Tower Hill Bulletin Spring 2019
Celebrating
Years Tower Hill Bulletin
Spring 2019
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CELEBRATING A CENTURY Tower Hill’s first head of school, John D. Skilton, gathered all students for games and sports to mark the end of the school year on June 20, 1920. The event evolved into Field Day with green and white teams. Alumni are invited to attend this year’s Centennial Field Day on Friday, May 24, 2019!
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Tower Hill BULLETIN
IN THIS ISSUE
SPRING 2019
52
48 20
CENTENNIAL PREVIEW
6 Centennial Weekend Overview
34
38
40 Writing 100 Years Green and White, the Centennial Song 42 The Bessie Centennial Boat Project Sets Sail
10 Centennial Convocation and Gala
44 Academics
14 100 Years of Teaching Excellence Book
48 Student Diversity Leadership Conference Reflections
16 Artists and Authors Show
52 Rivalry of the Century: Tower Hill vs. Friends 56 100th Year in Photos
12 Tower Hill History: Exhibit Puts Archives on Display
46 Leaning into Equity, Awareness and Diversity Conference
15 Centennial “Merch” Tower Term
50 Green Key Student Ambassadors
ALUMNI
60 Faculty Focus: Jack Smith, the Longest-Serving Teacher
20 Alumnus in Motion: Pixar President Jim Morris ’73
DEPARTMENTS
24 Q&As with Tower Hill’s Earliest Alumni
3 What’s Online
SCHOOL LIFE
54 Fall and Winter Athletics
30 The Big Picture
68 Homecoming 2018
34 Experiential Outdoor Classroom Update
72 Alumni Events
38 Dale, Marie and Ronnie: Dining Room Veterans
80 Crosswords and More
18 Centennial Speaker Series: Author Gloria Churchwell 22 Basketball Hall of Famer Pat Williams ’58
2 From the Head of School 4 Around School
26 Living on Campus: Memories from Alumni
62 THS in Photos
32 School Life in 1919
70 Reunion Class Photos
36 A History of International Students at Tower Hill
74 Class Notes
On the Cover On Founders’ Day in October, the entire school gathered on DeGroat Field in celebration of Tower Hill’s 100th year. Music Department Chair Drew Keim, right, organized the students and faculty into the 100 shape, and Director of Technology Josh Boughner took the photo with a drone.
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From the HEAD OF SCHOOL
Tower Hill BULLETIN COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE Teresa Messmore Director of Communications and Marketing Amy Reynolds Communications Specialist Kirk Smith Marketing Specialist ADVANCEMENT OFFICE Kristin Mumford Director of Advancement and Enrollment Management Kate Bailey Director of Alumni Relations and Stewardship Julie Goldston Advancement Operations Manager Heather Weymouth Lowry ’97 Director of the Annual Fund and Major Gifts Officer Melissa Pizarro Major Gifts Officer Linda Palmer Administrative Assistant CONTRIBUTORS Mark Bussard ’90 Jennifer Cleary ’20 Dyann Connor, Faculty Rob DeSantis, Parent Grace Diehl ’20 Chuck Durante ’69 Alex Karlesses, Staff Isabelle Kowal ’20 Susan Miller, Faculty Reece Ratliff ’21 Judy Setting, Parent Eduardo Silva, Faculty Destiny Smith ’20 Tim Weymouth, Faculty Joseph Zakielarz ’20 PHOTOGRAPHY Kate Bailey Toni Jackson Teresa Messmore Linda Palmer Amy Reynolds Kirk Smith, Lead Photographer LAYOUT Amy Reynolds The Tower Hill Bulletin magazine is published twice annually to share how alumni, faculty, staff and students embody the school’s motto Multa Bene Facta, Many Things Done Well. Send Class Notes to thsalumni@towerhill.org with a high-resolution photo. TOWER HILL SCHOOL 2813 W. 17th Street Wilmington, DE 19806 302-575-0550 | www.towerhill.org HEAD OF SCHOOL Elizabeth C. Speers 2018-2019 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Michelle Shepherd, Chair Ellen Kullman ’74, Vice Chair Marna Whittington, Ph.D., Treasurer Jon Abramczyk, Secretary Ted Ashford III Kimberly Wright Cassidy, Ph.D. Anthony Cucuzzella, M.D. ’82 Régis de Ramel Benjamin du Pont ’82 Charles Elson Jack Flynn, M.D. ’81 W. Whitfield Gardner ’81 Laird Hayward ’02 Eric Johnson, M.D. Henry Mellon David Nowland ’85 Isabella Speakman Timon ’92 Carmen Wallace ’93 Gina Ward Vance Wilson Earl Ball, Ed.D., Emeritus
Dear Tower Hill families and friends, Our 100th year is officially launched. On campus there is a noticeable reverence for Tower Hill’s intergenerational story, woven together through memories and human connections that continue today. Centennial Committee Chair Mary Hobbs Taylor ’09 has kept our 100th anniversary front and center, starting with a surprise faculty flash mob performance of Seasons of Love—Tower Hill style—at our opening assembly as hundreds of green and white balloons cascaded from the ceiling. We celebrated 100 years at Founders’ Day with a 100-meter dash run by the school’s 11 “founders,” represented by fast-footed faculty and students. The ribbon cutting of our new Lower School Experiential Outdoor Classroom, which opened last fall, included remarks from Gov. John Carney. When you are back on campus, we invite you to join our students in the mud kitchen! Talented alumni have shared with students through the Centennial Speaker Series and Career Day. Our first-graders enjoyed a special visit with Irénée du Pont ’38 as he celebrated his 99th birthday! For the 100th minute of the 100th day of the 100th year, we brought back “dancing in the halls” from 1920s-era Tower Hill, and students enjoyed the music of our new Centennial song, 100 Years Green and White by Reece Ratliff ’21 and Joe Zakielarz ’20 (which you can hear at towerhill.org). You can read more about how our students produced this instant heirloom for Tower Hill on page 40. This issue of the Bulletin shares the energy, talent, loyalty, dedication, creativity and joy displayed by our students, teachers, parents and alumni of all ages and stages. As was true 100 years ago, the spirit of community, the connection between faculty and students, and the conviction of excellence across academics, athletics, arts and extracurricular activities are all hallmarks of Tower Hill today. Word is out that Tower Hill is committed to being a school of Wilmington and the world. Progress on our strategic plan includes investing in our Global Initiatives program with multiple exchanges and cultural immersion experiences. Tower Hill’s commitment to being an engaged and diverse community is palpable, thanks to the dedication of our students, teachers and staff. The emphasis on a student-centered approach to teaching and learning, a balance of tradition and innovation, along with focused progress in other areas have resulted in a significant increase in applications to Tower Hill, which are up 55% overall and 99% in Lower School. We are also well on our way to reaching a historic $1 million annual fund goal, thanks to so many of you who understand that 100 years is surely the time to wrap arms around Tower Hill and pay it forward for future generations. The number of donors has increased 20% year to date, and total contributions are up across every constituency. You will read about two wonderful examples of philanthropic support to Tower Hill, inspiring all of us to honor and express gratitude for lifelong friendships, a strong academic foundation, former or current teachers, and the impact of Tower Hill’s mission over 100 years. Our teachers deserve to take pride in these accomplishments, as it is their delivery of Tower Hill’s mission that is responsible for the school’s continued success. As this Bulletin reaches you, the Class of 2019 claims academic achievement with acceptances to terrific colleges and universities including University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago, Harvard, Duke, Yale, West Point, Wake Forest, Middlebury, Columbia and many more. Presidents and delegates from colleges and universities across the country will participate in an academic procession at Tower Hill’s Centennial Convocation, celebrating the 100-year connection between Tower Hill and higher education. We are fortunate to have incredible parent, alumni, faculty, student and trustee volunteers who are actively engaged in Centennial planning. Our Home and School Association hosted a winter Cheers to 100 Years kick-off event attended by over 425 parents and faculty/staff members. Our Centennial Steering, Decades and Gala Committees are hard at work planning for the event of a lifetime. Thanks to former faculty authors Harry Baetjer and Ellis Wasson, at Centennial you will receive a copy of 100 Years of Teaching Excellence, a commemorative book celebrating former Tower Hill faculty across the generations. We can’t wait to see you on Saturday, Sept. 21, at 10 a.m. for Centennial Convocation followed by the Centennial Gala at 6 p.m. under the Centennial tent. Thank you for your loyalty and support of Tower Hill’s legacy—past, present and future.
Tower Hill School does not discriminate on the basis 2 gender, Tower Hill sexual Bulletin 2019 of race, color, religion, orientation Spring or national or ethnic origin in the administration of its policies or programs.
Elizabeth C. Speers Head of School
twitter.com/ thsde
COLLEGE ADVICE 1,025 impressions, 6 likes Five recent alums came back to campus to share tips and advice about the college application process with our Upper School students!
CHESS NUTS 857 impressions, 11 likes Congratulations to the Chess Nuts on winning 1st Place in the K-3/Unrated division at the Tatnall Scholastic Chess Challenge Tournament!
MATHLETES 2,922 impressions, 5 likes Olivia Lin ’19, who placed in the top 5% on the AMC 12 math exam last year, gave eighth-graders a pep talk before the #amc8. Go, #mathletes!
What’s ONLINE
instagram.com/ towerhillschool
215 likes towerhillschool The new indoor track is officially complete!
207 likes towerhillschool Genelle Trader ’70 was Tower Hill’s first African-American student, shown here with fellow band members during a 1967 outing to Rodney Square. Ms. Trader was a guest speaker at the #BlackHistoryMonth Dinner #TowerHill100
289 likes towerhillschool You never know whom you’ll run into at a THS track meet, as Athletic Director Seth Kushkin learned with @joebiden!
facebook.com/ thsde
WEST POINT 195 likes Levy Margolin ’19 was selected as Delaware’s top nominee to West Point, and Sen. Chris Coons ’81 made the special announcement on campus in December.
EIGHTH-GRADE TRIP 93 likes Eighth-graders had a great time at their annual trip to Cape Henlopen, Delaware, in September.
FAMILY FITNESS 53 likes At the Lower School Fitness Runs/Walks, parents got to experience what weekly PE runs are like, where kids challenge themselves to meet their lap goals.
THS IN VIDEO...
RUMORS FALL PLAY 1.5K FACEBOOK VIEWS Theater teacher Tori Healy directed the Neil Simon comedy, Rumors, for the fall Upper School play.
100TH YEAR EXCITEMENT 640 FACEBOOK VIEWS In September, students and faculty shared 100 things they were looking forward to in Tower Hill’s 100th Year of School!
HAPPY 99TH BIRTHDAY, MR. DU PONT! 1.4K FACEBOOK VIEWS Brip du Pont ’38, one of Tower Hill’s first alumni, turned 99 years old in January, and some of our first-graders wished him a very happy birthday!
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Around SCHOOL Student Spotlight
Career Day
In November, Tower Hill sent a delegation of students to Princeton’s Model United Nations Conference. Students tackled a variety of historical and contemporary issues. Simi Olurin ’19 earned the highest honor, Best Delegate, for her thorough preparation and exceptional public speaking in the International Criminal Court. Rajiv Shah ’19 and Joe Pinto ’19 received an honorable mention for their representation of Congo in the ECOFIN committee. Barron Jones ’20 also earned an honorable mention as a member of a joint crisis committee on Japanese imperialism. At a Model UN conference in February, Pinto earned the title of Outstanding Delegate for his role as the Federal Republic of Germany in DISEC, the committee that addresses disarmament and international security. Thomas Zehner ’20 was named Outstanding Delegate for his representation of Wilbur Ross, secretary of commerce, in the United States cabinet. Pinto also received his committee’s Diplomacy Award.
Many Tower Hill alumni and parents shared their professional experiences with Upper School students on Nov. 16 for Career Day. Students had the opportunity to explore careers in law, engineering, entrepreneurship, fine arts, medicine, marketing, science and more at the annual event. Pictured above is Emily Keller Rockwell ’06, a nurse practitioner at the Montchanin Center for Facial Aesthetics.
Faculty Research At the beginning of the school year, science faculty member Penny Rodrick-Williams was selected as the teacher from the Mid-Atlantic to collaborate with researchers to develop curriculum on Antarctic ice sheet melting. Rodrick-Williams will be working with professors from Rowan University and the University of Colorado, a postdoctoral student at the University of Colorado, two education/curriculum specialists with the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at UC Boulder and another high school teacher from Colorado. The group will be working with satellite data and models that the researchers have developed about current and future ice melt in Antarctica. Using this information,
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they will be designing mini-units on climate change, the impacts of human activity on Antarctic ice melt, and future implications of changing ice and sea level rise. These mini-units will give students the opportunity to be engaged in data analysis, the use of computer mapping and modeling, and environmental problem solving. The group will begin by implementing these curriculum units in their own classes, with the hopes of making them available to educators nationwide.
Arts
PAATH The Social Justice Office, PAATH (Parents of AfricanAmericans at Tower Hill) and DIstINcT (Diversity and Inclusion at Tower Hill) hosted Tower Hill’s third annual Black History Month program on Feb. 6. Nyle Fort, a Ph.D. student in religion and African-American studies at Princeton University, was this year’s keynote speaker.
Ninth-graders in the Art Foundations Drawing and Painting class created six perspective drawings in tape in the front stairwell leading down to the Dining Room. Passersby voted for a winning design that will become a semipermanent display.
Forum
Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, Ph.D., president of The University of Maryland, Baltimore County, gave an inspiring talk on education to students, faculty and parents in November as part of the Forum Speaker Series. Hrabowski’s research and publications focus on science and math education, with special emphasis on minority participation and performance.
Global In October, the Global Scholars Program hosted its first Global Studies Round Table discussion with Bushra Ebadi, a UNESCO Youth Advisor. Ebadi joined students for conversation via Skype on the topic of youth engagement in global issues. The scholars had the opportunity to not only discuss the role of young people in addressing global issues, but also to learn more about Ebadi’s work with the United Nations.
Faculty
Tower Hill faculty members attended the MCRC @ ADVIS Cultural Competency Institute held at Episcopal Academy in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, in August. The keynote speaker was Rosetta Lee on “Beyond the Why and Into the How: Inclusive Classroom Practices.” Educators from around the tri-state area attended the event to learn how to create a more inclusive school community.
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BUILT ON TRADITION Alumni, families, students and friends are invited to campus on Sept. 20-21, 2019, for Tower Hill’s Centennial Celebration, a oncein-a-lifetime gathering for Hillers past and present.
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Centennial Preview
Be a part of
Tower Hill
HISTORY Centennial Celebration Sept. 20-21, 2019
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CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION SAVE THE DATES: SEPT. 20-21, 2019
One hundred years ago this September, Tower Hill School opened with 206 students and the ambition to serve as a model private school for the city of Wilmington. The school’s purpose was twofold: “to provide to students an opportunity for an education of the highest order and to offer to the larger community via lectures and other public means information intended to advance the cause of education.” A century later more than 6,500 Tower Hill alumni span the globe, empowered by an educational foundation rooted in intellectual curiosity, a passion for problem-solving and a deep sense of community responsibility. The Centennial Celebration on Sept. 2021, 2019, will bring Hillers past and present together for an unforgettable gathering spanning generations. “It will be amazing to see alumni from around the country and around the world back on campus for Tower Hill’s Centennial Weekend,” said Centennial Committee Chair Mary Hobbs Taylor ’09, who also serves on the science faculty. “Generations tied together through tradition and a love for Tower Hill will gather for a truly unique, once-in-a-lifetime celebration.” The weekend’s two highlights will be on Saturday, Sept. 21: the morning Convocation and the evening Centennial Gala. All are invited to the Convocation under a massive 8
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tent on the Nitsche Soccer Pitch next to the Carpenter Field House, where the student body, alumni from every decade, faculty, staff, parents, dignitaries and academic leaders will gather for a special program. That evening, dinner and dancing at the Centennial Gala will make for a festive celebration. Both Friday and Saturday will be filled with Hiller spirit at a variety of activities. The Homecoming athletic competitions take place both days, with past athletic captains invited to be recognized during the football game at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Alumni who are celebrating their Reunion years—that is, years ending in “9” and “4”—will be celebrated at the Forever Green and White Reception on Friday, which also recognizes faculty and trustees past and present, and on Saturday, join the Reunion luncheon and take group class photos at Hayward House. Alumni School Tours, decades panel and the Artists and Authors Show provide additional opportunities to catch up with old friends and meet alumni across the decades. Book your flights, make reservations for accommodations and be sure to RSVP so we are ready for you! Times and details are subject to change; please check towerhill.org/100 for updates.
Centennial Weekend
Centennial Preview
“Tower Hill has such a rich history, and we are excited to honor our past and look toward the future of this wonderful school for generations of students and families to come.” —Mary Hobbs Taylor ‘09
Events Open to Tower Hill alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff and supporters. Times subject to change; visit towerhill.org/100 for updates.
All-School Pep Rally Athletic Competitions
Friday, Sept. 20, 2019
Forever Green and White Reception honoring all former faculty, trustees and board chairs - 5-7 p.m. (This reception also recognizes alumni reunion classes ending in “9” and “4”; reunion dinners to be held off site after reception.) Artists and Authors Show Opening - 7-9 p.m.
Convocation - 10 a.m.
Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019
Centennial BBQ Lunch - 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Reunion Luncheon and group class photos at Hayward House for classes ending in “9” and “4” or alumni who already celebrated their 50th reunion Athletic Competitions Honoring past athletic captains at halftime of the football game Celebrating Tower Hill’s Past, Present and Future presentation Alumni School Tours THS History Exhibit
Centennial Gala – “The Event of the Century” - 6-11 p.m. (Gala is a paid, ticketed event; purchase tickets at towerhill.org/100)
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CENTENNIAL CONVOCATION THE OFFICIAL MARKING OF 100 YEARS WILL HAPPEN AT CENTENNIAL CONVOCATION—ALL ARE INVITED Rarely is the entire Tower Hill community invited to convene on campus en masse. All-school assemblies, Graduation and Homecoming bring together select groupings of students, faculty and alumni, but never all of these constituencies at one time. In one place.
crowd, and the Centennial Medal will be presented to an honored guest. Wonderful music and reflections through the decades will round out the program, celebrating all that Tower Hill has accomplished over a century.
The Centennial Convocation will be a unique occasion when truly every alum, student, faculty and staff member, trustee, parent and friend of Tower Hill is welcome to gather and celebrate this beloved school. Thousands are expected to be on campus for the Convocation to take place under the Centennial Tent on the Nitsche Soccer Pitch.
Head of School Bessie Speers was part of a centennial celebration at her previous school, Ethel Walker, which turned 100 in 2011.
An academic procession of faculty, school leaders and dignitaries will begin the occasion, joined by students and alumni. A keynote speaker will address the
CONVOCATION Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019 10-11:30 a.m., Centennial Tent Arrive early for seats to the Convocation. Students will process with faculty and alumni before the program begins at 10 a.m.
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“I have seen what it means for a school to go through a 100-year celebration,” Speers said. “It is a transformational event that unites alumni with students and faculty today. The Centennial Convocation will be a meaningful, memorable experience for all who take part.” The Founders’ Achievement Award, Timothy B. Golding Chair of English Award, 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award and 2019 Young Alumni Award will also be presented. The Convocation will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019, as the first activity of the day, followed by a barbecue lunch for the entire Tower Hill community.
Centennial Preview
CENTENNIAL GALA DON'T MISS “THE EVENT OF THE CENTURY”
The Centennial Gala Celebration on the evening of Saturday, Sept. 21, will bring alumni, parents, faculty and friends together to close Tower Hill’s Centennial Weekend with sparkle. Co-chairs Linda Boyden, Erica Donoho and Isabella Speakman Timon ’92 and the gala committee are planning a once-in-a-century event not to be missed. “Tower Hill has been an important part of so many people’s lives over the years!” Boyden said. “The Gala will be the perfect opportunity to reconnect, celebrate this wonderful institution and kick off its next century. Please join us for an amazing evening!” Cocktails will begin at 6 p.m. in St. Amour Garden, situated just south of the Carpenter Field House. Guests will move inside the Tower Hill Gala Tent nearby for a seated dinner followed by dancing to the music of the New York City-based band Around Town. Fireworks will cap off the festive celebration, located where the Tower Hill story began when the school’s founders first gathered in 1919. “Celebrating 100 years of Tower Hill School made the location an easy decision: of course the Gala must be on campus,” Donoho said. “It’s the perfect place to celebrate so much history as well as promise for the next 100 years. This will be an event that you will not want to miss!”
GALA Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019 6-11 p.m., Centennial Tent TICKETS
$100 Individual Guest $50 Faculty and Staff $50 Young Alumni (Classes of 2009-2019) $1,000 Table of 10 Purchase tickets online at towerhill.org/100 or call 302-657-8353 by Friday, Aug. 23, 2019. Attire is black-tie optional. Valet parking will be available for all guests. Purchase tickets online at towerhill.org/100 or by calling the Advancement Office at 302-657-8353. As space is limited and tickets will not be sold at the door, please register and purchase tickets by Friday, Aug. 23, 2019. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. Seating will be grouped by relationship to Tower Hill: alumni class year, children’s class year, faculty, etc. For details, please email Julie Goldston at jgoldston@towerhill.org.
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HISTORY EXHIBIT
TOWER HILL’S ARCHIVES NOW ON DISPLAY
BY TERESA MESSMORE, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING
The basement level of Tower Hill School is home to hidden treasures known to students—a dance studio, a photography darkroom, a spacious fine art studio—and the school archives, known to relatively few. Memorabilia, trophies, photographs and newspaper clippings line shelves that also house old business records and student reports. School magazines, student publications and admission brochures contain fascinating tidbits about Tower Hill’s history, from details of the 1919 curriculum and remembrances of student trips abroad to descriptions of faculty-led community partnerships. They document Tower Hill’s evolution over time, and they demonstrate a school culture that has always treasured and celebrated students. The archives were carefully mined to research Forever Green: A Commemorative History of Tower Hill School, published upon Tower Hill’s 75th anniversary in 1994. A co-author of that book, former History Department Chair Ellis Wasson, Ph.D., oversees the school archives today. Wasson curated items from the archives to display in a special Centennial exhibit at the main entrance of school in partnership with the Communications Office. “History is important because it links us to the fundamentals for which the school was founded,” Wasson said. “The continuity of an institution gives it stability, it gives it a sense of purpose and it gives it a link to the future. So I would argue that history is vital to any good institution, and the archives are the basis for the history of that institution.” The exhibit is framed around four time periods: the early years of the 1920s and 1930s, a blossoming school community in the 1940s through 1960s, a period of expansion and growth in the 1970s through 1990s, and the Tower Hill of today in the 21st century. Artifacts on view include: • 1919 Tower Hill catalog • Visitor’s log from 1920s and 1930s • Dance cards from social events • Photographs dating back to the school’s construction • Letter sweater donated by Rory DeGroat ’70 The exhibit is designed to rotate objects in and out of display on an ongoing basis, making it easy to incorporate items that may be donated by alumni in the future from any graduating class. Memorabilia on view has been donated on both a temporary and permanent basis. Former faculty member John Pierson ’59’s jacket, a 1956 football keepsake, a 1936 Junior Prom dance card and 1927 visitors book are among the memorabilia stored in Tower Hill’s archives.
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Centennial Preview
Forever Green, available as a free PDF at towerhill.org/our-history, serves as the source material for the exhibit display. Digital versions of archived documents, such as school catalogs and Home and School Association brochures, are being posted there as well to share with the Tower Hill community. Visitors can also find yearbooks, class pins and photographs at the Alumni House. The archival display was supported in part by a grant from the Crystal Trust.
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT Complementing the archival display, the Communications Office and history teacher Wiz Applegate ’79 are compiling oral histories from Tower Hill alumni and past faculty. Centennial Celebration Weekend attendees can schedule an appointment time (details forthcoming) or submit a “selfie” video. Videos should be no longer than 3 minutes and will be posted at towerhill.org/100.
Q&A WITH ARCHIVIST ELLIS WASSON, PH.D. What are archives? Archives are the fundamental material that historians use. So anything that relates to the understanding of the history of the school must be based on collections of archival material, which can be either on paper or it can be physical objects. How would you describe Tower Hill’s archives? Well we have not collected a lot of material things beyond paper. There is some good stuff over in the Carpenter Field House, but in terms of pieces of student work, textbooks, all of those kinds of things, there’s been almost consistently blanks. We’re beginning to assemble and accumulate a little of that, but I know of other schools that have much more of it. So it’s harder for students or anybody else looking back at the history of the school to touch or feel it. They can see it in photographs, and they can see it on paper. Those are really the only two ways that we do that. But that’s OK. It’s not a terrible thing, but it would just be nice if we had more. We do have good records on paper. We have complete runs of virtually all the publications. We have excellent photo archives, and I think the 75th anniversary book demonstrated how rich really our archival material was both in terms of photographs and in terms of material with which to write the history of the school. I still think that’s one of
SHARE YOUR THS MEMORABILIA! Please donate any Tower Hill memorabilia (almost anything other than yearbooks) to Ellis Wasson, Ph.D., Archivist, Tower Hill School, 2813 W. 17th Street, Wilmington, DE 19806 or ewasson@towerhill.org. Thank you!
the best histories of a school that I’ve ever seen. Beautifully put together, but based on really useful material. So anyone who is really interested in Tower Hill can read that, but also people who are interested in the history of education in America could read it and gain from it. What does it say about a school in terms of what it keeps in the archives and what it continues to add? I think the real challenge—and this is one of the reasons why I hope some day the school will have a regular archivist [Wasson is part-time]—is that there’s a lot of ephemera that is churned particularly now that so much is done electronically. And that is not in the current buzzword “captured” for the most part. Virtually everything that this school has generated in terms of policy, stuff of historical importance, up until about 30 years ago, 20 years ago, was on paper, and we have it. Over the last 30 years, more and more has been put in electronic form, and we don’t have it. And if that continues, there will be a larger and larger gap in the archival process. What we really need for instance, I think, is to have either a very well thought out electronic archive that we’re sure can continue to be used 100 years from now—and I’m not sure that that can be assured—or, we need to print copies of all the stuff that’s being churned out. It would be really great to have a good color printer, and then just have someone make sure that every day, stuff that’s churned out by this place is printed and filed. Tower Hill Bulletin
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CELEBRATING TEACHERS
NEW BOOK CELEBRATES TOWER HILL FACULTY THROUGH THE DECADES BY TERESA MESSMORE, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING
Ask Tower Hill’s 6,500 alumni who their favorite teachers were, and they will share many wonderful names and memories. The quality of Tower Hill’s faculty over the course of a century has been so remarkable that, when asked, alumni cite different combinations of teachers spanning every division, every discipline and every decade. The task of a Centennial subcommittee convened to pay tribute to Tower Hill’s faculty in a commemorative book, therefore, was not easy. “It was impossible to include information about all the teachers who have worked at Tower Hill in this volume,” wrote school archivist and former History Department Chair Ellis Wasson, Ph.D., in the book’s introduction. “The overwhelming majority of them were and are exceptional. That is what has made the school great. Our space and resources had limits, so we were obliged to choose a representative sample.” Wasson and former Head of School Harry N. Baetjer III led the project, delving into the school’s archival files and publications for articles, anecdotes and yearbook dedications on teachers who have stood out in various ways over the years. They solicited input from alumni and reviewed the list of every single teacher who has ever worked at Tower Hill. They interviewed colleagues and alumni, gathering stories and inviting co-writers to compile colorful descriptions of faculty members’ work in the classroom, characteristic teaching approaches and contributions to school life.
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“In communicating with alumni for the book, I have been struck by the absolute joy and enthusiasm they have for talking about their teachers,” Baetjer said. “It is as if they had been sitting in a classroom with them a few hours before.” The book’s focus landed on former faculty members, with one exception, as all current faculty are being honored during Centennial. The book, titled 100 Years of Teaching Excellence at Tower Hill School, will be published this fall and distributed to registered attendees at the Centennial Celebration on Sept. 20-21, 2019. The volume is a companion piece to the school’s authoritative history, Forever Green, which was published in 1994 for Tower Hill’s 75th anniversary. Digital tributes to any faculty members, past or present, can be made during the Forever Green and White Reception on the evening of Sept. 20 or shared electronically at towerhill.org/100. “To those alumni who are disappointed that their favorite teachers have not been included, we apologize,” Wasson said. “We hope that the biographies included here will represent what has been a remarkable story. A narrative that we expect to continue for at least another hundred years!”
GET YOUR COPY
Copies of 100 Years of Teaching Excellence at Tower Hill School will be available during the Centennial Celebration for registered attendees. RSVP at towerhill.org/100
Centennial Preview
CENTENNIAL “MERCH”
TOWER TERM CREATES PRODUCTS TO COMMEMORATE THE CENTENNIAL YEAR BY JENNIFER CLEARY ’20 AND ISABELLE KOWAL ’20
In January, Upper School students engaged in a week of Tower Term, a program that emphasizes out-of-theclassroom experiential learning. Twelve students who wanted to contribute to the legacy of Tower Hill joined the Tower Term “Centennial Merch.” Their mission was simple: to work as a team of innovative students, valuing teamwork, collaboration and respect, and to create and sell unique products to commemorate the Centennial year. Faculty members Andrea Glowatz and Patricia Carlozzi focused on overseeing the project, while enabling the students to fully control the process. The two teachers created the Tower Term with emphasis on the highest cognitive skill—synthesis— to diversify student thinking through the process of designing, researching and adapting. “The entire week was one of the most remarkable student-centered experiences I have ever seen,” Glowatz said. “The high point for me was witnessing the collaboration among this group of 12; it nearly brought tears to my eyes.” The process was not easy; the students had to shed their comfortable skin as students and enter the business world as colleagues. The students began the project by brainstorming products and designs that would make “noise” amongst the many school gear options already established. After creating initial designs from online companies, the team engaged in business market research, polling the target markets to optimize the products according to consumer demand. They then altered their designs to fit the consumers’
opinions and learned valuable lessons in the need to separate the producers’ needs from the consumers’. “It was refreshing to not have to sit at a desk taking notes and listening to a teacher lecture,” Olivia Sanchez ’20 said. “It didn’t even feel like I was in school.” The students whittled down their merchandise to seven products and created Google Slides presentations with product proposals. Vital to the proposals was knowing the target market, finding the best supplier, understanding the contribution margin and recognizing how many products must be sold to break even. The Centennial Merch team was granted $1,400, with the goal of at least breaking even. If profits are made, half will go to Tower Hill’s Annual Fund, and the other half will go to a local charity to be determined. A factor that set this Tower Term apart from others was its emphasis on student-driven leadership, rather than the traditional classroom environment. “There were great opportunities for leadership roles, as a new project manager was elected each day,” Sander Saridakis ’20 said. “It was great to fully experience running an entrepreneurship.” All students, alumni and parents are encouraged to check out the merch that will be sold on the school website.
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ARTISTS AND AUTHORS SHOW FRIDAY, SEPT. 20, 2019, FROM 7-9 P.M. DURING CENTENNIAL WEEKEND BY JUDY SETTING, CENTENNIAL COMMITTEE MEMBER
The Centennial THS Artists and Authors Show on Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, from 7 to 9 p.m. during Centennial Weekend will display visual art and books by Tower Hill alumni, faculty and parents. Many show participants will be on site for the event, which will include book signings and readings. Be sure to come celebrate Multa Bene Facta and the creativity of the Tower Hill community at this special display of talent. If you are interested in participating or know of possible participants, please contact Judy Setting at judy@setting.com. Featured here are some participating artists and authors. David Larned ’95 is a painter dedicated to portraits, landscapes and still life. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Florence Academy of Art, Larned’s focus is on private and institutional commissioned portraiture. He has had nationwide exhibitions and received many awards, including repeat semifinalist in the National Portrait Gallery’s Portrait Competition.
Gloria Respress-Churchwell, a former Tower Hill parent, authored the book Follow Chester! inspired by the extraordinary life of Dr. Chester Pierce. Her previous book and documentary are part of the permanent Smithsonian collection. Her daughter, Alexandria Churchwell ’13, wrote songs to complement her mother’s book.
Ann Blakely Barlow Ashley ’79, a Tower Hill faculty member from 2000-2011, joyfully paints with inspiration from garden flowers, color and nature’s playful patterns. The styles and palettes of Matisse, Bonnard and abstract expressionists are guiding sources for her work. Ashley’s paintings are in numerous Eastern seaboard private collections.
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Centennial Preview
Chris Pechin ’60 is a storyboard artist for films, television, commercials and books. He’s been a supervising producer and director for three network, prime-time, top 10 television shows and continues entertainment industry work using an easel in production meetings to bring to life brainstorming; this form is sent to film or network executives for pre-production changes or approvals. He’s received three People’s Choice nominations and a Peabody award.
Hall Gardner ’72, who began writing at Tower Hill in 7th Grade, is an author and editor. His recent book on global politics is World War Trump: The Risks of America’s New Nationalism (2018). He is an internationally published poet with a book of poems The WakeUp Blast (2008), and his work has been featured monthly in the online magazine Wall Street International.
Andrew Gates ’11 is a science-fiction writer whose recently released book Hive is the final in a series. Science fiction has fascinated him since childhood. His writing interest was reinforced by Tower Hill experiences, where he was inspired by his Upper School English teacher, John Robinson.
George Martz, a member of Tower Hill’s faculty for 28 years, studied art in Philadelphia, Italy and New York, having received his B.A. from the University of Delaware. He is currently a Philadelphia Sketch Club member. After teaching art at Tower Hill, Martz retired and continues to teach a volunteer art class at the Country House in Greenville, Delaware.
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CENTENNIAL SPEAKER SERIES THREE ALUMNI RETURNED TO CAMPUS DURING TOWER HILL'S 100TH YEAR TO SHARE THEIR STORIES AND EXPERIENCES WITH STUDENTS IN ALL THREE DIVISIONS
As part of the Centennial Speaker Series, children’s author Gloria Respress-Churchwell, her daughter, Alexandria Churchwell ’13, and Bryard Huggins presented during a Lower School assembly on Feb. 6. Churchwell shared her book, Follow Chester!, which will be released in September of this year. She spoke about her passion for highlighting unsung heroes and the importance of developing themes as an author. Her work is specifically about recognizing small acts of kindness, developing empathy for others, choosing civility in how we interact—even when we disagree— and the power of allies, those friends who walk through difficult circumstances with us. Our students responded with thoughtful questions, demonstrating their own curiosity both about interesting people and the writing process. Following a discussion about the book, Churchwell and Huggins shared their experiences in writing and producing podcasts, including both a complementary storyline and music to bring the book Follow
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Chester! to life. The students heard how published authors use the same writing process that our students are using in their classrooms. Churchwell showed pictures of her journals, where she has captured thoughts and ideas that were later turned into lyrics. Huggins, the songwriter, shared his thought process when making decisions about how to communicate via music: which key to write a piece in, the tempo that best communicates a feeling, the melody and instrument choices that add to the meaning that a song can evoke. And above all, they talked about the importance of their collaborative work—done across states and over the span of months, if not years—and how that partnership really allows the best of our work to shine forth. Experiences like these are so important for our students, regardless of their age. I love the exposure to professionals who are pursuing their dreams in ways that allow us to learn and to demonstrate that our passions can become a career for each of us. —Susan Miller, Head of Lower School
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ALUMNUS IN MOTION
PIXAR PRESIDENT JIM MORRIS ’73 RETURNS TO TOWER HILL
BY AMY REYNOLDS, COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST
JIM MORRIS ’73, the president of Pixar Animation Studios, first started taking an interest in filmmaking when his eighth-grade class wrote and produced an operetta. Much like the eighth-grade show today, every member of the class had to participate in some way, whether it be writing, performing or acting as a stage manager. Morris was in charge of the special effects. “We had a special explosion that had to happen on stage, and we had a great time putting that on,” he said. “It was kind of the last thing in Middle School, and it forced the class to do something together.” Morris visited Tower Hill in October as part of the Centennial Speaker Series to speak with students and alumni with an interest in animation and digital media within the entertainment industry about his time at Tower Hill, his career path, his love of feature and animated movies and Pixar’s approach to filmmaking. Jessica Chen ’20 said Morris’ lecture was inspiring. “By returning to Tower Hill and sharing his story, Mr. Morris showed us the beauty of what our future can hold and also let us take a glimpse into the production timeline of the movie he worked on, Pixar’s Inside Out,” Chen said. “As Joy from Inside Out said, ‘Do you ever look at someone and wonder, what is going on inside their head?’ It was an honor to be able to take a peek into Mr. Morris’ mind—one that spreads a message of positivity through the movies he worked on and shares a feeling of motivation to all that hear his story.” Morris first started to have an interest in film when he was in 8th Grade at Tower Hill. The support he got from his teachers was pivotal, he said. “I was able to do a lot of independent studies, and I even did little movies instead of term papers in some cases,” he said. “I was able to figure out how to do all that and really had a lot of encouragement and support in doing it.” Morris has come a long way since making “little animated films” on 17th Street. As the president of Pixar, he’s overseen films like Inside Out, Ratatouille, Toy Story 3, Cars 2 and 3, Incredibles 2 and Coco. He also produced Pixar’s Wall-E, which won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film in 2009.
Prior to joining Pixar, Morris worked for 17 years at Lucasfilm, where he supervised a staff of 1,400 artists and technicians and oversaw the creation of the special effects for Jurassic Park, Forrest Gump, Pirates of the Caribbean and three Harry Potter films, among others. Like anyone in the film industry, Morris didn’t start directing films directly out of school. He started as a news cameraman at PBS and worked in the ad business for a while, but he never lost sight of his objective, which was to work on feature films. “I would try to find the things I could learn from in those different jobs, and then when I had another opportunity to get me a little closer, I took it,” he said. “I don’t know anybody that’s really been passionate about being in the film business that hasn’t found a way into a piece of it if they were persistent enough.” Morris credits much of his success to the support he got when he first started having an interest in photography and film. When Morris was a student, there was a black-andwhite photo lab that was adjacent to a chemistry classroom, and students could use open study hall classes to work on photography and developing film. But it wasn’t just his film and photography work at Tower Hill that set him on the path to a successful career. The breadth of studies that Tower Hill offers, specifically the language, English and history courses, gave Morris an interest in things about which to make films. He also noted that he wouldn’t be where he is today if it hadn’t been for the teachers he had at Tower Hill. In fact, it was Morris’ ninth-grade English teacher, Jim Wood, who encouraged him to go to film school. “You know, growing up in Wilmington, being kind of far from anything to do with the entertainment industry—it seems like an abstraction to think you can actually grow up and make a living doing something like film,” Morris said. “But with the guidance of teachers here, I ended up going to Syracuse and studying film, and that was really life-changing for me.”
VIDEO EXTRA
Jim Morris ’73 gives advice to students interested in pursuing film. Watch at towerhill.org/bulletin
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BASKETBALL HALL OF FAMER PAT WILLIAMS ’58 DISCUSSES THE QUALITIES OF GREAT LEADERS BY AMY REYNOLDS, COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST
THE FIRST INGREDIENT that it takes to be a leader of excellence, according to basketball Hall of Famer Pat Williams ’58, is vision. “Vision is where leadership begins,” he said. “You see, a visionary leader sees before others. A visionary leader sees farther down the road than others. A visionary leader sees in vivid Technicolor, while the rest of us see in grainy black and white.” In November, Williams returned to his alma mater as part of the Centennial Speaker Series to discuss with Upper School students the seven qualities it takes to be a great leader. In fact, it was at Tower Hill where Williams learned to be a leader. “Tower Hill was probably the most demanding four-year period of my life, as I look back,” said Williams, who co-founded the NBA’s Orlando Magic and has been the general manager with teams in Chicago, Atlanta and Philadelphia, including the 1983 World Champion 76ers. “When I got to college and grad school, it wasn’t a breeze, it wasn’t a snap, but oh boy was I prepared. I was ultra prepared for college and grad school, and the reason was
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the demands and the pressure that’s put on here at Tower Hill.” Guthrie Speers ’19 was instrumental in getting Williams to speak at Tower Hill. He suggested the idea, organized Williams’ visit and introduced Williams to the Upper School. “Mr. Williams was an excellent speaker and motivator, and his knowledge of sports was extraordinary, so it was awesome to talk about sports with him,” Speers said. “It was great to have him back at THS, and it was an honor to introduce him.” During his lecture, Williams noted the many leaders Tower Hill has produced, including former governor and U.S. Congressman Mike Castle ’57; Bob ’81 and Ruly Carpenter ’58, who owned and operated the Philadelphia Phillies for 40 years; and surgeon, author and TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz ’78. “Tower Hill is known for producing world-class leaders, in many, many different fields,” Williams said. “That’s one of the great earmarks of Tower Hill School, and that’s been the case for 100 years, sending out leaders into many different fields. Tower Hill has a marvelous history of preparing men and women for a life of leadership.”
Alumni
L: Pat Williams ’58 discusses the qualities of a great leader with Upper School students. C: From left to right: Stephanie Carpenter ’58, Pat Williams ’58, Ruly Carpenter ’58 and Head of School Bessie Speers. R: From left to right: baseball coach Thomas Hartmann and Williams.
Williams himself is an example of one of the leaders Tower Hill has produced over the past century. In 1996, he was named one of the 50 most influential people in NBA history. In 2012, he received the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Also one of America’s top motivational, inspirational and humorous speakers, Williams has addressed employees at many Fortune 500 companies. Williams began his lecture by telling the students that the next generation of leaders—not just in Delaware but around the country—is them. While having a vision is an important quality of leadership, it’s useless if you don’t have the next quality on Williams’ list: communication. “It’s one thing to have a vision as a leader, but if you cannot communicate it effectively, let me tell you what’s going to happen to that vision: nothing, nada, nit. Not one thing’s going to happen to it. And therefore, it’s extremely important, even now, to start working and developing your ability to communicate,” Williams said. The third and fourth qualities? People skills and character, including honesty, integrity, responsibility and humility.
Leaders also need to be competent—Williams’s fifth point—and in order to be competent, leaders need to be lifelong learners, which Williams learned to become during his time at Tower Hill. In order to be a lifelong learner, Williams said, students need to continue their formal educations, find mentors and, most importantly, become lifelong readers. “We’re addicted to screens—movie screens, television screens, computer screens, cell phone screens,” he said. “And listen, I am all for advancement and new inventions. But there is nothing more important than having a book in your hands.” Boldness and having a serving heart round out Williams’ list of the seven ingredients it takes to be a leader of excellence. Great leaders make decisions with a bold heart, he said. “Serving-hearted leaders are always thinking about others. They’re not concerned with building their own résumé—they’re concerned with building yours and advancing your career goals,” Williams said. “Servinghearted leaders are not interested in promoting and accomplishing outlandish things by themselves; they always want it to be done as a team.”
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TOWER HILL’S EARLIEST ALUMNI THREE OF TOWER HILL’S GRADUATES FROM THE ’30s SHARE THS MEMORIES Q&A WITH AMY REYNOLDS, COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST
IRÉNÉE “BRIP” DU PONT, JR. ’38
What was your experience at Tower Hill like? I came in as a second-grader, and I managed to stay through graduation, so that was 1927 through 1938. My parents told me to go to school, so I went to school, and it never occurred to me you could do things any other way. To me, Tower Hill was the only school. I don’t have any comparisons, because I hadn’t experienced any other school at that point in my life, but I think most of the students there felt that way. What are some of your favorite memories from Tower Hill? The mischievous things will always be remembered, but I don’t think that’s what you want to hear. Getting serious, the best teachers were great. I think the teacher I disliked most was my best teacher—Miss Dunbar—because she would inquire to see whether I was doing my homework, and I told big whopping lies, and it would end up in tears on my part because she knew I was lying and held my nose to the grindstone. She was a wonderful lady and the longest-serving teacher on the staff because Tower Hill bought out kindergarten at the Greenhill Presbyterian Church, which meant she had been teaching long before Tower Hill even started. She was a great teacher, and I appreciate her discipline. She made a big difference in my life.
Irénée “Brip” du Pont, Jr. ’38 in 2019. The Class of 1938; du Pont is in the second row, second from the right.
How did Tower Hill prepare you for work and life? It taught me how to read and write and do arithmetic. I don’t know how you can do any better than that. Art classes were fun, and shop classes and dramatics were fun, but you have to stick to the three “Rs” to get through life. I spent a fair amount of time as a factory worker at the DuPont Company. You learned how to make shift. I was working midnight shifts to 8 a.m., and if you think something doesn’t work right at the plant and you’re in there in a situation like that, you’ve got to get the machine going again—wrap some coathanger wire around it and get through. That was my woodshop teacher, Mr. Newton Mount’s, philosophy: You can always do something.
GINA MILLER BISSELL ’38
Tell me about your time at Tower Hill. Well, it was long ago. I enjoyed it. I know I walked to school with friends. I started in kindergarten and went through 9th Grade and then went to boarding school. Miss Jones was a teacher who stood out. She was the Latin teacher, and we weren’t very fond of her in school, but I know once we got out of school, I appreciated what she had taught us. I remember there were a group of us from Tower Hill, and we were in Egypt and came across something she talked to us about, and we said, “Thank you, Miss Jones! We appreciate what you taught us.” Who were some other teachers you remember? Miss Dunbar, who was in kindergarten and 5th Grade. She wasn’t very popular with us. Miss Norris in 2nd Grade— she was very nice. Mr. Chadwick—he was dreadful because he was the math teacher, and I could not master math. 24
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And he’d come up behind me and scare me to death and say, “What’s this? What’s this?” That was 8th Grade. Ancient history was my favorite subject. Did you play any sports? I played hockey. Loved hockey. It was just fun. I’m sure we had a winning season. It was a very good team at the time. Which Tower Hill traditions do you remember? I remember the Pooh Store. It was a little store sort of near the gym, and on certain days of the week it was open. I think it was the 6th Grade that took care of it, so we would man it with cookies and things, and the kids would be able to come up and we’d sell it to them. I don’t remember whether we were supposed to make a profit or not. What makes Tower Hill a special school? We were fortunate to have it there. The teachers made it special. The location’s nice.
MARGARET PORCH LOUNSBURY ’37
Tell us about your time at Tower Hill. It’s hard to know where to begin with a story like this, but I remember being in kindergarten there, and we had a teacher, Miss Dunbar, who later went with our class and taught the 4th Grade and the 5th Grade. She was the only one who was able to handle the boys. In the kindergarten room there was this great big closet filled with all of the playthings—puzzles and all of the equipment we needed to entertain ourselves. Going into that closet and trying to decide what to take out was a real decision. By the time we graduated, there were only 19 in our class. It was pretty intimate, and most of these kids—we had gone right from kindergarten through high school together. I was a lifer, and I kept up with a lot of these people, and a lot of people moved away but I kept up with them, so we had a good time. Tower Hill was a great place to be. There were many outstanding teachers.
Margaret Porch Lounsbury ’37 in 2018. The Class of 1937; Lounsbury is fourth from the right.
What are some of your favorite Tower Hill memories? I have a lot of fun memories from kindergarten, and putting on the plays were fun memories. They always put on a big Christmas pageant. That was fun. I remember one year I was one of the three wise men. Another year I was a voice offstage. I had big parts, as you can see, but it was always fun and the cast had such good times together. The other good memories were the hockey games, when we went off to various other schools to play other teams and they came over to our school to play us. I remember one playoff game we had to go off to some school on the Philadelphia Pike to play on neutral territory. I don’t remember who we were playing; I just remember we won the game. What do you remember about Field Day? I was a White. And I remember I won the stilt race. Can you imagine? I was kind of a tubby little thing in those days, but I took to those stilts. People kept falling all around me, and I kept walking and got over the finish line. And I beat Peggy Woodbridge ’37, who was the real sport, and she was a Green. That felt good. We also had hoop rolling races, threelegged races, jump-rope races. Tower Hill Bulletin
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A SHORT COMMUTE
ALUMNI AND FORMER FACULTY SHARE MEMORIES OF LIVING ON CAMPUS BY KATE BAILEY, DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS AND STEWARDSHIP
Throughout Tower Hill’s 100-year history, many faculty and their children lived on campus in school-owned properties, some in houses that still exist and others in houses that were removed to make room for the school’s expansion. Below are memories from just a few alumni who grew up next door to Tower Hill.
The Byrne Family lived in the Alumni House from 1970-1991 Growing up in the ’70s at 1600 Mt. Vernon Avenue wasn’t as much living “on the campus” as “next door to school.” When the Byrne family moved into the house in the spring of 1970, the campus, as it is today, really had not evolved. Mt. Vernon Avenue was a regular city street running between the football field and our (now the Alumni) house. The #10 DART bus turned on to Mt. Vernon Avenue before making the turn onto Pennsylvania Avenue. Wilmington Mayor Tom Maloney lived on the corner of Mt. Vernon Ave and 16th Street. His house, and the streets, are now gone. When school was out of session, it could be a pretty empty neighborhood. We did have fun with our next-door neighbors, the Hughes family, especially Mark ’85 and John ’78, whom Larry and I played Wiffle Ball with in the PreK play yard (now a parking lot) that adjoined both of our yards. We also played Monopoly on our porch. Some of those Monopoly games went on for entire weeks over the summer. —Bob Byrne ’79 It was great to be able to lie in bed (third floor back bedroom) and, with binoculars, kind of see into my 10th and 11th Grade homerooms. Since we were all so involved in many school activities, getting back and forth to whatever we needed to do was easy, and I think one of my
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The Byrne family celebrates Tower Hill Clash Day in 1972. From left to right: Larry ’81, Richard ’72, Chris ’74, holding their sister, Jennifer, and Bob ’79.
lifelong lessons has been to avoid a long commute. I could bolt out of bed at 8 and still be on time for chapel at 8:20.
we sometimes eavesdropped from the top of the stairs, I’ll neither confirm nor deny. —Chris Byrne ’74
With four of us at Tower Hill at one time, the house was often full of our friends, which was a great extension of the school buildings but also fostered the sense of community we enjoyed—and still enjoy today. My friends from Tower Hill have followed me through my life, and I’m grateful for that. Oh, and many members of the faculty would gather in the living room as well. If
You could get up late and still get to school on time; if you left something at school, no problem to get it—even after hours, as Dad had the master key. Also it was close to Rockford Park, which was my favorite place to go when things got too noisy or crazy in the house! —Richard Byrne ’72
Alumni
Bob Byrne ’79, Mark Hughes ’84 and John Hughes ’78 play a game of Monopoly on the Alumni House porch.
Of course it was easy to get to school. Maybe too easy. I can remember saying to Mr. Wood or Mr. Scherer or others that I had forgotten my homework. The answer was always, “Go get it!” One never knew who would be in the house, whether
current or retired faculty or one of a legion of kids at any given time. In the fall of my senior year, the band teacher, Ron DeGrandis, lived with us. All were welcome pretty much any time. —Larry Byrne ’81
The Hering Family lived in the Alumni House from 1941-1969 Janie Hering Kennedy ’45, George Hering ’49, Betsy Hering Gardner ’44 and Grant Hering ’54
me memories of 1600 as a child, adult and the parent of five THS graduates (Heather ’78, Marnie ’79, Susan ’79, Clark ’81 and Laura ’88). What a wonderful home 1600 was for my family. —George Hering ’49
I remember looking out of the window of 1600 Mt. Vernon and watching Weaver Gym being built “brick by brick.” In fact, I have fond memories of attending the very first THS Prom held in this “new” gym. I clearly remember my date as well! I spent a lot of time in the gym practicing after school and playing with friends. I played basketball, football and baseball. I remember Headmaster Brooke Stabler as a good guy, and the school built the house next to 1600 for him to live in. I also remember the trolley that traveled down 17th Street frequently. My favorite and most influential teachers were Miss Buckles, Ms. Dunbar and Bill Wild. —Grant Hering ’54
My siblings, Grant ’54, Betsy ’44, Jane ’45 and I were all lifers at Tower Hill. We grew up in the Penny Hill section of North Wilmington. After our mother grew tired of driving us to Tower Hill every day, she and my father jumped at the chance to purchase “1600” when it became available in 1941. (The home was previously owned by the Speakman family.) I have fond memories of living with Tower Hill right outside my door. My generation of Herings was very active in all areas of THS since the school was very small. My ’49 THS class had only 14 graduates. In the late 1950s, Betsy and Janie were each married at and had their wedding receptions at 1600. Living in Delaware my entire life afforded
The Hering family lovingly refers to our mother and grandmother’s house as “1600.” Helen Hering Kennedy lived in the house for 28 years! After her husband’s, George, Jr., death in 1951, she spent most of her years living alone. In the late 1950s, Helen rented her extra bedrooms to single men new to and employed by the DuPont Company. Many of the young men enjoyed 1600 as a “home away from home” and developed life-long friendships with the Hering family. A few of the memories that my four siblings and 12 Hering cousins shared at 1600 included Christmas dinners, climbing the old trees in front of the house, racing up and down the back stairs by the kitchen, hiding in the first floor bathroom under the stairs, playing on the THS preschool playground and reading on the “sun porch.” It was also a treat to play with the Hughes and Savage children while visiting our grandmother. —Heather Hering Brown ’78
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The Savage Family lived in the Business Office from 1965-1986 The Savage family moved into 1611 Tower Road, currently the Business Office, in 1965. At the time, Dad (Ernie Savage) was assistant headmaster and teaching history. I was in Middle School, my sisters Janie and Peggy were in Lower School, and my brother, Tom, was in kindergarten. Because we lived right across the street from Tower Hill, we had no excuse to be late for school, and often we would get to school early so that we could hang with friends. Dad was the administrator who would decide if school would be called off if there was bad weather. We remember shoveling snow in front of the door to fool dad into calling snow days! Sometimes when it was really icy, we were not able to get across the street because of the hump in the road, and we kept sliding back to our side of the street. Another time Janie fell going across the street—the only injury when dad was worried about making the call to keep school open! —Lindy Savage Recht ’71
Mom and Dad hosted numerous cocktail parties for faculty, and we would pass hors d’oeuvres to our teachers. At one party it was so crowded that Dad backed into a side table that had candles lit on it—and his coat caught on fire and he didn’t seem to notice! We loved living across from the rice paddy and got to play various sports on it when school was out. Unfortunately Peggy cut her leg on
the fence while climbing over—and still has the scar to show for it! We would get together with our fellow faculty neighbors, the Hughes family, and put on plays in our basement. It was great being so close to the Flower Market, and we could go multiple times. —Janie Savage Riley ’74
Lindy Savage Recht ’71, Janie Savage Riley ’74, Peggy Savage Brownell ’75 and Tom Savage ’78
The Newlin family lived on campus for 16 years—on 16th Street from 19831986 and at 1611 Tower Rd. from 1986-1999 I moved into a house on 16th Street in the summer of 1983, after my wife, Louise Smith Newlin ’64, relapsed for the last time in her battle with leukemia. She died in November of that year. That left me with three children, Nick, 9, Chris, 7, and Andy, 5. We remained at 2806 W. 16th until June 1986. A year later a yellow lab, Susie, was added to our family, and our confusing life became something bordering on chaos.
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That June I married my current wife, Dorothy Kinkaid Kimmel, who added two more boys, Christopher, then 10, and Reed, then 6. We moved into what is now the Business Office, where we lived until 1999. To us, living on campus was a godsend. It was a terrific place for our kids. We used the playing fields, the gym, the Field House— kind of a dream to live surrounded
by Rockford Park, the rice paddy, the playgrounds—and with only two of our kids at Tower Hill at any one time, it was one less place to have to drive to do drop-offs and pick-ups. Plus 1611 Tower Road was great for entertaining faculty and other groups. Having lived in a boarding school community for nine years, living on campus at Tower Hill for an additional 16 years was idyllic for me and for us. —John Newlin, former faculty, Head of Middle School 1979-2008
Alumni
The Hughes Family lived at 1601 Tower Rd.
Miss Richardson moved into the little brick home across from us that still stands and immediately became part of our family. With all these teachers around, one could easily earn a demerit or kudos for behavior “outside” of school!
Paul Hughes ’73, Ed Hughes, Jody Hughes, Mark Hughes ’84, Mary Hughes ’70, John Hughes ’78 and K.C. Hughes Halpern ’75
Our dad, Ed Hughes, had been teaching/coaching at Tower Hill for six years when we moved into 1601 Tower Road in the mid 1960s. We remember our mother, Jody Hughes, relishing the simpler logistics of getting us all off to school on time!
Smiths, Straubs). All of the families provided at least one or two peers for each of us to befriend. Our little community was teeming with academics and because our parents were neighbors and coworkers, the bonds were strong.
Yes, the weekends and summers slowed the traffic on campus, but the open spaces of the rice paddy, football field and preschool play area were still perpetually abuzz with us all. We remember jumping banana seat bikes, hosting basketball team dinners and celebrating family weddings right where everyone now parks and tailgates for the football games. It was our personal “Hiller Haven” until our folks moved south in the ’90s. We were happy to learn that a bit later, Frank Singles raised his wonderful family at 1601 as well! —John Hughes ’78
Many faculty homes with young families were within today’s school property or just into the Highlands. Along with the Savages, Byrnes, Coateses and DeGroats, we enjoyed our formative years in this unique “neighborhood.” As Tower Hill expanded its boundaries along 19th Street across from Rockford Park, the Lagarde, Duprez, Bryant and Kallfelz families took to those sharp row homes. Into the ’70s and ’80s, still more faculty families were within Tower Hill’s growing footprint (the Woods, Stewarts,
Did you live on Tower Hill’s campus? Share your story with us! Email thsalumni@towerhill.org Tower Hill Bulletin
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THE BIG PICTURE Project-based learning was a key component of Tower Hill’s curriculum in the school’s early years, encouraged by Headmaster Burton P. Fowler—a national leader in the Progressive Education movement beginning in the 1920s.
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SCHOOL LIFE IN 1919 WHAT SCHOOL WAS LIKE 100 YEARS AGO
When Tower Hill’s founders gathered in January 1919, they outlined their intention to provide a modern, well-located school that enjoyed proper heating and ventilation. The first school catalog—excerpts from which are below—announced that the school would “embody the progressive spirit of the times.”
PURPOSE OF THE SCHOOL Tower Hill’s founders recognized the need for additional facilities for education in Wilmington.
in any subject. Study periods were also important in 1919, and they were viewed as a time during which students could ask teachers for extra help or additional explanations.
“To meet this need,” the catalog reads, “they have had in mind the establishing of an institution embodying two essentials: first, it is to be housed in a conveniently arranged building of approved modern construction, and, second, it is to exemplify in its operation thoroughly sane methods and ideals, under the care of competent teachers of experience.”
“Emphasis will be laid on accuracy and thoroughness, on careful, regular attention to school duties, on physical health and mental alertness,” the catalog reads. “The schedule of work and play is so arranged as to postpone as long as may be the necessity for home study, which becomes inevitable as the pupil advances.”
SITE OF THE SCHOOL The founders noted that the location of the school, at Tower Road and 17th Street, was easily accessible to outdoor space. “Moreover,” the catalog reads, “the School is located in close proximity to Rockford Park, where there is available a large area of open ground, containing baseball and football fields and playgrounds, which may be used by the children, under competent supervision.” CURRICULUM The curriculum of Tower Hill School included kindergarten, Lower School, Middle School and Upper School. Just like today, students completed kindergarten at about the age of six and then began Lower School. The Lower School, Middle School and Upper School each covered a period of four years, 12 years in all, at the end of which the students would be prepared for college or technical school. “The work is progressive from start to finish, the division into Lower School, Middle School and Upper School being merely for convenience in designation,” the catalog reads. “The scholastic work and collateral activities of the School are planned and arranged to form a consistent, orderly whole, which shall include all the essentials of thorough secondary school training.” Like today, all classes were small and individualized attention was given. More advanced students were given the opportunity to move ahead, while special aid was given to students who experienced difficulty
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DOMESTIC SCIENCE Domestic science—“practical courses in sewing, cooking, home duties and household management”— were part of Tower Hill’s curriculum for girls in 1919. Instruction on food preparation, questions of household sanitation and the materials and cost of home furnishings are examples of topics that were covered in the course. “An endeavor will be put forth to acquaint pupils with the important relation domestic science bears to our everyday life,” the catalog reads. “There will be the further effort to correlate the training in this branch with such instruction in art as may equip a girl in a helpful, practical manner for her future duty and privilege of home making.” HOMEWORK The catalog noted that as students reached the higher grades, an increasing amount of homework would become necessary. “In no part of the child’s work is there greater or more important opportunity for helpfulness than in the parent’s insistence that social and other distractions shall not interfere with homework,” it reads. “It is hardly possible to emphasize too strongly the necessity for regular, undisturbed time for home study as the student approaches college, and the parents may render a helpful service by insisting upon the observance of regular hours at home.”
LIBRARY While the classrooms were supplied with proper maps, charts, dictionaries, encyclopedias and other reference books, the librarian helped teachers and students find other required items and taught them how to make use of a library to the best advantage. LUNCH The building contained a “refectory”—a dining room— in which students were provided “a suitable, hot lunch at a moderate charge.” PENMANSHIP Throughout Lower and Middle School, all students received thorough instruction in penmanship. “The purpose of this instruction will be to teach children the mechanics of writing and to lay stress upon the systematic practice which will enable them to write legibly and easily, at the same time permitting them to show their own individuality when the time comes that chirography of the individual has settled down into ‘hand,’” the catalog reads. PHYSICAL FITNESS PE was an important part of a student’s experience. Frequent examinations were given to determine the physical condition of the children, and the amount and kind of exercise was adapted to the requirements of each individual. When the weather conditions permitted, gym classes occurred outdoors, but there was an “adequately equipped, scientifically constructed gymnasium” that was an important part of the school.
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LABORATORY “A practical, working laboratory will be one unit of the school building, affording means for the elementary study of chemistry and physics and the scientific subjects usually taken up in preparatory school,” the catalog reads.
REPORT CARDS Monthly reports were sent home to parents of students in 3rd Grade and up. The grades were as follows: A denotes Excellent work, 90-100% B denotes Good work, 80-89% C denotes Fair work, 70-79% D denotes Poor work, 60-69% F denotes Failure The passing mark is 60%. SPECIAL SUBJECTS Conversational French, Drawing, Art and Chorus were all offered in Tower Hill’s early years. TUITION FEES Tuition fees were due and payable in advance, one half on Oct. 1 and the other half on Feb. 1. Kindergarten - 9 a.m.-12 p.m. - $100 Lower School - 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Grades 1 and 2 - $125 Grades 3 and 4 - $150 Middle School - 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Grades 5 and 6 - $175 Grades 7 and 8 - $200 Upper School - 9 a.m.-3 p.m. First and Second Years - $225 Third and Fourth Years - $250 Those fees applied only to the 1919-1920 school year. According to the catalog, “Whereas the School is not being operated for a profit and as all Trustees serve without compensation, this Prospectus should not be construed as a contract to continue beyond the school year 1919-1920.”
“The theory of the Tower Hill School is that play is quite as important as work in the life of the child and that it should be directed and supervised with the intelligence which ensures all the benefits of safety and sanity, without impairing spontaneity,” the catalog reads.
VIDEO EXTRA
Margaret Porch Lounsbury ’37 describes what the building was like when she was in kindergarten in the mid-1920s. Watch at towerhill.org/bulletin
When the architects designed the kindergarten wing—now the Lower School Library—they included windows on three sides so the room would have sunshine throughout the day.
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From left to right: Sharon Cummings, Nancy Tate, Gov. John Carney, Isabella Speakman Timon ’92, Regis de Ramel, Susan Miller, Louise Cummings-Lewis, Bessie Speers and Michelle Shepherd with Abigail Lewis ’30 and Captain Jason Sapp.
OUTDOOR CLASSROOM
EXPERIENTIAL OUTDOOR CLASSROOM OPENS DOOR TO DISCOVERY BY TERESA MESSMORE, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING
A DECADE AGO, Lower School teachers shared a vision for creating an experiential playground where an empty grass lawn sat along Tower Road. They researched and imagined what such a space could look like, envisioning water tables, mud kitchens, digging beds, tables for art and block play, garden plots, low-level climbing spaces, natural seating areas and whimsical musical instruments. On Nov. 19, 2018, their vision became a reality. “Our hope and dream was to use this outdoor space to create a unique classroom that invites our youngest students to experiment, invent, predict, problem solve, discover and reason beyond the traditional playground—a place where students can safely take risks and explore their own competencies,” said prekindergarten teacher Theresa Shorey at the dedication event, with Gov. John Carney, the entire Lower School, faculty, parents, trustees and friends in attendance. The new Experiential Outdoor Classroom includes all of the features Shorey described, plus the delighted
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laughter and chatter of children exploring and playing together. The transformation aligns with Lower School teaching approaches and a strategic emphasis schoolwide on hands-on learning opportunities. “This classroom will allow our students to bring their learning outside, to initiate learning in creative ways, to engage with their peers, and to experience great joy as they learn in this innovative space,” Head of Lower School Susan Miller said. The outdoor classroom was made possible by a generous donation from Lower School parent Louise CummingsLewis, whose late husband, Corporal Stephen J. Ballard, was lost in the line of duty in 2017. The space was dedicated in Ballard’s memory, with Delaware State Police Troop 2 and members of the Wilmington Police Department and New Castle County Police present. “Today is really a great day to thank our members of law enforcement for what they do every day: for taking the risks that they do to keep all of us all safe,” Gov. Carney said at the dedication. “It’s a day to give thanks to Corporal Ballard and his service to our state, his big
SCHOOL LIFE
smile and the way that he did his job every single day. It’s a day to thank everybody here at Tower Hill School for dedicating this space for what you do every day lifting all these children up.” Cummings-Lewis and her daughter Abigail were joined by the governor, Head of School Bessie Speers, Board Chair Michelle Shepherd and others for a ribboncutting, and students from every grade presented items to be used in the outdoor classroom, such as gardening tools and seeds. Children received bottles of bubbles to blow in celebration at the close of the event. “Stephen spent his life transforming lives, as many of the state troopers and New Castle County police and Wilmington police transform lives every day,” Cummings-Lewis said. “That’s what police officers do. They’re our friends, they’re our helpers and they try to make our world a better place. And so for our family, that’s what this playground is: It’s about transforming lives.”
PLANTING SEEDS FOR LEARNING Lower School science teacher Nancy Tate has organized a committee of faculty members, “Hiller’s Tillers,” to help maintain and maximize use of the gardens in the outdoor classroom. She is also developing a plant biology curriculum to integrate into her science classes. Prekindergarten and kindergarten will learn about plant families, and Grades 1-4 will learn about a specific plant family each year: nightshades (potatoes, eggplant, peppers); legumes (beans, peas, lentils); cucurbits (gourds, squash, cucumbers); and brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage). “I’m going to divide up all the garden spaces so that every class has a patch they can go to and say, ‘This is our garden,’” Tate said.
The curriculum is inspired by her visit to Princeton Day School, which has had an outdoor classroom for many years. The existing garden beds near the Stabler Building will remain, and areas for composting and flower beds have been added. As plants grow into late spring and summer, participants in the Summer at Tower Hill Day Camp will visit the outdoor classroom to learn and check progress. Over the time, Tate expects the gardening aspect of the space to continually evolve and grow. “Every student really learns the importance of the whole process of a garden, from planning, to planting, to tending, to harvesting, to resting,” she said. “And then it starts again.”
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INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
A HISTORY OF BEING A SCHOOL OF WILMINGTON AND OF THE WORLD BY EDUARDO SILVA, DIRECTOR OF GLOBAL INITIATIVES
IT HAS LONG BEEN a tradition at Tower Hill to open our doors to the world. The way in which this has been done and the individual experiences, of course, have evolved significantly. Gone are the days in which students wrote letters home and occasionally spoke with loved ones through an overseas operator. As a reflection of how much the world has changed, today our international students are able to connect to home with tools such as Skype, FaceTime and iMessage. Nonetheless, and despite the world feeling like a much smaller place, Tower Hill continues to attract highcaliber students from around the world who seek a taste of what an American school has to offer. Tower Hill first established an official and sustained international student program in the fall of 1953 through a partnership with the American Field Service (AFS). The AFS program, still in existence today, is a leading exchange program that has grown to every inch of the planet. Through the partnership with AFS, Tower Hill welcomed students from Norway, Ecuador, Brazil, England, the former protectorate Northern Rhodesia and Finland, among others. Though the country from which students came varied as the years went by, one thing remained: Tower Hill always sought to make the exchange valuable to all involved. Visiting students
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received a top-notch education, made new friends and built lifelong relationships with their host families. Meanwhile, Tower Hill received invaluable perspective and diversity of thought in its classes, on the fields and in its extracurricular activities. In 1960, the first-ever edition of The Bulletin was published. Malcolm Coates was head of school, the new third-floor addition was completed over that summer to accommodate more Middle School classes and French had just been added to the curriculum in the Middle School. In this inaugural issue, we also met Kjell Johannessen, one of Tower Hill’s first AFS students hailing from Norway. When asked about what school life is like at Tower Hill compared to back home, his response epitomized the sort of feelings that, even today, an exchange program hopes to offer: “...at Tower Hill the relationship between teacher and student is closer and more satisfying.” And as to the academics? “Kjell has taken six years of English at school in Norway, but of course he has found that thus far academic assignments have taken him somewhat longer than expected, especially those in United States history.” Years later, in 1979, Graciela N. Placci, from Argentina, was also asked about her experience at Tower Hill.
SCHOOL LIFE
From left to right: Graciela N. Placci, an AFS student from Argentina, in 1979; Kjell Johannessen, an AFS student from Norway, in 1960; Skye Wu ’19, an international student from China, performs at Evening of the Arts in April 2018; Amelie Goedeke ’20, an ASSIST student from Germany, during a spring 2018 soccer game; Edward Potter, an international student from Scotland, during a trip to NYC with his host family, the Saridakises, Dean ’19, Harry ’20 and Sander ’20, in 2017.
Despite the years between Kjell’s and Graciela’s responses, it still demonstrated the true spirit of what these experiences were always meant to be. “Then I started at Tower Hill—a different system of education, so hard and weird for me in the beginning, and now so familiar... Here at Tower Hill I receive a lot of help from the teachers or my classmates, and I really appreciate that.” The last AFS student to join Tower Hill arrived in the fall of 2004. As global trends shifted and the demand for diploma-seeking programs increased, Tower Hill sought to continue the spirit of what AFS had brought to the community, but with a different approach. In 2014, Tower Hill began to accept students from China for a diploma-seeking program. These programs are becoming an integral part of independent schools throughout the country. The goal is to offer not just a one-year experience, but rather a longer, sometimes even four-year experience that mirrors the progression a typical American student would follow in the Upper School. Judy Chen ’16, Allen Wu ’17 and CC Teng ’18 are but a few of the more recent international alumni of Tower Hill who left their marks on our community and paved the way for future international students to follow in their footsteps. The fall of 2016 saw the arrival of a new international student program that echoed the same structure of the AFS program in that it lasts only a year. ASSIST is a
nonprofit organization that matches students, known as cultural ambassadors, to independent schools around the country. With students from Germany, Lithuania, Hungary and the Czech Republic, this program has quickly made itself a staple of the Upper School and rounds out the current international student population. This year, we are fortunate to have Kotryna Leitate ’20 from Lithuania and Julius Quandt ’20 from Germany. Living with Tower Hill host families, these students have jumped right into the junior class and are already making a name for themselves both in the classroom and on the fields. As Tower Hill enters its second century, one thing is certain: Tower Hill will always be a school that embraces and invites the world in. Even though study abroad programs evolve and trends in international schools abroad continue to rise, the school is poised to establish itself as a leading partner in global education. And as a testament to the old saying that some things never change, history is still today one of the core academic subjects that initially takes our international students a little longer each night to complete. Fortunately, resiliency and a drive to succeed have also transcended time and continue to be at the heart of every one of our international students.
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30+ YEARS AT TOWER HILL
RONNIE, MARIE AND DALE OF THE THS DINING STAFF SHARE MEMORIES Q&A WITH AMY REYNOLDS, COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST
Ronnie Hanby, Marie Spain and Dale Jester have each spent more than 30 years—a combined 113 years—feeding students at Tower Hill.
DALE JESTER, 35 years at Tower Hill
What is your specific role here? They call me the utility man. I run and load the dish machine and wipe down all the front area, put napkins in. I worked in maintenance for a little while, and then they switched me over to the kitchen. How have things changed since you started working here? It’s changed a lot. A new cafeteria, full-service pizza, a deli bar, a salad bar. When we started we didn’t have anything like that. The salads were pre-made on little eight-inch plates, and you’d take just one. We had the coffee in the morning but no bagels or anything like that. The food is fantastic and always has been. What brought you to Tower Hill? A temp service sent me here. But once I walked
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through those doors, that was it. I was here. I started out doing maintenance and cleaning, but then they switched me over to the kitchen. All the years here have been wonderful. I never had kids, and some people have told me I’ve missed out on having kids, and I tell them, “I didn’t miss out on having kids. I’ve had kids for 34 years, and I’ve loved every one of them.”
RONNIE HANBY, 45 years at Tower Hill
What’s a typical day like for you? I start at 6 a.m., and I get done at 2:30 p.m. I get up at 4:45 every morning; I’ve done that since I’ve been here. When I get here, I start my coffees. Jerry [Buckworth] has them started, but I do all the back-ups, and then I do the puddings and the jellos and set up the pizzas and do the pasta. I’ve done everything from make soups to right now I’m doing pizza and pasta, and
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I take care of the deli bar and the salad bar during lunch and help wherever needed. What was Tower Hill like when you first started working here? It was like a close-knit family. It’s a fun place to work. There’ve been a lot of changes in the years. A lot of different roles you play in a job when you’ve been here for 45 years. That’s the only way to put it. Things have changed, but it’s still like a family. It’s still a fun place to work. What brought you to Tower Hill? I started here on maintenance, and I worked for two years doing that; I came in 1974. Then they needed somebody in the kitchen, so I switched over to the kitchen, and it was just going to be part-time until my daughter was in school, and then I just grew to like it and I liked the children, and it worked with my schedule. For a couple years, I worked the maintenance at nighttime, too. I did the shift in the kitchen from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., and then I would do 3 to 11 p.m. on maintenance. It’s been more than half of my life here.
MARIE SPAIN, 33 years at Tower Hill
What’s your specific role? I’m a cook. It’s what I’ve always done. I do the chili, the cheesesteak, chicken cheesesteak, sloppy joes— anything that gets cooked in the braiser. I do the stuffed shells and that type of stuff. What’s your favorite part about working at Tower Hill? The kids. Of course kids are always kids, but these kids are always courteous and fun to be around. Keeps you in touch with reality, what’s going on in the kid world. And I love the people I work with. They become like your own family.
Top: Marie Spain (far left) and Ronnie Hanby (far right) in the 1982 yearbook. Bottom: Dale Jester in his early years at Tower Hill. Opposite: At the All-School Thanksgiving Assembly on Nov. 19, the entire Tower Hill community recognized Dining Hall staff member Dale Jester for his 34 years of dedication to Tower Hill with an inscribed bench that was placed at the corner of Rising Sun Lane and 17th Street. The Blue Hens fan also received a UD jacket and signed football. Spain is directly behind Jester, and Hanby is to her left.
What brought you to Tower Hill? When I first came here, this was my in-between-jobs job. I wasn’t planning on staying, but I ended up having a baby, and I came back when my son was 3 years old. It worked for me because I would drop my kids off in the morning to school, come here, and I was off before they got off so I got to pick them up. I had the holidays off that they had off. It just worked out really well. An in-between job became a lifetime. That’s how I feel. God had it in the plans, I guess. Sometimes you think you’re gonna do one thing, and then it turns out completely different. Things come as blessings in disguise.
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CENTENNIAL SONG
UPPER SCHOOL STUDENTS WRITE AND PRODUCE 100 YEARS GREEN AND WHITE BY JOE ZAKIELARZ ’20 (LEFT) AND REECE RATLIFF ’21 (RIGHT)
Hi, I’M JOE! My music career began with piano lessons at the age of 6, and I instantly fell in love with the boundless creativity of the musical world. Since learning the piano, I’ve picked up the guitar, trombone and most recently the cajon. Over the past two years, I’ve merged my knowledge of playing instruments with a love for electronic music production, and I’ve become what the industry calls a “bedroom producer,” making electronic music on my computer. I’ve been at Tower Hill since PreK. I have a lot of school pride stemming from the amazing opportunities Tower Hill has given me over the years, so it was a no-brainer when I heard about the Centennial song contest for the first time.
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I’M REECE, and I’ve been coming to Tower Hill since I was in PreK. This school has forever been a home to me and to my family, so when the Tower Hill Centennial Committee first advertised the Centennial song-writing contest, I jumped at the chance to combine my pride for Tower Hill and my passion for music. I got my first guitar when I was 2 years old, and since then, my love for music has only grown. I’ve been writing and performing music for a couple years now, and I’m very excited to announce I’ll be releasing my debut EP, I’ll Take the Fall, in spring 2019. I’m incredibly grateful that Tower Hill encourages students to explore their creativity and pursue their goals, not only in the arts, but also in academics and athletics.
For the first verse, they did some research about Tower Hill’s humble beginnings and set out to tell the story of how everything came to be. For the second verse, they focused on some of Tower Hill’s core values, namely Multa Bene Facta, Many Things Done Well. The bridge describes one of the most important aspects of Tower Hill—the rich and vibrant community that lives within the walls of the school, as well as in the hearts of the alumni who continue to come back, year after year. Finally, for the last breakdown of the song, Reece plays a guitar melody that riffs on the line “Gathered here in joyous union” from the Tower Hill alma mater. Though a wordless riff, it’s one of the most important and meaningful parts of the song. The incorporation of the melody that all current students and alumni know ties the song together and makes it familiar to everyone who has a connection with the school. It also signifies the transition period of the school’s Centennial and emphasizes that, even though we may be moving into another century of Green and White, there will always be certain traditions and pieces of Tower Hill’s history that will always be a part of the school’s unique culture. After three sessions stretching over the course of a month, 100 Years Green and White came to be what it is today. Reece and Joe are incredibly honored to have created a piece of Tower Hill history and are very grateful to the Tower Hill Communications Office for their extensive work to create a meaningful video to accompany the song.
VIDEO EXTRA
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100 Years Green and White came simply from a single acoustic guitar, a microphone and Joe’s laptop with drum samples downloaded from the internet. Joe reached out to Reece with four guitar chords and a couple of lyrics, which would become the hook of the song (“100 years go by…”), and the two agreed to meet a few days later to see what they could come up with for the rest of the song.
LYRICS Eleven men came together with a dream and a mission In 1919, class was in session We’ve made it this far, look what we’ve become Never forget, the place where we’ve come from 100 years go by 100 years they fly We raise our banner high Our colors in the sky 100 years go by 100 years they fly 100 years, 100 years Proud to be 100 years Green and White Green and White Oh, Green and White A century of memories already behind us Learning with a pencil, a ball and a paintbrush We’re raising the bar, many things done well Never forget, we are Tower Hill 100 years go by 100 years they fly We raise our banner high Our colors in the sky 100 years go by 100 years they fly 100 years, 100 years Proud to be 100 years Green and White Green and White Oh, Green and White We will always fight together Tower Hill will live forever Change the world wherever we roam With endless opportunity We cherish our community Even once we leave, this is home Oh, Green and White Green and White Oh, Green and White Oh, Green and White Green and White Oh, Green and White 100 years go by 100 years they fly We raise our banner high Our colors in the sky 100 years go by 100 years they fly 100 years, 100 years Proud to be 100 years Green and White
Listen to 100 Years Green and White and watch a then-andnow video at towerhill.org/bulletin
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The Bessie’s journey from Oct. 19, 2018, to March 1, 2019.
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SCHOOL LIFE
WHERESOE’ER WE ROAM
THE BESSIE CENTENNIAL BOAT PROJECT SETS SAIL ACROSS THE ATLANTIC BY TIM WEYMOUTH, SCIENCE DEPARTMENT CHAIR
“JUST SIT RIGHT back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale” of a lovely, long, hopefully fruitful trip. In honor of the school’s Centennial, a group of Upper School students prepared a sturdy little boat from a kit during our Boat Building Tower Term in June 2018. Featuring a diamondshaped foresail, a huge, heavy rudder and a sealed payload of Tower Hill items, the students christened the five-foot sailboat The Bessie, and it is well on its way to Europe. Green thumbprints of nearly all of our students decorate the brilliant white deck of the boat. Should it reach a foreign shore, the little vessel will be hard to miss. I delivered the sailboat to the University of Delaware’s Lewes Campus dock where the R/V Hugh R. Sharp sat at anchor. This research ship, along with the entire science facility, is named for one of Tower Hill’s founders, Hugh R. Sharp. The captain of the research ship was delighted to carry our boat to the Gulf Stream. One of the shipboard technicians delivered our little five-foot vessel to the perfect spot off the Delmarva Peninsula on Oct. 19, 2018.
Should you doubt that a five-foot-long sailboat made by students can manage the tumultuous Atlantic, worry not. A similar boat crossed the ocean through a hurricane and 30-foot seas. Another arrived in France with 200 pounds of barnacles attached to the hull. Another boat has been at sea more than 800 days. Most popular with students is whether the boat will be swallowed by a shark. Adults often question the no-less-fanciful possibility of the boat getting smashed by a container ship. Assuredly, the ocean is a huge place, and none of those things will affect the sailboat. Equipment malfunction may be an issue, but so far, it has crossed more than half of the ocean! There are few times when one can touch infinity, but with our thumbprints aboard our little sailboat, perhaps this will get our school community a bit closer.
The idea of the kit came from some professional development work I did. While attending the National Science Teachers Association convention some years back, I met a man who wanted to reconnect students with the sea, similarly to how people start school farms to reaffirm our connection with the land. The gentleman, his Educational Passages staff and I agreed that this project would be perfect for a school celebrating its first hundred years. The main goal of the project is global ocean literacy. The project is also a great way to bring THS to the world. A GPS unit on our boat’s deck sends up two “pings” a day to a satellite so we know exactly where The Bessie has been and where it is headed. Monitored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the data is shared with a website where you can learn everything you wish about The Bessie’s progress and the conditions affecting its un-guided sailing: wind, currents, water temperature and the position of sister vessels. If and when our boat is recovered, it has written messages aboard in multiple languages so it can be refurbished and redeployed. We hope to not only have landfall in Europe but have our boat complete a full Atlantic circuit. A similar boat already went from Maine to Portugal, was refitted and headed to Scotland. Then it was cleaned up and sailed to the Azores.
Top to bottom: Two Upper School students build The Bessie during Tower Term; Tim Weymouth takes the completed project to the launching dock in Lewes, Delaware. Opposite: Students put a personal touch on the finished vessel.
ONLINE EXTRA
Keep track of where The Bessie is on a daily basis at educationalpassages.org/boats/thebessie
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ACADEMICS LOWER SCHOOLERS PRACTICE CODING In December, Lower Schoolers participated in Hour of Code, a one-hour introduction to computer science designed to demystify coding and show that anybody can learn the basics.
GEOGRAPHY BEE Middle Schoolers competed in the annual geography bee in January. Jasper Johnson ’26, Ritvik Iyengar ’25 and Tate Peddrick ’24 were grade-level winners, and William Miller ’23 was the overall Middle School winner.
MOCK TRIAL The Upper School Mock Trial team won three gavels at the Delaware High School Mock Trial Competition in February. Destiny Smith ’20 and Caroline Hayter ’21 earned Best Witness gavels, and Bennett Fort ’19 earned a Best Attorney gavel. The rest of the team was composed of Alex Laperriere ’19, Sarah Bohenek ’19, Grace Diehl ’20, Cassidy Malik ’20, Selina Chen ’21, Josie Adsett ’21, Jessica Ma ’21, Allison Smolko ’22 and Jay Mehta ’22. GINGERBREAD DESIGN Geometry, problem-solving and teamwork skills were put to the test when fourth-graders developed original gingerbread house designs during a holiday-themed STEM activity.
ANATOMY CLASS Students in the Upper School anatomy class dissected sheep brains in October. In the same unit, students also had the opportunity to assemble real bones into a skeleton. Pictured here, anatomy teacher Chris Morrow shows Parker Brown ’19 specific parts of the brain.
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SCHOOL LIFE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEGO ROBOTICS Two Middle School Tower Hill LEGO robotics teams, “Hillers Robotics” and “Green Machine,” competed at the FIRST LEGO League State Championship in February. The morning consisted of various judging sessions based on teamwork, a “space-themed” project and robot design. Hillers Robotics presented a project about combating “Loneliness in Space,” and Green Machine created their own “Bioplastic” to help reduce waste in space. Both teams placed in the Top 10 in the state, and “Green Machine” won the Mechanical Design award. NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARS Eleven Tower Hill students were selected as National Merit Scholarship qualifiers based on the results of the PSAT taken in the fall of their junior year. Qualifiers represent students who scored roughly in the top 1 percent of test-takers by state in the nation. Four seniors— Joe Pinto ’19, Brooke Livingston ’19, Heidi Chu ’19 and Jake Spruance ’19—were recognized as National Merit Scholarship semifinalists. Of the roughly 1.6 million students who took the PSAT last fall, approximately 50,000 were selected as qualifiers. From the 50,000 qualifiers, approximately 16,000 were named semifinalists. The semifinalists will have the opportunity to compete for scholarships and recognition by colleges and universities during the admissions process.
ENGINEERING Lisa Dugan, an engineer with DuPont, spoke to Upper School girls interested in engineering in February. Her “Explore Engineering” presentation included discussion of the importance of women following their interest in this field to help provide a range of viewpoints and experiences.
EPIDEMICS IN SOCIETY Students in the Epidemics in Society class teamed up with the Honors Precalculus classes in an interdisciplinary activity to explore the logistics and ramifications of the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918. Tower Hill Bulletin
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LEAD CONFERENCE
LEANING INTO EQUITY, AWARENESS AND DIVERSITY (LEAD) CONFERENCE BRINGS 200 MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS TOGETHER AT TOWER HILL BY DYANN CONNOR, DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL JUSTICE
SOCIAL JUSTICE education is essential to making positive changes in the world and creating a more harmonious global society. It provides students with enhanced cultural awareness and the interpersonal communication skills needed to work successfully with differing viewpoints, backgrounds and perspectives. At Tower Hill, social justice means creating an educational environment in which each person is genuinely valued, respected and included. As we hone these skills successfully, we learn to view our differences as strengths. Tower Hill School embraces a broad definition of diversity that acknowledges the many ways each of us is unique. We believe that diversity and inclusivity enrich the educational experience and strengthen our overall community. The Social Justice Program at Tower Hill School is designed to prepare our students to be successful in a global community where they are able to easily collaborate with diverse groups of people from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives. On Nov. 9, Tower Hill hosted a Middle School diversity conference, Leaning into Equity, Awareness and
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Diversity (LEAD @ THS). This event was a multi-school collaboration that included over 200 seventh- and eighthgraders and 40 faculty and administrators from Tower Hill, Wilmington Friends, Friends Central, Tatnall, Salesianum, Sanford and Ursuline. The conference began with keynote speaker Michael Fowlin, Ph.D., a psychologist, performer and poet whose mission is to create an atmosphere of worldwide inclusion, not just tolerance, toward all people. After the keynote presentation, students participated in a variety of workshops around the theme of diversity, equity and inclusion. While students were participating in workshops, the faculty were involved in professional development on identity led by Sandra Chapman, Ed.D., the director of equity and community at Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School in New York City. The LEAD event is just one example of how the Social Justice Program at Tower Hill School is preparing our students to be successful in a global community where they are able to easily collaborate with diverse
SCHOOL LIFE
From left to right: Dyann Connor introduces the keynote speaker at the LEAD conference. Keynote speaker Michael Fowlin, Ph.D., speaks to seventh- and eighth-graders. Sandra Chapman, Ed.D., leads faculty in a professional development workshop.
groups of people from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives. Our program also includes having community conversations that invite students and faculty to discuss current issues and challenges, participate in workshops and conferences, and provide opportunities where reflection on one’s own beliefs and consideration of the perspectives of others is encouraged. Diversity and inclusivity, in all aspects of identity, broadens and enhances the educational experience. Varied perspectives are viewed as a source of strength, creativity, enrichment and renewal in the Tower Hill community.
Social Justice Program Upper School Social Justice speakers for Upper School assemblies include Freeman Hrabowski, Ph.D., President of UMBC, educator, activist and mathematician; Nyle Fort, Princeton doctoral student in religion concentrating in African-American studies; and Sarah McBride, national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign. Middle School Lunch and Learn meetings are held during lunch time and give Middle School students an opportunity to build new friendships, share experiences, discuss issues and learn strategies for creating a more inclusive, kinder community. Lower School The Lower School’s AMAZE Program is an anti-bias literature curriculum “that improves social and learning environments by engaging children and adults in important conversations that build empathy and respect across differences.”
VIDEO EXTRA
Watch a video about diversity and inclusion at Tower Hill at towerhill.org/bulletin
Faculty Professional Development: SEED SEED is a peer-led faculty professional development program that invites conversation to encourage personal, organizational and societal change toward greater equity and inclusion. Tower Hill began its SEED program in 2017.
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STUDENT DIVERSITY CONFERENCE UPPER SCHOOL STUDENTS ATTEND NAIS STUDENT DIVERSITY LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE Six Upper School students, James Allen ’20, Destiny Smith ’20, Sam DuPree ’21, Madalyn Yates ’21, Grace Diehl ’20 and Ricky Deadwyler ’21 attended the NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC) from Nov. 28-Dec. 1, 2018. A multiracial, multicultural gathering of Upper School student leaders from top schools across the U.S. and abroad, SDLC focuses on self-reflecting, forming allies and building community. Below are two students’ reflections from the conference.
GRACE DIEHL ’20
The 25th anniversary of the Student Diversity Leadership Conference was held in Nashville, Tennessee. Everyone who went previously praised it to be a life-changing experience; yet, personally, I had no idea what to expect. To think that 1,700 students across the country would all meet, all share and all listen with peers in hopes for later change was mind-boggling. Nonetheless, I left my small home state of Delaware to soon enter and embrace the discomfort of SDLC. At the door of the Music City Convention Center, curiously watching the other students around me, I remember thinking that each one of those faces had a story to share—a life full of experience, opinions and identity. Though I would probably never get to hear them or officially meet them, I recognized in that moment, through the crowd, that everyone has their
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own undiscovered autobiography. SDLC is the very safe haven where the individual would be able to find his or her voice. Yet, it made me question: Who am I? What is my story? And what am I willing to share? The PoCC and SDLC, a combined 6,000 people, gathered in one room. Welcomed by multiple speakers and the Tennessee State marching band, I realized the magnitude of this event; I was now a part of something greater than myself. I now understood that this was not just about discovering my own identity but to also bring change. I would carry the experience and stories of others back to Tower Hill, back to my friends and family and back to other strangers. The hopes of the co-chairs, Rodney Glasgow, Oscar Gonzalez and Collinus Newsome, was not to just affect the attendees of the conference but also the people who would later be taught and inspired by students like me. Greater change starts in the youth.
The activity that stood out to me the most was where we partnered up with a complete stranger. Sitting in complete silence, we stared right into the person’s eyes. At first, there were giggles and laughter verifying the clear discomfort. Yet, the study of the person’s face— their big, dilated pupils looking right back at you—their mutual openness, seeing them, was more intimate than words. I would later get to know their name, where they are from and their experiences; still, that first, awkward stare would be a stronger bond that connected us. It taught me that silence speaks louder than words. I must lean into uncomfortable environments of complete vulnerability and allow someone else to see me. The me that is not afraid of judgment or saying the wrong thing. Once we are open and clearly see one another, change is possible. We can no longer dehumanize and hate but rather accept and see. I hope to bring this open-mindedness back to Tower Hill and encourage others to do the same. Thank you to the people of SDLC for accepting me and teaching me priceless lessons that I will carry forever.
DESTINY SMITH ’20
When people ask me about the Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC), my response is the same: “intense… in a good way.” The day prior to the official start of SDLC, only a percentage of students went to dinner and training to be peer facilitators. We did a lot of different activities and all of them started the same way and proved to teach a valuable lesson that we would need not only to facilitate serious conversations but that would also make us better people. The activities started as ice breakers and small talk with strangers, but this surface-level conversation quickly escalated as the staff members directed us to look for the “story” behind each question and answer that people had said. A reason for someone asking a question as simple as “How are you?” could be that no one ever cared to ask them and actually want an answer. I learned to try to be receptive to what people really want to say, what they want people to ask them and what they
SCHOOL LIFE
This new mindset shifted my attitude for the rest of the conference. With each person that I met, I would now try to look them right in the eye. I would try to really see them—not the person that they try to be or the confining identities that society boxes them into—but them. In my “family group,” a smaller, divided group of about 40, we did several activities in an attempt to get to know each other and ourselves.
want people to be for them. I learned to be more open and compassionate when listening to others. Four hours had passed, and I felt like I had learned months’ worth of knowledge in such a short time. That’s really when I knew this would be an experience I wasn’t ready for. But I also knew that I would need to soak up the most from this experience that I possibly could because it would be life-changing if I did. So I resolved to remember every detail and every feeling I had during the time. Even in a large room with 1,700 students, I was immersed in the community right away. There was no choice. Everyone was included whether we had planned to be or not. The Silent Movement, in particular, sped up this immersion. Identities of eight categories were called, and if someone identified with that identity, they would stand and be acknowledged. The facilitator made it clear that no one would say anything. There would be no judgment. Through this, I learned that no one is alone in their identity and that most times, all people want is to be acknowledged, to be recognized as a person who exists and who matters. The first day of the actual conference, all students were split into “families,” groups of 40-50 students. By the end of the first hour of discussion and activities, I felt completely safe to share my story or give an opinion on a controversial topic. I felt comfortable with sharing because I knew that the room would welcome me just as I had learned to welcome the people in it. In this small, crowded room with 48 other people, I didn’t feel like I needed to filter my language or my thoughts or alter my values in order to be accepted. As the second day, my last at SDLC, was approaching its conclusion, I felt increasingly more unsatisfied. I wanted to learn more, to be in this community, this utopia, where people were not only accepting of others, but unapologetically themselves, for a much longer time. I realized that the purpose of the SDLC is to show us what a truly inclusive society would look like and encourage us to recreate it when we leave. I am a better person for having had this experience, and I am truly grateful. I am more hopeful about the future. I now have faith in people to be inherently good. The reflections from James Allen ’20, Ricky Deadwyler ’21, Madalyn Yates ’21 and Sam DuPree ’21 can be found at towerhill.org/bulletin.
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Green Key ambassador Caroline Hayter ’21 gives a tour to alumni at Homecoming in October.
STUDENT AMBASSADORS
NEW GREEN KEYS PROGRAM GIVES STUDENT VOICE TO ADMISSIONS BY ALEXANDRA KARLESSES, ADMISSION ASSOCIATE
PICTURE THIS—you’re visiting a brand new school, trying to figure out if it’s the right fit for you, if you’ll make friends, if the lunch is actually as good as advertised. The process can be nerve-wracking.
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of the Green Keys. “All the students are super excited to be able to be involved in such a great process.”
So when the day comes, what better way to hear about a student’s daily life at school than from the students themselves?
The Admission Office recognizes the need for a student perspective in the admission process. Dozens of visitors flock the campus, especially during busy open houses, all wanting to know one thing: Is this school the right fit for their children?
The Green Keys Program is a student ambassadorship where students are able to give tours to prospective families, share their experiences during student panels and reflect on what Tower Hill means to them.
“I feel the Green Keys program provides a student perspective and a student voice,” Associate Director of Admission Matthew Twyman ’88 said. “The Green Keys represent the student body and are great examples of leaders within our community.”
“It’s nice to have a program that really got off the ground running,” said Joe Zakielarz ’20, co-president
Among the 30 members are students from many different areas of the Multa Bene Facta spectrum—
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“Joining the Green Keys program has allowed me to be able to express just how much I love this school and feel as though I am really making an impact,” Olivia Sanchez ’20 said. “So far my experience has been amazing, and I cannot wait for the many more experiences to come!” After students are accepted into the program, they must undergo a rigorous training process, where they learn specific statistics about the school’s curriculum. They participate in situational training as well, where they learn how to answer two-part or complex questions regarding homework load and school-life balance, as well as the proper etiquette to be followed during a tour. Of course, they are also reminded of the old stand-by, “If you don’t know, don’t make it up.”
SCHOOL LIFE
from athletes to members of the student government to members of the astronomy club. But they all have one thing in common: They deeply care about the school they attend, and they want to make sure other students feel that way as well.
conversing with different people. I think the Green Keys program teaches students how to be active participants in their community—giving back and being part of shaping the future of Tower Hill School.” Whether it’s full-scale tours around the school or just simply flashing a friendly smile in the hallway to someone they haven’t seen before, the Green Keys’ main goal is to offer a fresh, relatable point of view so that when prospective students think back to their visits at Tower Hill, they will remember the Hillers who took the time to make them feel welcome. “The Green Keys are extremely valuable to the Admission Office as they are the direct link to the student experience, a valued perspective that has the ability to help a family make their school decision,” Director of Upper School Admission Bill Ushler said. For any students interested in participating in the program next year, please contact the Admission Office.
Once this is completed, they also must complete an evaluation tour performed by the Green Key copresidents so that by the time the first admission event of the season arrives, they are more than prepared to begin tours. The program has received the full support of not just the Admission staff, but leaders of Tower Hill administration as well. “We can be especially proud of the way we are using our own students in a greater way than ever before,” Head of School Bessie Speers said. The program has been so successful that the Admission Office teamed up with the Middle School to establish a Junior Green Keys program. These students will not give full-fledged tours but will instead participate in the Shadow Program, where they will take a prospective student to all of their classes for one day and truly help immerse them in the Tower Hill experience. After introducing the idea to the Middle School in the fall, more than 85 students signed up. “The students learn many things from participating in the program,” Twyman said. “It teaches them communication skills, from active listening to
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Tower Hill’s 100th game vs. Wilmington Friends took place on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018.
RIVALRY OF THE CENTURY
TOWER HILL-WILMINGTON FRIENDS RIVALRY SPANS NEARLY 100 YEARS BY CHUCK DURANTE '69
Competition can be fiercest among siblings. Over a century-long rivalry, Tower Hill and Wilmington Friends have taken turns as the scourge of Delaware football and each other’s heartbreaker. A series that annually disappoints half its participants has never turned churlish on the field, or triumphalist in the stands. The schools’ underlying sportsmanship does not impair the game’s ferocity. “It’s like scrimmaging your own team, but with one difference,” Bob DeGroat once said. “They hit people they know harder. Sometimes it’s a bit fierce out there.” Under DeGroat, Tower Hill lost just one game from 1956 to 1959, while Friends countered with a 37-game winning streak from 1971 to 1976. In almost every other year, the outcome was in doubt, sometimes until the final minute. Post-game celebration parties have been capsized by last-minute drives, dives, kicks and kick returns. State tournament invitations have been shredded. Family loyalties have been divided.
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“It’s a tournament game,” coach Jim Straub ’62 said in 1998. “It’s much more than a one-game difference in the season.” Beginning in 1924, Delaware’s second-oldest high school rivalry—Seaford and Laurel began a decade earlier—has now reached 101 games. Tower Hill dove into varsity competition, for both genders, early and with alacrity. Athletics “gives the advantages of development in courage, responsibility, strength and morals,” read the 1929-1930 school catalog. The Hillers won the first four games by a combined 142-20—although Friends wreaked similar devastation in the 1970s. Tower Hill now leads the series, 52-47, with two ties. The game can salvage a substandard season, or torpedo a good one. “Jim Straub and Steve Hyde would talk of a season within a season,” current coach Kevin Waesco said,
The anticipation even envelops the non-combatants. “It will be hard for all the students, not just the players, to keep their minds on classes on Friday afternoon,” English teacher Bob Behr once explained to a reporter. “No matter what happens in the first nine games, if you win the Friends game, the season is a success,” Brandon Harper ’07 said. “The opposite is also true. As a senior, it has added significance. It’s an important game for your legacy. Whatever happens in those four quarters will create a memory, and it has an impact on the underclassmen.” Victory was non-negotiable, even when ties were possible under 20th-century rules. “We went for two for the win and didn’t make it. The only way to finish a Friends-Tower game. A great call,” Wes Schwandt ’86 said of the 7-6 Friends victory in 1985. The same call 30 years later had a different ending. A.J. Falco ’17 followed his last-minute touchdown with a two-point conversion for a 15-14 victory. The game has burnished great reputations. Chuck Hobbs ’65 rushed for 234 yards in 1964, nearly matching Jim Brown’s single-game NFL record. Ruly Carpenter ’58 scored four touchdowns in 1957, two on passes from classmate Pat Williams ’58. Patrick Straub ’93 passed and ran for 297 yards in 1991, passing for three touchdowns, two to his brother Jason ’92, and rushed for a fourth.
SCHOOL LIFE
mentioning his immediate predecessors. “If you’re struggling with your non-conference games, it gives your kids something to look forward to.”
1956. The third 70-yard punt return in three weeks by Rob Yarmey ’68 keyed the 1967 victory and a surprise conference championship. Harry Haon’s last-minute quarterback sneak salvaged a tie in 1950. Fullback Art Potter ’49’s touchdown pass to Ed White ’49 gave Tower Hill an 18-14 upset in 1947, the Hillers’ only victory in DeGroat’s first season. The rivalry matches programs with the most continuity in the state. Four men—DeGroat, Hyde, Straub and Waesco—have coached Tower Hill over the last 62 years. Their mighty foil for the last halfcentury has been Bob Tattersall. “Coach DeGroat would say, ‘We may be small, but we’re slow,’ but actually, we were always the best-conditioned team on the field,” said Gordon Bussard ’61, who led the 1959 victory that gave Tower Hill a 33-1 record over four years. Friends began hosting the game, long a Friday afternoon feature, on Saturday in 1970. Tower Hill followed suit in 1981, then moved to Friday night in 2009. In the past two autumns, both schools have qualified for the state tournament and had to face each other on two consecutive weeks. Thus in 2018, a week after the 100th game came the 101st. Was the second game anticlimactic? No, Coach Waesco said. “You’re being presented with the most incredible opportunity ever: being able to replay your rivalry game with the same crew.”
State champion hurdler Rob Randolph ’01 had four touchdowns in the 2000 victory, Josh Gredell ’95 four scores in the 1994 loss. Cammie Robinson ’57, Steve Hyde ’59, Ron Felix ’62, Matt Auerbach ’97 and Matt Rossi ’98 each scored three times in a game, as did Sam Murphy ’14 to cap a 10-0 season. Ted Ball ’31 and Hugh Mahaffy ’40 scored five touchdowns in pre-war games. Anthony Wallace ’13 stopped an extra point to clinch a 14-12 victory in 2011. Kenny Nwannunu ’06 gained 212 yards in the 2005 victory, a year after a French exchange student’s field goal won for Friends. A 91yard run by Justin Hicks ’09 in 2007 propelled Tower Hill’s first trip to the state tournament. Bizarre plays have been decisive. A double-reverse led to a game-winning touchdown by Dave Nichols ’58 in
The Tower Hill vs. Wilmington Friends game on Nov. 17, 1967. Tower Hill won 14-12.
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ATHLETICS
FALL AND WINTER SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS ROBIN ADAIR HARVEY RECOGNIZED FOR EXCEPTIONAL COACHING CAREER Robin Adair Harvey was recognized for her 24 years as head field hockey coach before the field hockey game on Nov. 1. Since she started as head field hockey coach in 1994, Harvey earned an incredible career record of 396-44-16 and won 10 state titles. She announced her coaching retirement last spring but continued to teach in the Physical Education Department during the 2018-2019 school year before announcing her teaching retirement in February 2019. Congratulations on an exceptional coaching and teaching career! VOLLEYBALL WINS CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP Congratulations to the girls’ volleyball team on winning the DISC championship. The team ended its season with a winning 11-7 record.
COLLEGE ATHLETICS The following seniors have committed to playing Division I or III sports: Maddie Sachs ’19 - Stony Brook University (volleyball) Brian Brown ’19 - Bucknell University (football) Kyra Caffrey ’19 - Franklin & Marshall College (volleyball) Robby Ward ’19 - Middlebury College (tennis) THS FOOTBALL TEAM MAKES HISTORY REACHING THE SEMIFINALS OF THE DIAA STATE TOURNAMENT The Tower Hill football team completed the 2018 season with a winning record of 9-3. The team competed in the DIAA state tournament and defeated No. 1 A.I. du Pont High School 22-14 in the first round of the tournament, the team’s first playoff win in school history. Unfortunately the team lost in the semifinals against Wilmington Friends on Nov. 24.
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SCHOOL LIFE
SQUASH TEAM WINS INAUGURAL SPEERS CUP Congratulations to the squash team on defeating St. Andrew’s School in the first annual Speers Cup! At the match on Jan. 12, the athletic departments of both schools surprised Head of School Bessie Speers and her brother-in-law Will Speers, associate head of school at St. Andrew’s, by naming the annual match in their honor, celebrating their support of the squash programs at their respective schools. WRESTLING TEAM WINS DISC CHAMPIONSHIP Congratulations to the wrestling team on winning the DISC championship for the second consecutive year. Blaine Boyden ’20, Brian Brown ’19, Ted Hughes ’19, Ky Jacobs ’20 and Richard Pierce ’20 competed in the DIAA individual championship in February.
BASKETBALL TEAMS MAKE STATE TOURNAMENTS Both the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams made the state tournaments this year. The boys defeated Delmarva Christian in the first round but unfortunately lost in the second round. The girls’ team defeated Wilmington Christian 54-46 in the first round of the tournament on Feb. 27. They lost to Caravel in the second round. Congratulations to both teams on successful seasons!
SWIM TEAMS WIN DISC CHAMPIONSHIP The girls’ swim team won the 2019 DISC Championship, and the boys’ team tied for first on Feb. 2. Neither team had won the DISC Championship in more than 15 years. During the meet, Tower Hill students set nine school records, two DISC records and one pool record. Coach Sharon Reynolds was also voted DISC Swimming Coach of the Year by her peers. The girls’ team placed 3rd in the DIAA State Championship, up from 25th last year. Congratulations! Tower Hill Bulletin
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100TH YEAR OPENING ASSEMBLY
Tower Hill kicked off its 100th year with an all-school assembly that included Hiller History, a balloon drop and a THS Centennial rendition of Seasons of Love, among other surprises.
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3 1. and 2. Lower Schoolers jump in excitement at the balloon drop. 3. Heidi Chu ’19 shares some Hiller History with the entire school. 4. Head of School Bessie Speers attempts the “floss” dance, which she practiced over the summer. 5. Faculty perform a Tower Hill Centennial rendition of the song Seasons of Love. 6. Lower Schoolers gather for the first day of school.
VIDEO EXTRA
Watch faculty perform their rendition of Seasons of Love at towerhill.org/bulletin 56
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THS IN PHOTOS
FOUNDERS' DAY
The all-school Founders’ Day celebration on the Friday before Homecoming united all three divisions to celebrate Hiller History and was followed by a pep rally full of school and Centennial spirit.
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THANKSGIVING ASSEMBLY
The THS community expressed its gratitude to Dale Jester and the tireless dining room team as well as the maintenance crew, successful football team, wonderful musicians, talented students, teachers and staff at the annual Thanksgiving Assembly on Nov. 20.
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3 1. Head of School Bessie Speers welcomes students to the annual Thanksgiving assembly. 2. Members of the Class of 2019 and their Tower Tot buddies join together in singing the alma mater. 3. Middle Schoolers pose for a photo. 4. Athletic Director Seth Kushkin recognizes football coach Kevin Waesco and the varsity captains for winning their first playoff game in Hiller history. 5. Band director Scott Zeplin, Jemi Chan ’21 and Jessica Chen ’20 perform as a flute trio. 6. The Tower Hill community recognizes Dining Hall staff member Dale Jester for his 34 years of service to Tower Hill.
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THS IN PHOTOS
CENTENNIAL TREE TRIM
Tower Hill’s Centennial Tree Trim on Dec. 19 featured a special procession, student-speakers from every grade describing THS holiday traditions, and lots of fun, music and cheer.
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FACULTY FOCUS
UPPER SCHOOL MATH TEACHER JACK SMITH IS LONGEST-SERVING TEACHER BY AMY REYNOLDS, COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST
IN THE FALL of 1976, Upper School math teacher Jack Smith began his Tower Hill career. The school was a bit different back then. The senior class had only 45 students versus 67 in 2019, the Upper and Middle School Library wing was only three years old, and the Carpenter Field House, du Pont Theatre and Math and Science Center had yet to be built. But in many ways, things have stayed the same. “We’ve always had an incredibly strong faculty—people who are very dedicated to what they are doing,” Smith said. “The students make this a great place to be working, too. What the students are willing to put into all of the things that we ask them to do here has always amazed me. That hasn’t changed.” Smith has spent his entire career at Tower Hill, and many of his family members are Hillers as well. His wife, Melva, is a 1972 graduate. His father-in-law, Bill Carveth, was a music faculty member, and his mother-in-law, Melva
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Carveth, was the school nurse. His children are alumni: Laurie Smith Finnical ’98, Jason Smith ’03 and Amy Smith ’08. Smith is currently teaching Calculus 1 and Advanced Calculus 2, but he’s taught every course in the Math Department over the years. From 1992 to 2017 he was the Math Department chair, and he’s been doing the scheduling for more than 30 years. He’s also been a class dean and a track and field coach and is the scorekeeper on Field Day. The longest-tenured faculty member, Smith gave the master teacher remarks at the opening faculty meeting at the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year. He also serves on the Centennial Committee. But it’s being in the classroom that he enjoys the most. “No doubt the part that I enjoy the most and that keeps me going is being in the classroom with the kids,” he said. “Engaging with them, dialoguing with them. That’s the most fun part. That’s what keeps me going.”
Smith had decided that he wanted to pursue a career in math education by his sophomore year at Franklin & Marshall College. In 9th Grade, he’d had the opportunity to teach part of a lesson on the quadratic formula to his classmates, which introduced him to the possibility of teaching. “That was kind of my first taste of it,” he said. “It was when I was in college that I really decided, yeah, I’m really interested in going into math education. I did tutoring while I was in college and really liked that. I’ve always loved math. I’ve always loved explaining and teaching math. I felt like this was what I wanted to do.” And why math? Smith said he loves its structure. “The fact that you’re logically developing a whole sequence of facts, properties, information, one built upon another in a very organized fashion,” he said. “But also the challenge of getting kids to do things that they didn’t think they could necessarily do. The ways in which you can connect what seem to be different ideas and to show the kids how they fit together.” The mention of “Jack Smith” always elicits positive reactions from any Tower Hill community member, said Head of Upper School Megan Cover. “Jack is a born educator who is a master teacher: ever present, clear, patient and non-judgmental in his approach,” she said. “He not only cares about his students but our school program as a whole. He leads by example and is the model of integrity and kindness.” Matthew Rovner ’17 remembers his time with Smith fondly. “Not only did Mr. Smith make math fun, he was able to bring out the best in every single one of his students,” he said. Jack Smith at a track meet in 1977 and at Field Day 40 years later in 2017.
To Smith, that’s what’s most important when it comes to teaching—making connections with students. “For me it’s not just the teaching of mathematics, it’s also, how am I serving as a role model for them? How am I showing them what it means to work hard, to persevere, to struggle, to be willing to face challenges, to be willing to accept tough situations?” he said. “I want to make sure I’m modeling for my kids what I want them to be and that I’m engaging with them at a very personal level, and that’s what I hope continues to happen in education moving forward.”
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SERVICE
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1. Third-graders make holiday wreaths for the Lutheran Community Services Center. The entire school participated in Hiller Harvest, and collected food items were donated to Lutheran Community Services. 2. Eighth-graders from Nativity Preparatory School visit THS science teacher Tom Hoch’s physics lab. 3. Freshmen participate in a Day of Service. 4. Upper School students wrap gifts collected for The Stocking Project, which benefits families in need in Wilmington. 5. Tower Tots team up with Upper Schoolers to make Halloween treat bags for Ronald McDonald House Delaware. 6. Five Upper Schoolers represented Tower Hill at the annual Kind to Kids Foundation’s Blue Duffel Service Day in November. The students made no-sew blankets and packed duffel bags with goodies, which were given to children in foster care.
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SERVICE
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the ARTS 1
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1.Taken by Bennett Fort ’19 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, this photograph won a Scholastic Art Award. 2. Members of the Upper School band perform at the winter concert. 3. Anna Reynolds ’19 and Emma Bidic ’19 perform in the fall play, Rumors. 4. Lower Schoolers kick off the first Town Meeting of the year. 5. Lower School art teacher Jane Chesson helps a preschooler paint the construction wall by the site of the new Experiential Outdoor Classroom.
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10 6. Middle Schoolers perform at the winter choir concert. 7. Kindergarteners perform their annual winter play, Noah’s Ark. 8. Taken by Saloni Rastogi ’19 in Antarctica, this photograph won a Scholastic Art Award. 9. Painter and former faculty member George Martz at his art show in December. 10. Second-graders show off their dance moves at the annual hoedown, which combines folk dance and singing.
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GLOBAL
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CHEERS TO 100 YEARS
Parents and faculty enjoyed the Home and School Association’s “Cheers to 100 Years” Centennial Kick-Off Celebration and Auction on Jan. 26.
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HOMECOMING 2018 Tower Hill alumni and the entire school community gathered to connect with friends and cheer on the Hillers at Homecoming and Reunion 2018 on Oct. 19-20. On Friday, the all-school Founders’ Day celebration united all three divisions as Head of School Bessie Speers welcomed students, faculty, staff and parents. There were many surprises, including the debut of the Centennial Song and the 1919 Poem and a “Founders” 100-Meter Dash. The all-school pep rally filled DeGroat Field with THS cheers, spirit and friendly competition. That evening, a large crowd rooted on the volleyball teams in the Weaver Gym. The Alumni Council also sponsored a tailgate at the Timothy B. Golding Alumni House prior to the varsity team game. On Saturday morning, Head of School Bessie Speers, faculty members and students led the “100th Year Kick-Off ” presentation in the 1919 Auditorium followed by the Alumni Association Annual Meeting. The Hon. Michael N. Castle ’57 was presented with the Tower Hill Distinguished Alumni Award, and Jeffrey W. Hobbs ’98 received the Tower Hill Young Alumni Award.
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Students, alumni and their families enjoyed makeand-take crafts in a kindergarten classroom. Balloon creatures and facepainting entertained kids at the noon-time picnic lunch for the entire Tower Hill community under and around the Alumni House tent, where alumni classes also gathered to reconnect in anticipation of the Alumni Reunion reception later that evening. The Green Keys were also on hand to provide school tours in the afternoon. The well-attended Reunion Cocktail Reception at Hayward House covered classes ending in 3 and 8, with the class of 1968 celebrating its 50th reunion year. We also welcomed back former faculty and alumni who had previously celebrated their 50th reunion. The Hillers dominated Saturday’s sporting events, including field hockey, soccer and football, with good sportsmanship and a competitive spirit. All in all, Homecoming 2018 was a memorable and fun-filled weekend to kick-off the 100th year of school at Tower Hill! —Kate Bailey, Director of Alumni Relations
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1. Middle Schoolers at Homecoming. 2. Isaiah Brown ’20 runs for a touchdown in the 40-7 win against St. Andrew’s School 3. Giselle Johnson Booker ’99, Wendell Sammons ’00, Mike Roberts ’98 and Tiffany Robinson ’01. 4. Tower Hill Distinguished Alumni Award recipient Mike Castle ’57 with Alumni Council President Ashley Altschuler ’90 and Head of School Bessie Speers. 5. Field hockey player Grace Nestor ’20. 6. Katherine Ianni ’13, Jody Gregory ’13, Cara Wolak ’13 and Sophie McCoy ’13. 7. Tower Hill Young Alumni Award recipient Jeff Hobbs ’98 with Head of School Bessie Speers and Alumni Council President Ashley Altschuler ’90. 8. Gary and Dana Nitsche were presented with a signed football from the 2018 Varsity team. 9. Jeremiah Schadler, Angeline May ’93 and Mark Smolko ’93.
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SAVE THE DATE Homecoming and Reunion 2019 will take place during Centennial Weekend: Sept. 20-21 Visit towerhill.org/homecoming or towerhill.org/100 this fall for updated schedules and events.
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ALUMNI Events - Around the Country 1
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1. On Nov. 9, 2018, Ashley Altschuler ’90 hosted an alumni gathering at the University Club of New York. Pictured are Erica Bickhart ’08, Kendall Cohen ’10, Jake Graham ’10 and Mary Hobbs Taylor ’09. 2. Cherie Martinez, Nick Giroux-Doehring ’13, Chris Martinez ’13, Devin Shorey ’13 and Theresa Shorey. 3. Matt Dinneen ’02, John Mongan ’04, Jack Smith and Chris Casscells ’02. 4. AZ Kallfelz Jenkins ’80, Mary-Lea Cox Kallfelz Awanohara ’75 and Cathy Curry Edge ’80. 5. On Dec. 4, 2018, Lisa Olson ’76 hosted an alumni gathering at the Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C. Pictured are Nikki Roeberg ’96, Jesse Ehrenfeld ’96 and David Colbourn ’96. 6. Gigi Bradford Stanford ’70, Lisa Olson ’76 and Jim Stanford. 7. Aidan Jones ’63, Mac Thornton ’65, Berta Smith and Wade Smith ’62. 8. First row: Sarah Kreshtool ’08, Linda Ogden, Lucy Nutting ’10 and Virginia Nicholson ’08. Second row: Tommy Glasgow, William Spruance ’14 and David Kullman ’12 9. Head of School Bessie Speers visited a group of alumni in Chicago, Illinois, on Oct. 22. Pictured are Josephine Chu ’14, Maggie Kullman ’08, Steven Sacco, Margaretta Tobias Sacco ’98, Alex Nickodem, Heather McClean Nickodem ’71, Evan Frazier ’13, Rachel League ’14 and Bessie Speers.
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1. The Tower Hill Alumni Council hosted Alumni Tailgates on Sept. 21 and Oct. 19. Pictured are Bessie Speers, Wiz Montaigne Applegate ’79 and Geoff Snelling ’81. 2. Mona Yezdani Gillen ’01 and Wilson Braun ’01. 3. Rory DeGroat ’70 and Genelle Trader ’70. 4. Stephanie Hayman-Lambert ’88, Kate Bailey and Matt Twyman ’88 5. On Jan. 4, alumni from the classes 2009-2018 were invited to return to campus and help us kick off our 100th year with fellow alumni and current faculty. Pictured are Louise Conaty ’17, Jane Mitchell ’17 and Emme McCauley ’17. 6. Nasir Wilson ’15, Kristin Mumford, Janel Hall ’16 and Amy Bickhart. 7. On Oct. 15, the Tower Hill Alumni Council hosted the 29th Annual Golf Outing at Bidermann Golf Course. The Savage family participated to honor their late father, Ernie Savage, who from 1956-1985 served as assistant headmaster, history teacher and baseball coach at Tower Hill. Pictured in first row: Tom Savage ’78, Patty Savage, Jane Savage Riley ’74, Lindy Savage Recht ’71 and Bessie Speers. Back Row: TJ Riley, Brian Riley, Steve Riley, Tom Speers, and Dave Recht. 8. Monty Hayman ’87, David Soleye and Doug Palma. 9. On Dec. 21, the Kelly Family (Mike ’75, Deanna, Joanna ’10 and Patrick ’14) hosted a group of over 150 alumni, faculty and friends at the annual Logan House Holiday Gathering. Pictured are Ryan Cleary ’15, Zach Nitsche ’14, Kitchel Chilton ’14, Charles Sharon, Austin Rafetto ’14, Russell DiGate ’14, David Hobbs ’14, Andrew Edmonds ’14 and Matthew Cleary ’16. 10. Chuck Durante ’69, Ellen Cannon ’72 and Drew Mearns ’73. Tower Hill Bulletin
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Class NOTES ’40s
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1974 David P. Kozinski was awarded a 2018 literature fellowship for poetry in the Established Professional category by the Delaware Division of the Arts. Cole Swensen, chair of the Brown University Department of Literary Arts, who selected Kozinski for the honor, noted that he has “a great sense for the energy latent in language.”
1946 Rev. Alfred Shands visited Tower Hill on his way to Nemours, where his father was one of the founding surgeons. Rev. Shands flew from Louisville, Kentucky, and enjoyed reminiscing about his time in Middle School as he walked through the hallways and explored new spaces.
1960 Rev. Tom Speers and Pam Theisen Morss met in Manchester, Massachusetts, at a memorial service reception. 1965 Thomas Valk recently published a journal article on psychosis in travelers in the Journal of Travel Medicine. 1968 Kaiulani Lee has more than 35 years of experience in theater, film and television. She has starred in over a dozen plays on and Off-Broadway. She has been nominated for the Drama Desk Award on Broadway and has won the Obie Award for “Outstanding OffBroadway Achievement.” Most notably, Lee has been performing a one-person play on Rachel Carson for the past 25 years at theaters, museums, colleges and occasionally private high schools. To read more about her work, visit www.kaiulanilee.com. 1968 Julie Sturm says one of her joys in retirement has been playing the mountain dulcimer. She is a music volunteer at a local hospital and also volunteers at elder care centers. She leads a dulcimer ensemble group and teaches beginners. She is forever grateful to Calvin Bourgeault (Mr. B) for instilling in her a lifelong love of music.
Clockwise from top: David Kozinski ’74 leads a poetry workshop at Tower Hill in November; Rev. Tom Speers and Pam Theisen Morss ’60 met at a memorial service reception in Manchester, Massachusetts. Rev. Alfred Shands ’46 visits Tower Hill during a visit to the area.
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1970 Don DeGraff, an author who has selfpublished two novels, was featured in Delaware Today magazine.
The Wilmington resident was also named Mentor of the Year by Expressive Path, a nonprofit volunteer program designed to expose young people in Pennsylvania to the arts. Kozinski has combined both his poetry and award-winning visual art in presentations for community groups and schools in the Delaware Valley. He attributes his success in poetry and art to his teachers at Tower Hill. Kozinski spoke to Tower Hill students on Nov. 27 and hosted a workshop on ekphrastic poetry, highly descriptive poetry inspired by works of art.
Top to bottom: Laird Hayward ’02, Maggie Giddens Chance ’02, Deb Kaiser and Pat Kaiser ’02 at Pat’s first home game as head coach of the varsity boys’ basketball team. Anne-Dorthe Kabell-Jensen ’00 and Katie McCoy Dubow ’00 in Venice, Italy. Michael P. Hansen ’86 and David T. Blake ’86 visit Tower Hill in July.
’80s
1981 Talley Brown is making comfort quilts. Check out craftedbytalley.com for photos and ideas. 1983 Jeffrey W. Rollins, a director and member of the Audit Committee of Dover Downs, is expected to join the Twin River Board of Directors, pending regulatory approval of the merger of Dover Downs Gaming & Entertainment, Inc. and Twin River Worldwide Holdings, Inc. making the Rhode Island-based Twin River a publicly traded company gaming and entertainment holdings throughout the United States. 1986 Michael P. Hansen, Ph.D., and David T. Blake, Ph.D., revisited Tower Hill School on July 14. Hansen, an AFS student in 19851986, resides with his family in Copenhagen, Denmark, and is a consultant in mathematics and logistics. Blake lives with his family in Augusta, Georgia, where he established a neuroscience lab and is associate professor at Augusta University. 1986 Tracy Ann Graham Wenzinger was part of the Ironman Team Estonia, a group of 1,250 volunteers. In addition, she was able to compete and successfully finish a “mini” Ironman that included an open water swim in the Baltic Sea. 1987 Chris Donoho was named Practice Area Leader for Hogan Lovells’ global Business Restructuring and Insolvency practice, effective Jan. 1.
’90s
1991 Eva Cambre Bisso launched At-Home Tutoring Services, which provides tutors in all academic subjects. 1993 Stephen Sye became executive director of the Pete du Pont Freedom Foundation, a
nonprofit organization focused on identifying innovative entrepreneurial ideas. 1994 Averie K. Lukoff Hason received a 2018 Outstanding Women in Law award from Hofstra Law for her extraordinary contributions to the legal community, exemplary leadership and strong commitment to ensuring the advancement of women. 1997 Andy Pogach was recently named director of athletics at Durham Academy in Durham, North Carolina, effective July 1, 2019. 1999 Patrick Baetjer and his wife, Jessica, returned from a three-year tour with the State Department to Washington, D.C., this summer and welcomed their second child, Aurelia Elaine Baetjer, in June.
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2000 Hannah Grossman Singerman is now a novelist! Writing under the name Felicia Grossman, her debut, Appetites & Vices, came out with Carina Press, an imprint of Harlequin, on Feb. 18, 2019. A second novel, Dalliances & Devotion, comes out in August 2019. Both historical romances are partially set in Delaware and influenced by her time at Tower Hill. 2000 Anne-Dorthe Kabell-Jensen and Katie McCoy Dubow visited Venice, Italy. 2002 Laird Hayward, Maggie Giddens Chance and Deb Kaiser cheered on Pat Kaiser during his first home varsity basketball game as head coach!
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2000 Tyler Akin opened a second location of his restaurant, Stock, in Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia. The original Stock opened in 2014 in Fishtown, a small BYOB with a menu of salads, banh mi, noodle dishes and pho. Along with Stock, Akin co-owns restaurant Res Ipsa Cafe in Rittenhouse.
2009 Karim Shafi graduated magna cum laude from Jefferson Medical School in May 2018 and matched into Orthopaedic Surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, regarded as the nation’s top hospital for orthopaedic surgery. There, he plans to pursue a career in spine surgery.
Fellowship following a highly competitive nationwide contest. The Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship, funded by the U.S. Department of State and managed by the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center at Howard University, supports extraordinary individuals who want to pursue a career in the U.S. Foreign Service.
2003 Holly Kirkland Clouser was nominated and elected vice president of the historic Howard Pyle Studio in Wilmington. Her wildlife photography earned three medals in international exhibitions in 2018. Her photograph “Sibling Antics” was chosen for Photographer’s Forum magazine’s publication Best Photography 2018.
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2017 Andrew Cercena, an undergrad in UD’s Horn Entrepreneurship Program, is working with Buccini/Pollin on a new way to get around downtown Wilmington by providing a new, Uber-like golf cart service to taxi residents and visitors around the city.
2008 Caitlin Van Sickle competed with the U.S. Vitality Hockey Women’s World Cup team in London from July 21 to Aug. 5.
2011 Margie Mays Saunders is a contestant on this season of American Idol. You can follow her personal Idol journey on all of her social media accounts, @margiemaysmusic on both Instagram and Facebook! She is pictured below with her father, Chris Saunders ’80. 2015 Nasir Wilson, a senior at the University of Delaware, was awarded the 2019 Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs
2018 Julia Smith, a freshman at Davidson College, was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team for field hockey. Zara Ali interviewed with Voice of America, “Grad Weaves Mumbai With Main Street.”
Clockwise from left: Karim Shafi ’09 graduated from Jefferson Medical School; Margie Mays Saunders ’11 and her father Chris Saunders ’80 after Margie’s American Idol audition; “Sibling Antics,” a photograph taken by Holly Kirkland Clouser ’03
CONDOLENCES 1942 Doris Slawter Eldridge on Oct. 20, 2018
1961 Margaret L. Dugdale on Sept. 16, 2018
1943 William H. Frederick, Jr. on Aug. 15, 2018
1963 Alexis “Lex” Irénée du Pont Bayard, Jr. on Dec. 8, 2018
1944 Elizabeth Baker Mathews on Aug. 31, 2018
1965 Robert M. Silliman on Feb. 4, 2019
1949 Daniel C. Lickle on Feb. 5, 2019
1967 Mabel Dunham Ketcham on Oct. 21, 2018 Bruce Yelton on July 7, 2018
1953 Frederick E. Klutey Jr. on Nov. 30, 2018 1960 Frederick (Hawk) Pollard on Sept. 5, 2018 76
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1968 Diane Layton Sezna on Nov. 19, 2018
WEDDINGS 1997 Nick Bodor and Nathalie Peiris were married on Aug. 4, 2018. 2001 Pam Jennings Norton was married in the fall of 2017. 2006 Margaret DeWees married Spenser Rubin of Charleston, South Carolina, on July 7, 2018, at the Greenville Country Club. The couple lives in Durham, North Carolina, where Margaret is a realtor. 2009 Stephanie Bernasconi married Jeffrey Nelson at the Delaware Museum of Natural History on June 9, 2018.
BIRTHS
1996 Susan Johnson Amidon and her husband, Ben, welcomed a baby boy, Finley Pierce Amidon, in November 2018. 1997 Adam Golding and his wife, Brittany, welcomed their second child, Joshua Thorn Golding, in January 2018. 1998 Mike Roberts and Kay Jemison welcomed a baby boy, Landon Miles Roberts, in October 2018.
Clockwise from top left: Margaret DeWees ’06 and Spenser Rubin; Tessa Taylor Trask ’06, Margaret DeWees Rubin ’06, Audra Noyes ’06 and Christie Blatcher Wiles ’06; Stephanie Bernasconi ’09 and Jeffrey Nelson; Adam Kalamchi ’01, Casey Owens ’01 Castello, Alex Otto Newhook ’01, Pam Jennings Norton ’01, Joe Norton, Mona Yezdani Gillen ’01, Jill Hocutt Prince ’01, Tarra Boulden Winchell ’01, Erin Kenney Hendrickson ’01 and Wilson Braun ’01.
2006 Patrick Davis Larrabee was born to Blakely Ashley Larrabee and Yuri Larrabee in June 2018. Michael Alvarez and his wife, Natalie, welcomed a baby boy, Seth Michael Alvarez, in late January 2019. 2007 Julia Durante and her husband, Jeremiah Long, celebrated the birth of their first child, Alexander Joseph Long, in October 2018.
1999 Andrew Fong and his wife, Sylvia, welcomed a baby boy, Aaron Cayden Fong, in October 2018. 2001 Hugh Yeomans welcomed a baby. Pam Jennings Norton and her husband, Joey, welcomed their first child, Charles Bradshaw Norton, in January 2019. 2003 Anthony Hidell and his wife, Jessica, welcomed their second son, Guy Gibson, in July 2018. Big brother, Henry, is thrilled beyond words. 2005 Lara Popel Subhash and her husband, Kris, welcomed a new baby, Maks Harvey Subhash, in June 2018.
Clockwise from top left: Julia Durante ’07, her husband, Jeremiah Long, and their son, Alexander Joseph Long; Charles Bradshaw Norton, son of Pam Jennings Norton ’01; Lara Popel Subhash ’05, her husband, Kris, and their new baby, Maks Harvey Subhash.
Send Class Notes to thsalumni@towerhill.org with a high-resolution photo. Tower Hill Bulletin
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A LASTING LEGACY
Mark Bussard ’90 with his parents, Patsy Bussard and Gordon Bussard ’61
ALUMNUS AND FAMILY ENDOW TWO FUNDS IN HONOR OF GRANDMOTHERS When I graduated from Tower Hill in 1990, I knew that it was a special place. I very much enjoyed my 14 years at the school, and I felt that Tower Hill had prepared me well for my immediate next steps and beyond. But almost 30 years later, with two sons of my own attending a school that is in many ways similar to Tower Hill, I have a much greater appreciation for how important the school was to me. Tower Hill was a competitive and demanding place, and the school’s culture of excellence taught me to strive to be outstanding in everything that I do. Looking back at my time at Tower Hill, I often recall just how exceptionally gifted so many of my classmates were; it seemed that everyone was smart, hardworking and bound to be successful. I remember well the Multa Bene Facta motto, and I recall classmates who were not only brilliant students, but also accomplished in so many other areas, whether as captains of athletic teams, musicians, actors or otherwise. But while the talent pool was deep and sometimes intimidating, Tower Hill provided a collegial and nurturing environment. Classmates wanted to win, but not at the expense of their friends. There was a sense that we were all in it together, and students often helped one another toward mutual success. Teachers and coaches were demanding and tough, but loving and supportive as well. 78
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Over 14 years, Tower Hill offered me tremendous opportunities to establish skillsets, think critically, problem solve, develop friendships and learn from exceptional mentors. With almost 30 years of hindsight, I do not think I could have asked for much more. Said another way, as I observe my own sons’ educations and consider what I want for them, I hope that my boys’ experiences at their school will be comparable to mine at Tower Hill. With the aforementioned in mind, I wanted to give back to the school so that others could benefit in some of the extraordinary ways that I did. My family and I established funds in the names of my two grandmothers, both of whom loved and supported Tower Hill and were critical role models for me over my 14 years at the school. We chose to establish two funds, one each to support what we believe to be the two most critical ingredients for Tower Hill’s future excellence: the faculty and the students. By creating the Grace Houck Margraf Scholarship Fund and the Carolyn Ackart Bussard ’39 Faculty Fund, we are hopeful that these resources will play a small role in ensuring that exemplary students will continue to be educated and mentored by outstanding faculty at Tower Hill for many years to come. —Mark Bussard ’90
GIVING BACK
THE TOP FIVE REASONS WE SUPPORT THE ANNUAL FUND BY ROBERT AND SUZANNE DESANTIS, P ’15, ’19, ’19, ’19, PARENT CO-CHAIRS OF THE ANNUAL FUND
Suzanne DeSantis, Robert DeSantis, Lily DeSantis ’19, Peter DeSantis ’19, Caroline DeSantis ’15 and John DeSantis ’19
Reason #5: We're grateful every day for the care the teachers have given our children and the opportunities that Tower Hill has presented them. Supporting the Annual Fund is a small way to show our gratitude. Reason #4: We are proud to be part of the Tower Hill tradition, and we recognize the important role that the Annual Fund plays in making sure Tower Hill remains a preeminent school in the area. Reason #3: We realize that the Annual Fund is critical to the school’s operations and scholarship programs. The head of school and the board have made clear their need, and we feel compelled to help. Reason #2: We respect the 100-year history of this great school and understand that, just as it has always been, the school’s current parents play a critical role in ensuring its future. Reason #1: When we look back at the sacrifices our own parents made to send their children to private school, the energy they expended to get us through each school year, and the discipline they had to ensure that there was always some money for our schools’ fundraising efforts, we are reminded of what our own responsibilities are.
PLANNED GIVING While current, cash gifts to the Annual Fund and endowment make the most immediate impact on the Tower Hill student experience, planned gifts promote a bright future for generations of Hillers to come. For more information on how to include Tower Hill in your will and/or arrange another deferred gift through a trust, annuity or other estate planning vehicle, please contact Melissa Pizarro in the Advancement Office, by email at mpizarro@towerhill.org or by phone at 302-657-8358 ext. 258.
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Tower Hill HILLER HISTORY 1
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Down: 1. The house on Mt. Salem Lane where the head of school resides Down: 2. Tower Hill’s second headmaster, who believed in experiential education 1. The house on Mt. Salem Lane where the 3. The number of clock faces on the THS clock tower Head4.ofRuby School resides slippers were worn on stage in this first performance in the opened du Pont 2. Tower Hill’s second newly headmaster, whoTheatre 5. Tower Hill’s headmaster from 1960 to 1976 believed experiential education 6. Thisintype of material replaced grass on the football and field hockey/lacrosse fieldson in 2007 3. The number of clock faces the Tower Hill 8. First name of the first lady of the United States in 1919 clock tower 10. Field House named after one of Tower Hill’s founders 4. Ruby 12. slippers were worn on stage in this The student newspaper 13. Harry, who retired in 2017 after opened 47 years at du first performance in the newly Tower Hill Pont Theatre in 1997 14. Headmaster _____, for whom the current 5. TowerPreK Hill’s headmaster from 1960is to 1976 building and former music building named after 15. Starting in 2014, Tower Hill students could study 6. This type of material replaced grass on the the stars thanks to this newly built structure football and field hockey/lacrosse 20. Tower Hill’s field hockey coach fromfields 1974 to in 1989, 2007 Betty 22. Tower from 1950 8. First name ofHill’s theheadmaster First Lady of1941 thetoUnited 24. The park next to Tower Hill’s campus
States in 1919 Hint: Some answers can be found in Forever Green, 10. Field House named after one of Tower Hill’s available online at towerhill.org/our-history founders 12. The student newspaper 80 Tower Hill Bulletin Spring 2019 13. Harry, who retired® in 2017 after 47 years at Tower Hill
Across: 2. The Tower Hill history book 5. The Middle School character education assembly name Across: 7. An all-school holiday tradition 2. The Tower Hill history book 9. Many alumni know this as the “Girls’ Gym” 5. Green Thevs.Middle School assembly period 11. White competition in May 13. Miss _____, who was remembered for her 7. An all-school holiday tradition instruction on diagramming sentences 9. TheMany alumni know this iscider, as “Girls’ Gym” 16. store that sold cake, cookies and run the 6th Grade 11.byGreen vs. White competition in May 17. The infamous Field Day was game that no 13. Mrs. _____, who remembered for her longer exists at THS instruction on across diagramming sentences 18. The garden courtyard from Rising Sun Lane 19. The Tower Hill football field, named after coach Boband cider, 16. The store that sold cake, cookies 21. The Tower Hill yearbook run by the 6th Grade 23. The number of Tower Hill founders 17.TheThe infamous 25. number of varsityField sports Day teams game in 2019 that no 26. Newton, the woodshop teacher in the 1920s longer exists at THS and 1930s 18.Gathered The garden courtyard 27. here in joyous ______ located across Rising 28. Tower first headmaster SunHill’s Lane 29. Alma, Tower Hill’sHill longest-serving teachernamed after 19. The Tower football field, in the early years coach Bob to the athletics program in 2017 30. New sport added 31. The school that was absorbed into Tower Hill in 1919 21. The Tower Hill yearbook
23. The number of Tower Hill founders 25. The number of varsity sports teams in 2019 26. Newton, The woodshop teacher in the 1920s Build your own custom worksheet at education.com/worksheet-generator and 1930s
CENTENNIAL BULLETIN BOARD In honor of Tower Hill's 100th year, the Centennial Committee is creating a Centennial Bulletin Board depicting Rockford Park that will go up in September. We are asking alumni to sign a leaf that will be included on the board. The alumni are going to be the leaves on the trees, the students’ photos are going to make up Rockford Tower and the roof is going to be made up of faculty photos. Alumni will have the opportunity to sign leaves at upcoming alumni events around the country. Visit towerhill.org/alumni to find an event near you. If you would like us to make a leaf for you, email thsalumni@towerhill.org with your name, class year and current location.
1919 POEM
By Theresa Shorey, Lower School Faculty Read during the Founders’ Day Assembly
In 1919 there was a team Of founding fathers who had a dream All very smart, not one a fool, They agreed to build a school A school for thinkers, a school with vision A school with kids who can make future decisions They scouted some land that would fit the bill And landed by the Tower and its hill. Brick by brick, mortar and sand A school took shape just like they planned! Now 100 years later we live to tell Of legends and learners who do many things well! Tower Hill Bulletin
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Tower Hill School 2813 West 17th Street Wilmington, DE 19806
TOWER HILL SCHOOL
CENTENNIAL Sept. 20-21, 2019
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Save the date!