whole enterprise of education.
Throughout this school year, community members
representing every constituency have been engaged in developing a new strategic framework for Packer, which will be unveiled in the fall. It has been incredibly inspiring to see so many voices come together to articulate their hopes for our school’s future. For me, a highlight of this process was soliciting the perspectives of our Middle School and Upper School Student Council members. They were eager to take on the challenge of defining the Packer experience, and I was delighted to find students who were clearly very comfortable with adults seeking their opinions. This is just one example of the countless times I have been deeply impressed by our students’ abilities and maturity. Thanks to our incredible faculty, Packer students have a real sense of what they are capable of, what they’re passionate about, what they’re excited to learn about — and they use their skills to articulate their perspectives and insights. At the heart of this self-awareness is student voice. Student voice is about self expression, but it’s more than just verbal expression, such as speaking and writing. Performing, launching a student club, leading your sports team to a victory (or helping it rebound from a loss) — all of these are examples of voice. Voice is every way in which our students express themselves through their beliefs, their actions, their choices, their preferences, and their curiosities.
Student voice is core to the whole enterprise of education. At Packer, we believe excellent education begins with the notion that every child has perspectives and experiences that are valuable to the community. This belief is deeply connected to our commitment to inclusion. To successfully nurture and develop the individual voice of every student, we work to support their various abilities and identities in a variety of ways. A community that celebrates student voice is a prerequisite for excellent learning. When our students express themselves, they figure out who they are and learn to understand the world around them more deeply. And when they engage with others — teachers, advisors, coaches, and peers — their ideas develop and evolve. This is what learning truly is. This issue of The Packer Magazine puts student voice at the forefront, through written examples, profiles, and a roundtable discussion with a dozen student leaders. It also features reflections of alumni on the Packer teachers who helped them find their voices here. I can think of no better demonstration of our community’s commitment to its mission of thinking deeply, speaking confidently, and acting with purpose and heart. Please enjoy.
Jennifer Weyburn Head of School
As part of this year’s schoolwide effort to develop a new strategic vision for the school, Dr. Weyburn met with Middle School Student Council representatives to solicit their input on the school’s mission and values.
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On Campus
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“ A special moment for me so far this year was Middle School Spirit Day in December. The kids got together in their color teams, and they did all kinds of team building. Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Graders all in the same group, and they were really collaborating. Moments like that validate why we do what we do.” — Yves Kabore, Head of Middle School (opposite)
Meet Yves Kabore, Our New Head of Middle School What drew you to Packer? About three or four years ago, I visited Packer — a stranger from Philadelphia that nobody knew from a jar of peanut butter. Everyone was so nice and welcoming, even the kids that I spoke to in passing. I felt the love and the energy in the building. It was just a nice community of people who enjoyed each other’s company. And I love New York: it’s my hometown. What are your impressions of our students so far?
The students are great. They’re resilient. They’re funny. They’re stronger than they think they are, especially in a year like this one. They’re getting through it with a smile on their face, with humility, with grace. What are your impressions of your colleagues?
This is one of the most talented teaching teams I’ve ever seen. I’ve had the privilege of working in public, charter, and independent schools in two different cities, and I’ve interviewed and hired lots of teachers. When you combine our faculty’s talent with how much they care for kids’ wellbeing, then you get the community that I described a moment ago. When did you decide to become an educator? I decided
in the fourth grade. I went to a Catholic school, so it was really traditional. My perception was that my teachers didn’t like me. I got in a lot of trouble. If you spoke out of turn or didn’t use the process the teacher told you to, you were reprimanded. Because of those negative experiences, I wanted to become a teacher.
What insight do you offer Packer parents that’s most valuable? I can provide a perspective on a challenging moment that might be hard for a parent to see because they’re in that mode of parenting and nurturing. Sometimes, too much protective nurturing can hold kids back from learning what is really important. I also provide partnership with families because I’m a Middle School parent myself. When they ask about a specific situation, I can say, “My kid did that yesterday. Let’s think about this as parents.” That puts us in a position to really be able to hear each other. What skills for moving through the world do you hope a Packer Eighth Grader has, going into high school?
How does that experience show up in how you interact with kids today? I listen. I let kids get out whatever they
want to tell me. It could be about a challenge, or something exciting. I don’t interrupt. That, in and of itself, allows children to be more open with me. Then I find my entry point to helping them solve the challenge on their own, rather than trying to solve it for them. Helping kids address the inevitable challenges of growing up is clearly important to you. What gives you this clarity of purpose? I had to navigate things independently at an early age — not because I was taught to navigate them. I had no choice. I think it built up the ability to persevere: the grit, the stick-to-it-iveness. I don’t quit. And life’s inevitable challenges get bigger. I’ve seen so many children make up the math gap, make up the reading gap [despite really difficult circumstances]. The one thing they all had in common was the ability to persevere.
We teach kids how to think, not what to think. The ability to receive information, make sense of it, and decide what to do with it in different contexts around different groups of people. Using your voice in appropriate ways at appropriate times — that’s what I hope kids leave Middle School with. What do you attribute that to? The kids have said it:
confidence in themselves. Being secure enough in themselves to not tie their identity to another child’s identity so much that they feel that they cannot separate. And we don’t hide things from kids. These kids are going to see some stuff. We have the attitude of “Let’s talk about it, let’s open it up,” so kids build confidence. They learn to navigate nuanced things that we often think that they can’t. What is something most Packer people don’t know about you? I love to cook. It’s like my therapy. “Daddy, can you
make…?” is probably my favorite sentence.
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New Pelicans Join the Flock In Fall 2021, the community welcomed new administrators and a new member of our expanded student support team. Kerry Kline is the Science
Department Chair and currently teaches Advanced Topics in Biology. Before joining Packer, Kerry spent three years as a teacher in Chicago; from there, she moved to New York City to work as a biology teacher at Friends Seminary in Manhattan. “I chose Packer because the Science Department was dedicated to modeling,” Kerry says. “Modeling is an approach to teaching in which students work collaboratively to build models of scientific understanding and draw conclusions from their observations and experiences.” Kerry says. “It’s important to learn from other teachers who are committed to the same practice. Packer is that place.” Kerry holds a BA in biology from Hiram College, an MS in biology from the University of Illinois, and an MAT from Dominican University. “During my career, I cultivated my interest in working with teachers as they develop a more student-centered approach to teaching science,” said Kerry. “There is no ‘one size fits all,’ but I’m driven by my curiosity in helping find ways for students to experience and interpret science for themselves.” #KnowYourPelicans: What’s something most people at Packer wouldn’t know about you? I spent a few years
as an aquatic ecologist. It meant snorkeling around Midwest lakes in an effort to manage the invasion of an aquatic weed!
Asia Franks joined the Packer
community as the Math Department Head in September. She currently teaches Algebra 1 and Precalculus. “The math department cares deeply that Packer students leave class excited about math, but also understanding the how and why behind formulas, rules, and procedures,” said Asia. “I look forward to ensuring that every student has access to a rigorous math curriculum where they engage in inquiry, problem solving, and critiquing the reasoning of others.”
Asia holds a BA in secondary education from Temple University, an MA in math education from Columbia, and an MS in educational leadership from Baruch College. She is currently pursuing a PhD in innovation in curriculum and instruction at Fordham University. Asia began her teaching career at the Urban Assembly School for Applied Math and Science in the South Bronx; during her eleven years there, she held the positions of middle school assistant principal, middle and high school advisor, and math teacher. #KnowYourPelicans: If you had an inspirational fridge magnet, what would it say and why? “No one is ‘bad at
math’!” I am a true believer that every student can learn math because students are natural problem solvers.
Miya Yamada is serving in
the new role as the Preschool and Lower School Counselor and Health Educator. Among other positions, she has served as a therapist, program coordinator, and clinic-based service developer for children of trauma and abuse in underserved communities. She comes to Packer most recently from serving as a Kindergarten teacher at The Chapin School in Manhattan. Miya has a BA in psychology from Smith College, an EdM in counseling and consulting psychology, and an EdD in both human development and psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She reflected on her interactions with young Packer students so far: “The students here always amaze me with their lively enthusiasm, curious ways, illuminating aspirations, and kindness toward others.” #KnowYourPelicans: If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why? If I could have any superpower,
it would be to imagine a meal in my head, and in seconds, the meal would be ready — but to still be able to enjoy the fun and satisfaction of making the meal.
To get to know our new colleagues even better, visit our newly relaunched series #KnowYourPelicans at www.packer.edu/KYP — or follow Packer on Facebook and Instagram at @packercollegiate.
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PACKER ATHLETICS The Varsity Boys Basketball team held strong throughout the season, reaching the NYSAIS quarterfinals. Interim Athletic Director Russell Tombline praised their resilience: “The team played extremely hard and fought until the end.” Lucas Kurzweil ’25, a talented student photographer, captured the anticipation and intensity of a game against Brooklyn Friends.
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Welcoming New Board Members In the 2021-22 school year, Packer’s Board of Trustees welcomed three new members: two Packer parents and an alumnus. Our trustees serve three-year terms, generously volunteering their expertise, time, and resources to our community. Dawn Bradford-Watt has
been a Packer parent since 2014 and has children in the Classes of 2029 and 2033. After graduating from Choate-Rosemary Hall, she earned her BA from Bowdoin College and her MA from Columbia University School of Social Work. She served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras and for sixteen years worked in supportive housing at the Center for Urban Community Services, a non-profit agency which provides medical, psychiatric, and case management services to individuals and families. Dawn serves on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and the Buildings and Grounds Committee. Aaron Reliford has been a
Packer parent since 2017 and has children in the Classes of 2032 and 2036. Aaron earned his BA from University of Chicago, his MD from New York University, and completed his specialty and psychoanalytic training at Columbia University. He is an associate clinical professor, fellowship training director, and vice chair for diversity, equity, and inclusion of child and adolescent psychiatry at New York University, as well the director of child and adolescent psychiatry and the associate medical director of behavioral health at NYU Langone Brooklyn. In this capacity, Aaron has served as a valued member of our Covid-19 Health Advisory Committee. He has also served as a Parent Association Lower School Liaison, and has been an active member of the Parent Association Diversity and Equity Committee. As a trustee, Aaron serves on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and the Building and Grounds Committee.
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After graduating Packer as a College Prep Scholar, Francisco Tezen ’93 earned his BA in history and Latin American studies at Wesleyan University and his MS in nonprofit management at The New School. He has created and managed growth, visibility, and partnership strategies for educational and social service organizations Year Up, The New School, Columbia Business School, and the Food Bank for New York City. He currently serves as the president and CEO of A Better Chance. He is a member of the Forbes Nonprofit Council and, as a Packer trustee, he is a member of the Development Committee and the Committee on Trustees and Governance. At the Board’s meeting in May 2021, five trustees were re-elected to three-year terms: Susan Abdalla P’22, P’31, OhSang Kwon P’17, P’22, Barbara Moore P’95, P’97, P’00, Richard Story P’17, P’19, P’24, and Marnie Worth ’88, P’18, P’20.
Officers for 2021-22 are: OhSang Kwon P’17, P’22, Board Chair; Jamillah Hoy-Rosas ’94, P’22, P’27, Vice Chair; Megan Sheetz, P’23, P’24, P’26, Vice Chair; Reed Lowenstein P’24, P’26, Treasurer; Neal McKnight P’15, P’18, P’22, Secretary; Steve Fineman P’20, P’27, At Large; Marnie Worth ’88, P’20, P’22, At Large.
Read about all the members of Packer’s Board of Trustees at www.packer.edu/trustees.
New and Notable at Packer UNPACKING PERFECTIONIST CULTURE The 2021-22 academic year kicked off with an outdoor professional development session on creating true belonging for every student. Visiting consultants Rachel Henes and Blessing Uchendu addressed this objective in the context of so-called “high-achieving school culture” that can fuel perfectionism. Jeremy Hawkins, Dean of the Class of 2023 and health educator, explains: “Because we work with students at an institution with an aura of privilege, it’s easy to assume that ‘the kids are going to be fine’ — and, by extension, ourselves. Rachel and Blessing gave us the permission and vocabulary [needed to support each student] in an environment of deliberate positivity and acceptance.”
A COMMUNITY OF EXCELLENCE
CHESS PHOTO: SARY AWAD P’26, P’29
The Packer Parent Association established the PA Excellence in Teaching Chair in 2005 to acknowledge and celebrate Packer’s most accomplished educators. Given their extraordinary efforts in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the entire faculty and staff were awared the chair in 2020 and again in 2021. Each of our 275-plus full-time professionals received a gift certificate toward books of their choice in thanks for their “resilience, dedication, and excellence.”
LET’S PLAY CHESS! Chess at Packer is thriving, from a handful of students back in 2015, to over 250 chess players today. Led by Head Coach and International Master Daniel Jere and Sary Awad P’26, P’29, the Pelikings Chess Team has two national “Top 100” players and 50 USCF-rated players across all divisions. Approximately 60% of their beginning players and 40% of their afterschool students are girls, more than double the national average. Since 2018, they have won two U700 New York City and one U1000 New York State championships.
Director of Middle and Upper School Admissions and Financial Aid Sheila Bogan
(left) received the Enrollment Management Association’s 2021 William B. Bretnall Award, given to “outstanding professionals [who] have made tremendous contributions to their schools and to the field.” Upper School Science Teacher Alice Lurain received
the 2021 Henry Hudson Award from Hudson River Community Sailing. The honor recognized her “instrumental” role in guiding and building the FairLead mentorship program, designed to create opportunities for women to become skippers and leaders. Alice is currently on a one-year leave to serve Hudson River Community Sailing. Literacy Coordinators Jamie Lilly and Hardeep Juttla
co-presented “Manageable Systems for Differentiating Teacher and Student Goals: Reading and Writing Workshop” at the Simply Coaching Summit in summer 2021. Their presentation equipped instructional coaches and classroom teachers with best practices and tools to increase student achievement. Jamie is currently on a one-year leave while living abroad. Visual Art Teachers Liz Titone and Elizabeth Eagle
published the 13th volume in their visual literacy workshop and book series, This Is Ours: Cambodia, which showcases the work of Packer’s digital storytelling partners in Siem Reap. You can view that book, and Packer’s title This Is Ours: Brooklyn Heights, online at www.packer.edu/thisisours. Alfred Music Publications published Instrumental Music Coordinator Paul Riggio’s strings arrangement for the Chanukah song “Hanerot Halalu” (These Candles), which was later selected as a 2021 Editors’ Choice by distribution firm J.W. Pepper.
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Re-Envisioning the “Aftermath of a Poor Decision” Many Packer students today view themselves as responsible for making our school a more supportive and equitable community. With that mindset, the Student-Faculty Justice Committee has worked to shift how it responds to students who fall short of our community’s core values.
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“All the parties involved (especially the perpetrator of the harm) learn how to move forward and be better in the future. In doing so, lines of communication are reopened, and the community is strengthened.” Supporting students in this way is for some members an intentional rejection of cancel culture where “there are no second chances,” said Raenen. “With restorative justice, when a person does or says something problematic, SFJC [holds them accountable while giving] them a chance to reflect on that action and share their side of a story. This process builds up a community instead of making it smaller.” Zola added: “We reach out to students, days or even months after the process, to make sure they felt heard. We ask, ‘Is there anything we can do? Here is a list of resources,’ to wrap everything up. And if it doesn’t feel resolved, we can have another circle. We’re just there to listen and support.” “It’s important to recognize that adolescents, and all of us, make mistakes sometimes,” said Maria Nunes, Head of the Upper School. “How you deal with the aftermath of a poor decision is what matters most.”
This story has been adapted and updated from a piece originally published in IMPACT: Insights into Anti-Racism Work at Packer. For more, visit www.packer.edu/impact.
PHOTO: BRIAN MCMANIMON
SFJC (formerly known as the Student-Faculty Judiciary Committee) is a body of 17 Upper School students and three teachers who review student disciplinary cases referred to them. Most often, the cases involve violations of community norms or school policies such as academic honesty. In the past, SFJC employed a traditional discipline model, focusing on the details of the infraction and determining an appropriate consequence. Its application process for students wishing to join the committee strongly favored the most confident public speakers. And its early-morning meetings discouraged those with long commutes from even applying. All of these factors felt increasingly out of step with the communal spirit of our student body. Zola Narisetti ’23, who has served on SFJC for three years, reflected on the insight she and her peers gained from @BlackatPCI on Instagram, where Black alumni recounted how disciplinary procedures were applied differently to them than to their White peers. “If alumni are still talking about [old cases], obviously they’re still hurt. Obviously they felt that there was something missing, that the process… wasn’t successful.” In recent years, the Committee has revamped its selection process (scrapping the public speaking requirement) and moved its meetings to regular school hours. And it has adopted a restorative process to allow students the space for reflection, accountability, and repair to the community, thanks to an ongoing training-partnership with Nicole Lavonne Smith P’26 of the Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility. “Circling” is one of the practices the Committee has implemented. Instead of sitting alone while facing a panel of their peers, the student who is referred to SFJC sits amongst the committee members in a big circle. They pass around a physical “talking piece,” which indicates whose turn it is to speak and enhances attentive listening. The overall effect is to foster a constructive conversation about the student’s actions and their impact: why they made a mistake, what they have learned, and how they plan to move forward. This approach puts students at ease. “They don’t feel like they’re on trial. It’s not punitive in nature,” said faculty coordinator Larissa Dzegar. SFJC’s new restorative approach is about “learning and community,” said SFJC member Raenen Traver-Fallick ’23.
PACKER ARTS The Dance Concert returns! In February, Packer’s Middle and Upper School dancers offered stellar performances in “A Day at the Met,” a show inspired by the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Pictured is a “Woman by the River,” choreographed by senior Caterina ’22, who drew inspiration from Corot’s painting Diana and Actaeon (Diana Surprised in her Bath).
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Jazz is sometimes seen as inaccessible. What are your thoughts on this? Enjoying jazz on any level is OK — you
don’t have to “get” it or feel like you’re missing something. Perhaps like watching a football game and not understanding the rules: it can still be entertaining! But it likely gets more enjoyable when you understand what a touchdown is. Just before the pandemic, you were awarded the Babbott Chair, Packer’s endowed chair for a teacher in the humanities. How does that feel? It is a deep honor to be in the company of other Babbott Chair holders. The Babbott is an opportunity to take stock of how my jazz-musician life and my woodwind-teacher life relate. Ultimately, they’re two sides of the same coin. Both teaching and performing involve sharing music with people and creating an authentic and reflective experience. When I perform, I speak to my audiences to provide context and attempt to demystify [the music] in the way I might in front of a classroom. Can you share a little about your Babbott presentation,
Sitting Down with 2020-22 Babbott Chair Jeremy Udden In addition to teaching woodwinds at Packer for the past 14 years, Jeremy has appeared on almost 30 jazz albums as a saxophonist and composer and performed in clubs and festivals around the world. When did you first connect with jazz, and what caused you to pursue it as a career? I fell in love with the saxophone as a third grader, hearing some high school students play it. In high school, I was a skateboarder first, and then I sort of wrapped my teenage identity around being a jazz musician, which was an equally subversive thing at the time. I met musicians from other towns and started getting interested in books, art, and culture in ways that had never occurred to me before. Jazz opened up the world to me, first in high school, then at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. I saw what the “jazz life” and an artist’s life could be. I was hired by an established band, got a passport for the first time, and toured opera houses in Italy during my last semester. Soon after that it was Russia, around the U.S., and eventually Ethiopia. After 9/11, I took a breath for the first time, and what I was doing did not feel very important. This led to my seeing the importance of teaching, and viewing performance and recording as a way to share music and create a viable experience.
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taking place later this year? Student musicians from Middle School Jazz Band, Lab Band, and Jazz Combo, plus some professionals, will demonstrate aspects of the enormous genre called “jazz,” and what it means to improvise in music. By giving a bit of context, I hope that students will be able to listen to the music from a place of curiosity and empathy. Another theme is acknowledging the African-American origins of jazz, and addressing, as a white man, what it means to be an ally in the jazz community. As a teacher and a performer, this starts with recognizing the masters of the music — making it clear that Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Charlie Parker, for example, should be viewed on the same artistic level as Bach, Mozart, or Beethoven. It also means learning the history of jazz from primary sources: recordings, interviews, and writings of the actual musicians who were there. Collaborating with musicians of all ages and social, economical, ethnic, and musical backgrounds is key: jazz is a musical conversation, and this results in more interesting and nuanced music. What is something you’ve learned from your students?
Teaching is an incredibly creative act. Finding ways to share music with my students has pushed me creatively every bit as much as composing or improvising music. Teaching requires lots of improvisation! When Fifth Graders improvise, they might laugh or get excited, but they are fearless! This is a wonderful reminder to me, as an adult, to be less self-conscious, to throw some notes on a page and see what happens.
Heartfelt Farewells In June 2021, we said goodbye to five beloved teachers whose legacies at Packer will long endure. Read our full tributes at www.packer.edu/2021retirements. ERIC BAYLIN Middle and Upper School Visual Arts teacher 37 Years Eric Baylin engaged and inspired Packer students to find their artistic voices through photography and art, and to reflect on what constitutes a meaningful life through his beloved elective, “Life’s Big Questions.” Eric’s reflections on life and work extended beyond the classroom to his colleagues through TaLL Tuesdays (Teachers as Leaders and Learners), the professional development program he led (which became a model for many New York City independent schools). “ Thank you, Mr. Baylin, for encouraging me to make grand gestures in my work. You taught me that mistakes don’t exist in painting because one can always paint over them. You taught me to explore rather than to perfect.” — Abby Marriott ’21
GEORGE BOUTIS Middle and Upper School Coach and Physical Education Teacher 40 years As Coach of Boys Varsity Basketball and Soccer, George Boutis racked up a remarkable 717 wins, 22 season championships, 17 tournament championships, and two NYSAIS championships. Coach Boutis taught his players that to excel on the field, they had to hone both their physical and mental skills — to be better teammates and ultimately, better people. His 5:30 am team runs in the soccer preseason, followed by an hour of yoga, were legendary. “Whether it’s teaching yoga, meditation, coaching, or even talking sports, you’ve been an integral part of the community here. It’s easy to see your passion and dedication in working with your students, and there will certainly be huge shoes to fill. I thank you for your guidance, not only spiritually, but personally.” — Abe Rothstein ’21
DEB MCDERMOTT Preschool and Lower School Associate Teacher 25 years Deb McDermott was a passionate and thoughtful teacher to Packer’s youngest learners. She showed her love for children in all she did. Always making sure that each child was appreciated and placing great value on their social-emotional development and wellbeing, Deb brought mindfulness, meditation practice and a love of poetry and art to the Preschool. “For both of our children, Deb’s kindness and good-hearted irony made problems in the class light and solutions easy. Education for Deb seemed to be about showing how and not telling how. — Frank Ligtvoet P’24
GEORGE SNOOK Upper School History Teacher 30 years George Snook made history come alive by challenging Packer students to think, speak, and write critically and precisely. He was indefatigable in his commitment to historical scholarship, intellectual rigor, and innovative pedagogy. Packer alumni have been known to say of college professors: “he was no Mr. Snook.” “By being in his class we learned not just the facts of past events, but also the fascinating stories and wild occurrences that make studying history so exciting.” — Sam Levine ’21
CELESTE TRAMONTIN Upper School English Teacher 17 years Celeste Tramontin had a profound effect on her students and inspired a love of literature in her classroom. She led hundreds of students to form a lifelong habit of scribbling insights and questions in page margins, demonstrating their deep engagement. “We will miss her kindness and commitment, compassion and intelligence, depth and breadth of giving, and her boundless enthusiasm and humor.” — Georgia Groome ’21
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Last fall, PACKER ARTS welcomed audiences back to live performances once again, among them the Middle School’s production of “The Phantom Tollbooth” [pictured], and the Upper School’s production of “Antigone.” For more coverage of selected theater, dance, and music performances, visit www.packer.edu/performingarts.
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PHOTO: JULIE HARWOOD BROWN
A Sanguine Farewell to the Class of 2021 On a very warm June evening with the threat of rain, the Graduation of the Class of 2021 proceeded joyously, almost against all odds. In any other year, the unique hurdles that the celebration required — vaccination cards, health screenings, social distancing, and an unprecedented location: the rooftop of the Brooklyn Children’s Museum — might have felt daunting. But at the end of a year that seemed to test the community in countless ways, the atmosphere at the 2021 ceremony was remarkably comfortable and relaxed. In heartfelt and funny remarks, Senior Speakers Abe Rothstein ’21 and Jordana Sampson ’21 captured the optimism of their class. “As we leave Packer, do not forget how powerful your voices are. The only way for change is by using one’s voice to stand up for what you believe in,” said Jordana. “We have different voices, opinions, and passions, and each and every single one matters, but not just to us — to everyone. We have no idea how much our voice can help and impact others, so don’t be afraid to use it.” Find complete coverage, including hundreds of photos and a video of the ceremony, at www.packer.edu/2021graduation. SPRING 2022 | 15
A New Generation of Student Voices “
I joined the Student Council because I wanted the power and legitimacy to stand up for issues I’m passionate about. — Taspia ’22. Student Council President. Service Leadership Council. Co-leader of the South Asian Students Association.
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My goal in joining student government was to bridge the gap between the administration and the students. — Rohan ’23. Student Council Vice President. PALS (peer leader to Seventh Grade students).
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Today’s high school students don’t hesitate to call out racism, injustice, and inequity. Perhaps what distinguishes this generation from others is their commitment to move beyond rhetoric to concrete action and lasting change. In a roundtable discussion moderated by The Packer Magazine, a dozen Packer juniors and seniors share what inspired them to become leading voices in our community.
Karin Storm Wood, Director of Communications: When you reflect back, was there a particular moment when you found confidence in your voice? Sadie ’22: Before freshman year, I was a pretty quiet person. I was afraid to raise my hand in the classroom. In Ninth Grade, I took the risk of performing at Poetry Chapel [an annual tradition in the Middle and Upper School]. The community responded with huge applause. That gave me a lot of confidence in myself and in my voice. I started raising my hand more often, which led to me taking leadership roles in the community. Taspia ’22: I also presented at Poetry Chapel that year. I read
a poem about feeling alone with my identity sometimes. People assume I’m Indian: no one really knows what a Bangladeshi is. After that, I felt connected to the community in a way that I hadn’t before. Also, going to a lot of diversity events as a freshman helped me become someone who can stand up for what they believe in. Lucy ’22: Finding your voice doesn’t necessarily have to be in
front of a crowd. I found what I wanted to share with the world with Mrs. [Kate] Meyer in Middle School. She encouraged students to read current events, keep up with the news, and have class discussions about politics and government. She took the time to talk about what I’d been reading, what my thoughts were, and why. She pushed me to think more deeply and to solidify why I thought certain things or why I disagreed with certain points of view. That was the first time a teacher had taken me under their wing and nurtured my interest in government and politics. Zoe ’23: After hating public speaking and having stage fright,
in Eighth Grade I gave a speech in Chapel, about the use of images by Packer’s Communications Office and my concerns about tokenism. Ms. [Vidya] Misra helped me throughout the process of writing the speech. She made me feel very seen and heard. In terms of my own confidence, that came from small spaces, like friend groups of two or three, where we would share things specific to being a Person of Color, more specifically a Black girl, at Packer. Knowing that there are kids who don’t have the confidence to speak gives other students the confidence to speak up. Zoe’s Eighth Grade speech launched a series of conversations between the Communications Office and students that ultimately led to the 2021 creation of Students for Diversity and Equity in Communications. SDEC is a task force that helps inform how the school represents Packer’s racial diversity in its promotional materials, such as the website and this magazine. SDEC’s mission is to promote authentic student voices and depictions of the student experience at Packer while adhering to anti-racist communications principles grounded in consent, respect, and transparency.
Zola ’23: On the D.C. trip in Eighth Grade, I had a racist
incident with someone from another school. They didn’t
want to talk to me because I was Black, and I kind of closed off. I had never experienced anything like that. Miss Semeka [Smith-Williams], Mrs. Meyer, and Ms. Misra made themselves available to me. I didn’t feel forced to do or say anything: my comfort was really taken into consideration. Later, they suggested that I share my experience with my grade. It took their support for me to be able to stand up and say, “This is what happened to me. Hopefully this will make you think more about your actions and your words and how they affect other people, specifically People of Color.” Also, my musical background means I’m in a lot of performances. You have to just be on that stage and own it. That’s how I go through other parts of my life: even if I’m nervous, I don’t let people see it. Is there a bridge between confidence outside the classroom and confidence in the classroom? Charlie ’23: Yes. My freshman year, I was able to attend Harvard Model Congress in Boston. It was an amazing experience, standing in for a senator on the Judiciary Committee, voicing their point of view. I was also able to give closing remarks that combined my humor with my passion for politics. Creating a really dynamic moment that was appreciated by my peers meant a lot to me. Maryem ’22: This year, being one of the captains of the girls varsity soccer team, I had to use my voice in ways that I hadn’t before. Younger students looked up to me for guidance and leadership. That experience built confidence that wasn’t limited to the soccer field; it extended to other parts of my life as well. Kat ’23: I completely agree, and it goes the other way, too. In Ninth Grade Pre-Calculus, I was struggling during a self-directed math exploration we had to present to our classmates. I was extremely nervous, but I did my presentation, and people seemed to like it! The connections that I made with my classmates because of that experience allowed me to join the Women’s STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math] Club. It made me feel a lot more confident and got me out of a downward spiral. That moment stands out as a vivid example of me becoming more confident to speak. Sam ’22: I joined the varsity swim team in Middle School, as a very nervous Seventh Grader. All the upperclassmen were very welcoming. I realized that the only thing that was preventing me from being a part of the community was myself. That was because of their impact — their kindness and their including me.
What role have your teachers played in developing your voices? Talia ’22: Someone who was influential for me was Dr. [Sarah]
Strauss. In her AT Archives course, I kept picking out these really weird, niche topics. I was afraid of being judged, but she fully embraced them. That helped me to develop my voice as a scholar, to accept that I’m interested in niche stuff, and to just go with it!
SPRING 2022 | 17
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Meet the People Behind the Words
The goal of CAN is to connect students to outlets where they can make their voices heard and give them an opportunity to initiate change in their communities, or at least engage with the process, so once they are older, they have those tools and resources to continue that work.
Portraits by Lucia ’23 and Madison ’23
— Lucy ’22. Leader of Citizens Action Network (CAN). Co-leader of History Club. Students for Diversity and Equity in Communications. SOPRALTO (a capella group). Policy Group Leader of Earth Club. Student-Faculty Sustainability Team.
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Having heard students’ concern about how the Communications Office represents the Packer community, especially its diversity, it was important that action be taken to address it through SDEC.
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— Sadie ’22. Founder of Students for Diversity and Equity in Communications (SDEC). Editor-in-Chief of Packer Current Items. Founder of the History Club. Asian Affinity Alliance. Boundaries and Sexual Empowerment Committee. Varsity swim team captain.
The debate team is a great place for people to socialize and learn to articulate contemporary topics in a public setting. — Charlie ’23. Leader of Model Congress Club. Debate Team. Debate Club. PCI contributor.
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We’re working to make sure there’s more authenticity in the curriculum and in the way Packer presents itself, by incorporating the views of students of Color.
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— Zoe ’23. Change Committee. Students for Diversity and Equity in Communications.
I wanted SFJC to include voices from more diverse perspectives. We’ve moved to a restorative justice process, where everyone is able to share their side of the story. That was my main goal: to make sure that racist incidents don’t go undiscussed and those who were harmed don’t go unsupported.
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— Zola ’23. Student-Faculty Justice Committee (SFJC). Editor, The Packer Prism. Yearbook. Chemistry Club. Packer Current Items. Admissions Office Student Ambassador.
— Maryem ’22. South Asian Students Association (SASA). Women of Color Club. Varsity girls soccer captain.
Read more about the shift that Zola describes on page 10. Then consider a fellow student’s opposing viewpoint in the Prism opinion piece excerpted on page 23.
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We started SASA last year. I don’t think Packer has ever had an affinity club for South Asian students before. It’s really important to be able to form connections, celebrate our identities, and uplift our voices.
Charlie: In Middle School, I experienced many struggles related to confidence. My English teacher, Mr. [Todd] Johnson, had many meaningful discussions with me. He really cared, and it made an enormous difference — to where I’m now able to speak in class with confidence. I count myself lucky to have had him by my side and in my life. Zoe: Todd Johnson was a huge influence for me, too. He was
the first teacher who made me feel like I was being listened to when I expressed my concerns about the curriculum and social community at Packer. I was even able to critique his classes, and he just listened. That feeling of being listened to — and the belief that action would actually be taken in response — definitely boosted my confidence.
Maryem: A moment that was important to me was when we were doing a project on social movements in Tenth Grade U.S. History. Ms. [Sandra] Fahy had encouraged me to look into injustices happening in Palestine. That topic is pretty controversial in the Packer community. Ms. Fahy built my confidence in sharing my opinions, even if they’re shut down or disagreed with. She gave me the assurance to talk about something I was scared to talk about before. Taspia: For me, Semeka has been a great support. One day
during my sophomore year, there was a really big Continuing the Conversation [student-led teach-in] with more than 50 people in the room. At one point, no one was speaking. Semeka was like, “Taspia, do you have anything to say?” At the time I was kind of upset, like, Why would she do that? But now, I’m grateful for all the times she’s pushed me out of my comfort zone. Lucy: In Tenth Grade, I wanted to go to a conference on voting
rights in Albany, but my parents couldn’t take me. I kid you not, Miss Semeka was like, “All right. We’re going to make this happen. Let’s go.” She took me on the train. It was so nice! Valentina ’23: I want to shout out Dio Hernandez, the faculty
advisor to Sabores Latinos [the Upper School’s Latinx affinity space]. I wasn’t allowed to take Spanish when I entered Packer because I’m a fluent heritage speaker. But I wanted to perfect my grammar and expand my vocabulary. Along with other students, we’re creating a course for heritage and native speakers.
Students created the Change Committee in 2020 to advocate for more diverse representations of race, ethnicity, and culture across Packer’s curriculum. Since its founding, the Change Committee has engaged in dialogue with several academic departments to express its desire for Packer students of all identities to see themselves reflected in their studies. In partnership with Upper School leadership, the Committee also launched a system for students to provide feedback directly to their teachers, with an option for anonymity. (A student opinion piece from The Prism that questions this practice can be found on page 23.)
STUDENT RESEARCH “My research area is cosmology, specifically the expansion of the universe. Recently there’s been a crisis in physics because there are two ways to measure the Hubble constant — the rate of the universe’s expansion — but they disagree, and their errors don’t overlap. My mentor and I were looking into one possible reason: the shape of the universe. We created two cosmological models and put them through a series of equations on Wolfram Mathematica to find the relative luminosity distance modulus. When we compared those models to Lambda-CDM, we saw that the relative luminosity distance modulus that we’re basing our calculations on isn’t sensitive enough with the data we have right now to conclude anything. Until we can get next-generation experiments, it remains an open question.” — Ella ’23 is the lead author on a paper entitled “Spatial curvature sensitivity to local H0 from the Cepheid distance ladder,” recently published in the Journal of High Energy Astrophysics. Ella is in Packer’s Independent Science Research Program, a three-year course in which students undertake original research at college and university laboratories across the city.
Does having a strong voice define your generation? Taspia: I don’t think it’s unique to our generation. There have
been countless Packer students who did similar work but got little recognition for it. For instance, students have been trying to change the curriculum for a long time, way before the Change Committee was formed. The change in Packer’s administration has been a big part of that. For example, Maryem and I fought for a day off on Eid, a Muslim holiday. When I was in Middle School, my sister [Tasnia ’17] fought for the same thing and was shot down. Then when Dr. Weyburn came in, it happened. I think we need to do a better job of recognizing the work of past students. It rubs me the wrong way when current students are like, “We should have been talking about this.” There have been kids of color who were talking about this; it’s just that no one cared to listen. Lucy: I totally agree. In a broader context, outside of the Packer community, there’s the notion of “This is the generation of activism. This is the generation of change.” I think it’s meant in a positive way, but it feels like it writes off all of the work we’re doing, as if our generation is just meant to do activism, that it just happens naturally for us. A lot of the work people are doing is a result of what Taspia said: not being listened to for so long, and people ignoring problems like climate change and environmental injustice. This generation is realizing that we don’t have the luxury to just wait it out. If change is going to happen, it’s going to be with us. SPRING 2022 | 19
Meet the People Behind the Words Portraits by Lucia ’23 and Madison ’23
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A lot of artistic student voices come out at our annual Coffee House because it’s not a faculty-run thing. There’s no audition. It’s very loose.
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I’ve been involved in robotics since elementary school, and I wanted to bring the opportunity to pursue robotics to the Upper School. We’re a tight community.
— Talia ’22. Leader of Inquiry Club. Leader of Writers’ Club. Science Research Program. Peer Support Leader. Varsity softball. Editor-in-Chief of the Packer Yearbook.
— Cole ’22. Student Council Representative. Leader of the Robotics Team. Leader of Packer Computing (a computer science club).
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I started Black Girl Magic in the Tenth Grade, and it’s expanded to this beautiful circle of Black women at Packer — not just students but also parents, alumni, and teachers.
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— Krislyn ’23. Creator of Black Girl Magic. Peer Support Leader. Student Leadership Council. Change Committee. Continuing the Conversation. Students for Diversity and Equity in Communications. Diversity and Equity Council. Science Research. Dance Concert.
Women in STEM is a space where women talk about STEM classes and activities they’re doing. It’s a stress-free zone and a joyful place that’s connected me to some of the smartest people I know. — Kat ’23. Co-leader of Women in STEM. Co-leader of Art Club. PCI. Intersections. Yarnworks. Varsity swim team.
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— Sam ’22. Leader of Intersections (a journal featuring work by students in STEM).
— Valentina ’23. Student Council Secretary. Leader of Sabores Latinos. Leader of Packer Second Stage (a student-led theater company).
From an editorial standpoint, I felt that the submissions to Intersections were coming from similar places. I wanted to get STEM voices from as many different parts of the Packer community as possible, not just a select few.
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In Sabores Latinos, we’re working to diversify the curriculum to include heritage speakers and native speakers.
Zoe: I’ve been at Packer since Kindergarten, and the changes
being made now have been asked for every single year that I’ve been here. Now, there’s a lot more pressure on the school to actually make the changes — instead of saying, “we hear you” while nothing happens. Students are now allowed to critique the institutions that they participate in. Also, there’s a threat to Packer’s image because of the way people are demanding accountability. Our generation has been provided the space to be listened to and take action. There’s always been a huge voice, but now we’re being taken a lot more seriously. Kat: I completely agree, and I think the online environment of the pandemic contributed to that. The Zoom chats would sometimes be boiling with complaints. Our grade set up virtual meetings every couple of weeks to talk about issues at school. That made our concerns a lot more public. Rohan: It’s amazing how, two years ago, the administration and the students were almost feuding. Now we’re collaborating more. And it goes deeper than collaboration. It’s about creating plans to enact change. We’re seeing students raise issues and then follow up and be actively involved. This is from the majority of Packer students, not just student leaders.
Sadie: After an incident related to students a few years ago, the administration really listened to our concerns about consent training. That prompted the creation of the student-led Boundaries and Sexual Empowerment Committee. The administration really cared about what the students had to say. We were able to make changes to the student handbook pretty quickly. Rohan: Recently, a lot of students have asked to know their grades in real time, throughout the semester. The Student Council brought the topic up and provided data to the administration. Now we’re working on this issue with a task force that the administration created. Hopefully we can enact this change next year.
If you could go back in time, what advice would you give your Ninth Grade self? Cole ’22: The connections you can make in clubs and other organizations really help you find your voice and help you make an impact. Student activities are a key way Packer helps you figure out how to share your thoughts and what you know. If I were to do something different going into Ninth Grade, I would’ve gotten more involved in these things earlier, so I’d have had more time to cultivate my interests. Kat: As a new Ninth Grader I was just so intimidated by this new environment. I just wanted to be this little speck of dust in the corner that no one would bother. Maybe that was not the right mindset to have! So my advice would be to go to as many different club meetings as you possibly can. They’ve been a really positive force in my life that I wish I’d taken better advantage of.
STUDENT ACTIVISM “In honor of the Lenape peoples, The Packer Collegiate Institute recognizes it exists in Lenapehoking, unceded land. We recognize the Lenape community, culture, and traditions, past, present, and future. Packer was founded within the context of White settler colonialism, and upon direct exclusions and erasures of Indigenous peoples. We acknowledge the privilege and responsibility we have in learning and living on this land, and we promise to pursue this work mindfully and intentionally. “Large portions of the Lenape community were forcibly removed to Oklahoma, Ontario, and Wisconsin, yet New York City is the home for many Indigenous people today. This acknowledgment demonstrates a commitment to working to dismantle the legacy and ongoing impact of settler colonialism and to build a sustained relationship between Packer and local Indigenous communities. It also marks a commitment to continuous education about, awareness of, respect for, and celebration of the Lenape and Indigenous nations.” The Land Acknowledgment Committee, founded by Graham ’21, crafted the statement above. “It’s our intention for Packer to adopt this land acknowledgement as a representation of our community commitment to counteracting erasures of Indigenous people, and establishing a relationship with Indigenous communities in New York. We are committed to this work because we feel that the lack of education around Indigenous history and reality has left the community without an understanding of how Packer has benefited from colonization and the ongoing oppression of Indigenous peoples. “We hope the land acknowledgment promotes community awareness that lays the groundwork for reparations. We ask you to participate in this effort, think about ways to work towards decolonization, and/or give your time, support, or money to the organizations that serve Indigenous communities in New York or elsewhere.” — Frankie ’22, Gabe ’22, Judah ’24, Lola ’22, Maitri ’22, and Soren ’24 Sadie: It’s one thing to join something, but it’s another to actually be someone in that group. I joined a lot of clubs in Ninth Grade, but I was always just a fly on the wall. I was scared I’d do one thing wrong and be canceled or be embarrassed for the rest of high school! My advice would be: Don’t be afraid of the Packer community. It’s a really supportive, close, tight-knit place that will help you grow. Sure, there’ll be times when you’ll embarrass yourself, but you learn to move on. It’s never as big a deal as you think. P
This conversation was edited for clarity and condensed.
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YOUNGER VOICES
Where Student Voice Begins Though many people equate voice with confidence, it really stems from self-awareness and social awareness. In the younger grades, “we talk about how to embrace who we are,” says Bill McCarthy, Preschool and Lower School Division Head. “We talk about what makes us unique and special — as well as what connects us.” In his division’s responsive-classroom model, the day begins and ends with the students coming together in a circle. “They understand that they all have a part in those conversations, and that everyone has a different way of participating.” “And ‘voice’ isn’t necessarily verbal,” Bill continues. “It can be expressed artistically, in dance, in the games and activities they select during choice time. This connects to our Reggio Emilia philosophy, which sees children as capable and having infinite abilities — the so-called ‘100 languages of children.’” “In the Middle School, we help students use their voices to independently navigate things — in multiple contexts — without the need of adult intervention,” says Yves Kabore, Head of Middle School. “Ultimately, our work is to help them get to the point, as seniors, where they have a sense of self, they can advocate for themselves, and they know how to live in community with others.” Ultimately, developing student voice is not about “trying to prepare kids for ‘real life’ in the future,” says Yves. “What they’re saying now matters, and what they want now matters, and what they think now matters. They’re living their real life now.”
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With encouragement from their science teacher Sharon Melady, the First Grade recently sent emails to President Biden to share their concerns about the environment. They were very excited when he replied! “I urge you to remain curious, creative, and fearless,” he wrote. “Students like you are the future of our great nation, and it’s important that you speak up on the issues that matter most. When you make your voice heard, adults listen.”
Notes from the Classroom “We started the year looking at hip hop culture: how it creates community using different kinds of expression. One day a couple of the kids made a poster of a break dancer. Then they came in wearing suits with hoodies, saying, ‘We want to be a break crew!’ So I helped them create a dance floor. They were so into breakdancing that I connected with Alicia White, the dance teacher. She brought in capoeira and different African dances. She built on their energy and their momentum. Now they call themselves the Bunny Breaking Crew! I started it by introducing hip hop culture, but they took it in another direction, and I just followed.” — Eric Royo, Second Grade Head Teacher “In the Third Grade, students find their voice literally, by learning how to phrase their ideas and differentiate their ideas from other people’s. And in a broader sense, they find their voices by figuring out their opinions about civics topics or social justice issues. We often say, Here are the facts. Some people believe this, some people believe that, and it’s your job to figure out what you think. So we help them figure out their thoughts, then how to voice those thoughts, whether in writing, in art, or in a petition — whatever it might be. It’s really empowering for students to realize they can have an opinion. It’s simple, but powerful.” — Elisha Li, Third Grade Head Teacher “The emergence of the Chapel Committee over the last several years is a strong example of student voice in the Middle School. The students organize the announcements and design the games and competitions themselves. They always put together a really great program, and in a sense that’s an example of voice, because they’re very careful about who’s being represented and who’s being heard. Interestingly, we have a really strong group of Fifth Graders this year, and they were upset that their grade wasn’t winning any of the Chapel games. So the Chapel Committee had this lovely dialogue with the Fifth Graders, explaining some of the traditions. They asked for the younger kids’ feedback, saying, Please share ideas for games that you can win!” — Kate Meyer, Middle School History Teacher and Faculty Advisor to the Chapel Committee “In terms of student voice in the past several years, the students on the Change Committee [see page 19] had a huge impact. Their presentation to the English Department prompted us to analyze our practice — not just to find opportunities to diversify the content we’re teaching, but even in examining the process of how we’re teaching to reach diverse learners of every variety.” — Elena Megalos, Middle School Humanities Teacher
STUDENT VOICES
Opinions from The Prism The Packer Prism tackles a wide range of topics of interest to our students, from gender inequity in Packer’s shared spaces to microaggressions in the classroom. Here, we share a selection of recent opinions.
The New Cyber Bullying: Feedback Forms By Liam ’22 and Natalie ’23
Restorative Justice and Rules Are Not Mutually Exclusive By Laila ’24 In recent years, Packer has shifted the approach we take in responding to student misbehavior. Currently there is a resistance to creating clear rules, and as a result, consequences are vague. However, rules are essential because they provide consistency, expectation, and fairness. So, what are the consequences Packer students now receive, and what is the process for determining those consequences? Matt ’22, member of the Student-Faculty Justice Committee (SFJC), said that with this shift to restorative justice, the SFJC and adults in the community strive to understand students’ behavior through considering both students’ motivation and the impact of their actions on others in the community. As a community, we must consider how we can focus on restorative justice and benefit students in development, while also holding each other accountable. Without consequences ever being explicitly stated, and with the focus on a case-by-case approach to discipline, teachers, staff, and students are not clear on disciplinary procedures or repercussions… Having set rules and protocols will actually encourage the restorative justice approach, so students are held accountable, without bias or judgment affecting a student’s outcome. This is not an either/or issue. This is about making a plan so that students and teachers know what our policies are, so we can all feel comfortable in our community.
Anonymity is a tricky concept: on the one hand, the anonymous teacher-feedback form allows students to speak freely without fear of consequence. On the other hand, it allows students to speak freely without fear of consequence. While this feature makes the form a good way to report microaggressions or student discomfort, as was the original purpose, in practice, students have weaponized the anonymity, thus invalidating the real complaints — the ones the form was designed for. Feedback forms are a double-edged sword, and when taking a more long-term approach to analyzing their effect on student-teacher relationships, they seem more harmful than beneficial. It is not the job of students to take care of their teachers. But it is the job of human beings to have empathy for one another, and to treat each other with respect and a basic level of care. While hiding disrespect in anonymity is tempting, spamming a Zoom chat feels more effective in the short term, and joining arms in student-teacher email warfare feels like a winning strategy, students should first see how their teacher responds to a more honest, sincere approach. Undeniably, student feedback is important, and the administration is absolutely right in wanting to foster transparency between students and teachers. However, if students want their feedback to be respected, then they must likewise be respectful in how they offer their perspectives.
Read these pieces in their entirety online, plus additional selections from The Prism, curated by 2021-22 Co-Editors Apple ’22 and Julian ’22, at www.packer.edu/prism.
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STUDENT VOICES
The College Essay With support from our college counseling team and dozens of volunteer essay mentors across the school, our seniors craft powerful personal statements yet they rarely have wide readership. We wanted to change that with this moving reflection by Alex ’22 — plus a killer opener by Talia ’22 [see inset]. “Come la vuoi — calda o fredda?” I’d ask every new batter. “How do you want it — hot or cold?” It never failed to get a laugh. Not knowing the Italian words for “fastball” or “slow pitch,” I had to improvise. The older kids, ready to show off, would dare me to throw it calda. The newer ones, unsure of this strange American sport, usually wanted it ghiacciata — ice cold. And so I spent the hot summer days of my youth in a small Tuscan town, evangelizing one of America’s great traditions at il Campino, on the dusty, dilapidated playground on the edge of town. Since birth, I’ve spent two-to-three months a year in Terranuova Bracciolini, my mother’s hometown. Born in New York City, I’ve always felt like both a big-city kid and a small-town boy — one foot racing through the Big Apple’s busy streets, the other planted in a small Tuscan village. Every December, in the span of an eight-hour flight, I go from buzzing crowds and traffic and the scent of roasted chestnuts in New York’s crisp winter air, to the smell of wood-burning fireplaces and the tolling of the local church bells in the thick fog that settles on the Arno Valley each winter. Although Terranuova is a fraction of the size of New York City (about 1/716, by my count), my Italian community somehow feels much bigger; it’s a community built on family, love, and tradition. Maybe the clearest manifestation of that community is food. My earliest memory is sitting around Nonna’s kitchen table watching her cook. And while recipes like Nonna’s, passed down for centuries from generation to generation, are justifiably world-famous, what few outsiders appreciate is that in Italy, the food is not the main course. It’s the company, and the hours we spend together around the table. Meals in America are often a pit stop for fuel. Meals in Italy are sacred: no one watches the clock, and conversations continue for hours even after the table has been cleared and the dishes washed, dried, and put away. In Italy, it’s not just about what you’re eating, it’s about who is at the table with you. Hosting a meal is offering your home, no matter how modest, as the place where a true communion can happen between friends and family. Italy’s traditional dishes, familiar to people all over the world, are delicious, but it’s the good feeling and collective warmth they generate that’s the point. It’s ensuring that every guest knows that he or she matters.
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Living in Italy has also stamped on my soul a love of history and art. Like the Arno Valley’s winter fog, Italy’s omnipresent beauty gets underneath your layers of protection and seeps into your bones. After traveling to Rome a few years ago, I felt inspired to explore the incredible history of this two thousand-year-old civilization, whose politics, laws, and artistic monuments remain so foundational to Western culture. I’ve begun to study Latin and have pursued independent study programs on Roman history, and I hope to major in Classical history. So many echoes from the ancient world can still be heard today. When I’m back in the United States, though, it’s not only the ancient world that I bring with me from Terranuova. Just as I exported a little bit of America to il Campino when I was a child, so today I bring the values and traditions of my mother’s country to my life in Brooklyn. My family’s house on Amity Street is a second home to my friends. It’s where we meet, where we eat, and where we share with each other the daily victories and struggles of teenage life. Dinner time is still sacred, and there’s always plenty of room around the table for the unexpected friend who drops by to see which of Nonna’s recipes is on the menu.
When I think about it, I must have gotten my true crime addiction from my Grandmother. I remember sauntering into her apartment as a six year old, where infinite towers of books loomed over me, and I worried that they might topple on my petite Grandma Janice while she was home alone. I know that half of the 10,000 books in my grandmother’s apartment have something to do with true crime. Whether it’s a treatise on criminal psychology or a suspenseful Swedish crime novel, you’ll find it on my grandmother’s strained book shelves. I used to be afraid of what was written on those inky pages, assuming that the content would give me bloodcurdling nightmares that would keep me from shutting my eyes ever again. Elementary-era me would be shocked to know that true crime now helps me fall asleep at night. — Talia ’22 Read the rest of Talia’s essay, and additional examples, at www.packer.edu/2022essays.
ALUMNI VOICES
Becoming Braver Alumni reflect on the Faculty members who helped them find their voices, and more. From Sara Mandelbaum ’77: From Fifth through Twelfth
Grade, Packer was my sanctuary. In the 1970s there was a clear separation between private family life and the quasi-public self that you dressed and brought to school. So if there was trouble at home — alcoholism, depression, drug use, physical or mental abuse, violence, divorce — no one talked about it at school. Even if my teachers didn’t know exactly what was going on at home, some of them were somehow aware that something wasn’t right. Jane Rinden, in particular, must have sensed something — how else to explain why she seemed to care so much about me? When I was in her class and discussing Gatsby, Faulker, or Dostoyevsky, nothing could harm me. It was Fred Johnson’s French class and his plays, Linda Ray’s dance classes and concerts, that made me feel like a worthwhile person. I think about Packer all the time these days, and how most of the things I am passionate about started within those walls — in those classrooms, the Pratt Theater, the Chapel, and the Blackburne Library. I think about all the unspoken private things my classmates were likely experiencing as well, and I hope that Packer gave them a sense of safety and self-worth as it did me. Would it be an exaggeration to say that Packer saved my life? Maybe a little bit, but not much. From Corey McBeth ’91: My chemistry teacher, Mary Andrews, could not figure out why I wasn’t doing well in
class because she felt I was more than capable. She sought out Dennis Britton — the physical education teacher and varsity basketball coach — to speak to me. She thought that maybe as one of the very few Black male students at Packer, I might be able to open up about my academic struggles to Coach Britton, as one of the only Black male faculty members. I guess she felt maybe there were some things she didn’t understand about me and could not relate to as a White woman from Minnesota. And I thought that was so dope, that she would go to those lengths to ensure my success when she could have just graded me based on the effort I gave at the time. My respect for her increased immensely because of that… and because she loved to play basketball and had a decent jumpshot. From Isabel Dulfano ’77: From the lasting relationships I made with teachers like theater guru Hal Wicke and math wizard Tom Sonnabend, who remains a close friend, to the vast array of classes that cemented my intellectual foundations in liberal arts, Packer was generously instrumental in my
Jane Rinden in the 1977 Yearbook; Mary Andrews and Dennis Britton in the 1991 Yearbook
growth. As a Hispanic woman and full professor at the University of Utah in Latin American letters, with a PhD from Yale, I have no doubt that those formative adolescent years played a significant role. Always grateful —for the friends, the social polishing, and the productivity that developed in that magic, ivy-covered castle. From Kenneth D. Mann ’88: Throughout my career, the
writing skills I learned at Packer have been a great advantage. Linda Dembo was outstanding in that regard. I can see her
corrections in my mind as I evaluate my organization, sentence structure, and word choices. Thank you, Ms. Dembo! From Hilary A. Fox ’85: I’ve always felt a certain confidence
that I know who I am, but that confidence grew as a result of encouragement from teachers like Ken Rush, who showed me I had skills that went well beyond drawing the cartoon characters I was known for; Kathy Emery, who allowed me to trust my interpretations and opinions; Hal Wicke, who asked me to be stage manager for the Christmas pageant when I had no notion of doing any such thing. One becomes a little braver and more willing to try from such moments.
Submissions have been edited for clarity and condensed. Many thanks to all of the alumni who shared their reminiscences with The Packer Magazine.
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Alumni News
#PACKERPRIDE Meet our new City Council Representative! After an energetic on-the-streets
primary campaign last spring (including many chats with Packer parents at morning drop-off), Lincoln Restler ’02 won the general election to represent District 33, which includes parts of Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Downtown Brooklyn, and Brooklyn Heights. He was officially sworn at a socially-distanced ceremony outside City Hall on January 1, joined by family members and fellow alumni from the Class of 2002 [see page 51]. 26 | THE PACKER MAGAZINE
Lessons Learned at Packer: Aysha E. Schomburg, JD ’91 Speaks at 110th Founder’s Day Aysha Schomburg serves as the Associate Commissioner of the Children’s Bureau, which oversees $10 billion in funding for child welfare, adoption, foster care, and prevention services nationwide. Prior to her appointment to the Biden Administration, she expanded school support for LGBTQ children and financial services for foster youth through her work at New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services. A lifelong civil servant with degrees from the University of Virginia, New York University, and New York Law School, Aysha delivered Packer’s 110th Founder’s Day address, excerpted below. I graduated from Packer over 30 years ago. The lessons I learned, that have been the cornerstones of my professional life, can be narrowed down to four pillars: I learned to listen, to question, to debate, and to navigate. I remember Mr. [James] Brodie’s English class. He began reading to us from The Catcher in the Rye. I remember thinking, “Why is he reading to us? We are Ninth Graders who read at college level. This is a joke!” But it was not a joke. Sitting for an entire class period while the teacher read was an exercise in listening for comprehension. I can’t begin to tell you how important being a good listener has been for me in my personal and professional life. Some people think the smartest person in the room is the person doing all the talking. I think the smartest person in the room is the one doing all the listening. I also learned the value of asking questions at Packer. In Erland Zygmuntowicz’s anthropology class, I remember reading an essay about the so-called “Nacirema” people, and being fascinated by questions we should be asking about our own ethnocentricity [Nacirema is “American” in reverse — Editor]. I learned to question for comprehension, and, frankly, to question authority. This simple act of questioning can lead to transformational change — within the federal government and beyond. Listening and questioning will sometimes naturally lead to debate. I remember our history teacher, Kathleen Emery, who was also our softball coach, asked questions of us, instigating debate. With Kathy as our softball coach, we never lost: we only had wins and learning experiences. Looking back, that philosophy was a life lesson all on its own. As I’ve moved through life, I made it a point to understand the counterargument. Indeed, in my current position, I have to understand the counterargument and know what the debate is. For example, when we’re proposing policy and budgetary
changes, we need to anticipate what the debate will be in Congress. We need to listen, question, and debate. Lastly, in order to be successful, and to make it to the position that I’m in today, I had to learn to navigate White space in the Packer environment. I was one of very few Black students at Packer among wealthy, White, often narrow-minded and biased fellow students, and White teachers, including some — not all — with zero cultural competence or sensitivity. One day, I arrived at my science class and was immediately told to report to the Dean’s office. A few days later, the teacher, who was White, had the audacity to tell my parents that she asked me to leave the classroom because “there was just something about [me].” Was it my Black skin? My pride? The combination of the two? My parents doubted she would give me a fair grade. But I chose to stay in her class. I wasn’t going to let her off the hook. I was learning to navigate w hite spaces and to hurdle White norms. I’m still navigating White spaces and hurdling White norms. Packer taught me the necessity of knowing how to do that. Packer instilled in me the unwavering courage to do that. On graduation day in June of 1991, I wore a Kente cloth — a visible sign of my African heritage — draped over my neck and my graduation robe. I was approached by the Dean, and told that I could not wear my “ribbon.” I explained to him it was not a ribbon but a Kente cloth. He told me, “Well, it’s not allowed.” I invited him to go and tell my parents sitting in the third row. I don’t know what happened, but I wore my Kente cloth that day. I walked up to the dais and received my diploma, singing. I’m still moving, still listening, still questioning, still debating, and I’m still navigating. Shout out to the Class of 1991! Thank you all so very much for having me here today. Aysha’s remarks have been edited and condensed. A video recording of her entire speech, plus a Q&A with students, is available at www.packer.edu/2021foundersday.
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Artists and Athletes in the News Film and TV director Malcolm Lee ’88 was interviewed in the New York Times about his recent film Space Jam 2. He spoke not only about his film, but about his childhood in Brooklyn and how he played “in this league in Brooklyn called the Youth Basketball Association” while his cousin “Spike [Lee]...was the assistant coach.” Malcolm also recently directed two episodes of the new Netflix comedy series, Harlem.
Ali Rosa-Salas ’09, artistic director at Abrons Arts Center, was recently profiled in New York Magazine’s The Cut for her work as co-curator of Nuyorican Mag, a website and Instagram account that amplifies the “social, political, and cultural contributions” of New Yorkers of Puerto Rican descent. Ali’s goal is to “champion undertold stories and undertold historical narratives.”
Actor Kimberly Marable ’01, who plays Persephone in the Tony Award-winning Hadestown, has received praise for her performance in the press. She has relished the opportunity to play Persephone, saying in an October 2021 interview with The Washington Informer, “It’s not often, especially as a Black actress, that you get the chance to portray a Black queen and goddess. Even more important to me, she’s a character who’s complicated and has real morals.” Kimberly has a long career on Broadway, including The Lion King, Sister Act, and national tours of The Book of Mormon, The Wedding Singer, Dreamgirls, and Hairspray.
Photojournalist Eric Lee ’11’s “Where We’re Really From” exploring Asian-American identity was featured on NPR radio and online. In his multimedia project, he interviewed and photographed young Asian-Americans to learn how they navigated the rise in violence and bullying against their community during the pandemic. Eric was the featured guest at the Alumni Book Club [see page 32]. At the time of publication, he was anticipating his exhibition in Packer’s Carol Shen Gallery in conjunction with his appearance at the 2022 Packer in Action program, where he will speak about his body of work, including his remarkable photos of the January 6 insurrection. Take a look at www.ericlee.co.
Musician Taja Cheek ’07 performs as L’Rain, an experimentalist, multi-instrumentalist composer and songwriter. Her first self-titled album debuted in 2017, and in June 2021, she released her second album, “Fatigue.” Her work recently received a “Best New Music” review from Pitchfork, which “[highlights] the finest music of the current moment.” In a July 2021 New York Times profile, renowned music critic Jon Pareles wrote: “[Taja] joined a Baroque recorder quartet in high school. ‘I hated practicing, but then I got really into it.’” 28 | THE PACKER MAGAZINE
Ranked 36 in the world, Haley Mendez ’11 has resumed competition with the Professional Squash Association (PSA). “Continuing to stay healthy and enjoying competing are always the goals! The next benchmark would be breaking the top 32,” she said in a 2021 interview with the PSA World Tour. Did we miss a scoop? Let us know! Email David Minder at dminder@packer.edu.
PHOTOS: M. LEE: JAI LENNARD; MARABLE: AMBE WILLIAMS/IMDB; CHEEK: DONAVON SMALLWOOD/THE WIRE; ROSA-SALAS: NAIMA GREEN; E. LEE: ERIC LEE; MENDEZ: PSA WORLD TOUR
Clockwise from top left: Malcolm, Haley, Taja, Ali, Eric, Kimberly.
Zamien Allard ’19 Opens Up About @BlackatPCI In the spring of 2020, Black students and alumni from predominantly White schools across the country posted on social media about their experiences with racism and bias. Zamien Allard ’19 watched the rise of the Black@ movement, and after a few days, he created @BlackatPCI on Instagram with several other Packer alumni, ultimately publishing 120 posts. Today there are more than 230 Black@ accounts about U.S. schools. Zamien has served as a member of the Packer Anti-Racism Council (PARC), established in September 2020 as part of Packer’s Anti-Racism Action Plan. What was your role in the creation of @BlackatPCI?
I was aware of the movement early on. I waited a few days to see if anyone one made an account about Packer. When it seemed no one was, I realized it would feel good to share my concerns about what had happened to me, that I’d been holding in all these stories for years. The world was paying attention. I didn’t have to hold it in anymore. So I started texting a few of my old classmates and people in other grades to enlist some help with management and outreach. What can you share about the leadership of @BlackatPCI?
There was a team of us. We decided on everything together for the most part. You said that you had been “holding in all these stories.”
PHOTO: SELF PORTRAIT BY ZAMIEN ALLARD
Can you share one of them?
Sure. After I was accepted to Packer for Seventh Grade, I shadowed some Sixth Graders for a day: one White student and two Black students. At break time, a White student, surrounded by her White friends, shouted, “Why is this Black kid here? Why does Packer assign two Black dudes to the Black kid? How many more Black students does Packer need?” I watched in horror as she and her friends started laughing. The people around us either looked on in silence or laughed along with them. I don’t think the incident was ever reported. I chose not to say anything myself, out of fear of not being believed or even having my admission taken away. I knew an opportunity like Packer was rare for kids who looked like me. Learning to suppress all the discrimination and racism I experienced at Packer started that day. It got to the point I didn’t even realize I was doing it anymore. I never even told my parents or friends what had happened to me, so it was extremely cathartic to acknowledge it. I didn’t have to lie to myself anymore and pretend these things didn’t occur.
with the account and my role in it. I wish someone had reminded me to take time for myself instead of constantly being in “go” mode. I often wondered how other people viewed the account, especially White people. Cancel culture was brought up a lot that summer, and I hoped people realized we were not trying to cancel anyone. The majority of people contributing to @BlackatPCI just wanted to share experiences. In that context, people should consider if someone is really being canceled or just being called out. I don’t think if you’re being called out, you’re being canceled. You’re just being called into the conversation. What were the best-case scenarios you were hoping for?
For teachers, I hoped they would find it in themselves to change and be better. For Packer, I hoped it would support that process by enacting policy changes or giving additional training. For students, I hoped they would see and understand what they did and how it made certain people feel, and that they would work on themselves over time. Do you think that Packer helped you find your voice?
I was inspired by other students who were active in efforts to change their communities, both within Packer and beyond. So I would definitely give the credit to my classmates.
If you could go back in time with @BlackatPCI, what advice would you give yourself?
What is your hope for Packer in ten years?
I am at such a different point in my life now than I was that summer. I never got a chance to really process what happened
In ten years, I hope the culture at Packer has shifted, and there is never a need for another @BlackatPCI account. SPRING 2022 | 29
Lois Lowry ’54 IVAc Looks Back Two-time Newbery Award Winner Lois Lowry is widely considered one of the most important children’s writers of the twentieth century. Her 50th novel for young adults, The Windeby Puzzle, will be published in September 2022. In a recent Q&A with The New Yorker, excerpted below, she recalled some of her most popular and influential books, including The Giver.
Literature, for all of us, is a way that we rehearse life. And, of course, I don’t have that much life left. I’ve already experienced everything that one can experience. But kids who are ten years old, they have it all in front of them, and some of it is going to be very, very hard. When they read about people experiencing those hard things, they rehearse how they would react, feeling it without having to truly feel it yet. It serves a valid purpose for them. On the importance of representation in children’s literature
Suddenly publishers are needing and wanting books dealing with diversity, dealing with racial issues, dealing with transgender issues. All of the stuff that’s in the news is now appearing in literature.
I think the pendulum will come back to a middle ground where those things will be addressed — and, I hope, addressed well — without being in every single book, the way it sometimes seems they are now. But those books are important. Those kids — Black, Hispanic, Asian, trans, gay, whatever — need to see themselves reflected in contemporary literature. For many years, White, intact, often suburban families have been overrepresented in kids’ books. Those are, in fact, the books I’ve written. And I’m newly aware of how lonely it must have been for those who never saw themselves as the protagonists in the stories they read. So certainly it is time. Past time. From The New Yorker, December 26, 2021 (online edition).
Alumni Books Check out these recent releases from Packer Alumni! Learn more about their publications in Class Notes. Carolyn Kay Brancato ’62 IVAc released a new novel, The Night Belongs to the Marquis, set during World War II and based on interviews she had with members of the French Resistance. Barbara Simpson Gold ’62 IVAc co-authored A Guide to
Latin Elegy and Lyric, which explores the language, themes, motifs, and context of Latin poetry in the Augustan Age. She is the Edward North Professor of Classics Emerita at Hamilton College. Suzanne Koven ’75 published Letter to a Young Female
Physician. Her memoir highlights the challenges she has faced in her roles as “a doctor, mother, wife, daughter, teacher, and writer” and the “twilight of her career during the Covid 19 pandemic.” 30 | THE PACKER MAGAZINE
Melissa Balmain Weiner ’83 celebrated the release of her
new collection of comical poems, The Witch Demands a Retraction: Fairy Tale Reboots for Adults. Amy Sohn ’91 released The Man Who Hated Women:
Sex, Censorship, and Civil Liberties in the Gilded Age, which details the history of anti-vice activist and U.S. Postal Inspector Anthony Comstock, and those who opposed his war on women’s rights. Amy is the New York Times-bestselling author of twelve books, including the novels Prospect Park West, Motherland, and The Actress. Zachary Wright ’01, an award-winning educator, released
a new book, Dismantling a Broken System: Actions to Bridge the Opportunity, Equity, and Justice Gap in American Education. Throughout his fifteen-year career, he has written about discrimination in the classroom and how to be an activist within the American education system.
LOWRY PHOTO: MATT MCKEE/HOUGHTON MIFFLIN HARCOURT
On the role of literature in children’s lives
Today’s Leaders, Tomorrow’s Alumni Every year, our Director of Alumni interviews student leaders for the 5,000-strong alumni readers of The Packer Magazine. Enjoy David Minder’s conversation with Student Council President Taspia ’22 and Vice President Rohan ’23. What do you think sets Packer apart? Rohan: The community here at Packer is extremely strong, both student-to-student and student-to-faculty relationships. I think students feel comfortable communicating their needs and wants to teachers. Taspia: The way the school has taught me to stand up for myself and the injustices I see is very special. Packer encourages students to be advocates and prioritizes it as an important part of their education. What was a memorable or defining experience for you?
“ Packer has helped make me an outgoing, friendly person who is willing to tackle issues and lead groups. I’m very appreciative of that. ”
How does it feel to be a Packer student today? Taspia: Packer feels a little rocky to me. I think that’s due
in part to all the administration changes and everything that’s happened over the past couple of years, with protests for change. Students need to spend time getting acclimated to the new administration and all the other developments at the school.
Taspia: The Symposium trip I took to Peru sophomore year. That was the first time I traveled outside the country without my parents, so it taught me how to be more independent and encouraged my learning of the Spanish language and culture. I came home more globally minded, and the relationships I formed [with classmates] on that trip are very dear to me.
Rohan: I feel very comfortable working with the administration now. Bringing student needs to the administration, and working with them instead of against them, has been a shift over in the past two years. Now, we put an emphasis on working together. [Read more in our feature story on page 16.]
Rohan: For me, it was a Packer trip to the Dominican Republic
What are your thoughts and reactions after
in Eighth Grade. We paired with the Mariposa Foundation and helped mentor young women while they taught us Spanish. Living with classmates and eating meals together brought everyone closer. That was very impactful. What has been your goal for the year at Packer? Rohan: Last year we were hybrid, which was tough on a
lot of students. So, trying to bring back some school spirit and Packer clubs was something I wanted to focus on. Some of them are just for fun, but a lot of them work toward meaningful change.
meeting with members of the Alumni Board? Taspia: I’m very appreciative of the work the alumni do to
make Packer better and keep it going for future generations. Seeing that has made me want to stay part of the school community and continue giving back for years to come. Rohan: Packer has helped make me an outgoing, friendly person who is willing to tackle issues and lead groups. I’m very appreciative of that. I would love the opportunity to be a part of the Board, donate or contribute back to this community after graduating.
Taspia: For me it was to make Packer a safer, more inclusive
What would you say to the graduating class?
space for everyone, especially those who feel underserved in our community, like People of Color and other minority groups. I think that was highlighted in my work as the leader of the South Asian Students Association and other diversity work I’ve done over the years. One of my other main goals was to do things within the community to help educate and spread awareness about global issues, so students are inspired to make changes to create a better world.
Rohan: As a junior, I’ve formed very strong relationships with some of the seniors. There’s going to be a lot of “I’ll miss you.” Taspia: Oh, that’s really sweet. For the seniors, it’s also going
to be a lot of “I’ll miss you!” And I’d add: “Take what Packer has given you, and use it to your full capacity.” Rohan: If I could use one phrase, it would be “inspire change wherever you go.”
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Introducing Our New Alumni Board Members Our alumni fulfill a wide range of voluntary roles in service to one another and our school, from Class Agents and Class Correspondents to Reunion Chairs. The Alumni Board is their leadership body, and in 2021, they welcomed four new representatives. Gabriella Antonio ’13 [above left] attended Packer from
First to Twelfth Grade, which she credits for igniting her passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion. After graduating, she received her BBA from Villanova University. She is currently a DEI manager at Endo International. She looks forward to continuing to work on these initiatives with Packer and is excited to serve on the Alumni Board.
Jonathan Marable ’04 [third from left] attended Packer from Third to Twelfth Grade, received his BA at Dartmouth College and MCRP from Pratt Institute, and after more than 10 years working in the public and non-profit sectors in New York and abroad, now works with the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. He looks forward to supporting current students and working with the board to find ways to keep recent graduates engaged.
Deneen Jackson ’96 [second from left] attended Packer from
Julian Wachner ’87 [above right] is an American composer,
Kindergarten through 12th Grade. She went on to receive her BS from Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus. She is the regional manager for oncology and women’s health at Invitae, a genetic testing company. She’s a successful sales and business development professional in the molecular diagnostics industry. Deneen looks forward to finding new ways for alumni to reconnect with Packer and engage with current students.
conductor and keyboardist. After graduating from Packer, he received his BA and DMA from Boston University. Since 2011, he has served as the director of music and the arts at Trinity Wall Street, conducting the Choir of Trinity Wall Street, the Trinity Baroque Orchestra and NOVUS NY. Julian is already working with the Alumni Board on new programming that will bring more alumni in the arts back to Packer.
Recent Events For our third annual Fall Back to Packer event, we invited our college-aged alumni to visit campus before the Fall break to see one another and the Packer teachers they miss, over some hot apple cider and pumpkin pie! This year, the Alumni Office has partnered with the Upper School Career Exploration Network Club (CENC) — led by Danny ’23, Azalea ’23, and Lucas ’23 — to connect current students with alumni, parents, and other speakers who can provide insight into their careers interests. In Fall 2021, Packer alumnus and parent Harry Simmons ’94, P’35 spoke about his career in sales at IBM and Microsoft, and his current work as president at Amplify by Write Label and global head of sales at Write Label. Our recently launched Alumni Book Club continues Packer’s tradition of life-long learning while getting alumni together to discuss contemporary books. Its third meeting focused on Cathy Park Hong’s Minor Feelings:
32 | THE PACKER MAGAZINE
An Asian-American Reckoning, and the guest speaker was none other than Eric Lee ’11 [see page 28]. If you are interested in joining the Alumni Book Club, please email David Minder at dminder@packer.edu. (And geography is no object: the group meets over Zoom!)
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Brothers Teddy ’31 and Charlie ’32
brandish their bandaids at the school’s Covid-19 vaccine clinics last fall. Nearly 175 of our under-12 students received their shots at Packer! The clinics were spearheaded by the Nurses’ Office, in partnership with Heights Pediatrics, and made possible by the efforts of many people across the school.
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170 Joralemon Street Brooklyn, NY 11201 (718) 250-0200 www.packer.edu
See You Soon! Reunion 2022 will take place at Packer on Friday, May 20, and Saturday, May 21. For more information, visit www.packer.edu/reunion.
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