THE
fall/winter 2016
the cambridge school of weston magazine
Gryphon Magazine Awarded Bronze Circle of Excellence Mapping Strategy: From Here to There CSW Partners with Harvard University to Co-Develop Global Health Curriculum
2016–17 parents association leadership
Benjamin Alimansky ’87 Chair, Investment Committee
Deb Azrael P’17 Birthdays for Boarders
Maya Barnes ’17 Boarding Student Representative Christine Chamberlain ’63 Chair, Governance Committee Philip (Phil) DeNormandie ’67 Rachael Dorr P ’07 Secretary Ann Gorson P ’16 Cynthia Harmon Kaiko Marie Hayes ’81 Henry Snowden P’16, ’18 Jin-Kyung (Kay) Kim P ’15, ’16, ’18 Malik Kuziwa ’17 Day Student Representative Tony Loreti P ’11, ’13 Faculty Representative Richard McCready P ’13 Jane Moulding Head of School Christian Nolen P ’10 Rebecca Parkhill ’85, P’17 Deborah Pressman P ’10 Alexander (Alex) Rosenthal ’08 Sarita Gandhi Shah ’86 Vice Chair of the Board Simon Taylor ’98 Ingrid Tucker Eduardo Tugendhat ’72, P ’07 Dana Tully P ’19 Parent Representative; President of Parents’ Association Susan (Sue) Vogt P’14 Chair of the Board John (Jack) Welch P ’15 Treasurer; Chair, Finance Committee Po-wei Weng Faculty Representative Daniel (Dan) Wolf ’65
Susan Buta P ’17 “PACED” (Parent Association Committee on Equity and Diversity) Lelia Elliston ’80, P ’18 Contemporary Art Loan Program Kelley Harwood P’17 Contemporary Art Loan Program Anne Marie Healey P’18 “PACED” (Parent Association Committee on Equity and Diversity) Charlotte Peirce P ’18 Birthdays for Boarders Jenn Trevett P’18 Faculty Appreciation Committee Dana Tully P’19 Chair Gillan Wang P ’17 Faculty Appreciation Committee To contact the Parents Association please email: pa@csw.org
Fall/Winter 2016
the gryphon, FALL/WINTER 2016 Jane Moulding, Head of School Rachel Stoff, Managing Editor , Associate Director, Marketing & Communications
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Rebecca Schultzberg, Director, Alumni/ae and Development
News & Notes
12
Arts & Culture
16
contributors Russ Campbell P’19 Joan Curhan ’55
What We’re Reading & Litmag
34
CSW By the Numbers
49
Dan Denvir ’01
Noteworthy
22 35
Christine Chamberlain ’63
Leading Thoughts by Jane Moulding
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Angela Gaffney, Director, Marketing & Communications Jess Kim, Digital Content/Multimedia Specialist, Marketing & Communications
Departments
Course Spotlight My Five
Sheer Figman ’17 Jeff Hayes ’86 Christopher Huggins ’81
THE
2016–17 board of trustees
Shira Kagan-Shafman ’17 Tara Keppler P’15, ’18, ’20 Niho Kozuru ’86 Katie Sauvain Sarita Shah ’86
Features
Sue Vogt P’14
The new lounge in the Health and Fitness Center serves students throughout the day as a place to study, relax, socialize and watch games on the courts. Photo by Rachel Stoff.
design Barlay Studio • www.barlaystudio.com
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A Conversation With…
30
Faculty Feature
38
Mapping Strategy: From Here to There
40
Perspective: Chair and Vice Chair of the Board Share their Experiences
42
The Cambridge School of Weston is a coeducational college preparatory school for grades 9–12 and postgraduate study. Inquiries for academic year admission should be directed to Trish Saunders, Director of Admissions, at 781.642.8650.
46
Student Point of View From the Desk Of…Dan Denvir ‘01
Alumni/ae News
The Gryphon welcomes class notes and photographs by alumni/ae, parents, and friends. Please email submissions to alum@csw.org; call 781.642.8619; visit www.csw.org; or send to: Alumni/ae Relations The Cambridge School of Weston 45 Georgian Road Weston, MA 02493
contact To contact the editor, email: gryphon@csw.org Website: www.csw.org
art by Ellena Sakai ’18
26
Alumni/ae Profiles: Joan Curhan ’55, Jeff Hayes ’86 and Niho Kozuru ’86
36
From the Archives: Then & Now
55
Save the Dates
52
Class Notes
53
In Memoriam
56
Alumni/ae Reflections: Eye on the Prize
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LEADING THOUGHTS
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Leading Thoughts: Our Remarkable Community So far our 2016-17 school year has been truly wonderful — our school celebrated its 130 th anniversary with an incredible birthday present, a new Health & Fitness Center, complete with dedication ceremony and terrific array of creative student performances focused on movement. The energy and emotion were palpable during the festivities in October as the voices of nearly 600 people filled the space with a countdown to the CSW-version of a traditional “ribbon-cutting”—criss-crossed, multi-colored streamers held by trustees, teachers, staff and students. As we pulled and made these streamers fly high, I was deeply moved by this testament to our vibrant, vital community. The Health & Fitness Center is dedicated to that community —our students, their families, our graduates, our trustees and friends, our faculty and staff—to everyone who had a hand in making this stunning new gathering place on campus possible. Here’s to us! In this issue of the Gryphon, we look ahead and consider in detail the work of our board of trustees in guiding and securing the future of CSW through thoughtful planning and strong fiduciary leadership. The Health & Fitness Center project is just the most recent example of ways in which the board brings its vision to CSW’s long-term planning. In fact, they described the project at its outset in this way: “This building is about inclusivity: honoring all our students and all that they do — bringing health and fitness into the 21st century and claiming it as part of our progressive vision is what we must do next.” Thinking about “what we must do next” is another key role for the board of trustees. We look forward to sharing with you by the end of the school year the latest iteration of the strategic plan that charts the continuing journey of CSW into the future. We invite you to engage in this process with us and share your thoughts and dreams for the school. Whether you are a current parent, parent of a graduate, a graduate or a current student, your voice is essential to this work.
What else will 2017 bring? As covered in the pages of this issue, 2017 will see, among other things, the outcomes of the exciting new partnership with the Harvard School of Public Health’s Global Health Education and Learning Incubator — just one of the latest ways in which we continue to look for professional development and new pedagogical practices for our faculty that are consistent with our mission of educating students who are engaged, global citizens and problem-solvers. Want to see those very graduates in action? Look no further than the alumni/ae profiles and other feature articles in this issue, highlighting the creative work our alumni/ae are leading in areas related to global health and other important causes.
Capture the Moment @wearecsw Watch What Happens @WeAreCSW
Join the Conversation @WeAreCSW & @CSWJane
Search for us under Groups The Cambridge School of Weston
How will you engage with CSW in 2017? If you have not been back to campus in a while, I hope that you will consider visiting. If you’re celebrating a reunion year, I hope you will come and join in with campus life — the hum of creative exchange and the kindness and care of a special group of people remain a touchstone of the CSW experience, even as the physical campus grows and develops with our collective vision for the future. Growth and development — sure signs of an institution that is healthy, alive and vital and that has remained true to its mission for 130 years. May we, as a school and as a unique, remarkable community, continue to be a bright light among independent schools in New England and the country, now and for many years to come.
Jane Moulding, Head of School
Show your pride with items like jackets, sweatshirts, t-shirts, shorts, hats, mugs, tote bags, umbrellas, and more! All CSW items can be purchased online from our home page (Support CSW tab).
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news and notes • 7
NEWS & NOTES
Examining Immigration
The 41st Michael H. Feldman Social Justice Day
speaker, Dan-el Padilla Peralta, a Princeton
solutions to improve the system and bring clarity to the arduous process
at CSW focused on a theme of immigration. The Diversity
University graduate and Columbia
that requires a great deal of money, legal resources, and support that most
Committee worked closely with adult advisors and other
University Fellow who came to the US
immigrants cannot access.
students to organize the program. The day offered an
from the Dominican Republic with
outstanding selection of workshops—which were student-led or
his family in 1989. He shared his
led collaboratively by students, faculty, and staff—such as:
personal story of immigration,
The American Dream; Refugee Resettlement: The
touching on the many
Road to Self-Sufficiency; What Does It Take To Be
challenges that helped give
“American;” Immigration and the Presidential Election; and The People Behind the Headlines:
“By clarity, I don’t only mean that more light should be shed on the rules and procedures,” shared Dr. Peralta, “I also mean that the impediments toward documentation be apparent and publicized.”
him the courage to face the
Part of the day included a poignant panel discussion as several members of
threat of deportation that
the faculty and staff shared their personal immigration stories. Russia,
hovered throughout his life. He
Taiwan, China, India, Argentina, Chile, Honduras, Brazil — were all
chronicled his life in the memoir, Undocumented: A
represented. Each spoke of their unique experience immigrating to the US,
The special event began with a video curated by
Dominican Boy’s Odyssey from the Homeless Shelter
their expectations, triumphs, hardships, and lessons learned.
students in the Diversity Committee that
to the Ivy League, about his family’s inspiring journey.
Appreciating the Immigrant Experience.
“What a beautiful and touching perspective we have of these adults now,”
showcased immigration stories from individuals within the CSW community. After the first
Dr. Peralta spoke of the many obstacles facing
session, everyone gathered for the keynote
immigrants in America today, and offered some
shared Jane Moulding, head of school.
8 • The
Thompson Gallery
Gryphon Fall/Winter 2016
Thompson Gallery
NEWS & NOTES
The Cambridge School of Weston • 45 Georgian Road, Weston, MA, 02493 • (781) 398-8316 • thompsonga
Robotics Team Gets in Gear This fall , the Robotics Team along with science teacher and
worked on skills in JAVA programming and CAD using ONSHAPE
Robotics Team Leader Karen Bruker, held a workshop for students
software and understanding the basic components of the robot.
who wanted to learn more about programming, computer-aided
The team will compete in two competitions March 10, 11, 12 at
design (CAD) and robots. During the pre-season, the students
Bridgewater University and April 1 and 2 in Hartford, CT.
Charlie
September 9 - November
Charlie Nevad
SEPTEMBER 9 - NOVEMBER 30, 2016 Gallery Talk:Saturday, November 1 Gallery Talk: Saturday, November 12, 1-2& p.m. Charlie Nevad—Light Dark surveys the mid 20th Century Moder Charlie Nevad—Light & Dark surveys the mid 20th Century Modernist of Charlie Nevad (Perth Amboy, NJ 1921-1990). Light & Dark provides a paintings of Charlie Nevad (Perth Amboy, NJ 1921-1990). Light & Dark the last three decades of Nevad’s artistic production and examines his sy provides an overview of the last three decades of Nevad’s artistic the transformation of his painting technique—from his unique impressi production and examines his symbolism and the transformation of his brushwork, to his experimentations with abstract ex painting technique—from his unique impressionist-inspired primitivism brushwork, to his experimentations with abstract expressionism, primitivism, and collage.
Jack
Jack Massey
DECEMBER 15, 2016 - FEBRUARY 24, 2017 Reception: Thursday, December 15, 2016, 4-7 p.m. Gallery Talk: Saturday, February 11, 1-2 p.m. Jack Massey—Light & Dark presents a select group of drawings, collages and small scale installations by Jack Massey (b. 1925, Pittsburgh, PA, professor emeritus at RISD). Light & Dark explores Massey’s interdisciplinary work that infiltrates and blends artistic genres, including minimalism, abstraction, trompe l’oeil, objet trouvé , and conceptual art.
December 15, 2016 - February
Reception: Thursday, December 15, 201 Gallery Talk: Saturday, February 1
Jack Massey—Light & Dark presents a select group collages and small scale installations by Jack Mas Pittsburgh, PA, professor emeritus at RISD). Light & D Massey’s interdisciplinary work that infiltrates and b genres, including minimalism, abstraction, object trove and co
A
Aboudia
MARCH 28 - JUNE 9, 2017 March 28 - Jun Reception: Friday, April 7, 2017, 4-7 p.m. Reception: Friday, April 7, 201 Gallery Talk: Saturday, May 6, 1-2 p.m. Gallery Talk: Saturday, May Aboudia—Light & Dark examines Aboudia’s (b. 1983 Abidjan, Ivory Aboudia—Light & Dark examines Aboudia’s (b. 1983 Abidjan, Coast) multi-layered paintings, suggestive of the vivid, brutal pageant of contemporary Africa. Aboudia’s naif visions of Light & Dark suggestpaintings, suggestive of the vivid, brutal pageant of c multi-layered aesthetic redemption with the possibilities of transforming into Africa.chaos Aboudia’s naif visions of Light & Dark suggest aesthetic red vitality, painful events into a renewable hope. the possibilities of transforming chaos into vitality, p
into a ren
Helping the Community Early this fall , boarding students of A leph Dorm spent the day harvesting squash and weeding kale as part of a day of community service for the Boston Food Project in Lincoln. The students (shown here with Dorm Parent and History Teacher Patrick Foley) were proud to help the organization provide organic produce to residents of low-income areas in Boston.
Gonçalo Mabunda
Gonçalo M
MARCH 28 - MAY 6, 2017 (RED WALL GALLERY, MUGAR CENTER) Reception: Friday, April 7, 2017, 4-7 p.m. March 28 - May 6, 2017 (Red Wall Gallery, Mug Gallery Talk: Saturday, May 6, 1-2 p.m. Reception: Friday, April 7, 201 Gonçalo Mabunda—Light & Dark showcases the the found object assemblages Gallery Talk: Saturday, May of Gonçalo Mobunda (b. 1975, Maputo, Mozambique). Mabunda’s disarming, Gonçalo Mabunda—Light & Dark showcases the the found object as deceptively aesthetic sculptures fuse African fetish traditions with the national Gonçalo (b. war, 1975, Maputo,residual Mozambique). disarming memory of aMobunda devastating civil transforming bric-a-brac ofMabunda’s war into objects that suggest alternate visionsfuse of howAfrican his culture might traditions have otherwise aesthetic sculptures fetish with the national employed itself with ambient materials. devastating civil war, transforming residual bric-a-brac of war into
suggest alternate visions of how his culture might have otherwise em with ambie Special thanks to gallerist Ethan Cohen ’79, (Ethan Cohen Fine Arts) for his sponsorship of Aboudia and Gonçalo Mabunda to participate in this exhibit.
10 • The
Gryphon Fall/Winter 2016
Summer Reading Summer Selfies! A s a fun way to kick off our excitement over a year-long community reading project, we invited everyone to send us their “summer reading summer selfie” from anywhere on the globe. We’ve been posting them on Instagram and Facebook, with great participation from all folks in our community — teachers and students alike! Books were read over the summer, but we’ll talk about them all year. We’ll be sharing more as this new model takes shape. There are a lot of additional stories and photos about this selfie contest and more on our blog: www.csw.org/blog
news and notes • 11
Grandparents & Special Friends Day One of CSW’s most coveted events — Grandparents & Special Friends Day, was a blast for students and their visitors to campus. Caroline Coolidge ’17 and Ken Leard (grandfather)
Evan Cuthbertson ’17 with grandmother Helen Johnson
Progressive Education Lab (PEL) Welcomes Four Teaching Fellows CSW is the first stop in their careers for the four new teaching fellows: Jeff Adams (Binghamton University graduate), Kyle GouchoeHanas (Smith College graduate), Caleb Teachey (Mount Holyoke College graduate) and Emma Timbers (Bates College graduate). The fellows participated with an integrated studies class (math and visual arts) – Ordering Chaos — working alongside students and their teacher mentors throughout the first mod, culminating in a final presentation of a “Learning Self-Portrait.”
Aiden Elliston ’18 and grandmother Penny Elliston ’54 next to Aiden’s sculpture
Dr. Tony Turner with grandaughter Isabel Turner ’19 Cobi Pizer ’18 with grandmother Velma Frank
Juliet Henry ’16 and grandfather Bayard Henry
Justin Dormitzer ’17 with grandparents Ralph and Jackie Dormitzer
Mary Jane England with grandaughter Sara Pratt ’18
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news and notes • 13
Arts & Culture One-on-One Dance Performance
In late September, CSW dance students shared their work in the One-On-One Dance Performance to a packed house! This annual performance is a work-in-progress project that allows an older dancer to pair up with a new dance student to explore choreographic possibilities, taking into consideration time, space and energy dynamics.
CultureFest
CSW’s annual celebration of the many cultures that make up the CSW community, was filled with dance, music, poetry and much more.
Ten Years of Illuminarium
Last year marked a decade of celebrating all things related to light. Illuminarium featured a color run fundraiser, open mic, installation art, and made our community shine bright!
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Gryphon Fall/Winter 2016
Athletics at CSW: Fall 2016
news text and goesnotes here • 15
16 • The
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noteworthy • 17
NOTEWORTHY
THE
No “I” In Team the cambridge school of weston magazine
In Your Hands Is An Award-Winning Publication The Gryphon Magazine Takes the Bronze Circle of Excellence Award T he Council for A dvancement and Support of Education (CASE) has named The Cambridge School of Weston a bronze award winner in its 2016 Circle of Excellence program for the Gryphon magazine, the biannual print publication that CSW has produced for more than 45 years. A panel of experts selected CSW’s submission in the institutional relations category from among more than 3,300 entries including 710 higher education institutions, independent schools, and nonprofits worldwide. Judges granted 331 awards: 103 bronze, 119 silver, 83 gold and 17 grand gold. Over the years the Gryphon magazine has gone through several styles and iterations and, in the fall of 2013, the publication underwent a redesign process. Working closely with Stoltze Design of Boston, Managing Editor and Associate Director of Marketing and Communications Rachel Stoff made significant updates to incorporate first-person voices from the CSW community, highlight fascinating work on and off campus, and reflect the vibrancy and spirit of the school. “It has been very rewarding to be a part of the evolution of our magazine,” shared Rachel. “To be honored by CASE in this category among universities, nonprofits, and fellow secondary schools is tremendous for us,” she added.
The award-winning issue is the Spring 2015 edition, which focused on social justice, and included features on alumni/ae who make lasting change in their communities, a look inside ways that the history department provides a place for discussions of justice, the teamwork behind the Robotics Club — penned by an alumnus and current parent, and the story of two students who bonded at CSW and proceeded to build a life together helping others. CASE is one of the largest international associations of educational institutions. Serving more than 3.600 universities, colleges, schools, and related organizations in more than 80 countries. CASE is the leading resource for professional development, information, and standards in the fields of education fundraising, communications, marketing, and alumni/ae relations.
I n the spring of 2016, the CSW Boys’ Baseball team partnered with student athletes of Chapel HillChauncy Hall school (from nearby Waltham) to form a joint team. The partnership between the two schools was a friendly solution that allows both schools to field a team. Eight students from each school complete the team and have become a unified group. The teams designed their new uniforms to incorporate both the CSW and CHCH colors and logos. A win for all!
Science Department Advances Program T he Science Department fosters a genuine interest in the sciences via an intensely experiential approach that emphasizes experimental design and analysis. Most recently, this means redesigning our ninth and tenth grade programs. The ninth grade will focus on essential biology by exploring sickle cell anemia and diabetes, emphasizing connections between biology and issues of social justice and equity. Students will experience the process and practice of scientific research through an in-depth, self-directed research project, which will culminate in a public poster symposium. The tenth grade will comprise a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) curriculum covering topics such as: coding (HTML/CSS, Java, #D design and printing), introductory robotics, physics and chemistry, sustainability, Rube-Goldberg machines, and solar energy.
Student Dissects Her Experience A s the focus of a new Dissections D Block course, students examined the art, skill and science of anatomy. They looked at structure and function of major organ systems, through a variety of organism dissections including starfish, earthworms, dogfish shark and fetal pigs. It was the perfect opportunity for Phoebe Einzig-Roth ’17 to step into the teaching assistant role following her summer enrolled in a pre-med program at Brown University dissecting human cadavers and other organisms. She shares her experience: It was my first time away from my parents, but it was a risk that I was willing to take. Little did I know that those three weeks would change my life. During the course, I dissected two cadavers (deceased people who have donated their bodies to science). In order to learn more about anatomy, we were asked to diagnose how the cadavers had died. I found that when thinking about the science and anatomy of the process, I was completely fascinated and blown away by the wonders of the human body and what it is capable of. Thinking about the fact that these were people with families and lived lives was very humbling. One of them had a tattoo of a woman’s name. It made me wonder about who he was. This experience gave me an overwhelming feeling of privilege.
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Gryphon Fall/Winter 2016
noteworthy • 19
NOTEWORTHY
CSW Chosen As Partner to Co-Develop Curriculum with the Global Health Learning Incubator at Harvard University
CSW is excited to announce a collaborative agreement with the Global Health Education and Learning Incubator (GHELI) at Harvard University to co-develop and pilot novel interdisciplinary teaching tools with high school teachers and students. As part of the interdisciplinary course creation, CSW and GHELI intend to generate at least five prototype lesson plans with curated support materials and teaching guides for instructors. These prototypes and products will support interdisciplinary teaching and learning about global health, and will be entered into the GHELI Digital Repository, an online set of resources freely available to the general public. This project embodies the goal to develop educational curricula focused on public health and experiential learning for different learners, educational settings, and academic disciplines. CSW was a strong fit because of its social justice graduation requirement; integrated studies program co-taught by teachers in different disciplines; and our flexible, intensive schedule in which students take three classes during each of the school year’s seven five-week modules. Throughout the 2016-17 academic year, CSW will pilot new integrated courses in the subjects of mathematics, science, history, English, and visual arts. “Our core mission is to expose our students to the ‘new’ and to challenge them to be creative, active problem-solvers,” said Jane Moulding, head of school. “Global and public health thinking and programming align with our goals to graduate socially responsible change-makers who are collaborative and entrepreneurial in their approaches.” The partnership began as a pilot last spring, when GHELI Director Dr. Sue J. Goldie offered a series of mini-courses to a group of CSW faculty; these workshops explored world
health challenges from local and global perspectives while also using varied pedagogical approaches. GHELI has since hosted several workshops for CSW faculty, introducing teachers to an innovative, interdisciplinary framework that explores the interconnections between health conditions and the conditions for health—social determinants that exist outside the health sector but influence the health of individuals and societies. GHELI has also coached CSW teachers on effective ways to curate key global health data from international bodies and to integrate those resources into their curricula. As a result of these courses and intensive working meetings, CSW teachers are now leveraging curated “bundles” of global health materials to reinforce class topics and encourage analytical thinking through real-world challenges in public health. For CSW faculty, this partnership provides an opportunity to learn about effective ways to view and craft their curricula through a global health lens and to draw salient connections to the school’s focus on social justice. Ultimately, this collaboration will give both teachers and students more freedom to delve deeply into courses’ subject matter, while raising awareness and comprehension around current issues. CSW students and teachers have already exhibited a deeper engagement and comprehension in the classroom from this type of pairing. An Algebra 2 course, taught by CSW Math Teacher Agnes Voligny, was offered to CSW students as part of a training workshop with GHELI. As an example of conditional probability, one global health exercise asked the students to make
an informed decision (see Course Spoltight on page 35) about allowing a group of people from a Zika-infected country into the United States. The students discussed all the relevant factors needing to be considered in making their decision. “Our kids had to dig deep and think about the situation,” shared Agnes. “They were much more engaged and excited about what they were learning because we were in conversation about what they’re hearing in current news stories. As a teacher, it was very rewarding to connect with students at a different level and, literally, watch them comprehend probability using a real application.” “It would be an amazing accomplishment if each student left the course with a global perspective,” remarked Dr. Goldie. “Understanding why this topic matters to me, my larger community, the world and even the planet. I want each student to be able to envision how he or she can make a difference in global health, no matter what path they take.” Tom Evans, CSW visual arts teacher and co-organizer of the GHELI partnership, felt that CSW was a natural match, and he echoed the school’s dedication to preparing students to graduate engaged global citizens. “This partnership will enable us to share our work with a very broad audience,” said Tom. “It’s thrilling for us as faculty to work with Harvard, and as teachers, to challenge young people to look at the world with empathy.”
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noteworthy • 21
Family Visit Days at CSW
T he blustery weather didn ’t dampen spirits in late October , as families and students enjoyed a “day-in-the-life at CSW.” Over the two days, families were welcomed into classrooms to participate and observe. Faculty, advisors, and dorm parents met with parents and guardians. A masterful theatre production of Macbeth was presented, Gryphon athletes were supported outside on the fields, and after a special dedication ceremony of the new Health & Fitness Center, guests were
given tours of the building and the rest of the campus. As an alternative to a traditional ribbon-cutting, a selection of faculty, students, and board of trustee representatives (see pages 38-39) held onto one end of a crepe paper streamer that traversed and crossed above the gleaming new gym floor. Each person pulled their ends to break the streamers to a cheering crowd.
CSW: WHAT WE’RE READING
csw bookshelf • 23
From LitMag, CSW’s long-running literary magazine managed and coordinated by students. LitMag is published twice a year.
THE BODY BUILDERS Adam Piore ’88
Doug Preston ’72
Weaving together vivid storytelling and groundbreaking science, The Body Builders dives into the current revolution in human augmentation and explores how it helps us triumph over the boundaries of our bodies and our minds.
BLUE LABYRINTH A long-buried family secret resurfaces when one of Aloysius Pendergast’s most implacable enemies shows up on his doorstep as a murdered corpse. The mystery has all the hallmarks of the perfect murder, save for an enigmatic clue: a piece of turquoise lodged in the stomach of the deceased. The gem leads Pendergast to an abandoned mine on the shore of California’s desolate Salton Sea, which in turn propels him on a journey of discovery deep into his family’s sinister past.
For millennia, humans have tried — and often failed — to master nature and transcend our limits. But this has started to change. The new scientific frontier is the human body: the greatest engineers of our generation have turned their sights inward, and their work is beginning to revolutionize mankind. Adam Piore takes us on a fascinating journey through the current state of bioengineering — the reverse engineering, rebuilding, and augmenting of human beings — and paints a vivid portrait of the people at its center. Chronicling the ways new technology has retooled our physical expectations and mental processes, Piore visits people who have regrown parts of their fingers and legs in the wake of terrible traumas, tries on a bodysuit that allows him to lift 100 times his weight, dips into the race to create “Viagra for the brain,” and shadows the doctors trying to give mute patients the ability to communicate telepathically. This book will take readers beyond the headlines and the hype to introduce them to the inner workings and the outer reaches of our bodies and minds, and explore how new developments are changing, and will forever change, what is possible for humankind.
CRIMSON SHORE Special Agent Pendergast takes on a private case in Exmouth, Massachusetts — a quaint village on the coast north of Salem — to investigate the theft of a valuable wine collection. He travels to the seaside town with his ward, Constance Greene, where they quickly discover something far more sinister: a bricked-up niche in the wine cellar that holds the remains of a man who was tortured and then entombed alive 150 years ago. But why? BEYOND THE ICE LIMIT That thing is growing again. We must destroy it. The time to act is now ... With these words begins Gideon Crew’s latest, most dangerous, most high-stakes assignment yet. Failure will mean nothing short of the end of humankind on earth. THE OBSIDIAN CHAMBER After a harrowing, otherworldly confrontation on the shores of Exmouth, Massachussetts, Special Agent A.X.L. Pendergast is missing, presumed dead. Sick with grief, Pendergast’s ward, Constance, retreats to her chambers beneath the family mansion at 891 Riverside Drive--only to be taken captive by a shadowy figure from the past.
WAVE BREAK Liliana Wollheim-Martinez ’18
The ocean remembers her when she has no other place. She finds a steady comfort in the way the waves wash away every footprint, in the way they come and go whether she watches them or not, in the way they make soft, colorful, stones out of sharp, jagged edges. Watching the tide feels like falling in love; as the waves roll out, she can’t stop herself from being pulled with them.
UNTITLED
Charlotte Jones ’20
Yes, the ocean remembers her, but it lets her forget herself. She has always longed to step outside her body, for once to exist not in relation to herself, but in relation to something more. And the sea is the only thing that can draw her out. The waves do not ask anything of her; they exist, and in their existence, she finds hers. Leaving herself, she joins the waves in smoothing the broken glass.
CALLING ALUMNI/AE AUTHORS Let us know of your latest novel, memoir, poetry collection, non-fiction or other published work! Send news to: alum@csw.org
a conversation with... • 25
A Conversation With...
TARA: We chose to send our kids to high school at CSW. And, I also recently chose this as a place of work. I think it’s worth noting that my children came here before me and it was through them and their experiences that I found a meaningful path in being part of promoting this type of learning environment. I believe that CSW offers a real alternative, one that’s much healthier for students and, in the long run, more meaningful and sustainable.
DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE COUNSELING DAVIN BERGQUIST Interviewed by Tara Keppler P ’15, ’18, ’20, Associate Director of Admissions and Multicultural Outreach In my office, we are heading into the application cycle that will enroll the CSW class of 2021 next fall. Through my lenses of being both a CSW parent and an admissions counselor focused on the beginning of a high school journey, I sat down with Davin Bergquist, Director of College Counseling, to talk a bit about what goes on at CSW at the other end of a student’s time here. TARA: As parents, my husband and I chose CSW for all three of our children– the progressive model truly resonates with us. We’ve found CSW to be a place that really cares about individuals, meaningful relationships, creative thinking, and purposeful learning. It’s a place that cares about health and well-being in a way that feels rare these days. How do you see CSW’s progressive ideas playing out in the college counseling process?
and universities, which reflects the diversity of our students and their interests. By the time students reach us here in college counseling, they are pretty self-aware, self-reflective, focused, and ready to engage with intent. We see factors like social justice and intellectual vibrancy take center stage in many college searches. TARA: I interview applicants all the time who ask about our college placement statistics. DAVIN: Certainly, compared to traditional outcomes, our results are really spectacular. More importantly, however, I feel like we do college counseling the right way. We are not numbers-driven, and our team is very well-supported by our faculty and administrators.
DAVIN: On the logistics side, there is a lot less focus on standardized testing and scores, and an increased focus on making a purposeful match. There is more space for open self-discovery and a lot more breadth to define a desirable outcome. As with our academic program, our college counseling process is studentdriven, so we see students who are considering a broad range of colleges
Our students tend to do very, very well in all different types of admission pools, including highly selective ones. If you want numbers, over 60% of our 2016 graduates went to colleges that admit fewer than 40% of their applicants— that’s terrific. Of course, they have the academic skills, but what makes the difference in college admissions success is being interesting or not, caring about learning or not, being authentic or not. Part of why our students do well is because they are interesting. They care. They are authentic. And they’ve really considered match — and the colleges see that. TARA: We’ve been through this with our older daughter, Olivia (CSW ’15; NYU ’19). She ended up at her first choice school, and it’s been such a great fit. Do you think this process might go the same way with my other daughter? And my son? I can’t imagine their lists having much overlap.
DAVIN: Well, the truth is I don’t know yet. I think it will go similarly well in terms of the quality of match made, but likely the factors driving match will be very different. Every student is unique. We’ll get to know each of them, shape a plan.... and the plan has to have the potential to change, to respond to what we encounter and learn in the process. A lot can change as students learn more about themselves and their options. TARA: So knowing each student is really important, as is a deep knowledge of the college landscape. Are there other ingredients to the secret sauce? What motivates you? DAVIN: This is a people-driven industry, and I am really good at connecting with people. I love what I do. I had a very powerful experience in college, and I want to help other people drown out the noise, and lead them to a match that might allow them to have a similarly transformative experience. This isn’t my first rodeo. I have done this hundreds of times on both sides of the desk; I’ve been to over a hundred college campuses and know about many more. As an office, we have two additional great counselors; together we have more than 30 years of college admission and counseling experience. A huge part of my job is working externally with colleges and attending conferences, staying on top of what’s happening, and helping our students to make the wisest matches possible. We got it. Do you know that the average public high school student gets roughly 45 minutes of college counseling total? Here, we meet with a student three to four times during the spring of their junior year, and then three to four times during the fall of their senior year. We meet with parents roughly two to three times throughout the process.
TARA: College application season is widely thought to be a pretty stressful time for students and families, though our students don’t seem to display the same level of anxiety as those at other schools. How is CSW’s process different?
It’s a time for them to take all the bits and put them out on the table and take stock. What are my strengths? What is already here? What might I like to develop? Where can those things be fulfilled? It’s pretty exciting.
DAVIN: It’s relative. Our students are generally reasonable and open, and the concept of fit resonates with them. The academic program at CSW is really about exploring, growing, building rock-solid skills, and figuring out what will help you to be the best version of yourself. That’s all individualized learning — and that contributes to a culture in which students care less about what others think, and more about what makes sense for them as they figure out the ways they’re going to best engage with their work and the world.
TARA: Any advice for students and parents heading into the college search?
We try to keep out the traditional noise of ranking and testing to help students see through to the best options for them and to help families and students make sound, strategic decisions. TARA: What are the parts of this that students generally enjoy? DAVIN: Students tend to enjoy what we as counselors also most enjoy. The college search process is one of reflection and discovery: students write essays; visit schools; go to interviews; put together art portfolios; and get to interact and engage with people in a more mature way, with more agency. As counselors, we guide students in painting portraits of themselves to see where they’ve come from, and where they might want to go.
DAVIN: For students, put fit first. Be open, and let go a little bit about what you thought it was going to be like. For parents, put fit first and help your student understand that this is the goal. Understand that the admissions world has changed. Expand your vocabulary of colleges that define success. Put rankings away. Listen to your child, trust the counselor, and take the advice that you get. Insist on health, wellness, eating, sleep, leisure time. Make unconditional support obvious.
DAVIN: People want permission to be interesting, to be themselves. In terms of college, there is so much great education available in America today, you just have to be open to finding it. There are a lot of fabulous schools your neighbors have never heard of. So many people overthink this process, which I think is also true about life in general. People overthink, and it becomes a huge source of stress and anxiety. Here in college counseling, we help students to do the next thing, to figure out what the next right thing is. And guess what? There’s not just one right thing. There are lots of possibilities. When you’re looking too far into the future or at the wrong motivators, you can’t honestly or clearly see these things. TARA: Good advice for any decisionmaking! CSW is really lucky to have you and your team. So are we as a family. Thank you. Davin was recently featured in Boston Magazine, read article here: www.csw.org/counselingfeature
alumni/ae profiles
26 • The
Gryphon Fall/Winter 2016
alumni/ae profiles • 27
WE ARE… Niho Kozuru ’86 & Jeff Hayes ’86 A COLLABORATION IN LIFE & ART I n school , J eff knew of N iho as a fellow member of the class of 1986. He said they never spoke one word back then. Not even while in Life Drawing class together with revered teacher Joan Gitlow. As Niho often wore what Jeff called an “extreme bobbed wedge hairstyle,” and from his perspective, she seemed very fashionable. Niho remembers Jeff as having “a lot of attitude,” and clad in shades of black from his buzzed head to his spit-polished boots. Jeff has always had a passion for the arts, and it was at CSW that he experienced his most profound artistic break-though thanks to the patiently masterful teachings of Joan whom he credits as teaching him how to truly see and therefore draw. Studying the fine arts and illustration at college, he shifted to Digital Media as the internet began to boom. Through various advertising agencies Jeff contributed to many groundbreaking and award-winning web campaigns and animation projects. In recent years Jeffrey has been involved with corporate innovation and brainstorming as an illustrator, working live during facilitated meetings. This practice, also known as Visual Facilitation, enables participants to immediately view their own ideas brought to life, while continuing to build ideas. Niho comes from a family of ceramists active in Fukuoka, Japan since 1602. Her recent show “Positive Vibration” at Miller Yezerski Gallery in Boston continued in the spirit of facing adversity and renewal that was both theme and process of the work created for her Family Exhibition at the Geilbunkan Museum in Fukuoka, Japan in Spring, 2016. On Sunday morning, January 10, 2016, her childhood home in Japan burned to the ground. It was her family’s home and studio for 50 years. Her family was a month shy of the long-planned “Kozuru Family Exhibition.” They rallied and went ahead with the show. For the last 20 years, her creative focus has involved casting various objects in a wide variety of materials including glass, metal, clay and rubber.
Niho’s senior photo, 1986
AN OPPORTUNITY TO RE-CREATE THE ICONIC CSW SCULPTURE JEFF: I remember Niho best from ceramics class, where she caught my attention as she progressively built, over the course of the entire mod, a massive, truly monumental pinch-pot. NIHO: I remember Jeff ’s main project too, a cluster of several reaching, grasping hands, life-sized, emerging from a sort of monstrous mouth. JEFF: I was aiming to create “shock art,” inspired from horror movies (laughs). I think we both succeeded in pushing the medium of clay as far as we could, while taking very opposite approaches. We still have these pieces to this day. A PIVOTAL MOMENT OCCURRED AT THEIR 10-YEAR CSW REUNION. JEFF: Once I had my dinner and entered the dinning hall, everyone I’d just been talking with had taken a seat. Walking down the central isle toward the back, I spotted an open seat at the very last table. As I often recount, my immediate thought was that’s Niho. She’s into art; I can talk to her! Immediately upon sitting I presented my business card, printed with my newly minted title as Art Director at a large advertising agency. I had been doing this all day, eager to share my unexpectedly reformed path with teachers and friends. Niho did not recoil, which I imagined as the worst-case scenario. Instead she quickly presented a postcard with the details of her current gallery exhibition! NIHO: I was in my first group show in the area, having returned to Boston from New York City. That meeting was the beginning of an adventure together that continues to this day. So as we always say — JEFF: Go to your reunions — you never know what may come of it!
Jeff, 1986
JEFF: A nighttime walk on campus, after attending a CSW auction fundraiser, sparked the idea for the mini WE ARE sculpture project. Gazing through the shadows upon the bold steel letters forming WE ARE, we realized it could be cast using Niho’s molding techniques and the planning began; to create an artistic interpretation of the WE ARE sculpture, to be precisely scaled and cast in Niho’s signature, brightly colored translucent rubber. NIHO: It seemed an ideal project, given that the WE ARE sculpture has such symbolic meaning for alumni/ae, serving as a gathering spot for photos at each reunion. Also it was a great way to apply my experience creating diminutive sculptural awards and trophies for such places as the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, Sheldon Museum, and the Boston Arts Academy. The WE ARE sculpture was built by Darryl Zeltzer ’77, while still a student at CSW, in memory of former student Alisa Teruel. The sculpture holds great meaning, both to those who knew Alisa and to those who identify with the beauty and spirit of its simple assertion. As Alisa wrote in a poetic note accompanying her conceptual rendering of this piece, “‘WE’ denotes a very definite unity, meaning everyone together as a whole...‘ARE’ means a lot of things. People worry too much about what they are not, rather than living for what they are. We are something special.” Jeff Hayes ’86 continues to work in the arts by participating in group art exhibitions and by collaborating with other artists including Niho. There is always a steady stream of sketches emerging from his pen. The recent two-dimensional work of Niho Kozuru ’86 is developed from unique arrangements of oval and gear-shaped segments derived from her sculptures, that she reconfigured to create new patterns. Informed by Japanese aesthetics and drawing inspiration from traditional textile designs, Niho pours vividly colored translucent rubber in or around their silhouettes to create pure, bold, positive and negative patterns and super patterns. Sculpting in 2D, this work makes an unexpected connection between dimensional and flat planes. Lines, colors and forms blend, react, and vibrate while invigorating the surrounding space, bringing vitality and optimism to the whole.
On their wedding day at Chashiigumi Shrine, Fukuoka, Kyushu, Japan. 5/25/05
Their interpretation of the WE ARE sculpture was commissioned by the school as a piece that could be used for special recognition.
alumni/ae profiles
28 • The
Gryphon Fall/Winter 2016
alumni/ae profiles • 29
members of the student group engaged in leading community service efforts at CSW. I have been impressed with this student group, who with some of the income from the Class of 1955 Fund, devised a process whereby all CSW students can submit requests, along with budgets, to do a particular community service project, the results of which then have to be shared with the CSW community as a whole. With special thanks to the CSW development office, we have been able to provide some stewardship for donors to this fund by sending fairly regular updates of the uses of the fund to our classmates.
A Lifetime of Making Connections Joan Pokross Curhan ’55 Interviewed by Christine Chamberlain ’63 I may have set a record by attending six different first grades , not by choice, but because during World War II, we followed my father around to wherever he was stationed. After the war, we returned to Belmont, where I attended two additional schools before my parents chose The Cambridge School (as we referred to it then), having heard positive things about it from good friends. I had a different idea. After three happy years at Belmont Junior High School, I wanted to continue on to Belmont High School with my friends. However, during the summer before the start of Belmont High School, my mother took my brother, Bill Pokross ’56, and me to Georgian Road, where we met CSW’s headmaster, Dolph Cheek, who was very friendly and outgoing. He asked if we would mind taking a test, and Bill and I proceeded into separate rooms where we were given some pages to work on. I was led to believe that we were looking at CSW for Bill, and later, when I was told that we had both been accepted, I said “no way.” For the two weeks between the opening of the public school and the first day at CSW, I simply got on the bus and went to Belmont High School. Of course, my parents were right. In so many ways, CSW became the most significant educational experience of my life and made a big difference to me, both professionally and personally. First, it was at CSW that I learned to think for myself, and that relates directly to some of the achievements of which I am most proud. I worked at Harvard University for 47 years, including—most recently—18 years as director of the PhD Program in Health Policy since its inception. During my tenure, the Health Policy Program evolved into a combined program among six schools at the university. In the earlier years of the PhD program, Harvard College students asked if we could do something for undergraduates as well. In response, a Harvard economics professor and I developed several undergraduate courses, followed by a Certificate Program in Health Policy, which we achieved against initial resistance from the College. It took about 10 years before the Secondary Field in Global Health and Health Policy (now one of the most popular minors at Harvard College) became a reality, and I was proud to expand my role as its director until my retirement.
I believe that the ability to think independently and creatively, and the opportunities CSW provided for me in leadership are all part of the foundation that made success in this role possible. For instance, at CSW, I was head of the town meeting budget committee, an officer of the school’s cooperative store, and organizer of host activities for new students. Through those opportunities, I was empowered Joan and her husband, Ronald, to take on leadership positions in Joan’s garden in the future. In fact, the many positions in research and administration that I held at Harvard were each newly created positions. Along the way, at the Harvard Business School, I co-authored three books on multinational enterprises. Almost everything I have accomplished depended on an ability to write well. That, too, I owe to CSW—and, in particular to my advisor and teacher, Howe Derbyshire, who took this a step further when he pointed out that I was a good student but I needed to learn to make connections. It was one thing, he said, to study a poet, but that the next important step was to draw comparisons with other poets, in order to see the larger picture. I have carried with me and expanded on his advice ever since, and that ability to connect different individuals and groups with one another was extremely valuable in practical terms, for example, during my years at Harvard. (I was also greatly influenced by Mrs. Cheek and Mrs. Washburn). On another front, I hired over 300 students during my time at Harvard, helped find jobs for well over 100 individuals, and was even responsible for six marriages that are still intact! I also helped start two nonprofit organizations, a course on the “Management of Nonprofit Organizations” at the Harvard Kennedy School, and a volunteer partnership between the Graham and Parks Elementary School in Cambridge and the Harvard Kennedy School. All the lessons I learned at CSW occurred in an atmosphere where everyone was accepted for who she or he was, which was
Joan at her CSW graduation, 1955
also true for my brother, Bill. He was a bright and unique individual, who was totally accepted for himself. CSW was the place where he was happiest, where he blossomed, and came into his own. He earned leadership positions, such as moderator of the town meeting and head of the cooperative store, and these experiences were very beneficial for him. He and I always shared fond memories of CSW, and before he died this past year, he made me promise that I would help him create an endowed financial aid fund in his name there, with preference for it to go to students who are members of an underrepresented minority group. This was his top priority, and of course, that is what I did.
While serving as director of the Harvard PhD Program in Health Policy and the Harvard College Secondary Field in Global Health and Health Policy, I had the pleasure of working with Sue Goldie, the Roger Irving Lee Professor of Public Health at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health and the director of the Global Health Education and Learning Incubator (GHELI) at Harvard, as well as a recipient of a MacArthur (Genius Award) Fellowship. Recently, I was delighted to learn that GHELI has entered into a collaborative agreement with CSW to co-develop and pilot novel interdisciplinary teaching tools focused on global health and global learning for use with high school teachers and students. In this connection, it was fascinating to learn that an Algebra 2 course, taught by CSW math teacher Agnes Voligny, was offered to CSW students. One global health exercise charged the students to make an informed decision about allowing a group of people from a Zikainfected country into the U.S., as an example of conditional probability. As a progressive school, CSW continues to enhance learning for its students in creative and meaningful ways. Long ago, when I wrote my first will, I designated funds for CSW, and each time I revise my will, that directive continues. CSW is by far, my favorite school that I ever attended, and I did attend quite a few!
Joan at her CSW graduation with her parents, Muriel and David Pokross in Joan’s garden
Community service has always comprised a large part of my life. My parents both had a strong desire to give back to the community and embraced diversity, but I realized that not every student was blessed with Top row, L-R: Joan, daughter Jenifer, these role models. Thus, when a group Ronald Bottom row, L-R: Muriel Pokross, David Pokross, son Jared at of classmates met to discuss our class his BB&N graduation gift, which would be an endowed gift to the school in honor of our 50th reunion, it was natural that I suggested that community service could be our focus. The program is very much alive today. It has been a pleasure for me to join with my classmates, Lloyd Tarlin ’55 and John Young ’55, and upon occasion, Donna Kargman Donaghy ’55, to pay an annual visit to the school in order to meet with the faculty and
Now in retirement from Harvard, I still spend considerable time there as a volunteer. In particular, I have chaired the Nutrition Round Table for the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health, and continue to serve on their Steering Committee, as well as on the Executive Committee of the Dean’s Leadership Council at the School. Counseling numerous students at their request remains an important part of my life as well. In addition, I serve on various boards, including as an overseer of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Some of my favorite past times now are spending time with my husband, Ronald, our two children, and eight grandchildren, as well as swimming most mornings, working in my garden, and re-connecting with good friends (very much including former CSW classmates). Joan welcomes comments and connections! Email her directly at: jcurhan@gmail.com
faculty feature
30 • The
Gryphon Fall/Winter 2016
faculty feature • 31
The Hidden Teaching Agenda of Samantha Simpson By Katie Sauvain, English teacher
Here are a few things I didn’t know about Samantha Simpson before writing this article: » Almost every weekend, she writes a short story about the end of the world. » She is preparing to run her third marathon. » She loves Harlequin romance novels and “any young adult novel where someone looks cool with a bow and arrow.” » And, when you ask her to recommend the single best episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, she will name at least five before she’s able to stop herself. Recently, I got to watch Samantha teach a lesson about sonnets in her Harlem Renaissance class. “When I was your age and the super-coolest kid in school,” she confides to her students, “I wrote a lot of sonnets
because I was beleaguered with crushes.” She suggests thinking of sonnets as cousins to ’90s R&B ballads. When she reads a sonnet, she imagines the poet saying, “Girl…” and then taking it from there. For example, here’s Pablo Neruda: “Girl...I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz, / or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off. / I love you as certain dark things are to be loved, / in secret, between the shadow and the soul.” Then, lest one think her all style and no substance, she walks her students through careful notes on both the Shakespearean and the Petrarchan sonnet forms, which she knows backward and forward, and launches the class into a deep, detailed, seven-step annotation of Claude McKay’s “The Harlem Dancer.” This is a teacher who has done her homework, and she inspires everyone around her to rise to the same high standards.
Samantha’s love of reading and writing propelled her into teaching as a career. When she was younger, she was convinced she would be a physician. Then she found herself majoring in English at Kenyon Collge. Then she got her MFA in creative writing. Outside of school hours, she maintains a vibrant writing practice of her own. If you’re ever up at 5:30 a.m., you can imagine Samantha settling down at her desk with a cup of tea to work on one of her various writing projects. She’s currently revising a novel that she began during National Novel-Writing Month two years ago. It’s about the radium girls, factory workers who poisoned themselves while painting glow-in-the-dark watch dials in 1917. While her story is informed by extensive research, Samantha’s version proceeds a little differently than what happened in real life: “I’m into magical thinking and denial, so I was
thinking — what if instead of turning into grotesque monsters with all of their teeth falling out before their painful deaths, one of them became a superhero? What if instead of the radium taking something away from her, it added something?” Recently, Samantha has turned her considerable energy and willpower (did I mention the getting up at 5:30 in the morning every day? and the three marathons?) to revamping CSW’s summer reading program. “I want the story of summer reading to make sense,” she says. Her goal is to make the payoff more community-oriented and authentic. Instead of the pressure of a traditional quiz or essay, she wants readers to experience the rewards of “having a great conversation, noticing something they didn’t before, or getting curious about what they heard someone else say.” You may have already seen the summer reading selfies posted on CSW’s Instagram account — well, those were just the beginning! Over the course of the year, students and adults in the community will convene for a series of workshops on characters, settings, and themes, that will conclude with a final party. The first batch of workshops, designed to deepen readers’ understanding of character, includes offerings ranging from “Alien Anatomy 101” and “Legal Whiteness in the US” to “Inner Mask/Outer Mask” and “Slam Puppetry.” It should be clear by now that Samantha sees school as a place of
delight as well as serious purpose. For her, attending school has always felt like a privilege. Often, teenagers see school as a source of oppression. But for Samantha, education is intimately connected to social justice work. “Going to your Harlem Renaissance class and learning about people who don’t get a turn all the time? That’s social justice work. Don’t think of it as separate.” She is always pushing students to look closer, go deeper, take their time, avoid generalizations. “Sometimes I feel conservative when I have to say that your thesis cannot be ‘black lives matter.’ Of course black lives matter! Don’t be basic! The way you show me that black lives matter is to read our stuff and dive into it and think about these authors’ choices. What is this poet doing with form? What is this author doing with setting?” Samantha’s hidden teaching agenda — what she really wants students to learn and remember years from now — is not just about sonnets or thesis statements. It’s about instilling thoughtfulness, curiosity, and attention. No matter what you end up doing in life, you should study language — what people say, what’s behind their words, and what they leave unsaid. Immersed in words all day long, from her early morning writing sessions to the final moments of her afternoon class, Samantha knows that paying attention to stories can make us all better people.
Katie Sauvain taught English in Philadelphia and Palo Alto before coming to CSW. She is a Progressive Education Lab (PEL) Mentor and a member of Equity Committee.
Peter Lin ’17 during class (photo by Sheer Figman ’17)
BY THE NUMBERS Number of glues/adhesives Visual Arts Teacher and Thompson Gallery Director Todd Bartel keeps in his art cabinet:
16 individual Elmer tubes + 1 gallon Elmer tub 1 gallon wood glue 16 rubber cement
bottles
24 super glue tubes 12 glue guns and clear
1,000+
student clubs on campus this year (2016-17)
TYPICAL # OF ART PIECES AT EACH END OF MOD SHOW
Sampling of equipment in new Health & Fitness Center
2 spin bikes and rowing machines 3 treadmills 3 eliptical machines 1 stair master, upright bike and recumbent bike
17
39
square feet of grass on the quad
Algebra 2 Gets Real How do we incorporate Global Health into algebra? Agnes Voligny, math teacher, along with
the rest of the CSW math department, has wanted to offer more classes that contain a social justice component for some time.
Agnes felt that real issues were a very effective way to connect with students on what they’re hearing about in the world. One student even wrote Sue Goldie a thank-you letter.
evolved into a chance to design just that.
“These are decisions that people could actually be making,” Agnes added. “Closing borders and other very sensitive topics.”
A connection with the Global Health Education Learning Incubator (GHELI, see page 18-19) at Harvard University
and colored hot glue sticks
13,068
COURSE SPOTLIGHT
Moby Dick/whale-related t-shirts that English Teacher (and Moby Dick enthusiast) Mark Santa Maria owns
Agnes and her class were invited to try to incorporate a case study curated by Dr. Sue Goldie of GHELI as a vehicle to learn conditional probability. The following problem was presented as a framework for this required tenth grade class: Two airplanes were coming from two Zika-infected countries. One country harbored a deadlier strain of the virus, but neither of the country names are known. Who gets to come into the United States? What are the ramifications to turning the planes away? The exercise reinforced the algebraic concepts that the students were studying, while becoming a springboard to talk about who gets to come into the United States. It raised questions based on math, while also taking into consideration other important factors to make an informed decision. By using conditional probability, you can say just let airplane B in and tell A to go back. “That’s what conditional probability tells us,” said Agnes. “The social justice component comes in when you ask ‘what if ?’ That brings out potential biases and fear and we can discuss the issues from many perspectives.” She noticed that the students worked together, and were much more engaged and excited about what they learned. They felt thrilled to have had the chance to take this class on Harvard’s campus.
She loved the fact that there is no right or wrong answer—that the teens are required to think deeply about the situation and apply mathematical concepts to current events. “We’re going away from math being only about the right answer,” added Agnes. This is yet another topic the CSW math department has been committed to shifting. “People look at math and think about the right or the wrong answer, when the solution itself is more complicated,” she remarked. Agnes and other CSW faculty working with the Incubator hope to replicate and build more cases throughout the GHELI partnership as they co-develop curricula this year.
THEN
Photo Credit: Gabriel Amadeus CooneyŠ
&
NOW
*A full listing of the members of the board of trustees is located in the inside cover of the magazine.
The board serves as a fundamental partner with the head of school and senior administration to complete this strategic work. Comprised of a dedicated group of individuals including students and faculty representatives, each brings a distinct set of experiences and professional backgrounds in sectors ranging from real estate development to medicine and wealth management with term limits of every three years. We aim to develop the strategic blueprint for the next three to five years and will have our road map to share with you this spring. (For a more in-depth overview of the strategic work of the board, Sue Vogt P’14 and Sarita Shah ’86 share their perspective as chair and vice chair on the following pages 40-41. ) This strategic work is focused on five elements. We asked some of our new board members about their perspectives on each of them as illustrated below.
FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY Endowment Cost drivers Operations
“
“
Fiscal sustainability is just that – balancing the budget while at the same time delivering the programs that are so important. – Dan Wolf ‘65
“
One of the strengths of CSW is that it provides a place to allow students to discover who they are and what they value and how they can contribute to their communities. By offering so many interesting courses that are in-depth and taught by passionate faculty, the students are allowed to explore subjects and learn about themselves that is not typical in a regular high school setting. – Ann Gorson P’16
INFRASTRUCTURE
INCLUSION
Educational technology Data for decision making
Enrollment goals Socioeconomic diversity Engage alumni/ae
The new plan for fiscal sustainability means setting up the school with a fiscal plan to ensure the school’s long term success. It can be reached through a number of areas of focus such as efforts to increase our endowment, increase in our annual fund, and overseeing/understanding our costs and balancing our school budget. – Ann Gorson P’16
“
8 people of color
13 female
12 male
13 parents
4 from 1980’s 3 from 1960’s 1 from 1990’s
Milestone years like our 130th anniversary are natural moments for us to take stock of where we are, where we’ve been and, with a firm grounding in our history, to look to the future. CSW’s dedication to the sustainability of our institution has yielded a number of important milestones related to our curriculum, facilities and program, including the Garthwaite Center for Science and Art, the expansion of the integrated studies curriculum, updated health and wellness programming and our new Health & Fitness center, to name a few. As an independent school, we are fortunate to have a rich set of resources to help us balance our deep-rooted values, while remaining flexible and open to new ideas. To ensure that those resources secure CSW’s leadership position as a progressive and innovative institution, this year, the board of trustees is in the process of renewing our strategic plan.
12 alumni/ae:
Mapping Strategy: From Here to There
“
FACULTY Quality Professional growth Faculty evaluation Student outcomes Programming
7 new board members 2016-17
28 members of the Board of Trustees
The kind of progressive education that CSW offers is truly rare. It is crucial we make CSW financially sustainable now and into the future so that it can continue to provide the kind of lifechanging education to this generation and to generations to come. – Rebecca Parkhill ’85, P’17
GOVERNANCE / BOARD OF TRUSTEES Ongoing education Documentation standards Competitive environment
I have had the privilege to see CSW through the eyes of my two children as they have progressed through the school. From the moment my oldest child stepped onto campus for her tour, she felt the school was a place that offered the supportive environment where she could be herself, unencumbered by the judgment of others, a trait that so often curtails the growth of individuals in other organizations. – Snowden Henry P’16, ‘18
perspective • 41
PERSPECTIVE HOW ELSE DOES THE NEW CENTER FIT IN WITH THE MISSION OF CSW? SUSAN VOGT P’14
SARITA SHAH ’86
Susan Vogt P’14 and Sarita Shah ’86 Share Their Experiences as Chair and Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees
Susan Vogt P’14 is the new Chair of CSW’s Board of Trustees and has been a Trustee since 2012. Her son, Ian Vogt ’14, attends Union College. Sarita Shah ’86 has served as a Trustee since 2010. She is the new Vice Chair, and is currently leading CSW’s Strategic Planning initiative.
WHAT DO YOU FEEL IS THE BENEFIT OF SERVING AS A TRUSTEE? SUSAN: For me, it’s the opportunity to help advance the school and shape its future. We currently have a theme, “Building Our 21st Century,” and a number of the recent actions and activities of the board have been directly in support of that mission. SARITA: I agree. Ensuring CSW’s longevity is a key role for a board member. The school is 130 years old, yet it has a vibrant outlook and future ahead. As an alumna, being able to contribute to my alma mater is important to me. It is an important reason why I took on the role of leading the strategic planning initiative.
Themes such as fiscal sustainability, communication of the learning paradigm, and valuing inclusion are examples of what emerged. This plan will guide the school’s priorities and investments over the coming years.
HOW CAN STRATEGIC PLANS HAVE A TANGIBLE IMPACT ON CAMPUS? SUSAN: This summer, CSW completed construction on and opened the new Health & Fitness Center on the lower campus. The need for this facility was called out in the prior strategic plan that was written several years ago, and has been talked about as a necessity for many years (some of our older alumni/ae will tell you for too many years!) And, it’s now not just some aspiration for the future – it’s built!
WOW, THE HEALTH & FITNESS CENTER OPENED ON TIME AND ON BUDGET. ARE STUDENTS AND STAFF ENJOYING THE FACILITY?
HOW DO YOU THINK THE PROCESS TO DEVELOP THE STRATEGIC PLAN OVER THE LAST YEAR HAS PLAYED OUT?
SARITA: Absolutely! This new building has transformed not only the physical shape of the campus, but also moved the student “hub” by creating a new environment for students to engage with each other.
SARITA: It is exciting work to develop a plan in such a short time. The board, together with faculty, students, and administrators, spent many hours working through key areas to advance the school while staying true to its mission and vision. Of course the learning experience is paramount, but we examined “what has to be true” to continue delivering the outstanding education that CSW achieves.
SUSAN: I agree. My son spent a lot of lunch hours playing pickup basketball in the old gymnasium. When he saw the video clip of a pickup game in the new facility on the website, he was is a bit jealous, but really excited by what this would for current and future students.
SUSAN: The new Health & Fitness Center is a good demonstration of how CSW’s investments and choices reflect its values and mission. CSW’s commitment to its students isn’t just about the incredible academic opportunities available here it’s also about students’ entire well-being. That includes health and wellness, along with the social environment created at the school which provides the support and engagement for students to develop the self knowledge and confidence they carry with them when they leave here.
DO YOU THINK DONORS REALIZE HOW LARGE THE IMPACT THEIR GIFTS HAVE ON THE FUTURE OF THE SCHOOL? SUSAN:: The commitment to build this new facility was the result of a unanimous vote by the trustees almost two years ago, and made possible through the generous support of the entire CSW community, including trustees, students, parents, alumni/ae, faculty, and friends. The hard work that went into making this possible is rewarded by walking through the building and seeing the engagement of the students there and knowing it will serve the CSW community over the next several decades. I encourage anyone who has the opportunity to return to campus to see “the Fit” firsthand. Building Our 21st Century is an ongoing objective. The trustees will continue to work with the school on the initiatives and priorities that align with the mission of preparing our students to be successful wherever their passions lead them.
THIS YEAR MARKS CSW’S 130TH ANNIVERSARY. HOW IMPORTANT IS THE SCHOOL’S HISTORY AND PRESERVING TRADITIONS? SARITA: Preserving intent is generally more useful than preserving rites. The school’s foundation of progressive education remains, although it’s manifestation might look different. Times have changed, and CSW has kept up. That being said, articulating our learning philosophy will be key to helping others understand what we do here. To preserve the core of what CSW does, it requires more endowment funds to help it weather the storm, invest in capabilities, and provide some piece of mind to focus on teaching.
SARITA: We are well aware that the competitive environment for private schools is increasing, and we need to make sure that CSW meets the needs of its students and community. One of the most important values at CSW is inclusion and diversity; this is core in its thinking . At other schools, it might be a program element or a titled position, but its not embedded in the culture the way it is at CSW. How do we tell that story in such a way that it resonates with potential families?
HOW DOES A BOARD DRIVE CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT? SUSAN: One of the key pieces of work in the strategic plan is around infrastructure, which includes putting systems in place to structure best practices, and using data to help guide decisions. SARITA: CSW is uniquely collaborative in its decision-making. A good example is that CSW includes student representatives and faculty representatives on its board of trustees. It’s important to make sure that all voices are heard — that’s a real example of how inclusion is a core value at CSW. Having these voices ensures that issues are examined from multiple angles — thus continually improving the environment.
WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE NEXT YEAR? TWO YEARS? FIVE YEARS? 50 YEARS? SUSAN: I want to make sure that CSW is here for students well into the next century. That means building up the school’s endowment so that it is fiscally sustainable, and so that it has the resources to adapt to the changing needs of future generations of students.
ARE YOU WORRIED THE SCHOOL WILL GET TOO ‘BUSINESS-LIKE’, INSTEAD OF FOCUSED ON THE STUDENTS / LEARNING MISSION? SARITA: The learning experience is core. We believe in it so much, we want to ensure its longevity by putting into place structures that enable its survival through cultural changes. Some structure or use of technology that didn’t exist when the school opened will support the core mission, not replace it.
HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO GET INVOLVED?
WHAT CHALLENGES DO YOU SEE FOR THE BOARD IN THE COMING YEARS?
SUSAN: CSW is a participatory institution. All members of its community, — parents, past parents, alumni/ae, etc. are vital. We have a strong, vibrant, active board and we utilize all their talents. All community members are invited to share their talents and connections.
SUSAN: There is a lot of positive momentum at the school. Our role as a board is to support continued advancement across all dimensions, which of course includes fundraising and governance, but also by challenging continuous improvement in all aspects.
SARITA: I agree. As an alumna, I’m excited by the opportunity to give back. I know that my efforts in supporting the school have a significant impact and I encourage other alumni/ae to find ways to get involved to honor our shared experience at CSW.
student point of view
Heard on Campus: Student Voices By Sheer Figman ’17 S ince ninth grade , I’ ve experienced the many ways in which the CSW community strives to be a politically open and aware space both in and out of the classroom. Over the past year, the Advisory Board (A-Board) has been adapting the student handbook to better assist the community to hold these important conversations. With many discussions occurring across campus at any given time, students are always sharing information and opinions. Here, I took the opportunity to capture some of our student voices on current events and what they’re thinking.
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CSW Governance
The good thing about CSW classrooms is even though most students would identify as liberal, we always still work our way around to analyzing the conservative opinion for a deeper understanding. I support funding of charter schools, which is a conservative opinion, even though I side liberally with most other issues, such as women’s health. I’m still allowed to have that opinion and in the classroom we talk about the complex multidimensionality of opinions. In classroom debates where your personal opinion is involved, all opinions are welcome and observed. If you have an
Discussion assembly, which is a time for the community to bring up and discuss various questions and concerns, has been A-Board’s main focus this year. Reconstructing the format of discussion assemblies is difficult. When asked what has been challenging throughout this process, Caroline ’17, the head of A-Board, says, “There is never going to be one perfect format for discussion assemblies. We have to find the best way for as many student voices to be heard, while knowing we’re never going find the perfect format. Additionally, CSW will continue to evolve after I graduate this spring, and we want to create guidelines that will continue to be adaptable and improved in the future.”
U.S. Governance & Politics
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uncommon opinion you can still argue it and bring light to it.
– Quentin ’18 , Boarding Student
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I’ve always been interested in capitalism and the concept of teenagers preparing to be independent after high school. This year, I started Investment Club and it’s going really well so far. We’re working on making money using real life strategies, like investing in stocks and planning bake sales.
Of course, we’ve all observed the heated presidential election this year, and for many of us, it has been an eye-opening and frightening experience to see the ugliness and dark fear tactics that the process highlighted.
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I think that it can be frustrating sometimes to work so hard to gain equality for minorities and have that achievement stripped away because of one man and his position as our president. It sometimes feels like a loss of hope that we must live in a world where so many people are simply just ignorant and do not understand that Trump affects the minorities of this country negatively. His views aim to give the straight, cis, able-bodied, white men more power than they already have. I feel like nothing will ever change as long as we, the people, continue to elect a man like Trump who is racist, homophobic, xenophobic and sexist.
– Malik ’19 , Boarding Student
It is clear that students are committed to creating new spaces for discussions regarding political topics, identities, or interests. When there’s something missing on campus, we each have the power to make it happen; there are a plethora of ways to join and lead groups from the first time you get to campus. As someone who has appreciated attending several groups, such as United Students of Color (USC) and Art Club, I deeply value feeling welcomed. Many groups have meetings that are open to anyone, which I think speaks to the culture of our student body as a whole. Since the beginning of my junior year, I’ve co-led CSW’s Feminist Coalition (FemCo), a challenging yet fulfilling experience. I spoke with the leaders of affinity groups and interest groups that were newly created this school year. They explain what prompted them to start a new group and reflect on their experiences:
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– Namik ’18 , Boarding Student
– Marisa ’17 , Boarding Student
This election demonstrates to me a huge problem in our educational system and philosophy across the nation, in and out of the school system. People should be researching the candidates, not taking what they say for absolute truth. Another thing about it that bothers me is the hypocrisy of it all. In 2008, when Barack Obama was elected, there was immediate aggression toward him throughout our national government by Congress and more. It occurred to me that all activists need to put their money where their mouth is, and step away from the keyboards and into the streets. Myself included.
– Brendan ’18 , Day Student
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I really want to be an art teacher and being able to begin doing so in high school is so meaningful to me. I gain so much pleasure from being able to explain my understanding of different concepts, principles, and mediums within the artform. Whenever people come to meetings with questions and recommendations, I’m so grateful for the interest in Animation Club. As a group, we’ve analyzed various styles of animation and discussed why certain things work with certain styles. Art classes have dramatically influenced my perspective on animation. Photo classes taught me proper framing and how to attract the viewer and a class like The Animated Image taught me to work with many specific, uncommon mediums.
CSW Community
The primary reason I started the Asian American Affinity group was because I had been experiencing some microaggressions. Even in a progressive environment like CSW, where racial discrimination seems to be one of the biggest taboos, I felt that Asian American discrimination went largely unnoticed. I wanted to provide a space where people could discuss important Asian American related issues and experiences. My intentions were not only to help faculty members and students build relationships with others in the Asian American community, but also, to somehow raise awareness about the often overlooked experiences and stories of Asian Americans around CSW.
– Alyssa ’19 , Day Student
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Leading the Gender Sexuality Coalition has pushed me to create change in our community. Until this year, all of the LGBTQIA+ affinity and alliance groups worked separately, but we realized they should strive to work together. We’ve been thinking a lot recently about how we can work together and support one another to allow the maximum number of voices. Overall, I’ve gotten to know a bunch of super cool people and feel like I have a positive impact.
– Amelia ’17 , Day Student
As I reflect on my time at CSW, I’ve been a follower and a leader. I’ve listened to others share their voice, and although we may not all agree on something, I know that there is a collective gratitude for being granted the opportunity to speak up. This year in particular, I’ve witnessed people coming together over issues that they have firm feelings and beliefs about, and still be able to communicate and share ideas. That is something truly special to be a part of. For me, I will strive to remain in the dual role of follower and leader, because both positions are strong and powerful. Sheer Figman ’17 has served as the editor in chief of the Gryphon’s Eye student newspaper and headed the feminist student club (FemCo). She plays piano, makes art and plans to pursue politics in college.
44 • The
Gryphon Fall/Winter 2016
CSW CONNECT IN NEW YORK CITY CSW alumni/ae and Head of School Jane Moulding gathered at Ethan Cohen Art Gallery
Cultivating Leaders & Supporting Student Voice
(Right) Host committee: Ssanyu Nutt-Birigwa ’95, Ethan Cohen ’79, Steve Harvey ’83
By Rachel Stoff “When students learn to use their voice it can be messy at times, but it can also be beautiful. Our students get the opportunity to practice this skill before moving on to other stages of life, while their peers might not,” shared Jordan Clark ’05, who stepped into the coordinator for student leadership and diversity programming position this year. He is focused on supporting student leadership and serves as the primary liaison with affinity and alliance groups and student committees such as diversity and community service. Most of his time is spent with students, whether in a group, or one on one. The meetings often involve a look at internal programming but naturally external issues and themes come into play. He worked with students when affinity and alliance groups expanded, and helps to identify factors that affect peoples’ perspectives. “As adults we should always remember that students are practicing skills, in everything they do. We must challenge them to discover what is important to them and support and guide them in building those skills,” Jordan adds. “Until they make mistakes, students won’t actually grow and build the skills that they need to become leaders on a larger scale.” This year, several affinity and alliance groups that have common themes held collaborative sessions together. Combined meetings included Young Men of Color with Circle of Sisters, Jews Jews Jews and FemCO and Interfaith, and an entirely new coalition was formed to include all affinity groups related to gender and sexuality. For the community, these discussions have come at an important time when we are able to consolidate the great work done by student groups to date, and look at the intersectionality among them. This analysis allows us to find a way to bring the community closer together to ask important questions and examine them in smaller conversations. As an example, for many students, the U.S. Presidential election raised issues personal enough that gave them “skin in the game.” After the election, student affinity groups began to create new spaces to talk about fears, concerns and what kind of action can be taken. Groups actively invited adults to several meetings - regardless of their affiliation —and did a great job about being intentional — posing distinct questions for adults and for students. For some, these were opportunities to hear what others were thinking and feeling, even if they didn’t have the direct connection to a particular affinity or alliance.
in New York City in mid November. Thanks to Ethan Cohen ’79 and everyone there!
Jordan recalls how adults challenged him when he was a student to make choices for himself, and he’s thankful for being made to go out of his comfort zone and find his own voice. He is a believer that CSW continues to guide and challenge students to ask meaningful and critical questions, whether it is related to a global crisis or a personal issue between friends. “Whatever hat I have on — it’s all centered around student leadership,” Jordan said. “Whether it’s developing their voice or skill building — that happens everywhere — in the dorms, during basketball practice as well as among affinity and alliance groups. The onus on our school is to teach students to see for themselves. If students jump to seek answers without actually knowing what they are — then how effective could they be in their action?”
Jordan, second from right, with boys’ junior varsity basketball team
In addition to the coordinator position, Jordan teaches in the history department, is a dorm associate and he is the assistant coach for the boys’ junior varsity basketball team.
Tom Swope ’77, William Doebele ’82, and Phillip Greven ’84
from the desk of...dan denvir ’01 • 47
from the desk of...
From the Desk of...DAN DENVIR ’01 Learning about the world to change it The Cambridge School of Weston was a lifeline for my troubled middle school self. I was ready to stop running away from home but I wasn’t ready to live there at the time. Becoming a boarder conferred the blessing of attending summer camp during the school year; an opportunity to live with people who have become lifelong friends under the brilliant and loving care of Kirk and Janet Wulf and Stephanie Henry. Thinking back, it’s clear that living away from home also gave me the breathing room I needed to redirect my youthful rebellion against my parents toward bigger targets. Early on, I organized for marijuana legalization, which prompted a conflict with one teacher over posters I had plastered around the campus. They included an anthropomorphic marijuana leaf holding a sign. We organized protests against sweatshop labor at Boston-area Gap and Nike stores and for Ralph Nader’s 2000 presidential campaign (Massachusetts was and is a safe state!), and piled into buses to Quebec City with labor and environmental activists to protest meetings planning a Free Trade Area of the Americas. A lot of us traveled to protests against the IMF and World Bank in Washington D.C., and stayed at my parents’ home. We prepared Ziploc bags packed vinegar-soaked handkerchiefs to ward off tear gas. It was fun but also serious. One classmate ‘s arm was broken by a police baton. After college, I worked as an organizer for labor and immigrant rights, and to keep the US from meddling in Latin American politics. Often, I spent time trying and frequently failing to convince journalists to cover the issues I was working on. And so I became a journalist, covering politics, criminal justice, immigration, and education. Today is a strange, exciting, and terrifying time to be a reporter. Economically speaking, the industry is in freefall. But I’ve managed, with a bit of grit and hustle, to find work. And there is certainly no want for things to write about. The political landscape has changed dramatically since I graduated in 2001, for better and for worse. The United States is the world’s prison capital. But Black Lives Matter, and a growing movement for criminal justice
reform, is organizing like never before to transform the system. There’s not much good news with regard to the war on terror that began my first semester in college. It grinds on, fifteen years later, with little to no coherent political opposition. But in many ways I am optimistic. Trump’s victory was shocking but not in retrospect it not so surprising that a bigoted reality TV star won the presidency. This country was founded on the basis of land cleared via genocide of native people and industry built on the backs of enslaved Africans. And it is racism that has been used since day one to keep poor white people in their place, and which has since been used to advance anti-poor policies, from welfare reform to mass incarceration. Don’t get me wrong: Trump won plenty of well off people as well. But Hillary Clinton’s failure to advance a clear alternative allowed Trump to play the age-old game of
encouraging people to blame what are often very real economic problems on scary outsiders like Mexicans and Muslims. Donald Trump is terrifying. But he represents an American politics that is on its way out. Trump voters are disproportionately older. Young people overwhelmingly supported Bernie Sanders. Because young people, like perhaps no generation before, embrace justice for queer people, people of color, and working people. At some point, I took a class with Greg Ventre, the former head of school, called “Dissent in American History.” The syllabus included, if memory serves me, a reading from Henry David Thoreau. I hope that young students continue to embrace his dictum: “Let your life be a counter-friction to stop the machine.”
Dan Denvir ’01 is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, policy, immigration, and politics. He is a contributing writer to Salon, and other magazines including The Atlantic Cities, VICE and The New Republic. Below is an excerpt from a Salon article written by Dan Denvir.
Criminalizing the hustle: Policing poor people’s survival strategies from Eric Garner to Alton Sterling Garner sold loose cigarettes; Alton Sterling hawked CDs — and they both died at the hands of police Early Tuesday morning, two Baton Rouge police officers pinned a 37-year-old black man named Alton Sterling to the ground and shot him to death outside a convenience store. They were responding to a person’s complaint that a man selling CDs had threatened him with a gun, according to the police department.
teenager when he was no older than 21, his name and face are still publically recorded online more than 15 years after the incident. Leroy Tackno, the manager of a transitional housing center where Sterling paid $90 a week for a small bedroom, told The New York Times that he didn’t understand why a street hustle resulted in death.
It’s still unclear whether Sterling had a gun; in the chilling videos released so far he cannot be seen reaching for one. Whatever the case, Sterling appears to be one of an extraordinary number of black men exiled from the formal economy and working on the street, vulnerable to arrest and police violence.
“I’m just trying to figure out what did he do,” said Tackno. “All he did was sell CDs.”
Eric Garner sold loose cigarettes. Alton Sterling hawked CDs. Both died at the hands of police while seemingly on the job. “Over the past few decades cities have turned to policing to fulfill two functions: to surveil and discipline black populations hardest hit by economic shifts and to collect revenue in the form of fines,” emails Lester Spence, a professor of political science at Johns Hopkins University and the author of ‘Knocking the Hustle: Against the Neoliberal Turn in Black Politics.’ “The black men most likely to be left out of the formal economy — who have to engage in various illegal hustles to make ends meet — are far more likely to suffer from police violence than other black men.” Jobs are scarce. For those with a criminal record, like Sterling, they can simply be out of reach. With Sterling, things were worse. He had to register as a sex offender after being convicted of having had sex with a
The disappearance of jobs has sparked political anger, feeding opioid addiction, alcoholism, and early death, and, among the commentariat, fomented bewildered discussion about the state of white workingclass people. But the disappearance of work hit black people first and hardest, decimating industries at the very moments when African-Americans, after centuries of marginalization, had only just gotten their foot in the door. In the Baton Rouge area, says Spence, the minority male unemployment rate in 2014 was 2.7 times higher than for whites. Informal workers win some freedoms and flexibility in communities otherwise dominated by precarious service sector jobs. But informal workers are not guaranteed a minimum wage, and earn no unemployment, Social Security, or other benefits. They are also, by virtue of the illegality of their business, prima facie subject to aggressive policing. Just short of informal work is the fringe economy, including cash for gold, payday loans, and pawn shops. The person selling loose cigarettes on the corner, or the one selling DVDs and incense on the subway, are just the tip of an
enormous and perhaps immeasurable iceberg of informal work. A 2011 study estimated that $2 trillion in underground income goes unreported. Immigrants from Latin America working day-labor construction. Mothers on public assistance braiding hair or cleaning houses on the side. Sex work. Selling drugs. Collecting cans and bottles. Homeless people making money by asking for it on the street. Laid-off workers doing odd jobs while collecting unemployment—and then, given the horrible state of things, never looking back. “This unreported income is being earned, for the most part, not by drug dealers or Mob bosses but by tens of millions of people with run-of-the-mill jobs—nannies, barbers, Web-site designers, and construction workers—who are getting paid off the books,” James Surowiecki wrote in the New Yorker. “Ordinary Americans have gone underground, and, as the recovery continues to limp along, they seem to be doing it more and more.” The contemporary era of policing and mass incarceration emerged precisely to confront black people with limited or no access to formal work. As the sociologist Loïc Wacquant puts it, “in the wake of the race riots of the 1960s, the police, courts, and prison have been deployed to contain the urban dislocations wrought by economic deregulation and the implosion of the ghetto as ethnoracial container, and to impose the discipline of insecure employment at the bottom of the polarizing class structure.” To read the full article: http://bit.ly/29FCo1R
SNAPSHOTS OF SUPPORT
MY
5
text goes myhere five •• 49 49
ROBERT FRIESEN ’71 What prompted you to make your first gift to the school? My first gift to the school was probably $10 or $25. This year, I ran a class-wide fundraiser in conjunction with the 45th reunion for the Class of ’71. We invited Class of ’70 and ’72 alums as well and the turnout — more than 100 alumni attended this year — requires a separate reunion from the other five-year classes. We raised $108,500, surpassing the previous reunion record by almost 100%.
Do you have a favorite CSW moment or a fond CSW memory?
How did you engage others to also give to CSW?
What do you think of when you remember being at CSW?
I remember the academics and the great teachers whose patience with me was appreciated more in the years after I left. However, the dominant memory is a collection of experiences from of the historical milieu. We were in the middle of the most socially tumultuous period since the American Revolution. The Right and the Left were diametrically, and often violently opposed with a highly visible and globally reviled war as the focal point. The transformation of rock music, women’s liberation, the Black Panthers, the draft, drugs, the “Summer of Love,” Kent State, Super Bowl I, Sesame Street, the Weatherpeople, My Lai, the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy on the heels of JFK’s assassination...it was an era like no other and it directly touched students who were involuntarily fighting in, and voluntarily fighting against, the war. That milieu of unrest and uncertainty, and the magnitude of the change is my strongest memory.
Share one of your most proud moments.
Of all of my professional, social, athletic and other achievements and contributions, nothing comes close to how proud I am of the three miracles who are my children.
What skills did you learn at CSW that have carried forward today?
I think the most significant skill was recognizing that nothing is as it appears to be. I gained an appreciation of authors’ use of storylines and characters to illustrate underlying themes; the organization of mathematical and scientific principles; the disorganization of all that we do not know and everything inbetween. Sadly, it was all a bit much for me when I was in school but patient teachers planted seeds and they grew over time. It is a key element of the strategic planning work that I do with clients.
What do you do to stay happy?
I love my work and do not plan to retire until the day that my clients decide that I am a doddering old fool and stop hiring me. I also love swimming, especially in open water, riding my Harley on long solo trips, participating in just about any gathering with other people and cooking massive amounts of food, especially those that involve bacon.
Is there anything in particular that makes you feel good to support at CSW today?
CSW has a level of momentum today that it has not had for decades. Jane Moulding has done an incredible job of building a legacy — an enduring, positive foundation that is the result of an effective vision and patient implementation. She has strengthened everything from academics to the school’s financial position, participation in unique experiences for students, and other accomplishments that gave me a level of confidence in CSW’s future. I saw it in action during several trips to CSW, and it inspired me and created the imperative for this year’s fundraiser. Robert Friesen ’71 develops strategies and facilitates their implementation for healthcare providers and insurors as well as companies in other industries such as retail, consumer products, private equity/venture capital, and architecture who are interested in gaining a foothold in the health/healthcare space. In addition to his consulting career, Robert has led early-stage software and telemedicine companies and served in executive positions on several boards of directors. He has degrees from Beloit College (BA, Psychology/Economics), Duquesne University (MA, Psychology) and Duke University (Master of Health Administration).
1 2 3 4 5
I was fortunate to have Elizabeth Meyer ’71 working with me. She has extensive fundraising experience and helped me develop the plan - to build momentum with $50,000 from donors who valued the time they had spent at CSW with multiple payment options varying from a single donation to planned giving. I have also kept in touch with many members of our class through organizing reunions for 25 years. I gave a speech after the reunion dinner that emphasized two points: one, we are all asked to donate to causes but there is only one that contributed to us long before we showed any promise. Two, how I had seen the school progress during Jane Moulding’s time as head. I announced the total raised to date – to an appreciative gasp – and implored the class to step up to reach $100,000. I announced that we only had $17,000 to go and Mark Ettlinger ’71 said “Now you only have $16,000 to go.” Within a few minutes, others made $1,000 pledges and we got to $100,000.
HARMONY BICKERTON ’19
CHAD SMITH ’17
SHERRILL BOUNNELL P’19 executive assistant to the head of school
STEVE SCRIMSHAW P’09, ’12, ’13 science teacher
My first essay assignment called for double spacing, which I had never heard of before. I proceeded to hit the spacebar twice between each word. My teacher asked why my lines were so close together; but I had excessively spaced my words to the point of nearly cramping! It’s ridiculous to look back and see how far I’ve come!
Being on campus early this year when all of the new students arrived. Seeing the joy on parent and student faces as they entered a new home and met new friends was definitely one of my favorite CSW moments.
For many years, nearly every Monday in September, former math teacher Rhona Carlton-Foss would bring in her gorgeous home-grown dahlias so I could set some on my desk and share them with others. I’ve also had an anonymous “flower fairy” –– these floral gifts are never lost on me; they are typical of the thoughtful and generous people I’m fortunate to call colleagues and friends.
Graduations are always great and affirming.
Morgan Freeman!!
Jaden Smith
First Lady Michelle Obama
Charles Darwin
“No Scrubs” by TLC. It just seems to apply to every situation!
“I Gotta Feeling” The Black Eyed Peas
Joni Mitchell’s “Twisted” (with Lisa Oslowski in the backseat!)
“Satisfaction” (Rolling Stones)
“Grey’s Anatomy.” Surgery is something I’m interested in as a career and sometimes I’ll open separate tabs on my computer to look up the medical terminology. Plus there are so many seasons!
“Game of Thrones”
My daughter (Grace Campbell ’19) talked me into watching the first season of “Stranger Things.” I rarely binge-watch anything, and that show wasn’t on my radar at all, but I ended up really enjoying it.
“Orphan Black”
Who would you want a selfie with?
What is your carpool karaoke song?
Which TV show do you love to binge-watch?
One thing that you do for yourself every day?
I like to wake up early so that I can take my time getting ready. Sometimes I look over my homework again and other times I just listen to music, but it definitely helps throughout the day to have that extra time to wake up.
Listen to jazz
Even when the world seems upside-down, every morning I set my feet on the ground I count my blessings -- it helps center me.
Get to campus early so I can relaxed and have a good breakfast.
leaving a legacy:
a view from the inside
“As I’ve gotten older, I realize just how much CSW molded me. Certainly, there are the friends I made here, but I learned important things at CSW. I learned to think for myself, to question, and to think critically. Bob Metcalf
Class of 1953 and Past CSW Trustee
As an alumnus, it is a pleasure for me to know that my bequest to CSW will provide long-term support for this unique learning community.
The school needs this kind of thoughtful support now more than ever.”
Join Bob and many others. Learn more about how to leave your legacy at CSW. The Patience Lauriat Society is an honorary association of individuals who have made planned gifts or provisions in their bequests to The Cambridge School of Weston. The society is named after Patience Lauriat ’46, who left a portion of her estate to CSW. Her gift to the school was her way of acknowledging what the school had taught her and had helped her accomplish, and she was the first to honor the school in this way. To learn more about becoming a member and to find out how planned giving can benefit you and The Cambridge School of Weston, please contact:
LIVING ON CAMPUS
Rebecca Schultzberg Director of Alumni/ae and Development rschultzberg@csw.org | 781.642.8611 www.csw.org/legacygiving
class notes • 53
CLASS NOTES
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! This issue includes notes submitted from
Tom Davis ’53 shared this photo with us after he returned from a cruise. He sends warm wishes to all!
June to November 2016. Everyone is invited to submit news to the alumni/ae office. Please email news and photos to alum@csw.org
Richard (Ham) Hamilton ’41 writes: Ancient Adage ‘The good die young’ Doesn’t speak well of me or many classmates still with us. Kit Sharpless taught physics 1939-1940 to me at CSW. I think Haverford names a building for him. Larry Nathanson ’46: One of the reasons I’ve been distracted from CSW affairs ... attended my Harvard reunion and it is practically a CSW reunion in itself. Paul Sapir, Joan Pinck in addition to myself. All members of the CSW class of 1946! Sandra Ross Behrens ’54: I am so blessed to be in really good health this year, keeping busy (whatever that is for us 80 year olds). Missing the gathering to honor dear Connie was hard for me. He was the heart and soul of our class. Harvey Simons ’58: I’m a grandfather! A little gift named Eleanor. Susan Stebbins Ward ’62: Well, I am still as skinny as I was at CSW. When a junior, some friends set up a dining table in my room as a prank to tease me about my fondness for good food. Here in Quebec, we take food seriously, so I am right at home. My friends here predicted that I’d stop fussing over the perfection of what I eat after a few months as a widow — but it’s now 16 months on my own , and I’m still at it. I remember the music too — especially hearing Mahler for the first time on a CSW outing to a BSO rehearsal at symphony hall. Good memories — good friends. Susan Pomerantz ’69: I am retired and living in Cape Cod. I have a 3 year old grand daughter who is a frequent visitor, and often the first thing I hear when
she awake is “I want to paint!” I of course, oblige! Robert Friesen ’71 and Jon Spigel ’71 got together on October 14-15 for a 700-mile round-trip motorcycle tour from Chicago to La Crosse, Wisconsin. On the way, they toured the engine manufacturing facilities and museum at the S&S Cycle plant in rural Viola, WI. In La Crosse, they stayed in a B&B that was built in the 1860’s as the home of the Cargill family when they started their agricultural division – now a $120 billion company — on the banks of the Mississippi. Robert noted that Wisconsin’s western hills provided the most challenging backroads that he had piloted since he last challenged the speed limits up and down Vermont.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan School of Management) 2015. Published my first book available on Amazon.com (Createspace.com) entitled, Safety Solutions and Differences in Motor Vehicle Drivers Who Use Cellular Telephones. Tara Flippo ’90: Life at UNH is going really well. I am excited to have my first book coming out this month! Social and Emotional Learning in Action Experiential Activities to Positively Impact School Climate. It would be great to hear from other CSW Alumni in the field of education. tara.flippo@unh.edu
Marcia Tugendhat ’74: My recent move to Virginia puts me close to Eduardo Tugendhat ‘72 and Katherine Tugendhat ‘51. And close enough that I might be able to attend some CSW events.
Kathe Mazur ’79: Hi everyone! We are all great here in LA! I continue my 8th season of playing DA Andrea Hobbs on the TNT shows The Closer and Major Crimes. My son is 9 years old. Is it too early to dream about high school? Could CSW move to LA? James Andrew Eidelman ’81: Over 15 years with Verizon and over 6 years as an Administrative Assistant. Earned my Ph.D. from University of Phoenix 2013 and Certified Executive Education from
Chih-Hung (Clint) Wu ’04: I am currently working at Kingston Technology. I love CSW. =) Ella Williams ’14: I am a second year Studio Art and Gender, Women’s, Sexuality Studies double major at Grinnell College in Grinnell, IA. This summer, I am an artist-in residency with the Emerging Artist Award at Grin City Collective in Grinnell, IA, and I’ll be working on developing songs for my third album and building my visual art portfolio. I regularly play concerts in Boston, Iowa, and in other states across the US, and my music can be found at www.squirrelflower.bandcamp.com. More information about upcoming concerts can be found at www.facebook.com/squirrelflowermusic
Rory Sheble-Hall ’08: I am one of 10 family members that either attended or work at the school. I recently got married and we took a CSW picture (inset). We have all benefited so much from our times at CSW and hope you enjoy the picture!
Franklin Davis ’75: Downsizing! Moving to a little 1950’s pre fab cottage on a pond in West Concord. Jill Anne Shepherd ’77: Enjoying life and work in the beautiful Adirondacks.
Simon Taylor ’98, member of the board of trustees, was named as one of Boston Business Journal’s 40 under 40. This year’s Boston Business Journal 40 Under 40 honorees are all young and extremely talented professionals. As a group, they represent a wide variety of business industries in the for-profit, nonprofit and government sectors. As individuals, they are the definition of overachievers — each already making a significant, positive impact on Massachusetts as a result of their professional and community contributions.
Jonas Wood ’95: Jonas’ piece The Children’s Garden is featured at the Broad art museum in Los Angeles. Simha Ravven ’95: My husband, Tim, and I had a second daughter, Yael, on 8/21/15. Our daughter Lucy is almost five and will be starting kindergarten in the fall. We will be moving from Vermont to the New Haven area this summer where I will join the Yale Medical School faculty in the Division of Law and Psychiatry. I’ve enjoyed staying in touch with CSW friends!
From left to right in the back row: Sandy ShebleHall (father) Class of ’76 Steve Scrimshaw-Hall (uncle) Teaching at the school since ’91 Sayre Scrimshaw-Hall (cousin) Class of ’09 Luke Perkins (cousin) attended ’04-’06 (would have been class ’08) Second Row: Jordan Perkins (cousin) attended ’03-’06 (would have been class ’07), Jessica Hall attended in ’92 (would have been class ’92) Emma Scrimshaw-Hall (cousin)’13, Allie Maxwell (maid of honor met at CSW) ’08 Kate Scrimshaw-Hall ’12 First row: Gus Perkins (cousin) ’13, Rory Sheble-Hall (bride) ’08
IN MEMORIAM James A. Biggar ’48 Jonathan Bond ’63 Heather C. Turner Frazer ’58 Laura B. Stonberg Gray ’71 Holly Ehrich Henderson ’59 Kristen Holden Maloney ’69 Roberta Shapiro Saperstein ’64
L.A. ALUMNI/AE GATHERING January 22, 2017, 6 - 8 p.m. The Wallis Annenberg Center 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA
Save the Date
REUNION 2016
Reconnect with other members of the CSW community and hear updates about what’s happening at CSW.
AUSTIN CSW ALUMNI/AE GATHERING January 22, 2017, 5 - 7 p.m. Second Bar and Kitchen 200 Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 78701 SAN FRANCISCO ALUMNI/AE GATHERING January 24, 2017, 6 - 8 p.m. Home of Augusta Talbot ’67 San Francisco, CA WASHINGTON DC CSW ALUMNI/AE GATHERING February 16, 2017 Location TBD CAMPUS EVENT, ALL WELCOME April 7, 2017 On Campus: Garthwaite Center for Science and Art Special reception for Aboudia (Thompson Gallery exhibit) with Ethan Cohen ’79
CSW Alumni/ae!
Save the Date REUNION ’17 May 5-7, 2017
ALUMNI/AE REFLECTIONS
alumni reflections • 57
Christopher Huggins ’81 Has His Eye on the Prize By Shira Kagan-Shafman ’17 I n M arch of 2016, I had an amazing opportunity to travel to Cape Town South Africa with a group of CSW students for a social justice/community service trip. While there we attended a performance by the Cape Town Dance Company. I was in awe of the power of the pieces. As an aspiring dancer and choreographer I was immediately inspired by the works. Little did I know that just a couple months later I would have the chance to interview one of the choreographers. Christopher Huggins is a dancer, a choreographer, and a CSW alumnus. Christopher graduated CSW in 1981 and went on to SUNY Purchase and The Juilliard School. After Juilliard he joined the renowned Alvin Ailey Dance Company. He is a 2002 and 2008 recipient of the Alvin Ailey Award for Best Choreography from the Black Theater Alliance in Chicago for Enemy Behind the Gates and Pyrokinesis, respectively, and has also worked on several projects for Disney in Orlando, Florida. He was a silver medalist at the 4th International Contemporary Dance Competition in Seoul, Korea. In addition to commissions for Ailey II and The Ailey School, he has also set works at universities and high schools throughout the U.S. Until high school Christopher had never seen a dance performance, let alone danced in one himself. As a young freshman he came to CSW and was introduced to Martha Gray. Christopher was a blank canvas on which Martha could paint. “Modern Dance” with Martha meant Cunningham technique, but Christopher wanted more. Martha was always very encouraging and wanted Christopher to challenge himself. She never wanted him to settle and he never did. He was a sponge, he wanted to learn everything. He auditioned and was accepted to take classes at Boston Ballet on Saturdays and got ballet under his belt. That is when things began to take shape. All he wanted to do was dance, his life was consumed by it. He had found his passion, his gift. Throughout his time at Juilliard, the course work offered to him was purely technique and he did not begin to choreograph until 1988. A pivotal moment in his career was when he saw The Alvin Ailey Dance Company perform at the Wang Center. He knew that is where he was meant to be. He had never seen an entire stage covered in dancers who looked like him. He was
blown away by the force of experiencing so many black men performing on stage. This moment put everything into gear, clarifying his aspirations. Throughout his years in the Ailey company Christopher performed many works. One of the most rewarding moments he recalls is when, years after leaving the company, he was invited to return and choreograph. In 2010, under the direction of Judith Jamison, his work took the stage.
to have a passion, a burning passion. It is a self-indulgent career as well as a lonely one. My dance has consumed my life for nearly 40 years. You have to have a vision and never give up on that. If you see an obstacle, find a way to go over it. Work for it, take the time, make the effort. If the elevator to success is broken, take the stairs and climb your way up; you will appreciate it more and you will get more out of it. There is nothing instant in this world. Continue to push your way through, keep dreaming, and follow those dreams.” I know from the many ups and downs I have had in my own dance career that these words mean a lot coming from someone who has been through it all. This definitely felt like I had come full circle from seeing his work in March, knowing he was also a CSW grad, and being able to speak with him about how his career as a dancer and choreographer has taken off.
Sometimes he is inspired and he instantly sees a piece being created. There are other times that he starts by improvising, moving around in the space without judgment or correction. He says that keeping his mind open to all possibilities is the key to creating something powerful. When I asked how he begins a new work he said he might start with a phrase from class or a piece of music, even though that music might not end up in the final score. Sometimes he is inspired and he instantly sees a piece being created. There are other times that he starts by improvising, moving around in the space without judgment or correction. He says that keeping his mind open to all possibilities is the key to creating something powerful. His work has been commissioned by many companies, universities, and schools and they all touch on different themes. One work “Enemy Behind the Gates” looks at how America changed on 9/11 and how heightened security has impacted Americans. Another work examines the Middle Passage, and another investigates the Holocaust. But Christopher says that his race has never played a role in how or what he choreographs. He is a choreographer, not a black choreographer. Recently, the premiere of his new work for the Movement Dance Company in Jamaica went up. In the future he would love to work with more companies in Europe. He wants to learn from European choreographers like Akram Khan and Crystal Pite, and cites that working with Ohad Naharin was an amazing experience. Christopher ended our conversation by giving some eloquently stated advice: “Keep your eyes on the prize, to dance you have
Shira Kagan-Shafman ‘17 is from Arlington, MA. She plans to pursue a Bachelors of Fine Arts in dance at college next year, and is interested in continuing to work on behalf of social justice issues close to her heart.
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art by Dana Clemson ’18
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photo by Ben Kahan ’17, Macbeth fall production