The Gryphon: The Cambridge School of Weston Magazine, Spring 2011 Issue by The Cambridge School of Weston (CSW)

THE CAMBRIDGE SCHOOL OF WESTON MAGAZINE

Spring2011

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

O F

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. Inquiries 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 www.csw.org or send to: Alumni/ae Affairs The Cambridge School of Weston 45 Georgian Road Weston, MA 02493

The

Gryphon

Spring 2011

The Head’s Message

News and Notes

Features Evening of the Arts

Celebrating 125 Years of Progressive Education

Tribute to Teachers

Class Notes/In Memoriam

Announcements

To contact the editor, e-mail gryphon@csw.org. Website: www.csw.org

FSC ARTWORK INSERTED BY LVI

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

Truth. Service. Poetic Justice.

Above: Kieran Teare-Thomas ’13, Abstract Diptych.

Jane Moulding: A Celebration of Teachers It seems fitting to honor our teachers, past and present, as we celebrate 125 years of our school, from its beginning in 1886 as the Cambridge School for Girls to now, The Cambridge School of Weston. One of the goals of our founder, Arthur Gilman, was to create a place where “pupils hold themselves upright by the force of principles planted within,” rather than where a “system holds the pupils up by propos and guys.” He and his wife, Stella, couldn’t have known it then, but years before John Dewey’s work on progressive education took root and many more years before we grew into the school we are now, he laid the foundation for CSW today – a place that nurtures self-discovery and independent thinking. During the kickoff celebration of our anniversary, I told our students and families that it was no accident that whenever groups of CSW graduates are gathered that it is the stories of their teachers they tell. Their stories are reflected here in these pages, in a tribute for which we asked our alumni/ae and current students to recount a teacher who made a significant impact on their learning. We heard from graduates who are now playwrights, sculptors, painters, college students, social workers, authors, an admittedly “less than mediocre” student who eventually earned his doctorate and is now a university professor, and many more. Few stopped at naming just one teacher – most had two, three, or nearly a dozen they wanted to remember, marvel about, and pay tribute to. Though they spanned decades, from the Class of 1940 to the current Class of 2011, a similar thread ran through each of their tales. Their teachers helped ignite their passions, showed them love (and tough love), gave them structure, taught them science, art, math, literature, history, languages, but more importantly, helped nurture them into the human beings they are today. It takes certain kinds of faculty and staff to create this type of school, where students not only feel gratitude for the subjects they learned, but for the people they have become (and are becoming). What does it mean to teach here now? Last year, I compiled my own list of words and descriptive phrases of what it means to be a CSW teacher: spontaneous, tough-minded, open-minded, brilliant at balancing structure and freedom, humorous in all kinds of ways, empathetic, deeply knowledgeable in their subject area, willing to be wrong, eager for more, self-aware, confident, innovative, experimental, collaborative, even-handed. The list goes on. So, from French to Cheek, Wigglesworth and Cummings to Biermann and Ludy, Washburn to Warren, and from Alorie to Martha, Robin to Rhona, Tom and Marilyn to Brian and Rachel, Joanie to Jane, Carl to Benjamin, Evelina to Ava – hundreds of teachers have walked on our campus and lit up our classrooms – we honor them all. And, of course – Happy birthday, CSW!

Jane Moulding, Head of School

Gryphon Spring 2011

news & notes

China New Theatre Course to Take Students to China The Cambridge School of Weston has partnered with the Shanghai Theatre Academy in China to offer students an opportunity of a lifetime – to study traditional Chinese theatre and travel to China to perform for international audiences. The new course, Peking Opera, teaches students a traditional form of theatre that involves movement, acrobatics, vocalizations, character portrayals in Mandarin and English. In the fall, students will have the opportunity to travel to China to perform in front of The World Congress of The International Theatre Institute in Xiamen and for The UNESCO Asia Pacific Performance Festival in Shanghai. Visiting faculty professor, Xu Jiali, from the Shanghai Theatre Academy, taught the course in Mod 5. The students, who auditioned to take part in this program, also studied Mandarin as part of their requirements for completing this course. “I was inspired to take this class, because I love traveling and performing, but as I looked more deeply into it, I realized that this trip is going to be so much more than that,” said Nina Rizzi ’14. “The cultural experiences and lessons learned will be absolutely amazing.” In August, students will create and rehearse an adapted Chinese play based on the Analects of Confucius and various folk stories of his life in preparation for their trip in the fall. CSW students will be joined in Shanghai by other students from China, Bulgaria, India, and New

Zealand. Additional performances are planned for locations in the U.S., as well as in other cities in Asia and Europe. Jeffrey Sichel, the chair of the theatre department – who has worked closely with STA in the past and is a permanent delegate of The UNESCO Chair in Theatre and Culture of Civilizations – helped bring the partnership to CSW. Jeffrey, and Jane Moulding, head of school, traveled to Shanghai last October to help plan the details of the partnership. “I was always curious about the history of my ancestors,” said Briana Chang ’12. “I hope I can use the knowledge gained in the course to connect with Chinese students at CSW in their native language.”

Gryphon Spring 2011

Bo Joseph explains his work during his opening reception; Fran Forman’s “Recollections” exhibit.

Thompson Gallery presents “History As Medium” The Thompson Gallery features “History As Medium,” a threepart, yearlong exhibition that examines the work of Bo Joseph, Fran Forman, and Darryl Lauster, who incorporate history’s remnants in their work. The gallery opened with “Attempts at a Unified Theory,” featuring the work of Joseph, a New York-based artist. In his visually arresting work, Joseph scavenges and combines imagery from disparate cultures within fields of intuitive and gestural mark-making. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Joseph has been featured at galleries and exhibitions throughout the United States. The second exhibit featured “ReCollections,” featuring the digital collages of Boston-based artist, Fran Forman, this winter. A scavenger, collector, and curator of the exquisite, Forman culls digital and analog realms for objects and images to transform and combine into a collage. Forman describes her work as “painting with pixels.” Forman, a native of Baltimore, Md., lives and works out of her studio in Watertown, Mass. She received degrees from Brandeis University, Simmons College and Boston University and was trained as a graphic artist specializing in photography. Her work has been featured in exhibits throughout New England, as well as New York City and Los Angeles. “Chronicle,” the final exhibition, features the work of Darryl Lauster. Lauster’s art showcases a commitment to exploring Americanness through digital media, printmaking, sculpture, and installation. Lauster is a professor of media and sculpture at the University of Texas at Arlington, and his work has been exhibited in galleries nationwide. Lauster’s exhibit at the Thompson Gallery will run through June 19, the end of Reunion weekend. 4

Gryphon Spring 2011

Students Attend Symposium on Haiti Relief

Students Perform at Boston’s Symphony Hall

By Caroline Friedland ’13

Jennifer Kessler ’11 and Jeffrey Rosen ’12 performed at

Students from The Cambridge School of Weston attended the Thomas J. White Symposium at Harvard University in October to explore the lessons learned in the wake of the devastating earthquake in Haiti. The annual event by Partners in Health (PIH) brings family, friends, and advocates together to discuss issues, particularly around health and social justice for the poor. Paul Farmer and Ophelia Dahl are the co-founders of PIH and were featured speakers in the program. “It was inspiring to hear what these people had done the day of the Earthquake and how much they gave up even if it was just to save one person,” said Jenny Surinach ’11, one of the students who attended the event. “It was also interesting to see all these people that came from different parts of the world coming together for a cause.” Along with Jenny, Christian Allen ’11, Nate Bierbrier ’11, Llundon Lawson ’12, Asha Parker ’11, Shari Quashie ’12, and Kandice Simmons ’12 also attended the symposium. Chris Bierbrier, mother of Nate Bierbrier, attended the event, as well as Joyce Krensky, community service coordinator. This year’s symposium explored how acute disasters like the earthquake in Haiti impact communities already ravaged by poverty and disease, and how PIH’s commitment to breaking this vicious cycle has enabled emergency responders to react effectively to the need for both emergency relief and long-term recovery. An estimated 3 million people were affected by the quake last January. The Haitian government reported that an estimated 230,000 people had died, 300,000 had been injured and 1,000,000 were homeless.

Seniors Commended in National Merit Scholarship Program By Gyoungheui Oh ’12 Nine seniors at The Cambridge School of Weston received special recognition from the National Merit Scholarship Program for their achievement on the PSATs. Corinna Anderson ’11, William Blum ’11, Alex Bogart ’11, Rebecca Dickinson ’11, William Freedberg ’11, Bradford Gilligan ’11, Jennifer Kessler ’11, William Quinn ’11, and Annabel Steven ’11 were named Commended Students in the 2011 National Merit competition. These students placed among the top five percent of more than 1.5 million students who entered the competition, and Jane Moulding, head of school, presented a letter of commendation to these scholastically talented seniors at a recent assembly.

Boston’s Symphony Hall as part of the All State Festival and Concert. The students survived two rounds of competitive auditions throughout the year to be selected to the prestigious festival and concert. The festival, which draws auditions from high school students all over the state, is coordinated each year by the Massachusetts Music Educators Association. The festival and concert is held each year in March at Boston’s Symphony Hall. “It felt great to be selected because it is a great honor and a wonderful opportunity,” said Jeffrey, who plays the clarinet. This is Jennifer’s third year participating in the MMEA All-State chorus. “It’s fantastic to get to sing in Symphony Hall,” she said. “The acoustics… well, you can imagine.”

Sunder’s Short Story Published in Online Magazine By Caroline Friedland ’13 Shubha Sunder’s short story, “Climb,” has been recently

Black Boy-White School to be published by Harper Collins Black Boy-White School, the first novel by English teacher Brian Walker is expected to be published this August by Harper Collins. The book, based loosely on Brian’s own life experience, tells the story of a black teenager from Cleveland who attends a mostly white prep school in Maine and the struggles to reconcile the two worlds in which he inhabits – the one of privilege where he receives an education but never fits in and the home to which he returns to discover, he no longer fits in there either. When the book was first picked up by Harper Collins, Brian said, “I have been at this for years and have received tons of rejection letters, but it was my dream, so I stuck with it.”

featured on The Drum, an online literary magazine that publishes short fiction and essays in audio form. “We first hear stories before we ever learn to read,” said Shubha, math and science. “I think there’s something quite powerful in the oral tradition of story telling.” “Climb” is about an adolescent girl in India whose American cousin visits. The girl looks up to her cousin, and the story focuses on her relationship between the American cousin, her mother, and the stresses revealed the cousin’s seemingly perfect life. How did a math and science teacher become involved with literary writing? Shubha is “drawn to the inherent narrative quality in things like proofs and scientific theories,” and enjoys finding the right words to make herself as clear and interesting as possible.

Bartel featured in “Chemical Reactions” Exhibit Todd Bartel, visual arts, was featured in a fall exhibit called

“Chemical Reactions” at the Central Booking gallery in Brooklyn. The exhibit is the latest in a series of art and science exhibitions at the gallery, devoted primarily to the art of the book. In “Chemical Reactions,” each of the 13 artists experiment with their own chemical analysis. According to Maddie Rosenberg, the curator and director of Central Booking gallery, “Todd Bartel’s text-inspired form mimics his seriously playful diagramming of the chemistry of life.”

Safford featured in “Insatiable” Exhibit Alison Safford, visual arts, was recently featured in a winter exhibit titled, “Insatiable: Our Rapacious Appetite for More,” at the Kniznick Gallery at Brandeis University. This juried exhibition featured the work of 42 artists from the United States and abroad and will explore the “ravenous craving for excess and/or the consequences of indulging our endless desire for more.” The Kniznick Gallery is located at the Women’s Studies Resource Center at Brandeis University, and is the only gallery of its kind in New England devoted solely to the display of professional women’s art and art about gender and gender-related issues.

Gryphon Spring 2011

faculty

‘Tis the Season to Give Back By Kandice Simmons ’12 With the help of many students and Joyce Krensky, the faculty advisor, hundreds of baby quilts and winter clothes have been donated to local Waltham shelters to benefit homeless children. During Mod 3, students in the babyquilting class made quilts for local area children, who do not have winter blankets. Viviana Aluia ’12 and Naya Herman ’12 helped lead the effort. The idea for the class started years ago with a former student in Joyce’s Ethics Meets Activism class, and it has since developed into its own D-block class. The founder of this service project not only wanted to give kids the warmth of a blanket, but she also wanted give them something beautiful. Mikaela Joyce ’12 also lead a holiday clothing drive to benefit children in homeless shelters in Waltham. Advisory groups, dorms, students, faculty and staff worked together to raise money and purchase hundreds of items of clothes, coats, shoes, and blankets for the children in need.

Gustavo Assis-Brasil’s father Sergio de AssisBrasil, directs his first feature film.

The official film poster for Manha Transfigurada.

Faculty Composes Original Score for Feature Film Gustavo Assis-Brasil, music teacher, composed the original score for a feature film, Manhã Transfigurada (Morning Transfigured), a film directed by his late father, Sergio de Assis-Brasil. Manhã Transfigurada was a decade-long labor of love, Gustavo said, and was a true family effort. Not only was his father the director, but the film was based on a novel written by his cousin, Luis de Assis Brasil. The DVD and soundtrack for the film was released in the United States last year. “My dad and I never worked together before,” Gustavo said. “I did a lot of TV jingles and he was directing commercials, but he always hired other people. This time, he asked, ‘Would you like to write the music for my movie?’ And, he auditioned me. He was a tough guy.” Gustavo composed 27 pieces for the film, a romantic drama that takes place at the end of the 19th century. It tells story of a love triangle between a young woman, who married only to

secure her family’s social standing, a priest and a sacristan. This was the first time that Gustavo had scored a feature-length film, and initially, he was nervous. He composed a few pieces for the film that his father shared with the book’s author. “The wife of the book’s author cried listening to the music,” he said. “After that, I relaxed a little bit and felt more confident to finish the work.” The film opened in Brazil in 2007, and shortly after its opening, tragedy struck. Sergio de Assis Brazil died after complications from surgery. Gustavo’s family surrounded his bedside as he died. His father, Sergio, was a professor at the Federal University of Santa Maria and was the University’s campus television director. Many of the leading actors and actresses were former students, who had moved onto successful acting careers. “It was a true work of love, especially because I know how much my dad wanted to make this film,” Gustavo said. “This movie was a dream that came true for him. I’m usually really hard on myself, but I’m so proud of the music for this film.”

Pocket Players Tell Two Tales of Devils

Queer Soup Performs “We All Will Be Received”

Do Ask Do Tell

By Gyoungheui Oh ’12

By Kandice Simmons ’12

The Pocket Players presented two tales of devils, “Duffy and the Devil” and “The Devil with the Three Golden Hairs” to its audiences during performances in December. Pocket Players is a student theatre troupe that performs for hearing and deaf audiences in American Sign Language. Pocket Players took their performances to The Quincy School in Boston, The Learning Center for Deaf Children in Randolf, Mass. and The New England Home for the Deaf. The group also performed for the CSW community during a show in December and during Evening of the Arts. Pocket Players performances provide students with the opportunity to learn American Sign Language (ASL), experience deaf culture, as well as participate in performing arts. At the end of the module, students will present their performance throughout the greater Boston area, for both children and adults who have hearing impairment.

Queer Soup Productions presented an electrifying performance of “We All Will Be Received,” a humorous and touching true story about two drag queens and their filmmaker friend’s road trip to Graceland. During the road trip, the travelers uncover their personal history and experiences with gender identity. The performance, presented by the school’s Gay Straight Alliance, was made possible by a grant from Michael Fleming ’81 and The David Bohnett Foundation. The student presidents of GSA, Sarah Hertel-Fernandez ’12 and Kayla Dalton ’12, hope the show will help raise awareness for LBGT issues and help people gain better understanding of what is means to be person who considers themselves LGBT. “High school can be terribly difficult time for LGBT youth because coming out to family and friends can be very scary,” Kayla said. “Kids need to have a safe place to talk about this so that they know they’re not alone.”

Upon returning from the winter holiday break, students celebrated the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” the policy that allows gays to serve in the military as long as they kept their sexual orientation quiet. In December, Congress voted in favor of repealing the policy. President Obama signed it into law on Dec. 22. Since 1993, when “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” first went into affect, more than 17,000 service members, whose sexual preferences became known, were discharged from service. Rita Bell P’08 P’10, the dining hall’s baker helped make a cake for the celebration, which students handed out during lunch in January.

Gryphon Spring 2011

Sports Wrap Up Soccer

The boys varsity and junior varsity teams had extremely successful seasons. The boys’ varsity team beat Brimmer and May School to clinch their first Massachusetts Bay Independent League (MBIL) title since 2001. The team advanced to host the quarterfinal round New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) tournament, where they defeated Christian Heritage School in Trumbull, Conn. The Gryphons lost, 4-3, in a heartbreaking semifinal round to the Watkinson School in Hartford, Conn. Alex Egilman ’11 and Ryan Rubbico ’11 were named MBIL All Stars. The boys junior varsity team enjoyed an undefeated season.

The girls varsity soccer team placed seventh in the Independent Girls Conference League. Zoey Perse ’13 was named IGC All Star. The girls junior varsity team was composed mostly of new players and they played hard all season, but finished with no wins. Cross Country

The boys and girls cross country team placed fourth in the MBIL Championship Meet at Gann Academy. Conner Daube ’11 was an MBIL All-League Selection. Field Hockey

The girls’ field hockey team finished the season with four wins and four losses. The team was commended for completing the season with a limited number of players on the roster.

Basketball

The boys’ varsity team made it to the first round of the MBIL playoff, but lost by a narrow margin to Gann Academy. The team enjoyed a successful season with 15 wins and four losses, placing first in Division A. The team was selected to compete as the 8th seed in the NEPSAC tournament. Cam Bauchner ’11, Will Blum ’11, and James Reynolds ’11 were selected to the MBIL All League Team. The girls’ varsity team placed fifth overall in their division, and advanced to the quarterfinal round of the IGC tournament, but lost Beaver Country Day School. Sophia Omuemu ’11 was selected to the IGC All Star League.

sports Top: Charlotte Fairless ’11, “Suite of Drawings: Carbon-based.” Bottom (Left to Right): Sophia Oldsman ’11, Portrait drawing; Kirin Schmit ’11, “Inside Out;” Rebecca Cumberbatch ’13, “Art Building.”

CSW Students Win Scholastic Art Awards By Douglas Hamilton-Grenham ’12 Students from the Cambridge School of Weston have been awarded an impressive 20 Gold Key and Silver Key awards for the 2011 Boston Globe Scholastic Art Awards competition. Hardy Hill ’11, Stefan Kaiter-Snyder ’11, Matty Kim ’11, Travis Law ’11, Julia Lee ’11 and Sophia Oldsman ’11 were awarded Gold Keys, the top honor in the competition, for their portfolios in art and photo. Rebecca Cumberbatch ’13, Mikaela Joyce ’12, Jaehyouk Lee ’12, Yi-Wen Liu ’12 and Kirin Schmit ’11 were awarded Gold Keys for their individual artwork. Tilly Alexander ’12, Gisele Aubin ’11, Charlotte Fairless ’11, Noah Grossman ’14, Sarah Hertel-Fernandez ’12, Ellie Jackson ’12, Will Quinn ’11, Kieran Teare-Thomas ’13 and Joshua Zaleznik ’12 received Silver Keys for their artwork. An additional 25 honorable mentions were awarded to students for their work. 8

Gryphon Spring 2011

Gold and Silver Key recipients were recognized at an awards ceremony at John Hancock Hall in Boston in early March, and their work was displayed at the State Transportation Building gallery in Boston. Gold Key winners have advanced to New York to compete in the National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. The artwork is judged by a group of jurors who are unaware of the identity of each artist until they have made their final selections and no artwork is disqualified for its content. The artwork is judged based on originality, skill and how well the student’s personal vision and/or voice comes through. These winning pieces were selected from 6,500 submissions of individual artwork as well as 500 portfolios of student artwork. The artwork comes from students in grades 7-12 in public, private and parochial schools in Massachusetts. The Boston Globe Awards program is an affiliate of the national Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, which is now 87 years running, the longest running program for the recognition of student artists and writers in the US.

Gryphon Spring 2011

Celebration of the Arts The Cambridge School of Weston held its second annual Evening of the Arts in December, showcasing student art from across disciplines. The evening was a part of the continuing celebration for the school’s 125th anniversary. The night air was chilly, but the mood was festive inside the Garthwaite Center for Science and Art where students, faculty and staff, and families gathered for the first half of the evening for the End-of Mod art show in the community gallery. Student models and designers from Wearable Art class walked down the stairs with their hand-sewn projects made of non-traditional clothing materials – garbage bags, corks, crumpled sheet music, CDs, and caution tape, to name a few. The evening ended with theatre, dance, and music performances in the Robin Wood Theatre in the Mugar Center for the Performing Arts. Students from the International Theatre Company performed “The Story of the Sun and the Moon.” Directed by Matty Kim ’11 and Julia Lee ’11, the play is based on an old Korean folklore. The Pocket Players, a touring children’s theatre group that performs in American Sign Language, treated the audience with an excerpt from “The Devil with the Three Golden Hairs,” which the group had performed for deaf and hearing audiences throughout the Boston area. Douglas Hamilton-Grenham ’12 and Sarah Hertel-Fernandez ’12 directed and starred in an excerpt from Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.” Quamella Manning ’12 and Kandice Simmons ’12 of Poetic Justice also performed with powerful performances of their written poetry. Lily Steven ’14 performed “Clamshells,” a piece choreographed by Adrian Hoffman ’12, and students from the dance technique classes performed a demonstration from their class. The evening ended with a “Tribute to Queen,” in which members of the Rock Pop Ensemble, dressed in sparkling costumes, paid tribute to Freddie Mercury and to the band by performing their greatest hits, including “We Will Rock you,” “We Are the Champions,” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Gryphon Spring 2011

The evening featured (Clockwise from top left): the Pocket Players performance of “The Devil with Three Golden Hair”; Rock Pop Ensemble’s tribute to Queen; student directed performances of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf ”’; the International Theatre Company’s play based on a Korean folklore; one-on-one choreography and dance technique performances; the Wearable Arts fashion show; as well as the end-of-the-mod art show.

Gryphon Spring 2011

The Cambridge School for Girls first opened at 20 Mason Street in Cambridge, Mass. and was located just steps away from Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges. This map was enclosed in the school manual, printed in 1893, the school’s eighth year of operation, which stated “the aim of The Cambridge School is to give substantial and well-ordered instruction to girls and young women.”

The Boston Evening Transcript announced the upcoming opening of The Cambridge School at its current location in Weston. According to the article, the school was to open in the fall of 1931 with approximately 100 students, as a largely day school with boarding accommodations for 12 boys and 12 girls.

CSW Celebrates:

125 Years

of Progressive Education

Innovative. Creative. Caring. Passionate. Students and families used these words to describe teachers at The Cambridge School of Weston. With this special nod to the faculty and to teaching at CSW, the school kicked off its 125th anniversary celebration during Family Visit Days in October. The event marked the beginning of a yearlong celebration to commemorate its founding and to honor the teachers who have helped make CSW the school it is today. “It is no accident that whenever groups of CSW graduates are gathered that it is stories of their teachers they tell,” said Jane Moulding, head of school, told students and families, faculty and staff, who gathered at in the Robin Wood Theatre for the kick-off event. The yearlong celebration includes special alumni/ae gatherings, a retrospective exhibit on the school’s history, and special events planned during next year’s reunion. The event also marks the beginning of a campaign to raise $1.25 million by the year’s end for faculty compensation. The school was founded at 20 Mason Street in Cambridge, Mass. by Arthur and Stella Gilman as the Cambridge School of Girls in 1886 as a preparatory high school for Radcliffe College. The school moved to the Weston campus in 1931, under the direction of the then-head of school, John French, who helped establish CSW as the model of progressive education it is today. In 1973, the school launched its groundbreaking Module System that allows for intense study. Eric von Hippel ’59 P’09 P’13, now a professor of technology and innovation at MIT, Elizabeth Cohen ’04, a candidate for a master’s degree at the Harvard Divinity School, and Anne Meyer ’65, the founder of CAST, which aims to expand learning

Gryphon Spring 2011

opportunities for different types of learners, spoke on an alumni/ae panel about their experiences at and what teaching and learning means to them and their fields. Each shared stories of how teachers here helped discover their passions, helped them to become who they are in their work, and helped them to adapt, be flexible, and to see possibilities where none may have existed before. Eric, currently a trustee of the school, said CSW has managed to preserve its “magic in a bottle” because the same spirit for love of learning and inquiry, excellence in teaching that existed more than 50 years ago when he was a student still exists today for his son, who is a sophomore. “CSW prepared me for life – both in a moral sense and for learning – in the most wonderful way,” he said.

The school launched its groundbreaking Module Sytem in the fall of 1973, under the direction of then head of school, Robert Sandoe. The original proposal asserted “performing and creative arts” as “fundamental to the curriculum” and recommended that students take these courses in “uninterrupted time” throughout the school year.

Gryphon Spring 2011

In September 1970, I wandered onto the CSW campus. It was a lonely moment. I knew no one and no one knew me. I was camping on the safety of the gym steps, when Robin Wood swooped in to sit beside me and asked if I had any interest in trying out for her play. I was suddenly included and wanted. I have loved her ever since and miss her always. Bob Trumbull Smith helped me find my way from teenage drifter to some semblance of a student. Chris Wearing made every effort to teach French while most of us wanted to be someplace else, and he did this with such tolerance and grace. Martha Gray who, while never my teacher, was unbelievably forgiving of me, David, Andy, Tyrone, Earl, Bruce, and others who insisted on playing basketball endlessly over her dance studio. … And, ceramics teacher Anne-Marie Sykes worked so patiently with me who had no talent but great enthusiasm. None of us can forget Whitney Haley. Whitney and I agreed I would write a paper on a book by Peter de Vries called The Blood of the Lamb. In putting the paper together, I couldn't quite figure out what the author meant by a certain passage. So, I asked Whitney, who suggested, “Why don't you just call him and ask? He lives in Connecticut.” How cool was that? So I did. The boldness of this exercise was pure Whitney. There are many, many other teachers who had a significant role in my life and are forever in my memory. What an era and what a school!

Honoring Teachers:

A Tribute

Marilyn DelDonno

Hans Biermann

Bob Trumbull Smith

Whitney Haley

Jeannette Cheek

Lee Wilson

Steve Danenberg

Martha Gray

In the school’s rich 125-year history, there have been hundreds of teachers, whose dedication, passion, and warmth, helped shape the lives of the students who attended The Cambridge School of Weston. In celebration of the school’s anniversary, The Gryphon asked alumni/ae and current students to share their memories of teachers who made an impact on their learning. Nearly all who participated regretted there was not enough time to speak about them all. The stories told below are far from complete, but we hope they help capture the beauty, the power, the humor, the (tough) love, and the innovation of teachers at The Cambridge School.

Hans Biermann, Thora Ludy, Frank Wigglesworth are all very

much in my mind. Hans Biermann was very encouraging and made everything come alive. I remember sitting in his anatomy class. I created a three‐dimensional design of the human nervous system, and I remember how excited and encouraging he was about my project. Now, I wasn’t much of a literary student either – I always got lousy marks – but that’s where Ludy came in. We were reading Booker T. Washington, and I was sitting in class expecting the usual. She handed back our papers. She came up with an A, and I was flabbergasted. She had confidence in me and in my work. That kind of encouragement meant so much to me as a kid. Frank Wigglesworth taught sculpture and that is the field I focused on at The Cambridge School and what I ended up doing for all of my life. I remember sitting in the old school building downstairs in the cellar. When I first went to interview at the school, he had pigs of clay and books of animals down there and I felt totally at home. He first taught me how to be a sculptor, to build things, to make things with my hands. Marjorie Moench ’40

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The teacher who had the most emotionally significant and longlasting effect on me was Jeannette Cheek. It was the fall of my senior year when I took American history with her. She was not only a highly respected faculty member; she was someone who held my older sister in high regard. Though my sister had left CSW four years earlier, she followed me like a shadow. The French teacher called me “Little Ziskind.” I had a lot to live up to and honestly didn't feel I could measure up. In my first exam in Mrs. Cheek’s class, I sat paralyzed. A part of me felt I was going to fail and shame myself. I couldn't face that. I ran out of the classroom to the girl's room. When I returned, I spoke with Mrs. Cheek. I told her I did not feel well and was not able to take the exam. Without question, she asked if I would rather take it myself over the weekend. Flooded with relief, I said yes. To be taken at face value, to be offered a non-shaming alternative – it was like nothing I’d ever experienced. She extended a quintessential kindness and trust in me, and my gratitude was profound. For the rest of the year, I flourished in her course. I sensed, rightly or not, that she intuited something about my predicament and responded to me from a place of attunement and wisdom. She forever affected how

Robin Wood

I treat myself and others. I do believe she is a significant part of what helped me become a good therapist and teacher. Ellen L. Ziskind ’57

About halfway through Roz Henning’s course, as I was sinking below the C-minus grade she had generously given me, I burst into tears during a one-on-one talk with her. It was profoundly embarrassing to me, since I considered “crying” even more despicable than academic inadequacy. Roz suggested that we go for a walk, down the path behind the art studio, and that’s the context in which I discovered what a wonderful human being she was. She didn’t try to just “make me feel better.” She seemed genuinely concerned about the depth of my distress at feeling so “stupid” in her course, and somehow, after 40 minutes of dialogue, she managed to bring me around to a place emotionally where I could begin to accept that sometimes in life you are going to be and feel like “less,” and it’s okay. That was a much larger gift than anything I could have gained from the coursework, and a lesson I’m still profoundly grateful for. Pril Smiley ’61, as told to Marc Haefele ’61 for “Roslyn Henning: 30-year appreciation.” The full appreciation can be found online at http://alumni.csw.org.

Of all the teachers who prepared me for college, Finley McQuade stands out. If you were spouting nonsense, he let you know in no uncertain terms. You always knew where you stood. He taught our English class like a graduate student seminar. We chose the book by subscribing to The New York Times Book Review, and proceeded to beat the book to death over the course of the term. I learned how to clearly present my ideas – a factor that has certainly contributed to my success as a student and as a professor.

Chris Lovell ’73

Three faculty members particularly stand out for me from my era: Bob Trumbull Smith, Alice McMahon and Steve Danenberg. Bob Trumbull Smith’s class ignited my interest in history, and I ended up majoring in Chinese history in college. Until that point, I was basically a math/science geek, so it was one of the first classes that engaged me in a non-science realm. However, it wasn’t the academic lessons from any of these teachers that influenced me the most. The main thing that each of these three faculty did for me was provide me with a feeling of community. Bob was warm and accepting and laughed a lot. He changed his name to Trumbull around the time that I went back to my childhood nickname of “Ber” from Karen. I was involved on the Advisory Board with Bob and Steve Danenberg. There were frequent hallway chats, and political arguments about campus politics, all of which made me feel valued and included in the community. Alice McMahon was my advisor. She provided attention to my academic and overall progress. I was a boarder living away from my family, and they all provided a feeling of parental warmth that I craved. … Given how independent I already was in high school, I was drawn to these three people because they provided steady, consistent nurturing and guidance. Karen (Ber) Fuller ’78

It is totally without hyperbole when I say that Robin Wood is the reason that I'm working in the theatre today. She instilled in me a work ethic, she fostered in me an aesthetic sense, and she empowered me to see myself as an artist worth listening to. She was tough as hell. I was terribly frightened of her at times. What Robin wanted to give her students more than anything else was

Nancy Eldred Williams, Ph.D. ’68 Gryphon Spring 2011

improve. Mary was strict but also had a great sense of humor and a passion for Shakespeare. I will never forget having to act out a scene from Richard III with only two other classmates. We had decided to set our scene in a summer camp and we played multiple parts using different voices for each character. I think we all thought Shakespeare was boring and dreaded the assignment at first, but it soon became ridiculous and fun. I still read Richard III as a comedy to this day.

“I can say without hesitation that each one of them, in his or her own way, is responsible for who I am today, as a person.”

Alyssa Galeros Keefe ’99 Brian Walker

was the best music teacher I have ever had. She was a great human being, a humanist in the best possible way. Whatever we did – I remember those choir rehearsals and concerts vividly as well – it was done with the whole heart, and indeed, not just with the heart but with all senses. That was the kind of thinking she instilled in me. She made you feel at home, while at the same time challenging us to our best possible thinking.

Joanie (Rivera) Bernhardt

Benjamin Wolfgarten ’94

Tom Evans

Sophia Boyer

the willingness to stretch, to discover something in themselves they didn’t know they had. In high school, I was an actor, and I got a lot of good parts, but never the parts I thought I would get. She knew to challenge me. She knew before I did that I was a writer, and she was right, I eventually became a playwright. For those of us who eventually pursued theatre as a career, she taught us that it was a tough business, that you have to figure out quickly why theatre was important to you, why it’s worth your time. There was no one like her. In a school with such exceptional people, she was, without exception, an extraordinary human being. Steven Druckman ’81

I have to be honest; I was not a good student. I was pretty good at using humor to get myself through things, and I think my teachers knew that. What they gave me was the sense they believed in me, that they really cared, that they were willing to stick with me, and that ultimately, I was intelligent even though I wasn’t always producing the work. That’s a really powerful thing when you’re a teenager. That’s what carried me through most of my years at CSW. … There was a math teacher, Rhona Carlton – I’ll never forget her. I was really deficient in math, and I could tell she recognized it. I will never forget how kind she was, how she made me feel safe to put in effort and actually learn something. Alorie Parkhill and Holly Hickler – they always come to mind, 16

Gryphon Spring 2011

Mary Page

Rhona Carlton Foss

because no matter how apathetic we may have been at that age, they were always passionate about teaching. Steve Cohen – he was amazing. I imagine that he was probably my first taste of what being in college was like. He was incredibly knowledgeable in his subject and lectured in such a dynamic, passionate way. Now, as a professor, I take so much inspiration from him.

All of my teachers at CSW were gifted and passionate, but the teachers in the art department have made a lasting and profound impact on my life and work. Tom Evans, Orlando Leyba, Joan Gitlow, and Bronlyn Jones planted carefully crafted seeds which are always growing and bearing fruit. Each one of these teachers had a very particular approach and style, and together they gave me the tools to take risks, and the skin for a long hard road towards becoming an artist. Tom Evans in “Art and Idea” class asked questions that I am still trying to answer. Orlando Leyba instilled in me a love for aesthetics, a passion for paint, and an understanding of thematic structures. Joan Gitlow taught me to look, to look at skin, and to understand the importance of the human body as proportion in art. Bronlyn Jones, though she taught photography, greatly influenced my thinking on minimal art, and became a real comrade well after my time at CSW. All of these exceptional and inspiring teachers taught me the most important thing as well, a real work ethic. For these teachers, I remain grateful and humbled.

Serge Marek, Ph.D. ’82 Guy Yanai ’95

I find it hard to pick just one teacher. Denise Chamberland, although she was never my teacher, was my advisor. It's hard for foreigners to be away from home, not only in a different country, but on a different continent. It was very important for me to have her help me make sense of it all. In the same context, Joanie Rivera was my dorm parent at Aleph. She was a parent anyone could wish for. She was strict and enforced the rules, but never in an unfair or arrogant way. She was like a mother to me, in the best possible way. The first teacher I can recall is Fern Nesson, who taught history. Right at the beginning of the first lesson, she did something incredible. She gave us our homework assignment, then wrote her home phone number on the chalkboard. She told us that we could call her if we had any questions. That amount of trust between teachers and students was something that I had never experienced before (and after) CSW. … If I had to pick one teacher standing out, it would be Lee Wilson. She

After a turbulent time at another high school, I arrived at CSW with little hope that things could be better. Robin Wood immediately took me under her wing and nurtured my hesitant crush on the theatre into a full-blown mania, helping me overcome my shyness and giving me the confidence I desperately needed at that time. She was like my school mom, lecturing me one minute and trying to feed me the next. … Until joining CSW junior year, I had always aced my writing classes with minimal effort. That all came to a screeching halt the day I walked into Mary Page’s class. I got my first research paper back with four entire pages crossed out and a note that said “This is BS” in the margin. A poem I wrote for her earned me a B and a matter-of-fact, “This is a cliché.” A cliché?! But you know what? It was a cliché. And I was BS’ing through my research report. Looking back, I think she had correctly read me as someone who needed to be challenged to

I can think of three teachers – Michael Weinstein, Marilyn DelDonno, and Ted Munter. Michael let me explore and experiment with playing and writing music and generally creating noise, but more importantly he was there, really, just to hang out and talk to during our advisor meetings. He was happy to hear what I had to say and wanted to listen to what was on my mind. In Marilyn’s classes, I remember having lots of epiphanies. She taught me how to ask questions – not just in science, but also in life. I remember attempting to define “time” only to realize I couldn’t really grasp it, practically, conceptually, or otherwise. And Ted… there’s one class I remember most vividly. We reenacted Plato’s cave, from Book VII of The Republic. We put all the tables in the back of the room and setup the chairs in rows facing the board. The person at the back of the room was the fire, the people on the tables in front of the fire were the actors, and the rest of us were chained to our seats looking at the board. One person’s job was to draw what the actors did on the board. Ted’s teaching of Plato was by far the best and most influential I have ever had. I can say without hesitation that each one of them, in his or her own way, is responsible for who I am today, as a person. Kabren Levinson ’08 Brian Walker teaches subjects that he is passionate about, which shows in his charisma as a teacher. South African Literature was one of my favorite classes I have ever taken. I was engaged in every class for the entire module. Sophia Boyer was one of the smartest, most educated teachers I've ever had. I loved her teaching style, because it was very clear that she knew the subject material well. Sophia Omuemu ’11 Robin Wood is one of the most powerful figures I have known in my life. An extraordinary teacher, friend, and leader, she stood miles above her shoes everyday. Her ability to understand people was extraordinary. Robin pushed me past my comfort zone into a place that helped me grow. She was loved, feared, hated and always made her opinion known. The energy she put into what she did was inspiring, and the attention she gave each student was genuine, equal, and underneath the exterior extremely loving. She understood what worked, and what didn’t work in the theater. She was unflinchingly honest – she wasn’t afraid to let you know where you stood and she expected us to do the same. I am grateful for the time I had with her. She left us too soon. Briton Ash ’11

Gryphon Spring 2011

had the frustrating task of trying to teach me to play violin.” In the book, Schaaf writes about education and the influence of The Cambridge School on other institutions, including the Greedwood Music Camp. “The book is permeated with a wonderful sense of progressive education, and [emphasizes] the role that music and the arts play, not just in education, but in real life – and the role that CSW has played in all of this.”

class notes

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

Teri Ross Fields ’46 is living

in Florida full-time and writes “I do enjoy following the developments at The Cambridge School.” Benjamin Goldstein ’48 writes

1940s Alan Frank ’40 shared the following memories: “Hans Biermann, past faculty, taught

biology and was a dorm leader. Hans let me take biology as a freshman. I loved farming and used to hang out on the farm down the hill. I came to CSW in 1936 and lived behind the stage. One spring, the play was Trial By Jury, and I learned the whole play by heart

because I could always hear the rehearsals.” Arnie Simmel ’43 writes “I have just encountered a book, Greenwood, This Other Eden by Joseph Schaaf, past faculty and trustee. In this book, appears others who have taught at The Cambridge School: Bunny and Dwight Little, the founders of Greenwood, and Margaret Clark, past parent and past faculty, who

“It has been a long time but I am still around with fond memories of The Cambridge School. A happy new year to all of you!”

1950s Arthur Sharenow ’51 is busy

teaching a photography class at the Rabb School of Continuing Studies at Brandeis University, while finishing his memoir of his experiences as a camp director. “I am sorry I will be missing our 60th reunion. I forgot all about it when making travel plans for Japan in June.”

Margaret Hall Whitefield ’51 has moved from Great

Carl Brotman ’63 and Sally Brotman ’63 are “enjoying

Barrington, Mass.to the East Bay area in northern California with “a truck, a dog and a horse.” She has “lots of family here.”

retirement in Truro on Cape Cod” and send wishes to CSW for a “Happy 125th!” Thomas Torrey ’64 has “two

Ann Moulton St. John ’55

has moved back to the North Shore and closer to her family. “After the sudden death of my husband, it was a good decision for me. I love it here.”

1960s Loris Phillips Bickum ’60

writes “Our grandsons, Kyle, 8, and Ryan, 3, are keeping our daughter Bonnie busy. Bonnie is still working in cardiac rehabilitation, and son-in-law John is with NASA. Gil and I are busy with the Cocoa Village Playhouse.” Becky Dennison Sakellariou ’62’s new book Earth Listening,

a collection of poems, was released last October. Former New Hampshire Poet Laureate Patricia Fargnoli calls the poems “carefully crafted with astonishing phrases and beautiful language and rhythms. Earth Listening, with its depth, its explorations of love and loss, and its spiritual awareness, seems to me like one long prayer.”

grandchildren, Sid and Anya, and three cats.” Shirley Feldman P’67, P’71

sends her message of “good health and good cheer” to everyone at CSW. Michael Feldman ’67’s grandnephew, Michael Taxin, recently married Denise Conte, and Judy Feldman ’71 became a great aunt to Raquel Bonilla. She is looking forward to the Michael H. Feldman Social Justice Day in April.

Gryphon Spring 2011

Dixey Brooks ’70 writes “I read the article about Howe Derbyshire, past faculty. I remember him well. He was one of my favorite teachers. He encouraged me and my love of English and writing and was a dear man. After CSW, my whole family moved to Italy and I haven’t lived in America since, although I usually visit once a year. I live in Wales now. I would like to be in touch with my dear friend, Neil Gross ’69.”

Robert Bowie ’68 has been

elected the president of the Harvard Alumni Association for 2010-2011. Nancy Eldred Williams ’68

has moved to Surprise, Ariz. into an active retirement adult community, Sun City Grand. She writes “There is lots of stuff to do, and I am having a blast.” You can find her on Facebook.

1970s Maxwell Mackenzie ’70 had

a show titled “New Work”

Dr. Edmund Bowles ’42 has published numerous books and writings about music over the past several decards, including Musical Performance in the Late Middle Ages, Musical Ensembles in Festival Books, 1500-1800: An Iconographical and Documentary Survey, and The Timpani: A History in Pictures and Documents. A complete list of his work can be found on Amazon.com. Dr. Bowles also sent us a photo of him “behind four kettledrums of the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam when they played at the Kennedy Center.”

consisting of his ariel photographs of Vermont, Virginia, and Minnesota – all taken from his self piloted, powered parachute ultra-light aircraft – at the Fraser Gallery in Bethesda, Md. The show ran throughout the fall of 2010.

Robert Friesen ’71 sent an update about a classmate: “Every once in a while, someone in our class does something that is so spectacular that it demands to our class to let everyone know. Lyn Noland ’71 won an Emmy for her camera work on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Concert. It was her 2nd Emmy from among 31 – yes, 31 – nominations. Bob Vickers ’71 was the lucky guy who got to go to the awards with her in L.A.”

Margot Barnet ’71 ran in the Democratic primary to state representative for the 13th Worcester District. She finished a close second to John Mahoney, who eventually won the seat. Christopher Lovell ’73 met up with Andy Postlethwaite Riedy ’73, Kim Postlethwaite Draper ’73, Linda Nathan ’73, and Amanda Bowen ’73 to celebrate the birthday of Kim and Andy, who are twins, and Kim’s recent wedding to David. “It was very fun.” Sarah Speare ’74 writes “Hope that things are thriving at CSW! I haven’t been in touch for a while and wanted to send news of my new position as the executive director of the Institute for Humane Education in Surry, Maine. I am working mostly out of my home office in Portland, but driving up there once a week, which is a treat for me since that’s the part of Maine where my family ties are and my heart lies.” Gregory (Greg) Stone ’75

recently authored an article published in National Geographic magazine titled “Phoenix Rising” about the result of ongoing efforts to protect marine life in the Phoenix Islands, a group of islands

belonging to the Republic of Kiribati in the Pacific Ocean. Greg, senior vice president and chief scientist for oceans at Conservation International, was a leader in creating the Phoenix Islands Protected Area, the second-largest Marine Protected Area in the world. He was also a featured speaker in a recent TED talk. Both the article and the talk can be found online. John Warrington, Jr. ’75 has been working in Nicaragua in the timber industry for the last five years “trying to save the world from Al Gore-induced global warming.” Maya (Andrea Grillo) Massar ’78 recently authored

an article published in the New Age Journal titled “Full Embodiment, Zaba the 96 lb. Crystal Skull, and The Power of Heart,” which speaks about her ongoing healing work. The article can be found online. Victoria Seggerman Stone ’79 was featured in a

photography show in Guatemala at the El Sito Cultural Center, featuring more than 40 of her photographs in an exhibit titled “Celebration: Photos from the Gay Pride Parades of New York City and San Francisco.”

Cecile Toupin ’74, who co-hosted the Hawaii gathering in January with Robert Perkins ’83, had this great story to share: In the fall of 1937, Helen Keller, who graduated from The Cambridge School in 1897, was in Honolulu on a world book tour. She was introduced to a group of welcoming school children at Iolani Palace. “My mother, Elizabeth Toupin, past trustee and parent, recalls being thrust forward as a ‘little Korean girl,’ and how she froze as Helen with a light and trembling touch explored her entire face with her hands. Curiosity, unchecked. Curiosity, explored. I do believe that remains, for many of us, the peculiar gift of The Cambridge School.”

Gryphon Spring 2011

David Hannon ’79 was recently honored by the Massachusetts House of Representatives for “lifetime achievement in the art of Jazz and Blues in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.”

1980s Michael Fleming ’81 was

recently appointed as a member of the White House Council for Community Solutions. Michael is the executive director of the David Bohnett Foundation, which funds programs and organizations that promote social justice and civic activism. The David Bohnett Foundation has funded a number of important programs and initiatives at CSW, including photographer Jeff Sheng’s exhibit on gay high school and college athletes as well as the production of “We All Will Be Received” by Queer Soup Productions. Vanita Snow ’78 updated

us with the news that Christopher Huggins ’81

premiered his piece “Anointed” with the Alvin Ailey Company Dec. 3 at the City Center in New York. “The piece is incredible and it stole the show. He is brilliant! Christopher

took his first dance class at CSW and he appropriately lists Martha Gray, dance faculty, in the Ailey program. Annie DeBethune ’78 and I had an opportunity to join him and we had a mini reunion. Will Hogan ’78 was supposed to join us but he had to cancel. I hope all is well. It is so good reuniting with the CSW family.” Catherine Musinsky ’82

has been recently featured in the film, “Unchastened,” by filmmaker Brynmore Williams, about breast cancer survival, dance, henna, and healing. Catherine was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006 and had, in addition to a mastectomy, four months of chemotherapy and radiation. She teaches yoga, dance, and contact improvisation in the Boston. You can find the trailer for the film online.

in Marin county and loving it.” She continues to “write, paint, collage, learn to make jewelry, and collaborate on multimedia projects.” Medeleine Perlman ’89, also

known as “La Magdalena,” returned to CSW to teach a Flamenco Workshop in April. She and Martha Gray, dance faculty, enjoyed stomping, clapping, and singing with the dance community.

Eleanor (Nell) Cochrane Buck ’92 and Stephen (Steve) Buck ’92 were married last July

in Harvard, Mass.

1990s Chris Arnold ’91 was ordained

as an Episcopal priest in December. “I’m currently the clergy-in-charge of a beautiful church in Middlesboro, Ky., in the shadow of the Cumberland Gap. I also officially completed a Masters in Liturgical Studies at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, Calif.”

Suzanne Rivera ’87 and her

husband recently moved to Ohio where she has accepted a new position as associate vice president for research at Case Western Reserve University.

company can be found online. Abby Fenton ’92 writes “Life is good in Minneapolis,” where she and her husband Aaron live with their 1-year-old daughter. “I am currently working as Youth Programs Director for the Will Steger Foundation, supporting youth climate activism across the Midwest.”

Maggie Flint Weir ’62 writes

with an update about her son, John B. Weir ’93. “John B. and his wife and daughter live in Greensboro, N.C. and teach English at Gilford College. JB and Jeff Farbman ’93 still see each other, and have daughters born within just a few weeks of one another.” Andrew MacLeod ’94 writes,

Zachery Buell ’91 performed as one of the “Blue Men” of the Blue Man Group during the Superbowl half time show.

“Expecting first child with my partner/spouse Felicia Lee.” He has moved out of New York City and is still recording and touring.

Brendan Carney ’92 has a Dorothy LaRue ’88 writes

“My husband, Jeph, and I returned to the San Francisco bay area in June and are so happy to be back. We are living

printing company, Supreme Digital Studio, in Brooklyn that specializes in large format printing and mounting for artists. More information about the

Augusta Wood ’96 had a solo

exhibition at Angles Gallery in Los Angeles this past November and December.

Melanie Edington-Hoover ’96 was recently married to

Winston Liu and now lives in Seattle, Wash. Alissa Wilson ’96 lives in Juba, Sudan and works for the National Democratic Institute as its resident program officer on civic engagement. Juba, the capitol of Southern Sudan, recently held its referendum on self determination. “My work is focused on the post-referendum period. I’ll be supporting Southern Sudanese communities with tools they can use to organize themselves and work with the government to meet community needs. Anyone who comes through Juba or knows someone else who’s here is welcome to contact me.” Benjamin Levy ’97 graduated

in December from the Linfield College of Nursing in Portland, Ore. Ben and his wife, Marie Knapp, are expecting their first child in May. Erin Porter McEnaney ’97

writes, “I married Scott McEnaney in 2005 and we now have one son, Eli who will be two years old in January. I am working at the Orvis Company in human resources.”

2000s Diana Vogel ’00 wrote in with

a brief summary of the last decade. She graduated from Carleton College in 2004, moved to Ecuador to teach English and do volunteer work, then moved to North Carolina to work with two non-profit legal services, focusin on immigrant survivors of domestic abuse. She graduated from Vermont Law School last May, and now works for the U.S. Department of Justice as a Judicial Law Clerk at the Boston Immigration Court. She lives in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston with her boyfriend. Derya Altan ’00 completed her masters of fine arts s at Cranbrook Academy of Arts last May. She recently taught at the Maryland Institute College of Arts. Alexis Iammarino ’01, sister of Cam Alexander ’10, Tilly Alexander ’12, and Flo Alexander ’14, lives in Baltimore and is working towards a master of arts in community arts at the Maryland Institute College of Arts. She was recently featured in a short video titled “The Artist’s Role in the Community:

Six Perspectives” for NEA Arts, the magazine for the National Endowment for the Arts. The video can be found online at the NEA website. “Be well! Shout out to current faculty, Martha Gray, Tom Evans, and Ted Munter, and many more!” Jacob Sagrans ’05 was excited

to see so many classmates at the reunion last June. “I have many, many fond memories of CSW and it was great to catch up with all of you. I now live in Montréal, where I am a grad student in musicology at McGill University. I am enjoying it and learning substantially from the program. If any of you find yourselves in Montréal, please drop me a line!” Hamilton Morris ’05 just debuted his short film Nzambi:

Anneke Reich ’09 appeared as

the female lead in the musical The Wild Party last October at Brandeis University. The Wild Party is about the dysfunctional, passionate relationship between a vaudeville dancer, Queenie, and a vaudeville clown, Burrs. A review credited Anneke with having “brassy voice seemed made for the character of a sultry nightclub performer.”

Past Faculty and Staff Kristina Joyce, past faculty, writes “I am still doing my art out my home studio in Concord and teaching afterschool drawing classes.”

television network. In the sixpart documentary, Hamilton travels to Haiti to talk to voodoo sorcerers and hunt for the modern day zombie.

Suzanne and James Owen, past faculty, write “Having met as new faculty members at CSW in 1969, we sent our daughter Hilary through the Children’s Garden. She now has a son, Rowan James Goldblatt, in Montpelier, Vt. where she teaches music.”

Rebecca Loeb ’06 is currently

Steve Batzell, past faculty,

working towards a degree in conservation biology at Warren Wilson College. Before graduating, she will take art classes in Paris for a semester.

hopes to attend the 125th anniversay celebration this year, and writes “Give Trumbull my very best.”

Ghoulish Tale of Modern Day Zombies” on VBS.TV, an online

Tyche Hendricks ’82 lives in the San Francisco

Jonas Wood ’95’s painting was featured at the Frieze Art Fair in

Bay area with her husband and 10-year-old daughter. She is an editor at KQED Public Radio and teaches journalism at University of California at Berkeley. Her first book The Wind Doesn't Need a Passport: Stories from the US-Mexico Borderlands was published last year by the University of California Press. “I enjoyed reconnecting with former history teacher Steve Cohen, past faculty, Sarah Jane Liberman Horton ’81, Ann McClusky Farr ’82, Nevin Shalit ’79 and others on my book tour. I also had the good fortune to visit Phoebe MarshallRaimbeau ’82 at her home in France last spring.”

London this past October then had art work in print for sale at the New York Art Book Fair in November. Rayne Coleman Depukat ’02 married Robert Depukat last

September in York Harbor, Maine. “We currently live in Nashua, N.H. and I work as a freelance Sign Language interpreter throughout Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Rob owns a music studio, Steady Hands Music Studios in Nashua, where he gives drum and electric bass lessons and manages a staff of teachers giving lessons in guitar, piano and voice.”

Miriam Michelson ’89 contacted the Alumni

Office recently with a request to be put in touch with Bronlyn Jones, past faculty. Miriam is celebrating her 10-year anniversary with her husband, Joshua Grinspoon. She sent a photo of her two daughters, Isabel and Audrey. 20

Gryphon Spring 2011

IN MEMORIAM Our condolences to the family and friends of Jessie-Lou Settle Jones ’35, who died in October 2010 at the age of 92. Our condolences to the family and friends of Katherine “Connie” Bruns MacLaren ’36, who died this past year.

We recently learned that Robert M. Cunningham ’37

had died in 2008, and had remembered The Cambridge School of Weston in his will. Our gratitude and our condolences to his family and friends. Our condolences to the family and friends of Nancy (Ells) Terry ’40, who died in March 2010. Mrs. Terry met her late husband Matthew P Terry ’40 while they were students at the Cambridge School of Weston. Our condolences to the family and friends of Col. Philip Greene ’41, who died November 2010. He was married to the late Adeline (Thoms) Greene ’40, whom he met and first dated while they were both students at CSW. They parted after graduation, then reunited some 50 years later. “A CSW Love Story,”

based on a letter that Philip wrote to the Alumni Office about their love, was featured in the Fall 2010 issue of the Gryphon. Our condolences to the family and friends of Harrison Wadsworth, Jr. ’42, who died in August 2010. Harrison was a professor of statistics in the industrial and Systems engineering department at Georgia Institute of Technology for 31 years and taught in China and Turkey. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and in the Korean conflict. He was a U.S. delegate and subcommittee chair to the International Standards Organization and the American National Standards Institute. He authored or coauthored several textbooks and served as editor of the Journal of Quality Technology. He received numerous awards and medals, including the American Society for Quality’s highest honor, its Distinguished Service Medal and he was a fellow of the American Statistical Association. Mr. Wadsworth was a loyal and long-time supporter of the Annual Fund at CSW. Our condolences to Holly Hickler ’43, past parent and former faculty, whose husband

Nicholas Moussallem ’05 writes “I’ve been living in a tipi in Warren, Vt. since July, I’m helping my uncle build his house here.”

Fredrick Dunlap Hickler died in February 2011. Many members of the Hickler family attended CSW, including Mr. Hickler’s own children, Katherine (Hickler) White ’66, Mark Hickler ’69, Lisa Hickler ’72, and Frederick Hickler ’78. His sister Cecily (Hickler) Gill ’42, his late brother Roger Hickler ’43,

and his nieces and nephews, Sarah Hickler ’74, Samuel Hickler ’77, Rebecca Parkhill ’85 and Paul Parkhill ’87

also attended CSW. His sister, Alorie Parkhill, was a former assistant head of school, teacher, and trustee. Our thoughts are with the entire family. Our condolences to the family and friends of Stanley Myers ’41, who died May 2010. Arnie Simmel ’43 wrote of his friend: “We were friends since 1940, almost made our friendship 70 years.” Our condolences to the family and friends of Philip Dawson ’46, who died last year. Phil attended the University of Michigan and received his Ph.D. after working for The Washington Post. He taught European history for many years.

Our condolences to the family and friends of Alexander P. Hoffman ’46, who died in 2009 at the age of 81. Hoffmann was a lawyer who helped a generation of leaders on the political left in California, including Cesar Chavez, the Black Panthers and Lenny Bruce. He worked in backroom planning sessions and in prisons, where he served as a communications conduit for Black Panther leader Huey Newton and striking inmates. Our condolences to the family and friends of Neil Chait ’53, who died January 2011. Our thoughts are with his wife, Catherine, his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Our condolences to Susan Smullin Jones ’59, Joseph Smullin ’62, David Smullin ’71, and the family on the passing of their father, Louis D. Smullin, and the recent passing of their mother, Ruth Smullin. Mr. and Mrs. Smullin were also parents to the late Frank Smullin ’61 and were grandparents to Andras Jones ’86 and Gabriel Jones ’89 Mr. Smullin, a former CSW trustee, was a pioneer in lasers, microwaves, and fusion research, was part of the

LunaSee experiment. He was later professor and department head at MIT. Mrs. Smullin graduated from Radcliffe College and had taught deafblind children at the Perkins School of the Blind for many years. She was active in the Watertown League of Women Voters, belonged to the MIT Women’s League, and volunteered for the Boston Public Schools. Both were dedicated to Mr. Smullin’s students at MIT, bringing many of them into their fold and extending their family to encompass them. In addition to their children, they are survived by their nine grandchildren and four greatgrandchildren. Our condolences to the family and friends of Jane Nielsen ’63, who died after a long illness at the age of 65. Born in Springfield, Mass. she moved with her family at age 10 to Longmeadow, Mass. Our condolences to her family and friends. Our condolences to Susan Smullin Jones ’59 and David Smullin ’71 and their family on the passing of their father, Louis D. Smullin. He was also father to the late Frank Smullin ’61. The elder Mr. Smullin, was pioneer in lasers, microwaves, and fusion research, was part of the LunaSee experiment in which laser pulses were transmitted to the moon. He was later an associate professor and department head at MIT. Louis is survived by his wife Ruth, nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Our condolences to the family and friends of Ingrid PierreLouis ’70, who died December 2010. Ingrid was born and raised on the Caribbean island nation of Dominica. When she was 19, she was awarded a scholarship to study in the United States for a year. She

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embarked on the “journey of a lifetime” to Littleton, Mass. to live with the Linquists, her “adopted family,” and attend The Cambridge School of Weston. Ingrid had many fond memories of her short time here at CSW and last October, she visited campus with her two grown children. Our condolences to her family and friends, and to her “adopted sister,” Jeanie Lindquist ’70. Our condolences to Clement Wang ’73 and his family for the loss of his father, Chih Chung Wang, who died November 2010. His father had a distinguished career as a material dcientist with Sylvania Electric, Clevite, Ledgemont Labs of Kennecott Copper, and Duracell. His work was highly regarded and he was granted over 30 patents.

Our condolences to the family and friends of Billy Ruane ’76, who died October 2010. He was a successful music promoter, who left an indelible mark on his classmates at CSW and went onto change the music scene in Boston. He is credited with helping launch the careers of many famous musicians, including Peter Wolf of J. Geils Band. Richard Mirsky ’76 remembered his “unmistakable presence” on campus, and Lee Goodwin ’75 said he “lit up a room and had a voracious appetite for music and culture.”

Our condolences to Lucy Dahl ’84 and her family for the loss of Lucy’s mother, Patricia Neal,

Our condolences to Mark Henderson ’76 for the loss of his father, Doug Henderson,

who died in August 2010 at the age of 84.

who died July 2010 at the age of 95. The elder Mr. Henderson was one of the founding fathers of Land’s Sake, a local farm and sustainable land collaborative in Weston. They worked carefully with Bill McElwain, parent of Louisa McElwain ’71, Amy McElwain ’73 and Donald McElwain ’74) on Land’s Sake. Our condolences to his family and friends for their loss.

Our condolences to Kai Quinlan ’88 and her mother, Nina Quinlan, for the loss of Kai’s grandfather, Robert E. Houk.

Our condolences to the family and friends of Kate Freedberg ’77, who died July 2010 at the age of 52. She was a skilled independent photographer whose creative works covered subjects and locations world wide. She was a graduate of Hampshire College, and held an M.F.A. degree from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where she also taught photography.

Our condolences to the family and friends of Mildred Niki Crowell, former faculty and beloved parent of Garrison Crowell ’64, died January 2011 at the age of 97. She taught science at CSW from 1962 to 1981, and was the chair of the department for many years. She influenced the lives of so many people, and continued to support and be involved with CSW long after she left in 1981. Our condolences to the family and friends of Claire Cunningham, former math faculty and math department head from 1960 to 1969, who died November 2010.

faculty representative on the Board of Trustees. He died February 2010 at the age of 83. Throughout his career, he played an active role in the civil rights movement and fight for justice. In 1964, he traveled to Florida to volunteer with Southern Christian Leadership Conference to help desegregate public facilities in the South. In an act of civil disobedience, he and other African American colleagues jumped into a “whites only” swimming. He was arrested and spent five days in jail. Shortly after, he returned to teaching and continued to fight for the empowerment of African American students. He taught at CSW from 1975 until his retirement in 1990. Our condolences to Ruth Wheeler, former dance faculty and chair of the department, whose husband Dr. Edwin Wheeler, died February 2011. He was a respected cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital for many years.

Our condolences to the family and friends of G. Peter Shiras, a former English faculty and a

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announcements

Truth. Service. Poetic Justice.

May 10, 2011: Patience Lauriat Society and 1940s Luncheon

The annual Patience Lauriat Society and 1940s Luncheon will be held at the Courtyard Restaurant at the Boston Public Library on Tuesday, May 10, from 12 to 3 p.m. The library is located at 700 Boylston Street in Boston. For more information about the luncheon and/or about the Patience Lauriat Society, please contact Lelia Orrell Elliston ’80, director of alumni/ae affairs, at lelliston@csw.org or (781) 642-8647.

June 17-19, 2011: Reunion 2011 at CSW

Take a trip down memory lane. Reconnect with old friends, past faculty, and join us in honoring our 125th anniversary. This year, we celebrate milestone classes ending in 1 and 6. The Class of 1961 celebrates its 50th, and the Class of 1986 celebrates its 25th. Remember – all years are welcome! For the most up-to-date information, please visit http://alumni.csw.org or contact Lelia Orrell Elliston ’80, director of alumni/ae affairs, at lelliston@csw.org or (781) 642-8647.

Access to MyCSW

The Cambridge School of Weston has recently transitioned to a new content management system for its alumni/ae website. The new alumni/ae website on MyCSW enables alumni/ae to log-in with a username and password and gain wider access to school news, the alumni/ae directory, and more.

Poetic Justice is Briana Chang ’12, Qwamella Manning ’12, and Kandice Simmons ’12. The group also includes Jaenelle Lauture, a high school student from Cambridge. Raekwon Walker-Perry ’13 is the group’s manager.

To log-in for the first time:

1. Go to http://mycsw.csw.org. 2. Please click on “Forgot Your Login? First Time Logging In?” located underneath the boxes for Username and Password, located at the top of the left navigation column. 3. Enter your email address and follow the instructions to receive your username and password. Please note: The e-mail address you use to obtain your username and password MUST match the one we have in our database. To ensure that your information is up-to-date, please contact the Alumni/ae Office at (781) 642-8647.

Poetic Justice, a spoken word performance group, celebrated its one-year anniversary this school year. For its honesty, passion, and efforts to further cross-cultural and racial dialogue in the community, particularly about difficult issues, the group was nominated for the Princeton Prize in Race Relations. Co-founder of Poetic Justice, Qwamella Manning ’12, reflects on the group’s yearlong journey and reminds the community of its mission.

If you continue to have trouble logging into MyCSW or the alumni/ae site, please e-mail password@csw.org and someone will assist you.

Alumni Toolbox

CSW on Facebook

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Go to www.myspace.com/csw_alumni CSW on LinkedIn

Search for “The Cambridge School of

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, Faculty Representative

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

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Charlo Maurer P’04 Bob Metcalf ‘53

Amy Cody P’04, P‘06

Weston Alumni and Friends” under Groups. Keep us up-to date with your contact information. Tell us where you are and how you’re doing by contacting the Alumni/e Office via email at alum@csw.org. You can reach Lelia Orrell Elliston ’80, director of alumni/ae affairs, at lelliston@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

It all started with the love of poetry. Kandice Simmons ’12 and I were passionate about the beauty of words and wanted to share our thoughts with the rest of the community. Spreading the word wasn’t easy, but Briana Chang ’12, who was excited about creating and performing poetry, also wanted to help convey a common message of today’s challenges. True to CSW culture, we began writing with the intention of broadening people’s perspectives about race, religion, gender, and other topics near to our hearts. This year, Poetic Justice celebrated its one-year anniversary, and in just a year, we transformed from a poetry analysis club to spoken word troupe that has performed at venues all over the New England area. The core value of the group is service to community by raising awareness for social justice issues and raising money for organizations whose causes we support. Over the last year, Poetic Justice has helped raise money

for Kartwheels in Motion, a program that helps children with disabilities; for the Foundation for African Relief, a group dedicated to reducing disease and poverty in Africa; and for student scholarships to CSW. We have taught poetry workshops at places such as Jewbilee, performed as a part of senior capstone projects at CSW, at open mic nights around Boston, and at The Institute of Contemporary Art of Boston (ICA) Teen Nights. We hope to one day share our passion for poetry and community service with the rest of our country by going on a nationwide tour. Poetic Justice is not just a poetry group. We’re not just a group of spoken word artists. Poetic Justice is a way of life. We believe in justice. We believe in the acknowledgement of immoral acts and praise for acts of kindness and benevolence. We believe in moral truth. We believe in what’s right.

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Avant Garde Theatre This year’s fall production was an experiment in the avant garde. The Cambridge School of Weston presented Gertrude Stein’s Dr. Faustus Lights the Lights, a play loosely based on the legend of Faust. In the production, the title character of Dr. Faustus is shared by three actors, Cheyenne Harvey ’11, Ben Hyams ’12, and Lili Peper ’12, who played different aspects of the character. Multiple actors also shared the major roles of Marguerite Ida and Helena Annabel, the Devil, as well and the dog and the boy. Evan Pott ’12 composed and played the original score for the play. “Doctor Faustus” (1938) is loosely based on an old German tale that recounts a doctor’s deal with the devil. In Stein’s play, however, the struggles focus on Dr. Faustus’s relationship with the modern world and less on the push and pull between good and evil. Stein removed the element of time continuously present and fragmented identity and sexuality. To achieve this effect, the play includes self-referential collage full of puns, word plays, repetitions and non-sequiturs. This was the first major theatre production directed by Jeffrey Sichel, the new director of the theatre program.