SPRING/SUMMER 2022 PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE: SUSTAINABILITY AT CSW
BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2021–22 Allie Altman P’12 Treasurer; Chair, Finance Committee James Bonsey Lise Charlier Head of School Howard Cooper P’15, ’20 Neta Crawford P’18 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 Dan Wolf ’65 Vivien Wu P’23 Alana Zola ’09 THE GRYPHON, SPRING/SUMMER 2022 Lise Charlier Head of School Emma Fedor Director of Marketing and Communications Jen Raxter Chief Development Officer Jeanette Origel Assistant Director of Communications Emmanuelle Charlier Assistant Director for Alumni and Parent Engagement CONTRIBUTORS Russ Campbell (P’19) Photography Jared Charney Photography Lori L. Ferguson DESIGN Thegokorodesign.comCambridgeSchool 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 CONTACT Towww.csw.orgcontactthe editor, please send us an email at gryphon@csw.org. Cover: The sun peeks out behind a birch tree on CSW’s quad. Photo from the CSW archives.
Spring/Summer 2022 GryphonTHE 2 Leading Thoughts 4 On the Quad 12 Announcing this Year’s Alorie Parkhill Learning and Travel Fund Recipients 13 U.S. Environmental History 14 Faculty/Staff Retirements 16 Past, Present, and Future: Sustainability at CSW 22 Community Engagement (CE) Groups Partner with Local Organizations 24 Then & Now 26 Reunion 2022 28 Alumni Connections 30 Graduation 2022 36 Class Notes 43 My Five Green Campus by Coco Wu ’23
2 • THE GRYPHON Spring/Summer 2022
LEADING THOUGHTS
We at CSW may not be able to halt the global effects of climate change on our own, but we can do our part by educating and equipping our students with knowledge and understanding and by reexamining our school’s practices and infrastructure to make sure we are doing our part. In this issue’s feature story: Sustainability at CSW: Past, Present, and Future (p. 16), we are proud to share just a few of the steps CSW has taken, and will continue to take, in our ambition to promote environmental sustainability and lower our carbon footprint. We also share the stories of some of the people who have been involved in these efforts and who have found inspiration and pleasure from this work.
I share this story to illustrate the idea that sometimes, the challenges of our world — like climate change — can leave us feeling overwhelmed and defeated. But if we choose instead to focus on our personal circles of influence, it can energize us with a greater sense of purpose. Nature, in particular, also has the power to heal, soothe, and evoke joy.
One day, Levy set a goal to transform a dry, desolate plot of land near the local hospital where I was born. While the area had once been covered in lush forest, due to deforestation, it sat barren and desolate for many years. It was a big project, but he was up for the challenge. First, he removed some of the boulders and brought in natural fertilizer, compost, and topsoil. Next, he brought old tires and filled them with compost and topsoil, keeping the soil concentrated while still allowing plants to spread their roots deep into the ground. Slowly, in stages, the area was brought back to life, with Levy working section by section. Trees, and bushes, and eventually, beautiful flowers began to sprout.
Dear Community,
Today, almost 25 years later, the land is thriving with lush growth, and local students have been taking advantage of the space by coming to learn about native plants and to enjoy the local butterflies, the coolness of the underbrush, and, of course, the cacao trees.
Lise Charlier, Head of School
At this year’s graduation ceremony, I told the story of Levy, a local gardener I knew when I was growing up in Haiti. I hope you will indulge me in sharing an abbreviated version of that story here, as I find it to be relevant to the content of this issue.
I know, too, that we have countless alumni who have dedicated their lives to environmental sustainability efforts beyond CSW, and I look forward to hearing more of your stories and sharing them with the greater community. We are so proud of the incredible work that you do. While this is just the beginning of what I hope is a long-term, ongoing effort, I am heartened to know that just like Levy with his garden, every step we make is a positive step forward. Because, to quote my address to students, when you focus on your area(s) of influence, you never know what seeds you will plant, and how that helping hand and work will impact others.
Sincerely,
Artwork on the quad from the Sculpture”“Environmentalcourse.
ON THE QUAD
Volver a Panama!
4 • THE GRYPHON Spring/Summer 2022
Photo by Mina Cho
'23
For the first time since Spring 2019, CSW students were able to study overseas as part of a Mod Abroad. Students and faculty from the “Neotropics of Latin America” course traveled to Panama to practice Spanish, immerse themselves into the local culture, and conduct field research in tropical ecosystems.
In May, CSW’s Jazz Ensemble performed at the UU Urban Ministry in Roxbury. This was the first time the Jazz Ensemble was taken on the road! They featured traditional jazz tunes by Duke Ellington, Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong and others. Former CSW Music Chair, Marshall Hughes was the special guest, joining them for some tunes.
ON THE QUAD • 5
Roxbury Jazz
Rita Goldberg, author of Motherland: Growing Up with the Holocaust (The New Press, 2015)
CSW was honored to welcome an amazing array of assembly speakers this spring.
MLK Day
Rita Goldberg
Congratulations to the Girls Varsity Basketball team, who took home the IGC D-II Championship this year after a hard-fought, overtime final against Boston Trinity Academy. The Gryphons tied things up late in the game with some big free throws then quickly took the lead and didn’t look back.
Deia Schlosberg, documentary filmmaker and producer; director of The Story of Plastic (Outcast Films, 2019).
Basketball Champs
Grace Talusan
Dr. Nyle Fort, minister, activist, scholar, and postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University.
CSW students involved in the Zora Foundation, a student group focused on art and activism led by Fiona Huang ’23, and leaders from the school’s Sustainability Committee partnered with students at Weston High School to produce Anthropocene, an art and environmental justice exhibition at the Weston Art and Innovation Center in April.
Dr. Nyle Fort
Grace Talusan, author of the memoir, The Body Papers (Restless Books, 2019)
6 • THE GRYPHON Spring/Summer 2022
Special Guests
Earth Day
Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Anthropocene
Deia Schlosberg
Jewish Heritage Month
Rock/Pop
ON THE QUAD • 7
Student performers in the 2022 Rock/Pop concert (which, due to rising COVID cases, had to be pre-recorded and viewed via Zoom watch party), paid tribute to three amazing performers: Nina Simone, Tina Turner, and Aretha Franklin.
Eirwen Kamphorst ’23
Oliver Rabinov ’22
Honorable Mentions
Haiqi Li ’22 (x2)
Coco Wu ’23 (x4)
Lucia Yu ’24 4
321
65
Noa Narisawa ’22
Maya Rabin ’22
Haiqi Li ’22 Oliver Rabinov ’22
8 • THE GRYPHON Spring/Summer 2022
Ziyao Cui ’22 (x2)
Scholastic Art Awards
Alice Wang ’23
Liya Serikova ’24
Ziyao Cui ’22
Silver Key Awards
Wren Rearden ’22 Coco Wu ’23 (x3)
1. Horse’s Mouth by Oliver Rabinov ’22 (Honorable Mention);
3. Expecting by Richard Cui ’22 (Silver Key); 4. Landslip by Tallulah Stallvik ’24 (Gold Key); 5. The Play Ground by Amber Peng ’24 (Gold Key); 6. Versatile by Coco Wu ’23 (Silver Key)
2. Ambivalent Unknowing by Eirwen Kamphorst ’23 (Gold Key);
Lu Beard ’22
Stella Wang ’25
Gold Key Awards
Naomi Fuhrer ’23
Tallulah Stallvik ’24 Coco Wu ’23 (x2)
Yuetu Peng ’25
Tetsuya Tanaka ’24
Milly Chen ’23
Catherine Qin ’24
Emily Li ’23
A total of 8 Gold Key awards, 9 Silver Key awards, and 19 Honorable Mentions were presented to CSW students across 8 different categories, making for a total of 36 awards. Gold Key winners went on to be considered for national awards.
Sophie Hall ’25
Yuetu Peng ’25
Mama Mia!
ON THE QUAD • 9
Decolonizing History and Society
To read more about the speakers and view recordings from the event, please visit the Social Justice Day landing page at www.csw.org/social-justice-day
“I took a West African dance class because I had space in my schedule and it made me realize that the dance major at American is heavily research based and not just performance based. We use dance as a research method and tool which combines my scholarly work and the things I wanted to do, with all of my creative interests,” he says.
Last spring, Malik Gomes Cruz ’19 returned to CSW to teach Sente Dance to Nailah Randall-Bellinger’s “West African Dance” class. Malik is currently attending American University majoring in African Diaspora Studies and Dance. He never intended to major in dance when he graduated, but learning how similar the dance program at American University was to CSW and how rich the DC dance community is, he felt compelled to give it a try.
The topic for this year’s annual Michael H. Feldman ’67 Social Justice Day event was “Decolonizing History and Society.” The featured speakers were three indigenous-identifying researchers: Danielle Lucero, a Ph.D. candidate in the Justice and Social Inquiry program in the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University; Cecilia Marek, a Gender Studies Ph.D. student and teaching assistant at Arizona State University; and Nicholet Deschine Parkhurst, a Ph.D. student in the Justice and Social Inquiry program in the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University.
In the days leading up to the event, CSW’s library, led by Jenna Wolf, CSW’s Director of Library and Technology Integration, hosted an online exhibit demonstrating the decolonization of space and collections. Jenna, who is a citizen of Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma, also paired up with History Teacher Jordan Clark ’05, a citizen of the Wampanoag tribe of Aquinnah, to make an introductory video for the community to set context for the day and introduce students to important concepts related to the speakers’ prepared talks. After the event, students broke out into advisory groups to discuss the day.
Back for African Dance
After numerous delays due to the pandemic, the Theatre Department was able to put on a rousing performance of the musical Mama Mia! in June.
10 • THE GRYPHON Spring/Summer 2022
Dance Concert performers returned to the stage in front of a live audience this winter, with a moving collection of student and faculty choreographed pieces under the title, Cerebration
ON THE QUAD • 11
Cerebration
ANNOUNCING THIS YEAR’S ALORIE PARKHILL LEARNING AND TRAVEL FUND RECIPIENTS
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ANJALI BHATIA
Anne Rearick will travel to Chile to “explore Chilean cinema, both narrative and documentary, with a special focus on the films of the Nuevo Cine movement that began in the 1960s and continued through the Pinochet regime by exiled filmmakers like Sergio Larraín, Miguel Littín, and Patricio Guzmán.” Upon her return to CSW, Anne hopes to take what she has learned to offer an “Exploring World Cinema” course, in addition to a “Documentary Filmmaking” class.
JERYL PILAPIL
CSW is pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s Alorie Parkhill Learning and Travel Fund for Teachers. Given that the pandemic prevented the awarding of a grant in 2021, we are excited to share that there are three grantees this year. They are: History Department Chair Anjali Bhatia; Dance Teacher Jeryl Pilapil; and Visual Arts Teacher Anne Rearick
Jeryl Pilapil will travel to the UK to deepen her knowledge of the benefits and relevance of contemporary Hip Hop dance, specifically as it has transitioned overseas from America. During her travels she will engage with mentor Julia Cheng, a Chinese dancer/choreographer and director of the London-based dance company, House of Absolute. In addition to studying with Julia, Jeryl plans to immerse herself in the commercial and street dance culture of London, and attend Jasmin Vardimom’s worldrenowned “JVIntensive” workshop in Ashford, Kent.
Established in 2017 by Rebecca Parkhill ’85, P’17 and Robert Willett P’17 (parents of Oliver Willett ’17 ), the Alorie Parkhill Learning and Travel Fund for Teachers was created to honor former faculty member
and Assistant Head of School Alorie Parkhill. Grants from the generous $1 million fund may be used for travel, study, and any form of learning and exposure that follows the recipients’ scholarly interests, with a goal of allowing recipients to grow in their knowledge and background in disciplines and subject areas that excite and engage them, before bringing their learning back to students, alumni, and fellow CSW faculty members. This unprecedented gift affords faculty with the opportunity to “dream big,” designing rich, meaningful educational travel opportunities that transform both the recipients and their students in vast and enduring ways.
ANNE REARICK
Over the summer, Anjali Bhatia will study the cultures and histories of East and Southeast Asia, with the goal of expanding the diversity of courses offered by CSW’s history department. In her proposal, Anjai shared two specific goals: to establish and explore a theme relevant to one or more countries or regions of East and South-East Asia; and to engage in a comparative study of South/East Asia and Western civilizations. To do this work, she will travel to Leiden (The Netherlands) and Heidelberg (Germany) to conduct research at libraries and institutions known to be “the foremost repositories of East Asian and South-East Asian literature outside of the regions themselves.”
Environmentalism is much more than what catches the eye — the protection of trees, rivers, and rocks. Environmentalism affects our government policies and everyday decisions, whether we realize it or not. For example, due to a mistake made by early map makers, the Americas were seen as a magical land. Settlers did not realize the span of the North American east coast, and when they could not find each other, they assumed that the land was magical. This mistake has caused a lasting misconception of indigenous cultures and is an example of how much our current world has been impacted, and is still being shifted by, environmental history.
In CSW’s “U.S. Environmental History” course, students explore the history of New England geography and how humans have affected and been affected by the environment. Like most CSW history courses, “U.S. Environmental History” is largely discussion-based, with meaningful, thoughtprovoking classroom conversation. Through reading and classwork, students explore questions such as: “How has an understanding of nature and space shaped and defined race, economic goals, beliefs
The “U.S. Environmental History” class was created and taught in 2005 by History Teacher Brian Hamilton, who would later leave to pursue a Ph.D. in environmental history and pass the course to current dean of faculty Rachel Hirsch, who has been teaching this course for 15 years. According to Rachel, the course still maintains a lot of the original course material developed by Brian. However, it has been tweaked to match Rachel’s unique teaching style, which she says involves a lot of questioning.
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY
COURSE
“I do not want people to think that power comes from naming a solution. The power comes from asking such good questions that the solution becomes evident through exploring questions,” Rachel says. In the final weeks of the course, students are tasked with developing eight to ten questions about the environmental history of a specific place. Although seemingly simplistic, the development of these questions requires a high level of knowledge of the specific history of a
In another project, students reconsider a current event through the lens of environmental history and write a resource guide. This project’s past and present topics have included the recent murders in Buffalo, NY, the ongoing Flint, MI water crisis, the removal of confederate monuments, and the humanitarian crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. This project allows students to utilize their research, writing, and art skills to put together a sophisticated resource guide.
Ultimately, the hope is that students who take “U.S. Environmental History” will develop a deeper understanding of environmental history and embark upon a more in-depth exploration of environmental science, or rather — “a more truthful understanding of the past in which we consider the space in which events take place not as a background but as an active player in the narrative.”
By Matt Yang ’23
about societal structures like government, and education? And how do nature and space weave back into these concepts?”
FEATURE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY • 13
topic and an overall understanding of environmental history. Can humans create nature? Can humans replace the nature we have destroyed? Are there places no humans should be allowed to visit? These are but a few of the questions students have explored.
Karen CELEBRATINGMarilynCELEBRATINGChiasson26YEARSDelDonno38YEARS
academic dean, assistant headmaster, and director of studies), showed her what was known simply as the “Big Board,” a large visual outline of all the classes available at CSW. Steve and Julia were hoping Marilyn could teach “History of Science” with Trumbull Smith, a history teacher Marilyn also very quickly connected with, and the off-campus “Marine Bio” course, which took place on Cape Cod at the time. She was in. “After I met with the students, I didn’t hesitate for a second,” Marilyn says. “I knew it was where I needed to be.”
“Karen is a giver to everyone,” says Lisa Oslowski, CSW’s data systems manager, and a longtime friend and colleague of Karen’s. “Whether it’s her friends, family, or colleagues she does so much for the people and places she cares about.”
Karen brought this love and dedication with her when she came to CSW.
Back then, the science classrooms were housed in what is now the Language Building, along with three more classrooms in a now-demolished space on the hill. Marilyn remembers what she describes as “rabbit warren” in the back. The space was tiny, with mice, dirt floors, and no bathroom, but she didn’t care one bit. Thanks in large part to Marilyn, that building has since been replaced with the incredible, award-winning, highly energy efficient Garthwaite Center for Science and Art, the installation of which remains one of Marilyn’s proudest accomplishments from her time at CSW.
Marilyn has taught pretty much every class there is to teach in the Science Department (except Botany!), and has served the school in many different capacities. She used to help run the school’s “Law Day,” (now the Michael H. Feldman ’67 Social Justice Day), and has served on countless faculty committees, and even taught D Blocks like “Bowling” and “Folk Dancing.” She has also always been passionately involved in school efforts to spread awareness of climate change and promote sustainable living in the community. But despite regular pleas from the administration, there were two jobs she always
FACULTY/STAFF RETIREMENTS
Karen was born and raised not far from the CSW campus in Waltham, MA. Prior to her time at CSW, she held a series of jobs, once working the night shift for a bank and later serving as a childcare provider. These jobs were always part-time, she says, so she could dedicate the bulk of her time to her children.
When CSW community members think back to their first time on CSW’s campus, whether it was to interview for a job or take a tour as a prospective student or parent, most will remember Karen Chiasson as the person who welcomed them. For roughly 26 years, Karen served as the school’s official greeter, checking visitors in at reception or chatting with parents at morning drop off.
When she wasn’t busy organizing lost and found items, sorting the mail, giving directions, coordinating deliveries, or answering the phones, Karen was always meeting and chatting with current and prospective community members — a part of the job she says was her favorite.
Marilyn DelDonno can still distinctly remember her very first impressions of CSW when she came to interview for a job teaching in the Science Department. It was 1984 and, after speaking with Julia Euling, the department chair at the time, she already had a good feeling. Her excitement only grew when Steve Cohen, a man who wore many hats during his time at CSW (history teacher,
14 • THE GRYPHON Spring/Summer 2022
From its inception, Marilyn played a critical role in bringing the vision for the Garthwaite — a spacious, eco-friendly, interdisciplinary space to life. Beyond working with the board, administrators, and architects, Marilyn worked hard to draw attention to the building and its innovative design, applying for a variety of important awards and certifications. Marilyn says she doesn’t usually care about that kind of stuff, but it was crucial to her that CSW’s amazing Science Department get the recognition it deserved. “I wanted to get the word out there that we were a strong science school,” she says.
When she came to CSW in 1995, Karen, who was hired as a receptionist, quickly became responsible for many of the behind-thescenes daily operations of the school. In those days, she says, she was essentially a “secretary for all.” As time went on, her role came to include the management of CSW’s phone systems, back when the lines ran on an actual switchboard located in the basement of the Kluchman. To get a staff member set up with a new phone line, Karen recalls having to crawl under desks, undo old lines, plug in new ones, and enter the new information in the main computer, before checking to make sure everything was working. She could frequently be seen traipsing across campus, carting boxes of telephones, wires, and cords.
“I love to talk up the school,” she says. “I have walked and talked with so many people through the years, many of them on their first visit to campus.” She can think of numerous instances where families have thanked her for the time she spent with them, because it helped convince them that CSW would be the right place for their family.
We thank Karen for her years of service and wish her many relaxing, happy days ahead at her home by Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire.
Hard to say exactly when her journey to become a master teacher began. Young Marilyn graduated from Brown University, then went on to finish her Ph.D. course work. She was working on her dissertation when she began to realize that teaching was incredibly satisfying, maybe more satisfying than research. She decided to try teaching full time. She applied to schools that would allow her to live near her mom. One of her first interviews was at CSW.
According to Google search, the frontal lobe is the part of the brain that keeps emotions in check and controls character, decision-making, and reasoning. For 38 years Marilyn has been the frontal lobe of CSW. From the first moment I met her, until a week ago when we finished team-teaching, Marilyn has always been a voice of reason.
I can’t quite bring myself to say goodbye. I don’t want to say goodbye to this beautiful person. But I can say…CSW loves you, and I love you. Marilyn, know that everyone who knows you wants you to celebrate and revel in your next well-earned adventure.
“Not at all,” she said. “I loved it. But now I am ready to do something new.”
FACULTY/STAFF RETIREMENTS • 15
BY TOM EVANS
Marilyn, can I tempt you to stay and develop some new potential integrated studies courses? “The Power of Light?”
38 years later I asked her, “Do you have any regrets about staying here for so long?”
Although she will have been at CSW for close to 40 years when she retires this spring, Marilyn maintains that the school actually hasn’t changed all that much — at least not in the ways that really matter.
No? I get it. It’s really fun for Marilyn to turn her focus more brightly on her many passions: gardening, nature walks with Shawn, cooking amazing desserts, folk dancing, volunteering to tutor students from underfunded school systems, and reading a great murder mystery snuggled up with her beloved cats. Yes, yes, a well-deserved reward after her tireless and consistent devotion to the students of CSW. I mean, I know this is a celebration of Marilyn, but what about my needs!?
refused: serving on the Board of Trustees (she had no interest in nighttime meetings) and Dean of Students. The highest administrative role she has held was chair of the Science Department, which she filled for about 15 years. “I’m a science teacher and that’s what I like to do. I like being with the kids,” she explains. She didn’t get into teaching to be with adults.
At some point teachers retire. That is a fact — I’m sure verifiable with a T test.
But I’ll try to be grateful for the 35 years I did get to teach with her. Grateful for the incredible teaching wisdom she shared with me, grateful for the times she talked me out of hitting the send button on an unnecessary email, and especially grateful to just have spent time with such a smart, loving, generous, creative, and kindhearted person — really, an exceptional human in all ways.
“The Chemistry of Art?”
But her impressive ability to remain calm, to not get caught up in the mishigas of school administration, and to stay focused on the kids is only part of her magic. She is also the epitome of a growth mindset, a creative adventurer, and an educational explorer.
As she prepares to say farewell to CSW, Marilyn has this simple advice: Find what you love doing and keep doing it. It’s what she’s done for the past 38 years, and she’s loved every moment.
The following is an excerpt of a speech delivered by Tom in honor of Marilyn at Reunion Weekend.
I mean, “something new” does sound great for Marilyn, but I think CSW still needs her. Over the years, so many faculty members have said to me, “Ask Marilyn what she thinks, she’s the only sane person here.”
“The Art and Science of the Frontal Lobe?”
Marilyn leaves a legacy as a great teacher. But also a legacy of a well-organized, broad-thinking, long-serving Science Department head. She was instrumental in creating the Progressive Education Lab (PEL) program that educated young teachers who were passionate about progressive education. (One of that program’s star students, Kevin Smith, is currently the Science Department head.)
Marilyn was also in large part the inspiration behind the Garthwaite building. One presentation from her about how art and science see the world in similar ways inspired Board of Trustees Chair Diane Garthwaite P’99 to support the building. AND… She has also been CSW’s strongest voice for sustainability for over 10 years. AND she accomplished all this while teaching chemistry, physics, biology, and her favorite, “Marine Biology,” to name a few. She told me a week ago that me she was so happy to get to teach Chemistry this year. There are not that many people who would say “I’m so happy to get to teach Chemistry again.”
The Frontal Lobe of CSW
Still, when asked what she will miss most about CSW, Marilyn says it’s the people — the kids and the adults. “I’ve learned so much about — everything — from fellow faculty,” she says. “Not only in my own discipline but in the world in general.” She has especially loved teaching interdisciplinary classes, most recently with Tom Evans, Evelina Galper, Rachel Hirsch, and Eli Keehn. “You learn so much working with your colleagues,” she says. “They care about students, they care about their work, and they’re just fun people to be around.”
I’ll miss her! I need her. I love teaching with her. She designed so many great courses:
“I think structures change,” she says. “And I think it’s a little more hierarchical than it used to be. Department chairs used to have more agency — which was for good and ill, I want to be clear about that — but I think at its heart, the school has not changed.” Marilyn shares that throughout her time at CSW, the teachers have always been the same. They love what they do. They care about students. They are innovative. “And the kids are delightful,” she says. “They’re so much fun to teach — so interested and willing to work with you. To me that’s what The Cambridge School of Weston is: the teachers and the students. The other structures, yeah, they change, but the people have not changed in my mind.”
“Dimensions of Time,” “Meanings of Love,” “Global Health.” Anjali Bhatia taught a course with Marilyn with the intriguing title, “Who Are We?” And perhaps Marilyn’s favorite which she teaches with Rachel Hirsch, “The Art of Prediction.”
And of courses Marilyn does deserve time for her passions. But CSW without Marilyn…hmmm. That still doesn’t seem like a good idea.
Thank you, Marilyn, for everything!
Photo courtesy of CSW Drone Club
SUSTAINABILITY AT CSW
and Future
Global warming, climate change, carbon neutral…catch phrases that permeate myriad political and social discussions these days. Around the world, efforts to mitigate humanity’s impact on the environment are gaining traction. From composting and high-efficiency LEDs to photovoltaic (PV) systems and sustainable landscapes, sustainability is the goal.
Present Past By Lori L. Ferguson
PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE: SUSTAINABILITY AT CSW • 17
Marilyn has played an instrumental role in promoting sustainability initiatives outside the classroom as well, serving on the school’s Sustainability Committee—a joint student/ faculty group—since its inception. “CSW students have always been interested in creating a green campus,” she notes. “They’re constantly pushing us to think and move forward on sustainability.”ExecutiveAssistant to the Head of School Sherrill Bounnell echoes that assessment. “I’m in my 21st year at CSW—I came in July of 2001—and when I first joined the administra tion, there was an environmental club,” she recalls. “Sometime in the 2000s, that club morphed into the Sustainability Committee,
18 • THE GRYPHON Spring/Summer 2022
2008, The American Institute of Architects’ Committee on the Environment (COTE) named it one of the nation’s Top Ten Green Projects of the year.
Indeed, CSW has been actively building a green community for over five decades. In the 1970s, the new dining hall was constructed to include a passive solar design. In 2005, the new maintenance building was built with composting toilets, radiant floor heating, and a southern exposure that fostered reduced reliance on energy. And in 2007, the renowned Garthwaite Center for Science and Art was designed to LEED Platinum standards and constructed using sustainable building materials. The 21,000-square-foot facility features passive solar design, a high-performance heating and ventilation system, a living green roof, composting toilets, high-performance lighting, and more. Indeed, the execution was so successful that in
An ongoing commitment
As the school continues to modernize its physical plant in pursuit of carbon neutrality, members of the CSW community also remain committed to pursuing an array of sustainability initiatives. The administration has deemed CSW an idle-free campus and is preparing to install electric car chargers. The Facilities Department has introduced sustainable landscaping around campus to promote water conservation and support pollinators, turned to greener fuels for lawn mowing and leaf blowing, reduced chemical usage, and selected organic fertilizers for use on lawns and playing fields.
science teacher Marilyn DelDonno has been among the most impassioned promoters of sustainability at The Cambridge School of Weston over the years. A dedicated environmentalist and faculty member for nearly four decades, Marilyn has long championed the teaching of sustainability as part of the science curriculum. “I want students to think about how science and society are connected and about how to protect our planet,” she asserts. “Here at CSW, we began advocating for that worldview long before climate change became a hot topic. Sustainability is woven into the fabric of this community, especially in the Science Department. The Garthwaite building is a great example of our commitment to these efforts.”
IN 2007, THE GARTHWAITE CENTER FOR SCIENCE AND ART WAS DESIGNED TO LEED PLATINUM STANDARDS AND CONSTRUCTED USING SUSTAINABLE BUILDING MATERIALS.
Since its founding, The Cambridge School of Weston community has dedicated itself to embracing challenging work and addressing complex questions. It’s little wonder, then, that green living has long been an aspirational goal. “In our mission statement, we talk about social justice,” notes Head of School Lise Charlier. “As an institution, we’re committed to providing ‘a progressive education that emphasizes deep learning, meaningful relationships, and a dynamic program that inspires students to discover who they are and what their contribution is to their school, their community, and the world.’ Sustainability is social justice; it’s in our RecentlyDNA.”retired
This important work is happening closer to home as well, and The Cambridge School of Weston is firmly engaged. “To anyone who knows CSW, this would not come as a surprise,” observes Trustee Kevin Mendik P’20, member of the Buildings and Grounds Committee. “Our sustainability initiatives are a natural outgrowth of the kind of community we’ve always had. Our student body has always been progressive and environmentally conscious. We’re not acting from a place of ‘Hey, this would look good from a public relations perspective.’ It’s part of our mission…it’s simply who we are.”
A longstanding tradition
and Marilyn has led the group for its entire existence. CSW is a progressive school, so embracing sustainability just makes sense,” continues Sherrill. “We’re walking the walk.”
AT CSW • 19
Science Department Chair Kevin Smith is also enthusiastic about student engagement. “Our students have always been—and continue to be—active participants in promoting sustainability,” he observes. “They provide tremendous input and cultivate valuable awareness among their peers.”
step-by-step to achieve our goals. The first step is to promote awareness of how important climate change is, and then to formulate plans to address it. I’m watching more and more students and faculty start caring about this issue, which is Suchencouraging.”studentinitiative
As The Cambridge School of Weston looks toward the future, one thing is clear: an informal approach to sustainability is no longer viable. “Sustainability is no longer an optional lens through which to make decisions,” says
DelDonno and the Sustainability Committee, but now Head of School Lise Charlier and the Board are promoting a campus-wide embrace of sustainability. It’s extremely exciting.”
The town of Weston is also an enthusiastic partner, Kevin continues. Take Cat Rock Park, for example, where he frequently leads his ecology classes in field work. “The town has been great in helping us think about ways that CSW students can step off campus to promote sustainability in the park and serve as active stewards of the space through maintenance, the creation of informational materials and the like,” he notes.
In addition to her work with the Sustainability Committee, Coco is also the co-head of the school’s Fashion Club. “I’m considering a career that combines sustainability with art and fashion,” she explains. She is already experimenting; she has created a dress out of PVC bioplastic and cotton for a wearable art class and worked with another student group known as the Zora Foundation to mount a sustainability-focused art exhibition with the Weston public school system.
Indeed, CSW students are thoughtful about this and many other issues, and they’re becoming increasingly vocal about their desire to shape the dialogue. Students are reaching out to the Board of Trustees and asking to be involved in strategizing for the future and kept abreast of new developments. And, more importantly, they are encouraging one another.
A face to the future
Students likewise play a critical role in this carbon-free environmental quest. In years past, they’ve competed to recycle more waste and consume less electricity. They’ve sought to become more mindful about consumption of food and material goods. “Our students have held CD and book swaps and battery recycling drives,” says Sherrill. They’ve also maintained a love/hate relationship with composting, she notes with a chuckle. “In the early 2000s, a group of students built a composting bin and part of lunch duty involved taking food scraps there, but that initiative fell away during COVID.”
Coco has also worked to integrate sustainability into the classroom, once serving as a member of the Curriculum Committee to build strong connections between sustainability and coursework. “The best way to promote awareness of sustainability is to incorporate it into classes,” she observes. She has made a conscious effort to raise the profile of sustainability issues with the Board of Trustees, too, attending a board meeting, meeting with the chair of the Building and Grounds Committee, and inviting trustees to appear as guest speakers at Sustainability Committee meetings. Most recently, she worked with student Sustainability Committee co-head Eli Berger ’23 to connect CSW with the National High School Climate Forum. “As we look for ways to reach our green goals, it’s helpful to get ideas and opinions from students at other schools,” she observes. “My hope is to see small actions every day and work
Kevin is equally keen on CSW’s Wilderness Trips, which he leads. The program enables students to spend time in conserved landscapes and consider the environmental impact of their food choices. “Food is one of the ways that we connect on the trip,” he explains. “We eat only vegetarian and vegan meals—we don’t bring beef—to encourage the students to become more thoughtful about their eating choices.”
An organic farmer prior to joining the CSW faculty in 2014, Kevin is particularly interested in educating students on composting and other food-based programs. “Food waste is a significant issue, so I’m delighted to see that Coco and other students are enthusiastic about composting,” he says. “Students have also taken an active role in promoting related campus initiatives such as sustainable landscaping and gardening on campus.” And Kevin sees more good things coming. “I’m not sure I can capture everything that the school is doing around sustainability,” he avers. “Such initiatives used to funnel through Marilyn
Now composting is once again a priority, and Coco Wu ’23, a student co-head of the Sustainability Committee, is leading the charge. “We had an active composting program before COVID and I’d like to see it return,” she says. “I was raised in a family that emphasized sustainability—my grandparents were always telling me to pick up grains of rice so as not to waste them and my parents were never without their reusable shopping bags. Every little thing in my life built my interest in green living.” It wasn’t until Coco attended a Weston town hall meeting to explore how the town could reach net zero emissions, however, that she realized her passion was broadly shared. “I discovered that many people cared deeply about climate change, and it made me want to help The Cambridge School of Weston community intensify its sustainability efforts,” she recalls.
is heartening to Trustee Chin Lin P’18, chair of CSW’s Buildings and Grounds Committee, as well. “It makes me very happy to see this level of student interest and involvement,” he observes. He points to the effort to rejuvenate composting as one of many exciting developments. “Not only is composting important in reducing waste, but it also has a positive fiscal impact on the community because it reduces the amount of trash that must be removed. But this type of plan doesn’t work without user buy-in from students, faculty, and staff; when it comes to sustainability, it can’t be a top-down initiative.”
PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE: SUSTAINABILITY
OR 40,072,443
Trustee Chin Lin is particularly excited about the Board’s latest plans with regards to sustainability. “We voted unanimously to install photovoltaic panels on campus this summer, which will allow us to move away from fossil fuels and offset about a quarter of our annual electricity consumption,” he enthuses. “We’re currently exploring our best options to finance this venture—as you might imagine, these things take time to plan and implement.”
Photo by Tom Hill P’20, ’22
CHARGED.
53%, EQUIVALENT
Teachers are also committed to the cause, working to make sustainability an integral part of the curriculum just as they have done with social justice. “Somehow, somewhere, I want the idea of protecting the planet to be part of every single science course at the Cambridge School of Weston…maybe part of every course,”
768,821
IT
Trustees, meanwhile, are exploring opportunities to make the school more energy efficient through wholesale changes to the infrastructure, from changing lightbulbs and installing energy-efficient glass to installing rooftop solar panels and battery power walls. In its adoption of energy upgrade incentives from its providers, CSW will save money in the long term, while simultaneously reducing its overall carbon footprint. It is estimated that recent changes to infrastructure will reduce the school’s energy consumption by 53%, equivalent to 5,198 trees planted, 768,821 miles driven, or 40,072,443 smartphones charged.
20 • THE GRYPHON Spring/Summer 2022
The proposed plan to install solar panels on the rooftops of several buildings, including the Health and Fitness Center, would decrease greenhouse gas emissions from campus, add excess green energy to the grid, and decrease the school’s electricity bill from the grid. One projection being explored by the Board shows the school’s potential annual CO2e offset at 243,271 pounds, which is equivalent to 12,412 gallons of gasoline not burned, 23 passenger cars removed from the road, 19,162 gallons of propane not burned, or 2,655 pounds of coal not burned.
The community has embraced the challenge. From a proposed hydroponics program to a tree equity study in Weston, students are exploring creative ways to pursue sustainability both on and off campus. Supported by the school’s PACE (Promoting Awareness and Community Engagement) initiative, they are using Community Engagement (CE) projects to transform ideas into action. “CE is a place of deep learning for our students, and partnership is a big part of this,” observes Lise. “It’s important for our students to share their gifts with others and gain exposure to the wider world. Community engagement is the true application of being in proximity and in partnership to an issue in a way that models understanding. Students learn that if you want to change something, you can. It’s a valuable lesson that makes the future hopeful.”
In addition to the installation of panels, the Board also voted to install a battery backup system for Warren House, CSW’s newest and most-ecofriendly dormitory, allowing for critical load electricity during power failures and a decrease — and potential elimination of — emissions from diesel generators. The battery would further decrease grid energy use and nightly emissions, and, in doing so, reduce the school’s electric bill. IS ESTIMATED THAT RECENT CHANGES TO INFRASTRUCTURE WILL REDUCE THE SCHOOL’S ENERGY CONSUMPTION BY TO TREES PLANTED, MILES DRIVEN, SMARTPHONES
Kevin Smith agrees. “As educators, we’re committed to showing students how environmental sustainability overlaps with social justice,” he observes. “Take the impact of climate change, for example. The people most likely to experience the impact of hurricanes, droughts, sea level rise, etc., are those with the least ability to respond. That’s a social justice issue and making that connection is inspiring for students.”
Lise candidly. “As head of school, I’m working to make equity and sustainability an ongoing priority—we owe it to our young people.”
says Marilyn. “I would love to see the concept of sustainability pop up everywhere, just as social justice does. It’s one of my dreams.”
5,198
Neta Crawford P’18, member of the Buildings and Grounds Committee, is similarly enthusiastic. “My interest in helping CSW achieve carbon neutral status goes back to my time as a parent,” she notes. “When my daughter Rose was here, I thought that the campus had the opportunity to be a place of carbon sequestration. The Garthwaite Center was a big step, but it’s the tip of the iceberg. We can move towards electrification combined with solar power to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We might even become a microgrid, which would free us from dependence on the grid and make us more resilient in the face of extreme weather events. I think that CSW could be part of a larger story and set a positive example for attaining sustainability on a school campus,” she says. “I feel like we’re ready for the next steps.”
“We need to understand the critical moment that we’re in, and every minute matters because our students are only with us for four years,” says Lise. “We’re extremely proud of our progressive nature and pedagogy here at The Cambridge School of Weston, and it is our hope that we can serve as a model for other institutions. Looking at our past, we have evidence of what can be achieved through inspiration and great ideas.
“This is all do-able,” she concludes. “If something matters, you put time, money, and thought into it. I’m expecting our community to live up to the challenge. We must look at what we have, protect it, share it, and correct our wrongs. It might be hard work, but it’s good work. It breeds optimism.”
ON THE QUAD • 21
PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE: SUSTAINABILITY AT CSW Over the past three years, CSW has taken on a number of energy upgrade incentives from its providers, resulting in extensive longterm savings for the school and a far lower environmental impact. 10-YEAR SAVINGSCSW’S 25-YEAR SUSTAINABILITY GOALS REDUCTIONENERGY EQUIVALENT TO… ROOFTOP SOLAR PANEL PROPOSAL EQUIVALENTANNUALTO… SAVINGS 53%$1,228,943 5,198 plantedtrees $111,101.25 Electricity 768,821 drivenmiles $1,706.00 Gas 40,072,443 smartphonescharged $10,087.00 Maintenance Reduce total consumptionenergy Transition to clean energy Gain resilience during power outages Eliminate diesel emissions from backup generators Manage and reduce CSW’s electricity costs Project Size (DC) 514 Panels / 204.3 kW 12,412 gallons of gasolineburnednot Project Size (AC) 10 Inverters / 200 kW 23 passenger cars removed from the road Year Generation1 229,935 kWh 19,162 gallons of propaneburnednot AnnualoffsetCO2e 243,271 lbs 2,655 ofpoundscoalnotburned
The Board wants to make sure one thing is clear: when it comes to sustainability, CSW is moving forward. “If you’re going to teach students about environmental issues, how can you not practice what you preach?” asks Chin. “How can we get the students to believe that climate change is an issue of concern if we don’t address it now? To be credible, we must act. Otherwise, we won’t achieve the buy-in we need—our students are too smart.”
“It’s an obvious choice to go this route; the challenge is getting there,” agrees Kevin Mendik. “We’re taking our sustainability plan in small bites. We’ve identified what we can do, now we need to determine how to reach our goals.” The desire to achieve carbon neutral status at CSW was something that grew organically from the community, he continues. “We looked around and said, ‘Of course we’re going to strive for this goal. We just need to look at what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and how we’re doing it.’” And there are lots of opportunities for students to get involved, he adds. “I think they would all be proud to say, ‘I went to a carbon neutral high Boardschool.’”member
At the start of the year, students had the opportunity to indicate their top areas of interest. The chosen causes were sustainability, food insecurity, access to mental health, health and wellness, access to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics) education, immigrant and refugee assistance, tutoring, and global exchange.
It was an exciting and fruitful year for CSW’s Community Engagement (CE) program, a subset of the school’s PACE (Promoting Awareness and Community Engagement) curriculum. Each section of CE partnered with an organization in the community working towards equity, justice, and awareness in a variety of different fields.
One section of food insecurity partnered with both Lazarus House and Healthy Waltham. Lazarus House aims to provide what is needed most by families and individuals facing material poverty, homelessness, and food insecurity in the areas of shelter, clothing, food, advocacy, and community resources. In response, they help to provide emergency care, holistic programming, hope for a good future, and life skills to gain independence and sustain self-sufficiency.
FOOD INSECURITY
By Shad Sommers-Dehaney, Community Outreach and Engagement Coordinator
Here, we are pleased to report on some of the amazing work that has been done so far.
The SWAG section deliberated and broke off into a few subgroups focusing on different topics within sustainability. One group focused on identification and removal of invasive plant species at Cat Rock Park. They cataloged the different varieties of invasive species and also mapped their locations within Cat Rock. Another group created and presented a successful plan to stakeholders on campus to add more native species of plants that support pollinators to the existing garden beds on campus. The final group worked to put together an art exhibit in Weston highlighting sustainability and environmental justice.
and Healthy Waltham group worked on several initiatives throughout the year. First, they engaged the CSW community by running a food drive to support Lazarus House. Throughout the ongoing drive, the section developed a competitive advisory challenge throughout
Community Engagement (CE) Groups Partner with Local Organizations
The other section of sustainability worked with Speak for the Trees Boston. Speak for the Trees’ mission is to improve the size and health of the urban tree canopy in Boston,
Top Image: CSW’s Immigrant and Refugee Assistance CE group meets with Africano Waltham.
Thesustainability.LazarusHouse
with a focus on under-resourced and under-canopied neighborhoods. This is done by developing and co-creating projects at the community level (including free tree giveaways), partnering with local and national environmental organizations, advocating for updated municipal policies governing tree planting, and more.
The other section of food insecurity worked with Food Link. Food Link is a community organization that rescues fresh food, alleviates hunger, and contributes to environmental
22 • THE GRYPHON Spring/Summer 2022
Next, PACE directors organized students into community group sections based on their demonstrated preferences. Within their sections, students learned about the history and background of their chosen areas of interest and delved into the nuances of the current landscape. From there, students met with community partners to discuss present challenges, brainstorm creative solutions, and determine how CSW students might best get involved.
Healthy Waltham works to alleviate health disparities that exist in the City of Waltham, CSW’s close neighbor, and to improve the health outcomes of the city’s most vulnerable residents. They do this through the development of programs that improve nutrition, encourage physical activity and increase access to healthy foods. Waltham is home to a high population of working poor, many of whom are service workers, low-income seniors, and recent immigrants from Central and South America, Uganda, and Haiti. The majority of Waltham Public School students qualify for free or reduced-cost lunches. These are the populations served by Healthy Waltham.
Weston Plant Pollinator Alliance collaborates with homeowners, schools, neighboring communities, local organizations, and the Town of Weston to protect native pollination systems critical to sustaining biodiversity, mitigating climate change, and maintaining the health of our natural ecosystems.
SUSTAINABILITY
One section of sustainability partnered with two local organizations: Sustainable Weston Action Group (SWAG) and Weston Plant Pollinator Alliance. SWAG’s mission is to amplify discussion and inspire effective action on sustainability issues in the town of Weston by focusing on awareness and education, leading community-based, pragmatic actions and collaborations, and also by encouraging and supporting municipal, business, and residential cooperation.
In all, the CE program gave me very important real-life skills. It taught us about how to branch out and work with outside-of-school organizations and the responsibilities that go along with that. Through this course, I have been able to combine my interest in marketing and social media with my love for the environment. I have also learned about new innovative ways that people are working to help our environments and I am proud to be part of that research. This was a unique experience that you don’t see at most schools and I feel incredibly lucky to have gotten to experience it.
The tutoring section worked with Learn To Be, a free online tutoring platform. Learn To Be brings free, 1-on-1, online tutoring to underserved youth around the United States. They aim to make the world a place where all kids have access to a great education — not just those whose families can afford one.
campus to incentivize the engagement. This creative and critical thinking resulted in the collection of 263 food items and over $100 in monetary donations. In addition to this, the section supported Healthy Waltham during its inaugural Healthy Waltham Day event in May by setting up, managing tents, and handing out information at Waltham’s Prospect Hill Park.
After gaining more insight on the lesson plans and curriculum used at Kids in Tech, students began to plan and create lessons around relevant topics. Some students in the section were able to travel to a partner Kids in Tech school a few times throughout the three mods to deliver their lessons directly to the students. One group led a lesson on videography that was very engaging and exciting for both the CSW students and the Kids in Tech students. Other students that were not able to visit Kids in Tech presented their lesson plans to their class to receive feedback and see what would be viable for future in-person lessons.
By Carly Haessler ’23
The group working with Team Verge approached different aspects of the organization introduced by the founder. Students broke off into three main groups focusing on awareness and advocacy, program expansion, and fundraising. The advocacy and awareness group attended a Team Verge practice to both document what practice looks like and interview families and coaches involved with the program. With this footage, the group created a promotional video that Team Verge can use to share their amazing work with potential participants and donors. The other side of the advocacy group created a sample website to build off Team Verge’s current design to streamline information and introduce more participation within the community. The program expansion participants researched and documented potential new locations and sites that Team Verge could utilize for upcoming seasons and presented it to their founder. The fundraising group created a proposal for a future fundraising event involving CSW and individuals outside of the community in support of Team Verge.
This section partnered with Kids in Tech based out of Lowell. Kids in Tech strives to excite, educate, and empower children to acquire skills and confidence in technology through interactive after school programs. It was founded in 2016 in Lowell, MA to prepare disadvantaged kids with free, interactive after-school programs in computers and technology. Kids in Tech has proven effective, with over 90 percent of its participants reporting increased knowledge, skills, and interest in STEAM fields.
TUTORING
After multiple discussions with the director of the organization, the area of greatest need was marketing and promotional material. The class
Later in the year, we educated ourselves on how tree disparity manifests itself in redlined neighborhoods. We also researched how systemic racism can affect an individual neighborhood’s tree density. Once we had completed this important background preparation, we were ready to meet with the organization.
ORGANIZATIONS • 23
ACCESS TO STEAM EDUCATION
In meeting with representatives from Speak for the Trees, we were able to learn more about their mission and discuss ways in which our CE group could be helpful. We then broke into groups and began to create projects to help promote tree health in Boston. My group decided to use social media as a way to spread awareness about the lack of tree density in many neighborhoods in Boston. Instead of making it about the negatives, we intentionally decided to focus on how people could care for and respect the trees that were already there.
HEALTH & WELLNESS
IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE ASSISTANCE
The Health and Wellness section partnered with Team Verge. Team Verge Inclusive Athletics, Inc. is an inclusive running club for youth and young adults of all abilities, with and without special needs, dedicated to improving the health and lives of their participants by helping them to expand their limits in a fun, safe, team environment with the individual support and challenge they need for success and athletic, social, and personal growth. They remove the barriers that typically prevent participation and growth for those with challenges.
The Immigrant and Refugee Assistance group partnered with Africano Waltham. The mission of African Cultural Services (Africano) is to use a holistic approach to lift African immigrant youth and their families to succeed in life through provision of a safe space, education, mental health assistance, visual and performing arts, and cultural connections.
broke off into three separate groups to develop a pamphlet to describe the organization, what they do, and how others can get involved. Each group developed a pamphlet to present to Africano’s director, who offered feedback and selected her preferred design. Next, the group looked to improve Africano’s current website by streamlining the layout and updating some of the current functionalities.
This year, my CE group worked with Speak for the Trees. In our class, taught by Jordan Clark ’05, we learned not only about sustainability, but we also focused on how we as volunteers can help a community or group without it turning into a form of colonization. We started the year off by learning about ourselves as leaders. We took personality quizzes and discussed the results as a group. This came in handy later when we broke up into smaller groups for our sub-projects. Next, we learned how to do community outreach without overstepping. Together, we looked at examples of programs designed with good intentions, but that ultimately had negative effects on the communities they were helping.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT (CE) GROUPS PARTNER WITH LOCAL
SPEAK FOR THE TREES
Empty Bowls painting, campus tours, a celebratory 60th reunion Zoom with the Class of 1962, and a cocktail reception and dinner on the quad with a special tribute to retiring science faculty member — and CSW
26 • THE GRYPHON Spring/Summer 2022
legend — Marilyn DelDonno. We look forward to continuing to be in touch with our alumni and hope to see you on campus at Reunion 2023, where we’ll be celebrating alums from classes ending in 3s and 8s.
1
REUNION 2022
Thank you to all who joined us on such a beautiful weekend for Reunion 2022. Highlights included a special reception for the classes of 1945-77 with Head of School Lise Charlier, a BIPOC alumni happy hour,
2 4 6 753 1. Fred Gootkind ’12, Mikaela Dalton ’12, Kandice Simmons ’12, Allegra Oustifine ’12, Zachary Atkins-Weltman ’12, Arielle Drisko ’12, Jessica Santos ’12, Becca Fowler ’12, Zach Aronson ’12, Qwamella Manning ’12, Briana Chang ’12, Matthew Hamilton ’12, Sebastian Nowak ’12, and Jesse Phillips ’12; 2. Elizabeth Evans ’83, Walter Jones ’82, Louisa Santos ’82, and Joe Zellner; 3. Lise Charlier, Marci Cohen, Shad Sommers-Dehaney, Alan Miles, Tom Evans, Julie Johnstone, Evelina Galper, Marilyn DelDonno, and Rachel Hirsch; 4. Ann Saunderson ’62, John Simpson ’62, and George Saunderson ’62 attend the Class of 1962 Zoom gathering; 5. Alison Bridger ’88 and Jennifer Flescher ’88; 6. Raekwon Walker ’13 and Evelina Galper; 7. Rob Moir ’72, Peter Bridgman ’72, Sunni Meyer ’72, David Fax ’72, Allan Jayne ’69, Stew Haviland ’72, Susan Hughes, Tom Martin ’72, Cynthia (Dillon) Payne ’72, and Claire LeMessurier ’72.
President Rivera started her presidency at Macalester in June of 2020, a difficult and tenuous time for anyone attending or working at an educational institution — let alone a new college president — but she took the challenges in stride. Due to safety constraints posed by the pandemic, despite having connected with Julian over email, it would be some time before the two would be able to meet in person, finally crossing paths at an orientation event in which President Rivera was serving ice cream to students.
Neither President Rivera nor Julian find it particularly surprising that the two of them, as CSW alums, would be drawn to a place like Macalester. Both describe the school as being very similar to CSW.
“CSW — and Macalester — are both places that celebrate individuality. They are places where people who march to a beat of a different drum can really thrive and are appreciated for their gifts,” President Rivera shares. “When I hear the phrase ‘elite boarding school,’ that’s not what I think of. I think more of places that encourage conformity or achievement in a very specific, narrow kind of way.”
Julian Applebaum ’19 was a first-year student at Macalester College in Saint Paul, MN, when the school announced that fellow CSW alum Suzanne Rivera ’87 had been named the college’s next president. An article announcing the appointment in The Mac Weekly, Macalester’s student newspaper, described President Rivera as having attended an “elite boarding school in Weston, Massachusetts,” a detail Julian says he initially glazed over, not making the CSW connection until a friend pointed it out to him. He remembers laughing at the characterization of CSW as “elite.” President Rivera agrees.
Neither President Rivera nor Julian find it drawntwosurprisingparticularlythattheofthem,asCSWalums,wouldbetoaplacelikeMacalester.
What’s more, President Rivera finds the notion of her being described as an elite boarding school student humorous because she likely only ended up attending CSW because her mother worked there and was able to send her children there on full scholarship. Their family lived in the Aleph dorm parent apartment, and President Rivera can remember working for the maintenance crew over the summer. Her mother, a single mom, was a clerical worker at CSW for many years before deciding to go back to college. Upon earning her degree from Brandeis University, she was hired as a member of CSW’s English Department.
College President Suzanne Rivera ’87 and 2022 Truman Scholar Julian Applebaum ’19 connect at Macalester College.
28 • THE GRYPHON Spring/Summer 2022
“My whole family life is wrapped up in CSW,” President Rivera says. “I owe the place a lot for giving me such a great education that I could then compete for entrance at a place like Brown, where I went for college.”
ALUMNI CONNECTIONS
“That’s actually exactly why I picked Macalester,” Julian shares. “I remember I was sitting in on a class during an accepted students weekend, and when I got to the classroom — it was a political science class — it was set up in a horseshoe of chairs and tables with the professor sitting at a table with the students. It was the first time I had seen that at a college, and I remember thinking, ‘yes, this is it. This is what I love.’”
Interestingly, though they attended decades apart, President Rivera also remembers classes at CSW being arranged in this way, and says the middle of the horseshoe shape was sometimes referred to as “the well of Bothknowledge.”alumsalso cite CSW’s commitment to social justice and activism as being formative to their respective trajectories. President Rivera recalls being the leader of an organization called STOP Nuclear War and organizing a group of students to attend rallies around Boston and even once on the National Mall in Washington, DC.
“CSW encouraged my impulse to activism and made it seem to me like pursuing social justice was not only acceptable, but desirable, and almost a moral obligation that if you see something wrong in the world, it’s your job to try to do something to change it.”
leadership team made the difficult decision to temporarily move to remote classes, a prospect that was bemoaned by students who disliked being in four or five remote classes all day. So President Rivera and her team came up with the brilliant idea of dividing each semester into two modules, so that students only had to take two classes per
Thismodule.framework
probably sounds familiar to CSW alums, and it certainly did to Julian when he heard about it. President Rivera herself admits that the decision to call these blocks of time “modules” was inspired completely by CSW. Excited by the prospect of returning to his beloved Mod System and eager to help, Julian went so far as to reach out to Macalester’s Jan Serie Center for Teaching and Learning to offer to help faculty learn how best to teach in a mod framework. Julian’s generosity also earned him the Hamre Award for service to Macalester that year. To this day, he still hears from Macalester faculty, thanking him for writing and sharing his Mod System recommendations. SUPPORTINGFORCSW!
ALUMNI CONNECTIONS • 29
It was this passion that led Julian to apply for — and ultimately receive — a Truman Scholarship, a competitive national award created by Congress in 1975 as a living memorial to President Harry S. Truman. Each winner receives a grant of up to $30,000 to pursue a graduate degree towards a career in public service. He
THANK YOU
Thank you to the many donors who made a gift to support, honor, and celebrate CSW this past year! Your gift makes a difference, helping to ensure that CSW continues to deliver a transformational educational experience for today’s students. Through this year’s Day of Giving, we were proud to receive a total of 321 donations, raising over $176,791 for CSW. Your generosity continued through the end of our fiscal year, bringing the grand total of funds raised to $1.1 million. We look forward to sharing our annual Report on Philanthropy with you later this fall. Be sure to check it out for more details and stories from this historic school year.
President Rivera agrees that her high school self would be pleased with where she is now. While she never specifically envisioned herself becoming a college president, she was always someone who aspired to be an effective leader. These leadership skills have been integral to her tenure as Macalester’s President, with the pandemic bringing on challenges beyond what anyone ever could have imagined. Shortly after beginning the job, President Rivera and her
“It’s a very competitive scholarship,” he says, “but my entry and ultimate win were motivated by a sense of duty and justice, and commitment to a career in that.”
thinks his high school self would be very proud of this achievement.
Julian, who just wrapped up a semester abroad at the University of Oxford studying politics and English Literature through St. Catherine’s College, was also heavily involved in activism and social justice work at CSW, most notably as head of the school’s Junior State of America (JSA) chapter. He says it was a great way to create new engagement on campus for political discourse and public speaking training, and involvement with local and political affairs.
This incredible honor and grant will allow Julian to pursue a graduate program in public service with continued opportunities for mentorship and networking throughout his life. He is now committed to working at least three years in public service, but hopes to do it for much longer.
THE Summer/Spring 2022
With only their ninth-grade year uninterrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Class of 2022 lived out their high school experience through a historic time, experiencing what it was like to attend school 100% remotely at the tail end of their sophomore year, before returning to a campus and school day much changed from what they had once been used to. But throughout it all, they conducted themselves with patience, grace, and great leadership, and it was CSW’s great pleasure to celebrate their graduation on June 10, 2022.
GRADUATION 2022
GRADUATION 2022 • 31
After the traditional ringing of the Kluchman Bell and procession of students, faculty, and staff, Head of School Lise Charlier and Board Chair Ann Gorson P’16 welcomed guests to the ceremony. In her address to the crowd, Lise shared a personal story about a man she once knew in her home country of Haiti, who set a goal of turning a barren, forgotten piece of land into a lush garden, illustrating the notion that while the problems of the world can at times feel overwhelming, if our graduates simply focus on the small things they know they can influence and control, it can make a world of difference. She encouraged graduates from the Class of 2020 not to forget their “circle of influence,” or rather, what is realistically under their immediate control. “I encourage you to work within that space as it will hopefully bring you a rewarding sense of purpose” she said. “Pitch in what you can, where you can. It is in those spheres that you will find like-minded people and a collective may grow out of it.”
This year’s elected faculty/staff speakers were English faculty member Dolores Minakakis, and Math Department Chair Rashid Chatani. Dolores urged graduates to find balance between preserving and owning the parts of themselves that make them unique, while also giving themselves space to explore, learn, and grow. “I certainly don’t want you to let go of the parts of yourself that you consider most dear — the parts of yourself, perhaps, that you fostered at this school,” she said. “But I do want you to go out into life beyond CSW — whether it is across the street, across the state, or across the world — and be unapologetically you. And take what has made you you at CSW, and don’t be afraid to evolve, to change, and to embrace inconsistencies.”
Rashid offered the Class of 2022 three important pieces of advice: “1) Surround yourself with individuals who root for your success, not those who seek to profit from it. Relationships should be mutually beneficial, not parasitic. 2) Life is not like Mathematics: there is not an elegant proof, equation, or formula that can solve all your problems. You will need skill, dedication, and a bit of luck. 3) Focus on the grind, not the grades. You are not a letter on a transcript. You are not your GPA. You are not your grade. And you are definitely not a recommendation by an institution.”
Ethan Hewlett ’22 and Ella Fairchild ’22 were chosen by their classmates as this year’s student speakers. Ethan spoke about some of the important relationships he’s forged at CSW, and expressed his hope that if students remember anything from their time at CSW, that it be love. “You are more than free to choose whatever five percent of things you hope to remember, but I do hope somewhere in there, in that little kernel of the few things that actually stay, is just a tiny bit of love,” he said.
Ella shared her own transformation from a ninth grader unsure if she would ever finish high school, into a proud, accomplished CSW graduate. “Class of 2022, I encourage you to stand tall, stay true to yourself, and remember the power you hold within you, because I have seen that power with my own eyes and I am evidence of its impact,” she said. “Every snarky comment under your breath, every kind wave across the quad, every explanation of calculus, every dissected pig, every lunch line conversation, every walk up that stupid hill, every comforting hug, every four square ball popped, every moment I got to spend with you is what got me to today. So when you royally mess up so bad that you doubt your own greatness, remember that I never intended to graduate after my freshman year. I am forever grateful to be a footnote in the story of your lives but know that you are more than a footnote in mine.”
32 • THE GRYPHON Spring/Summer 2022
CSW THANKS EACH ONE OF ITS AMAZING SPEAKERS AND WISHES THE CLASS OF 2022 THE VERY BEST! SEE WHERE THEY ARE HEADED NEXT YEAR ON THE INSIDE BACK COVER.
34 • THE GRYPHON Spring/Summer 2022
1940s
Bruce Beal ’54 writes: I see Mary (Lemann) Goldman ’54 almost daily in the summer as we live next to one another in Woods Hole. We both fortunately have all our faculties. At 85, the year of 1954 seems so far away yet my memories of CSW and our class seem as yesterday.
Arnie Simmel ’43 and Larry Nathanson ’46 at their respective Harvard College Reunions in June 2022.
The combined fifth and sixth grades of The Cambridge Lower School on Concord Avenue. The teachers were Mr. Grant and Miss Coolidge, respectively. Edmund Bowles ’42 is in the top/back row, far left.
Murray Weil ’51 writes: I practiced law for 60 years, a few months in Boston, MA, and over 61 years in Florida, until my late wife, Ursula, to whom I was married over 60 years, passed away after a lengthy illness and old age caught up with me. When we were both healthy, I would play tennis seven days a week and swim twice a day, we traveled extensively, and had a summer home in Blowing Rock where we spent many happy summers. Now I live full time in Surfside, FL, and use a walker as the “Golden Years” become rancid, but I have no complaints.
Sandra (Maley) Caruso ’56 writes: While it has been many years since I graduated from CSW, I still have many
Washington, DC. Hopefully, for us all, things will get back to normal in the near future!
Larry Nathanson ’46 writes: Arnie Simmel ’43 and his wonderful wife (my wife was at our Nantucket home) and I had a delightful time renewing our friendship at our Harvard College reunions. Arnie lives in NYC and I live in Cambridge, so we haven’t seen each other for many years, but we reminisced about our days at CSW and in college at Harvard. I think that both of us attribute a good deal of whatever success we have had in a long life to our education at CSW!
musicological topics are still available and that I can look back with satisfaction on my 60-odd articles in scholarly journals published over these many years. The virus has put a crimp on my usual excursions to local restaurants and, until recently, I enjoyed regular participation in events at my own Cosmos Club in
small thing to a teenager. Thanks to the faculty, windows were opened for me, windows that showed me different opportunities to explore — and in exploring, to discover myself. I hope that it is the same for students now as it was back then because it would be a terrible waste if CSW were to lose its magic.
Betsy (Knapp) Packard ’51 writes: I agree with Murray Weil ’s tribute to Art Sharenow and Harry Kaplan (all in our class of 1951) in the last issue of The Gryphon (Fall/ Winter 2021-22). His writing has inspired me to write a tribute to CSW itself. My three years there (sophomore, junior, and senior, 1949, 1950, and 1951) were ones I remember dearly even though it was about 70 years ago. Going to CSW was an experience like none other due to the relationships we, the students, had with the faculty. And, of course, the relationships we had with the other students as well. I felt cared for and, more than that, that I as a person really mattered. This is no
1950s
36 • THE GRYPHON Spring/Summer 2022
CLASS NOTES
Edmund Bowles ’42 writes: I am in a retrospective mood, spending my time attending to physical needs, thanks to my wonderful caregivers, and no longer engage in productive research. However, I’m content that my eight books on various
grandchildren are wonderful. Maeve, as the oldest, has led the way in being special.
Anna Dibble ’69 writes: I started an artist collaborative nonprofit organization in 2018. A curated team of seven artists designed a
property with a three-story temple carved and painted by Bhutanese artists, in addition to numerous solo retreat cabins. My name is Lama Tsultrim Allione. I’m the author of Women of Wisdom, Feeding Your Demons, and Wisdom Rising (Simon and Schuster, 2018), as well as mother of three — Sherab, 48, an architect; Aloka, 46, a Vice President at Sony Films; and Costanzo (Osel Dorje), the resident lama at Tara Mandala — and grandmother of six. I also have a house in the Nosara area of Costa Rica. I’m in close touch with Augusta Talbot ’67, Louisa Putnam ’66 , and Rachael Homer ’64 , and a little bit with Niki Lang ’69. I teach internationally and a lot on Zoom. I enjoy meditation, travel, and boogie boarding!
Andy LeCompte ’66 at “Celebrate Weston” with Emma Fedor (CSW Director of Marketing and Communications) and Julie Johnstone (CSW Assistant Head of School for Enrollment Management).
1960s
Joan (Ewing) Allione ’65 writes: I haven’t checked in for a long time. I’m now living in Encinitas, CA, but lived 25 years in Colorado,southwesternwhereIstarted a Tibetan Buddhist retreat center called Tara Mandala: a 700-acre
wonderful memories of my time there. I am now 84 years old, living in Santa Monica, CA, and, after a long career as a professor in the Theatre Department at UCLA teaching acting, I am now retired full time and living with my second husband and my dog, Wilson.
Page (Doughtery) Delano ’67 writes: I retired in September, happily, from many years of teaching — for the last 15 years in the Borough of Manhattan Community College (CUNY), where I enjoyed diverse and exciting students. In addition to “Composition,” “Intro to Lit,” and “World Lit,” I created courses on the literature of the Vietnam War and on genocide. Sad to say they remain so timely. I continue to work on my book project about American women in Europe during World War II (antifascists and Resistance), beginning with the Spanish Civil War, moving into France, then post-war Germany. I’ve also returned to writing poetry that hasn’t been able to escape COVID and aging as topics! For about three years I’ve been consistently writing a daily journal (with homage to English teacher Holly Hickler). My youngest of four grandchildren turns six years old in a few weeks! The oldest is a freshman at Brown and the middle ones are 12 and 14 years old and live in Austin and City Island, Bronx, respectively. I myself have been living in Brooklyn for nearly two decades.
Thomas Fulton ’65 writes: At Thanksgiving, we will celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. Our family consists of two married daughters and four granddaughters. Maeve is the oldest and graduates from high school this year. She is wonderful, a member of the National Honors Society. She has been very active in dance for over 10 years. She was accepted into every college where she applied. Her choice is Western Michigan, where she is one of twenty applicants accepted into the arts curriculum for dance. All our
Andy LeCompte ’66 stopped by the CSW booth at the “Celebrate Weston” event on May 21 and picked up a CSW bumper sticker. He’d like to say he got far in life, but he lives walking distance from the CSW campus.
Heather (Heath) Reed ’66 writes: Dear Classmates, I hope you are all well. It’s been a long couple of years with COVID, world and national tragedies, our own personal struggles, and yet we keep on keeping on. As individuals and as a class, we are particularly wonderful at doing that and keeping in touch with one another. I have been participating in small group Zoom sessions with Ed Hamilton ’66, Richard Shapiro ’66 and his wife Kathy, and Tony Barnston ’66 every six weeks or so. I wonder if any of you are also doing something like this. It’s a great way to stay in touch, get caught up, and also to lend and receive support in difficult times. I also had a wonderful afternoon with Carter van Dyke ’66 in December 2021 at his home in Doylestown, PA. He has a beautiful home and gardens, and I can attest to his excellence at an avocado salad in both taste and presentation. Carter is doing great, and I admire his energy, spirit, and creativity in how he lives each day. I also had a wonderful visit with Glenn Wright ’66 in Bucksport, ME, when I was in
Arthur Krim ’61 writes: I’m working away in retirement on various projects involving the medieval history of Ypres and book reviews of Arctic exploration. I’m in touch with Esther (Miskolczy) Pasztory ’61, Marc Haefele ’61, and Jeff Fine ’61 in California, and with Janet Whelan ’61 as well.
Richard Shapiro ’66 writes: Not much to report. Enjoying retirement. I keep active all year hiking and in the winter skiing (we have a good ski basin just 20 miles away). We do RV traveling from as early as April until October, mostly in New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah. I play duplicate bridge two to three times a week and I’ve accumulated approximately 60 master points since December 2018. I keep in touch with other CSW’ers on Facebook and have regular Zoom sessions with three 1966 classmates: Tony Barnston, Ed Hamilton, and Heather Reed. I talked recently with Nardi Hobler ’66. She was concerned about how much fire danger we were having. (My response: lots of smoke but so far no fire). Hi to all, and I hope you all are safe and healthy.
CLASS NOTES • 37
Belfast visiting a childhood friend. Whenever I am in her area, we always meet for lunch and a visit. She looks amazing, and she and her husband Jack are doing well. I’m still not comfortable traveling by plane/ train, but if I can reach you by car, I’d love to do that. Let me know how we might make that happen. I live in Westport, MA, on the south coast. Love and blessings to each of you. Xoxo
Dan Shearer ’57 writes: Still alive and living by the water in West Falmouth, MA, with my wife of 59 years and a small dog. Happy with my boat, garden, and friends. Lots of traveling and Florida in the winter until COVID. I am looking forward to summer and my 85th birthday.
sights. Son James may be an inch closer to being transferred back to the UK — those who know our situation will understand. Thanks to the dozens of people including my CSW classmates and former head of school for their unflinching and open support. Our magnificent Drill Hall home in Galloway is always open to friends. The Airbnb welcomes short-term visitors for free and longer-term for “mates’ rates.” Get in touch!
and 14,317 feet of climbing epic! Robert’s ride was equally epic but I’ll let him describe it if he’s so inclined.
Zachary Smith ’72 writes: Not a lot to report. I’ve been working as a Zen priest for the last several years. It’s wonderful and indescribable. In other news, Robert Poor ’72 and I planned and executed a Birthday Adventure, which basically involved riding bikes to a town in between Manhattan Beach, CA, and San Francisco (our respective home towns), on a date between our respective birthdays. In the end, we chose Cayucos, on the coast near San Luis Obispo, and chose to arrive there on March 21. My ride was three days, starting in San Jose with stops in Monterey, Fort Hunter Liggett in the remote Jolon Valley, and finally Cayucos. Two hundred and thirty-three miles
Paula Whitney Best ’76
38 • THE GRYPHON Spring/Summer 2022
large-scale sculpture installation based on the fact that the Gulf of Maine is warming faster than 99.9% of all the world’s oceans. We hung it in an international science research laboratory in East Boothbay, ME, last September, where it will reside for a year. It includes a 24-foot version of a North Atlantic right whale, a collection of enlarged comb jellies with interior lights, replicas of Ghost Gear, and flying endangered and threatened migrant birds. Two months after we installed it, the Maine Maritime Museum picked it up and now we are designing a far more “immersive” sculpture installation. In late fall we’ll transport the whale and other sculpture to the museum and add it to an entirely new installation we’re in the process of making now. We’ve worked with twenty schools from elementary through college levels on parts of the two exhibitions. We would like to move it to the Boston area in Fall 2023. If anyone has ideas for us, they’d be most welcome. I seem to have stumbled into a whole new career at age 71.
Catherine (Clark) Demetriadi ’70 writes: Just in time for the cost-of-living crisis (and a late-life crisis!), I started working for our South Scotland Region MSP (Member of the Scottish Parliament) and am loving every second, though it’s hard work. Keeping me active, alert, making new friends, thinking new thoughts, and spending quite a lot of time at Holyrood — the Scottish Parliament — in Edinburgh. Historian and journalist Julian is working on his novel and with the Institute of Hospitality Scotland on a voluntary basis, hoping to bring his long experience of hotels, catering, hospitality, and tourism to Scotland’s policy makers. He’s loving our trips to Edinburgh, which is a great place for museums, arts, shopping, history, and, of course, seeing extraordinary
This winter in Lancaster & Morecambe, Anthony Padgett offered an art show to local artists and I got involved. I also joined the Artists Union of England, which provides insurance — including public liability cover — which allows
Robert Friesen ’71 writes: The snow finally stopped in Chicago in mid-April and house projects have begun. I decided to migrate from heavy-duty consulting to advisory and interim executive roles, which worked nicely with the COVID hiatus providing cover for the transition. I’m now CFO for a company that is introducing a device to enhance the safety of victims of domestic violence and witnesses to crimes such as murder and major drug deals. I’m also working as an advisor with a couple of other companies. The motorcycle is out but weather has been generally uncooperative. I have several trips in mind and one for sure to Austin, TX, to see my son, Harley, and ride around Texas for a few days on...duh... Harleys in September. Can’t complain about a thing.
Faith Kenrick ’75 writes: Hi CSW — a great chapter in my lifetime! I attended CSW as an international student from England for two semesters in 1974-75. The family I belong to has had strong academic credentials, which is what drew me to live in the U.S. at that time, taking the chance to view
SAVE THE DATE: CSW REUNION Celebrating the classes of 1948, 1953, 1958, 1963, 1968, 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, 2013, and 2018.
1970s
APRIL 28-30 2023
art at The Guggenheim in New York and in private galleries there and in Boston, as well as take a two-week solo Greyhound bus journey around the periphery of the States.
Maya Massar ’78 with her 31-year-old Blue and Gold Macaw in Maine.
Paddington Matz ’79 writes: It’s been a wild ride the past almost year. After being discarded by my partner, to heal my heart, I enrolled in Radical Birth Keeping School. My daughter Kate had graduated last year and, knowing that I had always wanted home births, Kate recommended I attend. She was spot on! It was fabulous. I
CLASS NOTES • 39
David Durlach ’76 writes: As this is the first time (to the best of my recollection) that I have posted to these class notes, what I offer is simultaneously diverse and brief, covering 1990 to the not-yet-happened. If an element is of interest, I encourage visiting its associated link. I have spent much of the last three decades choreographing artworks and interactive science museum exhibits — i.e. TechnoFrolics. com. I got started 30 years ago with AffectionateTechnology. com. A more recent initiative, choreographing physical dancing artworks using commercial screen animation tools, is ChoreoV.com. As a secular humanist with particular interest in “headheart” synergies, I also have a blog (δroplets; DavidDurlach. com) about art, technology, introspection, humor, business, politics, and life. I invite you to sign up, even if you plan to never read, because I need to be able to visualize a sufficiently large and eclectic audience to get me off my ass and start actually writing. ☺ Plus, you will be alerted when I upload fun videos of the “friendly” (well, cute and hungry anyway...) peanut-eating squirrels that
Jacob Allderdice ’76 writes: I’m an architect currently teaching for a living. I also write and will have stories published in each volume of a three-volume anthology broadly arranged around the topics of Hope, Courage, and Resistance to be published June 2022. Through Facebook, I know David Massar ’77 and Eric Hubel ’77 are both in Toronto these days too, but I haven’t seen them…
Maya (Andrea Grillo) Massar ’78 writes: Hello CSW Family! I continue to work as a spiritual director (companion), artist (hopefully one day I’ll return to acting), and I have most recently taken on my first corporate job: I am Spiritual Advisor (interfaith chaplain) for a state-wide hospice organization. (Yes, there is a lot of driving...) I care for patients, their families, and staff (doctors, nurses, social workers, aids, etc). While the corporate world has never been my thing, I am delighted to find this organization to be full of love and warmth. I adore the process of dying and all the magic it potentially offers us. In other arenas, my ex, and dearest friend, David Massar ’77, and I are thrilled to be taking the next step into elderhood: we are soon to become grandparents! Our daughter, Lindsey, is expecting her first child in September. We could not be more excited and delighted. Lastly, I do miss the desert but my recent move back to New England to be closer to elders and my
Ian Falconer ’ 77, Caldecott Honor winner and #1 New York Times bestselling creator of the Olivia series, has released Two Dogs (Harper Collins, 2022), “a dashingly delightful picture book about two unforgettable dachshunds and their search for fun!”
me to give lectures and teach groups as a freelancer, a long overdue asset to buy into! I stood (unsuccessfully) in local 2021 byelections for the Labour Party among four areas that were under contest. The coming year feels momentous with such an array of international ferments to confront. Love and Peace.
helped slow my descent into insanity during COVID isolation. I also offer math and physics tutoring, where feelings and concepts are respected (daviddurlach.com/tutoring).equallyOnacompletelyrandomnote,othersmayalsoenjoythistwo-and-a-half-minutevideoImadeawhileback:vimeo.com/technofrolics/thelensoftime.Besttoall!
Paula Whitney Best ’76 writes: What timing to get this outreach from my beloved Cambridge School! So much is going on for me professionally that I can hardly put a lid on it! I have added a new credential to my M.A. — J.D.! I now wish to be referred to as a Black Social Impact Entrepreneur or BSIE. Regrettably, in my own experience, I have found that many Black and other Marginalized People know little about the capital markets. To the end of my days, I will work to remedy that tragic situation. First, I have executed a 28-slide PowerPoint Presentation on the stock and bond markets in an effort to address it. Most exciting of all, the New York City Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) at my HBCU College, to wit, Medgar Evers College / CUNY, has made MY PowerPoint a MANDATORY part of their Orientation Program! Think of all the Black and Brown and low income lives I will touch with time! In addition, I have written the narrative for a Black children’s book for eight-to-ten-year-olds on the stock market. If anyone can recommend an illustrator (ideally Black and female), please let me know. If I dare say, my book is FANTASTIC! Finally, a special shout out to Head of School Ms. Lise Charlier and Former Head Ms. Jane Moulding , both of whom have given me quite a hand with the lead essay in my book of essays on, among other things, structural racism and life, in general. CSW changed my life as I am certain it has changed yours! Let me know what I can do to help! May God be with you all!
grandchild has been a wonderful thing. I am homebased on the outskirts of beautiful Castine, ME, about an hour’s drive from Acadia National Park. My little cabin sits at the edge of a few acres of woods on the property, through which there is now a lovely, mile-long hiking/ mountain biking trail. (Yes, I discovered mountain biking in my old age — could not love it more!) The sea is a walk down the road in two directions. One thing I know from spending a lot of time with those at end-of-life is that what matters most in the last days is not what you accomplished or collected, it is how much you were loved and how deeply you love. Those who can say “A LOT” to both usually die most peacefully. What matters to me most now are family and friends — especially those from my deep past. So here is my invitation: Come visit!! My three rescue dogs and 31-year-old Blue and Gold Macaw await you. Much Love.
Sarah Jane Horton ’81 with Suzanne Cole ’80 in Anchorage, AK.
Rachel Suter ’88 writes: Hello CSW! I moved to Paris from California about nine months ago with my family (French husband and two sons, 24 and 18 years old, plus our cat, 14) and we are settling in well. My love for the French language and culture started at CSW with my favorite teacher Jeanette Duncklee! We’re having quite the adventure as we fix up the family home and discover all of the differences between American and French lifestyles. It’s been fun to go to some of the same places we visited as a CSW junior class so long ago.
1980s
Rachel Suter ’88 in Paris.
Larisa Mann ’91 writes: I’m proud to share the news that my book, Rude Citizenship: Jamaican Popular Music, Copyright, and the Reverberations of Colonial Power, was published by University of North Carolina Press. I am getting good feedback so far, but the most personally satisfying feedback
Michael Garber ’80 returned from two years in England last July, in time for the publication of his book, My Melancholy Baby: The First Ballads of the Great American Songbook (University Press of Mississippi, 2021). Since then he has been hard at work on his next book, about women songwriters, 1920-1960. In the fall, he trained in teaching English as a Second Language and has just concluded his first semester as an ESL teacher — great fun. He is also doing editing for a not-for-profit helping people with disabilities to live independent lives. In addition, he and his wife, Sue, moved to a new home in their same old town of South Salem, NY.
Sarah Jane (Liberman) Horton ’81 writes: Suzanne Cole ’80 and I met for dinner in Anchorage, AK, for the first time since we were both students at CSW. Suzanne lives there and has been a magistrate judge for over 20 years. My husband, Larry, and our two dogs were passing through on our RV travels in our van.
40 • THE GRYPHON Spring/Summer 2022
sold a flat that I’d gutted, helped a couple of friends with theirs, and am now gutting another one in TriBeCa. This one’s theme is “Green” MidCentury Modern. Trying to figure out what the next chapter is….
Aprille Ericsson ’81 received an Honorary Doctor of Science from Rutgers University this spring. In addition, she is the 2022 American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Ralph Coates Roe Medal awardee, the highest award bestowed by ASME. Approaching her 30th year at NASA, Aprille currently serves as New Business lead for the Instrument Systems and Technology Division at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC).
Peter D’Elia ’85 writes: I’ve been living in Berlin, Germany, for 17 years — still doing music, although my band, The Beez, has been on a long hiatus due to COVID.
1990s
Aprille Ericson receives an Honorary Doctor of Science from Rutgers University.
Jill Robbins ’87 is one of a handful of theatrical Describers for the Blind and Visually Impaired in the Boston area, describing all shows at the Huntington Theatre, as well as the occasional performance at other venues such as the American Repertory Theater and Broadway in Boston at the Opera House. She was recently featured on the A Sense of Texas podcast speaking about her work. She remembers fondly Robin Wood ’s passion for sign language and accessibility for the deaf community and is proud to follow Robin’s example in her own small way. Jill lives in Coolidge Corner with her husband 13-year-old-daughter.and
Sign Here, a debut novel by Claudia (Kilbourne) Lux ’05, was recently named one of the “15 Best Fall Books of 2022 You Have to Read This Season” by Good Housekeeping. The novel, forthcoming from Berkley in October 2022, follows “a guy who works in Hell (literally) and is on the cusp of a big promotion if only he can get one more member of the wealthy Harrison family to sell their soul.”
has been getting invited to speak about my work and D.J. at music/art festivals (or do combination book talk/D.J. sets) this summer: Vienna and Krems, Austria at Donaufest; Berlin, Dresden and Lärs, Germany at Fusion Festival; Paris, Lisbon, and more.
2000s
Erica Ember Louise Lambros Simpson ’10
Kris Hanrahan ’03 writes: Matt and I welcomed our third child, Otis Rex Warfield, in March (pi day baby), joining siblings Cosmo Quinn Hanrahan (turning three) and Finley Moss Warfield (five). We’ve been enjoying our lives in Jamaica Plain (JP), MA, where I’m working as a realtor with The Muncey Group, specializing in residential sales in JP, Roslindale, and surrounding areas. This career shift has felt like a revelation after a lot of wandering over the last many years and trying to find the right balance between family, career, and service.
2010s
Semi-recently out of the closet trans woman Erica Ember Louise Lambros Simpson ’10 (formerly known as Eric Leroy Simpson) is starting a plumbing apprenticeship this autumn with VHV Company in Winooski, VT. She began work there as a laborer in September 2021, which was around the time she
Augusta Davis ’08, LICSW, begins employment at Harvard University’s Counseling and Mental Health Services this summer, working with undergraduate and graduate students. She is proud of her four years at Riverside Community Care and excited about her new role!
Daniel Oran ’07 has taken a winding road though life since CSW. After attending Hampshire College (2011), he worked as a professional artist and started a fine art printmaking business that he ran for several years (2011-2016). During that time he accidentally stumbled his way into a neuroengineering lab at MIT where he invented a technology for 3D nanofabrication, along with CSW grad Samuel Rodriques ’09. This led him to pursue a Ph.D. from the MIT Media Lab (2021) and spin out a startup company called Irradiant Technologies. Now, Daniel leads a small team at Irradiant, where they are working to 3D print optical and photonic components; this brings him full circle with his initial focus from light-based art to now, light-based technologies.
Andy Macleod ’94 writes: Welcomed my third daughter, Iona Lee, into the world in December. She joins her sisters Moxie, 11, and Viva, 10, and now there’s one more name on the guest list.
CLASS NOTES • 41
Jeff Brodsky ’02 writes: I was disappointed to not make it to the 20-year reunion but feel fortunate that I maintain strong friendships with so many CSW alumni. I’ve been working as a freelance composer and music producer for film and commercial projects for the past 10 years. I recently scored a film for Hulu, wrote jingles for Super Bowl ads, and have been producing and co-writing with major label rappers of late. I live with my wife and two and a half year old daughter in Los Angeles, CA, and we’re happy to announce that we’ve got a baby boy on the way this summer. Shout out to all the hardworking CSW moms and dads! Xoxo
Betsy Cohen ’04 , executive director at Communication,Youth has been named to City & State’s “2022 Nonprofit 40 under 40” list. Youth Communication’s vision is to ensure that “all young people will feel a deep sense of belonging in their schools and youth programs and develop the social and emotional skills to realize their dreams.”
entrepreneurship. As part of her thesis, she created a day-long symposium for theatre-makers focused on democratizing classical theatre and historical texts. This symposium also included a performance of her play Parthenos: Girls Like Us, about the narratives of teenage girls through the lenses of antiquity and mythology, which she wrote while on a grant-funded research trip to Athens!
Madi Vespa ’17 (formerly known as Madi Williams) graduated Summa Cum Laude from Northeastern University with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and minors in Communication Studies, Musical Theatre, and Women’s,
42 • THE GRYPHON Spring/Summer 2022
Lydia Smith ’14 writes: I’ll be moving to Washington, D.C., this August to begin my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Catholic University of America!
Abigail Austin ’14 writes: I recently wrapped production as a scenic artist on Henry Selick and Jordan Peele’s stop motion feature Wendell and Wild, which will be streaming on Netflix in October 2022, and have started at Laika as a landscape artist for their new feature film Wildwood!
Gender, and Sexuality Studies on May 13, 2022 at Fenway Park. Their degree culminated in a capstone creative practice research project for which they performed in a new musical called This Is Treatment, by Elizabeth Addison, and wrote an accompanying essay about how the musical depicts the effects of racial capitalism on residential substance use disorder treatment facilities. While at Northeastern, Madi participated in the Cooperative Education Program, or co-op, and worked at Moosiko as the marketing manager and at ONCE Somerville as a marketing & production intern and booker for their virtual venue, the OVV. Madi also served as a representative on the executive boards of two student theatre organizations and was an elected member of the Department of Theatre’s Student Advisory Board. They are currently working as the box office manager at the Crystal Ballroom at the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square and are excited to pursue music after graduating.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Everyone is invited to submit news to the Alumni Office. Please email news and photos to alumni@csw.org
Olivia Buntaine ’11 graduated from the New School in May 2022 with a master’s in arts management and
Raekwon Walker ’13 writes: I was promoted to oversee the special education department of our district’s largest school, a high school. I will serve as the IEP Chair (Assistant
IN MEMORIAM
realized she was trans and began coming out to friends and family. She had come out as pansexual a year prior, but even with this new revelation, she has only received love and support from all who care for her. She graduated from Community College of Vermont in fall 2019 with an associate’s degree in environmental science. She married her wife, Megan Lambros, in September 2020, and they live in a house in Burlington, VT, with their rescue dog, Bowser.
Larson Miller ’14 writes: I recently sang with the Washington Chorus in a collaborative performance with the National Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Philharmonic Chorale, and Howard University singers in an ensemble that premiered a landmark composition “A Knee on the Neck”, the first requiem ever composed for a Black citizen.
Principal for Special Education) effective July 1.
Alisa Amador ’14 was the winner of this year’s NPR Tiny Desk Contest. Her winning entry, “Milonga accidental” — which takes its inspiration from the Argentine and Uruguayan folk rhythm, milonga — is sung entirely in Spanish. Listen to Alisa’s interview on NPR’s All Things Considered!
Elizabeth A. Haviland ’47 Robert Morse ’49 Michael Farnsworth ’57 David Mugar ’59 Sally (Bates) Shankman ’60 Nicolas Kaufman ’62 Chester Lane ’65 Gregory Fleeman ’68
Madi Vespa ’17 graduates Summa Cum Laude from Northeastern University.
Meetings with fellow teachers in “Critical Friends Groups” to talk about teaching and to learn from each other; dorm meetings in the Barn dorm every Sunday evening while I was a dorm parent; and lunches and dinners with students and fellow leaders on the wilderness trips.
Winning the championship!basketball
The Cook Islands because it is warm all year round, it has really cool ocean life, and I would really like to go there one day.
A mix of cooking and baking recipes and tips and tricks on keeping your home clean and organized.
One of the students on the 70s sitcom, Welcome Back Kotter or sleeper agent on The Americans.
KEVIN ScienceSMITHFaculty
A podcast looking at ekphrasis throughout history and cultures, including in pop culture today and how these creations impact and shape meaning and subsequent work chase them like easter eggs in movies and video games. YOU
MY FIVE
My Five
HELEN GALLAGHER ’24 Student
Hah! The Great British Baking Show, but I would be immediately...eliminated
True crime because I really like true-crime podcasts.
BY CARLY HAESSLER ’23
WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK
READ?5
Cape Town, South Africa because of the beautiful views and I have always wanted to go shark cage diving there.
TIMEFROMMOMENTMEMORABLEAYOURATCSW.1
Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley.
IF YOU COULD GUEST STAR ON ANY TV SHOW, WHICH CHOOSE?WOULDSHOWYOU 2
I would host a podcast where I talk with a different person each week about their life, their work, and how it connects in some way to science. Science is all around us, and we are all participants in a scientific world in one way or another.
DESCRIBE
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doer and Women Talking by Miriam Toews. YOU
The Bright Hour by Nina Riggs.
Keeping Up With the Kardashians because I would want to meet all of them.
RACHEL HIRSCH History Faculty
My first Dance Concert at CSW. I was so moved by the creativity and commitment to excellent work.
IF YOU COULD SPEND A YOUWHEREONANYWHEREDAYEARTH,WOULDBE?4
Either in the Roman Forum with my family, or alone in Rome’s Giardino Degli Aranchi with a delicious sandwich and a sketchbook.
CLASS NOTES • 43
WERE TO HOST ITWHATPODCAST,AWOULDBEABOUT?3
IF
My freshman year we had a dance party on stage during assembly.
Three Truths and a Lie by Brent Hartinger.
Grey’s Anatomy because I want to be a nurse and that’s one of my favorite shows.
CARLY HAESSLER ’23 Student
The mountains in New hikingHampshire,orclimbing.
Alice Wang ’23 shares a painting in progress at Weston’s Cat Rock Park.
Fordham University (1)
George Washington U. (2)
Temple University (2)
Rhode Island School of Design (1)
University of Pennsylvania (1)
Lewis and Clark College (1)
Columbia College Chicago (1) Connecticut College (2)
Amherst College (1)
Wesleyan University (1) Worcester Polytechnic Institute (2)
International Christian University (1)
University of Puget Sound (1)
University of Virginia (1)
University of California - Davis (1)
Wellesley College (1)
Regent’s University London (1)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1)
2022 COLLEGE DESTINATIONS
Tulane University (1) Union College (1)
American University (1)
Brandeis University (1)
Savannah College of Art & Design (1) Scripps College (1)
Carnegie Mellon University (1)
Boston University (3)
Drexel University (2)
San Diego State University (1)
New Jersey Institute of Technology (1) New School (1)
University of Rochester (3)
Middlebury College (1)
2022 COLLEGE DESTINATIONS • 45
Hofstra University (1)
Clark University (1)
University College Groningen (1)
Kenyon College (2) Lafayette College (1)
Rochester Institute of Technology (2)
Corpus Christi College (1)
University of Massachusetts — Lowell University(1)of Oregon (1)
Rice University (1)
Wash. U/St. Louis (1)
St. Lawrence University (1)
Trinity College Dublin (1) Tufts University (1)
University of Vermont (3)
Suffolk University (1) Syracuse University (4)
New York University (1) Northwestern University (1)
University of Denver (1)
Pitzer College (1)
Emerson College (1)
Skidmore College (1)
Macalester College (1)
McGill University (1)
Denison University (1)
Vassar College (3)
Duke University (1)
It is with immense gratitude, pride, and celebration that we share the college destinations for the Class of 2022!
Mass. College of Liberal Arts (1)
Pomona College (1)
Case Western Reserve U. (1)
Grinnell College (1)
Org.
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45 Georgian Road Weston, Massachusetts 02493
Students in CSW’s “Marine Bio” course conduct field research in Maine’s Penobscot Bay.
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