The Gryphon: The Cambridge School of Weston Magazine, Fall 2010 Issue by The Cambridge School of Weston (CSW)

THE CAMBRIDGE SCHOOL OF WESTON MAGAZINE

Fall2010

theGryphon

Jane Moulding Head of School Greg Moody Editor Director of Communications Eun Lee Koh Managing Editor Associate Director of Communications Jan Miner Director of Development Lelia Elliston ’80 Director of Alumni/ae Affairs Designer Kristin Reid

T H E

C A M B R I D G E

S C H O O L

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W E S T O N

M A G A Z I N E

The Cambridge School of Weston is a coeducational college preparatory school for grades 9-12 and post graduate study. Inquires for academic year admission should be directed to Trish Saunders, director of admissions, at (781) 642-8650. The Gryphon welcomes class notes and photographs by alumni/ae, parents and friends. Please e-mail submissions to alum@csw.org, call, (781) 642-8647, visit alumni.csw.org or send to: Alumni/ae Affairs The Cambridge School of Weston 45 Georgian Road Weston, MA 02493 To contact the editor: e-mail: gryphon@csw.org

The

Gryphon The Head’s Message

Fall 2010

News and Notes

Faculty Profile: Karl Fisher

Alumni/ae Profiles

Features Commencement 2010

Conceptual Design

Reunion 2010

Class Notes/In Memoriam

Announcements

Website: www.csw.org Cover Photo: By Colin Jacobs ’13 Dancers: Christian Allen ’11 and Lila Fagen ’10

A Cambridge School Love Story! FSC ARTWORK INSERTED BY LVI

This magazine in printed on 100 percent PCW paper produced using wind power.

Above: Max Rollins ’10, “Untitled”, mixed media.

Jane Moulding: By Design Those of you who read my web diary, “Pocket Change,” may already know that I am intrigued by good design. Be it buildings or roads, saucepans or pens, sleek handheld techno gadgets or simple salt and pepper shakers – you name it, I am pulled towards good design. Paola Antonelli, a senior curator at the Museum of Modern Art and hailed design expert, is quoted in Daniel H. Pink’s book, A Whole New Mind, as saying: “Good design is a renaissance attitude that combines technology, cognitive science, human need, and beauty to produce something that the world didn’t know it was missing.” Renaissance attitude is – and has always been – alive at CSW. I have always known this to be true, but each time I observe innovation and fresh thinking taking shape in our classrooms, I am delighted and in awe once more. In our mod-long classes, which I like to think of as being conducted in studiolike settings, teachers push students to see connections they may not have seen before, to weave creativity throughout different disciplines. In turn, our students challenge each other and those teachers to see more connections. Last spring, after writing about design in the diary, I learned about Mac Holmes ’11 and Stefan Kaiter-Snyder ’11’s project designing longboards, essentially surfboard on wheels. You may also know of Olivia Fialkow ’10, who writes her own fashion blog and who, like Mac, Stefan and many others, is a leader in style. These others have explored their passions through class projects or senior capstones, and have applied skills and creative thinking in ways they had not thought before. As you read through the following pages of The Gryphon, you will notice our focus on design and innovation – two areas that I hope will resonate with our alumni/ae, their families, our current and future families. In these pages, we will explore conceptual design, tell you of the creative accomplishments and contributions of our students and faculty, and of the imaginative endeavors of some our graduates. Many of these stories have been written by our own students. The magic of CSW is that creative problem-solving and innovation are infused in all that we do, and so design is part of the process and the outcome of work in our classes. I am hoping that we can tread an even more synthesized path as we combine technology, science and “human need” to produce ideas through design, design through ideas. I know you’ll stay tuned.

Jane Moulding, Head of School

Gryphon Fall 2010

news & notes

exhibit Julia Pressman ’10’s exhibit will travel to

St. Louis and Poland.

Student Captures “Art in an Instant” “Art in an Instant,” a rare student-curated exhibit by Julia Pressman ’10, is a retrospective of Polaroid photography, featuring the grainy moments in time captured on the instant film that made the former Waltham-based company famous. The exhibit, curated by Julia for her senior capstone project, featured 53 works by 18 artists from all over the country that range from portraits to landscapes, from concrete to the abstract. The images were on display in the Installation Gallery at the Garthwaite Center for Science and Art during the spring. “Art in an Instant” will travel to St. Louis, Mo. for an exhibit at the Thomas Jefferson School in the fall. The exhibit has also been invited to travel to Poland for exhibit at a school there. Julia’s exhibit was also featured in an article in The Boston Globe. Julia said the inspiration for the project was spurred by Polaroid’s 2008 announcement that it would stop making its instant film with its all-too-familiar white borders. “There’s a real democracy to the technology,” said Julia, who is headed to Oberlin College in the fall. “Anyone could take Polaroids. People could buy these cameras at places like Walmart, point and shoot and take pictures. But many artists used these cameras too, so you could find these pictures in family albums but also hanging in a museum. Something about that was really interesting to me.” She said she found it intriguing that in the age of Facebook, YouTube, and MySpace, online forums that allow users to instantly share their images and

viewpoints, that the company that popularized “instant gratification” media has folded. As her capstone advisor, Todd Bartel, visual arts teacher and director of the Thompson Gallery, mentored her and supported her throughout the process, Julia made the ultimate decision on the works displayed in the exhibit. Julia sent out a call for artists last fall, which drew submissions from 31 artists around the country and selected the works that appear in the exhibit. “There is real magic in this old type of photography,” Julia said. “Old ways of doing things still have a contemporary relevance.”

CSW Adds Mandarin to Language Curriculum The Cambridge School of Weston will add Mandarin to the foreign language course offerings this fall. “The influence of China on our culture is significant. The need for us to understand China and all that the culture and language represent is vital,” wrote Jane Moulding, head of school, in her proposal to the Academic Advisory Council to add the language. With nearly one billion native speakers, Mandarin is the most widely spoken language in the world. The foreign language department has added another faculty member to teach the new Mandarin classes, but will no longer offer Latin I classes as the school phases out the language over the next four years.

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“Fearless” Comes to CSW By Connor Milligan ’11

Teachers Win ‘Facing History’ Award

Fall Production: ‘Street Scene’

Summer Arts Program

In April, the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) sponsored an art exhibition that explores “out” lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) athletes on high school and college sports teams. The artist and photographer, Jeff Sheng, discussed his project, “Fearless,” in a special school assembly and met students in dinner and discussion about his exhibit. Jeff has been working on “Fearless” since 2003. “Fearless” focuses on the portion of the LGBT community who participate in varsity and collegiate athletics and attempts to frame them in the athletic environment they participate in as a part of their everyday life. The photographs have helped raise awareness about the struggles that LGBT athletes may face. The exhibition was sponsored by Michael Fleming ’81 and David Bohnett Foundation.

Rachel Hirsch, Tom Evans, Anne Rearick, and Tad Lawrence are among a select group of teachers nationwide to

Students performed Street Scene, the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Elmer Rice, during this year’s fall production in the newly renamed Robin Wood Theatre. Rife with racial and religious strife, class and political struggle infidelity and murder, “Street Scene” unfolds on a sweltering June day on the stoop of a New York brownstone. Street Scene was the first fall production since the loss of Robin Wood, who for nearly 40 years had been a creative and directorial force behind these productions until her death in 2009. The play was directed by award winning guest director, Jeremy Johnson. The play, which boasts nearly 65 speaking parts, follows the conversations of working-class folk who live shoulder to shoulder in a diverse neighborhood, just as the world is about to face the Great Depression. What they say is intended to reveal the prejudice they face, but also the deep prejudice they harbor for others. “It’s evocative without being preachy,” said Lisa Hirsch, chair of the theatre department. “It offers a different look at tough issues and leaves people thinking about what they just saw.”

Beginning in the summer of 2011, CSW will become the permanent home of one of the most distinctive summer arts programs in the area. Toby Dewey, the current director of the Charles River Creative Arts Program at the Dover School, is bringing his successful program to CSW next summer and will serve as the director. The summer arts program will be open to students, ages 8 to 15, and will offer courses in the visual arts, dance, drama, music and video production, photography, creative writing, as well as sports and other activities. In addition to his involvement with the Creative Arts Program in Dover, Toby is also the artistic director of Urban Improv.

Riding the ‘Carousel’

frenemies joining, death, joy, and strength were portrayed with passion by a committed group of singers, actors, and dancers. I am extremely impressed and proud of the performances we put on at CSW whether I am in the audience, moving scenery around in blacks, or doing a kick line in front of a crowd. One thing I do know is that this experience has boosted my confidence tremendously, despite the numerous doubtful voices in my head. I was honored to share this wonderful show with CSW and the community at large.

Seniors commended in National Merit program Chace Nolen ’10, Max Rollins ’10, Noah Schonfeld ’10, Eric Simpson ’10, and Emma Ward ’10 received special recognition

from the National Merit Scholarship program for their achievement on the PSATs. Chace, Noah, Eric, and Emma were named Commended Students in the National Merit Scholarship Program. They placed among the top five percent of the more than 1.5 million students who took the test. Max was named an Outstanding Participant Referred to Colleges in the National Achievement Scholarship Program, an academic competition for outstanding black high school students. The students qualified for the scholarship program by taking the Preliminary SATs, the qualifying test for the scholarship program, during the fall of their junior year. Black students can qualify for recognition and be honored as scholars in both the National Merit Program and the National Achievement Program, but can receive only one scholarship award. Max Rollins ’10 receives his certificate from Jane Moulding, head of school.

receive the Margot Stern Strom Teaching Award from Facing History and Ourselves. The award, which comes with a $2,500 grant, will be used to support this year’s “Art and Community” class, a course at The Cambridge School of Weston that pairs CSW students with students in underfunded public middle schools. “It’s really exciting to partner with Facing History,” said Rachel, chair of the history department. “The values of Facing History and Ourselves – the importance of multiple perspectives and experiential learning - aligns with the values of our school, so it’s wonderful to have the opportunity to work with them.” The Margot Stern Strom Teaching Awards honors teachers who foster reflective and interactive learning in their classrooms and provides a grant that funds projects to further their work. Facing History and Ourselves, a Brookline-based organization, applies an ethical and moral lens to history and social studies classes, particularly around issues of racism, sexism, homophobia, and civic responsibility. Students in the “Art and Community” class spend two days a week working with middle school students in Boston, teaching them about art and creating projects with the younger students. They use the remaining three days of the week to plan curriculum. The grant will help fund the cost for a joint trip to a cultural institution in Boston and project materials, as well as fund faculty participation in Race and Membership workshops with Facing History. “It helps our students learn in a visceral way about the world we live in, and helps challenge their perceptions of race, class, and privilege,” said Tom, visual arts teacher. Earlier in the school year, CSW hosted the Facing History conference, “Differences Among Us,” which drew educators from all over the greater Boston area.

Shakespeare Ensemble Performs “Hamlet” By Cam Bauchner ‘11 Every year, Shakespeare Ensemble puts on a different rendition of a classic Shakespeare play. This year the ensemble was proud to present Hamlet, with Olivia Buntaine ’11 and Chace Nolen ‘10 sharing the role of the title character. Ted Munter, English, who directed the ensemble this year, said the reasoning behind having both a female and male Hamlet was because it was such huge role and that it gave each student the “chance to say some of Shakespeare’s famous lines.” Although Hamlet is primarily about the title character, The Cambridge School of Weston’s interpretation included a much stronger and more prevalent chorus of characters. Ted admits that directing was a lot more challenging than originally anticipated but is happy that he gets the chance to work so deeply with CSW students.

Gryphon Fall 2010

The Cambridge School of Weston performed Carousel during this year’s Spring Musical. Connor Milligan ’11, a cast member, gives a firstperson account of singing and dancing on stage for the very first time. I had always been one of the unseen “gods” directing traffic backstage or from the booth. Set pieces, lights, and black clothing – not center stage – have been my trademark for most of my theatre experience. It was not until my friends persuaded me to audition for a role in last year’s fall production, Picnic on a Battlefield, my sophomore year that I stepped onto the stage for the first time as an actor. I had the pleasure of portraying Zapo, the childlike soldier in the play. But, I still did not have the self-confidence to act, sing and dance on stage until my junior year when Carousel came along. I had never sung before. I only started acting seriously the year before, and I only started dancing earlier in the school year. During the audition, I felt comfortable with acting, but I did not feel entirely prepared when it came to the singing. Even after singing the final note of the audition piece, I was still feeling uncomfortable, and yet Laura Backley, the musical director, thought that I was not entirely lost! I was cast as Jigger Craigin, a lowlife and a scumbag with penchant for beautiful women and schadenfreude – in short, the villain of Carousel, a role to which I took an immediate liking. Evil is always interesting, and giving life to Mr. Craigin was the highlight of my day. During rehearsals, I noticed my vocal skills improving rapidly due to daily warm-ups. My ability to interpret and understand my character’s personalities and how to portray them onstage also improved. The entire cast of Carousel breathed amazing life to their characters, no matter how small or large the role. Lovers fighting,

art

Above: Connor Milligan ’11 (center) sings and dances on stage for the first time as Jigger Craigin in Carousel.

Gryphon Fall 2010

Computer Programming at CSW Students are learning to program in Python in a new computer language course at The Cambridge School of Weston. Sandy Brash, a dorm parent in Trapelo dormitory, said student interest helped start this class, which took place during a D-block last year. Sandy, who majored in computer science in college and had worked as a systems administrator there, said he chose to teach Python, because it is an easier language for beginners to learn. Python is a more flexible language that permits several styles of programming. Other programming languages, like Java, have more rigid syntax that makes it more error prone and difficult to learn. Among the many uses for Python are in bioinformatics, to develop software and web applications, to create 3D games, among other common applications. “My main hope is that the students find this fun, that they become interested enough to pursue this on their own or in college,” he said.

Students Win Scholastic Art Awards

Dance Concert is ‘Vivid’

The Cambridge School of Weston students received an impressive 13 awards in the 2010 Boston Globe Scholastic Art Awards competition. For the body of work submitted in their portfolios, Rachel Bennett ’10, Zach Hamilton ’10, Sara Miller ’10, Paul MillerGamble ’10, Ji Hyun (Julie) Park ’10, Max Rollins ’10, and Ben Schofield ’10 received the Gold Key award, the top prize in the competition. Alexandra Fenn ’10 was awarded the Silver Key award. Rachel also received an Honorable Mention for a single drawing, along with Lily Corman-Penzel ’11, Peter LaFreniere ’12, Lia Ryerson ’11, and Kira Teare Thomas ’13 who also received Honorable Mentions for a single piece of art. The students, along with other winners from Massachusetts, were recognized at a ceremony in February and their work was on display at the Transportation Building in Boston. Gold Key winners advanced to the national competition and their work was displayed in a public exhibition in New York City in June. The winning works were selected from 6,500 individual and 500 portfolio submissions from students in grades 7-12 in public, private, and parochial schools in Massachusetts.

Student dancers presented a rich variety of new dance choreography at its annual spring dance concert, “Vivid,” in March. Directed by Martha Gray, chair of the dance department, “Vivid” included new work choreographed by students and faculty members that utilized a variety of dance including, jazz, hip-hop and contemporary styles. Other pieces included a more original movement vocabulary that communicated dramatic, personal and interpersonal struggles. The dance department at CSW offers courses in many styles of dance, including modern, ballet, hip-hop, African, and improvisational forms. Students are encouraged to develop their compositional skills so they can create dances in any style. The student choreographers participate in a choreography seminar, which meets twice a week for two months. In the seminar, students perform their works-in-progress and discuss what makes the dances effective.

Photos by Gabe Chai ’10 and Travis Law ’11.

Thompson Gallery

Paul Miller Gamble ’10, “Iron Horse,”

sculpture.

CSW Joins Independent Curriculum Group The Cambridge School of Weston was welcomed as a member of the Independent Curriculum Group (ICG) at the “Re-imagining High Schools” conference at the Beaver Country Day School last fall. At the conference, Jane Moulding, head of school, spoke of how CSW extends learning into the larger community through its art and community service program, the Alliance Building a Leadership Education class, and the overseas trips to West Africa and to Latin America. “In our schools – schools that believe in the inherent worth of our students’ opinions, schools that have highly developed leadership opportunities for students – we strive to create real work: whether it be real world problems in mathematics or real world research and problem-solving in science, we aim to bring the world into our schools,” Jane said at the conference. CSW joined the group as one of its founding schools last year and is expected to host the next ICG conference on its campus next March. ICG is a group of schools around the country that support innovative, student-centered education.

Gryphon Fall 2010

Ben Schofield ’10, “Banquet,” mixed media. John Thompson, “Hinsdale series,” 2009, woodcut and intaglio.

The Thompson Gallery featured a three-part exhibition during the 2009-2010 school year that examined “Contemporary Painting After a Century of Abstract Art.” The gallery opened with John Thompson’s “Namesake.” As the title suggests, “Namesake” showcased paintings and print work of John Thompson P’05 P’07, a trustee at the school whose family has been an active supporter of the visual arts at CSW. The second part of the series featured the work of the late artist, Alfred DeCredico, a former professor at the Rhode Island School of Design, who died in late December, just two weeks before the gallery opening. DeCredico’s “Deconstructing Chaos” presented selected images from the late DeCredico’s lifelong body of work. DeCredico presented densely constructed drawings, paintings, and three-dimensional works that acknowledged contemporary human issues. “Fuzzy Logic,” the final installation, focused on conception-based abstraction and featured a cross-section of 21 artists, who combined non-figurative imagery with rule-based painting practices in their work.

The Children’s Garden Graduates The Children’s Garden graduated its Second Story students this spring, the last class to graduate before the program was suspended on June 16. The decision to suspend operations was made at the April meeting of the Board of Trustees. While the program is suspended, it is not closed. A study group, which include school leaders, students, and community members, is exploring options to reopen the program in another capacity - options that include relocating the program at another school, partnering with an existing early childhood program, and re-opening the program here at CSW in another space. Going forward, the Study Group's will narrow these to one or two options, and present a strategic plan in September to the school's board. The preschool was founded in 1973 by Robin Wood and Judy City as a way to keep their young children close to where they worked. Gryphon Fall 2010

Faculty Composes Original Concerto

Lining the theatre department walls are rows and rows of the late Robin Wood’s books, over 1,200 of them. Play anthologies, research texts, books about clowning, directing, acting, sign language, drugs and alcohol, the sources from which she drew the knowledge she passed onto her colleagues and students throughout her 39 years at The Cambridge School of Weston. Robin, who died last year, left books from her personal collection as part of her legacy to the theatre department. The teachers who worked with her and the students she taught described her as the creative force behind the school’s theatre program. “She instructed me that the better part of the library should end up in the school,” said her husband, Jeremy Wood, P’95, P’96. “You can see her passions, where it took her over the years, just by looking at all of her books.” When Robin was curious or wanted to learn more, she bought a book. When the couple, who met in graduate school, got married, it wasn’t just two of them that merged. “It was as if two libraries had gotten married,” he said. “She brought with her so many books, and it kept growing.” Last summer, Lisa Hirsch, chair of the theatre department, along with Jeremy and several students combed through Robin’s collection on the theatre department bookshelves and through the volumes at her home. They catalogued the books by genre, by playwright, and other categories, and stamped each book to designate they were officially a part of the “Robin BR Wood” memorial library. “It was not her intent to raise people who go into theatre, but to help kids discover what they have inside of them and help them express it,” Jeremy said. “She always wanted to teach students skills they could use in life, how to carry oneself, how to have confidence, how to speak and command attention. These books helped inform her.”

By Connor Milligan ’11

robin wood

Robin Wood’s Legacy

Jeremy Wood P’95, P’96 with Robin Wood’s books.

Gryphon Fall 2010

Much More than a Carpenter By Paul Miller Gamble ’10 Jim Cook has been working at The Cambridge School of Weston for more than six years. On any given day, he can be seen driving on his golf cart from building to building, fixing doors, repairing roofs, and much more. Jim’s contributions to the school, however, go far beyond general maintenance. Several years ago, Jim, a carpenter, took the initiative to add a woodworking course to the CSW curriculum. He went to John Emmich, his boss at the time, and Andy Reynolds, former business manager of CSW, and told them he wanted to teach carpentry to students. They were both supportive of the idea. “We did it in the old carpentry shed where the squirrels would come in at 4 o’clock and start barking at us and every time it rained, the rain would come in,” Jim said, recalling the less than ideal conditions under which he taught his first classes. “We had a table saw and a belt sander, that was basically all the tools that we had.” Since then, CSW has built a new maintenance facility by the lower fields, which has been outfitted with new machines and tools. While Jim appreciates the new equipment, he said it’s really the students that make the course great. “The kids are phenomenal, they’re great, they’re fun, they’re so eager,” he said. “I don’t think I would have continued with the program if it weren’t for the great group of students I’ve had.” The class meets twice a week during D-block. Within one mod, they learn everything from tool safety to wood finishing techniques; and at the end they go home with a beautiful piece of carpentry. Last fall, the class made traditional New England-style silverware trays out of walnut. In previous classes, students have made upholstery footstools, shaker-style tables, and clocks, among others. The tables that display sculptures in the community gallery at the Garthwaite Center for Science and Art were constructed by students in the woodworking course. Jim said he would like to see his class become a multi-mod course, so that he could give students more elaborate projects. Either way, he’s glad he can share his skill with students. “I’m not asking anybody to do what I do for a living, but it’s a great hobby,” Jim said. “It’s also helpful for when kids go out and live on their own, they’re going to know what tool does what. And you can certainly get fulfillment just doing projects; it’s better than watching television.”

Michael Weinstein, music chair, was commissioned by the The Rhode Island College Wind Ensemble to write an original composition for performance by the ensemble. Weinstein’s piece, a concerto for flute and wind ensemble, premiered at the College Band Directors National Association Eastern Division Conference at West Chester University Michael contributed a chapter to the second in Pennsylvania in March. edition of Teaching Music Robert Franzblau, conductor of through Performance in the RIC Wind Ensemble, described Band, in which he wrote Weinstein’s piece as “challenging, but about composer Ingolf also very beautiful and colorful.” Dahl and his "Sinfonietta for Concert Band.” Michael also recently contributed a chapter to the second edition of “Teaching Music through Performance in Band.” The chapter he contributed focuses on composer Ingolf Dahl and his “Sinfonietta for Concert Band.” It is a highly descriptive passage on the composer and textures and themes throughout the piece itself. In addition to teaching at The Cambridge School of Weston, Michael teaches at Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory. Toni Loreti, “Boston,” 2007.

Connecting Science and Art

Faculty Photographs Part of Boston Public

By Cam Bauchner ’11

Library Collection

Todd Bartel, visual arts, joined a panel presentation in the Women’s Studies Research Center at Brandeis University in May to discuss innovative ways educators are making connections between science and art. Todd was among other prominent art educators and administrators who shared the exciting ways they integrate science and art into their programs and curricula. The discussion, “When Einstein Meets Picasso,” was part of the university’s Kniznick Gallery art exhibition “Science of Art: Recent Work by Guhapiya Ranganathan and Nancy Selvage.”

Tony Loreti’s photographs of Boston street life have been purchased

by the Boston Public Library to become a part of its permanent print collection, one of the largest in the country. Tony, visual arts teacher at The Cambridge School of Weston, has been capturing moments in the fleeting scenes of everyday life in Boston for the past several decades: a man in Allston waiting for the T, a street game of chess in Roxbury, small dogs peering out the windows of a Beacon Hill townhouse. These photographs and seven others, taken at various points over past three decades, were purchased by the library this winter. “I always thought of the city as theatre, with life playing out on stage,” Tony said. “My job as a photographer is to put a frame around it, to record the actions and emotions in a given moment.” The library’s print department houses more than 100,000 drawings and 650,000 photographs, including historic photographs of the American West and the Civil War, and is home to the Boston Pictorial Archive, the largest public photographic archive of historic Boston. “I’m just pleased to be part of this vast collection,” Tony said. “As an artist, it’s exciting when your work becomes part of the public realm.”

Gryphon Fall 2010

Feuer ’96 Establishes Student Art Loan Program

Sports Wrap Up

When Zach Feuer ’96 graduated from The Cambridge School of Weston, his parents gave him money to purchase his first original work of art. The summer after he left, Zach walked into a Brooklyn art gallery and chose the piece that would ultimately change his relationship with contemporary art – a small drawing by David Scher, of a decapitated bird perched on a tree stump. “I’ve lived with the piece for almost 15 years,” said Zach, now a contemporary art dealer who owns a gallery in New York. “When you live with art, exclusive from a museum or exhibition space, it helps to break down the barriers.” Zach hoped to knock down similar barriers for students at CSW. This past school year, students and faculty had the opportunity to borrow and live alongside original works of professional contemporary art through the school’s new art loan program. The artwork was donated to the school from his personal collection. Last year, Zach donated 36 pieces, worth more than $60,000, and he donated another 32 pieces this winter, also appraised at $60,000. Students can borrow artwork for their dorm rooms or in their homes throughout the academic year. Faculty and staff are also encouraged to borrow art to hang in offices or common areas on campus.

The Cambridge School of Weston’s cross country team and the girls varsity basketball teams completed championship seasons this year. The boys and girls cross country team completed an undefeated season by winning the Massachusetts Bay Independent League's championship at Gann Academy last fall. The prospects for the team, in just its sixth season of competition, look good as the team is loaded with young talent, including seven first-year students. When the girls varsity basketball team beat Brimmer and May School, 44-36, in February, during the finals of the

Nina Bovaso, “Untitled,” 2001, oil on canvas.

“Ideally, this will encourage other people to donate contemporary art, or artists will be invited to teach a class,” Zach said. “I hope, in the end, more students will come out feeling contemporary art is accessible.” Current pieces are available for checkout and are on display at the start of Mod 1 in the community gallery.

Independent Girls Conference (IGC) tournament, it marked the second straight year a CSW basketball team won a league championship. For the girls team, it was the first title since 1994. “Every year you see things in the players as they play in the system,” said fifth-year girls varsity basketball coach Pat Ferdinand. “This group of seniors was committed to winning. They wanted to leave something behind for the school to be remembered by.” • Having won the NEPSAC Class D Championship last year, the boys varsity basketball team faced a successful rebuilding season, posting a 8-8 record. • The boys varsity soccer team finished

the season with a tough loss to Waring Academy in the finals of the ‘A’ Division of the MBIL championship. • The girls varsity soccer team was the #6 seed in the Independent Girls Conference tournament and traveled to Gann Academy (#3 seed) for their 1st round match up, but lost 1-0. • The field hockey team compiled a 5-5-1 record this season under new coach Courtney Hughes and finished its season with a victory over cross-town rival, Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall.

Vapnek ’85 publishes first book, “Breadwinners” Lara Vapnek ‘85’s “Breadwinners” is as much a reflection of her research interests as it is a continuation of a passion that began while she was a student at The Cambridge School of Weston. “Basically, I had no real interest in history until I came to The Cambridge School,” she said. “I had some amazing teachers who got me hooked.” Steve Cohen’s class on the Vietnam War and Trumbull Smith’s class about the U.S. Constitution taught her that history was a set of questions to be explored, not just facts to memorize. “My teachers at The Cambridge School took us seriously, and we were all encouraged to think critically and develop our own perspectives,” Lara said. “They pushed us to question and dig deeper than what we saw on the surface.” Accordingly, “Breadwinners,” published last December, explores the American labor movement through the lives of women, whose lives were little known and largely forgotten, but whose work greatly impacted the women’s movements in the 20th century. There is Leonora O’Reilly, who at 11 went to work in a garment factory to support her siblings and her widowed mother; Helen Campbell, a journalist and the pioneer of home economics; Jennie Collins, who went to work at 14 and later formed the Boston Women’s Working League, and many others described in her book. “These women were claiming this new identity, and they were not apologizing for it,” Lara said. “Some middle class feminists saw this as a sign of progress; others saw it as the end of the American family. I was curious to find out what the women themselves thought.” The women whose lives she follows in her book were precursors to the suffrage movement of the early 20th century. Though lesser known, they had a profound impact on the way 10

Gryphon Fall 2010

Gender Explored on Diversity Day

we think and talk about current political and labor issues, such as equal pay for equal work, sexual harassment in the workplace, workplace safety, and workers’ rights. “There’s this lingering idea, even still, that women should be secondary wage earners,” Lara said. “Well, these women, even back then, were saying, ‘No, we’re the breadwinners’ – that’s their term – ‘We should be recognized for that.’” Lara, who teaches history at St. John’s University in Queens, specializes in gender, labor, and social movements in the United States during the 19th and 20th century.

As a community, students, faculty and staff at The Cambridge School of Weston explored the topic of gender during this year’s Diversity Day in May. At an all-school assembly, several teachers and students spoke to the community about their own gender identity development, as well as what it is like to wrestle with the stereotypes and expectations associated with their gender. In the days leading up to Diversity Day, the community took the Harvard Implicit Associated Test on Gender Bias. The IAT for gender bias indirectly assesses how people may associate certain images or words as male or female traits by measuring how quickly they are able to categorize these elements. Students broke out into advisor groups to discuss the results of the test.

Social Justice Flows at CSW The Cambridge School of Weston community debated the issue of water privatization, the topic of this year’s Social Justice Day. Organized by members of CSW’s Model United Nations team, students explored the issue as a mock UN general assembly, taking on identities of nations around the world grappling with how to deliver water to its citizens. In the end, the nations voted on a resolution to create a global solution for equitable distribution of water. Because water is a finite resource and all life depends on water to survive, how the resource is sanitized and distributed – and by whom – has become an increasing topic of controversy. Although globally, the majority of water is publicly owned and distributed, an increasing number of countries, particularly in developing nations without adequate funds or infrastructure, are ceding control to private corporations. Formerly known as Law Day, Social Justice Day was established in 1975 by Shirley and Roger Feldman in memory of their son, Michael Feldman ’67. Each year the event explores various viewpoints on important legal and social justice issues of the day, and creates opportunities for student discussion and debate. Students are pivotal in choosing the focus of the day, researching and preparing materials, and educating the CSW community about the chosen topic.

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2010

Craig Dorfman, English Teacher

2010 Graduation

“What is the power of X?” Jane Moulding, head of school, asked. “It is that collective power, sitting here in front of me, that visits us all today, that enters into our beings and reminds us that X is always worth solving for. Always.”

The Cambridge School of Weston graduated the 76 seniors in the class of 2010, which refers to itself as ‘X,’ at its 124th commencement ceremony on June 11. Fifty-nine of the students had been at CSW all four years and 13 students count their family home in other countries. With the sounds of Pachelbel’s Kanon in the air, the class walked from the Garthwaite Center for Science and Art through a natural archway built by classmates and peers, and settled on the quad for the ceremony. “They enjoy each other’s company,” said Jane. “This is the class that wanted to spend the night together on the quad, take a day off together and go to the boat dance—three days one after the other!” This year, seniors elected two classmates, Chace Nolen ’10 of Cambridge, Mass., and Helen Serrano ’10 of Roslindale, Mass., to speak on behalf of the class, and Craig Dorfman, English, and

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Martha Fischhoff ’01, history, to speak on behalf of the faculty. In breaking with tradition, the senior class also requested Jesse McGleughlin ’10 of Cambridge, Mass., to speak for the board of trustees, having served on it for two years. Jesse reminded the audience that the best skills learned at CSW were to think critically and connect with others, a sentiment shared by Chace and Helen, who explored the power of teachers and connecting with students and asked us to remember the heroes in our lives who helped shape us. In keeping with tradition, several faculty members were chosen by the senior class to award the diplomas: Brian Walker, English; Marilyn Del Donno, science; Todd Bartel, visual arts; Rachel Hirsch, history; Jane Berkowitz, English; Tom Evans, visual arts; Sophia Boyer, history; and Anne Rearick, visual arts. Jim Cook, maintenance, and Doug Healy, history, were chosen to read the names of the graduates.

Martha Fischhoff ’01, History Teacher

“Of all the words in the beautiful French language, my favorite is an article, ‘de.’ In my French-to-English dictionary, it was defined as ‘of or belonging to’ – a phrase I have always found remarkably poetic. You are of or belonging to me, class of 2010. I am of or belonging to you. We are all of or belonging to The Cambridge School of Weston. You are of kindness and generosity, of word and deed, both. You are of critical thought and impassioned discussions. You are of caring for each other, of working toward social justice and beauty. Those things will not leave you when you leave The Cambridge School. We are sending you into a world that is not always pretty. This is not a secret. You already know that there is oil in our ocean, that one of the world’s poorest countries has been shattered further by an earthquake, that all over the world, people are dying from lack of food or medicine. You know that change is necessary, that there is hard work to be done. Your generation has been accused of apathy. Of a surprising lack of awareness. But working here, watching you, I know that doesn’t have to be the case. Look around at this thing that belongs to you. This is a place where people balance their individual needs with those of the community with what sometimes looks like an alarming effortlessness. A place where good questions are valued as much as good answers. A place where morals and convictions are worth more than cool jeans and fast cars. Coming from this place, you are ready to do the hard work. You are of a place where people can be themselves, where speaking your mind is a matter of course, where the strong and the powerful stand up for the smaller and weaker. Tell this story, this truth when you leave us. The very act of telling it is a powerful rebellion against those that claim it is impossible. You hold the power to shape the world into the better place you want it o be. You have created something beautiful here. This experience, this power you have honed and practiced with, this is the weapon I want you to use to fight injustice.”

“Perhaps more than any other factor, faith in people, and especially students, shapes CSW. My job requires me to come in everyday confident that you all can and want to learn – not just ‘pretty sure,’ but certain that you’re in class because it’s worth your time and because given the right stimulus, you’ll produce some inspired work. And there’s not always a ton of evidence to support that belief. But we trust in the unseen, and you shine. What first got me thinking about this was Stride Toward Freedom, Martin Luther King’s account of the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott. In explaining why we should respond to violence with nonviolence, King puts his faith in the soul of the attacker himself, saying: ‘Faced with this dynamic unity, this amazing self respect, and this refusal to hit back, the oppressor will find, as oppressors have always found, that he is glutted with his own barbarity. Forced to stand before the world and his God splattered with the blood of his brother, he will call an end of his self-defeating massacre.’ With that kind of imagery, King doesn’t really need to cite further evidence that people don’t like hurting one another. … Instead King offers us a different path to knowledge: faith. ‘Martin, how do you know that deep in their hearts, people do not want to live violently? ‘Well,’ Martin says, ‘Think it over a while. Don’t you just kind of know?’ Don’t misunderstand me. The vast majority of knowledge in the world is best understood using science, analysis, research, observation. … When you evaluate an idea or a claim, remember all the tools we helped you sharpen – the questioning, the curiosity, the trust of evidence and scientific method and analysis and collaboration – and use those first. You should subject any bit of knowledge or understanding to relentless, merciless questioning. Demand evidence. Examine it. Examine the sources of that evidence. Consider the way that knowledge affects the flow of power in the world. The vast majority of the time, those tools will lead you to a useful, well-considered, and more or less true conclusion. So, before you ‘just know’ something, make all the efforts you can to verify it. But there are some moral truths that once you’ve broken them down as far as you can, to the subatomic level of understanding, still aren’t provable: ‘Why should I keep my word?’ ‘Why should I show gratitude?’ ‘Why should I work for justice?’ Don’t you just know?”

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Jesse McGleughlin ‘10

Helen Serrano ‘10

Chace Nolen ’10

“Four years ago, I was sitting at home, and I was trying to figure out how I was going to explain myself to CSW… in my applications essay. I closed my eyes and cut myself down to a tiny, miniature Chace who only liked two things: science and art. I thought if I got myself small enough, I could get through the college admissions meat grind. And then, I came to CSW. The idea that I could just care about art and science was totally shattered, because I found out that I loved math. And then, I found out I love Spanish. And then, I found out I love history. And then, I found out I love just about everything. … It turns out that when you awaken something in someone, it doesn’t go back to sleep. When I was in fourth grade, my mom went back to school and got her masters in public health. Last year, my dad went back to school and got his professional chef ’s degree. My mom went from being a stay-at-home mom to deworming people in Rwanda, and my dad went from real estate to teaching professional chefs how to make sausages, so you know, life is crazy. What I realized from their example is that I don’t have to only do one thing in my life. All of these things that I love – I don’t have to choose just one. What I think says the most about this school, that the thing I most want to be after seeing all this, knowing all this – is a teacher. You showed me everything in the world, all of your passions, everything that I could possibly do with my life, and in the end, I ended up wanting to be you, to do what you do. Because it’s the most interesting of all. If you teach someone to learn, they will discover new continents, find their life’s passion, create art of stunning power and beauty, love and care for the people in their life, respect their peers, question the unfairness in life, and teach you things you never knew. If you teach somebody how to teach, they will fall in love with you.” 14

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“As a child, whenever I was asked the question, ‘Who is your hero?,’ my answer was always ‘My mother.’ In 1993, my mother moved from St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands to Gloucester, Mass. with five kids under 12 and nowhere to go. … She came with a dream of giving all of her kids more opportunities than she had. With nothing but her kids and her undying faith in God, my mother created a home, got a job and began a new life. In high school, I explored new things because she helped me see the potential within me. I never knew that potential could lead me to learning and teaching young girls self defense last summer, or discovering that art wasn’t my true passion and instead, I would be majoring in forensic science this fall at Suffolk University. Each and every one of us in this room today is graduating from high school because of at least one person who has never given up on us. In gratitude and honor to the person or people in our lives who have helped shape us into the shining individuals we are, we owe it to them to be the very best we can be, from this day forward. Now that you are leaving to find your place in this world, I hope that you will see that true heroes begin at home. It only takes one person in someone’s life to make a difference. I look at you, seniors, and I see the potential of being a hero to someone else. ‘To the world, you may be just one person, but to one person, you may be the world.’”

“What does student empowerment look like? This is what student empowerment looks like. It looks like students taking responsibility for ourselves, our education, and the community we learn and live in. It looks like an environment, in which we are so known and valued that as diversity committee members, we can create a day devoted to discussing race or gender, we can curate an art show in the installation room, we can write, direct, and produce a play, we can assist in teaching a class. We can serve as full voting members on the Board of Trustees. As empowered students, we can make connections – real connections – with faculty, staff, each other, and the administration to create one of the most far out and fabulous educations I know. It is this dialogue between what could be disparate group of people that makes CSW a place in which we know how to talk to each other and with each other. As parents and family members, you trusted that within a framework of open dialogue, we you children, could become our best selves. My experiences at CSW and on the Board have shown me that this is true. I believe the ability to think critically and to connect with others, even those who are least like us, are the most important skills to take with us beyond this place. … We will return again and again to what we learned here. It will live inside of us.

Photographs by Russ Campbell. These and other photographs are available at www.russcam.com/csw2010.

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body, mind and soul all connected or if fear and uncertainty has disrupted their gestures.” Karl, himself, is an artist, but often shies away from talking about his art. To him, art is a personal thing that is less about the product and more about the process. When a piece of art is done, it is put it up on the wall, but, according to Karl, the most useful part is already done. “I don't romanticize about being an artist—for many, it is a difficult life. The most important thing artists or a students of art can gain is a deeper understanding of themselves. Making art is a bridge between who you think you are as a person and your true nature as a human being. That in itself is an incredible value and a reason to do art.” Karl completed his undergraduate studies of art at Syracuse University before earning a graduate degree in painting from Cranbrook's Academy of Art. Following graduate school Karl taught and practiced graphic design – a field that was rapidly changing with the advent of technology. “The Visual arts are constantly looking for new and compelling forms of expression. I knew computers were going to have a profound effect on the way artist created and looked at art. Within a few years computers had totally reinvented graphic design and publishing. It was only a matter of time before the fine arts would be equally affected.” As this shift accelerated Karl strived to give CSW’s students continued access to the best that computer technology has to offer. Since arriving, he has pushed for consistent hardware and software upgrades to both help increase production as well as enable students to more fully express themselves through this new medium. He has also worked tirelessly for better computer lab facilities to enable teachers to more thoroughly explore computer software and to examine the more subtle aspects of the creative process. Built in 1997, the YUM (Youth Understanding Media) Lab was designed to help its students better utilize and understand computer technology. Since its inception, the curriculum has

Karl Fisher “Never question your teacher, because we are always right and you are always wrong,” Karl Fisher said, with a smile, to his portrait painting class. His students laughed. “What a learning environment that would be?”

Being at The Cambridge School of Weston is learning how to decode and find the true message in the meaning of the words. The way teachers communicate at CSW comes from the sophisticated personal relationships that they are able to develop with the students and colleagues. When Karl says, “Do the do; don’t do the don’t,” he is asking students to stop procrastinating. “There’s right and then there’s wrong,” encourages them to think through their process. “There is no crying in painting,” is said to remind a student to not let frustration overwhelm them. “I’ve got two words for you: not normal,” is actually a compliment meaning you’re a very creative person.

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grown dramatically. In one decade, the digital component of art department offerings has gone from zero to 23 courses. In 2009, the Stackpole-Hall Foundation presented the school with an $87,400 grant to fund a renovation of the lab in an effort to expand and enhance educational offerings and the development of integrated studies courses at the school. And this year, CSW has purchased school-wide license for Adobe's Creative Suite, which is the standard design and photography software used today. With the New YUM lab facilities almost complete, the greater CSW community has begun to take advantage of the opportunities the lab offers. This year the lab will host courses in music, journalism, science and computer science. Courses such as Film Scoring, Programming and Documenting Flora is the beginning of a process of making the YUM lab more than just a resource for artists but a computer facility for the entire community. “Computer hardware is the soil, the software is the seeds, and the knowledge and creative expressions are the fruit,” Karl said. The next big thing, according to Karl, might be 3D printing. He has created a Design and Construction course that could be a bridge to other 3D design courses both traditionally and virtually based. “Students should soon be able to create 3D models of things that would, otherwise, be impossible to create. It is a great connection between our two- and three-dimensional worlds. Many things that we thought had boundaries and were separate and distinct slowly bend and blend together in the computers endless world of circuits, switches, and lighted screens. “ No matter how much technology opens up new approaches to art and creativity, one thing will always remain the same for Karl in his classrooms: he wants his students to ask the important questions and not take everything present to them as fact. “You are an empty vessel and I, as your teacher, will take advantage of that.” Karl smiled as the students, again, laughed.

“Statements that over simplify a particular point of view can both challenge us to use our critical thinking skills or as a source that reinforces human place that makes CSW so unique,” said Karl. He has developed these and many other sayings over 14 years of teaching visual arts at CSW. For the past eight years, he has chaired the Visual Arts Department. “I love watching the students struggle through the creative process. I watch each student and how they handle the brush in my painting class. Painting is a performance art and the finished piece is the remnant of the performance. It is layered dance. I look to see if they are staying in the moment with their hand,

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Conceptual Design 18

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“This school is unique in that the arts are not only respected, but integrated into the curriculum,” said Martha Gray, chair of the dance department. “It’s not just there as an aside. There’s a recognition that art is essential to being human.”

Engineers and architects are familiar with conceptual design, the practice of creating an idea and exploring how best to transform that idea into a palpable product, like a bridge or a building. At The Cambridge School of Weston, it’s not uncommon to find this practice integrated into the teaching and learning across disciplines, be it visual or performing arts, science, math, history, or the languages.

Art and design has always been a strong presence at CSW, but here, students are also pushed to go beyond what’s in their heads or a sketch on paper, be it a mathematical equation, a dance, a short story, a sculpture, or a musical composition. Band-aids are transformed into dresses that swish and sway, an Atari video game controller finds new life and purpose, an idea for movement becomes a dance, and words progress into poetry. “The most effective classes here seem to create a studio or a lab where students are experimenting and making discoveries,” said Jane Moulding, head of school. “You may hear some students say, ‘Just tell me what to do,’ but that is not our purpose. Our purpose is to help them discover how to do it themselves.” With the mass of information flooding students at any given moment, through their cell phones, laptop, television, and faceto-face conversation, the ability to absorb it all, distill it into the most essential facts, and synthesize the information is a 21st century skill that Jane hopes students learn to refine at CSW. Teachers and students here push each other see the connections between disparate disciplines, she said, and hopes that “exciting innovation and ideas” can be born out of connections made across technology, science, and art.

For instance, English courses, especially those that focus on writing, encourage students to write from the point of view of creation. If one were to visit a class, they would see students brainstorming, mapping their essays, short stories, or poetry, building a bridge to their final written piece. And, in math, students are pushed to see beyond numbers, to see problems for which they can design and create solutions. There are many more examples of student-led projects, from workshop plays that are entirely student directed and acted to senior capstone projects, that are student-conceived, designed, and executed. “This school is unique in that the arts are not only respected, but integrated into the curriculum,” said Martha Gray, chair of the dance department. “It’s not just there as an aside. There’s a recognition that art is essential to being human.” Similar to the way architects may sketch and revise the blueprints of a house before the first nail is even hammered, the students in Martha’s choreography class also engage in many hours of critique and refinement before debuting the final dance on stage. “The students conceive of the choreography themselves, and there is a long process that plays out before you see the dance in

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“Say you have an idea, an idea for a new function or a new design of a product. The space between that idea and your final product is Tinkering,” said Alex Hornstein.

“There has to be a lot of trust on the part of the adult community to give students the freedom to experiment, make mistakes, and learn,” Martha said. “What comes out of this trust, though, are some amazing things.”

full,” Martha said. “There is a plateau period, where they are working out the rough patches, giving each other feedback, reworking it until it feels right.” Each year, students themselves choreograph many of the dances featured in the school’s annual spring dance concert, and they also play a huge role in selecting which routines make the cut. “There has to be a lot of trust on the part of the adult community to give students the freedom to experiment, make mistakes, and learn,” Martha said. “What comes out of this trust, though, are some amazing things.” Tinkering, offered through the science department, teaches students how to fashion new objects and give new purpose to common household electronics or gadgets. “Say you have an idea, an idea for a new function or a new design of a product. The space between that idea and your final product is Tinkering,” said Alex Hornstein, an inventor who teaches the class. Students in the class have taken apart objects, like video game controllers, telephones, or can openers, to learn how it works.

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They have experimented with electricity, learned how batteries operate, how to connect wires and solder metals. For their final project, they created inventions of their own design. “The most successful teachers at CSW are not only innovative and experimental, but also practicing artists, writers, mathematicians, or researchers, whose own desire to keep learning never ends”, Jane said. The school is currently exploring options to partner with local universities and colleges, that have entrepreneurship, experimentation, and innovation as part of their missions to help strengthen CSW’s academic program, she said. “We like to say that creativity is not confined to just the art department, and it’s true,” Jane said. “The magic of our school is that it is infused into everything that we do, and good design is an outcome of so many classes.”

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alumni/ae P R O F I L E S

By Alorie Parkhill

Each of us is an artist in some fashion, yet it takes an exceptional school to tap fully into individual talents. The Cambridge School of Weston provides a combination of intense creative energy and discipline that shapes inchoate gifts in young people. We see the beginnings of a magical process when students first arrive, full of potential. We see the fulfillment in our adult alumni/ae who have grown from their high school roots – and flourished.

Elissa Brown Barbieri ’95 “Push, push, push,” Elissa Brown Barbieri ’95 remembers Orlando Leyba commanding in one of her art classes.

needed to feel more in touch with what she was producing and closer to the clients. She left and began consulting on her own, and by winter of 2007, Loop was born. Loop allowed her to create products that combined art and her strong sense of stewardship in its design. She was finally designing products that spoke for her. Almost from the beginning of her new project, Elissa found fortune on her side. With the encouragement of her architect husband, she printed some of her designs and took them to the National Stationary Show in Philadelphia. There, she met retail buyers interested in her work. She began crafting a line of eco-friendly paper goods from her own portfolio. The Museum of Modern Art in New York City became her first client from the show and helped her get a start in business. Her note cards, small books, wrapping paper and fabrics are currently sold in MOMA’s gift shop. Elissa has always been deeply connected to nature, and anything she designs needs to honor and draw from it. Her patterns are textural and reminiscent of the natural world. Most of Loop’s designs are black, white and gray, and they demonstrate Elissa’s special interest in form. Her line drawings create a pattern that grows from itself, almost like a meditation. Some involve textured undulating lines, others leaf-like forms, and still others burst with multiple circles that suggest pebbles. One branch of the business, however, does involve color:

Doodlespark. Color note cards evolved from early play that she and her mother, Chris Brown, had with Elissa’s 4-year-old brother. Sitting at a table, they all drew and each of the three added to the forms. Through college, Elissa and her mom sent each other drawings instead of letters, adding a few sentences. Ultimately, the drawings became a part of a colorful note card line. Elissa is even considering an interactive book to encourage others to try artistic forms, “a great incubator.” Elissa’s mother still helps with drawings and staffs the booths at national shows, but the Loop itself is a one person operation. She will only work with printers who are part of the Forest Stewardship Council. She uses local printers chosen for their ecological responsibility about such things as ink and recycled paper. She uses minimal packaging for her products. Elissa considers what ecological characteristics the public will understand and encourages her clients to be more responsible. She also works with eco-friendly clients, such as boutiques, museums, and recently, some Whole Foods stores. Jumping into the commercial world as an artist takes courage and confidence. Elissa’s playfulness, combined with artistic vision, appreciation of nature and the environment, as well as a good sense of business have made her an extraordinary success. She now pushes herself, but without the need for teacher goading. She knows she has the capacity to do whatever she chooses.

Anne Meyer ’65 Anne Meyer ’65 has many passions, but none more fervent

than her desire to make learning accessible to everyone.

Elissa came to The Cambridge School of Weston her senior year for the artistic training she hadn’t received in her Vermont high school. What she found here were teachers who challenged her to go beyond what was comfortable and take her creativity to new heights. Her mother an artist and her father a music teacher, she had grown up surrounded by the arts since birth, but at CSW, she discovered a new freedom to explore and expand her own strengths. Elissa, now the owner of Loop, an eco-conscious textile and stationery design company, still takes those lessons to heart. Loop’s mission? To “satisfy a craving for unique, well-made, modern desk and home accessories that support a green lifestyle” and to value eco-standards that “celebrates beauty, promote healthy living, give back to the community, and support industry innovation.”

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In high school, Elissa knew she wanted to travel, write, and draw, but seeing beyond those dreams and how they would play out practically was difficult. It took a mental shift – and several years of designing for others – to envision herself as her own artist and to declare this to the world. At the University of Pennsylvania, Elissa started studying English but soon switched to architecture. She immersed herself in fine arts, as well as history, and found joy in the practical aspects of creating things. She also discovered that actually working for an architect was not as glorious as the study. After graduation, Elissa worked for the German luxury kitchen line, Bulthaup. Unfortunately, even though she had a good deal of responsibility, she felt her creativity was dying. She

As one of the founding directors of CAST, a non-profit research and development organization, Anne has been helping expand educational opportunities for learners “on the margins” for more than 25 years. The key to making learning accessible to all, Anne said, is to attack the curriculum itself so that it can be customized. This process, known as Universal Design for Learning (UDL), includes approaches for both individuals with learning disabilities and the gifted. UDL gives learners diverse options for acquiring information, for demonstrating what they have learned, and provides multiple ways to engage with learners by offering appropriate challenges and motivation. As a student at The Cambridge School of Weston, Anne herself uncovered her passions in multiple fields. When Anne entered the school her junior year as a boarder, a vast world of learning opened to her.Her teachers – Hildegarde Washburn, French, Jeanette Cheek, history, Mario Castillo, science, and Howe Derbyshire, English. – provided her with disciplined creativity. Joe Schaff, the dynamic music teacher, gave her the opportunity to

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sing in chorus, perform in musicals, and play the oboe. At Radcliffe College, where she earned her undergraduate degree, Anne started studying English but later switched to architecture. She also immersed herself in science, psychology, and design. Her thesis combined both psychology and the visual arts, designing children’s books based on perceptions of the young. She explored books as object rather than picture, experimenting with objects that fit into the image and helped children to see three dimensions in flat pictures. After graduation, Anne worked for a year in graphic design for an architect, but found the field too limiting. She wanted to expand upon the work of her thesis and create materials based on the workings of the young mind. She found a job at the Landmark School, which specializes in children with educational and emotional needs. How could she design materials to support the unique social and emotional requirements of dyslexic kids? This became her challenge. After three years at Landmark, Anne realized that she needed more background in education and psychology. She pursed a doctorate in education and psychology at Harvard, and later, did her post-doctoral internship in psychology and practiced as a licensed clinical psychologist for 10 years. While working in educational and psychological testing at North Shore Children’s Hospital in the early 1980’s, she came to recognize that some essential things were missing in helping kids with problems in learning. During a decade when personal computers were becoming increasingly common, Anne began to wonder if pairing students with computers would help remove some of the barriers for children with learning challenges. What if you gave kids computers with spell checkers, for example? Computers could help to get students around areas of difficulty and reengage them in learning. While still working at the North Shore Hospital, Anne formed, with a group of pioneers, the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) in 1984 that designed learning materials on the computer for people with learning challenges.

Anne left the hospital in 1987 and ran CAST with her cofounding director, David Rose. They sought to learn from these kids and develop broad solutions for many. Their learning lab went into many schools and followed what happened to the kids. Beginning with individual books, CAST moved to one large book with many options – a big breakthrough. One of Anne’s most moving stories involves a 4-year-old boy with cerebral palsy. His head had to be supported, and he could only blink his eyes and use his chin to communicate. Anne and others designed a chin switch to teach him to drive his wheelchair. They scanned books and put them on a screen so he could turn pages and have the text read aloud, an incredibly exciting experience for the boy. The boy’s mother wanted him to go to public school, but he was denied on the assumption that he was not intellectually capable. However, because Anne’s group was able to create a language-based IQ test where with the click of his chin, he could point to the image that corresponded to a word, they discovered the boy’s IQ to be 140. The school was mandated to work with him. The group continued to work with the boy through junior college, designing digitized books for him. Over the years, CAST has made learning accessible to thousands of children. CAST creates software that helps children compensate for their individual learning differences. Publishers, such as Scholastic, have produced CAST’s products for schools. An early reading program named Wiggle Works, for example, came out in 1994 and is their most successful software program. Students can even rewrite a book. Book Builder has 1,250 books for supported reading. Thinking Reader includes imbedded prompts and supports for reading strategies. Much of their material is also available free on line. CAST is involved with legislation that defines UDL. The National Science Foundation has funded work with them, as has the Carnegie Corporation, providing support for study on adolescents. As CAST celebrates its 25th anniversary, Anne says, flexibility works better for everyone.

Chris Culliton ’81 Chris Culliton ’81 has a long list of movie

credits, including several formative years working on Stephen Spielberg movies, but his crowning achievement thus far is Avatar, in which he worked with Mauro Fiore, who recently won an Academy Award for Cinematography for the film.

“One of the most challenging, yet rewarding moments in feature film lighting is to take a set, in a completely dark immense room (as in “Avatar”) and slowly, light by light, bring it to life.” Chris Culliton ’81 (left) with Mauro Fiore,

the cinematographer, and Richard Mall, the key grip, for the film, Avatar.

For seven months, or 73 shooting days, Chris designed and developed the lighting inside studios in New Zealand, where light was scarce. The technical and visual effects, as well as 3Dimaging, made the task exceptionally challenging, but the results proved remarkable. “Things need not to be normal to be creative,” Chris said. The purpose of lighting is to amplify a story, creating a mood set by the story line. The gaffer designs and implements the lighting, from conceptualizing how and what mood to achieve in a certain scene to managing the set lighting department, Chris explained. “One of the most challenging, yet rewarding moments in feature film lighting is to take a set, in a completely dark immense room (as in “Avatar”) and slowly, light by light, bring it to life.” Chris acknowledges the powerful influence of The Cambridge School of Weston, calling it a “wonderful, deep, textured luxury” that every kid should have. At CSW, productive tension between discipline and creativity forced him to rise to the occasion in classes. Smart, demanding English teachers, like David Smith, exerted a profound influence on Chris, pushing him beyond his comfort zone. A three-hour weaving course with Randy Darwall proved to be one of the most intense experiences Chris had at CSW. The seriousness and high expectations led him through the sometimes tedious, repetitive, but disciplined underpinnings – setting up the loom – exploding into the realm of vivid color and creative design. Chris has chosen many steps along his journey, not necessarily knowing where it would lead. Meeting CSW students on the train one day convinced him that he needed to amplify the visual parts of himself, as those kids were doing. He applied on his own, and the die was cast. Chris studied constitutional law at a challenging program at the University of Michigan. Chris was accepted into Boston

College Law School, but soon recognized the tension between his passion for visual arts and his passion for politics and philosophy. A turn at Ropes and Gray, a Boston law firm, where he enjoyed writing and analyzing case briefs, seemed to be directing him toward a law career, but ultimately, his passion for the visual drew him elsewhere. Chris began an internship in Boston, working on an industrial video. The cameraman he worked with his in role as production assistant taught him an enormous amount. He soon moved on to where the film industry was king – Hollywood. And there, his lighting career really took off. Chris feels it is essential to learn from others before you can develop on your own. He has had many mentors, working his way up from light technician to best boy (who assists the gaffer by organizing all the workers under him, such as electricians and the rigging crew) to gaffer, heading the lighting department. Gaffers are hired by the director of photography. Chris gives immense credit for his successes to his early training. The WE ARE sculpture has meaning for Chris that he did not recognize while at school. The deep well he now draws on came from learning that he could be part of a world of authority without losing his self confidence. He can be fully in the world and yet independent. “CSW is not about questioning authority, but reminding young people that they are powerful and have the potential for profound invention,” he said. “It honors our uniqueness and understands that those differences are the crucible of creativity and a more full human life.” Who knows what the future holds? Chris is relaxed about next steps in his highly structured and competitive world. Perhaps he will reach for director of photography, although he claims that he might have to be fired in order to take that step. In coming months, will be working again with Fiore on the film, Real Steel.

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Right: Jeremy Wood P‘95, P‘96, Lelia Orrell Elliston ’80, director of alumni/ae affairs, and Lisa Hirsch, dance faculty

Far Left: Matthew Rice ‘80, Marlene Brown ‘80, and Edric Guise ‘80 Left: Emma Ward ’10, the youngest alumna in attendance, with Lindsay Ellms ‘44, the oldest alumnus at Reunion. Right: Juliet Simon ‘84 and Jess Schickel ‘85 Below Right: Maxwell McKenzie ’70, aerial photographer, soared above campus on a motorized parachute plane. Below: Rob Moir ’72 and Trumbull Smith (past faculty)

Brian Claflin ’85 performs.

reunion The Cambridge School of Weston campus buzzed all weekend as more than 200 alumni/ae returned to reunite and reconnect with old friends and faculty.

Class of 1980 and friends. On ‘We Are’ statue: Jonathan Klein, Marlene Brown, Carolyn Robbins, Lelia Orrell Elliston. Standing: Borden Wicks, Mathew Rice, Edric Guise, Kenneth Thompson, Jim Simmonds, Win Whitcomb, Chris Freeman, Sarah Carpenter (guest), Michael Garber, Karen Ascheim Wysopal, Dan Schaeffer, Gig Moineau, Dossie Kahn, Emily Erskine, Ben Wood ’81, Ethan Strominger. Sitting: Phil Butler, Suzanne Lambert, Robin Goodwin Bailey ‘81, Edith Lockhart Di Francesco ‘81 Reunion.

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Class of 1985 and friends. On ‘We Are’ statue: Chuck Ingold Mock ‘84, George Saulnier ’84, Berta Daniels ‘84, Amos Glick, Justin Neutra. Standing: Lisa Goekjian Henneberry, Lesley Watts, David Schafran ‘86, Tanya D. Stolurow ’86, David Olem, Beth Peterson, Juliet Simon ’84 (hiding), Jess Schickel, Andrew White, Rebecca Parkhill, Laura Svat Rundlet, David Varon ‘87, Elyssa Feldman Most ‘86, Louisa Bertman. Sitting: Alex Tilo Shimada-Brand, Tasha Lennhoff

Alumni/ae, their family, and past and current faculty enjoyed this year’s festivities, which included class events, a cookout for all alumni/ae and cocktails and dinner under the tent on the quad on Saturday. Alumni/ae enjoyed tours of the campus, slideshows of the dance department and the Children’s Garden, tea with Jane Moulding, head of school, and the contemporary art exhibit, “Fuzzy Logic” in the Thompson Gallery. Alumni/ae art featured prominently throughout the weekend. Maxwell Mackenzie ’70, an aerial photographer, soared above campus in a motorized parachute plane. Brian Claflin ’85, who recently released a CD of folk ballads, performed some of his favorite songs, including “With Me in this Song,” dedicated to Robin Wood, who died last year, and Josh Clayton-Felt ’86, who died in 2000. Videographer Kathy Wittman was on hand to interview and record alumni/ae, student, and faculty thoughts about CSW. Of course, many alumni/ae have been reuniting at smaller gathering leading up the big reunion this past June. Last October, Stefany Cooperman Mitlak ’76 hosted a gathering for alumni/ae in Indiana, and Paddington Matz-Zwigard ’79

Members of the Class of 2005 reconnect on the quad.

weekend Class of 1970 and friends. On ‘We Are’ statue: Maxwell McKenzie, Allan Jayne ‘69. Standing: Tom Sullivan, Stephen Porter (guest), Jeanie Lindquist, Rob Moir, Pamela Nelson Kellogg, Debby Rubush, Christopher Lenk, Sophie Parker, Joan Mamelok, John C. Talbot, Elise A. Bloustein, Doug Kahn, Ann Prescott. Sitting: Priscilla Auchincloss,

Class of 1960. Back Row: Judy White Schneider, John Beeuwkes. Front Row: Ronney Traynor, Lee Leffingwell, Loris Bickum, Robbie Lehmann, Carolyn Angelo, Rowley Elliston, Anne Barker Schink, Buzz Brownlee, Ed Freeman, George Hayes

Penny Simonds

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Left photo back row: Gordon Reynolds ’84, David Schafran ’86, Lesley Watts ‘85. Front Row: Lisa Goekjian Henneberry ’85, Chuck Ingold Mock ’84 Right photo: Mike Nason ’01 and Andy Metzger ’00

Lee Leffingwell ‘60 and Martha Gray, dance faculty

Doug Kahn ‘70 and Ayla Barreau ‘05

Gig Moineau ‘80, Patrick Singleton (guest), talk to Jane Moulding, head

of school.

Edith Lockhart DiFrancesco ’80, Ed Rose ’79, Martha Baird Saitta ’80, Dan Schaeffer ‘80, and Jonathan Klein ’80

Sarah Richardson ‘00 and Chloe Wagner ‘00 talk to Andy Metzger ‘00

invited alumni/ae and friends from the Finger Lakes region to tour her newly renovated “green” home in Aurora, N.Y. Bob Loss ’69, who owns The Alchemist restaurant and lounge in Boston, helped host an after-work social last November. Boston alumni/ae met up again in March at the Liberty Hotel in March. Also in November, alumni/ae in New York City met at a gathering hosted by Devon Fredericks ’68 at Eli’s Vinegar Factory. They also met up again in March at a gathering hosted by Polly Howells ’62 in her home in Brooklyn.

Bob Metcalf ’53, Conrad White ’54, Rebecca Parkhill ’85, Robert Willett ·(guest), Gordon Reynolds ’84, Craig Parkhill, Alorie Parkhill (past faculty)

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Class of 2005. On ‘We Are’ statue: Grush Khalsa, Ayla Barreau. Standing: Hillary Carter, Zach Fallows Jordy Ross, Josh Levin, Katrina Semich, Jacob Sagrans. Sitting: Noah Bennett, Amanda Taylor

In January, alumni/ae in Hawaii met up at a gathering hosted by Serge Marek ’82, while Mattie Eisenberg ’99 took alumni/ae in Tucson, N.M. for a tour of the Tucson Botanical Gardens. In February, Richard Freedberg ’57 hosted a Miami, Fla. gathering in February. Screenwriter Jonathan Roberts ‘73 and actress Ayla Barreau ’05 hosted a gathering in Jonathan’s home in Los Angeles. Alumni/ae in Albuquerque, N.M. joined Elizabeth "Penny" Elliston ’54 for brunch and a tour of the National Hispanic Cultural Center. In April, alumni/ae in Rockland, Maine met at the Old Granite Inn, a bed and breakfast owned by Joan Harkness Hantz ’63 and her husband, Edwin. In Chicago, Robert Friesen ’71 and Andrea Howland ’86 hosted the first-ever alumni gathering in the area. Even alumni/ae in Europe had a chance to reconnect at a gathering in May. Christine Marston Chamberlain ’63 and Jennifer Vilas Hanks '90 hosted the first-ever alumni/ae gathering in Great Britain. All of these events culminated with the big Reunion weekend in June.

Class of 1990 and friends. Amos Meacham, Keri Ataumbi, Loren Olds, Tara Flippo, Jorge Rivera, Dave Millard ‘89

Pamela Nelson Kellogg ’70 and Penny Simonds ‘70

Anne Barter Schink ‘60

Class of 2000 and friends. On ‘We Are’ statue: Julie Oppermann, Jane Wolgethan, Andy Metzger. Standing: Kenney “Enig Mue” Johnson, Elias Norton, Ben Fenton, Chloe Wagner, Robin Plimpton-Magee, Sarah Richardson, Danielle Bisson ’01, Lindsey Greene ’02, Quinn Doherty ‘02

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Doepke Miller ’51, Barbara Ickes Hewey ’51, Audrey Steinert ’51, Polly Hoben Greenberg ’51, Gus & Wally Hopkins, Joseph La Follette ’51 and Michael Finklestein ’51 – kisses to all!”

class notes

Sandra Ross Behrens ’54 is looking to conect with classmates from the Class of 1953. If you would like to be in touch with Sandra, please contact the CSW Alumni/ae Relations office.

We Want to Hear From You! Everyone is invited to submit news to the alumni office. Please send your news (including photos) via e-mail to alum@csw.org.

1940s Margaret Colt Domini ’44 writes that she went on a trip to Southeast Asia in November. “It was exhausting, fascinating, beautiful and amazing!” David Sanderson ’45 writes that he visited the grave of Edward P. Sanderson ’43 at the Henri Chappelle American Military Cemetery and Memorial in Belgium, which has “beautiful surroundings and 7000 graves to remember.” Paul E. Sapir ’46 writes that he and his wife are “reasonably healthy and able to keep pretty

active. Hope to make our 65th reunion in 2011.” Ruth Curwen ’48 writes that she plays “the violin both in the Concord (MA) Orchestra and in formal quartet sessions” and has “six grandchildren all on the west coast.”

1950s Mary Mortimer ‘51 sent in a letter with an update when she couldn’t make it back to Reunion this year. Mary tells us “how happy I was at The Cambridge School and how I miss my pals – Katharine Logan Tugendhat ‘51, Ann

Lucinda Lawton wrote to tell us that her mother, Helen Rotch Rose ’36 is living in Escondido, Calif. and “just had her 90th birthday, with her three children and all eight grandchildren attending.” Thomas Davis ’53 and wife Teri traveled extensively the past 18 months – and Tom donned his CSW Gryphon cap all the way. He went aboard a cruise in St. Maarten and traveled to Brulge, Belgium. “The Gryphon goes everywhere!” as Tom put it.

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Ann Moultan Hastings ’55 wrote to us with an update on her address and retired life: “We love being retired and enjoy the best of both worlds living in Marion, Mass. for the summers and avoiding the winters in our Florida getaway. I have six grandchildren between the ages of 9 and 19.” Charlotte Holt Menasveta ’55 spent Christmas with her son and family in Chambery, France. She has six grandsons, four who live in Bangkok. Rachel Cutler Schwartz ‘55 writes “I got accepted into a photo co-op. My husband, Mark, continues to teach math at the Southern Maine Community College…this limits my desire to travel. I guess the solution is to get over my dislike of the cold and get out and take pictures.”

Mary-Lou Cohen Weisman ’55’s book, Al Jaffee’s Mad Life, about the life of the cartoonist, famous for his work in Mad magazine, will be published by Harper Collins in September. Mary will be on tour in New York and Connecticut to promote her book. Alexis Gershwin let us know of some shows she had in California. “Gershwin Sings Gershwin” at the Los Cerritos Performing Arts Center and at the Thousand Oaks Performing Arts Center. For more information about her music, shows, and new CD release, visit her website. Michael O’Keeffe ‘56 is looking for some help finding a winter home. “I’m trying to reach any grad with travel experience in Panama or west coast of Mexico. I have lived in both, but am out of touch. Now semi-retired (teach at Edgewood College, Madison, Wis.) and am looking for a winter place in some Latino land.” Any leads for Mike can be sent to the CSW Alumni/ae Relations office. Donald “Tom” McKay, Jr. ‘57 writes “I received a ‘Certificate of Appreciation in Recognition of Outstanding Service’ from the Atlanta District Office of the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for work in the mediation unit. Currently, I

assist Literacy Volunteers of Atlanta as a program assistant. My wife, Susan, died Nov.18 following a long struggle with pancreatic cancer.” Richard Freedberg ‘57 and his wife Judith hosted the second annual Miami alumni/ae gathering at their home in February. In attendance was their friend, Laura, who helped host last year, Murray Weil ’51 and wife Ursula, Deborah Kay Goldman ’65, David Sheehan ’64, and Jan Miner, director of development, and friend Dick Diehl. Harvey Low Simons ’58 was recently featured in his second one-person show at the Stux Gallery in New York City. Harvey has exhibited in numerous galleries and museums such as Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, and at the DeCordova Museum in Lincoln, Mass. He currently lives and works in Newton, Mass.

1960s Harry Meserve ’60 writes “I am well, having recovered (mostly) from cancer surgery last year. Retired from San Jose State University as a librarian, but still working part time. Very interested in getting in touch with the class. I am living in Felton, Calif. Three great children - no “grands” yet. I can be contacted through the CSW CSW Alumni/ae Relations office.” Anne Barker Schnink ’60 writes “I am busier in retirement than when I worked! I’m having fun!” Sarah Rosen-Webb ’62 has received her Ed.D from University of Lincoln (England). Her thesis, “SENCO Identity and Roles: Nobody Tells You How to Be a SENCO,” is about the

development and implementation of structures and personnel for the management of Special Educational needs provision in mainstream education in England. “Our other news is that our daughter Megan and husband, Tim, have provided us with a lovely 2-year-old grandson, Albert, who delights us all.” George Lloyd ’63’s paintings are featured on the ACME fine art gallery website, acmefineart.com. You can find his work under Artists, as well as in the January 2007 exhibitions, under Past Exhibitions. If you are in Colorado, Philip “Wink” Davis ’64 is having an open house at Mesa Winds Farm in September. “Join us for our ‘Three Forks Tour.’ Meet (but don’t eat) our New Babydoll Southdown lambs then!” Claire Moise ’65 writes “My novel Adele Grace and Celine: The Other Women of Jane Eyre was published in December. The Kirkus Discoveries review reads, in part: “Jane Eyre has become an iconic novel, sparking many sequels, revisions, screen and stage versions. Moise writes hers with a delicate, 19th century sensibility that serves her characters well. … The writing is entertaining and deft. … Authentic, exciting and wellresearched.” Deborah Goldman ’65 writes “I couldn’t make it to Richard Freedberg ’57‘s and his wife Judith’s alumni/ae gathering in Miami as I was getting ready for my one-person show. Sid and I hooked up with them in April, had a great tour of their fascinating art collection, a lovely dinner at their home, and watched Madame Butterfly together at the Arsht Center in Miami. They trekked to the Boca Raton Museum of Art to see the 58th Annual All

Florida Exhibit, including my work on display.”

junctive, which Madame Washburn (past faculty) pounded into me some years ago. I have been working as an environmental and social development specialist for the International Finance Corporation, the private sector funding arm of the World Bank Group. It has been some years since I have crossed paths with anyone from CSW. The last person I saw was Stan Solomon ‘70 when I was visiting Boulder in the mid-’90s.”

Louisa Putnam ’66 is starting Anco/RiS Institute, which hosts classes in bee keeping, biodynamic gardening, Imago couples therapy, healing, and other activities. Janne Irvine ’66 got back in touch with CSW recently after nearly 50 years away. Janne is in the process of writing her autobiography. Originally from Boston, Janne, a music teacher for more than 30 years, is a published poet and author. In 2006, she gained international recognition from the Jane Austen Society of North America for her original program, Janne on Jane - Music in the Novels of Jane Austen. Her second program, Janne on Jane II - If Emma Had Practiced, along with the first, have been called “a must for both lovers of music and literature.”

Ellen McMahon ‘70 has been in Tucson since 1980 and currently teaches at the University of Arizona as an associate professor in School of Art in Design, Illustration and Critical Theory. She was recently a Fulbright Scholar in Mexico to work with a conservation NGO. She has two daughters, ages 19 and 24, both students at U of A.

Tina Cady ’68 writes she is living in Boston, would love to hear from other CSW alumni/ae and show off her art work. Things are going her way these days including the fact that she is “two and a half years cancer free!”

Janet Austin ‘70 “had a great sabbatical in Interlaken, Switzerland” last fall. She visited her childhood homes in Copenhagen and Stockholm. She is currently teaching tapestry weaving in her studio.

1970s Catherine Clark ’70 writes “I am officially ensconced at the Royal School of Church Music.” It was written in the New York Times educational supplement. She was also invited to attend the Princess Royal’s 60th birthday party at the Buckingham Palace in July because of her work on the St. Botolph’s Aldgate restoration. Nicholas Flanders ’70 writes from Senegal. “My wife and I have been living in West Africa for the past four years, first in Accra, Ghana and now Dakar, Senegal. I have finally learned to speak French. I can often display a slight mastery of the sub-

David C. Holzman ‘71, already known to be a writer extraordinaire, shares with us two more of his talents and passions - photography and cars. He writes from Lexington and Wellfleet, Mass., on science, medicine, energy, economics, and cars. Susan Shapiro Magdanz ‘71 writes “I live in Cambridge with my husband, Andy, and 16-year-old son, Asa. My older son, Otto, will be a senior in college this year. I have been having a great time connecting with CSW pals via Facebook. Andy and I are glass artists and we have a studio in Cambridge.”

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Heather McCune ‘71 has helped repair and tune pianos in the CSW Music Department. She has managed to patch together many of our pianos, extending their useful life long past their normal expiration dates. Special thanks to Heather. Rob Moir ‘72 hosts a weekly online talk show on the Green Talk Network. The show, Moir’s Environmental Dialogues: Ocean River Shields of Achilles, airs every Wednesday at 9 a.m. Moir describes what the show entails, “We explore the state of the ocean and look beyond its cascading ecological disasters that are altering it.” Daniel Potash ‘72 writes “It was inspiring to read the news of classmates. This last year was rough. My wife, Phoebe Low ‘73, lost both parents, and we had an abundance of medical issues. Life still offers plenty of good. I play violin every day, at least doing scales, racing against arthritis. Phoebe and I play duets when we have time, which is not enough. I just got back from Senegal and Tanzania, where we led a series of workshops for small and medium sized-enterprises marketing clean energy systems such as household solar panels, efficient cook-stoves and micro-sized biogas.”

Minette Moore Sweeney ‘72 writes “I’m doing photo journalism for a local, weekly paper, The InterTown Record.” Oliver Griffith ‘72 is living in France and is interested in hosting an alumni/ae gathering there. If you would like to be involved, please contact Oliver through the CSW Alumni Relations Office. Lawrence Rogovin ‘73 writes “Just produced an album of original music with the help of some leading lights on the Boston music scene. To find the music, search Facebook for Sexual Intellectual. Janis “Jan” Rosenberg ‘73 is still working in folk life education. “I am currently developing a sorely needed assessment tool for our work with agencies, schools, communities, and traditional artists, and have just completed an article highlighting the antecedents of folklife in education work between 1898 and 1960.” Jan’s book These Are Our Stories: Women’s Stories of Abuse and Survival, a collection of stories from women living in the Florida panhandle, is available from Rowman and Littlefield publishers. Christopher Lovell ‘73 writes “Julie and I are still living in Sherborn in the same house for 26 years.” Their son, John, is

Robert Friesen ’71 recently met up with Allison Palmer ’73 in

Auburn, Ala. “We communicate frequently via e-mail, especially when Duke and UConn are playing in March Madness, but hadn't seen each other for 40 years.” Linda Nathan ’73 is the founding headmaster at Boston Arts Academy,

the city’s first and only public high school for the visual and performing arts. Her book, The Hardest Questions Aren't On the Test, was published last October. Amazon.com writes “...with engaging honesty, Nathan gives readers a ring-side seat as faculty, parents, and the students themselves grapple with these questions, attempt to implement solutions, and evaluate the outcomes.”

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a graduate student at Colorado State University. Their daughter, Samantha, graduated from St. Lawrence University last year and is a teaching intern at The Learning Project, “an amazing K-6 school” in Boston. Their daughter, Amanda, is a freshman at Bucknell University. He has connected with David Paul ‘73, Amanda Bowen ‘73, and Sunni Meyer ‘73 and hopes to catch up with Stroker Rogovin ‘73, who has a new music CD. Louise “Lisi” Crane Thorkelson ‘74 writes “After eight years on That 70’s Show as a technical director, I ‘unofficially’ retired from television production. I stayed home to raise my family, my daughter, my niece and nephew, who we received legal custody of seven years ago.” She lives in Sarasota, Fla. with her daughter, just two blocks from Crescent Beach on Siesta Key. Greg Stone ‘75 and another member of Nikki Crowell’s very first marine biology class recently visited this year’s class. Greg, senior vice president and chief ocean scientist for Conservation International, inspired the students with his career as a diver, researcher, as a vice president at the New England Aquarium, and his continuing work to conserve ocean biodiversity. Greg spoke to the class about his work with the Kiribati in setting up a

marine conservation area 10 times the size of Yellowstone Park in the Pacific Ocean. Peter McMahon ‘75 writes “I am finishing a renovation project for Dorothy Straight ‘75 in Newbury, Mass. I’d be happy to come to CSW to do a lecture about Cape Cod Modern House Trust.” Jacob Letchworth ‘76 is currently teaching interior design at a college of design and technology, where he advises 55 thesis students, each one “more creative and amazing than the last.” He is still actively advocate for bicycles – his articles have been published in a local magazine, Dandyhorse. “My daughter Isabel, a toddler, is learning how to throw tantrums and my son Jasper, a teenager, thinks it’s funny to watch. My wife Sharon works for Reuters.com as an online editor.” Jacob was sorry to have missed the tribute to Robin Wood, who died in Feb. 2009. He thinks of Robin “all of the time.” Leila Babson ‘78 lives in New York City and works as a legal secretary at the Archdiocese of New York. “I have done some off-Broadway and regional theatre and am trying to work in film and TV as a character actress. I believe this is what I was meant to do and that I will find my place in the arts. I would love to hear from people.”

Christine Hardy Emily ‘78 says “hello to all!” She lives in Natick with her husband of 21 years and their three boys, Shawn, Ryan and Michael. For the past six years, she has been working for the Town of Wellesley (Wellesley Public Schools) for the Facilities Department as well as the Fitness and Health Departments. “We vacation in Mexico a couple of times a year and continue with my Spanish.” Maya Andrea Maya Grillo Massar ‘78 wrote to us about “SACRED” – a show of thirteen paintings that are part portrait, part dream image, and part honoring of the thirteen archetypal aspects of the feminine. “Eight years ago, the project came to me in my dreams. And a year ago, I started it. Thirteen amazing women shared with me their personal sense of the sacred. I took photos, then created images of each. The end result is a bit of a crazy mix, but full of my heart and those of the gracious women who participated.” Billie Brey Gilfillan, parent of Antoinette Brey ‘78, writes “Antoinette just passed the PRAXES and will begin student teaching children who are autistic or have other developmental disabilities.” She will teach in the Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools in North Carolina. Martin Cox ‘78 is “living on the east side of Seattle, raising three kids. Happy, healthy, loving life and cherishing my roots.” Andrea Ballard ‘79 writes “Greetings from Kigali! My husband and I have been living overseas for the last 10 years in Bulgaria, Mali, and now Rwanda. I work as a family nurse practitioner for the Peace Corps.” Due to cost

and distance, Andrea was not able to make it back to reunion this year. But hopes to make a future reunion when her family move back to Portsmouth, NH.” Cassia Wyner ‘79 left high tech years ago and “rediscovered my roots in the arts.” She has her own business in kitchen and bath design. “I attended a mini-reunion at CSW in 2008 and our big one in 2009. It was great to catch up with everyone.”

1980s Joanie Rivera (CSW faculty) recently brought to our attention an article in Diet & Nutrition, “What the WellDressed Table is Wearing,” which features a product by Peter Hewitt ‘80’s company Tea Forte. Ian Angus Kerr ‘81 writes “I am teaching, studying historical archeology, sailing, and most of all enjoying life. I hope you are all doing the same.” Christopher Huggins ‘81, a former Alvin Ailey dancer, has created “Love Is...,” a look at the constant search for love in its many forms, for the Lula Washington Dance Theater. Christopher designed and choreographed the piece, which had its world premiere at the Cerritos Center for the Arts in February.

Benjamin Ben Bolles ‘81 writes “ I have worked in construction my whole life. Some people believe this career is a waste of a good education, but I really love it. I am also an Advisory Council Member with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.” Elissa Rogovin ‘81 is a Realtor and Acredited Buyers Representative with Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty. “I am enjoying my work immensely!” Tyche Hendricks ‘82 is currently teaching, freelancing and producing for radio, after a dozen years as a reporter for The San Francisco Chronicle. “My book, The Wind Doesn’t Need A Passport: Stories From the US, Mexico Boderlands, will be published by the University of California Press. I live in Berkeley with my husband and 9 year old daughter and assorted stepsons. I am in touch with Sean Herron ‘82, Dashka Slater ‘81 and Beth Katz ‘81 in the Bay Area as well as Ann (McClusky) Farr ‘82, Sarah Jane (Liberman) Horton ‘81 and Phoebe (Marshall) Raimbeau ‘80. Brook Burchfiel ‘82 writes “The Cambridge School of Weston changed my life. It opened opportunities and views of my role in life. I would have never had the chance to go to and graduate from Parsons

School of Design in New York. The path has lead me to follow my own rules, march to the beat of my own drum. I have traveled the world, lived and worked at many places. I have been living in Canada for the past 16 years, happily married to my husband, David. I am very involved in heritage preservation here in Ottawa. My life is good and always waiting to see what else exciting lies ahead.” Laurie Cormay Cowden ‘82 attended the Boston alumni/ae gathering in March and sent us this update shortly after the event. “My husband John and I have recently moved to Boston and we are loving every minute of city living. Our daughter Theodora is 15 and our son Parker is 13. My mom, Joan Cormay (past faculty), who I am sure that most of you “older” alumni will remember, is doing well and living in Duxbury.” Laurie keeps in touch with Carla Turner Tardit ‘82, Jennifer Francis Mintzer ‘82, Mary DiCicco ‘82, Phebe Enfield ‘82, Siri Striar ‘82, Tony Mack ‘82 and Mark Culliton ‘82. Kathleen “Kat” McDivitt ‘83 just moved into a groovy cooperative house in Oakland CA. She continues to help small and medium sized businesses build lead generation and eCommerce websites, and nurturing a couple of her own stores. She gives discounts Bruce Hull ’76 is working as a graphic designer for the Ohio Department of Transportation. “One of the projects I am responsible for is the layout and design of the state transportation map. Since I have creative control over the content,I also usually include my daughter’s picture on it somewhere. I have also created designs for bridges, noise walls and retaining walls.”

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to CSW graduates, and she is looking for an online marketing intern. Ben Killen Rosenberg ‘83 received his MFA from Portland State University in 2007, and is currently teaching at Portland Community College and Clark College in Vancouver. Ben may be interested in possibly hosting an alumni/ae gathering in the Portland area. Be sure to contact Ben through the CSW Alumni/ae Relations office. Louisa Bertman ‘85 was recently featured in an article on Boston.com. In the article, Louisa discusses her work in figure drawing and portraits after a career as a professional dancer and her recent show “LOCALS +” at the BAAK Gallery in Harvard Square. She said she always begins portraits with the eyes because “it always comes down to the eyes – there’s always a craziness, or a calmness, or something.” Nancy Dodd ‘85 now has a son, Moses Markowitz Dodd! Ivan Brodey ‘85 recently completed advertising campaigns for the Norwegian State Oil Company, the Norwegian Hydroelectric Company and the State Telephone Company of Norway. He visits regularly with alums John Stone ‘85 in Philadelphia as well as Stephen Mumford ‘78, a successful painter in New York City.

Niho Kozuru ‘86 wrote us with wonderful news! “I am thrilled to announce that I received the 2009 Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) artist fellowship grant in Sculpture/ Installation category.” Christopher Yens ‘86 let us know he recently moved to Newton, Mass. with his wife and sons, ages 2 and 5. He says hello to his classmates. Alexis Dorothy LaRue ‘88 writes that she was in Michigan for the summer, working on a documentary about the Flint punk rock scene of the late 1980s. “Then, it was on to Los Angeles where we did some exploring and hiking and made a short film about the local birder millieu.” She is returning to Boston in December and would love to hear from alumni/ae in the area. The Florida-based band Fall On Purpose, featuring percussionist Dave Hertz ‘89, has been voted “Best of the Bay” and “Most Determined” several times by Creative Loafing and has been featured in The Tampa Bay Times. Fall On Purpose is an eclectic mix of Rock, Ska, Polka, R&B, Punk, Blues, Funk, Hip Hop and everything in between. Their CDs are available for sale on iTunes and CDBaby, and the band is currently seeking a major label for national distribution.

Federated Dorchester Neighborhood Houses received the Coming Up Taller Award for its Art a la Carte program at a ceremony at the White House, hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama. Mark Culliton '82, the organization’s CEO, and Art a la Carte student, Liana Rae Farmer, attended the ceremony. “We are honored to be named a Coming Up Taller Award recipient this year, and grateful to the President's Committee for the Arts and the Humanities for recognizing the critical importance that art can play in a child's life," Mark said.

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A year ago, Peter Washburn ‘89 made a critical decision with a flip of coin – and just like that, chance led him to donate a kidney to his younger sister, Annie. Peter and his brother Murray let fate take over and simply tossed a coin. Peter “won” the toss and was able to give a kidney, and renewed health, to his sister. One year later, Peter and Annie are both doing well. Annie was married this June, with both brothers, of course, in attendance.

1990s Marilyn Del Donno (CSW faculty) writes that Dan Wells’ ‘90 is teaching environmental photography at the University of Vermont. He had a showing of his photos in Lincoln, Mass. last November. Martha Nussbaum, parent of Rachel Nussbaum Wichert ‘91, writes: “Rachel got a job teaching at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, after her postdoc in Finland. She and her husband, Gerd, have been living out there.” Samuel “Sam” Mbowa ‘91, with wife Alexa and daughter Adelaide have moved to Zurich, Switzerland, after two years of living in London. “I have started a new role in Region Europe Finance Supply Chain Management with Novartis. Adelaide has started at a bilingual daycare center so we

hope to have a German speaker in the house very soon.” Christopher “Chris” Arnold ‘91 was ordained a deacon at Trinity Cathedral in Sacramento, in the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California, in June, after completing his seminary studies at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, Calif. He and his wife Celeste are moving to Kentucky, where he will be clergy-in-charge of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Middlesboro. Eleanor (Nell) Cochrane ‘92, sister of George Cochrane ‘90, wrote in about his recent accomplishments. George and 6-year-old daughter, are working together on a graphic novel, Long Time Gone, and audiences got a sneak peek at it in an exhibit at Mass MoCa, a contemporary art museum in North Adams, Mass. George’s idea to collaborate with his daughter started as a way to spend more time with her. He incorporated her ideas, drawings, and writing in the book, and by doing so, he said “we now have a deeper connection.” Alexis Lozada ‘92 writes “I am very excited to report back to CSW. Now that I live in the U.S., I would like to reconnect with old classmates who may still remember me out there. Saludos!” Dravida “Davi” Bock ‘92 will become a fellow at Janelia Farm, a research campus of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in the fall. Davi’s “biggest news” is that he and his wife Heather have a beautiful baby daughter, Fiona Olga Bock, born in January. Abigail Fenton ‘92 and husband Aaron welcomed Ruby Spiro Fenton-Rutzick last

December. She writes “All is well and busy here in Minneapolis!” Lai Ngan ‘93 has been living in Singapore since 2004. “Living in Singapore has been great. I run the day to day household with two young kids while my husband is on assignment here. I was also able to meet up with another alumnus, Mie Nakanishi ‘93 while traveling in Japan. Erick Geer Wilcox ‘93 visited CSW last September to speak to students and faculty about his career in fashion design. Students asked him about how he began his career, his journey since leaving CSW, and what his future plans are in the world of shoe design. Simha Ravven ‘95 has just moved back to the Boston area and writes “I’ve so enjoyed your CSW posts on Facebook!” She is currently a resident in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the Cambridge Health Alliance. William S Fertman ‘96 is working as a director of advertising at Boston Review and writing a colum for Culture, the nation’s first cheese magazine. Molly White ‘96 writes “I am living with my boyfriend and three pygmy goats in South Thomaston, Maine.” She is in her last year of her masters in social work program, and is currently working as a drug and alcohol counselor. “Can’t wait for school to be over so I can have more artistic balance to my life.”

Nick Loss-Eaton ‘97, who works for Shore Fire Media, leads the Brooklyn band Leland Sundries. The band’s debut record “The Apothecary EP” is slated to be released this fall. Sara Aviles ‘98 stopped by CSW to visit with faculty and to catch us up on what she has been doing since graduating. She is living in Florida and is involved in project development, writing, and choreography. She is also running her own catering business. Georgi Vogel Rosen ‘98 wrote us about her new website. “I am pleased to announce that I have updated my website for my freelance work as a survey research consultant.” Jeremy Wood, parent of Jonas Wood ‘95 and Augusta Wood ‘96, writes Jonas had a solo show at the Armand Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. As Jeremy puts it – “he got into the basement of a museum for starters.” Augusta was in a group show at the See Line Gallery, also in Los Angeles. Mattie Eisenberg ‘99 and Nina Meyers Susman ‘55 hosted the first Tucson alumni/ae gathering in January at the Tucson Botanical Gardens. Mattie writes “The event was a huge success. … In true Cambridge School of Weston style, each one of us

brought a unique personality and experience, sharing stories of our lives during and after CSW. Since we spanned so many generations our stories of CSW stacked together like building blocks forming the school’s history. … Those in attendance were very pleased to have connected with others from CSW in their local community and we are all looking forward to supporting each other and reuniting in the future.” Ellen McMahon ‘70, Seth Appell ‘78, Kimberley Haugh ‘91, and Katrina Lannen ‘60 were in attendance.

2000s Julian Eskin ‘00 graduated from Cornell in 2004, with a degree in Physics and has worked as a technician at Harvard Medical School and doing cystic fibrosis drug research with a pharmaceutical company in Cambridge, Mass. He is currently in a Ph.D. program in molecular and cell biology at Brandeis University and is married to a “fellow Cornellian. I was waiting for the Commuter Rail the other day, and just by chance I happened to be introduced to Anneke Reich ‘09, now a Brandeis freshman. I am also still in frequent touch with Toby Loss-Eaton ‘01 and Emily Gouillart ‘01. Toby is in his last year at Harvard Law School. I also ran into

Rachel Hirsch (CSW faculty) and Martha Fischhoff ’01

(CSW faculty) last year.” Josh Wand ‘00 is currently living in Brooklyn, working as a freelance food photographer and by day, as a senior business analyst for macys.com. “You can see my work in Edible Manhattan/Brooklyn, and in Saveur magazine, where my wife Georgia is managing editor. We are planning to move to Kunming, China in the latter half of 2010.” Ezra Rubin ‘00 lives in Brooklyn. He has been a DJ and producing music for the past two years. He recently completed a tour as a DJ in London, Paris, and Berlin, and his debut single, Mind Reader, has just been released on Fool’s Gold Records. Kelsey Henderson ‘01, a painter, has been interviewed by FemalePersuasion.net about her work as a portrait artist. You can check out her work and the interview on the web. Melanie Aronson’02 had her first photography show at Haven, a music lounge and restaurant in New York City. The show came about when she “applied for a spot in a group exhibition and after reviewing my work they asked me to show solo.”

Brhianna “Bree” Marsden ’94 was married

L. Robert Johnson, parent of Matthew T. Johnson ‘96, writes that Matt recently exhibited at the Art Dealers Association of America show at the Park Avenue Armory.

to filmmaker Brady Shoemaker last September in County Cork, Ireland. They will continue to reside in the East Village of New York City.

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Jeffrey Brodsky ‘02 has been out on the road playing drums with the Portland, Ore.-based, electronic pop band, YACHT. They headlined shows throughout Canada and along the east coast in February and March, and headed to Europe in April to tour with the Grammy-nominated group LCD Soundsystem. Jessica Alderman ‘03 is “living, working and playing” in Nepal. “I have been teaching a class in global leadership to high school students here. I am also doing research with Medicine du Monde on a program evaluation of their safe motherhood microfinance initiative.” Jessica has also trekked around the Annapurna Circuit and has put a slideshow of her travels on YouTube. Evan Greer ‘03 was featured in The Andover Townsman for his work as a musician and activist. The Sept. 11 attacks “politicized me and got me involved with activism,” said Greer, who in 2001, was still a student at CSW. Now 23, a lot has happened in Greer’s world, since he began mixing music with politics. A self-described “radical songwriter,” Greer performs across North America and has shared a stage with folk legend Pete Seeger. He facilitates talks and workshops with college and high school students around the country.

Jenna Corman ’01 married

Michael Mandel on Sept. 6, 2009 at Saphire Estate in Sharon, Mass. In attendance were CSW alumni/ae including, two of her bridesmaids, Betsy Goldman ’01 and Kara Langione ’01. “It was an amazing night and so fabulous to share it with old friends.” L-R: John “Julius” Sviokla ’01, Betsy Goldman ’01, Jenna Corman ’01, Kara Langione ’01.

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Kathleen Olesky, parent of George Olesky ‘03 and David Olesky ‘06, writes “George is in Los Angeles, and he was featured in the Summer 2009 issue of The Gryphon. David is an English literature major at Kenyon College in Ohio. He studied at Oxford University in Enland during his junior year, traveled extensively throughout Europe and did WOOFing (Word Organization of Organic Farming) in the south of France. He still sees many of his friends from CSW.” Samantha Rosen ‘03 has been designing math curricula for her masters in education program at Antioch University. “I’ve just started my internship with a fourth grade class in Brattleboro, Vt., and I’m really enjoying it. The program and the faculty at Antioch are fantastic.” She sent examples of her math curricula to Marilyn Del Donno (CSW faculty) and Carl LaCombe (CSW Faculty), and Mary Page (past faculty). Arlo Furst ‘04 writes “I have been working as a film and video production assistant in the Boston area over the past year. Earlier this month, I went to Southampton, England for 10 days to work on a commercial for Celebrity Cruises. I was working with a crew of eight, from Boston, New York, and Los Angeles. It turned out one

of the LA guys, Chris Culliton ‘81, was a CSW graduate, Class of 1981! He excelled in weaving, theatre, and loved his CSW experience. I filled him in on all the latest CSW news and he was thrilled about last year’s basketball victory. The shoot was a blast and hopefully was the first of many overseas shoots to come.” Jacob Sagrans ‘05 has graduated from Grinnell College with a bachelor of arts degree with honors in music and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa society. At Grinnell, Jacob focused on vocal performance and historical musicology, for which he was awarded the Henry York Steiner Memorial Prize for Music Research. He is currently enrolled in the Ph.D. program in musicology at McGill University in Montreal. Emily Jane Glassman ‘05 writes “Working on the Garthwaite Center during my time at CSW started me on a path of doing environmentallyrelated research, and I’m now working in a lab group that focuses on understanding the energy transfer and repair mechanisms that underlie the process of photosynthesis.” Emily graduated from the University of Chicago with degrees in biochemistry and chemistry, is currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program in physical chemistry at U.C. Berkeley and

has received a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Elizabeth “Lizzie” Starr ‘05 is currently living and working in Dakar, Senegal. “Starting in September, I will be teaching English at the West African College of the Atlantic, a private International Baccalaureate high school in Ouakam. Until the school year starts, I am doing an internship at TrustAfrica, a foundation for civil society building across Africa.” Ann Starr, her mother, visited her recently, and writes that Lizzie is fluent in French and Wolof, a native dialect. She added, “Lizzie frequently takes in couch surfers who are traveling through Dakar.” Pam Warren, parent of Gabriel Krug ‘05 writes that Gabriel graduated from Tufts University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts with a bachelor degree in fine arts in 2009. While at the Museum School, one of his paintings was featured in an admissions brochure. His work has exhibited in the Violence Transformed exhibits at the Massachusetts State House in 2008 and 2009. Gabriel, who transferred to the Walnut Hill School halfway through his junior year at CSW, was “very happy to have gone to both Walnut Hill and CSW and learned a lot from …both schools.” He is currently a production assistant at Dartmouth Publishing, where he works on illustrations for educational textbooks. Jamie Levy, parent of Rachael Levy ‘05, writes that Rachael graduated from Emerson College in 2009 with a degree in speech communication disorders. Rachael is now working towards her masters in speech pathology at George

Washington University in Washington, D.C. Ayla Barreau ‘05 recently guest starred on the Fox television hit, Glee, as Dottie Westerton. Austin Eddy ‘05 has graduated from The Art Institute of Chicago and is showing his work in various Chicago galleries. He has been written about in several contemporary print and online publications. Steven Grant ‘06 is living and working Madison, Wis. as a coordinator for various political campaigns. He is currently working for the Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee, helping coordinate state assembly campaigns across Wisconsin and helping Democratic candidates raise money for reelection campaigns. Previously, he has worked as a legislative aide to a state representatives and as a campaign coordinator for two aseembly campaigns, and as a finance assistant for Rep. Tammy Baldwin’s campaign. Janna Hruby ‘06 recently graduated from Wheelock College, where she majored in human development, with a focus on psychology, and minored in human services. She traveled to Ghana and Benin, West Africa through a program at Wheelock College. “I would love to come to CSW when I

return from my travels and do a presentation of my trip. I know I will be eager to share what I learned, and answer questions about how others can become involved and take advantage of such amazing opportunities exploring other countries and experiencing other cultures.” Aviva Chomsky, parent of Sandi Aritza ‘07, writes “Sandi is a sophomore at Temple University, majoring in Asian Studies. She spent a gap year in Tokyo at the ISI Language School before starting college, and went back to Japan – Kyoto, this time – for a 6-week intensive program during which she completed 4th year Japanese.” Katheen McCormack and Barry Cheslin, parents of Carra Cheslin ‘07, reports that Carra is spending her fall semester in Brazil, exploring and studying the conflict between finite ecological resources and seemingly infinite human development demands on the Amazon River Basin. Participants visit rainforest villages, research laboratories, extractive industry sites, and archaeological sites, as well as participate in a rural home stay and interact with members of the Landless Worker’s Movement. Carra is currently majoring in environmental studies at Connecticut College in New London, Conn.

Susan Fairchild, parent of Richard Bradford Tramontozzi ‘07, writes that Bradford is in his junior year at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, majoring in International Relations. He spent his spring semester in London, and plays for the varsity basketball team. Joy Powers ‘07 is still clowning it up with the Piccolini Trio. “Our show features classic clowning as well as a few circus acts. We have a fan page on Facebook, and a website coming soon.” Rachel Simon ‘08’s decided to take a gap year, after graduating from CSW, and interned at the Cloud Forest School (Centro de Educación Creativa) in Monteverde, Costa Rica, where she taught English to 1st and 2nd graders, for four months. Following her time in Costa Rica, she interned at the Austine School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Brattleboro, Vt. as a dorm assistant and tutor. Rachel is currently a student at Beloit College, where she is majoring in religious studies. Jesse Sullivan ‘08 is currently a student at the Maryland Institute College of Art, majoring in general fine arts. Last summer, she took a photography course in Ireland and returned with many beautiful and provocative

images. She especially enjoyed her classes in Roman philosophy. Yi-Ming Wei ‘09 wrote a wonderful detailed message to CSW in October. Here are some of the highlights: “I’m now studying all the way on the west coast... at University of California in San Diego, majoring in mechanical engineering. As you may know, it was a tough transition for me when I first got here. My classes are big, around 300 to 400 students per class. Though the people here are nice and welcoming, they do not bond as tightly together as we do at CSW. This is why I have been missing CSW so much, missing its loving and caring environment!” Yi-Ming can be contacted through the CSW CSW Alumni/ae Relations office. Seung-Hee Jeon, parent of Jin Kim ‘09 writes “I hope everything is well at CSW, a school that did so much for my daughter, Jin, and was just the right place for her to grow and mature! Jin finished her first semester at RISD with flying colors - sleep-deprived, but really happy (in her own words, “I usually get only 4 hours a night sleep, but I just enjoy doing the work.”). I know she misses many people at CSW and is planning to visit CSW soon.”

William Porter ’04 recently completed his role in the national tour of Bye Bye Birdie. He has documented the tour on video, which you can find on YouTube. Will adds “everything I learned about video editing I learned at CSW!” Jake Carman ’04 and Clara Hendricks ’05 were married Oct. 10, 2009 in Northampton Mass. They met at CSW in 2002 during new-student orientation in Gustavo Brasil’s, (CSW faculty) advising group, and spent their first three mods flirting with each other in Moses Rifkin’s (past faculty) geometry class. Clara and Jake were joined at their wedding by friends and family, including Geoff Auffinger ’04, Andrew Thompson ’04, Evan Greer ’03, Max Kennedy ’04, and Anneke Reich ’09. They live in Brighton.

Gryphon Fall 2010

Past Faculty and Staff Lisa Loya Durant, past staff, and her husband Scott Durant, are hard at work raising their six children, ages 3 to 13. “We are still homeschooling and loving it. I remain intrigued and inspired by CSW students and teachers. This year, I’m excited to learn about and teach medieval literature and history to my 6th to 8th graders. I’d love to hear from any old friends and acquaintances!” Dan Mead (past faculty) and Sally Eagle had an exhibit called “Earth Design” at the MASC Gallery at the Millbrook School in New York. Their images are the perfect complement to the gallery housed in the Leedcertified MASC Gallery in the new math and science center. Matthew Goodman (past faculty) married Shubha Sunder (CWS faculty) on Nov. 18, 2009. In response to the questions posed in the “Year at a Glance” mailing about some of the CSW icons on campus, Joan Gitlow (past faculty) wrote: “The stone ‘throne’ (and I think the wavy bench) are the work of kids who took a D Block stone-carving class with sculptor/parent Bernadette D’Amore in the 1980’s. We took a truck out to Route 9, where Bernadette had spotted huge hunks of discarded stone. She talked the construction crew on site into giving them to her for this class. How we got these things onto and off the truck, I don’t remember. The kids worked long hours after school, kept going and going and going. They loved the results: useful, beautiful AND mighty durable! … Hope this helps.”

Gryphon Fall 2010

Dave Hursty (past faculty) writes “For smiles and frowns read my new blog at dnhmusings.blogspot.com.” William “Bill” Wasserman (parent and past faculty) writes he is “sad to hear of the death of Alan Bond ‘54. He was steady, always reliable for thoughtfulness and friendship.” Bill has a house in Montana next to the Lost Trail Mountain, where Will Rogers ‘56 was expected to have visited this past winter. “As a former CSW ski coach, I would welcome alumni/ae to this quiet, powder-skiing area.” Reuben J.C. Edinger (past faculty) is writing “two books, painting on canvas, gardening, reading, and enjoying life with my wife.” He has been developing Sensory Awakening Motion Meditation Yoga, an approach to self intimacy. Reuben is interested in outreach to CSW alumni/ae in California.

IN MEMORIAM Dr. Frances Balen Rose ‘26, who was believed to be CSW’s “oldest living graduate,” has died. Dr. Rose graduated from CSW before the school moved to the current Weston location she never visited “the rural setting.” Dr. Ham “Bito” Hamilton ‘41, who wrote CSW with the news, knew Rose for over 50 years and refers to her as “elegant, very smart,” and “witty.” Dr. Rose graduated from Simmons College then went on to New York University Medical School, where just 2 or 3 percent of the students at the time were women. She married O. Allen Rose and became a full professor of cardiology at NYU. Dr. Rose opened the first ever pediatric cardiology clinic at NYU and served as its director. We received news from Laura Smith Fisher, daughter of Martha Hunt Smith ’39 that her mother has died. We send our condolences to her family. Klaus George Roy ’41, a radio commentator, composer and “presence” in the Cleveland area, has died. He interviewed top musicians for radio, taught at local universities and published several books. He will be greatly missed throughout the community. Klaus is survived by his wife Gene, two children and several grandchildren.

Our condolences to the family of Isabel Witte Kenrick ’43, who has died. Arnie Simmel ‘43 writes “She was a loving and lovable friend, a good scholar, committed work for peace and human decency. After a friendship of almost 70 years she will be remembered with affection…” Our condolences to the family of Keene Annis ’43 who died last December. Linda J. Solomon, daughter of Millicent Cheever Nash ’48, wrote with the sad news that her mother has died. Our condolences go out to Linda and all of Millicent’s family and classmates. Our condolences to Carolyn Frost ‘48 whose husband, Hunter Frost, has died recently. Our thoughts are with Carolyn and her family at this time. Our condolences to Nancy Haskell ’55 whose brother, Peter Haskell, prolific actor who starred on the television series, Bracken’s World, died in April at age 75. Our condolences to Donald C. McKay Jr. ‘57, whose wife Susan S. McKay recently died. Our thoughts are with Donald and their entire family. Our condolences to Richard Freedberg ‘57 whose father, A. Stone Freedberg, has died at the age of 101. Dr. Freedberg was a Harvard Medical School professor and a cardiologist who practiced until he was 97 years old. He will certainly be missed. Our condolences to the family and classmates of Marilyn Turner ’59 who passed away in October 2008. She will be greatly missed.

Our condolences to Meredith Naylor Bunting ’65, whose husband, John Bunting ‘65, died after a 15 month long battle with cancer. He will be greatly missed by his family, friends and CSW classmates. The family of Elizabeth “Betsy” Sheehan Watkins ‘65 belatedly reports her passing on August 18, 2001. She succumbed to liver cancer and left behind two children, Courtney Sheehan Watkins and Benjamin Watkins, her first husband, William Watkins, her second husband, Wayne Tucker, her two brothers, John C. Sheehan ’61 and David E. Sheehan ’64 and her mother, Marion J. Sheehan. “Betsy had a love for life and all living creatures, large and small, and was able to instill that joy to her family and to all of those knew and loved her.” Our condolences go out to Susanna Kaysen ’66, whose father, Carl Kaysen, died at age 89. Mr. Kaysen, an MIT professor emeritus and a national security expert, was an adviser under President Kennedy, and had helped negotiate a key nuclear test ban treaty. Our condolences to Christopher Walling ’67 whose mother, Odette Walling, passed away recently in Paris. Odette was also the aunt of Andrea F Pulhar ’78 and Madeleine F Pulhar ‘79. Our thoughts are with the families during this difficult time. Michael Eichenseer ’68, husband of Susan Trask ’68 and uncle of Sonja Bjaaland ’92 has died. For 10 years, Michael wrote a very popular weekly column for the Cape Cod Chronicle called “Fishing Lines.” Our condolences to the entire family.

Philip T. “Peter” Cate Jr, past faculty and parent of Anne Loring Cate ‘68, died recently at the age of 91. Philip was a former assistant to the headmaster and skiing and soccer coach at CSW. Our condolences to his family and former students. Our condolences to CarolAnn Koch-Weser ’70 and Suzanne Anderson ’71 on the recent death of their mother, Sophie. Our thoughts are with the entire family. Our condolences to Jane Winter ’71 on the passing of her mother, Nancy Talbot, who was the co-founder of the Talbot store chain. Our condolences to Lyn Noland ’71, William Noland ’72, and Cady Noland ’73, whose father Kenneth Noland died recently. Kenneth was a major force in contemporary art. Our thoughts are with his wife, Paige, and his entire family. Our condolences to the family of Dr. Roger Hickler, parent of Matthew Hickler ’71, Sarah Hickler ’74, and Samuel Hickler ’77, who died in April. Many members of the Hickler family attended CSW, including his sister Holly Hickler ’43, nephew Mark Hickler ’69, niece Katherine White ’66, niece Lisa Hickler ’72, nephew Frederick Hickler ’78, niece Rebbeca Parkhill ’85, and nephew Paul Parkhill ’87. His sister, Alorie Parkhill was a assistant head of school, teacher, and a trustee here. In 2003, when Dr. Hickler was presented with the CSW Annual Recognition Award, Alorie made these touching remarks: “Roger served many people with gentleness, authentic concern, and a commitment to sound medicine. He could

not more fully embody the qualities valued by CSW.” Jennifer Dole Wallerstein, parent of Marcia Wallerstein Carr ’72 writes with sad news of Marcia’s sudden death in March. She leaves a son Evan and a daughter Madelyn. She was a family counselor, having earned her bachelors and masters degrees in literature, as well as her masters in counseling from Texas A&M University. “Marcie always remembered her Cambridge School years with great affection and pleasure. I am sure she would have thoroughly enjoyed the reunion and meeting old classmates, particularly Grazia Delaturzia ’72 and Claire Lemessurer ’72 and old teachers. I wish so much she could have made it.” Our condolences to Cora “Cory” Foster ’75 and her family for the loss of her stepfather, Michael Seeger.

Our condolences to Serena Berne ’84 on the passing of her father, Henry Berne. Our thoughts are with her family. Our Condolences to Lucy Dahl ’84 for the loss of her mother Patricia Neal. Our thoughts are with her family. Edward G. Hewitt, grandparent of Mattie Eisenberg ’99 and Edward Eisenberg ’03, has died, and father to Carolyn Hewitt, parent and honorary trustee. Our thoughts are with them all. Our condolences to the family and friends of Stephen Holland ’07, who died in June. Our thoughts are with his family at this time. Our condolences to Matthew Goodman (past faculty) on the loss of his mother last November.

Our condolences to Daniel Mazur ’77 and Kathe Mazur ’80, whose father, Michael Mazur, who died at the age of 73. Mazur, one of the most respected and prolific artists in New England, created amazing paintings with such precision and energy that he made it seem effortless. Malcolm Rogers, director of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston wrote “he was one of the great creative imaginations of American art in his generation.” Condolences to Karen Ritvo ’79 on the passing of her father, Gene Ritvo. Gene was a supporter of Roxbury-Weston Programs and a well-known photographer.

Gryphon Fall 2010

announcements 125th Anniversary Yearlong Celebrations and Alumni/ae Gatherings

The Cambridge School of Weston celebrates its 125th year since its founding in 1886 and will mark the anniversary with special events and gatherings throughout the 2010-2011 school year. Alumni/ae, past faculty, and friends are invited to join the celebration. Dates are subject to change. Please check www.csw.org or call the Alumni/ae Relations Office for updates. October 29, 2010: CSW.

December 7, 2010: BOSTON.

March 4, 2011: CSW.

FAMILY VISIT DAY featuring alumni/ae panel and community kickoff of 125th Anniversary events

Alumni/ae event

DANCE CONCERT

December 16, 2010: CSW.

April 9, 2011: CSW.

EVENING OF THE ARTS

ART AUCTION

November 16, 2010: NEW YORK.

Alumni/ae gatherings

January 9, 2011: LOS ANGELES.

Alumni/ae Gatherings

A Cambridge School June 18, 2011: Reunion 2011 at CSW SAVE THE DATE. Reconnect with friends and past faculty, and join us for special events celebrating our 125th anniversary! All milestone classes end in 1 or 6. The Class of 1961 celebrates its 50th, and the Class of 1986 celebrates its 25th. But remember – all years are welcome! We are organizing other alumni/ae gatherings at the following locations around the country. Please call the Alumni/ae Office at (781) 642-8647 or email alum@csw.org for more details. • • • •

Chicago New Mexico Hawaii Maine

• • • •

Oregon Western Massachusetts Washington DC Florida (East and West coasts)

We are organizing alumni/ae gatherings and travel to the following International locations. Please call the Alumni/ae Office at (781) 642-8647 or email alum@csw.org for more details. • • • •

Germany France Montreal London

Alumni Toolboxes

CSW on MySpace.com: www.myspace.com/csw_alumni CSW on Facebook.com:

CSW Professional/Career Networking:

Search for “The Cambridge School of Weston Alumni and Friends” under Groups on LinkedIn.com.

Search for “CSW Alumni – All Years”

2010-2011 Board of Trustees

Ben Alimansky ’87 John Butman P’02, Chair Fangdai Chen ’11, Student Representative

William Freedberg ’11, Student Representative

Eduardo Tugendhat ’72, P’07 Eric von Hippel ’59, P’13

Margie Garner-Perse P’13, Parent Representative

Jill Miller P’11, Parent Representative

Susan Ward P’10, Treasurer

Lisa Hirsch P’08, P’11, FacultyRepresentative

Rob Moir ’72, P’00

John Holleran Polly Howells ’62, Secretary

Mark Culliton ’82, Assistant Treasurer

Jennifer Jones-Clark P’05

Rachael Dorr P’07, Assistant Secretary

Jean Kilbourne P’05 Carl LaCombe, Faculty Representative

Gryphon Fall 2010

Charlo Maurer P’04 Bob Metcalf ‘53

Amy Cody P’04, P‘06

Keep us up-to-date with changes to your contact information and keep us posted on how you are doing by contacting the Alumni/ae Relations Office. You can reach Lelia Orrell Elliston ‘80, director of alumni/ae affairs, at alum@csw.org or (781) 642-8647.

Sheila Watson P’12, Co-Vice Chair of the Board

Jane Moulding, Head of School

John Weltman P’12, P’13

Christian Nolen P’10

Anki Wolf ’67, Co-Vice Chair of the Board

Deborah Pressman P ’10 Sarita Shah ‘86 John Thompson P’05, ‘07

Love Story Philip Greene ‘41 entered The Cambridge School of Weston in the spring of 1938. It was the custom then for students to head to the girls’ dormitory lounge after dinner and listen to Big Band records and dance together. On his first night, a young Adeline Thoms ’40 introduced herself and asked him to dance. They began a sweet high school romance that lasted until Addie’s graduation. Addie attended Sarah Lawrence College, married an Englishman, and they moved to England and raised their three sons. Philip attended Rollins College, then joined the U.S. Army and traveled the world with his wife and five children. Addie and her husband divorced in 1975, and she remained in England. Philip’s wife died in 1989, leaving him in despair for several years. His oldest daughter, Linda, determined to renew life in her dad, located the address and phone number of his old friend Adeline Thoms. Though the two had long gone their separate ways, they still wrote to each other during the holidays. Linda thought it would help her father to hear from Adeline more often.

Throughout 1992, Addie and Philip rekindled their friendship through letters and telephone calls across the ocean. In November of that year, she told Philip that she would be visiting her mother in Litchfield, Conn., and that she was looking forward to seeing him again. Philip arrived on a cold November afternoon to find Addie waiting for him in her mother’s garden, where he had stood decades ago as her sweetheart from high school. Fifty-four years after they parted in 1940, the two married in 1994, and the two lived together happily until Addie’s death in 2007. Philip hopes the tradition of love and music still lives at The Cambridge School and that each of us find the love that he and Addie shared.

Photos above: Adeline Thoms in her junior year at CSW. Philip Greene in his sophomore year at CSW. The couple celebrating Addie’s 80th birthday.

The Cambridge School of Weston 45 Georgian Road Weston, Massachusetts 02493

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A Celebration of Lights By Cam Bauchner ’11 The Illuminarium, among many things, is a celebration of lights. It’s held every year at The Cambridge School of Weston to celebrate the end of a long, cold winter and to rejoice in the upcoming spring and summer by giving the students a chance to demonstrate for the community their excitement in different artistic and creative ways. This year’s Illuminarium featured a number of performances and activities: shadow puppets, a hip-hop performance, a campfire and s’mores, and carnival games, to name a few. Paul Miller-Gamble ’10 built a tent of lights, Sophie Weisskoff ’10, who formed and directed her own acapella group, presented her senior capstone, and Bayla Shepley ’10 hosted an open mic. The film “The Thief and Cobbler” was projected on a big screen in the middle of the quad. The idea for the Illuminarium was first introduced three years ago by art teacher Alison Safford. It was a special event that happened every year at her graduate school and since then she has wanted to bring this special celebration to CSW. Over the last three years, it has truly become just that.