Planning for our future

The Berman Family

Erika Korb and L. Gerace

Alumni notice that education of the character and intellect go hand in hand.

WHAT HAS BEEN GREAT ABOUT YOUR CHILD’S/CHILDREN’S EXPERIENCE SO FAR?

“I think the thing that is still unique to TPS is that both of my kids are comfortable speaking their minds and interacting with adults. I think TPS has given them both the confidence to succeed outside of the school both socially and academically.” MICHAEL BERMAN ‘84

“It is very special to see him grow to be close friends with other second generation TPS families like Levi Fiebach, as well as making new friends (how does that song go?). I will say that Henry loves the garden – it is a great imaginative place for him and his friends, and there’s also something very TPS about the fact that the Pre-K and Kindergarten have that space to themselves, where even the Kindergartners get to be the big kids sometimes.”

DANIEL MOZES ‘00

“His excitement about going to school and learning. Last weekend we were passing a cut out layered rock formation on the highway. As I attempted to explain what we were looking at, I was informed that he was learning about the underground and was provided a lesson on the different horizons underground.” BILL MORLOK ‘00 “Sloane’s experience has been great so far! One thing that stands out to me is how even when it came to “soft skills” like making new friends, Sloane’s teachers were there to scaffold the experience and support her in the process!” ANNA REICHLIN TAYLOR ‘04

“Our kindergartener settled right into TPS this fall and clearly felt comfortable right away thanks to the efforts of the amazing teachers and staff. She’s also coming home with tons of new knowledge, ideas, and songs, some of which I remember from my TPS time!” ERICA KORB ‘97

Cara Smith and D. Smith-O’Neill

ALUMNI PROFILE Alex Zimmerman

Unearthing a Slice of History: 2004 graduate, Alex Zimmerman kept and recently opened a time-capsule he made in his Primary classroom in 1997.

As part of the celebration of The Philadelphia School’s twenty-fifth anniversary in 1997, the students in Maureen Glaccum’s and Elizabeth Zack’s primary unit classroom (PU-C) created time capsules to be opened in 2022, an impossibly distant time in the future for those six and seven year olds.

The contents of these boxes (carefully labeled “Do Not Open Until 2022”) included two full-sized tracings of their bodies (one reflecting their 1997 self and the other what they’d look like in 2022), pieces of writing and drawings they did about themselves in 1997 and their hopes and plans for the future, images from magazines about their interests, and a letter from their teachers reminding them about what was happening in their classroom, the larger school community, and the world around them.

Alex Zimmerman (class of 2004) and his parents were most responsible for keeping his box safe over the ensuing twentyfive years, and over the Labor Day weekend in 2021, they opened his capsule together. Each of the artifacts was carefully documented, and the photographs were sent to both Maureen and Elizabeth. Maureen said recently, “When I saw what Alex shared, it certainly seemed like something Elizabeth and I would create: age appropriate, good writing prompts, opportunity for drawing, collage, and imaginative thinking. I LOVED that Alex remembered it and shared it with us-wearing his TPS shirt to boot!”

In 1997 Alex wrote that in 2022 he would be rock climbing on Mars, married with children, and living in Virginia. Alas, those plans did not materialize. He is living in New York City with a partner who is a playwright (no children) and working as a reporter for Chalkbeat, a non-profit news organization which focuses attention on inequality in public education. Over the past few years he has covered how the pandemic upended teaching and learning, exacerbated existing inequities, and how city officials are spending billions of dollars in federal relief funding earmarked for public schools.

Some “favorite things” identified in 1997 have endured while many have not. Reading is still something Alex enjoys; he has moved on from The Trumpet of the Swan, however. His passion for Game Boy, Nintendo, and Playstation has, thankfully, abated in favor of hiking and riding his bike.

Several friendships that were cemented in the primary unit continued through high school and college! Alex remembers shooting hoops with Sam Morris long after his TPS days, and these occasions often included both their dads until it became apparent that the young men could destroy their elders. Another TPS friend, Jake Robbins, went to the same high school, college, and shared an apartment with Alex afterwards.

While Alex doesn’t really remember much about the actual process of creating the time capsule, he did look for it from time to time, vaguely remembering that it should be opened about when he turned 30. Recently his parents moved to a new house and in the clearing out of the basement came upon the time capsule and artifacts from throughout Alex’s educational journey.

Daniel Spielman ‘84 Becca Fisher ‘00 Pablo McConnie-Saad ‘00 Claire Saint-Amour ‘13

Alumni Notes

Daniel Spielman ‘84

Spielman has won the Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics for “multiple discoveries in theoretical computer science and mathematics.” Spielman, the Sterling Professor of Computer Science, Statistics and Data Science and Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, has taught at Yale since 2006. In addition to solving long-standing mathematical mysteries, his work has led to significant and very practical benefits in the fields of computing, signal processing, and engineering.

Katie Dry ‘90

Katie is a program evaluator for the state of New Mexico’s Legislative Finance Committee. She and her husband have been living in Santa Fe for the last 14 years, raising their two boys, Gabriel (age 13) and Mateo (age 10). Katie recently sent news that Max Cooper and Sarah Campbell Cooper (both class of 1993) had moved to Santa Fe, and their children are attending the same school (Gabriel has since moved on to middle school).

Carolyn Braff ‘99

Carolyn is the head of brand strategy at Gatorade. An avid runner and cyclist in Chicago, she is the mom of two young kids who love the out-of-doors as much as she does. In addition Carolyn sits on the regional board of the Anti-Defamation League, is an alumni interviewer for Columbia University, and active with the Chicago Booth marketing group (serving as a mentor and speaker on panels).

Becca Fisher ‘00

Becca is busy with a career in real estate, mothering her young daughter, and serving as chair of the Thanksgiving Alumni Reunion as part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of TPS.

Pablo McConnie-Saad ‘00

Pablo received his Ph.D. in Public Policy from the University of Delaware on Saturday, May 28th, 2022. President Joe Biden was on hand to do the honors!

Laura & Veronica Schad ‘06

Laura is a social studies teacher at the Academy at Palumbo, her alma mater. Her twin sister Veronica works as an attorney at Devlin Law Firm. Both were married in 2021 and their story of how they arrived at choosing their mates was chronicled in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Andrew Chalfen ‘09

Andrew is a graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder Leeds School of Business with a bachelor’s degree in management. He is currently a product manager for Healthmap Solutions.

Claire Saint-Amour ‘13

Claire, now a graduate of Yale University, was awarded a Paul Mellon Fellowship for study at Clare College, Cambridge, for the academic year 2022-2023. Claire will pursue an MPhil in Classics, attend seminars on research skills and special topics, and work one-on-one with a faculty advisor who will guide her in developing and writing an MPhil thesis. The project that Claire plans to pursue is tentatively titled “Buried Texts: Autochthony and Authority in Greece, Rome, and Mesopotamia.” An outstanding achievement, and well deserved!

Eliza Cucchiara ‘21, Adrie Young ‘20, & Mira Young ‘18

Eliza and Adrie are both current students at Science Leadership Academy (SLA), recently organized a rally to give voice to issues they believe in. Students from Franklin Learning Center, Masterman, Friends Select, University of the Arts, and SLA were among those at the rally. Mira, sister of Adrie, was also present. Eliza, Adrie, and Mira give credit to TPS for giving them the confidence and skills to speak in front of audiences and provide them with the courage to showcase active and engaged citizenship. We are proud of our TPS alums for gathering and protesting in a nonviolent way and beginning real conversations about issues important to them. The event was covered by local television station 6abc.

Devin Gibson ‘20, Lida Goloveyko ‘21, Paige Murray ‘21, Reed McKnight ‘19, & Tony Regli ‘18

The FIRST Robotics team at Springside Chestnut Hill, Team 1218, boasted of five TPS alums, lead by Tony Regli. They competed in the FIRST Mid-Atlantic District Championship in Bethlehem, PA. They made it all the way to the quarterfinals where they lost to the 2nd ranked alliance. Their performance during the 2022 season, including being District Finalist and winning the Autonomous Award at a regional competition, has qualified them to be one of the 18 out of 60 Mid-Atlantic regional teams to advance to the World Championship in Houston, TX. They will compete as defending World Champions (2019).

Alison Campbell ‘06,

Alison has been involved in orienteering on a national and international level for many years. Members of the 2021 US National Team voted to elect her to a seat on the US National Team Executive Steering Committee (ESC). Alison has been a member of the US Team for over 10 years competing as part of the Development, Performance and Elite squads during her tenure on the team. She currently lives and competes in Glasgow, Scotland.

Honor Roll

ORGANIZATIONS

AmazonSmile Foundation

Arden Theatre Company Blueyes Foundation

Bright Funds Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation Campbell Soup Company Dry Family Foundation Fidelity Charitable Frontstream

Goldman Sachs

IBM

Independence Blue Cross Larimar Therapeutics Marrazzo Family Foundation

McKinsey & Company New York Life Insurance Company PAISBOA

Philanthropi Charitable Priscilla Foley Educational Fund Random House Sather Family Trust Schafer Family Philanthropic Fund Schwab Charitable SRS Sunshine Fund Susquehanna International Group, LLP The Blackbaud Giving Fund The Forman Family Foundation The Glenmede Trust Company The Kushner Charitable Trust The Peter and Nancy Thauer Family Charitable Foundation Underground Swag Committee Vanguard Charitable Vanguard Charitable/Kessler Fund

EXCEPTIONAL GIFTS

Deborah and Zachary Klehr Stephen Leitzell

$25,000 - $49,999

Anonymous Barbara and Chuck Widger

$10,000 -$24,999

Peter and Francesca Ammon

Anonymous (3) Matthew and Gabrielle Canno* Jacob K. Cooper and Natalie Aronson* Jeffrey and Mayva Donnon

Paul and Cecie Dry Robert Foley Alexis and Tristan Jones* Michael and Meeta Kerlin* Leonard and Susan Klehr* Eugene and Deborah Lefevre James Nam and Sun Park* Michael and Kate Riccardi Jennifer Rice and Michael Forman Rebecca and Daniel Shapiro* The Townsend Family

$5,000-$9,999

Anonymous

Sandra and Michael Dean

Adam and Stacy Douberly* Mark and Jennifer Freeman Lisa Heller and Harry Roth Drew Moyer and Jude Tuma* Melanie and Jared Pontz* Lauren and Scott Ravitz* Ellen Schwartz and Jeremy Siegel* JJ Shirley and Raphael Cunniff Barbara and John Stanley Lisa and Peter Sun

Megan and Andrew Townsend

$2,500-$4,999

Jane Ahn and Carl Park Michael and Lindsey Albenberg Anonymous Carolyn Cannuscio and Daniel Rader Derek and Jill Jokelson Jane Lawson-Bell and Edward Bell Alfonse Mandese

Ronald Ravitz Christine Reardon and Michael Davidson Alan Sandals and Alisa Field

Janet Weinstein

$1,000 - $2,499

Janice and Pete Albert Anonymous (3) Michael and Mona Berman* Mercedes Blackstone and Matthew Schaenen

Jenny and Luca Bogoni Carolyn Coleburn and Harry Philbrick David and Nancy Colman Ashley Feuer-Edwards and Douglas Edwards Evan Fieldston and Gabriela Marein-Efron Emily Foote and David Williams Harvey and Sandy Freeman Katy and Jason Friedland Jennifer Goldberg and Robert Ferrante*

Gary and Nancy Gordon Richard Heiberger and Barbara Bloomfield Mollie and Amos Henderson

Carolyn and John Hewson John Jackson and Deborah Thomas* Mary Ann Kerlin Eli Klehr Samuel Klehr Leo Korein and Ann Ritter David and Davida Krupnick Tom Lefevre

Jared Lieberman and Ilene KalterLieberman Ann and Ted McKenzie Sam Meek Katie and Philip Neff William and Jennifer Peranteau

Nina Rivera and Peter Hardy Patty and Stephen Segal Emily and Ryan Soloby Brian and Cheryl Stoyer Jami and Ken Young* Elizabeth and Richard Zack Michael Zimmer and Maureen MirroZimmer

$500-$999

Jeur and Annelies Abeln Erika Adkins Jack Adler, Jr. Anita and Erwin Andrews Carolyn and Arthur Asbury Roy and Ruth Brader Mathilda Edmunds and Stephen Groundwater Karen and Alexander Eifler Nicholas Evageliou and Jodi Chen Henry Fairfax Charles Finney and Stacey Trooskin Janine and Scott Heery Glenn Holsten and Peter Dobrin Carolynne and Joshua Kayser Allison Kirshner Oz and Sahar Oz Jennifer Lee and Brian Rider Bruce and Diane Luckman Marc Mannella and Mamie Doyle Mannella

Robert Manning and Andrea Missias Katharine and William McLaughlin Julie and Daniel Mozes

Ralph and Rose Mundy Lindsay Neil and Kayla Tibbals Ana and Rodolfo Perini Jane Rath and John Chase Karl Rickels Nathan Sandals and Michelle Liszt

Leah Sandals

Adina and Brian Shapiro Anne Treadway and Dennis Arouca Romuald Wawszczyk and Nicole Black Stephanie and Joshua Wolson

$250-$499

Valerie and Everett Abitbol Jonathan Adler

Julia Alexander and Andy Housiaux Mitchell Bach and Elayne Hankin Bloom Ira Brind

Tanisha and Jermaine Brockington Jeffrey and Diane Chalal Tina Skov Cowan and Brian P Daly Mary Crawford and Brett Skolnick Anna Donnelly and Jason Rothman Linda Donnon

Marianne Ruby Emmett and Gary Emmett Barbara and Nicholas Esposito Jim Fernberger John and Nancy Fischer Fritzi and Philip Franks Marjorie Gapp and Gregory Tobias John and Arlene Garvey Dennis and Stephany Goloveyko Campbell and Ann Grey Witold and Marcia Henisz

Farzana and Mohammad Hossain

Kenneth and Barbara Kalter Ronnie Kaplan Susan Katsekas Jim and Hannah Leckman Carol and Rafael Lissack Rosanne Loesch and Yves Quintin Rebecca Mazar and Ryan McCormick Girna Mendez-Adkins and Timothy Adkins Bridget Morris

Ian Nance

Maya Pindyck and Tyler Sargent Emma Powers Madhukar and Mamta Prasad Edward Resovsky David and Diana Ross Rachel and Michael Schade Rebecca and David Selvin J Kearney and Karen Flynn Shanahan Colleen Shanahan and Michael Fischer

James and Nancy Steele Lindsey and Derek Zinck