The Compass Fall 2011/Winter 2012 by The Windward School

The Compass

A Magazine for The Windward School Community Fall/Winter 2012

The Compass THE COMPASS Fall/Winter 2012

Head of School John J. Russell, Ed.D. Director of Institutional Advancement Barbara Drayer Editor Lindsay Kennedy Director of Communications Editorial Staff Christie Borden Associate Director of Advancement Georgette Calamari Executive Assistant Meighan W. Corbett Associate Director of Advancement Evelyn Poy Database Manager Photography Erik Bennett Lindsay Kennedy Scott Machover Al Pereira Design Frank Palazzolo Design for Business Printing Graphic Management Partners The Compass is produced by the Office of Institutional Advancement and is distributed free of charge to The Windward School community. Send name and address changes to: Office of Institutional Advancement The Windward School 40 West Red Oak Lane White Plains, NY 10604 E-Mail: advancement@windwardny.org Note: At The Windward School, a student’s class year is the same as his or her high school graduation year.

Calendar Highlights Sunday, January 27, 2013 The Windward School Winter Ice Skating Party 5:00 p.m. Citi Pond at Bryant Park, New York City Wednesday, April 10, 2013 Robert J. Schwartz Memorial Lecture 7:30 p.m. Judith C. Hochman Building, Red Oak Lane campus Lecturer: Dr. Maryanne Wolf Thursday, May 9, 2013 Special Persons’ Day, Grades 1-3 9:00 a.m. Windward Avenue campus Friday, May 10, 2013 Special Persons’ Day, Grade 4 9:00 a.m. Windward Avenue campus Monday, May 13, 2013 The Windward Classic Quaker Ridge Golf Club, Scarsdale, NY

About The Cover Lower School children pictured are in a language arts class at the Windward Avenue campus. Language arts classes at The Windward School are designed to give students at all grade levels expert instruction in reading and writing.

The Windward School Board of Trustees 2012–2013

Devon S. Fredericks President Thomas E. Flanagan Vice President Michael R. Salzer Vice President Fredrick Chapey, Jr. Treasurer Susan C. Salice Secretary Ellen Bowman Michael S. Bruno, Jr. Amy Jo Dowd

Mark A. Ellman Andrew R. Feldman Lori Garbin Mark Goldberg Arthur A. Gosnell John K. Halvey Timothy M. Jones Gregory Kennedy Stacy Kuhn Michael V. McGill Eric Schwartz Adam Shapiro Ann Sullivan Robert Sweeney

A Magazine for The Windward School Community Fall/Winter 2012 Features

Letter from the Head of School

Letter from the Board President

Windward’s Program: Math at The Windward School

Isabel Greenbaum Stone Master Teacher Award Winner: Valerie Greto

10 Graduation Speaker: Michael Stewart ’09 Urges Students to “Attempt the Impossible” 12

Tom Hyland ’05: “Windward Was a Good Place”

Lenora Rigoni ’09: An Artist’s Take on Windward

Evan Cygler ’06 and Denis O’Leary ’06: Cars for a Cause

News from the Lower School: Students Help the Food Bank for Westchester

News from the Middle School: 9th Grade Students Take Philanthropic Trip

News from the Middle School: WECARE Helps Bring Water to South Sudan

News from Windward New York: Campus Planned for New York City

News from WTTI: Dr. Judith C. Hochman Delivers Community Lecture

Faculty and Staff Notes

Judith C. Hochman Building Dedication – September 20, 2012

Campus News 30

Graduation Day: June 14, 2012

34 Outplacement Office News: School Acceptances 36 Back-to-School Picnic Brings Students, Families, Faculty to Red Oak Lane campus 30

First Day of School: In Pictures

Go Vikings! Athletics Review Alumni

42 Alumni Events 44 Alumni Notes 38

From the Archives The Compass Fall/Winter 2012 1

From the Head of School

Dear Friends, John F. Kennedy once remarked, “Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation.” The Windward School’s mission is the embodiment of this aspiration. I am extremely fortunate to be Head of School at a time when Windward is implementing a strategic plan that will transform the lives of even more students by providing greater access to its proven instructional program. This fall, I had the honor of helping our Board of Trustees dedicate the Judith C. Hochman Building at the Red Oak Lane campus. Named for our former Head of School, the Hochman Building is the new home of Windward Teacher Training Institute, which is responsible for training the School’s current faculty, countless teachers from public and independent schools throughout the region and future faculty who will be part of the staff at The Windward School’s planned campus in New York City. The new campus will allow 350 additional children to experience Windward’s transformative educational program and go on to lead lives of success and promise that President Kennedy described. In this issue, you will read about several alumni who have flourished thanks to the education they received at Windward. Tom Hyland ’05, an accomplished athlete during his secondary school years, graduated from Georgetown and devoted his time to serving others as an AmeriCorps volunteer before accepting a position at Morgan Stanley. Evan Cygler and Denis O’Leary, both ’06, built their love of classic cars and their desire to serve their community into a highly-regarded automobile show, the Scarsdale Concours d’Elegance, the proceeds of which are donated to area charities. Lenora Rigoni ’09, is now a confident college senior unabashed by her diagnosis of dyslexia, and a talented, inquisitive artist. The foundation set by Windward nurtured the skills of these remarkable alumni, who have used their incredible talents to better the lives of others. Year after year, the academic life of so many children is filled with serious challenges and the road to future success seems impassible. The Windward School removes these roadblocks from our students’ paths through its proven instructional program, one which has already transformed the lives of so many. It is a great source of pride for the School to be able to share the successes of our alumni with you as we continue to develop our current students’ abilities. We look forward to doing the same for generations to come. Sincerely,

John J. Russell, Ed.D. Head of School

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From the Board President

Dear Windward Community, I am excited to be able to share with you wonderful news about recent developments at The Windward School. In 2009, the Board of Trustees agreed that our mission is to “save more children” while “protecting the sacred,” by which we mean Windward’s proven instructional program. In order to do that, it was decided that the essential first step was an expanded Windward Teacher Training Institute (WTTI) with an auditorium for lectures, student performances, and community gatherings. I am proud to tell you that on September 20, 2012, Windward opened the Judith C. Hochman Building, the new home for WTTI. The Hochman Building completes the Red Oak Lane campus and provides an appropriate professional setting for the training of Windward’s next generation of master teachers, as well as educators from around the globe. The Hochman Building not only serves our current community, but is the springboard to staff a new Windward campus in Manhattan. Windward has agreed to partner with The Related Companies to construct a new school on 93rd Street, between Second and Third Avenues; the projected opening date of this new campus is September 2015. The Board is proud to be able to provide 350 more seats for children with language-based learning disabilities through this worthy venture.

...our mission is to “save more children” while “protecting the sacred.”

This year heralds the beginning of dynamic growth, as the School moves forward with its commitment to provide additional children with academic remediation. I hope you will join me in celebrating all that this represents for the Windward community as we look towards a bright future for the School and the children it serves. Sincerely,

Devon S. Fredericks President, Board of Trustees

The Compass Fall/Winter 2012 3

Windward’s Program

“I Understand Math Now”: Windward’s Math Department Helps Students Tackle a Tricky Subject

athematics can be a formidable challenge for many students, but for children with language-based learning disabilities, the subject often presents difficulties. Already struggling to read and write, the comprehension and mastery of mathematical concepts can be frustrating and overwhelming. The math department at Windward seeks to provide students of all abilities and grade levels with a comprehensive instructional program designed to guide them in strengthening their mathematical skills.

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Although The Windward School operates two campuses, the math department at the School functions as a cohesive unit, providing a strong academic curriculum that adheres to both New York State standards and the specific needs of Windward’s students. The School’s math coordinators, ToniAnn Hutchison, at the Middle School, and Lori Squillante, at the Lower School, along with the School’s administrators and math teachers, work to ensure that the curriculum for both campuses is seamless for the students. The School offers a multisensory, languagebased curriculum in all subjects, and math is no

A Lower School student tackles a math assignment in class.

progress is carefully monitored throughout the year, and if a particular math group is not meeting a child’s needs, he or she is moved into a math group that is a better fit. At the Lower School, the goals for students in grades one through four includes the development of computational skills, problem solving skills and reasoning skills. Since 2005, Windward’s Lower School faculty has utilized the Harcourt Math program, which adheres to New York State curriculum standards. The Harcourt program was selected because its approach emphasized the language and vocabulary of math, and as such was better suited for Windward’s students. Skills and concepts are introduced sequentially and are taught and practiced until students have mastered them, and mathematical vocabulary is reviewed to ensure that students understand it. Students cannot attempt to solve a problem unless they know what it is asking them to do, and teachers at all levels reinforce the instructional vocabulary in each lesson.

“The Windward School seeks to provide students of all abilities and grade levels with a comprehensive instructional program designed to guide them in strengthening their mathematical skills.”

exception. No matter the concept being taught, teachers at all grade levels provide direct instruction at all times. Students are not simply given an assignment or expected to tackle a new concept without any prior preparation; rather, everything that is introduced to the students is done in a step-by-step manner which ensures that all students have a proper foundation for the concepts they are studying. Children are thoughtfully placed in math classes at Windward. The School’s math coordinators, along with the math faculty and Dr. Roberta Solar, Head of Lower School, and Daphne Daddino, Head of Middle School, place students into appropriate math groups based on their computational skill level, conceptual understanding, and their language needs. Students’

In class, the Lower School children are introduced to basic operations, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, as well as basic geometry and graphing, word problems, and the concepts of telling time and money. As part of their instruction, the students are taught math concepts by using manipulatives–visual, hands-on learning tools such as pattern blocks, to help solve problems or underscore a tricky concept–and many opportunities are provided for practice. All work is done in graph-paper notebooks to help the children organize their work and learn to align their numbers correctly, and reference folders, compiled by their teachers, are on hand for the students to take home and utilize when completing their homework. These contain helpful guides to concepts taught in class, and the students can refer to them when completing an assignment. As they advance into the Middle School, students are introduced to a number of higher-level concepts. Fifth and sixth grade students review whole numbers and their applications, decimals and fractions, integers and basic algebra, while seventh grade students tackle more advanced The Compass Fall/Winter 2012 5

An eighth grade math assignment, accompanied by a student’s model drawing, demonstrates the steps needed to effectively tackle a particular math problem. The model drawing method, a feature of Singapore Math, is utilized by Windward’s math department.

algebraic concepts. Note taking strategies are introduced in the fifth grade, and students are taught to take notes in “one-thirds/two-thirds” format, which assists them in organizing information. Typically, eighth and ninth grade students are taught algebra and geometry to prepare them for high school, and are introduced to using a calculator at this time. Although today’s calculators offer a great deal, students cannot be expected to master their various functions without being properly instructed in how to use them, and math teachers spend time giving direct instruction in the proper use of the calculator. Advanced eighth and ninth grade students have the opportunity to take the algebra Regents exam at the conclusion of the school year. While manipulatives are used throughout the grades, both Lower and Middle School faculty make use of the SMARTBoards that are available in almost every Windward classroom. These interactive whiteboards enable the students to visualize concepts and manipulate problems, an important part of the department’s commitment to multisensory instruction. Students on both campuses have math one period a day, and begin their lessons with a warm6 The Compass Fall/Winter 2012

A Middle School student listens to her teacher deliver a math lesson. Older students at Windward’s Middle School are trained in the proper use of the calculator, which is not introduced to the Lower School children.

up problem or series of questions, all designed to review concepts covered in previous lessons. After reviewing the exercise as a group with their teacher, the day’s lesson is introduced and the material practiced. Prior to the end of class, homework is distributed and reviewed so that all children know what is expected of them. When it comes to math homework, teachers give students assignments they can complete independently and with confidence, and which reflect topics that have been taught in class. The School’s math department works daily to provide its students with the best possible instruction and many strategies for success. To that end, both the Lower and Middle School’s math faculty worked together to bring the concept of Singapore Math to Windward’s classrooms. Prior to implementing the program in the School’s classrooms, the administration visited local districts that had utilized the program successfully, and attended Singapore Math workshops. Once the decision was made to bring portions of the program to Windward, the faculty was offered three days of staff development training to acquaint them with the program and how to deliver it to students. Based on Singapore’s national curriculum, the Singapore Math program was first introduced at Windward in 2011. It was designed to supplement the School’s established math curriculum. Singapore Math’s methods help the students acquire number sense and problem solving abilities in a multisensory manner that is in keeping with the School’s manner of teaching. The program’s model drawing strategies enable students of all grade levels and abilities to tackle word problems without becoming overwhelmed by the language. Model drawing gives students a step-by-step method to interpret and solve word problems by breaking them down into key words and phrases, similar to the manner of the School’s writing program. Students are then taught to draw models of the problems to assist them in figuring out the answer, a multisensory method that works well for the students. Students who enter Windward’s classrooms having struggled with mathematical concepts tell their teachers time and again that the School’s instruction has made all the difference. “‘I understand math now,’” students report, and that is the department’s primary goal: to ensure that all students have a strong understanding of math and are able to approach it, both in academic and reallife settings, in a confident, self-assured manner. n The Compass Fall/Winter 2012 7

Faculty Profile

Isabel Greenbaum Stone Master Teacher Award Winner: Valerie Greto

There’s No Place Like Windward

or the past nine years, Valerie Greto has been an enthusiastic member of the Middle School faculty. After earning a B.A. degree in English from Iona College in New Rochelle, NY, Ms. Greto joined the Windward faculty as an assistant teacher, a position she held for two years. While on staff, she studied for a master’s degree in childhood education and literacy at Long Island University. In 2005, she left Windward to complete her student teaching requirements. She happily returned to Windward in September 2006, and has taught at the School ever since. She currently serves not only as a member of the teaching staff, but is the School’s Assistant Director of Outplacement, a role she took on at the start of the 2012-13 academic year. Noted for her dedication to both her profession and her students, Ms. Greto was the recipient of the Isabel Greenbaum Stone Master Teacher Award this past spring. The following is the text of the remarks Ms. Greto gave at the graduation ceremony this past June. Good evening, everyone. Being chosen for this award is undeniably the most unexpected honor of my career, and I wish to express my appreciation. I’d like to thank Dr. Russell, the administration, the Stone Foundation, colleagues and parents for this overwhelming honor. Again, to my colleagues–I am so thankful to work with a group of talented teachers who

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quietly dedicate their lives to inspiring children. I have learned from all of you. I’d also like to thank my mom, who is here tonight, for her unconditional love and encouragement and for instilling me with a strong work ethic. Without her, I certainly would not be standing up here today. To the surprise of some, I didn’t initially

Below: Valerie Greto, the 2012 recipient of the Isabel Greenbaum Stone Master Teacher Award, is pictured with Dr. Russell following her speech at the graduation ceremony.

begin my college career as an education major. While working toward my English degree, I considered entering into the world of publishing. One fateful semester I took a required course taught by a lovely nun, Sister Barbara. She soon asked if I would be interested in taking part in an internship counseling children. After a short time with this commitment, I felt that I had found my calling and was destined to work with children in some form. I may never have taken this path without the guidance and direction of the intuitive Sister Barbara. Could it be that divine intervention led me to this profession? Regardless of the path that led me to education, I am so fortunate that it guided me here to The Windward School. I first came to Windward as a teaching assistant while completing my master’s degree. Needless to say, I loved and respected the school from the start. Its philosophy, mission, and

programs all appealed to me. This School is truly a transformative environment. Sadly, I had to leave one year and complete my student teaching in a public school. Although it was a great learning experience, I always seemed to channel Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz. Every day, I clicked my heels and said, “There’s no place like Windward! There’s no place like Windward! There’s no place like Windward!” Obviously, I was elated to find a yellow brick road leading me back to our School community the following September. As every teacher in the room can attest, it is this dynamic group of students who made each day worthwhile and remained our motivation. From my very first set of students to those I just said goodbye to this afternoon, each child has had a lasting impact. It has been an honor to watch my students face their challenges with fortitude and emerge stronger and more confident about their abilities. To those in the audience whom I personally taught, I thank you for so many wonderful memories filled with learning and laughter. You all have worked extremely hard and accomplished so much, both academically and socially. Now that you’ve mastered so many skills and strategies, you can transition seamlessly into the next school year, confident that you have built the foundation for success. It has been said that great teachers inspire. Well, in truth, it is you that inspire us. While I

“I am so thankful to work with a group of talented teachers who quietly dedicate their lives to inspiring children.” am deeply grateful to accept this award, it is you, the students, who rightly deserve to be praised. Students, it is true that you may encounter cloudy days from time to time, yet take comfort in the fact that you have the ability and skill to create your own rainbow-filled days. As the theme song from The Wizard of Oz so perfectly states, I hope the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true. n The Compass Fall/Winter 2012 9

Graduation Speaker

Michael Stewart ’09: “Sometimes, the only worthwhile thing to do is attempt the impossible.”

Michael Stewart ’09 enrolled at The Windward School as a first grade student and remained at the School through his sixth grade year. He went on to graduate from Rye Country Day School, where he was actively involved in both the student government and the school’s theatre productions, and was eventually elected student body president. He is now in his senior year at Brown University in Providence, RI, where he is studying for a bachelor’s degree in American Studies, with a concentration in youth culture. He remains involved in theatre productions, spent time studying abroad at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, and has also devoted a great deal of his time to causes that seek to better the lives of others. In 2011, he worked at Let’s Get Ready, a nonprofit SAT prep and college counseling organization for lowincome students; he served as a site director in Stamford, CT. This past summer, Michael was an intern with Pencils of Promise, a nonprofit educational organization that builds schools in developing countries. He currently holds a part-time AmeriCorps position at a Providence-area high school, where he manages Brown’s college access programs. This past June, Michael returned to Windward to deliver the address at the School’s annual graduation ceremony. The text of Michael’s remarks follows:

ello, my name is Michael Stewart. Before I begin, I want to thank Dr. Russell, Ms. Daddino, Ms. Sweeney, and the Windward administration and community for inviting me to speak here today. I am incredibly honored and humbled to be the graduation speaker at the school that changed my life. I went to Windward from first to sixth grade, from 1997 to 2003. I don’t remember too much from my first few years at Windward. Looking back at old photos, I see a small and very happy kid. I had a huge gap in between my two front teeth, and loved anything relating to Star Wars or Legos. But those pictures don’t show how I had fairly severe learning disabilities. Diagnosed with dyslexia and attention deficit disorder, it took three years at Windward before I was able to read any kind of complete sentence. On top of all this, during my first year at Windward I was diagnosed with osteogenesis imperfecta. Commonly referred to as brittle bone disease, this condition makes a person’s bones less dense and more susceptible to breaks than a regular person’s. About every other year I would break an arm or a leg by falling off a hammock or playing dodge ball. It never affected my life too drastically until sixth grade. My year in sixth grade, the school year of 2002 to 2003, altered my life in many ways. Like my classmates, I was dealing with a variety of changes. It was the first year at the then “new” campus, and Windward was going through its own growth spurts, like many in its student body (myself included). The cafeteria did not

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serve food yet, and a few classrooms were not yet filled in. By that time I had also grown considerably. I was taller, and had less baby fat and more acne. At the very least, my braces had filled in the gap in my teeth and had taken away my lisp. By the time I was twelve I had become a strong reader, and greatly enjoyed learning and my schoolwork. Basically, I was a total nerd. On top of these changes in architecture, hormones, and level of academic motivation, my bone disease took a turn for the worse. Within a six-month period I broke five bones, increasing the number of fractures I had had from seven to 12, all by the time I was 13. Looking back at that fateful year, I remember many things: Ms. Plaskett’s math class, my first musical theatre–or cafeteria room– performance in Guys and Dolls, friends, and the various trips to the hospital and the doctor’s office. Looking back at these old photographs, I also remembered the middle school dress code: white or blue button down shirts, khakis, and a tie. At first I DREADED those ties! They were so hard to tie! They were uncomfortable and they made absolutely no sense! As the year went on, I learned to hate those things less and less. They became part of the routine. But more importantly, they became an important form of self-expression and form of personal control. I could wear almost any tie I wanted, and blue and white shirts get pretty boring after about four days. One tie stood out in my small collection: a black tie with different kinds of smiley faces on it. I must have worn that every third day. Again, I am a total nerd. Now I bring up this tie for a reason, besides

Michael Stewart ’09 and Maureen Sweeney, Assistant Head of School and Director of Admissions, prior to the graduation ceremony.

demonstrating my dorky sense of style. That tie served as a declaration of identity and spirit, both because of and despite the challenges I faced. I’ve lived with a lot of limitations that define what I supposedly can and “can’t” do. I struggled with dyslexia, ADD, and brittle bone disease my entire life and can give you, the graduates, one piece of wisdom I learned the hard way. Life is not about what happens to you, but how you respond to your circumstances. I could not control many things that happened to me. I went to school not knowing where I was headed, or when my voice would break, or whether I might have another painful injury. Despite this uncertainty, I pushed forward. When I realized sports were no longer a possibility for me, I auditioned for the musical, starting a lifelong love of music and theatre. This willingness to adapt, to be open-minded about new opportunities, was crucial to not just success, but even more importantly, to happiness. High school and the world beyond Windward can be tough. Sometimes life may seem unfair when you struggle with a concept in school that others pick up easily. At these moments you can either accept that you are supposedly “disabled” or different, or you can take ownership of your life and push forward. To quote Eleanor Roosevelt: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Sometimes this means working late at night on a research paper or presentation to get the grade that makes you happy. Other times this means bravely revealing your feelings and identity to others despite the pressure to conform.

Sometimes this means wearing a smiley face tie because it may be one of the few things in your life that you can control. If someone told me ten years ago that I would not only go to a great school (after having applied for the second time in two years), or that I would become the student body president of my high school and would also be the first member of my family to go to the Ivy League, I would have laughed at them. This was not an easy journey. It was made possible by the belief that working within limitations, whether they are learning or physical disabilities, or a dress code, can foster a spirit of defiance and more importantly, possibility. It made me believe that these disabilities, these “limitations,” were and still are only as important as we make them. Sometimes, the only worthwhile thing to do is attempt the impossible.

“Life is not about what happens to you, but how you respond to your circumstances.” As you leave here, looking back on what you’ve accomplished and what you are about to go into, please consider some pieces of practical advice. First, thank your teachers: they need recognition for their amazing work, especially from you. Second, hug all the family members that supported you on your path here! Third, find your own “smiley face tie,” that representation of your own uniqueness, that takes shape not despite of the restrictions against you but because of them. Thank you, and congratulations graduates! n The Compass Fall/Winter 2012 11

Alumni Profile

to reading and writing, and my parents knew about Windward. It was a tough choice to leave [Murray Avenue], but once I got to Windward, I was very comfortable.” First impressions mean a great deal, and Tom’s first impression of Windward has stayed with him. “I remember when I took the tour!” he said enthusiastically. “I remember how nice the building was, and how nice the teachers were, and it felt like a good place where I would do well. That’s what I really remember about Windward, how welcoming it was, and I really enjoyed my time there.” Under the tutelage of faculty including Ms. Carol Leahy and Ms. Betsy Weiner, whom he describes as “very instrumental in my reading and writing development,” Tom’s academic skills flourished. He also honed his athletic skills during his time at Windward, taking part in both cross country and basketball. Mr. Chris Eberhard, currently the Assistant Head of the Middle School, served as both his math teacher and basketball coach. “I played basketball growing up, both for my church and recreationally,” he explained. “In an organized sense, I’d been doing it for awhile. Cross country was my main sport at Windward; I ran in the fall and spring, and played basketball in the winter.” The skills and confidence he gained in Windward’s classrooms translated onto the athletic field. He competed in track meets and basketball games against students from the Fairchester League, a consortium of independent schools located in Westchester County, NY and Fairfield County, CT. Although he loved running cross country, he sought to become equally proficient on the basketball court, citing the differences between the two sports and the challenges they presented. “The biggest challenge for me, in terms of basketball, was improving. It’s important to remember how much teamwork is involved when it comes to basketball, as opposed to cross country,” Tom said. “You’re practicing as a group, but when it comes to the race, you’re on your own. I really learned to run at Windward; we had a really small, close-knit team, and it was a great place to run.” The camaraderie of Windward’s classrooms and athletic teams, however, came to a close for Tom at the conclusion of his eighth grade year, when he

“Windward Was a Good Place:”

Tom Hyland ’05

“

If you hear anything in the background,” Tom Hyland ’05 said, “it’s just Times Square!” Reached by telephone on his lunch hour at Morgan Stanley, where he works in the prime brokerage division, the Windward alumnus and former cross country athlete took time to speak about his Windward experiences at what is termed the crossroads of the world. “Windward helped me in all aspects of my life,” he said. “It was a good place where I was comfortable learning, and that was most important.” Tom arrived at Windward in the fifth grade, but his early elementary years were spent at Murray Avenue School, a public school in his hometown of Larchmont, NY. He was a happy student, with many friends and good teachers, but even this did not take away the fact that something was wrong. “Things weren’t clicking by the end of fourth grade,” Tom explained. “My struggles were basically related

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graduated from Windward. Suddenly, he was faced experiences in Windward’s classrooms when he with the prospect of returning to public school, and arrived at Cristo Rey, where he taught courses in he was more than a little anxious over the idea of English literature and writing. enrolling at Mamaroneck High School. “In my first year, I was a teaching assistant, “Oh, I was absolutely nervous to go to public and in my second year, I had my own class,” he school,” he said. ‘It was going to be much bigger, explained. “You’re on your own, and it’s definitely and I didn’t know what to expect. I was definitely an eye-opening experience. I can’t think of a job nervous because of that, and the homework. And right out of college that would give you stronger the writing!” characteristics as a professional. It was a rich While he moved seamlessly into academic life, experience, and I’m very happy I spent two years the road to athletic achievement at Mamaroneck doing it. High School proved rocky. “After I graduated “Not every student is the same,” he added, from Windward, I broke my leg pretty badly and reflecting back on the classes he taught. “It’s couldn’t do any sports my freshman year. It probably set me back a year or so “Not every student is the same, and it’s important not in regards to my athletic to treat every student like they’re the same. I know how development,” Tom said. important it is to have a good teacher and to give students “Sports weren’t there as a the resources they need.” safety net.” Nevertheless, Tom persevered, and by his sophomore year, he was a full-fledged member of Mamaroneck’s indoor important not to treat every student like they’re the and outdoor track teams, and remained an active same. I know how important it is to have a good participant through his high school graduation in teacher and to give students the resources they need. 2005. He went to the New York State qualifying Windward definitely helped me in the classroom races on behalf of Mamaroneck High School, and as a teacher.” and clocked in at 4 minutes for an average mileIn addition to his teaching duties, Tom helped run. While he did not know it at the time, his run Cristo Rey’s work-study office. As a complement running skills would eventually come in handy in a to their academic duties, students at Cristo Rey professional capacity. report to work one day a week at various entry“Right after college, I did a two-year volunteer level jobs scattered throughout Manhattan’s most program via AmeriCorps,” Tom said of the national prestigious corporate companies. The jobs are service program that matches prospective volunteers designed to give students valuable employment with opportunities to serve national and local experience while breaking the cycle of poverty. Tom nonprofit groups. He discovered the program while was responsible for managing the jobs of every a student at Georgetown University in Washington, student in the school, at companies that ranged D.C., where he earned a B.A. degree in sociology from McKinsey & Company to AllianceBernstein in 2009. “Many times [AmeriCorps] will put you to HarperCollins Publishers. When the school day some place randomly, but I fell in love with the ended, he coached Cristo Rey’s handball and cross high school, applied, and volunteered there for two country teams. years.” “I’ve coached running and helped kids out,” he The high school in question was Cristo Rey said. “Running’s great! I love it.” In his spare time, New York High School, located on Manhattan’s he has run the New York City Half Marathon, and Upper East Side. Part of the Cristo Rey Network, recently participated in a race through Riverside which operates 24 schools in urban centers Park to benefit Big Brothers, Big Sisters NYC. nationwide, Cristo Rey New York is a co-ed college Reflecting back on his Windward experiences prep school serving students who have demonstrated from his office at Morgan Stanley, Tom had this to the ability to achieve academic success, but who do say of the School that changed his life for the better, not have the financial means to enroll in another enabling him to go on to do the same for others. private school. Although Tom had written his “Windward is a great part of my life,” he said. undergraduate thesis on education, he drew on his “It doesn’t compare to any other school.” n The Compass Fall/Winter 2012 13

Alumni Profile and the large mural in the front lobby, which caught her eye as she made her way to the classroom of Ms. Janine Bartnett, her new teacher. “It was a very welcoming way to enter the building,” she said. “I was really nervous at first, but I had really wonderful teachers. They were all amazing.” Although Lenora’s first day went smoothly, her previous academic experiences had not been so kind. As a student at the Village Community School, the little girl’s favorite class was art (“I didn’t feel behind,” she said), while other academic subjects presented a constant challenge. “I was struggling all the time and going to tutors, and being tested for so many things,” she said. “I was behind in school and I was pretty insecure about reading. Luckily, I didn’t have too many devastating moments; Village Community School was very accommodating. They made an effort to help me while I was there. “My parents are the best,” Lenora added. “They knew something was wrong and they took the initiative to figure it out.” It was her parents’ discovery of Windward that changed Lenora’s academic life for the better.

Windward Through An Artist’s Eyes:

Lenora Rigoni ’09

hat September morning, Lenora Rigoni ’09 did what so many other children do on the first day of school: she said goodbye to her mother and to the family dog, boarded the school bus, and headed for class. But that year, things were a bit different. There were many students on the bus, of all different ages, and its itinerary did not include a stop at the Village Community School, where Lenora had spent her kindergarten and first grade years. The bus wasn’t even taking her to a school in New York City, her hometown. Instead, it headed north to Westchester County and arrived at The Windward School, where Lenora was welcomed as a new lower school student. “I think I was nervous, for sure,” recalled Lenora, now a senior at Oberlin College in Ohio. Casting back her thoughts to that faraway first day, the art history and studio art major reflected on the two things that struck her most: being greeted by the faculty on the way into her new school building,

14 The Compass Fall/Winter 2012

Although she repeated first grade upon her arrival at the School, she thrived under Ms. Barnett’s tutelage and did equally well in the second grade classroom of Ms. Alice Cohen–“a wonderful lady”–the following year. Lenora fondly recalled her language arts lessons, including learning Red Words, those non-phonetic words whose spellings are so unique they must be memorized, and skywriting with her classmates and teachers during the skills portion of the lessons. “I got individual attention, and I had the sense that everyone was working together. I felt like I wasn’t alone, and that I was an equal,” she said brightly. “It was a nice feeling.” Lenora’s years at Windward colored all the ones that came after, and she rapidly acquired the skills she had struggled with previously. As her reading improved, she gained more confidence and began to find that books were more interesting and intriguing for her.

“I was reading for pleasure rather than struggling through everything. I’d never done that before because I didn’t know how,” she said. Windward’s art classes also occupied a spot on her list of favorites, as did that all-important Lower School activity: recess. The budding artist remained at Windward through the fourth grade, returning to her native New York City at the close of that academic year. She enrolled at Brooklyn Friends School, where her new classmates were just learning the intricacies of paragraph writing, an important skill she had already acquired thanks to her time at Windward. “They were learning in fifth grade what I had learned right away at Windward–how to set up and write a paragraph. My mom was so shocked that they were learning that in fifth grade, and I had learned it already,” she said. “Windward taught me how to read, and at this point it’s just natural. They taught me how to make an outline, which is probably the most important thing they taught me about writing. To this day, I cannot write a paper without using an outline. If I try, it’s a mess! It’s crucial to how I write.” Lenora spent her middle school years, as well as her freshman year of high school, at Brooklyn Friends before transferring to the Hewitt School, a girls’ school in Manhattan. For Lenora, the move was prompted by a desire to challenge herself, something she continues to do today as a college student. “My time at Windward influenced how I think

the 92nd Street Y and Steps on Broadway, one of New York City’s premier dance studios, gravitated to Oberlin’s highly regarded art department. Her studio art work concentrates on mixed media, and she has studied everything from drawing to abstract art. She enjoys installation work as an art medium, and prefers to work with everyday objects when creating art. She is also taking coursework on how to use computer tools and design software, such as Illustrator, in the art studio. “I dabble in a lot of different things,” Lenora said, of her artistic endeavors. “I don’t have a specific medium. I like playing around and messing up and making mistakes and solving them. Windward taught me how to solve problems, and now I can do that through art.” When she isn’t in the art studio, Lenora’s major focus of study also centers on art history. Although she enjoys art’s modern and postmodern periods, she has found herself captivated by some of art’s older works, such as the paintings by Italian artist Gentile Bellini, which she studied in a Renaissance art history course. Her love of art took her abroad to Italy during her junior year, where she studied art history in Rome, and she also spent a summer studying at SACI (Studio Art Centers International) in Florence, where she tackled Italian and enrolled in a silkscreen class. “I’ve always struggled with learning different languages,” Lenora explained. “When I was in Florence, I was in a small class with my best friend,

about learning, and I always want to work harder,” she explained. “Hewitt provided a more structured and organized academic program that I felt was more in line with the challenges I was looking for at that time. Brooklyn Friends was an amazing school, though.” She graduated from the Hewitt School in 2009 with academic and humanitarian honors and headed off to Oberlin that fall. During the college application process, her class counselor encouraged her to consider Oberlin among her myriad choices. A visit to the campus and an academic scholarship award sealed the deal, and Lenora has been happily ensconced there ever since. “They have a pretty dynamic set of people,” she said, of Oberlin’s small student body. “The people who go here are creative and interesting.” She is one of them. The high school student who loved art classes and summer-themed art trips, and who filled up her free time with dance classes at

who is hilarious and confident. She encouraged me to go for it, and Windward taught me to do that, too. “Windward taught me to be confident,” she added. “I no longer feel my dyslexia is a challenge. It doesn’t bother me. I’m proud to say it.” Lenora is looking forward to her graduation from Oberlin this coming May, and is considering a number of different options for her career path. She has undertaken internships in art galleries, which she enjoyed, and is also considering enrolling in a design program at an art school. She hopes to forge a career in which her creative talents can be put to good use. She credits her ability to pursue this path to her years at Windward. “It’s a warm environment that facilitates creativity in a structured manner for people who have dyslexia,” Lenora said. “There is a lot of attention and encouragement and extremely kind and helpful teachers, who help you find a way to read and write and work in society.” n The Compass Fall/Winter 2012 15

Alumni Profile

Denis O’Leary ’06, left, and Evan Cygler ’06, right, with the winner of the Founders’ Choice Award at the 2012 Scarsdale Concours. The award went to a 1973 Porsche 911S.

Cars for a Cause:

Evan Cygler ’06 and Denis O’Leary ’06

hat is one of the more challenging aspects of getting a charity car show off the ground? Try being fifteen years old and lacking a driver’s license. “Two kids without driver’s licenses want to put on a car show? It sounds like a joke,” said Denis O’Leary ’06. Denis and Evan Cygler ’06, friends and classmates at both The Windward School and Scarsdale High School, wanted to do something that combined their love of classic cars with their desire to give back to the local community. But the road to making their car show a reality in the village of Scarsdale, NY, was not so simple. “We went to the village hall and told them what we were doing,” said Evan, now director of marketing at Miller Motorcars in Greenwich, CT, of their early efforts. “We were offered the Scarsdale High School parking lot, but we were not excited by that. Denis and I knew what we wanted, and we wanted something that would be a memorable, large-scale project.” Now celebrating its ninth year in operation, the Scarsdale Concours d’Elegance brings hundreds of classic and rare automobiles to the village of Scarsdale every October to raise funds for area charities. “Over the years, we’ve exceeded $260,000 for

16 The Compass Fall/Winter 2012

charity,” Evan said. “The first year, we raised $17,000, which was far beyond what we expected to collect. It was expected to be a high school project, but it evolved into a serious show.” Long before they took on the task of managing the Scarsdale Concours, however, Evan and Denis were Windward students. They began their school careers within the Scarsdale Public School system, but the experience of struggling with a learning disability did not render those early years happy ones. “By the time I got to Windward, I was in third grade and unable to read,” recalled Denis. “It was an experience that made you doubt yourself, your intelligence, your worth and your capability.” Evan also struggled at his elementary school before finally enrolling at Windward for third grade. He was excited to attend the School, and for the first time in his academic career found himself among others who had similar struggles. “It was comforting that I was in a place where everyone had the same exact kind of needs that I had,” he said. “I saw people who had the same setbacks, but were also determined, motivated and focused.” The pair credit their teachers, as well as the School’s dedicated administration, with giving them confidence in their abilities and providing them with

the tools for academic success. “One of the things I found at Windward was that it was a place where the teachers were trained in a teaching method that enabled them to create an environment where we could succeed,” Denis said, highlighting the particular advice of his fifth grade teacher. “I remember what Ms. Mahoney always told us: Windward would provide us with a tool box for learning that we would be able to use well after we graduated. How our teachers went about providing us those tools was very different than what we would have received at any other institution. Having teachers who were so invested made a world of difference.” Both Evan and Denis eventually returned to public school, and the skills that Windward provided proved invaluable in their new classrooms, particularly as they navigated the complexities of high school. “Scarsdale High School is a very challenging school,” Evan noted. “It’s almost like a college, but Windward’s strategies got me back on my feet. I was able to write, to do calculations–it was a confidence booster.” Denis concurred. “As you can imagine, leaving

[Windward] and its incredible teachers was not something I was thrilled with, but what I found was that the tools my teachers had given me were more than adequate. One of the best things I learned at Windward was organizational skills, because no matter how difficult a situation was, you could always navigate it with confidence if you were organized.” This vital skill came in handy not only at Scarsdale High School, from which both graduated in 2006, and in college–Evan earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and marketing from the University of Arizona, while Denis graduated from Washington & Lee University with a degree in Russian history–but in navigating the unique challenges that arose with managing the Scarsdale Concours. The two friends had started a car club at Scarsdale High School, but quickly realized they wanted to do something that had a greater impact. “We started the Scarsdale Concours when we were fifteen, and we were initially met with a lot of skepticism,” recalled Denis, who currently enjoys a career in the investment banking division at JPMorgan Chase. “Our parents were very encouraging, and one of the things my father always

Here come the cars: A variety of classic and rare cars line the streets of Scarsdale every autumn for the show.

The Compass Fall/Winter 2012 17

Alumni Profile told me was that if you’re always reaching your goals, their cars and distribute awards. you’re not setting the bar high enough. With that “They’re fun,” Evan noted, of the cars on understanding, you’re willing to try harder and set display. “They sound great and look beautiful. bigger goals.” They’re more than just a piece of transportation; Evan and Denis, who had paid visits to some of they’re a piece of art.” the area’s most popular annual car shows, jumped But the Concours is nothing if not an into the business of preparing their own show in opportunity for Evan and Denis to give back. their hometown. “Denis has a passion for history, Although their careers have forced them to pass the and I am a person who loves old cars and the history show’s managerial reins to others, attending the of the automobile,” Evan explained. “We treated the show and selecting appropriate charities to benefit show like a business and marketed it, and we each from it is important to them. had multiple responsibilities. We called local car “Both Evan and I thought if we’re applying to clubs to share the details with them, we wrote press colleges to benefit from an education, why can’t releases, we called newspapers and various charities apply to the Scarsdale Concours?” Denis publications, shopping the story as a PR agent said. “Part of the idea behind the event was to show would.” They also developed a website for the young people in the community doing something Concours, and called owners of vintage cars to tell positive.” Charities are chosen based on their specific them about the show and invite them to participate. needs and connection with the community, and “I’d get so many phone calls throughout the representatives arrive on the day of the Concours to day, and I don’t think people realized I was in “If we’re applying to colleges to benefit from an education, why school,” Evan said, of those early years when he can’t charities apply to the Scarsdale Concours? Part of the idea would return home from behind the event was show young people in the community his after-school job to find doing something positive.” an answering machine –Denis O’Leary ’06 filled with queries regarding the show. “The owners were captivated by two young guys who couldn’t even drive, and who help staff the event. Collectors pay a fee to show wanted to accept high-quality vintage cars. It was their vehicles and the general public pays a modest different than other shows they would have gone to, admission fee, monies that go towards supporting and it was for charity.” the charities benefiting from the show. In addition to promoting the show, Evan and This year’s crop of beneficiaries included White Denis took on village hall for the right to hold their Plains Hospital, Scarsdale & Edgemont Family event within the village itself, and not in the Counseling Services, and the Warrior & Family proffered Scarsdale High School parking lot. They Assistance Fund, which provides assistance to attended numerous early-morning meetings with military veterans. Last year, The Windward School village representatives before heading off to school, was one of the recipients of the Concours’ fundraising and their cause was championed by Det. Richard efforts. Both Evan and Denis said that the decision Fatigate of the Scarsdale Police Department. Det. to help the school that changed their lives was Fatigate, a fellow car enthusiast, assisted them in simple. securing the necessary permits and convincing “I never had the opportunity to give back to village authorities that yes, the show could–and Windward personally,” said Evan, who refers to the should–be done. School as “the Harvard of schools” focusing on Today, the annual Concours occupies an dyslexia and language-based learning disabilities. attractive area in the commercial center of the “It’s the pinnacle; it’s the best,” he added. “I village, close to the train station, transforming reflect on Windward often, even though it was a Scarsdale into a showcase for a wide collection of long time ago. It is the reason why I am successful.” cars ranging from vintage Ferraris and Porsches to “One of the greatest gifts Windward provided particularly rare vehicles. (“When you’re looking for me was confidence in myself and my ability to a car they only made 100 of about 80 years ago, and approach any challenge; it was the best tool in the it needs to be in the tri-state area, it becomes box,” said Denis, commenting on his experience. particularly challenging,” noted Denis.) The show “This was just a small way of giving back to the draws crowds of collectors, residents, and reporters school that has been such a big influence in our –The New York Times has covered the Concours–and lives. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to give back to judges are on hand to speak with collectors about Windward enough.” n 18 The Compass Fall/Winter 2012

News from the Lower School

Making Thanksgiving Brighter, One Can at a Time

Nancy Lyons of the Food Bank for Westchester, pictured with a group of students during her November 2011 visit to the Lower School, counts Windward among her favorite places to visit.

unger is a pressing problem in many communities throughout America, and the tri-state region is not without families who struggle to put food on the table. In Westchester County alone, over 200,000 residents are hungry or at risk of hunger, according to the Food Bank for Westchester, which strives to put a dent in this unfortunate statistic by providing food to hunger-relief programs throughout the county. Assisting the Food Bank in its mission are the children of Windward’s Lower School. Every November, the students sponsor a school-wide food drive to benefit the Food Bank and the people it serves. Spearheaded by the Lower School’s Student Council, students in every homeroom collect canned goods and other non-perishable food items to donate to the Food Bank. The Lower School’s efforts to assist the Food Bank represent one of the myriad ways the School’s faculty work to give Windward’s youngest students an understanding of the importance of helping others. The children are able to see the full scope of their giving at the end of the food drive, which coincides with the start of Thanksgiving recess on campus. The day before the children depart to celebrate the holiday with their families, Nancy Lyons, the Food Bank’s resource and volunteer coordinator, arrives on campus to collect the food and speak to the children. The children bring down boxes of collected food, many festively decorated, to the gym from their homerooms, allowing them to see for the first time just how much work they have done to benefit the local community. In past years, Lower School children have also held a bake sale to benefit the Food Bank, which raised $175 last year. Every dollar raised enables the Food Bank to provide $4 worth of food to hungry Westchester residents. Ms. Lyons, who counts her yearly visit to Windward among her favorite things to do, always makes sure to thank the children for their generosity while emphasizing that every food item they donate helps children just like themselves. Approximately 33% of the clients served by the Food Bank are children under the age of 18, and Ms. Lyons told the children that their efforts prevent many boys and girls and their families from going hungry during the holiday season. n The Compass Fall/Winter 2012 19

News from the Middle School

Ninth Grade Students Learn the Importance of Philanthropy on September Field Trip

Photo courtesy of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh.

n the midst of the first few days of school this September, the ninth grade had a unique opportunity to take a serious look at a serious subject. Over the course of two days, the students visited a number of philanthropic organizations in the tri-state area for a firsthand look at the manner in which nonprofit organizations provide valuable assistance to a wide range of people. Their trip began on September 13 with a visit to The Salvation Army and its Harlem soup kitchen. The Salvation Army, which operates in 123 countries and has a large American presence, seeks to help “those in need without discrimination.” Students were able to spend time at the soup kitchen, talking with the members of the Salvation Army who manage the kitchen’s food production and day-to-day activities. They also got to witness the soup kitchen in action: it serves hundreds of people per day, from all walks of life. The visit enabled the students to see that the clientele who visit soup kitchens are not solely members of the homeless population, but are also the struggling elderly, professionals who have lost their jobs, and families with children. The students were even able to speak with children their own age who were regular visitors to the soup kitchen. The students’ next stop was at Covenant House, which has spent the past four decades helping homeless youth. The organization has locations through the United States, Canada and Mexico, and seeks to provide food, clothing, shelter and medical care to homeless young people while helping them formulate plans to rebuild their lives. Windward’s students visited New York City’s Covenant House, located on West 41st Street, which shelters and assists over 400 homeless young people every day. Following an overnight stay at an area hotel, the ninth grade had the opportunity to experience housing of a different sort at Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh, located in Newburgh, NY. Once a thriving city, the industrial decline of the area’s factories and businesses led to significant economic downturn, throwing Newburgh into poverty; there are over 700 vacant or condemned buildings in the city. The local office of Habitat for Humanity seeks to better residents’ lives one house at a time by building safe, affordable homes for families in need. Habitat’s efforts, Windward’s students learned, extend beyond the city of Newburgh and into 11 local villages and towns. Although members of the ninth grade were not able to pick up a hammer and help Habitat build some houses, they learned much about the organization’s work through their visit to its offices and discussions with the staff. n

Ninth grade students visited a number of philanthropic organizations in September, including Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh. The organization’s houses, pictured above, provide area residents with safe, affordable housing options. 20 The Compass Fall/Winter 2012

News from the Middle School

Windward Helps Water for South Sudan with Unique Fundraiser

Photo courtesy of Water for South Sudan.

s the 2011-12 school year was drawing to a close, the classrooms at Windward’s Middle School were alive with excitement that centered not on the upcoming summer vacation, but on a small but important organization that served people thousands of miles away: Water for South Sudan. The non-profit organization, founded in 2003 by Salva Dat, a Sudanese citizen displaced by the civil war that tore his country apart, seeks to ensure that every village in South Sudan has access to clean drinking water. When people have drinking water that is clean and safe, their lives are transformed, water-borne illnesses are reduced, and positive changes occur. Although South Sudan is one of the world’s newest countries, having split from the Republic of Sudan in 2011, it is one of the poorest nations on the planet. In a country the size of Texas, millions of people struggle in poverty. The students of Windward’s Middle School sought to do their part to help the South Sudanese people. Guided by Windward’s diversity club, WECARE, and its four faculty advisors, Mrs. Tanya Ehrlich, Ms. Christine Gavin, Ms. Cynthia Goracy and Ms. Jennifer Tait, the students raised $6,000 to build a well in a South Sudanese village! However, the group did not simply fundraise during student lunch and recess periods; rather, Water for South Sudan and its story became a part of the students’ Language Arts curriculum, enabling the students to connect their fundraising efforts with the history of the organization. In their Language Arts classes, students read A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park, which details Salva Dat’s harrowing journey out of Sudan and his mission to help others rebuild their lives. Thanks to the lessons, WECARE was overwhelmed by the number of students who were committed to helping ensure that others had access to clean water and a better life. Students walked dogs to earn extra money, while others donated their entire allowance savings to the fundraiser. One Middle School girl ran a bake sale at her father’s office, donating all the proceeds to Water for South Sudan, while a Middle School boy proudly donated money he had saved, funds he originally planned to use to purchase a video game. Another student’s enthusiasm for the fundraising project was so infectious that she inspired her sister to establish a Water for South Sudan fundraiser at her own school. The project brought out the best in the entire community, but what was most important was that students were able to see firsthand that their efforts were meaningful and impacted others in a positive way. n

Clean drinking water is lacking in many parts of South Sudan, and water from rivers, such as the one pictured above, do not always provide safe alternatives. Windward’s WECARE Club raised funds to build a well in a South Sudanese village. The Compass Fall/Winter 2012 21

News from Windward New York

Windward will soon be expanding to a third campus– in New York City!

As featured in The Wall Street Journal on September 12, 2012, Windward has partnered with The Related Companies as they construct a 35-story building on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The entrances for The Related Companies’ residential building will be located on 92nd Street between Second and Third Avenues. The School will occupy five floors of the building and have a private entrance located on the south side of 93rd Street. In keeping with the Board of Trustees’ philosophy to “protect the sacred” and ensuring that Windward New York’s program will mirror Windward’s current program, the Board plans to open the new campus with 102 students for the 2015-16 school year. Enrollment will incrementally increase during the first four years of operation, reaching a total of 350 students in grades one through eight. Stay tuned for more exciting news and updates on construction! n 22 The Compass Fall/Winter 2012

News from the WTTI

“They’re Writing More, Not Better”: Dr. Judith C. Hochman Outlines Effective Writing Instruction The annual Community Lecture at The Windward School draws sizable crowds, and this year’s Lecture, featuring Dr. Judith C. Hochman, was no exception. A former Head of School and founder of Windward Teacher Training Institute, Dr. Hochman returned to the School to which she had devoted much of her professional career to speak about teaching writing effectively. Her lecture, titled Effective Writing Instruction: Evidence-Based Practices, was delivered on the evening of October 3, before an audience that filled the auditorium of the newly-constructed building named in her honor and dedicated the previous month. In the course of her hour-long talk, Dr. Hochman succinctly cited the best methods for teaching writing across the curriculum and throughout every grade level. Students in many classrooms today are “writing more, not better,” according to Dr. Hochman. Popular trends in writing activities for students in today’s “child-centered classrooms” include journaling and creative writing exercises, but such methods do not provide students with the fundamental basics they need to write a cohesive sentence, paragraph, or paper. They are poor foundations for any child to build his or her writing skills, but for a child with a language-based learning disability, they can be downright disastrous. “Writing is a complex, multifaceted, and purposeful act of communication,” Dr. Hochman said, quoting the definition of writing outlined by the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP). She highlighted the precarious state of writing instruction in many schools, as illustrated by statistics released in 2011 by NAEP. Approximately 75% of the 26,000 children tested that year were deemed to be functioning at a “basic or below” proficiency level when it came to writing. “We are insulting kids by providing minimal guidance and by assuming that they can only be engaged in activities which are about them,” Dr. Hochman said. “At Windward, the focus is on expository writing; writing that explains and informs.” To that end, Dr. Hochman has been instrumental in helping ensure that writing is properly taught and that teachers are trained, via WTTI, to give students of all abilities the instruction they need to succeed. She is the author of Teaching Basic Writing Skills, the writing program utilized in every Windward classroom. It has also Dr. Russell, Dr. Hochman, Sandy Schwarz, Director of WTTI, and Maureen been used successfully in both Sweeney, Assistant Head of School, smile for the camera at the Community Lecture. mainstream and remedial classes at schools nationwide. “Teaching Basic Writing Skills spirals across all content areas and grade levels,” Dr. Hochman said, emphasizing that its methods for teaching writing can be woven into a social studies or science lesson just as easily as into a Language Arts lesson. She stated that when students are taught how to write properly, it becomes a skill that serves them well not only in the classroom but in the wider world. Employees in all kinds of workplace settings are increasingly expected to demonstrate writing ability, she noted. “Good writers have to organize information,” Dr. Hochman said. “At Windward, the students don’t write anything without an outline.” All students in first through ninth grades are taught how to use an outline to organize their thoughts when writing. Proper sentence structure is taught and consistently reinforced throughout the grades, as is important vocabulary that will enhance the ability to revise and edit written work. As students advance in their schooling, they learn more complex outline formats that will assist them in tackling and mastering the research and argumentative papers they will encounter in high school and college. Dr. Hochman cited the research that links the strategies in the writing program to improved reading comprehension. n The Compass Fall/Winter 2012 23

Faculty and Staff Notes

Year-End Dinner Celebrates Four Windward Retirees The faculty and staff at The Windward School marked the close of the 2011-12 school year with a dinner at the Red Oak Lane campus on the evening of June 21, 2012. Faculty and administrators gathered for a celebration that welcomed not only the summer season, but bid goodbye to four longstanding faculty members. Following a buffet dinner and an overview of the year by Dr. Russell, the School’s four retiring faculty members were honored individually by their colleagues. Elaine Gaines and Judy Sosland, longtime Lower School faculty members and mainstays of the tutoring department on the Windward Avenue campus, were honored for their dedication and commitment to the Lower School’s children. Ronnie Berish, the Coordinator of Special Services, gave a tribute to Ms. Gaines, while Dr. Roberta Solar, Head of Lower School, spoke to the audience about Ms. Sosland. The accurate weather forecasts given by Phil Imbrogno, a Middle School science teacher and founder of the popular Meteorology Club, were highlighted by Daphne Daddino, Head of Middle School, in her tribute to Mr. Imbrogno. Afterwards, it was time for Jill Fedele, the Middle School’s Coordinator of Language Arts, to take her place at the podium with Betsy Duffy, the School’s Director of Language Arts, where they honored Sheila Okin, a classroom teacher-turned-Coordinator of Writing. All the honorees had the opportunity to reminisce fondly, sometimes humorously, about their time at the School and the many memories that they had of colleagues and students. The Windward School will miss them, and thanks them for their dedication and the impact they had on so many of students throughout the years. n Left: A Quick Outline, with Sheila Okin as its topic, was given to her as a parting gift by the Language Arts Department.

Elaine Gaines, Judy Sosland and Ronnie Berish, Coordinator of Special Services

Sheila Okin 24 The Compass Fall/Winter 2012

Elaine Gaines

Daphne Daddino, Head of Middle School, with Phil Imbrogno

Dr. Russell and Judy Sosland

Faculty and Staff Notes

A number of Windward faculty members assumed new responsibilities at the start of the 2012-13 school year. Dr. Jackie Britt-Friedman is now the psychologist at the Lower School; Valerie Greto, this year’s recipient of the Isabel Greenbaum Stone Master Teacher Award, is the new Assistant Director of Outplacement, while Alexis Pochna, a Middle School faculty member, has been named the Assistant Coordinator of Middle School Language Arts. Rachel Whilby, a Middle School faculty member, is the new Coordinator of Diversity. The School also welcomed Amy Barnosky to campus as a new guidance counselor at the Lower and Middle Schools, while Katherine Price joined the faculty as the speech language pathologist for both campuses. The International Dyslexia Association (IDA)’s 63rd annual conference, held in Baltimore, MD this fall, drew a number of Windward faculty, including Dr. John J. Russell, Head of School; Christy Brockhausen, a Middle School faculty member and the School’s research coordinator; Betsy Duffy, the Director of Language Arts; Diane Happas, the School’s Coordinator of Language; Alexis Pochna; Dr. Yoni Schwab, a WTTI faculty member and former Lower School psychologist; and Rachel Whilby. Kaarina Bauerle, the Lower School’s Coordinator of Language Arts, and Jill Fedele, the Middle School’s Coordinator of Language Arts, gave an overview of Windward’s writing program at the 85th annual Educational Records Bureau (ERB) conference, held in San Diego in early October. Their presentation, titled The Windward School, Expository Writing–An Exciting Approach, highlighted the School’s “Teaching Basic Writing Skills” program. The pair presented at the conference’s academic leadership summit, which focused on unique and successful teaching and learning practices. Amy Linden, a Lower School faculty member, was honored at the June faculty and staff dinner with the Sandi Galst Scholarship. The Scholarship, awarded annually to an outstanding Windward reading teacher, was established in memory of Sandi Galst, a longtime faculty member who passed away in 2000.

Ms. Linden is the 2012-2013 Sandi Galst scholar.

Robyn Travers, a Middle School faculty member, spent a morning teaching at the San Isidro Labrador School in Peru during a trip to the country this past July. The school is located in Peru’s Sacred Valley of the Incas. She taught 15 bright and eager third grade students, and her lessons included vocabulary review, math, and some Spanish and English songs. Afterwards, the group enjoyed ball games outdoors before bidding Ms. Travers goodbye. Other highlights of her South American trip included visits to Machu Picchu, Cuzco, the Galapagos Islands, and Quito, Ecuador. Larry Crosby, one of the Lower School’s longtime physical education teachers, will put his Zumba instructor Robyn Travers and two young students during a lesson at San Isidro certification to good use this winter. He Labrador School in Peru. will lead Middle School students in an introductory course in the popular dance-based exercise, which will be offered as an elective in their physical education courses. Mr. Crosby and his fellow Lower School physical education teachers present a unit on dance to the Lower School children each year, and lead them in an annual dance performance for the faculty as a culminating activity. n The Compass Fall/Winter 2012 25

Judith C. Hochman Building Dedicationâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;September 20, 2012

A lecture room, utilized by Windward Teacher Training Institute.

Dr. Judith C. Hochman and her family, in front of the building bearing her name.

Dr. Russell and Dr. Hochman

Entrance to The Judith C. Hochman Building.

Dr. Hochman and colleagues from New Dorp High School on Staten Island, which is successfully implementing aspects of her Teaching Basic Writing Skills program in its classrooms. Dr. Hochmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work with New Dorp High School was chronicled in an October article in The Atlantic.

Dr. Hochman and Daphne Daddino, Head of Middle School, prior to the start of the ceremony.

26 The Compass Fall/Winter 2012

Lydia Soifer, founder of The Soifer Center and a WTTI instructor, with alumni grandparent Degna Spoldi and her daughter, former trustee and alumni parent Andrea Stewart.

Dr. Russell and Stephen Hochman

Dr. Hochman, with Devon Fredericks, President of the Board of Trustees, and Dr. Russell, prepares to cut the ribbon marking the official dedication of the Hochman Building.

Maureen Sweeney, Assistant Head of School and Director of Admissions, smiles with Dr. Hochman.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s official: Dr. Hochman, along with her family, Ms. Fredericks and Dr. Russell, at the ceremonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conclusion.

The Compass Fall/Winter 2012 27

Judith C. Hochman Building Dedication–September 20, 2012

Victoria Reese, a Lower and Middle School parent, and her husband, trustee Greg Kennedy

Middle School parents Stephen Limpe and Tracy Tang Limpe

Trustee Lori Garbin and her husband, Mark Garbin, with fellow Middle School parent and WPA member Didi D’Onofrio, center

Left to Right: Middle School parent Donald Dowd with his wife, trustee Amy Jo Dowd, and trustees and alumni parents Michael S. Bruno, Jr. and Susan Salice

28 The Compass Fall/Winter 2012

Gail Ross, wife of the late trustee Robert J. Schwartz, for whom the Schwartz Lecture is named, with Tyler Schultz ’04 and his father, Bill Schultz.

Former trustee Theresa Davidson, center, with alumni parent Bill Schultz and former faculty member Kathy Abrahamson

Former trustee and alumni parent Joe Lorono with Didi Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Onofrio and former WPA President Leslie Breck

Alumni Parents: trustee John Halvey and his wife, Kristin Halvey

Sandra Schwarz, Director of WTTI, with former Head of Middle School Barbara Landau; Jay Okin; and Sheila Okin, the former Middle School Coordinator of Writing

Left to Right: Middle School parent James Vardell and his wife, WPA President Elizabeth Vardell; Middle School parent and WPA member Kathy Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Hare; Meighan Corbett, Associate Director of Advancement; Lower School parent and WPA member Terry Ann Weil; and trustee Thomas Flanagan The Compass Fall/Winter 2012 29

Campus News

Graduation Day:

Diplomas await the graduates.

Ms. Daddino presented Lydia Allen ’15 with the “Triple C” award at the ceremony.

Eighth grade students pose for a class picture with Dr. Russell; Daphne Daddino, Head of Middle School; and Christopher Eberhard, Assistant Head of Middle School, prior to the start of the graduation ceremony.

Rubahn Koticha ’16 during the graduation ceremony

All smiles: Trustee Lori Garbin and her daughter, Katrina ’16 30 The Compass Fall/Winter 2012

Members of the ninth grade smile for the camera on their graduation day alongside Dr. Russell, Ms. Daddino and Mr. Eberhard.

June 14, 2012

Dr. Russell presents Jack Mather ’15 with his diploma.

Mira Ebert ’16 shakes hands with Dr. Russell at the graduation ceremony.

Keren Agus ’16 and a guest at the post-graduation reception.

Timur Youmans ’18 and Middle School faculty member Bruno Volpacchio The Compass Fall/Winter 2012 31

Campus News

Graduation Day: Note: At Windward, a student’s class year is the same as his or her high school graduation year.

Rachel Whilby, the Coordinator of Diversity, smiles with Courtney Stuart ’16.

Emma Weinstein ’16 and her family at the conclusion of the ceremony

Nick Beaver ’16 and Middle School faculty member Cynthia Goracy

Dr. Russell with Max Donenfeld ’16 and his family 32 The Compass Fall/Winter 2012

June 14, 2012

Hannah Klein ’19 with her parents, Eric and Marlo Klein, and her sister

Graduation speaker Michael Stewart ’09 with his parents, Jeff and Andrea Stewart

Thomas Breck ’16 with his parents, Ted Breck and WPA President Leslie Breck, and his sister, Nell

Sheila Okin, the Middle School’s Coordinator of Writing, and her proud eighth grade students at the conclusion of the ceremony. Ms. Okin retired in June 2012.

Graduates share a hug at the end of the evening The Compass Fall/Winter 2012 33

Outplacement Office News

School Attendances 2012 New York State Independent Schools– New York City

Independent Schools– Dutchess County

Public Schools– Westchester County

Trinity-Pawling School Pawling, NY

Ardsley Middle School Ardsley, NY

Independent Schools– Westchester County

Briarcliff High School Briarcliff Manor, NY

The Harvey School Katonah, NY

Byram Hills High School Armonk, NY

Iona Preparatory School New Rochelle, NY

Croton-Harmon High School Croton-on-Hudson, NY

The Masters School Dobbs Ferry, NY

Edgemont Jr./Sr. High School Scarsdale, NY

Rye Country Day School Rye, NY

Farragut Middle School Hastings-on-Hudson, NY

The Dwight School Manhattan

School of the Holy Child Rye, NY

Fox Lane Middle School Bedford, NY

Ethical Culture Fieldston School Bronx

Solomon Schechter Day School Hartsdale, NY

Harrison High School Harrison, NY

The Packer Collegiate Institute Brooklyn

Westchester Hebrew High School Mamaroneck, NY

Hastings High School Hastings-on-Hudson, NY

Public Schools–Orange County

H.C. Crittenden Middle School Armonk, NY

Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity School Manhattan Avenues The World School Manhattan The Birch Wathen Lenox School Manhattan The Calhoun School Manhattan Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School Manhattan

Saint Vincent Ferrer High School Manhattan Xaverian High School Brooklyn York Preparatory School Manhattan 34 The Compass Fall/Winter 2012

Cornwall Central High School New Windsor, NY Public Schools – Rockland County Nyack Middle School Nyack, NY

Hommocks Middle School Larchmont, NY John Jay Middle School Cross River, NY

Below is a listing of schools, both independent and public, at which Windward alumni matriculated in the fall of 2012.

Lakeland Copper Beech Middle School Yorktown Heights, NY Louis M. Klein Middle School Harrison, NY Mamaroneck High School Mamaroneck, NY New Rochelle High School New Rochelle, NY Pleasantville High School Pleasantville, NY Robert E. Bell Middle School Chappaqua, NY Rye High School Rye, NY Rye Middle School Rye, NY Scarsdale High School Scarsdale, NY Seven Bridges Middle School Chappaqua, NY Springhurst Elementary School Dobbs Ferry, NY Walter Panas High School Cortlandt Manor, NY

New Jersey Independent Schools

Pomfret School Pomfret, CT

Dwight-Englewood School Englewood, NJ

Salisbury School Salisbury, CT

The Frisch School Paramus, NJ

The Stanwich School Greenwich, CT

Montclair Kimberley Academy Montclair, NJ

Suffield Academy Suffield, CT

Public Schools

Ridgewood High School Ridgewood, NJ

Coleytown Middle School Westport, CT

Connecticut Independent Schools

Greenwich High School Greenwich, CT

Brunswick School Greenwich, CT

New Canaan High School New Canaan, CT

Fairfield College Preparatory School Fairfield, CT

Nationally

The Forman School Litchfield, CT Greenwich Country Day School Greenwich, CT The King School Stamford, CT New Canaan Country School New Canaan, CT

The Berkshire School Sheffield, MA Brewster Academy Wolfeboro, NH Cardigan Mountain School Canaan, NH Proctor Academy Andover, NH

The Compass Fall/Winter 2012 35

Campus News

Back-to-School Picnic Brings Crowds to Red

lthough the weekend of Windward’s annual Back-to-School picnic started out rainy and overcast, the skies cleared on the morning of Sunday, September 30, and by the time the first guests arrived at the Red Oak Lane campus, a beautiful afternoon was underway. The threat of imperfect weather had not deterred the parents, students, faculty and staff who flocked to the campus for the occasion,

Margo Hotston and Jen Thompson, Middle School parents and picnic co-chairs

Middle School faculty member Leslie Pragay and her daughter

Middle School faculty member Allyn Thompson and his family

Marilyn Hunt, the Director of Athletics, with two members of the picnic’s baseball team

Two Middle School students at the conclusion of the picnic’s zipline ride

Left to Right: Lower School faculty member Jessica Diller; Middle School faculty member Lauren Gentile; and Lower School faculty member Dana Barry

36 The Compass Fall/Winter 2012

Oak Lane campus resulting in an attendance list that topped 900 people. Present for the festivities were Dr. Russell, Ms. Maureen Sweeney, Ms. Daphne Daddino and Dr. Roberta Solar; numerous faculty members from both campuses, who attended with their families; and members of the Windward Parents Association, whose work contributed to making the picnic an enjoyable afternoon for the entire Windward community. n

A Lower School student and a family member take a break from the picnicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s festivities.

Daphne Daddino, Head of Middle School, and her grandson at the picnic

Members of the picnicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s baseball team smile for the camera before taking their turns at bat.

Up at Bat: A guest at the picnic

Smile: a pair of Lower School students

End of the day: Two Middle School students smile for the camera at the conclusion of the picnic. The Compass Fall/Winter 2012 37

Campus News

First Day of School: In Pictures

he first day of school on Monday, September 10, was a beautiful day to welcome both new and returning students to Windward. Under bright blue skies, students in grades one through nine arrived at the Windward Avenue and Red Oak Lane campuses, where they were greeted by faculty eager to welcome them back from summer vacation. On hand to welcome the Lower School children were Dr.

38 The Compass Fall/Winter 2012

Russell, Dr. Solar, Ms. Beth Foltman and Ms. Leslie Zuckerwise, while Middle School students were greeted by Ms. Sweeney, Ms. Daddino and Mr. Chris Eberhard. Faculty and staff were available to help calm first-day jitters and direct students to their classrooms, ensuring that another school year got off to a smooth start. n

The Compass Fall/Winter 2012 39

Go Vikings!

Athletic Awards 2012 Spring 2012 Sports Awards LACROSSE–DIVISION B TEAM Viking Award LUC AYOUB Most Improved Player WILLIAM SIMOTAS Sportsmanship Award DAVID GEORGE Junior Warrior Award JACK KISSELL LACROSSE–DIVISION A TEAM Most Valuable Player ALEXANDER KONYK Most Improved Player CHRISTOPHER HINCHEY TEDDY LITTLE Offensive Player Award CONOR HUGHES Defensive Player Award SAMUEL SHAFER Warrior Award HAUK PALETTA CROSS COUNTRY Top Gun Award CHARLES DILLON Viking Award GENE PERRY Sportsmanship Award TAMAR LEVINE OLIVER RANDON Coaches’ Award LYDIA ALLEN THOMAS CLEASBY Most Improved Runner PHILIP BERGER GIRLS’ SOFTBALL–DIVISION A Most Valuable Player ALI McWALTERS Captain Award NICOLE PALMER EMMA WEINSTEIN Viking Award ELIZABETH KREPPEL GIRLS’ SOFTBALL–DIVISION B Viking Award SYDNEY MOSES Coaches’ Award SERENA KORCHAK Offensive Player Award JULIA GOLDENBERG SUZANNE RENEHAN ATHLETE OF THE YEAR Girls Boys GRACE HALVEY MATTHEW BAUGHER NICOLE PALMER ALEXANDER KONYK MAGGIE SHARPE MOST IMPROVED ATHLETE Girls Boys ALLISON SCHWARTZ SAMUEL PELUSO EMMA WEINSTEIN EMMANUEL SOTO RUIZ SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD Girls Boys SERENA KORCHAK RYAN DOLPHIN SUZANNE RENEHAN JORDAN FISCH JESSICA RICE MAX KREPPEL

Windward’s Opponents for the fall 2012 Season

FALL 2012 SPORTS REVIEW by Marilyn Hunt, Director of Athletics, Physical Education and Health SOCCER The 2012-13 sports season at The Windward School got off to an excellent start this fall. The eighth grade boys’ soccer team has worked hard to improve their skills and have had a number of exciting games in the process. Their overall record at press time is 3-2-1! They have enjoyed the intense competition offered through the Fairchester League, which has allowed them to compete against other independent schools throughout Westchester County, NY and Fairfield County, CT. The seventh grade boys’ soccer team consists of 14 enthusiastic young men who demonstrate terrific school spirit. Their hard work and perseverance paid off in a hard-fought victory over a Connecticut opponent, Eagle Hill-Southport. Meanwhile, the fifth and sixth grade boys’ team, composed of 38 athletes, was divided into two teams so that all the boys could get plenty of playing time on the field. Both teams have done well and are proud of their successful season. Another spirited and competitive squad this fall is our seventh, eighth and ninth grade girls’ soccer team. The team consists of a core group of returning players, who have improved the team’s overall strength. Both new and returning players have worked to improve their soccer skills this season, which has resulted in a 3-1 record at press time. Happily, the fifth and sixth grade girls’ team enjoyed one of their best seasons this fall. They came away with exciting victories against Rippowam Cisqua School and Whitby School, and put their improved skills to use in the season’s closing game against Greenwich Catholic School. CROSS COUNTRY Windward is fortunate in that its cross country team, which is composed of students from fifth though ninth grades, is extremely motivated. All the runners are dedicated to improving their individual times at each meet. There are 29 runners on the team this year, and they compete valiantly against 100 runners from across the Fairchester League. In true team fashion, many Windward runners find themselves finishing in the top five at meets. Conor ’16 and Kelly Hughes ’19, Ruhban Koticha ’16, Tamar Levine ’19, Alexandra Limpe ’18, and Christian Ruf ’18, and have all earned top times in their respective divisions. Charlie Dillon ’18 is the top runner in the entire South Division!

Brunswick School Greenwich, CT Carmel Academy Greenwich, CT Convent of the Sacred Heart Greenwich, CT Eagle Hill School Greenwich, CT Eagle Hill–Southport Southport, CT Fairfield Country Day School Fairfield, CT Greens Farms Academy Greens Farms, CT Greenwich Catholic School Greenwich, CT Greenwich Country Day School Greenwich, CT Hackley School Tarrytown, NY The Harvey School Katonah, NY Iona Grammar School New Rochelle, NY The King School Stamford, CT The Masters School Dobbs Ferry, NY New Canaan Country School New Canaan, CT Resurrection Grammar School Rye, NY Ridgefield Academy Ridgefield, CT Rippowam Cisqua School Bedford, NY Rye Country Day School Rye, NY School of the Holy Child Rye, NY St. Luke’s School New Canaan, CT Whitby School Greenwich, CT

The girls’ soccer team was among the athletic teams honored at the Fall Sports Awards Ceremony on November 14.

INTRAMURAL VOLLEYBALL and INSTRUCTIONAL TENNIS Windward’s intramural volleyball team kicked off the season in late September, and approximately 14 players spent the season improving their volleyball skills while enjoying the social aspects of this intramural sport. Instructional Tennis began on September 21, and has proved popular again this year. Thirty-five students from both the Lower and Middle Schools take lessons at SPORTIME, a tennis club located in Harbor Island Park in Mamaroneck, NY. The students have learned the basics of proper tennis technique from the tennis professionals at SPORTIME, and have enjoyed playing tennis and improving their athletic skills. n

The Compass Fall/Winter 2012 41

Alumni Events

Alumni Day Brings Former Students Back to Windward Former students celebrated the start of the summer season by returning to Windward for the annual Spring Alumni Day festivities, which took place at the Red Oak Lane campus on Friday, June 8, 2012. Both Lower and Middle School faculty members, fresh from the day’s Field Day activities, made time to greet their former students, who were happy and excited to see them. n

Joey Orlando ’12 with Middle School faculty member Roberta Plotycia and Chris Eberhard, Assistant Head of Middle School

Left: Ali Oliverio ’15 and Leslie Zuckerwise, Assistant Head of Lower School Right: Middle School faculty member Nicole Roman catches up with Olivia Lapine ’18

Alexandra Hannover ’15 and Alissa Hochman ’15 with Middle School faculty member Laura Dreyer

44 The Compass Fall/Winter 42 Spring 20102012

Visit Windward on Facebook and become a fan!

Left: Zoe Graham Klein ’15 and Morgan Watroba ’15 Right: Matt Bloom ’13 and Middle School faculty member Jason Steiker

Tian Olivia Green ’14 with Daphne Daddino, Head of Middle School, and Nicol Zambrano, a member of the Middle School guidance staff

Left: Dr. Russell and John Levesque ’15

Right: Evan Jaffee ’99 with former Middle School faculty member Adele Barracca

Middle School faculty member Pat Gay, Taylor Lampert ’14, Lexa Krawchick ’14, and Maureen Sweeney, Assistant Head of School

Visit Windward on Facebook and become a fan!

The Compass Fall/Winter 2012 43

Alumni Notes Note: At Windward, a student’s class year is the same as his or her high school graduation year.

Windward is attempting to go paperless for all invitations. To add your name to Windward’s invitation list, please send your e-mail address to Christie Borden at cborden@windwardny.org.

A Return to Windward: 25th Reunion Alumni Dinner On June 27, 2012, The Windward School hosted a dinner honoring alumni celebrating their 25th reunion. A small group of alumni, including David Feldman ’87; Lenny Harrington ’87; Ted Moy ’87; and Tarik Solangi ’87 gathered at Half Moon, a restaurant in Dobbs Ferry, NY, for an evening of reminiscing with old friends. On hand to help the alumni celebrate were Dr. Judith C. Hochman, former Head of School; Maureen Sweeney, the Assistant Head of School and Director of Admissions; and Christie Borden, the Associate Director of Advancement. The alumni, who came from New York City and points throughout Putnam and Westchester counties to celebrate, spent an enjoyable evening catching up and trading stories on their lives post-Windward. To commemorate the event, each attendee received a decorative silver tray inscribed with the School’s name and logo.

1970

Gary Oppenheimer ’70 Gary recently received the “In Harmony with Hope” award from the Elfenworks Foundation, a California organization that works for hope in America by fostering creative and technological solutions to advance change. The award, which honors social innovators working to create change, was presented to Gary and two fellow honorees at the Kohl Mansion in Burlingame, CA on October 4, 2012. Gary’s organization, AmpleHarvest.org, which works to connect food pantries with gardeners’ fresh produce, received $25,000 from the Foundation. 44 The Compass Fall/Winter 2012

AmpleHarvest.org currently has 5,500 food pantries participating nationwide – that is one out of every seven in America –and has attracted the attention of the TEDx conference, at which Gary spoke this past February, as well as First Lady Michelle Obama, who highlighted the organization’s work in her new book, American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America. Gary invites all members of the Windward community to visit AmpleHarvest.org to learn more about the organization and how they can help reduce hunger and food waste in their communities.

Visit Windward on Facebook and become a fan!

1991

Jennifer Haber Fenster ’91 Jennifer and her husband, David Fenster, have been married for eight years, and are the proud parents of a son, Max. They reside in New York City.

contemporary collection based at L’Atelier Group, a showroom in New York City. 2000

Tiffany Gouz-Katz ’92 Tiffany is married to David Katz, and the couple has a daughter, Leah. They reside in Orange, CT.

Rachel Fehr ’00 Rachel is in her second year of teaching at Temple Emanu-el Preschool in San Francisco. She has been working with 2-5 year olds, and loves every minute of it! She earned her M.S.Ed. degree in teaching from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY, and still sings, acts, and writes.

1996

2001

Mac Cashin ’96 Mac recently welcomed his second child, Martin Samuel Cashin, on May 31, 2012. His daughter, Grace Lilian, is three years old. Mac resides with his wife and children in Bath, NH.

Matthew Eisman ’01 Matthew has bought a Pepperidge Farm bread route, and is extremely happy with his work.

1992

Andrew Koss ’96 Andrew, who attended Windward from the fifth through eighth grades, graduated from Rye Country Day School in Rye, NY, and Berklee College of Music in Boston. He is currently working as a music producer, song writer and studio owner, and is head of Terminus Recording Studios, a recording studio in New York City. He credits his success to the time he spent in Windward’s classrooms. 1997

Sheryl Baron Guttman ’97 Sheryl and her husband, a urologist, moved to Naples, FL last year. Sheryl is a stay-at-home mother to their two daughters, Sabrina, 6 years old, and Chelsea, 3 years old. Although Sheryl enjoys living in Florida, she returns to New York often to visit friends and family. She has shown her daughters photos from her years at Windward, and hopes to make a visit soon. 1998

Stephanie DiPaolo ’98 Stephanie graduated from Syracuse University in 2002 with a B.S. degree in retail management, and has lived and worked in New York City ever since. She is currently a senior account executive for Ramy Brook, a women’s high-end Visit Windward on Facebook and become a fan!

Jacob Gould ’01 Jacob graduated Stay in touch with Windward! from Northeastern Visit us online at www.thewindwardschool.org University in Boston and become a fan on Facebook. and Roger Williams University School of Law in Bristol, RI. He was married in 2010 to Amaryah Juh, and they are expecting their first child. 2002

Alyssa Bajorin ’02 Alyssa is teaching in an early intervention classroom at a school located in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Her students, ages 3 to 5 years old, are in need of additional support to prepare them for kindergarten. She absolutely loves her job, and is also enjoying living near the waterfront in Annapolis, MD. James Brett Weber ’02 James is a head varsity football coach at James Island Christian School in Charleston, SC. 2003

Christian Imperato ’03 Christian graduated in 2007 from Temple University in Philadelphia, and is currently working towards his M.Ed. degree in social studies and special education. Max Lerner ’03 Max is the CEO and founder of Zypshop, a mobile, self-checkout application that The Compass Fall/Winter 2012 45

allows customers to scan items when shopping and check out without the hassle of waiting in line. Zypshop was funded by Carnegie Mellon University this year. Lindsay Olzerowicz ’03 Lindsay graduated from Quinnipiac University in Connecticut in 2007, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees, with honors, in management. She currently works for the Washington, D.C.-based Women’s Business Enterprise National Council as their senior program manager, and works mostly from New York City. This fall, Lindsay became engaged to her boyfriend of a year and a half, whom she met on Match.com. They will be married on November 29, 2013.

York City to San Francisco. She had previously worked in prime services at Credit Suisse, and currently works in investor relations at Arda Capital, a San Francisco-based hedge fund that launched this past summer. Alexander Horn ’04 Alex currently works as an associate at HPNY, a commercial real estate investment firm in New York City. Rachel Israel ’04 Rachel works in Boston for Big Brothers, Big Sisters, supervising the matches of 150 children and volunteers. A graduate of the New Rochelle public schools, which she attended after leaving Windward, Rachel holds bachelor’s degrees in sociology and studio art, and a master’s degree in visual arts education, all from Clark University in Worcester, MA. Cooper Naitove ’04 After graduating college, Cooper was offered a position as a photographer with ByDesign Motorsport in Saudi Arabia; the company modifies exotic and luxury cars, such as Ferraris and Porsches, to suit customers’ personal tastes. Shortly after his arrival, Cooper was promoted to sales director. He loves cars and traveling, and his job enables him to do what he loves every day.

Lindsay Olzerowicz ’03 and her fiancé plan to marry next fall.

Jonathan Simkhai ’03 Jonathan is a fashion designer in New York City who launched his own women’s wear collection in 2010. He takes inspiration from, among other things, the Italian and Japanese fabrics he utilizes, and his collection seeks to bring classic codes to feminine silhouettes. He started his love affair with fashion as a teenager, when he began working in a clothing store, honing his skills as a buyer. He later went on to study at Parsons The New School for Design and at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Lori Zimmerman Fecher ’04 Lori was married to Lenny Fecher, Jr. on July 7, 2012, at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, NY.

2004

Brittany Carlson ’04 This past May, Brittany moved from New

46 The Compass Fall/Winter 2012

Lori Zimmerman Fecher ’04 and her husband, Lenny, on their wedding day. Visit Windward on Facebook and become a fan!

2005

Ramona Mark ’05 Ramona is happy to announce that she will soon be starting a new job at the music label Seven Four Entertainment, based in Beverly Hills, CA. She is currently managing the Los Angelesbased band Harriet. 2006

Leigh Davidson ’06 Leigh graduated in 2011 from Stetson University in DeLand, FL, earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration. She has since moved to Denver, CO and is working in hospitality at the La Quinta hotel chain in Golden, CO. Corey Feldman ’06 Corey, who is serving in the Israel Defense Forces, was home in late October and paid a visit to The Windward School with his father, trustee Andy Feldman. Corey has a little more than a year left to serve and hopes to return to New York to explore his career options when his tour concludes in 2013.

Michaela Lynch ’07 Michaela resides in St. Louis, MO, and works in public relations for St. Jude’s Hospital there. 2008

Jocelyn Packman ’08 Jocelyn graduated this past May from Sarah Lawrence College. David Schutzbank ’08 David graduated in May from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA, and was named to the Dean’s List for both semesters of his senior year. Following his graduation, he accepted a job at a global supply chain management company. Adam Weiner ’08 Adam earned his B.A. degree in history this spring from Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA. He currently resides in Bangor, ME, where he is the aquatics supervisor and assistant swim coach at the Bangor YMCA. 2009

Anelise Feinstein ’09 Anelise is a professional violinist, and is pursuing a degree in fine arts at Marymount Manhattan College in New York City. 2010

Jonathan Bohm ’10 Jonathan is currently serving in the Israel Defense Forces and resides in Tel Aviv. He will finish his tour of duty in 2013, and then plans to attend college to study business and computer engineering.

Corey Feldman ’06 and Maureen Sweeney, Assistant Head of School, during Corey’s visit to campus. 2007

Samantha Leavitt ’07 Samantha graduated in 2011 from the University of Miami, and is currently a student at the University of Virginia School of Law. She anticipates earning her J.D. degree in 2014.

Visit Windward on Facebook and become a fan!

Michael Dineen ’10 Michael is in his junior year at Providence College in Providence, RI, where he is a healthcare management major. 2011

David Kamins ’11 David founded a soccer charity, Kicks Across the Pond, which supplies used soccer equipment to children in Ghana. An avid soccer player, David was captain of the soccer team at SAR High School in the Bronx. He spent a gap year studying

The Compass Fall/Winter 2012 47

in Israel, and is currently attending Muhlenberg College. Hannah Laytner ’11 Hannah is currently a freshman at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA. Aaron Schwartz ’11 Aaron is a sophomore at Syracuse University. Haley Schwartz ’11 Haley is a member of the club tennis team at Lafayette College in Easton, PA, where she is a psychology major. She hopes to forge a career in the media industry after graduation. 2012

Carter Anatole ’12 Carter graduated in June from The King School in Stamford, CT, where he was inducted into the Cum Laude Society and was named Most Valuable Player on the school’s varsity tennis team. He is currently a freshman at Cornell University. Mitchell Bowman ’12 Mitch graduated from The Harvey School in Katonah, NY this past spring, and is currently a freshman at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Honor Society, and its award-winning marching band, wind ensemble, jazz band, and pit orchestra. Corey Devlin ’12 Corey graduated in June from Irvington High School in Irvington, NY, where he received the School Spirit Award, which was also bestowed on his brother, Ronan Devlin ’12. Corey currently attends Loyola University in Maryland with his brother. Ronan Devlin ’12 Ronan earned the School Spirit Award at his June graduation from Irvington High School, an award also bestowed on his brother, Corey Devlin ’12. Ronan currently attends Loyola University in Maryland with his brother. Richard Dobbins ’12 During his four years of study at York Prep in New York City, Richard was named to the school’s honor roll. He also won the school’s “Arthur M. Schlessinger, Jr.” award his junior year; the award is presented to a student who has overcome both personal hardship and a learning disability, all while achieving high marks in history courses. His other accolades at York Prep included being nominated for and serving as alternate captain of the varsity basketball team during his junior and senior years. Richard is currently a freshman at Syracuse University. Jeffrey Fitzsimmons ’12 Jeffrey was accepted early decision to American University in Washington, D.C., where he is studying at the School of International Service.

The Harvey School lacrosse team, of which Mitch Bowman ’12 was a member.

Sandon Chevlin ’12 Sandon attends Rollins College in Winter Park, FL, where he is studying music composition. He earned both an academic and music scholarship to college. A 2012 graduate of Spanish River Community High School in Boca Raton, FL, Sandon was a member of the school’s National Honor Society, Social Studies 48 The Compass Fall/Winter 2012

Ana-Sofia Meneses ’12 Ana-Sofia graduated with honors from the School of the Holy Child in Rye, where she won the gold medal for her score on the National Test for the Medusa Society for Greek Mythology. She currently attends Brandeis University in Massachusetts. Oona Montalvo-Azcona ’12 Oona graduated in June from Brooklyn Friends School in Brooklyn, NY. She currently attends Sterling College, an environmentally-focused liberal arts college located in the Green Mountains of Vermont, where she plans to major in sustainable agriculture. Visit Windward on Facebook and become a fan!

2013

Elisabeth Brooks Cohen ’13 Elisabeth recently attended a summer art program at Cow House Studios, a progressive, artist-run studio set on 180 acres of farmland in County Wexford, Ireland. During her stay, Elisabeth had the opportunity to travel and study throughout the country. Gabrielle Kahn ’13 Gabrielle is a senior at The Harvey School, where she is captain of the varsity volleyball team. Stormjames Lipton ’13 Stormjames, a senior at Soundview Preparatory School in Yorktown Heights, NY, participated in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Hudson River Swim for Life this past September, where he swam with nearly 200 others to raise money for leukemia and lymphoma research. He has participated in this annual swim since he was 12 years old, and has raised approximately $15,000! Stormjames has also kept busy with trips to the Boy Scouts of America’s Sea Base in the Florida Keys, where he participated in a snorkeling and sailing expedition, and to Boys’ State at SUNY Morrisville this past summer, for which he was selected by the local American Legion. Raphael Norwitz ’13 Raphael is a senior at The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry. At press time, he was busy filling out his college applications. Thomas Rosenfeld ’13 Thomas is a senior at The King School in Stamford, where he was elected most valuable player for the varsity tennis team during his freshman year. This year, Thomas earned an honorable mention in the City of Stamford Poetry Competition, and was also awarded an art prize in 2011 at the International Art Fair for Children. Craig Silver ’13 Craig is a hardworking senior at Clarkstown High School in Rockland County, NY. His two main interests are cars and music, and he is applying to colleges in both fields.

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2014

Dayna Cameron ’14 Dayna is a junior at Rye High School. She is proud to announce that she received the 10th Grade English Award last year. Axel Getz ’14 Axel attends Proctor Academy in Andover, NH, where he was named to the Head’s List, the highest of honor rolls at the school. Charlie Hinnant ’14 Charlie, a junior at Fairfield College Preparatory School in Fairfield, CT, spent a month in Spain this past summer in a language immersion program sponsored by Adventures Cross Country (ARCC), which offers community service, language immersion programs, and multisport activity programs across the globe to teenagers and recent high school graduates. Charlie’s program took him to Madrid, Barcelona, and the Pyrenees. He is currently preparing for Fairfield Prep’s winter swim season via an intensive weight training and swimming program, and is studying for his driving test in his spare time. Charlotte Hinrichs ’14 Charlotte enjoyed a wonderful summer, which began with a ten-day trip on the Appalachian Trail. Afterwards, she and her brother, Colin Hinrichs ’14, spent a week in India with a friend from Suffield Academy and her family. A particular highlight of the trip was the visit to the Tirumala Venkateswara temple. Charlotte also spent a few weeks doing community service work in Costa Rica, where she was a camp counselor to a group of young children. Before going home, she and Colin spent a week surfing in Utiva, Costa Rica. Colin Hinrichs ’14 Colin had a busy summer: he and his sister, Charlotte Hinrichs ’14, spent time in India with a Suffield Academy friend and her family. He had the opportunity to visit a temple near Chennai, view the Taj Mahal, and experience the bustling city of Bombay. Colin then went to Costa Rica, where he participated in Spanish immersion classes and spent several weeks playing soccer with local teams near The Compass Fall/Winter 2012 49

Fortuna. Prior to departing, he and Charlotte spent a week surfing.

hockey and tennis. He is looking forward to the next Windward alumni day!

Bryan Krosser ’14 Bryan is a junior at The Harvey School, where he is doing very well academically and enjoys playing soccer and tennis. He was the recipient of the tennis team’s most consistent player award.

Liam Lynch ’15 Liam attends Bronxville High School in Bronxville, NY, where he was a member of the varsity lacrosse team during his freshman year.

Joseph Piekarski ’14 Jake has enjoyed a successful high school career at The Harvey School, where he is a junior. He excels in writing, and has been an honors student in history. He plays football and basketball, and won the team sportsmanship award for basketball in 2011. Ian Sherman ’14 Ian received a number of awards Send a note to during the 2011Christie Borden, 12 academic year. Associate Director of Advancement, He received the at cborden@windwardny.org. National Silver Medal in a scholastic writing competition for a play entitled, “Voiceless in the Choir,” which was selected for a reading by the Broadway Theatre Company. It was produced, along with a number of other plays penned by teenagers, by Writopia at the 59th Street Theatre in New York City. The winner of several Regional Gold Keys, awarded by Scholastic for various writing genres, Ian attended the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio this past June. The Studio is a summer camp, held at the University of Iowa, for young people seeking to improve their creative writing skills. Have News to Share?

2015

Daniel DiFonzo ’15 Dan is a sophomore at Somers High School in Somers, NY, where he was elected captain of the junior varsity football team. He hopes to pay a visit to Windward soon. Alexander Kurtz ’15 Alex earned second honors at Staples High School in Westport, CT, where he is a sophomore. John Levesque ’15 John is a sophomore at Fox Lane High School in Bedford, NY, where he plays 50 The Compass Fall/Winter 2012

Noah Mansoor ’15 Noah attends Dwight-Englewood School in Englewood, NJ. He is a member of the soccer and lacrosse teams, and is keeping up with all his academics thanks to his experience at Windward. He misses all his Windward teachers and friends. John Mooney ’15 John is a sophomore at Fordham Preparatory School in the Bronx, where he is a member of the swim and crew teams. 2016

Martin Durkin, Jr. ’16 Marty graduated this spring from Iona Grammar School in New Rochelle, NY, where he earned an award for high honors in math, and another award for making the honor roll each marking period for two years in a row. Isabel Getz ’16 Isabel attends Greenwich Country Day School in Greenwich, CT, where she was named to the high academic honor roll. Naomi Lofchie ’16 Naomi is a freshman at Trevor Day School in New York City, where she is happy and doing well. She continues to dance as part of the Steps on Broadway pre-professional program. Landon Miller ’16 Landon did well at Hommocks Middle School in Larchmont, NY, where he was a member of the wrestling team and made several good friends. He hopes to continue to wrestle at Mamaroneck High School in Mamaroneck, NY, where he is enrolled in both honors math and honors Spanish classes. He is also enjoys writing, and is considering working on the school newspaper this year. Landon still enjoys photography, and took a number of amazing pictures during a beach vacation this summer.

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children, and at various cancer camps and organizations. Emily Walsh ’16 Emily attends the Berkshire School in Sheffield, MA, where she is a member of the junior varsity soccer team. One of her fellow classmates is Emma Weinstein ’16, who is also on the JV soccer team with her.

Landon Miller ’16 enjoys photography and writing, and is an honors student.

Brigid Miniter ’16 Brigid has made a fine transition to Ridgewood High School in Ridgewood, NJ, and is doing very well academically. Over the summer, Brigid worked at a horse farm, and still rides horses every chance she gets. Tyler Petrone ’16 Tyler attends The King School in Stamford, where he is a freshman. Katie Smercak ’16 During her time in the Tarrytown schools, Katie was named to the high honor roll, and received the Presidential Award for scoring over 90% on her New York State English Language Arts exam. In her spare time, Katie enjoys playing golf, volunteers at an art camp for young

Rachel Weg ’16 Rachel is proud to announce that she won the American Association of University Women Award during her eighth grade year at Irvington Middle School in Irvington. She is interested in becoming an orthopedist or an orthopedic surgeon when she is older. Rachel still continues to play competitive soccer. 2017

Geoffrey O’Sullivan ’17 Geoffrey is currently an eighth grade student at The Birch Wathen Lenox School in New York City. 2018

Christopher Celli ’18 Chris is in seventh grade at Walsingham Academy in Williamsburg, VA, where he was the star goalie for the school’s lacrosse team. He excels in history classes, and credits his success to the foundation provided by Windward.

CALLING ALL ALUMNI! HELP WINDWARD LOCATE YOUR MISSING CLASSMATES! Windward would love to know what the following young alumni are up to these days. If you know any of the alumni listed below and can provide the School with their updated e-mail addresses so we can get in touch with them, please contact Christie Borden, Associate Director of Advancement, at cborden@windwardny.org. 2005 Brian Boehlert Philip Chasin Shane Fierman Malcolm Ford Jesse Goldman Laura Hogan Hayley Kirsh Rebecca Regan

Alexander Freedman Andrew Gomez Andrew Nolletti Emily Penn Kira Phipps Adam Price Liam Rockford Jonathan Sinkin Dylan Wroclawski

2006 Ariel Dagan Ashley Finkelson

2007 Belton Baker Julie Glass

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Emilie Ruble Morgan Timpson Mark Vasey 2008 Charles Coleman Sydney Meyers Houston Stebbins, Jr. Jeremy Wigdortz 2009 William Rockefeller Russell Sandler

2010 Camille Bohm William Campbell Emerson Jessup Lauren Reich 2011 Zachary Andrus Belle Aykroyd Daniel Hanson Davir Wiener-Blotner 2012 Kaitlin Paclisanu The Compass Fall/Winter 2012 51

From The Archives

Who? When? Where? Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d love to know more about this photo. If you recognize yourself in this photo or can identify a classmate, let us know! Contact Christie Borden, Associate Director of Advancement (914) 949-6968, ext. 2270 cborden@windwardny.org.

Calling all alumni! If you can identify any of the former Windward students featured in this photo, which ran in the spring 2012 issue of The Compass, please e-mail Christie Borden.

52 The Compass Fall/Winter 2012

Philanthropy at Windward

This fall, you have the power to change a child’s life for the better. When contacted by one of the following solicitors, please consider supporting the 2012-13 Annual Fund. Questions may be directed to Meighan Corbett, Associate Director of Advancement (914) 949-6968, ext. 2207 mcorbett@windwardny.org Don’t want to wait? Make a gift online today! Visit www.thewindwardschool.org and select “Giving to Windward.”

Philanthropy at Windward Annual Fund Solicitors, 2012-13 Grade 1 Rebecca Bowman Grade 2 Sharon Berger Colleen Cunniffe Gregory Kennedy, Trustee

Grade 4 Sofia Blanchard Robin Buchanan Peter D’Avanzo Nicholas Finn Heidi Lurensky Gina Switzer

Grade 3 Peter D’Avanzo Heather Fialkoff Alexander Gendzier Richard Miller

Grade 5 Susan Goligoski Suzanne Raved Gina Switzer Patty Wolff Grade 6 Sharon Berger Kathy Hughes Kathy O’Hare William and Marion Seibold

Grade 7 Peter D’Avanzo Alexander Gendzier Gregory Kennedy, Trustee Stacy Kuhn, Trustee Jeffrey Moses Grade 8 Christina Alfandary Mary Blum Richard Chirls Heather Fialkoff Katherine Hix Grade 9 Lori Garbin, Trustee Kathy Hughes Solicitors at Large Ellen Bowman, Trustee Arthur A. Gosnell, Trustee

The Windward School 40 West Red Oak Lane White Plains, NY 10604

Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage PAID White Plains, NY Permit No. 16

Address Service Requested

2013

Classic

WindWard

SAVE THE DATE Quaker Ridge Golf Club Scarsdale, NY Monday, May 13, 2013 Committee Co-Chairs: Nick Finn Mitch Katz Club Host: Mitch Katz

Golf Committee: Colin Ambrose Jessica Ambrose Tom Coleman Peter Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Avanzo Michael Douglas Kirsten Dzialga David Fife Tom Flanagan Michael Goldberg Jeff Goldenberg Arthur Gosnell Cynthia Humphrey Ed Kaplan Jim Kellogg Michael Nathanson Ron Ongaro Lou Switzer Catherine Zeta-Jones

Tennis Committee: Sally Cantwell, co-chair Sara Finn Stacy Kuhn Marian Fife Peggy Patalino Contact: Christie H. Borden Associate Director of Advancement, Special Events The Windward School 40 West Red Oak Lane White Plains, NY 10604 Phone: (914) 949-6968 ext.2270 Fax: (914) 694-5850 email: cborden@windwardny.org