The Gryphon: Fall/Winter 2122

FALL/WINTER 2021-22

THE JOY OF READING How CSW inspires and nurtures a lifelong practice of reading for pleasure.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2021–22

THE GRYPHON, FALL/WINTER 2021-22

Allie Altman P ’12 Treasurer; Chair, Finance Committee

Lise Charlier Head of School

James Bonsey

Emma Fedor Director of Marketing and Communications

Lise Charlier Head of School Howard Cooper P ’15, ’20 Neta Crawford P ’18

Jeanette Origel Assistant Director of Communications

Maura Farrell John Finnerty P ’21 Michael Flanagan P ’20, ’22 Patrick Foley Faculty Representative Ann Gorson P ’16 Chair of the Board Cynthia Harmon Vice Chair of the Board Snowden Henry P ’16, ’18 Chair, Governance Committee Ben Ibbetson Faculty Representative Theo Illarionov ’23 Day Student Representative Chin Lin P ’18 Secretary; Chair, Building and Grounds Committee Kevin Mendik P ’20 Ranjit Rajamani P ’22 John Thompson P ’05, ’07 Chair, Development Committee Fadila Traore ’22 Boarding Student Representative

CONTRIBUTORS

Jared Charney Photography Stuart Heintz '22 Tetsuya Tanaka '24 Jenna Wolf

DESIGN gokorodesign.com

The Cambridge School of Weston is an independent, all-gender day school for grades 9 – 12 and post-graduate study.

Inquiries for admission should be directed to the Admissions Office at 781.642.8650.

The Gryphon welcomes class notes and photographs by alumni/ae, parents, and friends.

Please email submissions to alum@csw.org, call 781.642.8619, visit www.csw.org, or send to: Alumni/ae Relations The Cambridge School of Weston 45 Georgian Road Weston, MA 02493

Dan Wolf ’65 Vivien Wu P ’23 Alana Zola ’09

CONTACT www.csw.org To contact the editor, please send us an email at gryphon@csw.org.

Cover illustration by Stuart Heintz ’22

Fall/Winter 2021-22

THE

Gryphon 2

Leading Thoughts

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On the Quad

11

The Kluchman Reopens

12 Athletics Return to CSW 14

New Faculty & Staff

16

Within the Pages

20

The Joy of Reading

24 Community Reading Profiles 28

Then & Now

30

Alum Spotlight

32

Class Notes

39

My Five

“Arise,” watercolor and pencil on paper, by Terry Yang ’25.

2 • THE GRYPHON Fall/Winter 2021-22

LEADING THOUGHTS Dear Community, Growing up, books were key to my inner sense of self and balance.

I loved to read, and still do. I am therefore delighted to share this issue of The Gryphon, which focuses on the joy of books and reading.

In my childhood home in Haiti, books were the most important commodity. One bookcase was dedicated to fiction for us children, with books primarily from French or Belgian publishing houses, like the Aventures de Tintin et Milou, Asterix, or, for my sister and me, the collection of morality stories from the Comtesse de Segure or the Aventures de Martine.

A second bookcase, according to my parents, was focused on all the “knowledge” we needed. In the pre-internet years, encyclopedias were the place to find what my parents believed were essential references for lifelong learning. I wonder how many young people today would be able to visualize the following: a shelf of tomes of the Encyclopedia Britannica, The World Book, Popular Science, or a huge, standard dictionary. This case also housed our French books like classic comedies, tragedies, and satires by Molière, Racine, and Corneille, the Lagarde and Michard series on French Literature and the Petit Larousse dictionary (which was not at all petit!).

I realize now what was not on my parents’ bookshelves or in the library at school: books by Haitian authors! It took me studying at an American university to truly understand the richness and range of Haitian literature present both in Haiti and the Haitian diaspora. Thankfully, Haitians today are unapologetic and proud of our authors and artists, and we have more access to our own authors thanks to more vibrant publishing houses on the island.

Looking back, I wish that I had been exposed to a more diverse array of books much earlier, and I am so proud of the work our librarians here at CSW have done to maintain a library that offers readers so many different ideas, voices, and perspectives. In addition, I am moved and inspired by the way our faculty instill a love of reading in our students — arguably one of the most powerful gifts we can offer them.

In this issue, we explore the act of reading — including a special feature in which alums, faculty, and staff share their own recommendations. So head to your favorite reading nook, relax and enjoy!

Happy reading!

Lise Charlier, Head of School

ON THE QUAD • 3

4 • THE GRYPHON Fall/Winter 2021-22

ON THE QUAD

Culture Fest Each year, Culture Fest offers students, faculty, and staff the opportunity to celebrate the diversity of cultures within the CSW community. Here, Jo Munoz ’24 performs a traditional Mexican dance.

Photo Credit: Tetsuya Tanaka ’24

ON THE QUAD • 5

AIA Groups Each year, CSW’s Student Life Office hosts an Affinity, Interest, and Alliance (AIA) Group Fair, in which student leaders set up tables and share information about their groups with other students. The array of offerings is always a wonderful representation of who students are and what they care about. Here are a few of the groups that were present: Adoption Affinity Arts & Crafts Club Avatar: The Last Airbender Black Student Union D&D Club Finance & Investment Club Knitting Club Menstruation Nation Neurodiversity Alliance Podcasting Club SOFA — Students on Financial Aid Spanish Club TAGs — Trans Affinity Group

6 • THE GRYPHON Fall/Winter 2021-22

Film Honors L-J ShenFilerman ’23 headed to New York City in October for the 2021 All American High School Film Festival.

L-J’s short film, SANCTUARY, was screened as part of the event at the AMC Empire Theater in New York City’s Times Square. Each year, the festival receives thousands of film submissions by student filmmakers from around the world and only a select few, chosen by a panel of judges, are included in the festival. L-J’s film was selected for the Drama category.

Fix-It Fridays During Mod 2, CSW’s Visual Art Department, in partnership with Fashion Club and Sustainability Committee (both student-led groups), sponsored Fix-It Fridays. Every Friday, students, faculty, and staff were invited to drop by the art building with their clothes that needed mending, and students and teachers would teach visitors how to fix them.

German D Block Through CSW’s ambassador program, students in the eleventh and (if they wish) twelfth grades participate in the life of the school and gain important hands-on experience by working with specific academic departments and other important administrative offices. This fall, Elisabeth Weber ’23 served as ambassador for the Language Department and dedicated her time to conceptualizing and designing a German language course. In Mod 3, under the guidance of Spanish teacher Ben Ibbetson, Elisabeth was able to bring her vision to life by teaching her class to a group of seven CSW students.

ON THE QUAD • 7

Photo Credit: Robert Bellinger

Initiation — In Love Solidarity Initiation — In Love Solidarity, a dance film by CSW Dance Department Chair Nailah Randall-Bellinger featuring CSW Nurse Toni Singleton, and dance teacher Jeryl Pilapil premiered at Harvard University this fall. The film was created as part of Nailah’s work as an artist-inresidence at the Harvard Dance Center. In her artist statement, Nailah describes Initiation — In Love Solidarity as “a choreographic narrative that explores identity through a corporeal and collective consciousness.

As an African American woman, I have chosen the cowrie shell as a cultural symbol throughout the work, referencing its usage as currency

for the commodification of the Black body, as well as its symbol of wealth, fertility, and beauty. The dance specifically examines the transformative identity of the Black female body, both imposed and self-proclaimed, linked and represented through the cowrie shell.”

Nailah showed a clip from her film with Jane Reynolds’s “Major Author: Toni Morrison” class, in which she spoke to students about movement and dance in Morrison’s Beloved, the inspiration behind “Dancing Beloved,” one of Nailah’s signature choreographic works.

The Latino List CSW was proud to welcome award-winning feminist writer and documentary filmmaker Sandra Guzman to CSW to help kick off Latinx Heritage Month. Sandra’s work “explores identity, land, memory, race, sexuality, spirituality, culture, and gender” and has been featured by numerous media outlets. To begin the visit, the community came together to view the HBO documentary, The Latino List, a project for which Sandra served as an interviewer. Afterwards, Sandra joined students, faculty, and staff for an all school assembly.

8 • THE GRYPHON Fall/Winter 2021-22

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ON THE QUAD • 9

End-of-Mod Shows

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1. Alice Wang '23 (Wearable Art); 2. Eirwen Kamphorst '23 (Art Ambassador); 3. Mina Cho '23 (Modern Middle East); 4. Helena Starzec '22 (Advanced Drawing Self Portrait); 5. Liya Serikova '24 (Drawing: Advanced Studio); 6. Beatrice Stefan '24 (Book Arts); 7. Jinrong Chu '25 (Drawing: Advanced Studio); 8. Kat Lundberg '23 (Photo I); 9. Stella Wang '25 (Drawing: Advanced Studio); 10. Erin Xue '22 (Drawing Fundamentals; 11. Naomi Fuhrer '23 (Advanced Wearable Art); 12. Lucia Yu '24 (Book Arts); 13. Tim von Felten '23 (Graphic Design); 14. Catherine Qin '24 (Mindfulness Art); 15. Casper Van Vactor '23 (Wearable Art)

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10 • THE GRYPHON Fall/Winter 2021-22

Theatrical Excellence The CSW Theatre Department submitted the film version of their production of The 39 Steps to the Massachusetts High School Virtual Festival and the following students and recent alums were given awards for their work: Emelia Brinkley ’22 for Excellence in Sound Design and Excellence in Stage Management Taylor Bryan ’22 for Excellence in Ensemble Work

Ryan Cooke ’23 for Excellence in Ensemble Work Paul Duan ’23 for Excellence in Ensemble Work Zeke Fairley ’21 for Excellence in Ensemble Work Wren Rearden ’22 for Excellence in Videography Clairenne Wilson ’21 for Excellence in Ensemble Work The following students and recent alums were also given awards by the Massachusetts

Educational Theater Guild for their performances in Into the Woods.

Taylor Bryan ’22 for Excellence in Acting MC DuBard ’21 for Excellence in Acting Ryogo Katahira ’23 for Excellence in Acting Gray Moxley ’21 for Excellence in Acting Wren Rearden ’22 for Excellence in Acting

CSW congratulates all cast and crew members, who were excellent and valued participants for both shows!

Back in Action The cast and crew of Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic, were thrilled to be able to build their set and perform their show in the Robin Wood Theatre this fall, after the pandemic forced them to pre-record or pursue alternate locations for many of their productions last year.

THE KLUCHMAN REOPENS • 11

THE KLUCHMAN REOPENS Students, faculty, staff, and families were excited to start the school year with a newly renovated and more welcoming entrance to the Kluchman Building. A gently sloped walkway meeting Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations now provides a route for people of all abilities to enter the building. Inside, energy efficient lighting, decorative displays, a new reception desk, additional seating areas, and an accessible, all-gender restroom make for a more welcoming, accommodating experience for all who pass through.

Thank you to the many donors who helped to make the vision for this space a reality. Our community is so grateful for your support.

Photo Credit: Robert Umenhofer, Courtesy of Bald Hill Builders

12 • THE GRYPHON Fall/Winter 2021-22

ATHLETICS RETURN TO CSW

Photo Credit: Tetsuya Tanaka ’24

On Friday, February 28, 2020, CSW’s Boys Varsity Basketball traveled to the Marie Philip School for the Deaf in Framingham for the MBIL D-II championship. After a hard-fought game, the Gryphons came home triumphant, winning the championship game 48-46. This would be the last time a CSW interscholastic team would compete in a league game until September 10, 2021, when Boys Varsity Soccer had their home opener against the same school, over a year and half later.

In the midst of the pandemic, schools everywhere grappled with how best to handle interscholastic athletics, and with the knowledge available at the time, CSW’s athletic leagues made the difficult decision to cancel games for the duration of the 2020-21 school year. Still, CSW did its best to continue to provide opportunities for students to stay active. When school was remote, the Athletics Department offered various fitness classes — pre-recorded and live — over Zoom. And once school was back in session, students were able to participate in team sports but with a focus on “skills and drills,” and very strict limits on physical contact.

“It was really challenging because we had components of practice that had to be virtual,” says Boys Varsity Basketball Head Coach Bobby Savino. “So our time together became more focused on team and

relationship building.” Still, Bobby says he appreciated the opportunity to be able to coach students from all grades and skill levels, instead of just the varsity team as he normally would.

Rachel Amster ’22, who plays on CSW’s varsity volleyball and basketball teams, says she missed the excitement of having real games during the pandemic.

“Even though we had skills and drills, there was little motivation to play because we couldn’t have games or go up against other teams.” While she was grateful for the opportunity to be active and spend time with her teammates, she says the experience just wasn’t the same.

Flash forward to this fall and winter, and students are thrilled to be competing against other schools again. While indoor sports such as volleyball and basketball do require that students wear face masks, student-athletes have been able to compete without pandemic modifications or restrictions. For those students who played outdoor sports in the fall, practices and games were some of the only times during the school day that they were able to go without a mask, serving as a much-appreciated reprieve.

ATHLETICS RETURN TO CSW • 13

Runner Suri Kautz ’25 Has Record-Breaking Season

Photo Credit: Jared Charney

Suri Kautz '25 with assistant coach Shad Sommers-Dehaney

Photo Credit: Tetsuya Tanaka ’24

“I don’t think I realized how much I missed sports until soccer season started up again this fall,” says Richard Cui ’22, who also plays on the Boys Varsity Basketball team. “Just knowing I have practice or a game to look forward to at the end of the school day has been a really positive shift. It feels good to be able to exercise and hang out with my friends in a space outside of academic classes.”

At the start of this school year, only CSW’s Juniors and Seniors had any experience playing at the high school interscholastic level, and the Juniors have yet to experience a spring season. Although it will likely take some time to make up for this gap, CSW’s new director of athletics, Alan Miles, feels optimistic about the future.

“We’ve got a fantastic program here at CSW that’s only going to get better. Our coaches and staff are passionate about what they do and we’re excited to be back out there connecting with our student-athletes, promoting wellness, and building community.”

To learn more about CSW’s Athletics program and keep up with our teams, visit www.csw.org/athletics.

Ninth grader Suri Kautz made a name for herself on the cross country running circuit this year. The first-place finisher at multiple races this season, Suri broke CSW’s home course record at Jericho Forest in Weston, MA, on September 14, 2021, with a time of 20:13. Then, on September 22, she broke her own record with a time of 19:36. She broke the record yet again on September 29, setting the new record at 19:32.

Her efforts helped earn CSW a place in the Massachusetts Bay Independent League (MBIL) championship race, where Suri came in first for the girls and set a new course record at Chauncy Hill Chapel Hall. Following this stellar performance, she was unanimously voted as the league’s Most Valuable Runner for the season.

On November 13, Suri ran in the 2021 New England Prep School Track Association (NEPSTA) Division IV Cross Country Championships and finished in second place overall with a time of 21:25. She also ran in the NEPSTA All-Star Race on November 16, and finished in sixth place with a time of 20:27.

Suri’s coaches and teammates are excited by what is clearly just the beginning of a very exciting career.

14 • THE GRYPHON Fall/Winter 2021-22

GUESS WHO! Can you match them up with the facts?

NEW FACULTY & STAFF

Claire Bagnani Science Department

Steve Bushee Athletics Department

Yuhan Chan Language Department

Amber Crossman Admissions Office

Tracy Domitrz Health & Counseling Services

Tom Galvin Facilities Department

Gabriel Kane Mathematics Department

KB Kinkel English Department

Erin Maki Business Office

Michelle Mclaughlin Development Office

Anne Meinke Mathematics Department

Alan Miles Athletics Department

Sylvia Ogle Mathematics Department

Proshanto Mukherji Mathematics Department

Jen Raxter Development Office

Adriel Roncal Language Department

Susan Ryan Business Office

Justine Seely Student Life Office

Shadrach Sommers-Dehaney Yadira Valdez Office of Diversity, Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Equity, and Inclusion

NEW FACULTY & STAFF • 15

A

H

I am the youngest of six children. I have 15 nieces and nephews, and 5 grand nieces and nephews.

I moved back to Boston from Florida to work at CSW. This fall marked the first time I turned my heat on in nine years!

I love to cook and bake.

O

I lived in Pennsylvania and Florida before moving to Massachusetts I have 20+ extra bones in my feet I scored 2000 points in basketball in high school I

I was briefly in a grunge-jazz band.

I can overtone sing, which allows me to sing multiple notes at the same time.

I once serenaded a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

P

I am a certified Boy Scout leader.

I have had two friends since I was five years old.

B

I have left the U.S. three times with three different modes of transportation I was involved in theatre and a capella in college I have had two dogs, both labradoodles

I have a cat named Pencil who flunked out of kitty college.

I was offered a role in a Bollywood movie but was fired because I can neither act nor speak fluent Hindi.

I spent three years at Harvard Law School, during which I carried my shampoo to the shower every day in a case shaped like a fuzzy pink bunny with a zipper down its back.

J

My sophomore year of high school, my curling team won the championship.

I still have my childhood email which is flutegirl7 that I use for spam. I’ve been afraid to delete it because I’m convinced I’ll miss something important.

My mom is 6 feet tall and played basketball for William & Mary in college.

I got my height from her but I’m still waiting for the skill.

C

I have never ridden a bike I donate blood platelets 1-2 times per month and will talk your ear off about it I say “pop,” “tennis shoes,” and “donut holes” instead of “soda,” “sneakers,” and “munchkins”

Q

I lived in Israel for a year for a teaching fellowship.

I used to have an afro and dreadlocks up until college.

Eating dim sum is one of my family’s favorite traditions. I’ve eaten dim sum so many times that I can say pretty much all of my favorite dishes in Mandarin.

K D

I’ve traveled to Japan.

I’ve worked as a make-up artist for Hasbro at Comic Con San Diego.

I love to binge on true crime or documentaries.

I am the parent of three sons.

I like to travel overseas.

I like to play golf.

R

We love to eat and try new food.

We love to travel (26 different countries so far).

We swam with dolphins

E

I have never gone horseback riding in the U.S.; only in Australia, France, the Dominican Republic, and Peru.

I dressed up as Harry Potter for Halloween for most of my childhood.

My favorite book is A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara.

L

I have lived in five different U.S. States (Texas, Alabama, Ohio, Washington, and Massachusetts).

I have lived in two different countries (The U.S. and Australia).

S

I once sat next to Adam Sandler in a movie theater and kindly asked him to refrain from talking on his cell phone.

I competed on my high school track and field team and am still the school record holder in the discus.

I have an older brother named Rocky and my parents originally wanted to name me Roxy.

I spent time hanging out with Bill Murray at the ACL music festival in Austin.

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G

I’ve appeared on national television over 250 times (but never compensated for the appearance...).

I am a board member of the Inter Collegiate Sailing Association.

I am so “technology challenged and technology needy” that Lisa Oslowski and the IT Tech Team have blocked my incoming emails to them.

I’ve lived in four states.

I’ve lived in five countries My parents, my brother, and I were all born on different Islands, so I love being near large bodies of water.

N

I am a diehard Boston sports fan. My husband and I met at Fenway Park and had a Red Sox-themed wedding.

I love REAL country music and have visited Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee. Next stop is hopefully Austin!

I am very superstitious and ALWAYS lift my feet up when I drive over railroad tracks.

T

I share a birthday with Neil Armstrong.

I love snow and cold weather because we don’t see snow much in Taiwan.

I love bubble tea so much that I used to have it as a meal.

ANSWERS: A. Susan Ryan B. Amber Crossman C. Tracy Domitrz D. Tom Galvin E. Adriel Roncal F. KB Kinkel G. Steve Bushee H. Justine Seely I. Erin Maki J. Claire Bagnani K. Yadira Valdez L. Anne Meinke M. Alan Miles N. Michelle Mclaughlin O. Gabriel Kane P. Proshanto Mukherji Q. Shadrach Sommers-Dehaney R. Sylvia Ogle S. Jen Raxter T. Yuhan Chan

I have competed in a number of (somewhat unique) individual sports, including open-water swimming, cycling, triathlon, and fencing.

I have four pets: a dog, a cat, and two land snails.

I love spelunking and speleology (the study and exploration of caves) and studying prehistoric cave art

16 • THE GRYPHON Fall/Winter 2021-22

CSW’s Library Conducts its First Diversity Collection Audit

he word library has come to mean many things, especially in the context of educational institutions. Few — if any — libraries that exist today consist solely of hard-copy books. The rise of digital media and technology has transformed the ways libraries function, both in terms of what they offer and how they offer it. But books, in whatever form they take, whether it be e-book, audiobook, or old fashioned paper, remain an essential component of CSW’s library offerings. The responsibility of which books should be made available to students, faculty, and staff, falls upon Library Director Jenna Wolf and Library Assistant Sharon Cuthbertson, who take this power, and the responsibility that comes with it, very seriously.

In the Winter of 2021, the CSW Library decided to measure how well their choices reflected the diverse and vibrant interests of the CSW community by conducting their first Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion audit of the library’s fiction and graphic novel collections.

“Building and maintaining a highquality, diverse collection of materials is one of the most critical responsibilities of any school librarian,” Jenna says. “At the CSW Library, we strive to choose titles that offer a wide variety of viewpoints and allow our students to see themselves reflected within the pages of a book, all while offering materials that reflect the complexity and nuance of identities and personal stories.”

These principles are guided by the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights and the National Council of Teachers of English Students’ Right to Read. Additionally, the CSW Library is guided in principle by the deeply held belief that reading has the power to transform readers’ lives.

“It is critically important that our students have access to books that reflect their own life experiences as well as those that expose them to experiences that are different from their own,” Jenna explains.

The following report includes a description of the factors Jenna and Sharon used in the completion of their

audit, along with a summary of what they learned about the CSW collection — where there are holes, and where they can see future growth in diversity of authorship and protagonists’ identities.

The last section, Implementing the Audit, provides key directives the CSW Library will use in evaluating and purchasing materials moving forward, weeding of outdated or problematic materials, and specific catalog enhancements with an eye toward strengthening the library collection for The Cambridge School of Weston community.

Conducting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) audits is an ongoing process, and CSW will continue to use them to evaluate other parts of their collection. By providing transparency about the audit process and communicating their findings, Jenna and Sharon hope to signal to CSW’s readers that the school is committed to building an inclusive library program.

WITHIN ONTHE THEPAGES QUAD • 17

WHAT EXACTLY IS A LIBRARY COLLECTION DIVERSITY AUDIT? A diversity audit evaluates an existing collection to produce quantifiable data that can be used to measure certain characteristics of the authors and protagonists represented in it. The CSW library’s initial DEI audit examined more than 1,700 works of fiction on its shelves.

THE POWER OF DIVERSITY IN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE “Books are sometimes windows, offering views of worlds that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange. These windows are also sliding glass doors, and readers have only to walk through in imagination to become part of whatever world has been created and recreated by the author. When lighting conditions are just right, however, a window can also be a mirror.

Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection we can see our own lives and experiences as part of the larger human experience. Reading, then, becomes a means of self-affirmation, and readers often seek their mirrors in books.” ­— Rudine Sims Bishop, Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors (Perspectives, 1990, p. ix)

WHY CONDUCT A LIBRARY COLLECTION DIVERSITY AUDIT? Librarians have a duty to reflect the values stated in Rudine Sims Bishop’s groundbreaking article “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors” (1990). It’s not just representation that matters, but it is the quality of that representation.

A diversity audit provides quantitative (and qualitative) data for making informed decisions about the amount and quality of representation in CSW’s collection.

Stuart Heintz '22

KEY DEFINITIONS Some critical terms you will encounter that are important in understanding the DEI audit parameters and findings.

DIVERSIT Y

OW N VO I C E S *

INTERSECTIONAL

ETHNICIT Y

In the context of collections, having a variety of representations, experiences, and points of view; a book written that includes diverse characters or points of view by any author (From Diversity Considerations in YA: Doing a Diversity Audit)

An author from a marginalized or under-represented group writing about their own experiences (From Diversity Considerations in YA: Doing a Diversity Audit)

In the context of library collections, characters or authors who belong to one or more under-represented or marginalized groups (e.g., a person of color who is also LGBTQIA)

The ethnic or cultural origins of a person’s ancestors

*It’s important to note that the hashtag #ownvoices was created in 2015 as a way to highlight books written from the author’s own identity markers. This “catch-all” term has become a marketing tool that can, at times, devalue authors’ experiences and the ways in which they wish to be identified. We recognize this and understand that specificity matters. For the audit, it was important to represent and highlight the authors’ own identity impacting the story within the broader, aggregate data but we have not found another term that denotes this. You will see this term used but we hope to find a way to respond to this change and highlight the work in new ways moving forward.

18 • THE GRYPHON Fall/Winter 2021-22

TIMELINE FOR CONDUCTING THE AUDIT FA L L 2 0 1 7 – W I N T E R 2 0 2 0

When Jenna first arrived to manage the CSW Library, she realized much of the fiction collection centered around white authors and white protagonists, with an emphasis on “serious” and “literary” fiction rather than young adult literature.

Throughout her four years as director, she has made a concerted and intentional effort to purchase materials that center young adult literature, protagonists of color, own voices, stories of LGBTQIA+ people, and other identity markers not previously seen reflected intentionally in CSW’s fiction collection. She also enrolled and completed an online course offered by Library Journal, Equity in Action: Building Diverse Collections, which explored how to design collection development policies around marginalized voices and how to conduct an audit of materials to identify areas of representation or lack thereof.

WINTER 2021

Upon researching other diversity audits at school libraries, Jenna found the right match in a system designed by Kelsey Bogan, a Pennsylvania-based school librarian who writes the blog, "Don't Shush Me," and utilizes the same cataloging tool as CSW (Follett Destiny).

FA L L 2 0 2 1 & B E YO N D

CSW’s librarians will continue to audit all new fiction/graphic materials that enter the library, by school year. Additionally, in the coming years, they will broaden this audit to include extremely relevant non-fiction Dewey classification numbers, particularly in the social sciences (race, gender identity, as examples).

13.7% Latinx

WHITE

2020-2021: OTHER IDENTITY + THEMATIC ELEMENTS

34.9%

N O T OW N VO I C E S

LGBTQ+

51.5%

1.9% Middle Eastern/Central Asian

WHITE

4.2% S Asian

2020-2021: AUTHOR LGBTQIA+ REPRESENTATION

47.3%

6.6% Indigenous

2020-2021: #OWNVOICES REPRESENTATION

OW N VO I C E S

7.1% Biracial/Mixed/Unspec. BIPOC

2020-2021: AUTHOR RACIAL IDENTITY

39.2%

20.3% AA/Black

36.3% White

ENTIRE FICTION COLLECTION: AUTHOR RACIAL IDENTITY

BIPOC

9.9% E/SE Asian

1% Neurodiversity

1.2% Housing Insecurity

52.7%

1.5% Own Voice Joyful

60.8%

1.8% Addiction

1.8% Adopted/Foster

1.9% Disability

2% Jewish (Non-Holocaust)

2.1% Plus Size

3.4% Muslim

3.4% First Gen American

4.6% Immigrant

8.3% Socioeconomic

11.7% Set Outside US

17.8% Mental Health/Trauma Response

18.4% Fantasy/Other World

19.9% LGBTQ

WITHIN THE PAGES • 19

AUDIT FINDINGS

BIPOC

65.1%

WHITE CIS HET

48.5%

2020-2021: PROTAGONIST RACIAL IDENTITY

20 • THE GRYPHON Fall/Winter 2021-22

REA

THE JOY OF READING • 21

THE JOY OF

ADING How CSW inspires and nurtures a lifelong practice of reading for pleasure.

BY JENNA WOLF ILLUSTRATION BY STUART HEINTZ ’22

22 • THE GRYPHON Fall/Winter 2021-22

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etting lost in the pages of a good book has the ability to transform a reader, allowing them access to other worlds, perspectives, and most importantly, the chance to see themselves reflected back. So much of the joy that comes with finding the right story at the right time has to do with the power of choice. At CSW, placing the student at the center of all learning experiences is a foundation of the progressive education provided. That choice includes options for students to create unique projects that best demonstrate their learning to finding and selecting a book they want to read.

“At CSW, the access to good books is one of the biggest things that changed my reading life in high school. The books I wanted to read were all around me.”

ALUM KATIE BAUM ’21, FIRST YEAR OBERLIN COLLEGE STUDENT

For CSW’s English Department, the intentional pivot to reading for pleasure was important to helping students get back in the habit of reading beyond the assigned texts, said English Chair Jeannette Lee-Parikh.

“We approach reading as joyful,” she said. “No one is going to start reading if we are miserable about it.”

For students, options and availability make all the difference.

“At CSW, the access to good books is one of the biggest things that changed my reading life in high school. The books I wanted to read were all around me,” says alum Katie Baum ’21, a first year Oberlin College student. “It made it just that much easier to pick one up and get started reading.”

Beyond those personal feelings of joy and the connections reading can provide, there are lifelong benefits to young people developing a habit of reading.

“The research on reading shows there are so many benefits from it: cognitive, educational, and social mobility,” says Jeannette. “I truly

believe that we need to create the spaces and structures to support students returning to reading for pleasure.”

At CSW, the English Department, in collaboration with other departments and the library, has infused areas of the curriculum with choice reading. In addition to adjusting the homework policy to create more space for pleasure reading, CSW provides afternoon activities through the D Block program that allow students to explore genre specific books from science fiction and fantasy to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual and/or Ally) writers.

“I think many people who don’t read regularly actually crave reading more than they realize,” says English faculty Ayako Tanaka, who facilitates the BIPOC/LGBTQIA+ writers D Block and said students often articulate an appreciation for intentional time to jumpstart their reading lives again.

For alums like Katie, a critical next step CSW can take is to provide students “more opportunities to define their reading experiences within their classes.”

“I remember having a great time in one of my ninth-grade writing classes on an assignment where each week we had to write a review of something we had read, whether it was a book, short story, or article,” Katie said.

“Having a choice in subject and then getting to honestly share your opinion is so valuable.”

Beyond the classroom, spaces that bring together readers on campus are growing.

In the fall of 2016, library assistant Sharon Cuthbertson noticed the breadth of offerings in clubs and interest groups and wanted to contribute. With the help of CSW alums Yulin Holder ’17 and Addie Santello ’19, they started Read This!, a drop-in book recommendations group for students, faculty, and staff. Its purpose is to provide a lowstakes, low-commitment way to connect readers in the CSW community.

“Book clubs can be tricky,” Sharon says. “I wanted a group that would connect readers in the community without requiring people to read the same book on the same schedule.”

While the research supports the endless positive effects of reading for pleasure, when it comes to some of CSW’s campus initiatives, the ‘data of participation’ doesn’t lie.

“The joy that reading inspires isn’t something you can fake, so there’s a lot of wonderful

THE JOY OF READING • 23

energy that is created when a bunch of people who love reading come together,” says Lucy Ward ’23, a current co-head of Read This!, who said the reading recommendations club is the one consistent space she’s attended throughout her time at CSW. “One of the wonderful things about Read This! is that it doesn’t matter what your reading journey looks like,” she says. “It’s just a space for those who want to talk about books, whether you’re new to pleasure reading or you’ve cultivated a love of reading over many years.”

Read This!, which started as a small but committed group of a few, has blossomed in recent years.

“When we started the group, it was very small—just a few students and a few faculty and staff. There weren’t many students who came to the library for pleasure reading then and I’d heard more than one student proudly proclaim that they didn’t read ever, so I counted on the student leaders and new students to help to shift the culture,” Sharon said.

In the first mod of the 2021-2022 school year, Read This! had 21 attendees—mostly students—squeezed into the library classroom during lunch to discuss titles recently read and loved.

“By sharing their enthusiasm for reading, each student leader has helped to shape Read This! into the welcoming, non-judgmental space that it is,” Sharon adds. “We get to know each other through what we like to read and, as a side effect, sometimes we stretch each other’s idea of a ‘good’ book.”

For Katie—who was a leader of Read This! for two years—the energy and enthusiasm for being in spaces that featured books was infectious, helped to solidify friendships, and is a lasting takeaway of her time at CSW. “So much of my life at CSW was tied to the library. It’s where I met my friends before school, where I ate lunch, had advisory… all while literally surrounded by books,” she says. “College libraries are so quiet. For better or for worse, the CSW library was rarely quiet, sometimes maybe thanks to me and my friends.”

As students look ahead to what lies next in their academic and life journeys, one thing rings true.

“Books can teach you so many things that you keep with you throughout your life,” says Zane Lerwill ’23, an avid reader. “They can give you insight on other perspectives and change the way you view the world.”

COURSE FEATURE: WRITING ABOUT READING

By Rachel Amster ’22 “Writing About Reading” is a two-course series offered by the English Department. Each student is required to take “Writing About Reading I” in the tenth grade and “Writing About Reading II” in the eleventh grade. Each course is one mod (six weeks) in duration.

The goal of the tenth-grade course is to practice intensive literary analysis through focused writing and discussion. In particular, students practice active and close reading, developing thoughtful and specific questions about a text, the use of theoretical lenses, the incorporation of contextual material, and the production of a sustained piece of analytical writing. Students use the writing and revision process to compose a five-page literary-analytical essay on The Great Gatsby. The course is designed to prepare students to tackle CSW’s required 11th-grade course sequence in English, “Advanced Writing Portfolio” and “Writing About Reading II,” as well as the department’s wide variety of upper-level literature electives.

In “Writing About Reading II,” the goal is to demonstrate development and mastery of literary analysis, research, and critical writing skills in preparation for advanced work in English. Students spend the first part of the mod reading a novella together and completing associated assignments, as well as beginning work with theory and criticism. From there, students undertake a sustained research and writing process in order to complete a ten-page, original, compelling, and well-sourced critical literary analysis.

Focus Skills Close Reading Note Taking & Annotation Literary Analysis Developing a Research Question and Working Thesis

Gathering and Evaluating Sources Applying Theory and Criticism The Writing and Revision Processes

Q&A with English Teacher Eli Keehn What is the overall goal of the “Writing About Reading” Series?

What is your favorite assignment that students take on?

The goal of “Writing About Reading” is to teach the foundational close reading and analytical writing skills that we expect eleventh and twelfth graders to have for upper-level electives.

The end-of-mod papers have the reputation as being the biggest, most important assignments, but I also like the smaller scale close reading assignments we do in “Writing About Reading I,” and I always enjoy the literary criticism conversations we have in “Writing About Reading II.”

What is your favorite part of teaching “Writing About Reading?”

My favorite part of this course is practicing close reading work with students. Particularly relevant to this course, I always say restrictions breed creativity. I push my students to ask targeted questions in class. For example: why did the writer choose this word? I also love the books that we read. They follow different storylines, so it’s interesting to do a close reading through different lenses.

What are three words you would use to describe this course?

Rigorous, student-driven, and exciting.

If you had to give one piece of advice to students taking “Writing About Reading,” what would it be?

You will use the skills you learn in these classes a lot. The practices and techniques you develop through this coursework will help you not only in upper-level English classes, but with all of your learning moving forward. I know that the idea of writing a ten-page paper can feel overwhelming, but you can do it! The time and energy that you will be able to put into the project through the course will help you get through it.

24 • THE GRYPHON Fall/Winter 2021-22

Community Reading Profiles We reached out to alumni/ae and current faculty and staff to see how reading fits into their lives — what they like to read, how their tastes have changed since high school, and what books they’d recommend to the CSW community. A selection of reading profiles is shared here.

Give it a read and you just might discover your next favorite book...

TO VIEW WHAT OUR STUDENTS ARE READING, CHECK OUT THE LIBRARY'S "CSW READS" FEATURE AT WWW.CSW.ORG/CSW-READS

NAME Claire Bunn GRAD YEAR 2016 PROFESSION Outdoor Educator

Describe your ideal reading experience.

Sitting on the beach on Thompson Island in Boston Harbor where I work!

How would you have described yourself as a reader in high school? How have your preferences changed as an adult?

In high school and college, I only read a little bit outside of school requirements because I always had a lot of reading for homework. After graduating from college this past spring, I am trying to get back in the habit!

What books would we currently find on your nightstand?

Circe by Madeline Miller, Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, and Difficult Women by Roxanne Gay.

Are you a “must-finisher?” Or do you put a book down if it’s not hooking you right away?

I used to be a must-finisher but I’m trying to let go of that. Life is too short to read boring books!

If you could read one genre of book for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Memoir.

If you were to recommend one book to the CSW community, what would it be?

I recently read Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals for my senior seminar at Smith and absolutely loved it. It’s a good book to read slowly because each section is really profound and needs some time to think about it.

NAME Joshua Rosenblum GRAD YEAR 1976 PROFESSION Professor of Economics

Describe your ideal reading experience.

I love to read on the beach, but lacking sun, sand, and surf, I like a rainy weekend day when I can curl up on the couch to read uninterrupted. The reality is that I do much of my reading listening to audiobooks during my morning exercise routine, and I actually find this to be a great way to focus my mind (though maybe not the best workout).

How would you have described yourself as a reader in high school? How have your preferences changed as an adult?

This was very long ago, but I would say I was omnivorous and adventurous. I have always liked books about history and politics; my fiction reading was sporadic.

What books would we currently find on your nightstand?

My actual nightstand is uncluttered with books (I don’t much like reading in bed), but at the moment you would find me reading Louis Menand’s The Free World (on my Kindle) and listening to Jonathan Franzen’s Crossroads. Up next are the second part of David Sedaris’ diaries, A Carnival of Snackery, and Adam Tooze’s Shutdown.

Are you a “must-finisher?” Or do you put a book down if it’s not hooking you right away?

Yes, I am mostly compelled to finish what I started, but as I have gotten older I have begun to learn that I don’t have to read every word.

COMMUNITY READING PROFILES • 25

If you could read one genre of book for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I could not stand to be confined to one genre, but if you insist I guess I would say history and biography.

response to COVID-19. I think almost everyone would enjoy it from one angle or another and everyone should be informed about these events.

If you were to recommend one book to the CSW community, what would it be?

Michael Lewis’s Premonition was a page turner that reveals so much about what went wrong in our

NAME David (Alex) Barker GRAD YEAR 1984 PROFESSION Filmmaker

Describe your ideal reading experience.

An Italian villa overlooking Lake Como with a glass of 20-year-old nebbiolo.

John Berryman; Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki (that last has been on the nightstand since I was at CSW).

How would you have described yourself as a reader in high school? How have your preferences changed as an adult?

CSW had a profound effect on my reading. One of my first quarters I made an independent study with Alice McMahon where I read Camus’s Myth of Sisyphus and Rimbaud’s A Season in Hell. I had very little vocabulary at the time and had to look up lots of words on each page to get through them, but both books marked me profoundly. I don’t think my reading preferences have changed much since then.

Are you a “must-finisher?” Or do you put a book down if it’s not hooking you right away?

I’ve made it halfway through War and Peace twice and look forward to starting it from the beginning a third time.

What books would we currently find on your nightstand?

Napoleon: A Life by Andrew Roberts; Valentino and Sagittarius by Natalia Ginzburg; 77 Dream Songs by

If you could read one genre of book for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Novels.

If you were to recommend one book to the CSW community, what would it be?

The Art of Possibility by Rosamund and Benjamin Zander.

NAME Rachel Hirsch GRAD YEAR — PROFESSION CSW Dean of Faculty

Describe your ideal reading experience.

Hours (days?!) with no other plans, a big pitcher of iced tea, and a sunny porch where I can sit and read into the night, as long as I want, and get lost in a story with a giant scope (giant geography, giant timeline, giant cast of characters...).

How would you have described yourself as a reader in high school? How have your preferences changed as an adult?

I gobbled books in high school, and it felt like every book I read changed my view of the world loudly and profoundly (The Great Gatsby is LOVE! Invisible Man is TRUTH! Pride and Prejudice is EGO! The Awakening is WOMEN! Catch-22 is WAR! The Iliad is ANGER! and so on...). Now, some books still rock me, but their push on my world is slower and less dramatic, although often still profound. But slower — more like glaciers shaping the land than volcanoes and earthquakes. When I was in high school, I never gave up on a book. As I’ve gotten older, I’m more comfortable letting go a hundred pages in and finding something I like better.

What books would we currently find on your nightstand?

Augustus by Anthony Everitt, The Beautiful Ones by Prince, Hell of a Book by Jason Mott, Coaching For Equity by Elena Aguillar.

Are you a “must-finisher?” Or do you put a book down if it’s not hooking you right away?

Not anymore... I give most books between 20 and 100 pages to get me hooked. After that, I’m free to walk away.

If you could read one genre of book for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Too hard to answer!!

If you were to recommend one book to the CSW community, what would it be?

I’m still really excited to dissect and explore The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee, so I want our community to read it so I have lots of different folks with whom I can discuss it and think about how to use it in classes and as a lens for our community.

26 • THE GRYPHON Fall/Winter 2021-22

NAME Jordan Clark GRAD YEAR 2005 PROFESSION CSW History Teacher

Describe your ideal reading experience.

Sitting either in a comfortable chair by a fire and nice view or on a beach.

How would you have described yourself as a reader in high school? How have your preferences changed as an adult?

I read when needed in high school. Now I love reading historical fiction and sci fi for pleasure.

What books would we currently find on your nightstand?

The Last Pow Wow by Ron Querry.

Are you a “must-finisher?” Or do you put a book down if it’s not hooking you right away?

I am ok to walk away from books that don’t catch my interest.

If you could read one genre of book for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Historical Fiction.

If you were to recommend one book to the CSW community, what would it be?

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse.

NAME Linda (Howard) Zonana GRAD YEAR 1954 PROFESSION Retired Clinical Social Worker

Describe your ideal reading experience.

In cold weather, curled up on the couch with a fire crackling. In warm weather, outside on our deck or at the beach in a reasonably comfortable chair.

How would you have described yourself as a reader in high school? How have your preferences changed as an adult?

As a child, I looked to books to feed my fantasies about times long ago: riding horses, having adventures, and solving crimes. As a teen, I wanted books with a main character who felt perplexed about life in the way I did, or books with moral dilemmas like Crime and Punishment or Darkness at Noon. I still prefer novels or memoirs that have personal meaning, but also love reading non-fiction about topics I find deeply interesting.

What books would we currently find on your nightstand?

This Land is Their Land by David Silverman and Empire of the Summer Moon by S.C. Gwynne —both nonfiction about conflicts with Native Americans.

Fiction: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr,

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet, and The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes.

Are you a “must-finisher?” Or do you put a book down if it’s not hooking you right away?

I’m pretty much a must-finisher.

If you could read one genre of book for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I really can’t choose one, so here are two: novels focusing on human emotion and/or ethical dilemmas and nonfiction that enlarges understanding of evolution, prehistory, history, geology, or human behavior.

If you were to recommend one book to the CSW community, what would it be?

One of Ours by Willa Cather. This book won the Pulitzer Prize in 1923, but is not widely read now. With her gift for lyrical language, it gives a vivid sense of rural life in the early 20th century in the first half, and an equally vivid portrayal of World War I in the second half. It is engaging and very moving.

NAME Sarajerome Kominsky GRAD YEAR 1990 PROFESSION Writer and former ethnologist and professional equestrian

Describe your ideal reading experience.

Reading anything that captures my imagination and/or feeds my soul. Could be historical fiction, sci-fi, or horror.

How would you have described yourself as a reader in high school? How have your preferences changed as an adult?

Voracious. It’s a disease that has only gotten worse.

What books would we currently find on your nightstand?

Chesapeake by James A. Michener; Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman by Marjorie Shostak; The Chemist by Stephanie Meyer; At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop; Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens; The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris; The Boy from Baby House 10 by Alan Philps and John Lahutsky; and The Big Wave by Pearl S. Buck.

COMMUNITY READING PROFILES • 27

Are you a “must-finisher?” Or do you put a book down if it’s not hooking you right away?

I usually find something redeeming about every piece I read, but there have been a few over the years, even by well-known authors, that weren’t worth the time.

If you were to recommend one book to the CSW community, what would it be?

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.

If you could read one genre of book for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Historical fiction. I find that reading truth through story is the best way to learn.

NAME Dolores Minakakis GRAD YEAR — PROFESSION CSW English Faculty

Describe your ideal reading experience.

I love to read on the couch with a warm blanket (no matter the weather). Lying down is key, because that way I can take naps happily. Despite my parents’ best effort, I also like to read at the table while eating if I’m alone.

have the Vintage Book of Modern Indian Literature that I’ve started but come back to when I’m between other books. I’m also rereading a mystery novel called Necessary as Blood to read during meals when Rayuela gets too heavy (I like to read more lightly at the table).

How would you have described yourself as a reader in high school? How have your preferences changed as an adult?

In high school, I was a voracious reader, and it was both an escape and a hobby for me. I am the same as an adult, but with less time than I used to have! My preferences have stayed pretty consistent, but I would say that I’m more open to reading more genres from around the world than I was as a teenager.

Are you a “must-finisher?” Or do you put a book down if it’s not hooking you right away?

I am a must-finisher, but I am trying to get better at putting a book down if I’ve gotten far enough that I don’t think it’s gonna grab me. There’s only been a handful of those, though.

What books would we currently find on your nightstand?

Right now, I’m rereading Julio Cortázar’s Rayuela, which will probably take up much of my time. I have a stack of books that I’ve skimmed from the CSW’s “free to take home” pile, such as an anthology of AsianAmerican literature called Charlie Chan is Dead. I also

If you could read one genre of book for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Probably mystery novels. I don’t always think they’re great literature, but I always, always come back to them when I need something quick and engaging.

If you were to recommend one book to the CSW community, what would it be?

Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra!

NAME Alison Safford GRAD YEAR — PROFESSION CSW Visual Arts Faculty

Describe your ideal reading experience.

On the train or curled up on the couch.

Olga Tokarczuk; Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli; The Festival of Insignificance by Milan Kundera.

How would you have described yourself as a reader in high school? How have your preferences changed as an adult?

More voracious then than now, read more theory and non-fiction now.

Are you a “must-finisher?” Or do you put a book down if it’s not hooking you right away?

Put it down, too much to read.

What books would we currently find on your nightstand?

Amsterdam: A Brief Life of the City by Geert Mak; Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth by Buckminster Fuller; Evocative Objects: Things We Think With by Sherry Turkle; Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by

If you could read one genre of book for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Couldn’t do it...but maybe Eastern Euro lit.

If you were to recommend one book to the CSW community, what would it be?

Utopia for Realists by Rutger Bregman.

30 • THE GRYPHON Fall/Winter 2021-22

ALUM SPOTLIGHT Prabda Yoon ’92 is a Thai writer, musician, filmmaker, and visual artist. Born in Thailand, Prabda attended CSW as an international student and went on to study graphic design, painting, and experimental filmmaking at Cooper Union.

ALUM SPOTLIGHT • 31

He is the author of numerous books and story collections, including Kwam Na Ja Pen (Probability, 2000) which earned him the S.E.A. Write Award. He is most known for The Sad Part Was (Tilted Axis Press, 2017) and Moving Parts (Tilted Axis Press, 2018), collections of short stories originally written in Thai and translated to English by Mui Poopoksakul. Both won the PEN Translates! Award. In addition, Prabda has translated a number of well-known English-language works into Thai, including The Catcher in the Rye, A Clockwork Orange, and Lolita. His first feature film, Motel Mist, was selected to premiere and compete for the Hivos Tiger Awards at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2016. His second film, Someone from Nowhere, premiered and competed in the Asian Future section at the 30th Tokyo International Film Festival in 2017.

Prabda is also the showrunner, executive producer and co-writer of Netflix’s Thai series Bangkok Breaking, released in 2021.

Tell us about your experience at The Cambridge School of Weston. What were you like as a student and how has your time here shaped you as an adult?

Coming from Thailand at 15 years old, CSW was literally a new world for me. It was exciting as well as overwhelming.

My English skills were limited, and I struggled academically.

But because of the module system and because of the great support from the teachers, I didn’t feel handicapped the way I used to at previous schools. Everything about CSW felt progressive and different, and I felt that it was the kind of environment in which I belonged. That was hugely meaningful because I’d never felt that way anywhere. So many teachers, dorm parents, and friends opened new windows for me in so many ways. So many artists, musicians, writers, filmmakers who still inspire my works today I discovered at CSW, either through teachers and friends or in the library. It was a tremendous time. I don’t know if it’s the same now, but I’ve always felt that to have gone to CSW was such a unique experience that there was a special bond among students. Of course, schools aren’t everything in a person’s life, but I can say for certain that I started to discover myself at CSW, and the environment there was a big part of it.

As an artist, you have experimented with so many different mediums — literature, film, music, design. How do you decide what you want to do next?

I think most artists begin somewhere specific. In my case, it was literature, even though I was already interested in many other mediums from the start. I think literature feels very personal to readers because when one is reading it feels as if one is in an intimate conversation with the material, and often readers admire writers of the books they like for that reason. I was lucky to have had kind and supportive readers. They were the ones who opened doors to the other mediums for me. Over the years, opportunities presented themselves because of my writings.

I decide what to do next according to my current fascination or hunger for more knowledge, but that doesn’t mean I always get to do what I want to do. It may seem as if I can pick and choose projects, but actually it’s often the other way around. I have been tremendously lucky to have had the opportunities to carry out my experiments in so many ways.

long ago. But I think it’s fair to say that many of the stories in that book made me well-known in Thailand, and to a large extent they formed a particular perception of me and my work in the public eye.

What drives you to create the work that you do?

My stubborn desire to know more, make more, see more, discover new things.

What steps do you take to get into the creative mindset?

If someone is new to your work, where do you suggest they start?

Drink good coffee and be free from daily chores. The coffee part is not that hard but often life interferes.

Probably the short story collection The Sad Part Was. It’s a bit strange for me to suggest that because personally I see a different me in those stories, since they were written so

What are you working on now?

I am working on a couple of film projects and a book.

32 • THE GRYPHON Fall/Winter 2021-22

CLASS NOTES 1950s Murray B. Weil Jr. ’51 wishes to honor and pay tribute to his two outstanding classmates Arthur Sharenow ’51 and Harry Kaplan ’51. Arthur scored the last touchdown ever scored in a CSW football game and was an outstanding baseball pitcher during his college career at Colby College and Brandeis University. After graduating from Harvard Law School, Arthur purchased a summer camp in New Hampshire and with his wife Judy gave valuable assistance to many youngsters and helped shaped to their futures.

His camp was recognized in his field as one of the leading summer camps. Harry Kaplan, deceased, was on the CSW basketball team and though short in height, he was large in heart and playmaking ability, competing against opponents who were much taller than him.

Harry attended Cornell University and NYU Law School, after which he moved to California, where he was well recognized as one of the leading tax attorney specialists.

He left us much too soon and attended the 1999 CSW reunion with Murray and Arthur prior to his passing.

Bob Frigoletto ’54 writes: I’m still living at the lake in Lancaster, MA, where I have now been for 85 of my 85 years.

It used to be a summer cottage but is now a house and has been for the last 22

and have retired from all past positions: veterinarian, bus driver, and professional dancer.

Mary Doll ’58 writes: I am so grateful to the Alumni/ae Office for putting me in touch with Jane Burkhardt ’58, with whom I enjoyed many a day and even a tour of Europe.

1960s George Lloyd ’63’s “STILL LIFE WITH JUG,” oil etc. on paper affixed to hardboard.

Sally Brotman ’63’s hen house

years. I demoted myself from tennis to pickleball and love it.

I still spend six months out of the year in Naples, FL, and can never make it to the reunions but miss everyone

Sally Brotman ’63 with one of the hens she started raising during the COVID-19 lockdown.

and all their updates.

Peter Dumaine ’56 writes: I own and run an animal rescue farm along with a staff of five who help. I am a collector of antiques and horse carriages

Polly Howells ’62 writes: My husband Eric Werthman is a psychotherapist-turnedfilmmaker. He recently made a film, The Drummer, based on some work he did with American Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans who were suffering with from PostTraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It is his second film zand it stars Danny Glover and features some other amazing actors. It is now available digitally — check it out!

Sally Brotman ’63 writes: During the COVID lockdown my husband Carl Brotman '63 built a sturdy hen house and we started raising a flock of six tiny chicks. They arrived by mail when they were a few days old and when they were six months old, they started laying delicious eggs. Since then, we’ve been bartering our surplus eggs for fresh oysters and mussels and whatever folks have to offer. The hens recycle our garden weeds and kitchen scraps into fertilizer and the flock warns us when

CLASS NOTES • 33

the fox, coyote, hawk, or owl visits. It’s been a lot of fun for us as well as our neighbors who enjoy visiting the hens, too — an added bonus!

George Lloyd ’63 writes: For the past two years I have been an artist in residence at Cove Street Arts in Portland, ME. What that boils down to is that I now have an alternative and highly conducive work space that is not my home; it’s a space with a very high ceiling which, for the purposes of painting, is a very good thing to have. Outside of my work, my life is an uneventful one.

Eventually there should be a forthcoming solo exhibit at Cove Street Arts of the paintings and aquarelles that I’ve made in my studio. A note for the more curious: you can follow up on my Instagram page @geolloyd3.

Bob Fogel ’64 writes: After a long break, I recently returned to volunteering at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, which had been closed for well over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In other news, our son Ben got married on Kent Island, MD, to Kristie Frost in October 2020 with over 100 masked and socially distanced family and friends in attendance. Planning and carrying out a wedding during the pandemic was a real challenge but all turned out well.

In November, John Herzan ’66 received the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Connecticut’s 2021 Public Service Award for his work with the New Haven Preservation Trust. John served as the Trust’s Preservation Services Officer for 15 years and continues to serve as a member of the Trust’s advisory board.

John is also a member of the State Historic Preservation Board. Upon his retirement, the Trust established the Herzan Lecture Fund which offers presentations open to the community on the City of New Haven and its historic places and spaces. This award is an acknowledgement of John’s longtime commitment to the

preservation of New Haven’s architectural heritage.

Anna Dibble Newton ’69 writes: In September 2021, Gulf of Maine EcoArts, an Art & Science artists’ collaborative I founded three years ago, hung a large-scale sculpture installation and exhibition at the Bigelow Lab for Ocean Sciences in Boothbay, ME, based on “Changes in biodiversity in the Gulf of Maine due to climate change and other human impact.” In other personal news, three of my recent paintings were part of a special pandemic exhibit at the Portland Museum of Art (February to April 2021).

See my work at www.annadibble.com.

John Herzan ’66 recently received the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Connecticut’s 2021 Public Service Award.

1970s Max MacKenzie ’70 writes: I was fortunate enough to be included in a satellite exhibition of the Architecture Biennale in Venice, sponsored by the European Cultural Center (ECC). My four-color 40” x 40” prints featured one small abandoned building.

Nina Wishengrad ’72 writes: We sold our home in Amherst, MA, after 20 years and moved to Lenox, MA, where we are now renovating a small house in town, doing all of the work ourselves. I’m really getting too old for this, which is reinforced by the knowledge that my class’s 50th reunion is this year.

Chris Lovell ’73 writes: Having retired mid-pandemic, I set about doing lots of things I had on my “when I have time” punch list. Building a pole barn in New Hampshire, boating in Boston Harbor, helping our daughter renovate/recover her new home, and fixing stuff.

Where I have failed is in reconnecting with CSW friends.

Sorry Linda, Stroker, Andy P., Sunni, and others. I hope to remedy in 2022. No time like the present.

John Warrington ’75 writes: I am still growing cocoa in Nicaragua. The country recently

Max Mackenzie ’70’s “EVERTS TOWNSHIP HOMESTEAD, Otter Tail County, Minnesota,” documenting its slow decline over 30 years.

held elections and Daniel Ortega and his wife won a fourth term as president and vice president with over 76% of the vote. You’ve got to admire socialism done correctly. The Democrats, Antifa, and the Squad can only dream of such a day.

Stephen Ouellette ’75 writes: I

am still practicing maritime law in Gloucester, MA, and living in the old Lifesaving Station in Rockport with my wife Karen.

Emma, our older daughter, is an aerospace engineer living in Boulder, CO, working for Ball Aerospace and spending all of her free time with her horse, Tater. Our younger daughter,

34 • THE GRYPHON Fall/Winter 2021-22

Dave Varon ’87 and Darcy Miner Williamson ’86 write to say that they are “two monkeys that STILL love each other.” Photo by Thatcher Hayward.

Allison Lenk ’78 recently enjoyed seeing Steve Russell ’78 and Peter Cornelius ’78.

Steve was in town visiting from the west coast and Peter now lives locally!

Jamey, just finished her M.A. at Northeastern University and received her certification as a behavioral analyst. She is now working with autistic children and living in the North End. I enjoy hearing from my CSW friends, keeping in contact with some directly and many more via Facebook. We spend a lot of time on the water, sailing, whale watching, or officiating sailing races. We are always looking for friends to join us on PUFFIN and sail around Cape Ann or whale watch from our power boat. And no, I haven’t ordered a blue Bronco. Yet. ;) Allison Lenk ’78 writes: In June 2020 I retired after 30+ years working as a literacy specialist, only to be called back for some remote instruction. I am now officially (re)retired and love having more time for tennis, reading, gardening, going to our house in Wellfleet, and seeing

friends. My husband and I just celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary and hope to travel to more exotic locations when this horrible pandemic allows.

I wish everyone health and happiness in the new year!

1980s Chris Devine ’80 writes: As a student at CSW in the late ’70s between more studious classes of Spanish and biology, I enrolled in a creative course called “A Hundred and One Ways to Find Eternity Bounce,” and I have been bouncing ever since. After graduating from CSW in 1980, while two of my classmates went to Harvard and Yale, I went to a small island in the Caribbean, and for me, that made all the difference. I then spent a good deal of time exploring Brazil, teaching myself

to be fluent in Portuguese, and traveling all over the dusty backroads and small towns. I once lived in the posh neighborhood of Morumbi, Sao Paulo, and in 1989 spent time deep in the Amazon basin. I lived briefly with a remote tribe of Yanomami who had never seen red hair like mine and had very little concept of the world beyond their forest. By 1998, I was in Europe living in an apartment in Venice, Italy, while working on a special project for the Disney corporation. One of several projects that I have been involved in with them. I’ve walked in the Kalahari in Botswana with Bushmen of the Saan tribe, whose language involves tongue clicks, and three years in a row I went to Borneo to work with Dr. Birute Galdikas, sister scientist to Jane Goodall and the late Dianne Fossey. Dr. Galdikas has been researching Orangutans for 50 years and while working with her I lived among the Dayak tribe, the famed Headhunters of Borneo, as I assisted Dr. Galdikas in her mission to rehabilitate over 300 orphan orangutans in her care.

In 2011 when the IMAX film Born to be Wild, which features the work of Dr. Galdikas, premiered at the New England Aquarium, I was tasked with delivering the opening presentation on her years of research and conservation efforts. While traveling in Central America a number of years ago exploring vast cave systems and remote Mayan archeological sites, I ended up becoming co-owner of a small gelato business in Belize, a nation I continue to visit regularly. For more than a quarter-century, I have been working with one of the top scenic studios in the U.S., and for much of that time helped to create interactive museum exhibits. Examples of my work have appeared all across the nation from the Harvard Peabody Museum of Natural History in Cambridge, to MokuPapapa in Hilo, Hawaii, as well as in visitor centers in several National Parks. You can even find my work in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

I’ve worked for four U.S. Presidents (not the orange one) and was on the 50-yard sideline working for CBS at Super Bowl 50 in San Francisco.

In addition to museum projects, my work appears regularly on television as I have helped to create several major network studios over the years. I closed out 2018 in Colombo by installing Sri Lanka’s very first modern, state-of-the-art news studio for Ada Derana, which launched to rave reviews and forever transformed the landscape for news delivery in the small South Asian nation.

By the following spring, I was living in Beijing, working on two distinct news studios for China Central Television and teaching exhibit fabricators in Tangshan modern manufacturing techniques so they could upgrade their scenic arts capabilities. Later that fall I was living in Dubai, building four studios for Asharq News that subsequently received international awards for their forward-looking design. I currently have a couple of ongoing projects in Cairo and London, and while I have thoroughly enjoyed my career and traveling around on five continents, next spring I will leave it all behind and retire to a tropical Pacific archipelago. In my time at CSW, I learned the true value of creative thinking and was certainly inspired to find a spring in my step. The “Eternity Bounce” has done well by me, and I encourage everyone to embrace the possibilities of the unknown while engaging in Truth and Gentle Deeds.

Dashka Slater ’81 writes: The pandemic may not be fully over but I am back on the road visiting schools and universities to talk about my work. It’s amazing to be in the same room with students again after nearly two years of being on Zoom! Next year things will really heat up as I have two new books out: The Book of Stolen Time, the sequel to my middle-grade fantasy The Book of Fatal Errors, and Love,

CLASS NOTES • 35

Escargot, the third book in the Escargot series. I’m excited to take some pleasure trips as well — heading to Iceland over the winter holiday and I’ll be in Boston in May for my son’s graduation from Northeastern (if the timing aligns I might even make it to the CSW reunion). Hope everyone is well and has survived the pandemic with health and sanity intact!

Jessica Schickel ’85 writes: I’m back in college to finish my B.A. in English. I zigged and zagged my way to a career in fashion with an associate degree and never finished what I started at UMass 10,000 years ago. I am, by far, the oldest person in any of my classes, including my teachers. I’m enjoying being in an academic environment again and being surrounded by people my kids’ age. It’s funny sharing school stories with my son, who is a senior in high school, and my daughter who is a freshman at Miami of Ohio.

They are both able to help me with my math homework.

Suzanne M. Rivera ’87’s presidential inauguration ceremony (delayed by one year due to COVID) was held at Macalester College on October 9, 2021. Governor Tim Walz proclaimed it “Suzanne M. Rivera Day” in Minnesota.

Amanda Doss ’88 writes: I spent the first half of the COVID-19 lockdown getting certified as a life coach. I am focusing on helping parents find their confidence, selfesteem, and purpose outside of parenthood and careers that may not be inspiring anymore. I have never been happier and more motivated since I have started coaching. It is truly a new calling for this next stage of my life. Please visit my site at www.sanitylifecoaching.com.

Kat Kavanagh ’88 writes: I am still living in New York City with my college sweetheart and my two children, one who is in college and the other in high school. During the lockdown in NYC, I finished a four-part musical podcast, “The Life of

Mary Rogers: An Incredible, Plausible, Entirely Made-Up, True Story from 1841,” which I’m now re-writing for the stage.

Working on a creative endeavor with incredible collaborators helped bring light to some dark days. Visiting with Russell Pachman ’86 and Erik Rosengren ’86 also brought much joy to my year. Ellen Voll Atkins ’88 and Katie Willis ’88 still help keep me grounded.

I’m grateful for the academic and life lessons I learned at CSW and all the people who continue to inspire me.

Jono Kornfeld ’88 is a music teacher living and working in San Francisco. He is on the faculty at San Francisco State University and San Francisco Community Music Center. He also has a funk/jazz band called Hop Sauce with fellow CSW alum Christopher Gamper ’88.

The two used to play together at CSW Rock Concerts and Senior Parties and now their band performs regularly around the San Francisco Bay Area.

Jono and Chris keep the spirit of “jamming” quite alive! Jono lives with his wife Miranda, his eight-year-old son Jacob, his two cats, Primo & Secondo, and Frankie the scruffy mutt.

Check out Hop Sauce: http://hopsauceband.com.

David Levavi ’89 writes: I was recently chosen to serve as a doctoral community advisory board student representative at Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health, where I am a doctoral student in their public health policy program. I am still working (remotely) in the healthcare industry as a senior regulatory compliance analyst and I am also an active member of American Mensa and the American Public Health Association. My wife and I are enjoying our new home in the Pacific Northwest and I encourage you to visit my website! about.me/davidlevavi

Christopher Gamper ’88 and Jono Kornfield ’88, members of the funk/jazz band Hop Sauce.

David Valdini ’02 with his wife, Dr. Shannon McGregor, at their wedding in April 2021.

1990s

2000s

Constant Southworth ’90 writes: In November 2021, I attended my class of 2020 commencement ceremony on campus after having completed my B.A. the year before. I’ve begun reading the Greek classics and am making the move in early 2022 to my own place. I’ve continued jogging and running since picking it up in 1989 at CSW. I didn’t foresee my life turning out this way when I was a student. I now have different goals that include sobriety, self-education, physical exercise, and love or something like it.

Gordon Hall ’01 (formerly Rebecca Gordon) was recently appointed assistant professor of sculpture in the Art Department at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY. www. vassar.edu/faculty/gordonhall.

Conor Thompson ’01 writes: My wife Cally gave birth to our first-born daughter, Mars Georgia Thompson, on September 6, 2021 at 3:11 p.m.

She’s growing so quickly — making more funny noises, laughing at our jokes, and giving lots of good baby snuggles. I am grateful for a group of friends, also CSW alum dads, who have baby

36 • THE GRYPHON Fall/Winter 2021-22

daughters right now.

David Valdini ’02 writes: I married Dr. Shannon McGregor April 8, 2021, in a perfectly teeny and beautiful ceremony in a park in Durham, NC. We are planning a large dance-y party when it’s safe to be around all the people we love, but we just couldn’t wait to be married. I’m in daily touch with Max Frevert ’00, Dave Fera ’00, Ben Fenton ’00, Robin Plimpton-Magee ’00, and Omar Nunez ’00. If there are any early aughts alumni/ae in the Triangle, reach out!

Annie Bickerton ’04 writes: I’m pleased to share that I was married this October a fter a pandemic-related postponement to my partner Erik Anderson. We celebrated the occasion in Calabasas, CA, with family and friends. It was especially excellent to enjoy a mini reunion with Betsy Cohen ’04, Vanessa Conlon ’06, and my twin Lucy Bickerton ’04! In other news, I’m proud to have recently co-led an effort to unionize my workplace. We are a local of AFSCME Council 57. I’d be glad to connect with any students or alumni/ae interested in the labor movement! On a related note, I still remember

my “Industrial Revolution” course at CSW where we discussed mill workers and women in Lowell organizing.

Claudia Kilbourne Lux ’05 recently signed a two-book deal with Berkley, a division of Penguin/Random House.

Berkley preempted the world rights to Claudia’s debut novel Sign Here, a tale about a guy working in hell (literally), who, in order to land a promotion, must convince a member of a wealthy family to sell their soul.

Sign Here is set to be released in fall 2022! Claudia’s late father, Thomas Lux, was a poet, and her mother, Jean Kilbourne, a former CSW trustee, is a feminist activist, author, filmmaker, and National Women’s Hall of Fame inductee who has had the pleasure of lecturing at CSW several times.

For Anna Brody ’07, 2020 was a slow year, so in 2021 she went into overdrive. In May she moved, permanently, into a new home in Cambridge, MA. In July she gave birth to a baby girl, Eva Ray, and in October got married to her partner of eight years, Duncan Meyst. It was fun having many CSW faces join what felt like a fairytale

wedding: Mary Gordanier ’07, Nina Thompson ’07, Aryn Murphy ’07, Chad Green ’07, Anneke Reich ’09, Max Kennedy ’07, and Sunny McCallum ’09.

Molly Weinberg ’07 writes: Hello, CSW Family! I have so many new updates! After receiving my M.A. in clinical mental health counseling with a specialization in drama therapy at Lesley University, I moved to rural Vermont for a year to work as an expressive therapist at a hospital — the latter part of which was during the height of the pandemic! I worked in the outpatient setting, and it was eye opening and an incredible opportunity to work as a therapist for clients of all ages. This past summer my partner and I moved to St. Louis, MO, (my partner is switching careers to medicine!) and I got a job as the regional expressive therapist at an eating disorder center called Alsana. If you are in the Midwest feel free to reach out to me! I lead groups using drama therapy, music, movement, visual art, and creative writing at different levels of client care. I am enjoying the flexibility and artistic environment this job

offers. One more very exciting update is I now have a new member of my family — a one-year-old Bernese Mountain dog named Magnolia, aka Maggie, named after the Grateful Dead song “Sugar Magnolia.” Sending love and well wishes and, most importantly, good health to everyone in our community!

Julia Glassman ’09 writes: I recently got engaged to my boyfriend Dan and we’re so excited to be planning our wedding for next fall! In career news, this summer I wrapped up my work as a PostProduction Animator on Season 5 of the television series Rick and Morty, and I have since started a new job as a storyboard artist on a brand new adult animated series for AppleTV+.

Naomi Westwater Weekes ’09 is a multimedia artist who combines music and music production with creative writing, visual art, and spirituality. Naomi has an M.A. in music from Berklee College of Music where they were nominated for a 2021 Boston Music Award for best singersongwriter. Through the pandemic, Naomi launched a songwriting and spirituality retreat and created a course called “Harry Potter & Wizard Supremacy: Understanding Supremacy in The Wizarding World and In Ourselves.”

Naomi lives in Brockton, MA with her husband.

2010s

Mac Holmes ’11 and Meg Norton ’10 got married on Martha’s Vineyard in August 2021 with fellow alums Peter Gui ’11, Adam Maxwell ’11, Sarah Evello ’10, Peter LaFreniere ’12, Jackie Holmes ’14, Sean McGowan ’11, and Stefan Kaiter-Snyder ’11 in attendance.

Andrius Alvarez-Backus ’18 is a contributor on the book, Beyond Diversity: 12 NonObvious Ways To Build A More Inclusive World, co-authored by Jennifer Brown and Rohit Bhargava. Beyond Diversity compiles the rich insights shared in that space into one volume organized into twelve themes including storytelling, technology, identity, education, and more.

CLASS NOTES • 37

On August 21, 2021 Meg Norton ’10 and Mac Holmes ’11 were married on Martha’s Vineyard surrounded by family and friends, many of whom are also CSW alums! In attendance were Jackie Holmes ’14 (the groom’s sister), Sarah and Cooper Evello ’10, Sean McGowan ’11,

Stefan Kaiter-Snyder ’11, Chelsea Brandwein-Fryer ’10, James Reynolds ’11, Peter Gui ’11, Peter LaFreniere ’12, and Adam Maxwell ’11. It was a joyful occasion for all!

Olivia Buntaine ’11 writes: An essay of mine on intimacy direction and highlighting the

Stephanie (Emmet) Mighty ’10 celebrated her wedding with fellow Gryphons Leah Shorser-Gentile ’10, Abby Steward ’10, Alec Silver ’10, Kayla Kleinman ’10, Kat Williams ’10, Bayla Shepley ’10, Ilana Mittleman ’10, and her aunt Allison Lenk ’78.

Alisa Amador ’14’s critically acclaimed debut mini-album, Narratives.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Everyone is invited to submit news to the Alumni/ae Office. Please email news and photos to alum@csw.org.

voices of survivors in classical theatre (Shakespeare) was published in Playing Shakespeare’s Rebels and Tyrants (the fourth volume of the Peter Lang series). www.peterlang.com/ document/1062367 In September, Alisa Amador ’14 released Narratives, her critically acclaimed debut mini-album. This six-song snapshot in time is a deep look at a person stumbling through life in two languages — English and Spanish — and in many states of mind about it all. “The word ‘narratives’ encompasses not only the existing cultural messages that hurt people individually and collectively,” Alisa says, “but also the revolutionary power of writing ourselves new narratives; rejecting a culture of fear; and catalyzing a culture of honesty, bravery, and self-love in the process.” When listening to Alisa’s music, her time spent immersed in Latin folk and jazz is undoubtedly present in her own songs but there is also pop, funk, soul, and something uniquely her own. Her specialty is sparking connections across both listeners and musical styles — inspired by her time at CSW. Stream the album on your platform of choice, or purchase it on alisaamador.com!

Madi Vespa Williams ’17 is currently in their fifth year at Northeastern University where they major in theatre with minors in communication studies, women's gender & sexuality studies, and musical theatre. Madi is currently playing Callie in New Renaissance Theatre Company’s production of Stop Kiss by Diana Son and was recently part of a virtual staged reading of Lithosphere Heart by Tatiana Isabel Gil

with Teatro Chelsea. They are currently participating in Northeastern’s Cooperative Education program and are on co-op at ONCE Somerville as a Marketing and Production Intern and the Booker for the ONCE Virtual Venue. In November, they performed on the ONCE Virtual Venue. Madi will be graduating from Northeastern in Spring 2022 and plans to pursue a career in music.

Ben Kahan ’17 writes: Kaylee Law ’19 and I self-published a coloring book titled Chaos Coloring. The book contains 20 pages inspired by geometry.

We published via Lulu and are distributing to major retailers in the near future!

2020s Ella Harrington ’21 writes: I am excited to be a student at Oberlin College with a future filled with music, community, traveling, and meaningful learning!

Ching-Shen “Edison” Kao ’21 writes: Chapter 1 ends, Chapter 2 here we go.

Oren Klopfer ’21 writes: I recently moved out to Amherst where I will be studying political science at Hampshire College.

Good luck to the rest of CSW ’21!

IN MEMORIAM Charles Chamberlain Adam Spiegel ’57 Sally Norton Bates ’60 Stephen Wiesner ’60 Chester Lane ’65 Christopher Roof ’70 Roger Selverstone ’80

38 • THE GRYPHON Fall/Winter 2021-22

WHAT A DIFFERENCE

The energy and creativity that fills our campus is palpable. With the guidance of our incredible faculty, CSW students are thinking beyond the here and now, preparing to be the thought leaders and change makers our world needs. Through relevant, responsive, and highly interdisciplinary coursework, they discover the power of their own voices and learn when and how to amplify those of others.

Your support makes all of this possible. The CSW Fund ensures that today’s students and teachers are equipped with the resources needed to enhance the transformational CSW experience. Your support of The CSW Fund provides for the here and now while also allowing CSW to think beyond to ensure the delivery of a dynamic, progressive education for years to come. You can help us meet our goal to raise $950,000 in the 2021-2022 school year.

WE ARE GR ATEFUL FOR YOUR PARTNERSHIP.

SAVE THE DATE

Join us on April 6, 2022 for the CSW Day of Giving, a 24-hour celebratory fundraising event! Every gift of every size makes a difference.

CLASSMY NOTES FIVE • 39

My Five

BY RACHEL AMSTER ’22

RYAN JACOBS History Teacher

MAX COHN ’22 Student

TRACY DOMITRZ School Counselor

QAI HINDS ’23 Student

DESCRIBE A MEMORABLE MOMENT FROM YOUR TIME AT CSW:

My first and every subsequent graduation because it was there that I learned that every year I would lose pieces of me when members of our community move on to other communities.

Graduation reminds me to appreciate who and what I have here because I stay but the students don’t.

The time my friends forced me to join the basketball team. I had never played a sport in my life, and was endlessly embarrassed by the thought of playing on a team surrounded by people judging me for being very out of shape and very unskilled. But it’s ended up being an incredible experience.

National Coming Out Day when they put the chalk out and everybody was doing LGBTQUIA artwork on the path around the quad. It was such a happy and supportive environment.

I haven’t really been a part of a community like that before.

My very first USC meeting. Walking into that room full of people of color was so fulfilling for me.

IF YOU COULD HAVE DINNER WITH ONE PERSON, DEAD OR ALIVE, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY?

The invisible man, because I get nervous eating in front of people.

Joey Diaz. I find him to be a beautiful human being and an absolutely hilarious comic and storyteller. I also think that he embodies the notion that you are not defined by your past.

My dad, because he passed away when I was younger and I would love to ask him if he thinks the Lions are going to win the Super Bowl.

My late greatgrandmother. As I have gotten older and more interested in our culture and where I come from, I now have all of these questions for her and she has passed.

3

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO END THE DAY?

Hand-in-hand with my eight-year-old daughter, Darwin.

Take a steaming hot shower, put on a sweatshirt and sweatpants and just chill. Then, before I go to bed, I reflect on the day.

With double-stuffed Oreos and milk and a crossword puzzle.

Going to sleep. I love laying in bed and relaxing with nothing to do.

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WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DESSERT?

Mango and sticky rice. It’s particularly a Thai dessert.

My favorite dessert to order at a restaurant is always a Crème Brûlée.

A black and white cookie from Lyndell’s bakery.

My favorite dessert is anything cakey or from the bakery.

WHAT ANIMAL OR MYTHICAL CREATURE DO YOU WISH EXISTED?

Falkor the Luck Dragon from The Neverending Story and Puff the Magic Dragon.

I really can’t understand why in 2021 we still don’t have crazy bioengineers trying to genetically invent centaurs. I think somebody really has to get on that.

I wish that Remi from Ratatouille was alive and my pet/personal chef/best friend.

If I was asked this like six or more years ago I would have said mermaids, but they aren’t actually good creatures. So I would love to see a real Phoenix, the fiery bright bird.

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40 • Chen THE GRYPHON Fall/Winter 2021-22 Milly ’23 enjoys a special Lunar New Year dinner in the dining hall.

Photo credit: Tetsuya Tanaka ’24

REUNION 2022 April 29 – May 1, 2022 Every year we come together to celebrate all alumni/ae and this year we are excited to welcome our CSW alumni/ae BACK TO CAMPUS! This spring, from April 29 to May 2, we will take the time to also honor those alumni/ae who are celebrating a milestone year. In 2022, this includes the classes of 1947, 1952, 1957, 1962, 1967, 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2007, 2012 and 2017! We will provide regular updates on programming as Reunion approaches so please be sure to check in periodically. If you are interested in volunteering to help shape reunion weekend or have any questions then please contact the CSW Alumni/ae Office directly at alumni@csw.org.

CSW will continue to monitor public health conditions and share risk-mitigation strategies as Reunion 2022 approaches. We will require all participants to complete a health screening form prior to attending the Reunion.

NonProfit Org. U.S. Postage Paid N. Reading, MA Permit #211

45 Georgian Road Weston, Massachusetts 02493

Address service requested

The Kluchman by Liya Serikova ’24