Academy World: Fall 2022

The Magazine of Wilbraham & Monson Academy At Home. In the World.

ACADEMY WORLD

Restoring the true WMA experience a challenge for all T

This year we have a very unique set of challenges and opportunities ahead of us. When we started school in August, there were only 45 students who had been enrolled at WMA prior to the 2019 2020 school year. Only 45 students out of about 410 who know what it was like to attend WMA before the impact of COVID-19. Only 45 students who had benefited from at least one full year of WMA traditions, ceremonies and all of the other communal threads that weave into the fabric of our school culture.

will need not only to teach the new incoming students, but simultaneously readjust most of the returning students to different, and in many instances higher, expectations.

One more challenge this will cause is in the intersection of new and returning students. New students always need to be oriented to what it means to be a Titan, and typically those new students are coached and mentored by an overwhelming majority of the student population who are already well-versed in all things WMA. That is truly how traditions should be preserved and shared. With so few current students who carry the torch of the true WMA experience, however, it will be incumbent upon the adults in the community, this year, to reestablish and reinforce the culture of WMA for most of the student population. We are heartened by the dividends this work will bring in forthcoming years, the way it always has.

by brian p. easler Head of School

As you know, WMA went to great lengths and expense to maintain a safe and robust in-person and remote program throughout the last two years—and our students reaped the benefits of our doing so by continuing with their academic progress nearly seamlessly compared with students from most other schools. The compromises we needed to make to ensure that safety and continuity, however, still had an impact on our sense of community and the social and emotional development of our students. In response, and as an entire adult staff, we began this year with a renewed sense of purpose toward rectifying that impact.

In addition, some of our new students this year have matriculated from schools or school systems that did not weather the pandemic as well. Many of these students are experiencing academic, social and emotional deficits from disruptions or isolation that we are now helping them through. We prepared for this inevitability with increased support and new systems, which have served us well so far and provide a supportive network for student success.

One of our biggest cultural challenges this year, however, rests not with the new students, but with the students who matriculated at WMA during COVID-19. So much of what makes us who we are needed to be altered or suspended because of health and safety protocols, or, in some cases, our expectations around things like dress code or use of headphones were relaxed to make protocol-life on campus simply more tolerable—despite how amazing our students were and how grateful they were to be in-person, it was a rough couple of years to be in school.

This resulted in students over the last two years establishing habits and patterns that are not aligned with what we would consider normal WMA life. Because of this, we now have nearly 200 returning students who came to WMA during COVID-19, during the protocols and restrictions, who do not really know the real WMA ... but, they think they do. This means we

While we have maintained our traditions and ceremonies throughout the crisis, restrictions often prevented many students from attending typical community-building events and the celebratory end-of-year celebrations for the graduating class. For example, things like the Stone-Laying Ceremony and crossing the Rubicon happened, but without the same level of schoolwide involvement, understanding, enthusiasm or anticipation. We lost some of the communal understanding of the significance of these ceremonies, the anticipation that builds for younger students, and we need to get it back.

We also have an opportunity to build on previous experiences by reinforcing some new traditions, born out of the crisis we are now so eager to put behind us. Things like the lunchtime student-band Porch Jams on the Griffin Athenaeum terrace were a big hit in the fall and spring, as were the campuswide Adirondack chairs on the Academy lawns. The Class of 2020 rang the Monson Bell as part of its closing ceremonies when we could not have a formal Commencement, and now (for the last two years) each member of the graduating class rings the bell at the conclusion of their last class at WMA. These new traditions will take their place among the others in the annual cycle and as the part of the foundation of the full WMA experience.

Just as you, our alumni and friends, have established and nurtured our cherished traditions all these decades and supported the Academy through this tumultuous time, it is now our duty and our privilege to reestablish the ethos of WMA, in the fullest sense, with all of its history and traditions and challenges and fun and camaraderie and the lineage of connection to the generations of students who came before. Collectively, we feel a tremendous sense of responsibility to all of you, to get this right.

Respectfully,

dE

Teddy Ryan

Russ Held Bill Wells

Chris Tinnesz

Advisory

Mark Aimone

Brian P. Easler

Don Kelly

Janet Moran

Kyle O’Brien

Sean Valentine

co

Michael Dorunda ’24

Brian P. Easler

Molly McGill

Janet Moran

Don Nicholson ’79

Sean Valentine Bill Wells

PH

Mark Aimone

Paul Bloomfield

Aidan Held ’21

Russ Held Tom Kates

Steven Lee-Davis

Mike Mannix

Molly McGill

Kelly Molander

Dave Roback

Sean Valentine Bill Wells

Various contributing photographers

Pri

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Scott B. Jacobs ’75, Chair

James E. LaCrosse ’50W, Vice Chair

Mark R. Shenkman ’61M, Vice Chair

David A. Reeves, Treasurer

Caitlin S. Flynn ’06, Secretary

Raymond J. Anton ’61M

Christopher C. Antonacci ’06

John J. Baker

Bonnie Faulkner Ryan ’82

Linda B. Griffin

William R. Guerin ’89

Robert F. Little

Barry M. Maloney ’85

Andrew P. Mele

Stephanie T. Robbins ’10

Craig Rubin ’63W

Paul J. Sullivan ’91

t

Eric W. Anderson

Michael J. Flynn

Richard S. Fuld Jr. ’64W

Peter C. Lincoln ’55W

Donald J. Stuart ’73

Lif

William E. James ’64W

Alumni, we’d like to hear from you! Send your current contact information and news to alumni@wma.us.

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S uppor TIN g wm

A Legacy of Legacies for the Dooley Family

BY SEAN VALENTINE Director of Stewardship & Donor Relations

TTalk to enough alumni about how they came to be at Wilbraham & Monson Academy and you will hear similar stories: Needed a push to excel; framework of prior school didn’t fit; wanted a smaller environment; parents thought it would be a good idea… What is slightly less common is to hear these reasons expressed in relation to eight members of the same family in different generations. But with regard to the family of Richard “Dick” and Bernadine “Bernie” Dooley, this is exactly what happened.

In 1974, the Dooley’s son Richard “Rickie” Jr. had recently been placed into a “non-college track” at his high school because of trouble with math.

“Bernie and I were concerned about this as you might imagine,” Dick said. “We didn’t agree with the school’s action and were trying to figure out what to do.”

Vaguely aware of WMA’s existence, Bernie took it upon herself to investigate, walking into Rich Hall without an appointment and running straight into Head of School Francis M. Casey. An impromptu discussion ensued, and a few days later she, Dick and Rickie went back for a formal admission visit. “I was away

on business at the time,” Dick said. “It is a great example of a wife and mother of five taking the initiative!”

Mr. Casey, who took time to chat with all prospective students, invited the trio into his office where they spoke at length regarding Rickie’s school situation and the opportunities WMA might offer. Dick said, “At the end of our conversation, Mr. Casey turned to Rickie and said, ‘If you come here and have any trouble in math, just visit my office and we’ll go through the problems together.’ We were very impressed.”

Rickie applied, was accepted and had no further trouble in math. He graduated in 1978 and attended St. Anselm College, where he decided to become a teacher.

His experience was so influential that his brothers Thomas ’78 and Charles ’86, and sister Gretchen ’80, followed him to the Academy. A third brother, Paul, was already in college.

Bernie and Dick’s appreciation for what WMA did for their children transformed into a lifetime of service to the school. In addition to becoming generous financial supporters and volunteers, Dick served on the Board of Trustees from 1977 1992 and was Chair from 1978 1988.

Sadly, Rickie passed away in 1994 in an automobile accident. The Dooleys dedicated a room in the Blake Middle School in his memory and created scholarships in his

name at Cross Keys High School in Atlanta, Georgia, where Rickie had been a respected teacher at the time of his death, and at St. Anselm’s.

Fast forward to 2006, when Gretchen’s daughter Siobhan found herself in a similar situation.

“She was not on a strong college track in the public school system, much the same as Rickie,” Dick said. “Not excelling to her full potential.”

Once again, Bernie thought of WMA. She, Dick and Gretchen suggested that Siobhan tour the Academy like her late uncle had.

Siobhan entered WMA in 2007.

She played two varsity sports, traveled to the Amazon, and became Class President before graduating in 2009. In a case of history repeating itself, Siobhan’s experience was so positive that her brother Teddy ’11, and sisters Richelle ’12 and Tatum ’21, all became Academy graduates.

Bernie, the driving force behind the family’s WMA experience, passed away in 2016.

“She was the one who had the initial idea to explore WMA. Everything that happened after that was because of her,” Dick said.

To recognize and honor her legacy, Dick created the Richard & Bernadine Dooley Scholarship in September 2021. WMA is deeply grateful for Dick’s and Bernie’s years of support and honored to have the Dooley Scholarship as part of our financial aid program.

Creating a scholarship in honor/memory of a loved one makes a lasting impact on the future of the Academy. For more information, please contact Mark Aimone, Director of Advancement, at maimone@wma.us or 413.596.9134.

Dick and Bernie Dooley

If you come here and have any trouble in math, just visit my office and we’ll go through the problems together.”

h EA d of S choo L fr AN c IS m. c ASEY

• Dick Dooley and granddaughter Tatum Perkins ’21, the most recent graduate of the eight family members to attend WMA.

Gretchen Perkins ’80

Richelle Davis ’12

Tom Dooley ’78

Teddy Davis ’11

Siobhan Davis ’09

Rickie Dooley ’78

Tatum Perkins ’21

Charles Dooley ’86

• Dick Dooley, left, with Head of School Francis Casey.

News from the Hill

Elias Domanig ’23 picks up a rock-solid invention

Elias Domanig ’23 noticed a pattern in the Fall of 2021. During his practices for Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s band, he realized he regularly shifted from using his guitar pick to not needing it, which led to putting it down and having to remember where he placed the pick until he needed it again. The routine became annoying and unproductive.

Elias, though, is a thinker and a tinkerer. Those skills, along with his love for guitar, led him to an invention. Using WMA’s new iLab, and under the guidance of WMA Science Department Chair Dr. John Strauss, Elias designed a Guitar Pick Holster and revealed the product in May.

“The idea for the Guitar Pick Holster first occurred to me during long practices with the school band,” Elias, of Austria, said. “I was playing guitar and had to switch a lot between

finger picking and strumming or I had to organize myself between songs. One day, I had the thought of what if there was a convenient product that can hold the guitar picks between songs or even if I just need to switch from strumming to finger picking.”

With the iLab up and running, complete with cutting-edge equipment, Elias began to test various designs.

“Fortunately, the iLab provided us with all the tools that we needed to try out all our ideas and adaptations,” said Elias, who began playing guitar when he was 9. “We worked a lot with the 3D printers, different cutting tools and different adhesives. After a long developing period of about five months, we finally had a working prototype.”

The final product was simple and useful: a four-sided piece of plastic that contained accordion-like bristles, which snuggly held the

guitar picks. An adhesive connected the holster to the guitar.

“I am very happy with the final product,” Elias said. “At the beginning of May, I finally had a version of the holster that satisfied my expectations. In a rapid process, we developed the packaging and even organized a photo shoot for marketing purposes. I was very happy that at the end of the school year the Guitar Pick Holster was a well-rounded product with setup marketing tools and nice, simplistic packaging.

“So far I’ve received very positive feedback. Everybody I talked to about the product was very surprised and supportive. From the people who tested the Guitar Pick Holster, I heard back that they really like the idea and that it is a good and useful product that they enjoy using.”

For more information or to purchase the product, email Elias at elias.domanig@gmail.com.

• A marketing presentation for the Guitar Pick Holster designed by Elias Domanig ’23.

• Elias Domanig ’23 plays guitar during a Fall Arts Weekend event in 2021.

Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s Luka van Houte ’22 wants to pursue a career in the sciences.

An argument could be made that he already is.

Luka, a postgraduate from the Netherlands, had an article he wrote for a class posted by the Young Science Journal, an international publication that focuses on the works of beginning scientists. The article, which is on the company’s website, is being considered for the company’s print version.

“Last year I was enrolled in a program at the University of Utrecht for talented students in the sciences that would provide an extra

a science

challenge,” Luka said. “The program provided science modules and research opportunities with scientists from the University of Utrecht. Writing this article was my final project for the program, and I did it with two friends of mine.

“It felt fulfilling (to be published). I’ve worked so hard on the article and put a lot of hours into it. When I finally heard that my article was published, I was grateful and it was exciting to see my article right there on the site of a journal next to other prestigious articles.”

Luka attends Universiteit Twente, a selective technical institution in Enschede, Netherlands.

Salvador ’22 earns National Merit Letter of Commendation

Winning academic awards is hard.

Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s Cole Salvador ’22 makes it look easy.

After earning a National Hispanic Merit Scholar Award, Cole received a Letter of Commendation from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation based on his Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) performance.

Cole was recognized for his achievement during School Meeting in February. The top 50,000 scorers for the nationwide test receive an award.

“I knew that I was going to receive the National Hispanic Merit Scholar Award for a while, and received a diploma for that in 2021,” Cole said. “I had no idea about the Letter of Commendation until Mr. (Brian) Easler called me up to the podium. I was glad because I got to shake his hand; he gives good handshakes.”

“I have taught Cole two out of his four years of high school English at WMA and, frankly, it would have been more surprising to me if he hadn’t received some kind of recognition given his academic performance over the years here, particularly his performance on the AP exams,” English Faculty member Tim Harrington ’73 said.

“To me, the most remarkable thing about Cole’s academic achievements is that he doesn’t really focus on grades, and he is embarrassed when anyone publicly recognizes his high-level work. He just wants to learn and wants to challenge himself. I am very proud of him.”

Cole

Luka van Houte ’22 has future down to

Luka van Houte ’22, right, with Head of School Brian Easler at Commencement

Exercises in May.

Cole Salvador ’22, left, with Head of School Brian Easler.

Trio honored at Model Congress

By Michael Dorunda ’24 (This story was originally written for the Atlas newspaper.)

Michelle Itkin ’22 won a Best Delegate Award at the Harvard Model Congress event held in February in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Michelle was one of three students from WMA to be recognized for their hard work and outstanding performances during the 2022 Harvard Model Congress. Patrick Evuleocha ’22 and Sally Geoghegan ’24 earned Honorable Mention recognitions for their work and performances in the debates.

Michelle was part of the delegation representing Italy, which focused on sustainable urbanization and the international debt crises. It was Itkin’s fourth year participating in Model Congress.

“I’m really proud that I was able to end my high school Model Congress career by winning Best Delegate,” Michelle said. “I put a lot of work and energy into the four-day conference, and I’m glad it paid off. It was the perfect culmination of the past four years, especially with this being the first in-person conference since I was a sophomore due to COVID-19.”

WMA students excel on National French Exam

Most students don’t receive recognition on Le Grand Concours. That’s not the case at Wilbraham & Monson Academy. Seventy-five percent of WMA’s students who take a French class at the Academy earned awards on Le Grand Concours 2022, also known as the National French Exam. Topping the list were David Nguyen ’22 and Brady Gouin ’23 as both received silver medals on the Level 4 Exam. David placed 10th nationally and Brady was 12th.

“I didn’t know what to expect as the past two years have not been quite normal, but I am very pleased with the outcome of this year’s contest,” World Languages Department Chair Fabienne Dubois said. “Three out of four students in levels 2-post AP received an award. That’s very impressive.”

WMA students were honored during School Meeting in early May. The list includes:

level 1

Cooper Dwyer ’25 bronze medal

Juan Pablo Sander ’25 honorable mention

Camila Uribe ’24 honorable mention

level 2

Rebecca Kakule ’25 bronze medal, 13th nationally

Yuhan “Alex” Zha ’22 honorable mention

Domenic Falcone ’24 honorable mention

Daniel Gao ’24 honorable mention

level 3

Emma Landry ’25 bronze medal, 12th nationally Emily DeNucci ’24 honorable mention

Leopold Heiss ’24 honorable mention

Alejandra Conde Vidales ’22 honorable mention

level 4

Quang “David” Nguyen ’22 silver medal, 10th nationally

Brady Gouin ’23 silver medal, 12th nationally

Jada Lee ’22 bronze medal

Tiana Gao ’22 honorable mention

Sally Geoghegan ’24 honorable mention

Callie Dunbar ’24 honorable mention

Elisabeth Artzinger-Bolten ’24 honorable mention

level 5

Genna Miccoli ’22 honorable mention

Yuzuki Yamaoka ’23 honorable mention

• From left: Patrick Evuleocha ’22, Michelle Itkin ’22 and Sally Geoghegan ’24 after their Model Congress success at Harvard in May.

• WMA students display awards certificates for their success on the National French Exam.

National Spanish Exam honors 25

Twenty-five students from Wilbraham & Monson Academy received recognition following their performance on the National Spanish Exam, which attracted more than 70,000 participants for the 2021 22 test.

The award categories are as follows: Plata (top 85 94%), Bronce (75 84%) and Honor (50 74%).

Below is the list of students who received awards:

level 1

Abigail Dorunda ’24 Plata

Madison Goodwin ’25 Plata

Denzel Costa ’24 Plata

Shuoxi Qi ’23 Plata

Giseok “Elliot” Kim ’25 Bronce

Malena Donovan ’25 Bronce

Hui Huang ’23 Bronce

Ben Jasmin ’24 Honor

Elena Baltazar ’25 Honor

level 2

Xuanyi “Yolanda” Chen ’24 Honor

Matt Clark ’24 Honor

Mike Dorunda ’24 Honor

Veronika Douchova ’22 Honor

Caroline Minich ’22 Honor Sophia Najeebi ’25 Honor

Isabella Rivera ’25 Honor Marisa Cyboron ’24 Honor

Nick Machado ’22 Bronce

Genna Miccoli ’22 Plata level 3 David Kakule ’23 Honor

level 4

Harold Gay ’23 Bronce

Giulia Cecchetti ’22 Honor

Brooke Catellier ’22 Honor

Arielle Chechile ’24 Honor

Alex George ’23 Honor

• Some of the National Latin Exam award winners from WMA.

Trio earns gold on National Latin Exam

Much like the Roman Empire, a little “aurum” carries a lot of weight.

Under the tutelage of Faculty Marshal Don Kelly, who has taught Latin at Wilbraham & Monson Academy for 46 years, three students—Michelle Itkin ’22, Luke Lombard ’22 and Arielle Chechile ’24—earned gold medals on the 2022 National Latin Exam. Itkin and Chechile had also earned gold in 2021.

Gold (or “Aurum” in Latin) is the highest score for the annual world examination. In total, 10 WMA students received honors for their performance on the NLE:

G old medal

Luke Lombard ’22 Michelle Itkin ’22 Arielle Chechile ’24

S ilver Steven Holik ’22

maG na cum laude

Zihan “Angela” Tian ’22 David Prickett ’23

cum laude certificate S

Abigail Ames ’24 Denzel Muthua ’22 Ryan Quigley ’25 Madeleine Soukup ’22

• Some of the WMA students who received awards for their performances on the National Spanish Exam.

boy S lacro SS e

Titan program continues to raise standard of success

COVID-19 may have slowed things down a year or two, but it’s time for the Wilbraham & Monson Academy Boys Lacrosse team to hoist a banner in Greenhalgh Gymnasium.

The Titans enjoyed possibly the best season in lacrosse history at the Academy, and with that came many rewards.

After leading WMA to its first league title since 1989 and finishing with a 12 1 record, Coach Mike MacDonald was named Coach of the Year for the Western New England Secondary School Lacrosse Association Division II.

“It’s been a long road,” Coach MacDonald said. “We’ve always been trying to put up that banner. The year COVID-19 hit we had a really good team, and last year we had a strong team but were only playing teams from Massachusetts. But this

was a special group. They put it all together and understood the hard work of the alumni from the past. Because of their dedication, they have established themselves as one of the best teams in school history.”

Postgraduate Will Hardy ’22 earned all 12 votes from the coaches en route to being tagged the league’s All-American. Will, who will play at Division I Jacksonville University, also earned All-American status in his senior year at Tully (New York) High School.

Also, nine WMA players earned all-league status. Making the First Team were Richie Joseph ’22, J.J. Fox ’23, Jake Klepacki ’23, Luke Robinson ’23, Evan Spillane ’23 and Brendan Herbert ’22, while Jack Ansart ’22, Hudson Perham ’22 and Cam Cosenzi ’22 were selected to the Honorable Mention list.

League champions for the first time since 1989.

All-American Will Hardy ’22

S kiin G

Whether it’s the Olympic Games or something else, a podium is a podium, and it’s a great feeling to stand on one.

Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s Ben Morin ’24 earned a spot on the podium at the New England Prep School Athletic Council Ski Championships at Wachusett Mountain in Westminster, Massachusetts in February. He took third in the slalom race.

Ben stood in sixth after his first run of

46.15 seconds, but skied more aggressively (45.08) on his second run to earn himself a medal.

“Ben skied the first run a bit conservatively and was not overwhelmed by his time that had him in sixth place,” Coach and father Greg Morin said. “Watching the competition, he knew he could do better. For his second run he went into attack mode. He skied the second run aggressively and looked very good. His comment after the run was that he had skied really fast.”

G by Gianna Courtney ’22 makes history with Rugby signing ba S ketball Matt Filipowski ’22 reaches 1,000-career point milestone

Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s Matt Filipowski ’22 enjoyed a special moment in November 2021 when he officially committed to attend and play basketball at Harvard University.

Matt enjoyed another special moment three months later when he recorded the 1,000th point of his career during an intense 64 61 win at Cushing Academy.

In true 7-footer fashion, Matt reached the milestone on a basket in the paint and a subsequent free throw after being fouled.

“I was aware I was getting close, but didn’t know at the time that I was close enough for that game,” Matt said. “It wasn’t until after that my mom told me I had gotten it and then later in the locker room after the game did Coach (Mike) Mannix tell me and the team. I wasn’t nervous though. Scoring is something I do consistently for the team so it was only a matter of time.”

Matt averaged 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Titans.

After her first Wilbraham & Monson Academy Girls Rugby practice during her freshman year, Gianna Courtney ’22 went home wet and muddy.

She loved it, and that love for rugby eventually put Gianna on a list of one.

Gianna became the first student at WMA to sign a National Letter of Intent to play collegiate rugby, committing to Sacred Heart University in April during a ceremony at the Athletic Center.

“I never thought I would even sign to play a sport, especially rugby since it was a sport I never expected to play,” Gianna said. “It’s cool, especially since I’m one of the first females at the school to sign.

“I was always physical in basketball. I was always getting called for fouls. It was nice to be physical on the field and not get called for a foul. I fit with the sport.”

Sacred Heart of Fairfield, Connecticut, plays a Division I schedule in the fall and spring seasons.

Ben Morin ’24 finishes third at New England Ski Championships

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The Wilbraham & Monson Academy Girls Lacrosse team closed its season on a great note, beating Miss Hall’s School 16 3 to finish with a winning record. Led by Payton Klepacki ’22, the Titans completed their schedule 6 5.

“It was truly one of the most memorable seasons in so many ways,” former Coach Christa Robinson said. “We learned the importance of team culture by emphasizing the ‘21 Ways to Be a Great Teammate’ (from the book ‘The Hard Hat’). We worked hard at being over .500 this season and celebrated a few big wins against Ethel Walker and Cheshire Academy.”

Payton, who earned a scholarship to play at Division I St. Bonaventure University in Olean, New York, tallied 30 goals and 23 assists in 2022. Also, and most impressively, she concluded her high school career by surpassing the 100-point mark.

Payton was selected to the All-NEPSAC team, while Ally Orquiola ’25 (27 goals, 10 assists) landed a spot on the All-NEPSAC Honorable Mention list.

“Payton had an outstanding 2022 season,” Coach Robinson added. “As a senior captain, she committed herself to being a great teammate on and off the field. I wish her all the best at St. Bonaventure University next year and can’t wait to see her success continue in the classroom and on the field.

“Ally had an excellent season. She was a fearless competitor with incredible speed, endurance and game IQ. She has a bright future ahead and we look forward to seeing her compete as a Titan next season.”

Baseball pair earn spots on NEPSAC All-League team

One Titan is about to start the next chapter of his baseball life, and for another it’s just a matter of time.

Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s Jack Feltovic ’22 and Liam Shea-Gallagher ’24 were named to the New England Prep School Athletic Council All-League team for the Cleary Division following the 2022 season.

Jack was WMA’s go-to player, serving as the top starter on the mound and batting third in the lineup. He will play next season at Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts.

“Jack was the ace of the staff since Day One. Gritty and determined, it was hard to take him out of the game once he was placed on the

mound,” WMA Coach Jamie Gouin said. “He hit over .400 this season and led our team in almost every pitching category. Jack made a powerful impression on our NEPSAC opponents.”

Liam batted leadoff, and shifted defensively from centerfield to catcher to fill a void at that position.

“Liam was everything a coach could ask for in a ball player,” Coach Gouin said. “He played short, centerfield and catcher. Liam recorded multiple outfield assists, threw out runners trying to steal and assisted in numerous double plays. As a leadoff hitter he batted over .340 and led the team in stolen bases and runs scored, all as a sophomore.”

Payton Klepacki ’22, Ally Orquiola ’25 lead Titans

• Payton Klepacki ’22

• Ally Orquiola ’25

ba S eball

• Liam Shea-Gallagher ’24

• Jack Feltovic ’22

Wilbraham & Monson Academy Riflery Coach Bill Passy needed something bigger than a minivan to make it to the league’s postseason awards banquet this year.

That’s good news.

The Titans landed eight shooters on the 2022 Connecticut State Rifle and Revolver Association High School All-State Team.

The reigning and five-time state champions garnered more than half of the

spots (six of 10) on the First Team: Jake Girhiny ’22, Steven Holik ’22, Wooseung “Colin” Oh ’22, Askar Bakirdinov ’24, Matthew Clark ’24 and Leopold Heiss ’24. Two members earned selections to the Second Team: Samuel Jasmin ’22 and Guo “Gawain” Yin ’23.

Recipients were honored at the league banquet, which was held in May in Orange, Connecticut.

Arielle Chechile ’24, Michael Dorunda ’24 shine at New England Track Championships

It’s hard enough to place in one event at the New England Prep School Track Association New England Championships, let alone two. But three…?

Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s Arielle Chechile ’24 finished in the top six in three events at the Division III championship meet, which was held in May at Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts.

Arielle took third in the 200-meter dash (26.93 seconds) and high jump (5 feet), and also earned sixth in the triple jump (31-11 3/4).

“Arielle doesn’t really get nervous; she always has a way of staying positive and pumping herself up before an event,” Coach Danielle Vartabedian said. “The entire day she kept a cool head, focused on the task at hand without getting overwhelmed by all her events, the competition and the inferno of heat, and pulled off amazing performances. I’m in awe of her mental and physical strength.”

Michael Dorunda ’24 earned his way into the WMA record books, breaking the school record in the 3,000 with a sixth-place finish of 9:47. He also cleared 8 feet to earn fourth in the pole vault.

“As soon as we arrived at the meet Michael had to start warming up,” Coach Vartabedian said. “He was relentless in his race, going out pretty fast. Coach (Reese) Laviolette had to shout to him to back off a little and he nodded, but he did not show signs of getting tired or fading in any of his laps. He stayed strong the entire race with a great sprint to the finish, shaving 12 seconds off his PR (personal record).”

Other top six performances included: Abby Dorunda ’24 (400, third, 1:00.82), Maddie Stoltz ’23 (discus, fourth, 74-9), Val Enghave ’23 (discus, fourth, 110-1) and Rouri Takahashi ’23 (200, fifth, 23.16).

Riflery champions garner 8 spots on All-State Team track

• Arielle Chechile ’24

• Michael Dorunda ’24

Winter 2021 2022 Athletic Highlights

boy S prep ba S ketball

Varsity season record: 24 3 Captains: Deven Austin ’22, Kyle Filipowski ’22

Highlights: Single-season program record for wins; reached Elite 8 in National Prep Championship; No. 1 seed and semifinalists in New England Class AA tournament; ranked as high as No. 7 in national rankings; Hoophall Classic victory was televised on ESPNU; senior class included recruits to Duke (Filipowski), Princeton (Austin) and Harvard (Matt Filipowski ’22); Coach Mike Mannix won All-NEPSAC Coach of the Year honors.

S kiin G

Varsity season record: Boys, fourth at NEPSAC Championships.

Captains: Giulia Cecchetti ’22, Giorgi Mumladze ’23

Highlights: Team MVP Ben Morin ’24 rallied to finish third in the slalom at the NEPSAC Championships, the second boy in program history to podium there; Team Coaches Award winner Mumladze (eighth) and Morin (ninth) had top 10s in the giant slalom and were All-NEPSAC choices; Girls did not field a full team.

Varsity season record: 11 12 Captains: N/A

Highlights: NEPSAC Class C Tournament quarterfinalist; won eight of last 11 games to qualify for fifth postseason appearance in seven years; placed fourth at Kingswood Oxford School Invitational Tournament; Caterina Ravosa ’26 was All-NEPSAC Honorable Mention and team MVP; Cara Murphy ’22 won the Coaches Award.

riflery

Varsity season record: 10 0

Captains: Steve Holik ’22, Wooseung Oh ’22

Highlights: The undefeated State Champions had eight shooters named to the 2022 Connecticut State Rifle and Revolver Association High School All-State Team, including first teamers Jake Girhiny ’22, Holik, Oh, Askar Bakirdinov ’24, Matthew Clark ’24 and Leopold Heiss ’24; Oh was the team’s MVP; Holik and Girhiny shared the Coaches Award.

Kyle Filipowski ’22

Cara Murphy ’22

G irl S ba S ketball

boy S S wimmin G

Varsity season record: 4 8 Captains: Luke Lombard ’22, Nagomu Yoshitake ’23

Highlights: Fifth-place finish at the New England Championships was fueled by a number of PR’s—Yuhan “Alex” Zha ’22 (first place, 100 fly; third, 100 breast), Sheldon Tang ’23 (third, 100 fly) and free relay team of Zha, Tang, Yoshitake and Eoin Cavanaugh ’27 (third, 400); Zha (MVP) and Lombard (Coaches) won team honors.

winter track

Varsity season record: N/A

Captains: Girls—Ava Aguiar ’23, Arielle Chechile ’24; Boys—Boxuan Liu ’22, Jinyi Liang ’22

Highlights: Team awards went to: Girls— Chechile (MVP) and Aguiar (Coaches); Boys—Kayden Chhoun ’24 (MVP) and Rouri Takahashi ’23 (Coaches).

wre S tlin G

Varsity season record: 1 7 Captain: Keigo Koyasu ’23

Koyasu was team MVP after qualifying for the New England Championships with a second-place finish at 120 pounds in Class A; John Crocker ’25 won the team’s Coaches Award.

GirlS SwimminG

Varsity season record: 3 9 Captains: Madeleine Hong ’23, Isabelle Wilson ’22

Highlights: Wilson capped her career with personal records at the New England Championships; Newcomer Eliza Leach ’25 had a strong first year; Wilson (MVP) and Rilee Harris ’23 (Coaches) were honored by the team.

• Isabelle Wilson ’22

Spring 2022 Athletic Highlights

ba S eball

Varsity season record: 5 10

Captains: Matthew Clifford ’22, Danny DeNucci ’22, Parker Donohue ’22

Highlights: Jack Feltovic ’22 was team MVP and with Liam Shea-Gallagher ’24 was named to the NEPSAC All-League team; Donohue was the Coaches Award winner.

• Matthew Clifford ’22

G olf

Varsity season record: 1 11

Captains: Connor Quinn ’22, Cooper Schechterle ’22

Highlights: Schechterle, the team MVP, carded a career-low 1-over-par 37 to secure a win over Winchendon; bright future with only two graduating seniors; Quinn won the team’s Coaches Award.

boy S lacro SS e

Varsity season record: 12 1

Captains: Cam Cosenzi ’22, Will Hardy ’22, Hudson Perham ’22, Brendan Herbert ’22, Richard Joseph ’22

Highlights: Hardy, an All-American, and eight other all-league selections led WMA to its first league title since 1989; Coach Mike MacDonald was named Coach of the Year for the Western New England Secondary School Lacrosse Association Division II; J.J. Fox ’23 and Jake Klepacki ’23 shared team MVP honors, and Evan Spillane ’23 won the Coaches Award.

• Cooper Schechterle ’22

• Evan Spillane ’23

G irl S lacro SS e

Varsity season record: 6 5

Captains: Claire Aimone ’22, Julia Besse ’23, Tiana Gao ’22, Payton Klepacki ’22

Highlights: Huge wins over Ethel Walker and Cheshire Academy; Klepacki, an All-NEPSAC choice and team MVP, recorded her 100th career point; Aimone and Gao shared the team’s Coaches Award; Ally Orquiola ’25 was honorable mention All-NEPSAC.

• Ally Orquiola ’25, foreground, and Claire Aimone ’22

• Javier Herrera ’25

boy S track & field

Varsity season record: 9 1

Captains: Michael Dorunda ’24, Rouri Takahashi ’23, Tianze Xiong ’23

Highlights: Dorunda (3,000) and Valdemar Enghave ’23 (discus) set school records; Dorunda was team MVP and Takahashi won the Coaches Award.

G irl S track & field

Varsity season record: 8 2

Captains: Ava Aguiar ’23, Arielle Chechile ’24

Highlights: Won WMA’s Trustees Cup for team success on the field, grade point average, team spirit and community service; Aguiar broke school record in the 3,000 meters; Chechile tied school records in the 200 and high jump, while Maddie Stoltz ’23 matched the discus mark; Chechile and Abigail Dorunda ’24 were team MVPs, and Aguiar was the Coaches Award choice.

• Hannah Jamal ’23

G irl S ru G by

Varsity season record: 1 2

Captain: Jessica Ethier ’23

Highlights: Gianna Courtney ’22 signed a National Letter of Intent to play at Sacred Heart University, the first Division I signing in program history; Gabby Pierce ’24 won the team MVP and Camila Uribe ’24 won the Coaches Award.

• Gabby Pierce ’24, left

boy S tenni S

Varsity season record: 5 5 Captains: Leo Miller ’22, Cole Salvador ’22

Highlights: Won five straight matches, including a three-hour match against Williston (4 3); Salvador (No. 1 singles) and Miller (No. 2) shared team MVP honors, and Tyler Winn ’26 won the Coaches Award.

• Leo Miller ’22, left, and Cole Salvador ’22

boy S ru G by

Varsity season record: 3 2 Captains: Keigo Koyasu ’23, Harrison Reed ’22

Highlights: Reed (U.K.) and Koyasu (Japan) formed solid backfield core with Nick Machado ’22 to break tackles and score tries; Team MVP was Machado, and Coaches Awards went to Koyasu and Reed.

• Nick Machado ’22, second from left, and Harrison Reed ’22, second from right

G irl S tenni S

Varsity season record: 4 5

Captains: Romy Allen-Schubert ’27, Emma Landry ’25, Loretta Szych ’24

Highlights: Team MVP Szych was very strong at No. 1 singles; Allen-Schubert went 7 2 at No. 2 singles and shared the Coaches Award with Landry.

• Loretta Szych ’24

Fine & Performing Arts

Emily Wu ’23 lets her writing do the talking

Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s Zihan “Emily” Wu ’23 said she has a hard time saying goodbye.

In April, however, she said hello—hello to an award from one of the biggest writing competitions in the region.

Emily’s personal narrative entry of “Memory in Song” earned a Silver Key from the Massachusetts Scholastic Art & Writing Award Contest, which draws students in Grades 7 12 from throughout the state.

“I was glad that I could win an award in this contest,” Emily said. “Because I don’t usually talk much, I wish my words and sentences would express my emotions and feelings of everything surrounding me, letting people experience my inner world.”

I wish my words and sentences would express my emotions and feelings of everything surrounding me, letting people experience my inner world.”

” wu ’23

Rilee Harris ’23 lands Scholastic Art Award

Most people don’t like going to the doctor’s office.

Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s Rilee Harris ’23 really doesn’t like to go to the doctor’s office.

Rilee, though, used her iatrophobia (extreme fear of doctors or medical tests) and talents as an artist to earn an Honorable Mention Award at this year’s Scholastic Art & Writing Contest.

Rilee completed the digital illustration as part of her portfolio for AP 2D Design, which she took with Paul Bloomfield.

“We have to build a portfolio based on a theme,” Rilee said. “My theme was things that scare me. Since I was a kid, I’ve been afraid of doctors. I think of them as some type of other being. I made the illustration to make them look how I perceive them to be—looking at them through my eyes.

“I was shocked I won an award. We had to pay to enter, so the money was worth it. I feel more confident as an artist now.”

The award-winning digital illustration of Rilee Harris ’23.

Middle Schoolers No. 1 in state’s National Economic Challenge

BY BILL w ELLS Director of Student Promotion

WWilbraham & Monson Academy is proud of its Center for Entrepreneurship, Economics & Finance program. What many people might not know is the CEEF mindset isn’t just for our Upper School students.

Led by CEEF Department Chair Jim Irzyk, three students—Padraig Dunbar ’26, Narayan Kalia ’26, and Dylan Shonack ’27—placed first in the state in the Middle School Division at the National Economic Challenge in April.

“The team of Dylan, Narayan and Padraig was eager and excited to enter the competition,” Mr. Irzyk said. “They took two practice tests on their own to become familiar with the test questions and potential concepts. Some online resources were also available to help them prepare for the test. We’re thrilled they entered and placed first. These three young men are also active FEB (Finance, Entrepreneurship & Business Society) participants, and WMA is fortunate to have them for many years to come.”

The NEC, a nationwide contest held in each state, tests a student’s understanding of microeconomics, macroeconomics and overall comprehension of the world’s economy.

“Mr. Irzyk started an economy club (in the Middle School) and asked if I would like to join,” Padraig said. “I did, along with two other middle schoolers. Part of this club was the Econ Challenge. I thought it would be a fun learning experience for me. I never expected to win, but with

the help from the other two students we were able to.”

WMA’s competitors took a 30-minute, 35-question exam in the school’s trading center, the Shenkman Center.

“The reason I came to this school is because of the available extracurricular activities offered,” Dylan said. “I was initially offered a spot in the FEB club, and Mr. Irzyk told me it would be a great opportunity for me to learn and get prepared for Upper School classes. It was a great experience and definitely something I am very proud of.”

“I like economics because there is something interesting about how finance and economics makes the world go around,” Narayan said. “I also like the complexity of finance.”

f rom LE ft: Dylan Shonack ’27, Narayan Kalia ’26 and Padraig Dunbar ’26.

• toP LEft

Mike Mannix, right, with Boston Celtics’ Marcus Smart, foreground, during a TBT practice.

• toP riGHt

Coach Mike Mannix during practice.

• BELoW

Screenshot of Mike Mannix on ESPN coverage of TBT action.

WMA Basketball Coach gets taste of the big time

BY BILL w ELLS Director of Student Promotion

WWilbraham & Monson Academy’s Mike Mannix is well known throughout New England for his coaching abilities at the high school level.

Coach Mannix took those abilities to the professional level during the summer when he coached YGC Hoops Academy at The Basketball Tournament, which was held at eight sites throughout the United States in a winner-take-all $1 million event.

“Getting around some basketball people and being able to see the game on ESPN shows TBT fills the void of summer basketball,” Coach Mannix said. “I was honored to be a part of it.”

The 2021 22 NEPSAC Boys Basketball Class AA Coach of the Year led a team of 12 men who play at the professional level.

“This was a different experience. We didn’t talk about study hall in the dorm or what time to be in the dining hall,” Coach Mannix said. “They all took their jobs seriously, and being able to sit down and talk to some of the international players and have them show me some things that they were doing X’s and O’s wise that I can bring back to WMA.”

He’ll also bring back a few tidbits he gained from Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics, who helped put together the team.

“It was great to have him around,” Coach Mannix said. “He showed me a couple things they do defensively with the Celtics and hopefully, again, I can bring that back here.”

After three practices in Boston in July, the team bused to New York City for its regional games, set to be played at arguably the most famous basketball playground in the country—Rucker Park.

“Luckily the weather held up for us, but even that was an interesting element,” Coach Mannix explained. “We had to wait for the court to

dry, played our game, the crowd was lively, and there were two emcees on the court who were commentating on the game as we played. They walked around, sharing their commentary. It was like one of those old-school roasts. They give nicknames—some are complimentary, some are not. After a certain conversation with a referee, one of the emcees asked me if I had ever looked into anger management. It was all in good fun.”

Along with coaching professionals, Coach Mannix had a chance to coach one of his former players from his early days at the Academy.

“Curtis Cobb ’15 was on the team, and it was great to reconnect with Curtis. He’s in his mid-20s and playing professionally now in Portugal.”

YGC won its first game before being eliminated with a loss in its second. Both games were aired on ESPN platforms.

Spring Semester

Campus was alive during our Spring Semester in 2022. Most school activities had returned to pre-pandemic status, including domestic student travel.

1 Chloe Raker ’26 and Payton Klepacki ’22 enjoy quality time during a workshop at the Middle School.

2 Class of 2022 students sport T-shirts of where their post-WMA adventures will take them. 3 Cooling off on the Slip ’n’ Slide during the last week of classes. 4 Abby Dorunda ’24, left, and Drew Habermeier ’23 pose together after enjoying the Color Run tradition. 5 From left: Maddie Ford ’23, Isabelle Rivera ’25 and Sarah Malandrinos ’22. 6 Cooper Schechterle ’22 enjoys a memorable vantage point during a WMA trip to the Grand Canyon area in March. 7 From left: Tiana Gao ’22, former employee and alumni parent Paula Vedovelli and Brendan Herbert ’22 are all smiles before Prom. 8 From left: Tiana Gao ’22, Jeremiah Patterson-Yancey ’22, Brooke Catellier ’22 and Gianna Courtney ’22 proudly display pennants of their college choices in the College Counseling Office wing. 9 Another beautiful sunset over Rich Hall, taken from the steps of Smith Hall. 10 Padraig Dunbar ’26 provides a demonstration of his creation in the iLab. 11 Sam Essien ’23 12 From left: Mark Tobias ’25, Youbin Kim ’22 and Jinyi “Toby” Liang ’22 during a Spring Concert performance in Alumni Memorial Chapel. 13 From left: Cooper Dwyer ’25, Aiwanehi “Nehi” Abulu ’22 and Patrick Evuleocha ’22 enjoy Cruise Night in Lak Dining Hall.

1

Senior Moments

The Class of 2022 celebrated its Commencement Exercises on Corbin Field outside the Athletic Center in May. Here is a look at some of the highlights of our 218th celebration.

1 Class Speaker Chimdinma Muoguilim ’22 at the podium. 2 Jeremiah Patterson-Yancey ’22 is all smiles. 3 Cole Salvador ’22, center, poses for a group photo. 4 Class of 2022 students approach the Senior Bridge and the Rubicon with their Senior Stones. 5 Retiring History Faculty member Gary Cook, center, leads the procession along with Faculty Marshal Don Kelly, left, and Science Faculty member Charlie D’Avanzo. 6 Official program. 7 Class of 2022 members enjoy the wait for their class photo. 8 Class of 2022 photo in front of Rich Hall. 9 From left: Parker Donohue ’22, Korenna Weiss ’22, Gabrielle Zebrowski ’22, Payton Klepacki ’22, Cara Murphy ’22 and Katherine Lloyd ’22 during the Stone laying ceremony at the Rich Hall steps. 10 Rabia “Ceren” Erkek ’22 exits the tent following Commencement.

Prize Winners

The Academy’s storied tradition of Prize Day and Commencement has honored students who have excelled in all parts of campus life. The presentations of awards were made on Prize Day, May 27, and Commencement, May 28.

Special Prizes

Gift of the Class of 1965 Luke Lombard ’22

Stephen D. Luckraft Memorial Award Tiana Gao ’22

Markell and Monson Class of 1898/Owen David Dow Memorial Award

Jeremiah Patterson-Yancey ’22

Dr. George E. Rogers Scholar Athlete Award Kyle Filipowski ’22

John L. Nepomuceno Prize Jiseong Choi ’23

Alumni Award Brady Gouin ’23

Class of 1977 Humanitarian Award Arielle Chechile ’24

Billy Lak Prize Youbin Kim ’22

Pieria Prize Rayna Ferris ’22

Phil Shaw Award (Female) Cara Murphy ’22

Phil Shaw Award (Male) Deven Austin ’22

Trustee Award Julia Besse ’23

Berube Prize Emma Landry ’25

Dr. Joseph P. Cebula Memorial Award Chimdinma Muoguilim ’22

Davison Prize Giorgi Mumladze ’23

Kyle E. Webb Award Patrick Evuleocha ’22

Eveline Barber Departmental Awards

cEN t E r for

E N tr

Finance

Elias Domanig ’23

AP Economics Zihan “Emily” Wu ’23

Entrepreneurship

Nikias Schönerstedt ’22

E NGL is H dEPA rtm EN t

ESL Language & Literature Yougun Yang ’25

Grade 9 English Emma Landry ’25

Grade 10 English Sally Geoghegan ’24 George H. Hefflon Memorial Award David Prickett ’23

AP Senior English 12 Jada Lee ’22

AP Capstone Madaket Stoltz ’23

f i NE & P E rformi NG Arts

dEPA rtm EN t

Visual Art – 2D Design Hannah Jamal ’23

Music Vocals Lilyth Mathison ’24

Music Chamber Ensemble

Jinyi “Toby” Liang ’22

Music Jazz Ensemble Xiang “James” Chang ’22

History & G L o BAL s t U di E s dEPA rtm EN t

World History Benjamin Presz ’25

AP Human Geography Loretta Szych ’24

AP US History David Prickett ’23

AP World History Michelle Itkin ’22

mAt HE m Atics dEPA rtm EN t

Algebra

Breslin Grozio ’25

Geometry

Madison Goodwin ’25

Precalculus Chiara Ciccirillo ’22

AP Statistics Isabelle Wilson ’22

Deven Austin ’22, right, and Phil Shaw Jr. with the Phil Shaw Award.

m A jor pr I z E w INNE r S

The Frank Chapin Cushman Memorial Award and Cora Pease Chandler Award are considered to be the two highest prizes awarded each year at Commencement.

Cole Salvador ’22

f r AN k cHAP i N cU s H m AN mE mori AL A WA rd

Presented each year to that student of Wilbraham & Monson Academy who best lives up to the Academy’s motto of: “Live Clean. Speak True. Work Hard. Play Fair.”

Isabelle Wilson ’22

c or A P EA s E cHAN d LE r A WA rd

Presented each year to that student who has shown the best Wilbraham & Monson Academy spirit during the school year, excelling in character, courtesy, scholarship and athletics.

AP Calculus AB

Arielle Chechile ’24

AP Calculus BC

Cole Salvador ’22

Rensselaer Mathematics and Science Award Brady Gouin ’23

s ci EN c E dEPA rtm EN t Computer Science & Technology

Patrick Evuleocha ’22

STEM 9

Noah Stich ’25

Biology Jiseong Choi ’23

AP Biology

Isabelle Wilson ’22 Chemistry

Arielle Chechile ’24

AP Chemistry Quang “David” Nguyen ’22

Physics Julia Besse ’23

Edward F. Morris Prize David Prickett ’23

AP Environmental Science Luka van Houte ’22

Bausch & Lomb Science Award Yuzuki Yamaoka ’23

Wor L d L ANGUAGE s dEPA rtm EN t

Intermediate Latin Luke Lombard ’22

Advanced Latin David Prickett ’23

Intermediate Spanish Ayana González ’23

Advanced Spanish Giulia Cecchetti ’22

Intermediate French Emma Landry ’25

Advanced French Tiana Gao ’22

Induction of Cum Laude

Don Kelly, President of WMA Chapter of the Cum Laude Society

Elected with the Class of 2022: Xiang Chang Daniel DeNucci Kyle Filipowski Matthew Filipowski Michelle Itkin* Jada Lee Luke Lombard Genna Miccoli Quang Nguyen Cole Salvador* Zihan Tian* Isabella Voarino Isabelle Wilson Weiwen Xu

Class of 2023 Brady Gouin Madaket Stoltz *Elected as Juniors

Most Valuable Member Awards

Atlas

Sally Geoghegan ’24 The Hill Jeremiah Patterson-Yancey ’22

Additional Awards

Howe S. Newell

Senior English Award Miguel Ojeda ’22

Catherine Ingraham Award for Excellence in French Genna Miccoli ’22

Marilyn Erickson Memorial Prize Kaya Troy ’22

Ernest J. Lawton Memorial Award Zihan “Angela” Tian ’22

Closing Ceremony

WMA’s Middle School held its Closing Ceremony on May 26, and with it honored many of its finest and brightest students. Director of the Middle School Stuart Whitcomb was the emcee for the event held on Corbin Field.

1 Marilynn Odei-Boateng ’26, right, with Director of the Middle School Stuart Whitcomb. 2 One of five class speakers Katarina “Kiki” Brook ’26. 3 From left: Sophia Nguyen ’26, Ifeanyichukwu Osakwe ’26 and Julia Choi ’26. 4 From left: Marilynn Odei-Boateng ’26, Ishita Bansal ’26, Kiki Brook ’26 and Dakotah Thomas ’26. 5 Nava Berezin ’26, left, and Fine & Performing Arts Faculty member Steven Lee-Davis. 6 Stuart Whitcomb, Director of the Middle School, with Ifeanyichukwu Osakwe ’26. 7 Former faculty member Jes Rohan, left, and Harlowe Grozio ’26. 8 Chloe Raker ’26, right, and Director of the Middle School Stuart Whitcomb. 9 From left: Sam Zygulski ’26, Gabe Hall ’26 and Tomas Uribe ’26.

Awards 2021 2022

The following students were presented with major awards during our annual Middle School Closing Ceremony on May 26.

1 P AUL B EE c H God A rd Pri ZE Padraig Dunbar ’26, pictured with Director of the Middle School Stuart Whitcomb. 2 d ir E ctor’s A WA rd Katie Hutcheson ’26, with her mother and English Department Chair Meg Lenihan Hutcheson. 3 c LA ss of 2020 P ri ZE Bohong “George” Zhou ’26

4 J A m E s L AG om A rsi N o L EA d E rs H i P A WA rd Dakotah Thomas ’26, right, with Director of the Middle School Stuart Whitcomb.

Alumni Games

More than 100 alumni, guests, family, friends and staff came together on June 11 for a day centered around connection. The morning was filled with alumni games, including basketball, rugby and lacrosse. The day concluded with a BBQ and celebration of Gary Cook’s 43 years as coach and faculty member. As part of the festivities, it was announced that the Gary F. Cook Scholarship Fund had been created in his honor, ensuring his legacy will continue on.

1 Members of the 2019–2020 New England Class AA Boys Basketball Championship team. From left, back row: Matt Filipowski ’22, John Adams ’20, Sean Seymour ’22. Second row: Keyshawn Collier ’20, Deven Austin ’22, Khalil Kamara ’21, Raymond Johnson ’23, Kai Robinson-Allard ’21, Ajahn Rue ’21, Assistant Coach Ryan Minns. First row: Coach Michael Mannix P’23, Oliver Piantini ’21, Quion Sneed Jr. ’20, Phuc “Jenny” Huynh ’22.

2 Carly Venditti ’16, Alexandra “Allie” Collins-Anderson ’16, Sommer Mahoney ’11, Tim Harrington ’73 and Joshua Slater ’13 enjoy some refreshments under the tent.

3 Alumni Reunion Games 2022 lacrosse players. From left, back row: Andrew Mordasky ’13, Charles “Mikey” Callahan ’14, Mitchell Pastore ’14, Aidan Held ’21, Karsten Nyarady ’21, Nicholas McLaughlin ’20, Jacob Smith ’22, Alexander Strange ’17, Nicholas Vanti ’21, Griffin LaRochelle ’21, Patrick O’Connor ’19.

Front row: Michael MacDonald, Brian O’Connor ’89, Shawn Slattery ’83, Michael Dolaher ’90, Marc Meunier ’91, Thomas Garvey ’23, John Klepacki ’23, Luke Robinson ’23, Evan Spillane ’23, Cam Cosenzi ’22, John Kendall ’19, Camden Smith ’19, Kyrin Walsh ’20, Jeff Vartabedian P’21.

4 Dean Rohan ’84 embraces Gary Cook.

5 Christopher Antonacci ’06 and Yong “Y.D.” Kwon ’88, primary supporters of the Gary F. Cook Scholarship Fund, pose with Gary Cook.

6 Andrew Mordasky ’13, left, and Charles “Mikey” Callahan ’14.

7 Alumni Reunion Games 2022 basketball players. Back row: Liam Murphy ’20, Sean Seymour ’22, Matthew Filipowski ’22. Middle row: Coach Michael Mannix, Oliver Piantini ’21, Keyshawn Collier ’20, Deven Austin ’22, Khalil Kamara ’21, John Adams ’20, Kai Robinson-Allard ’21, Brenden Vessichio ’16. Front row: Phuc “Jenny” Huynh ’22.

8 Gary Cook and Yong “Y.D.” Kwon ’88.

9 Alumni Reunion Games 2022 rugby players. From left, top row: Rohan Puri ’23, Jackson Healy ’23, Kyle Yamagishi-Rodstein ’20, William Crocker ’20, John Kendall ’19, Ben Wisniewski ’18, Marvin Morris ’21, Coach Tim Harrington ’73. Bottom row: Patrick Healy ’24, Clara Harrington ’18, Gianna Courtney ’21, Katherine Healy ’25, Gavin Berube ’22.

10 From left: Friends Marissa Fabbo ’17, Courtney Fallon ’17 and Robin Dillon ’15.

11 From left: Marc Meunier ’91, Mike Dolaher ’90, Brian O’Connor ’89, Alan Orquiola ’89.

12 Zachary Mann ’17, left, and RC Goodman ’15 pose for a photo.

13 Right to left: Gary Cook, his wife, Deborah, son Colin Cook ’04, and Colin’s fiance, Brianna Panarese.

With a robust enrollment of more than 400 students, campus life returned to pre-pandemic conditions when we enjoyed our first traditional Opening of School Week since 2019. Approximately 45 percent of our student body was new to campus when school started in late August.

In addition, we welcomed back two alumnae—Danielle Bellefeuille ’16 (bottom row, second from right) and Emily Dromgold ’17 (bottom right)—as new faculty hires.

Ms. Bellefeuille teaches Middle School Math and supports our Learning Center, and Ms. Dromgold teaches English as a Second Language and Writing in the Upper School.

1 Proud of our current students representing 34 countries. 2 Faculty Marshal Don Kelly walking into Alumni Memorial Chapel. 3 Jon Medley ’23 leaving Convocation. 4 The ceremonial walk through the LaBrecque Academic Gate during Matriculation exercises. 5 New Upper School students on the steps of Rich Hall. 6 Head of School Brian P. Easler congratulates a new student during the Matriculation Book signing process. 7 Current Alumni faculty and staff members, from left: Don Nicholson ’79, Maureen Kelly Chesky ’02, Stacy DaCruz Sosa ’06, Drew Shea ’08, Sommer Mahoney ’11, Danielle Bellefeuille ’16 and Emily Dromgold ’17. 8 A close-up of many of the students new to the Middle School this year.

Campus Improvements

A number of improvements made during the summer months have added value to our on-campus experience. Upgrades included:

Rich Hall

Carpeting throughout the high traffic areas was replaced.

1 Dormitories

Common spaces in all three dorms, including a new kitchen and eating area in Smith Hall, were upgraded with new furniture, carpet and paint.

2 Gill Memorial Hall

The old library now houses meeting space that includes two significantly larger conference tables and seating.

3 Lak Dining Hall

Serving station décor was upgraded, and students now have three hot entrée serving areas, an action station, salad and deli bars, a panini station and a pizza station.

4 Athletic Center

The Jane McNamara Kelly Fitness Center, our flagship workout space, was overhauled with WMA branding, a new floor and an upgrade of all exercise equipment.

A Cardio Room upstairs in the old squash court space now has rowing machines, stationary bikes, an elliptical machine and treadmill among an assortment of other exercise options.

Smith Hall

The revived basement area houses multiple exercise/weight machines and numerous other workout equipment options.

fitneSS facilitieS

Set in Stone: Alumni celebrate 75 years of Senior Stones

B Y SEAN VALENTINE Director of Stewardship & Donor Relations

AN d mo LLY m c g ILL (former) Director of Alumni Relations

Wilbraham & Monson Academy is a place of many traditions.

Obvious perhaps, as an institution with nearly 220 years of history is going to have more than a few, and most of these will go unnoticed to anyone not connected to the school community. But take a stroll through campus and one very unique tradition will be immediately apparent: the Senior Wall.

Few other schools do anything quite like our tradition of Senior Stones. And 75 years after the first stones were laid, they have become a defining feature of campus and, in the words of former Headmaster Mike Casey, “a recreation of the sociopolitical history of the United States.”

The Wilbraham Academy Class of 1947, at the suggestion of Headmaster Charles Stevens, voted to introduce the tradition of a Senior Wall to campus so “future alumni will have a very tangible reminder of their school days every time they return to Wilbraham.”

The concept was not entirely new here. The foundation of Fisk Hall bears engraved stones dating back to the 19th century, but that tradition featured a single stone (professionally

carved) representing an entire class and had been unevenly enacted throughout the years.

The new Senior Wall was made from stones representing each graduating senior and carved by the student. The wall started across the street from Mr. Stevens’ house (now Admission/Morrow House at the corner of Main and Faculty streets) and proceeds up the hill toward Old Academy, flanking an existing walkway.

The wall was made of brick, with the student stones providing a decorative cap. And so, a few weeks before graduation, sandstone blocks, hammers and chisels, and basic carving instructions were provided. A space beside the old wooden track adjacent to the Old Gym (now Smith Hall) was turned into a quarry of sorts, and the seniors set to work.

“It was kind of fun, and luckily the stone was soft,” Eric Pucher ’47W remembered. “I don’t recall soaking

the stones in the Rubicon, but I suppose some guys might have tried it.”

An article from that time states that “just as long as everyone’s name is present in his respective stone, then the class will be satisfied.”

Some students, though, experienced a healthy dose of anxiety over their charge.

“When it comes to doing things with your hands, I’m a zero,” Ed Sack ’47W said. “I had many sleepless nights thinking about how to do it.”

Despite the stone’s resistance and the rudimentary methods, most of the 77 members of the first class were able to carve their initials, a simple word or icon into their stone.

Keith Martin ’47W, President of the Senior Class and proponent of the project, received the honor of having his stone be first atop the new wall. However, the Class of 1947 neither placed their stones on the wall nor carried them as part of Commencement, which are staples of today’s ceremony.

“We created our stones and left them there,” Mr. Sack said. “And I don’t remember what happened next.”

Mr. Pucher agreed, recalling that the stones played no part in the graduation festivities and were left on campus to be installed later. Perhaps there simply wasn’t time to have the supporting brick wall built prior to graduation. Whatever the reason, many in the Class of ’47 did not see their stone in place until years or decades later.

Their tradition stuck though, with each successive class adding to

“All you could hear during spring term was the hammer-to-chisel of each senior to their stones.

Your efforts at school culminated in a memento to a time well-spent with friends and teachers.”

Sakapan “Sak” Eamegdool ’72

“I visit the Academy about every 10 years, and the first thing that I do when I am on the campus is to go and check on my stone. That moment always takes me back to my years there.”

Dean Redfern ’72

“It’s a stone that I’ll be able to see for years to come, and it will still mean what it meant to me back in 2010.”

Steve Marcus ’10

Future alumni will have a very tangible reminder of their school days every time they return to Wilbraham.”

“I love returning with my classmates and finding our stones, sitting on our wall and laughing about our time at WMA. It also is a way to remember our friends and family who have passed.”

Jerilyn (Jacobs) Paolino ’83

the Senior Wall as it snaked its way ever farther into and around campus. For roughly a decade not much changed with the process. Stones were cut by hand. Designs stayed simple. But as the years passed and the Academy changed, so did the Senior Wall. The late 1950s saw some students begin to make use of professional stone carvers.

“I don’t know how we found the guy,” recalled Doug Mulcahy ’58W, who was one early adopter. “Someone with local knowledge must have put us in touch.”

Professional carvers allowed for more precise cuts and thus more intricate designs. It also meant deeper engravings to better withstand the effects of wind, rain and snow.

messages flowing through two or more stones in sequence.

• Late 19th century classes of then-named Wesleyan Academy are represented on the foundation of Fisk Hall.

“Saem Chun ’97 drew the frog on my stone and I drew the sun, my name and the dates. It is such a beautiful tradition!”

Natalie (Holuk) Metzger ’96

Roger Thurston (Faculty, 1951 1956) recalls that during his time the stones were placed along the wall as part of Senior Day and not graduation. But by the early 1960s, carrying one’s stone to its final location along the Senior Wall had become part of the Commencement program.

Richard Taylor ’62W recalled, “We lined up, in alphabetic order or by height I think, before placing the stones into position.”

Beginning with the Class of 2020, the stones have been placed on a recently constructed wall along Faculty Street at Corbin Fields and heading west from the Athletic Center.

According to Director of Facilities Chris Reed, “The plan is to continue extending the wall down Faculty Street (away from campus), which will provide placement space for many years of senior class stones.”

walking their stones all the way down Faculty Street, the seniors now place them (temporarily) in order along the low portico wall at the front of Rich Hall following the Commencement processional.

it’S never too late Stones can be placed into the wall for those alumni who did not elect to create one during their graduation year. Please contact the Office of Advancement for more information.

Following the merger of Wilbraham and Monson academies in the early 1970s, the ringing of the Monson Bell was added to the Commencement program in addition to the stones. The processional route also went through different variations as the campus changed, notably with the addition of the Senior Bridge (a gift of the Wilbraham Class of 1964) and the LaBrecque Academic Gate (a gift of the Monson Class of 1961).

At some point, students were allowed to decide the order of placement of their stones, giving them the chance to pick which classmate to “spend eternity” next to. This, coupled with the almost universal use of professional carving, created a rise in jointly designed stones, with creative patterns and

Stones are heavy (as much as 20 pounds), as any graduate can attest, and the distance from Broad Walk to the new section of the Senior Wall has bred its own update into the tradition. Rather than

There are approximately 6,000 stones in place as of 2022. Each one is unique. Follow the wall and one will see carvings of flowers, flags, vehicles, religious and cultural symbols, sports equipment, food, animals of all kinds and many languages represented.

The wall has seen celebrations, memorials, protests and proposals. It is a place to cram before a test, engage in discussion or simply rest with one’s thoughts. More often than not, it is the first place alumni go when returning to campus, wanting to see the symbol of their successful WMA experience.

What does the future hold for this tradition?

Perhaps it’s using equipment in the iLab to carve stones in house, introducing different materials or the inclusion of elements that interact with mobile devices. Whatever the next 75 years have in store, one thing is certain: the Senior Wall will continue to reflect the personality of the students, the nature of the times and the continuity of shared alumni experience.

Class of 2097, your wall awaits!

The plan is to continue extending the wall down Faculty Street (away from campus), which will provide placement space for many years of senior class stones.”

Stones Remain Special

Upon reflection, I feel that my Senior Stone had more significance and meant more to me when I returned to WMA to become a faculty member.

I was certainly intrigued by the whole process of “creating” my stone back in the spring of 1979. Due to my great interest in history, I was also drawn to the historical legacy of the stone tradition. I was also becoming more aware of the Academy’s history at the time and so that drew my interest.

During that era, many students still carved their own design in their stone using a hammer and a chisel. To soften up the stone, they would put the stone in the Rubicon so that it would soak up the water and

become softer/easier to carve. I can remember walking to class and seeing stones in the Rubicon just below the water’s surface. You would also hear the tapping of the hammer and chisel in the afternoon or at night as students worked on their designs. I chose to have mine done professionally. I am not sure exactly why I made that choice, but probably because I knew how much time it took to do it on your own.

I also remember my mother questioning why I felt the need to put “NICK” on the stone below my “DON NICHOLSON.” She did not always like me using my nickname rather than my formal name, although all of my friends and some of my coaches called me “Nick.”

history

Headmaster Mike Casey always called me Donald, even when I was a faculty member. My mother loved that.

will always have a place for you’

“My stone is literally a quote from the “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” which was my friend groups’ favorite movie in high school ... I also have a deep, abiding regret that I didn’t put my last name on the stone.

I do remember the stone ceremony as special. We crossed the Rubicon and put our stones on the wall all together. My class has their section on the wall near the southeast corner of Winchester Field on Main Street. I do remember one of my classmates dropping his on the brick walkway and it broke apart. Over 20 years later, when I was the Development/Alumni Director, I spoke to him about it and urged him to have it replaced.

I will still occasionally cross over the Rubicon to look at my stone. It has moss on it at times, although I am not sure what that means. My special “stone memories” go beyond my own stone. Each morning, as I walk to my office in the Athletic Center, I still look at the stones lining faculty street. They continue to bring back special memories as I recall students from past years, including the senior stones of my own children, Kyle ’03 and Nicole ’03. Special memories cemented in our minds and in our school’s history.” d o N N I cho LS o N

’79 Director of Athletics & Afternoon Programs

There’s something very special about designing the stone for yourself but laying it next to your friends, along a wall of past alums, a wall where future generations will sit and talk and laugh. No matter where in the world you build your life, WMA will always have a place for you—that’s what the stones guarantee. I tell my students all the time: once you lay your stone, WMA is your forever home.”

Sommer Mahoney ’11, Faculty (History & Social Sciences)

Special memories cemented in our minds and in our school’s

‘WMA

• LEft

Sommer Mahoney ’11, left, with Don Nicholson ’79.

Senior Stone Facts

Approximate number of Senior Stones laid out on the Senior Wall across campus

× 8 × 3

IN ch ES

Dimensions of a single Senior Stone

Total length in feet of all stones, if laid end-to-end

More than a mile and equivalent to twice the height of the tallest building on earth

Stones for the Classes of 1947 through 1950 were laid facing in opposite directions on the wall. Not until 1951 did all stones start facing the same direction (which continues today).

Multiple examples exist of stones laid backwards from the rest of the class, for reasons unknown.

No class is in strict alphabetical order, though it remains unclear whether this indicates an earlier period of student choice or random placement by the masons.

The longest stretch of stones in sequential order is 1947–1965.

The decades of 1950–59, 1980–89, and 1990–99 are the only ones not split over multiple locations.

Approximate weight in pounds of each stone

Total weight of all the stones is approximately 130,000 pounds or 65 tons.

The wall under the Classes of 1995–2001 features “turtle tunnels,” arched openings at regular intervals to allow turtles to travel between the pond adjacent to the Athletic Center parking lot and a stream on the opposite side of Faculty Street.

Class of 1947 President Keith Martin laid the first stone on the wall that starts at Main Street near the corner of Winchester Field and runs up toward Old Academy.

The “last” stones (as of Oct. 1, 2022) in the order of year and placement belong to Oluwakfikayo “Fikayo” Olasunkanmi ’21 and Sofia Hurtado ’21. The current wall is located on Faculty Street, just past the Athletic Center alongside Corbin Field.

THE ART DIRECTOR’S FAVORITES OVER THE YEARS

The Senior Stones tradition is by far my favorite tradition here at WMA. It is a priceless and beautiful expression left by our graduating class to take its place among the permanent threads woven into the fabric of our community and campus. The stones are fingerprints (sometimes literally) of the student experience. Reviewing all 6,000-plus stones to choose only 75 (one representing each year) is a daunting task. Obviously, the process is highly selective, but here is the criteria I used to select my favorites: originality, personality and visual impact.

Senior Stones Scrapbook

Dr. Marc Christensen ’89

BY BILL w ELLS Director of Student Promotion

DDr. Marc Christensen ’89 planned to enter the field of education a few years before he stepped into retirement.

Retirement didn’t come early, but a job change sure did.

After working on the cutting edge of technology in the field of photonics, followed by a sooner-than-expected shift into academia, Marc was named the 17th President of Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York, effective July 1, 2022.

“Clarkson has a great story and it just needs to be told—told to more people, told to more businesses, told in new areas,” Dr. Christensen said. “I look forward to telling Clarkson’s stories.”

Dr. Christensen’s academic story began largely at Wilbraham & Monson Academy, where he made the 30-minute drive from Ware, Massachusetts, as a day student for four years of high school.

“I was a late bloomer, still finding myself, even as I left WMA,” said Dr. Christensen, who participated in Water Polo, Basketball and Tennis, as well as the school newspaper (Atlas). “My parents got divorced my first year there so a lot was going on in my personal life.

“All of the faculty at WMA were genuinely interested in student success. Coach (Steve) Gray ’70 and Mr. (Allen) Hsiao had a special role in shaping my future career interests, and I think Mr. (Gary) Cook and Mr. (Don) Nicholson ’79 secretly loved tormenting me as history was always my weakest subject.”

Acceptance into Cornell University proved Dr. Christensen didn’t have too many weak

subjects. There, as a requirement, he had to take an introductory seminar course outside of his main field of study, which was electrical engineering.

“I took a class in lasers,” Dr. Christensen said. “As part of the course assignments, we got to build several lasers and I learned all about how they work. With a newfound interest, I ended up switching to engineering physics to pursue laser technologies. When I began interviewing for co-op internships, I got asked what I wanted to do and I quickly replied something with lasers and related innovation. I ended up working in a company’s photonics group.”

Work at BDM’s Sensors and Photonics Group was the best kind of work—fun. In the field of electronics and photonics, one of his first assignments was processing information for defense applications using lasers, lenses, crystals and charge-coupled device cameras.

“I thought it was the coolest thing ever,” Dr. Christensen said. “It put to use all of the math I’d learned at Cornell and built something real that someone—the U.S. government—needed. In the lab it was kind of like playing with tinker toys to build these amazing systems. I was hooked.”

At the suggestion of a colleague and mentor, Dr. Christensen started to attend graduate school. At the same time, he was involved in developing technology related to internet routing. BDM wasn’t into commercializing, but a vice president at the company helped him and his mentor pursue a patent and launch a start-up business. An opportunity for Dr. Christensen to run the company arose, and he took it.

“Shortly thereafter, I was running the company and we had several defense contracts and interest from commercial companies,”

‘WMA showed me … faculty could really connect with students’

Today, as president of Clarkson University

AL um NI IN A c TI o N

I got to engage with the energy of a new set of students every fall and watch them grow and learn and go off and do these amazing things when they graduate.”

Dr. Christensen described. “The technology was always five to 10 years out, but the companies wanted it next quarter.

“Then the internet bubble burst and most of those companies went out of business or pulled back. I was just finishing my Ph.D. I had always thought I’d retire into teaching—stay in business until near retirement then finally go and share what I learned. I always wanted to be a teacher, but naively thought I could jump into it late. Suddenly, the idea of becoming a professor sooner made sense.”

Coincidentally, Dr. Christensen’s first professor in graduate school had become an Associate Dean in the Engineering School at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. They connected.

“He had me on a plane that week for an interview,” Dr. Christensen said. “I joined that fall (of 2002) and never looked back. It was an incredible experience. I got to engage with the energy of a new set of students every fall and watch them grow and learn and go off and do these amazing things when they graduate.

“I got involved in the engineering school’s

first strategic plan as an assistant professor early in my career. When I was about to make tenure, I got asked to become the Chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering and five years later, when the Dean left, I was asked to step into that role. That was an incredible job. I got to set vision and direction for the school and resource it by telling these amazing stories of what our faculty, staff and students were accomplishing. I learned how to differentiate an organization and build a team to go attack a goal.”

As of the Summer of 2022, Dr. Christensen and his vision have a new goal—to spread Clarkson’s story.

“Clarkson’s challenges stem from the fact that they’ve been so successful in the Northeast and haven’t really gotten their message out nationally,” Dr. Christensen said. “My hometown of Ware has something like a dozen Clarkson students right now. The entire state of Texas, from where I moved, had only four in the previous entering class.

“Clarkson is positioned to provide a transformative education by giving students all the skills—technical, business and ‘soft’ leadership

skills—in a way industry is craving. Doing this, Clarkson is going to have a huge impact—an impact on the businesses our students work in, and impact in the communities in which they live, and an impact on the environment.”

Dr. Christensen feels fully prepared to take on all of the challenges of being a president at a smaller college in a rural section of the Northeast partly due to his experience at WMA.

“WMA showed me how to power a school operating at a small scale in which faculty could really connect with students,” he said. “That enables transformational experiences which change the trajectory of a student’s life. I have sought out small private educational institutions because of the impact WMA had on me and all those around me.”

• toP LEft

Yearbook, 1989

• B ottom LEft

Senior Stone, 1989

• BELoW

Marc Christensen, seated second from right, during his time on Atlas at WMA.

Spring 2022: Alumni Events

At long last … the return of Alumni events. Our Office of Advancement enjoyed four opportunities in April to reconnect, face to face, with some of our incredible alumni.

1 2

Boston: April 7

Demetri Tsolakis ’01 hosted a great group of alumni and friends at his restaurant Committee in Boston’s Seaport District as we wrapped up a successful Giving Day.

3 Head of School Brian P. Easler, second from left, poses with the three Atlas Fund Co-Chairs. From left: Liz Wagoner ’01, Mike Dolaher ’90 and Steff Robbins ’10.

4 From left, back row: Cole Hansen ’17, Jack Perenick ’21, Seth Wilson P’19 ’22 and Josh Binney ’07; front row: Symin Charpentier ’07 and Sarah Palmer.

3 4

New York: April 6

Alumni gathered at the Yale Club in New York City to kick off Giving Day and the spring events season!

1 From left: Santiago Olalquiaga ’14, Amber Williams ’13, Arnelle Williams ’13, Junhao “Mark” Xu ’16, Young Seok “Justin” Jang ’15 and Justin Woo ’03.

2 Director of Advancement Mark Aimone, left, and Head of School Brian P. Easler, second from right, caught up with Jade Chlapowski ’18 and Justin Woo ’03, far right.

Washington, D.C.: April 13

After a three-year break, alumni met at Old Ebbitt Grill to reconnect and hear updates from Head of School Brian P. Easler.

5 From left: Alex Ely ’05, Peter Jurgens ’06 and Tony Fleury ’86

6 From left: John Richards ’09, Kayla (Caine) Richards ’09, Head of School Brian P. Easler and Jeff Nowak ’06

6

GreatHorse: April 28

Parents, alumni and friends enjoyed networking and beautiful views at the Starting Gate at GreatHorse in Hampden, Massachusetts.

7 From left: Brendan Butcher ’13, Mikey Callahan ’14, Steve Ragnauth ’12 and Josh Slater ’13.

8 From left: Pat Pio III ’06, Carolyn Balicki ’05, Ali Balicki ’07, Greg Balicki ’07, Brianna Panarese and Colin Cook ’04.

7 8

TITAN f A cu LTY

Outside the Classroom

Fabienne Dubois Chair, World Languages

After her daughter’s wedding in Paris, France, Ms. Dubois spent time with her family, including sons Nick ’18 and Jeremy ’21, in Bonifacio, Corsica.

Jim Irzyk

Chair, Center for Entrepreneurship, Economics & Finance

Mr. Irzyk and his daughter

Jordana ’17 took a selfie at Holy Cross after Jordana arrived back in the U.S. from completing her masters in Migration Studies at Oxford University.

Mark Aimone

Director of Advancement

In July, Mr. Aimone and his colleagues completely redesigned and rebranded The CASE School Advancement Institute, which offers mentoring and content throughout the school year for school advancement professionals.

Kristen Casey Faculty, English

Ms. Casey spent most of her summer in Vermont at Middlebury College’s Breadloaf campus working on her second master’s degree.

Mark Fischer Chair, Mathematics

Mr. Fischer and his daughters drove to Wyoming to visit a dinosaur dig site and Ayers Rock in California to view prehistoric drawings.

Steven Lee-Davis Faculty, Fine & Performing Arts

Mr. Lee-Davis took a weeklong solo motorcycle camping trip through Massachusetts, New York, Vermont and New Hampshire.

WMA faculty and staff members have many more talents and interests than those shared inside the classroom or office space. Here is a sampling of what some enjoyed during the summer of 2022:

John Lombard Faculty, Mathematics

Mr. Lombard spent time with his family at Cape Cod during the summer before Luke ’22 left for college.

Marvina Lowry-Brook Faculty, Fine & Performing Arts

Ms. Lowry-Brook participated in her first craft fair, sharing a table with her daughter Lili ’16 at the Peach Blossom Festival. Ms. Lowry-Brook sold handmade bags, while Lili had her handmade jewelry for sale.

Bill Rosenbeck

Faculty, English

Mr. Rosenbeck spent part of his summer teaching meditation at the Hampshire County Jail & House of Corrections.

David Weeks

Supervisor, Athletic Equipment & Facilities

Mr. Weeks purchased a drone and snapped a number of quality eye-in-the-sky photos of campus.

Bill Passy

Director of Security

During their two-week trip to Hawaii, Mr. and Mrs. Passy visited Kilauea, which is an active volcano.

Luke Pelletier Faculty, Science Director of the iLab

Mr. Pelletier spent a considerable amount of time this summer with Padraig Dunbar ’26, sorting thousands of LEGO pieces into 240 different storage bins for better organization in the iLab.

Drew Shea ’08

Faculty, World Languages

Mr. Shea summited Machu Picchu for the fourth time during an adventure trip to Peru in June.

Erika Whipple

Assistant Director of Athletics/ Head Athletic Trainer

Ms. Whipple loved her summer, working six weeks at Beech Tree Day Camp with a number of current and former WMA students and faculty.

Bill Wells

Director of Student Promotion

With help from a number of WMA students and faculty, Mr. Wells completed a 24-hour run for Mental Health Awareness in April.

f A cu LTY S po TLI gh T

Erik Kindblom

BY B r IAN p. EASLE r Head of School

Erik Kindblom started working at Wilbraham & Monson Academy in 1997 as a mathematics teacher and dorm parent living in Wallace Blake with his lovely wife, Anne. He also served our students as a Boys Varsity Basketball assistant coach and Junior Varsity Baseball head coach. During Mr. Kindblom’s first few years, he distinguished himself by how quickly he learned the inner workings of life at WMA as a triple-threat faculty member: teacher, coach and dorm parent. Letters of praise and encouragement from former Head of School Dick Malley attest to this.

I arrived at WMA the year after Erik, so I also

witnessed the quality of his character first hand. Because we are similar in age and interests, and despite the fact that our roles didn’t really overlap, we quickly connected at faculty meetings and over meals in the dining hall. I was immediately impressed with Mr. Kindblom’s gregarious sense of fun and camaraderie and his passion for work—not just his work here at WMA, but work in general. Mr. Kindblom’s work ethic is truly impressive, and it is the foundation of his 25-year impact at Wilbraham & Monson Academy.

In 2001, he started his new role as the Dean of Studies. Through a lucky turn of events, I had become the Dean of Students the year before. Now that we were working together at opposite ends of the Deans Office, I had the privilege to witness for myself, for many years, the extreme dedication and commitment of Mr. Kindblom to the students and staff of the Academy.

It was during those years together that I learned he is one of those rare boarding school people who will literally do anything, on any day and at any hour, for his students, his colleagues and his community.

I learned much from Mr. Kindblom during those years and in the course of our Deans Office duties, naturally connected by our work, but also during on-campus adventures and crises. The year 2011 was a particularly noteworthy time, with the tornado and the historic October snowstorm. Crises like that can test people with both diligent action and days of sleepless stamina, and there is nobody better to be at one’s side than Mr. Kindblom. He has a sense of duty and loyalty that I have seldom seen outside of the military.

It was predominantly for those reasons that I asked Mr. Kindblom to accompany me on a student trip to the Amazon Rainforest in Northern Brazil. It was a risky trip with great uncertainty, unprecedented at any school we know of, and I needed a co-leader I could trust implicitly at my side. It was a hugely successful trip, but certainly not for the faint of heart. Not only did three students from that first trip return on a second trip a few years later, but so did Mr. Kindblom and then two more times after that.

From 14-hour bus rides and remote vehicle breakdowns to swimming with piranha to bushwhacking through the jungle with Kamayura tribal scouts to the Sacred Lakes, Mr. Kindblom’s steadfast leadership and dependability really made all of those trips the success they were.

My wife and I became fast friends with Mr. and Mrs. Kindblom (she also teaches at the Academy), and we watched their children Emma ’17 and Charlotte ’21 (non-grad) grow up on campus. I have such fond memories of those years, watching the Kindblom family walking from their campus home beside Rich Hall to the back yard of Lak House, where my wife and I lived, for a bonfire and s’mores. Or being invited with other faculty families to the annual traditional holiday smorgasbord at the Kindblom house, complete with homemade glögg.

One of Mr. Kindblom’s most exciting achievements at WMA was his leadership for many years as Head Coach of the Varsity Softball Team, culminating in a WNEPSSA Class B Championship in 2016. This is no easy feat for any team, even under normal circumstances. But for softball, where recruiting odds are stacked against us in favor of travel-team participation, it’s even

‘Tireless in his desire and efforts to support Academy students’

more difficult. Watching the team grow during those years, driven by his relentless effort, and then seeing the girls in 2016 bring home the trophy to WMA was a truly memorable experience.

In 2019, and in concert with some other staff changes, Erik transitioned from the Dean of Studies to the Dean of Academics. This meant that his focus, which had been almost entirely student-facing as the Dean of Studies, now became more acutely directed at the academic program as a whole. It was in this role that Mr. Kindblom shepherded the Academy, as part of a small team of administrators, through the critical COVID-19 transition to an online program for the spring of 2020 and then a hybrid

program, in-person and online, for the two subsequent years. Without his leadership in this crisis, we would not have been able to transition as successfully as we did. The entire school owes Mr. Kindblom a debt of gratitude for his significant influence, which served as a culminating outcome of his tireless work ethic and love for WMA.

During the Spring of 2022, Mr. Kindblom decided to step away from his role as a Dean. Similar to other former administrators and current faculty like Don Kelly and Charlie D’Avanzo, Mr. Kindblom was ready for a change and wished to commit himself entirely to being in the classroom with his students.

“Erik is tireless in his desire and efforts to

support Academy students,” Dean of Faculty Wally Swanson said. “He understands the full range of students we have here and strikes the perfect balance between challenge and support.

“Students know that he is in their corner, doing everything from walking up to their room in Rich Hall 4 to make sure they make it to class on time, to giving extra help in AP Economics. He is a valued educator and our students have benefited tremendously from his support.”

Those students who enroll in Mr. Kindblom’s classes will be truly fortunate, and so are we, that he is still fully invested at WMA in positively impacting the lives of our students—hopefully for many more years to come.

John Baker

‘WMA is a special place ... I can help continue the great progress the school’s experienced over the last decade’

What do you like to do when you are not working? “I’ve been blessed with terrific family and friends, so I try to keep up with everything they’re doing and get on their calendars. Family time is critical. We try to plan for it. My dad’s passing in February has only underscored the importance of that for me. I also enjoy travel, golf, fishing and a nice glass of wine, not in that order. And I’m much better at some of those than others.”

Involvement outside of work: “I’m currently on the board of the Humane Society for Hamilton County, one of the few truly no-kill shelters in the country. We just raised money, built and opened a new, state-of-the-art animal care and adoption facility in Fishers, Indiana. It’s been great to be a part of that.”

If you could visit one city in the world, where would you go?

“I’ve been fortunate to travel a bit, enjoying (almost) all our trips, for business or pleasure. No matter where we go, I’m always more appreciative of living in the U.S. and being an American upon my return. That said, next on my travel target list is probably Beaune, France. We’ve really enjoyed our visits to smaller European towns and villages over the years. I know the food and wine from the region is amazing. We just need to find a slot on the calendar, but probably not until after the European travel surge bubble works its way through. Hopefully the cheap Euro opportunity continues.”

What’s the most interesting thing about you most people don’t know? “Brad Stevens (President of

Basketball Operations for the NBA’s Boston Celtics) and I were in the same Indianapolis Business Journal 40 Under 40 class. I think he’s pulled away from me since then.”

What extracurricular activities did you do in school? “I was probably overscheduled in school, but there were so many great activities and clubs; coming from a small elementary school, I couldn’t resist. I had minimal roles in a couple plays, was an officer in Student Council and Spanish Club, rose to Lt. Governor in Key Club and was a Fine Arts teacher’s aide. I served as National Honor Society Vice President, lifeguarded, finished off my Eagle Scout Award (with three palms), graduated Salutatorian and spoke at graduation. In sports, I loved basketball, but dropped it after freshman year as my 5-foot-11 became ‘short,’ and I wasn’t particularly quick. I focused on distance running and was able to letter in cross country and track all four years, becoming team captain and setting a couple school records in the process. Later I started doing triathlons, but that was a long time ago.”

Accomplishments during adulthood: “I’m not much for formal awards and hardware. There’s some on my shelves collecting dust. I suppose the recognition is welcome, but the accomplishments that I’m the proudest of are in my head and heart, like a great marriage of 28 years and kids that will gladly come home or meet us for holidays and vacation. Delivering my dad’s funeral remembrance was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done. Career-wise, I’m pleased to have played a key role in the expansion of our core business into Michigan, where it’s become a $1.4 billion wholesaler from nothing 25 years ago. Later, I was selected as the first non-ownership family member to Chair the Wine & Spirits

Wholesalers of America (WSWA) national trade association in an $80 billion industry, where we passed important legislation and evolved the organization. Today, I’m fortunate to oversee the LaCrosse Family Office and operate as the Special Asset Trustee.”

Why are you interested in joining the Board of Trustees? “(Board Vice Chair) Jim LaCrosse ’50W dragged me to Wilbraham from Indiana while on a business trip over a decade ago. I saw WMA is a special place and means a lot to many people. I can help continue the great progress the school’s experienced over the last decade.”

As a Board of Trustee member, what is your goal? “We need to make this next phase of the capital campaign happen. The facilities arms-race is on, and WMA must be competitive.”

current hometown Carmel, Indiana family

Wife, DeAnn (Master of Social Work), daughter Emma (first grade teacher) and son Jake (senior at Purdue University)

place of employment NWS Holdings, LLC & National Wine & Spirits, Inc.

job title

Chief Operating Officer

colle G e education and de G ree S B.S. in Economics & International Business from Miami (Ohio) University; MBA from The Owen School at Vanderbilt University.

hi G h S chool

Cambridge High School, Cambridge, Ohio

NE w m E m BE r prof ILE

Steff Robbins ’10

What do you like to do when you are not working? “I love to ski and play paddle tennis in the winter and enjoy hiking in non-snowy months. Additionally, I appreciate working my way through various cookbooks and am trying to master my French pastry technique.”

If you could visit one city in the world, where would you go? Portillo, Chile. “The skiing is supposed to be amazing.”

What’s the most interesting thing about you most people don’t know?

“The job that prepared me most for my current role/career was my summer job as a camp counselor at The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in Ashford, Connecticut. The camp was founded by Paul Newman, as a place where children with severe illnesses could have a ‘normal’ camp experience. The mix of serious and fun, building relationships and empathy, and being in charge of a team helped me hone the exact sort

of skills I use every day with clients and their customers to creatively design new products or experiences.”

What is one of your greatest memories of WMA? “Being a part of the first WMA trip to the Amazon. It was my first time traveling outside North America and was such a fun, adventurous experience. I was very lucky to have had an opportunity like that so early.”

What extracurricular activities did you do at WMA? Varsity Field Hockey, Varsity Skiing, Varsity Lacrosse, Bicentennial Scholars, Model UN, Writing Center Tutor, Gold Key, Peer Counselors.

Which faculty member(s) did you rely on during high school?

“Brian Easler was my advisor for the latter part of high school, and I relied on him for the ‘big picture’ stuff. His ability to help me see what was most important and not

get hung up on the minutia was incredibly valuable. He also taught me the most about leadership; anyone who knows him knows that he leads by inspiring others to rise to the occasion. Additionally, Gary Cook, both through history classes and Model UN, helped me improve my writing and public speaking. Both of those have served me well.”

How did WMA prepare you for your future? “This sounds small, but the endless opportunities I had while in school to think critically, meet new people, converse with adults with impressive backgrounds and resumes, and participate confidently in any activity or discussion is something I use every day and am grateful to have learned at an early age.”

What’s your lasting impression of WMA? “The Academy gave me so many opportunities that opened a lot of doors. I often think about how special a place it is and how none of it should be taken for granted.”

During your time in high school, if there were one thing you could have changed at WMA, what would it have been? “Apart from some history classes, politics weren’t discussed much on campus or among students when I was in high school. I wish there had been more opportunities for discourse.”

What would you tell someone who knew nothing about WMA? “The first thing I always mention is how well the school prepares you for the ‘real world.’ It truly is a place unlike any other in terms of the people, the travel opportunities, the speakers, and more.”

Why are you interested in joining the Board of Trustees? “I was so fortunate to have gone to the Academy and have had the opportunities that I did; I want to be able to do anything I can to

ensure others have similar opportunities while giving back to the place that was so formative.”

As a Board of Trustee member, what is your goal? “Having volunteered as a Co-Chair of the Atlas Fund the last few years, I have a lot of passion around increasing alumni engagement. I hope to be able to connect some of the more recent graduating classes back with the Academy.”

nickname Steff

wma claSS of 2010 current hometown Williamstown, Massachusetts family Parents, Ted and Cathy; brother Mark ’05 place of employment C Space

job

title Associate Director, Creative & Strategy

colle G e education and de G ree S Boston College, B.S. in Business Management

of note

Was chosen as one of eight individuals for the 2017 MITX (Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange) Future Leaders Group (FLG) based on leadership skills, entrepreneurial spirit and early impact on the Massachusetts innovation ecosystem.

Selected to be one of five core employees across the company to develop C Space’s Ethical Framework in 2021.

‘The Academy gave me so many opportunities that opened a lot of doors’

Class Notes

1961 Monson

Gerald M. “Gerry” Myers writes from Renton, Washington, where he currently resides with his wife: “After Monson, I went to UMass Amherst and earned a BS in 1965. In 1975, I completed a master’s degree in accounting at the University of Missouri and then a Ph.D. in business and accounting at the University of Iowa 1984. From 1982 until 2013, I was a professor in the School of Business at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, where I taught cost accounting and accounting information systems. Since retiring in 2013, I have pursued my passion for meteorology, written an extensive family history and served two terms as treasurer of my church.”

1961 Wilbraham

Bill Hawthorne reports that he is fully retired from two careers, living in Naples, Florida, and traveling at will. “I am painting with oils many hours weekly, planning more travel and hiking mountains. Still married to my first wife, Carol. I enjoy running into former W&M colleagues during travel.”

1962 Wilbraham

1 In March 2022, the town of Enfield, Connecticut, voted to name the baseball diamond at Powder Hollow Park after much-loved coach Bob Bromage, who devoted almost 40 years to athletes at Enfield High School. Mr. Bromage took over the Enfield baseball team in 1967 as the second coach in school history and held the job until 2004, when he became coach at East Granby (Conn.). He retired in 2019.

1970 Wilbraham

2 Paul Heller writes: “Hello Everyone from the Wilbraham Class of 1970! I just celebrated my 70th birthday at Disney World in Florida with my kids and their kids. It’s not clear who was more excited to see Mickey and Minnie—me or the grandchildren. I’m in my 42nd year of practicing anesthesiology, currently in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Part time now, but I plan to do it as long as I am able. Pretty soon my daughter, son-in-law and their three kids will be moving in with me for a while as they are getting out of the Army and moving back to CT. I haven’t watched Romper Room in many decades, but now I get to watch it live! Every day! It’s very exciting. If anyone gets to Bethel, CT, feel free to give me a call.”

1973

On Feb. 25, 2022, Chuck Feinstein was able to realize a lifelong dream by immigrating to Israel. He stayed in the central city of Herzliya before moving farther up the coast to Nahariya. “Great beaches!”

1975

Melissa Emery writes: “All is well with my family and I. My three children and their spouses all live within two hours of our home so we are able to spend lots of time with them. We now have five fun, amazing grandchildren ages 5 mos. to 6 years. My husband, Jamie, and I just celebrated our 41st wedding anniversary. We are still living in Central NH and are playing lots of tennis, golf, skiing and boating. I am selling real estate and my husband manages a groundwater consulting company. Retirement is in the near future. Health and Happiness to you all! Lisa.”

1987

3 Bruce Baker writes with an update from China: “Just celebrated 10 years of marriage to my beautiful wife, Yuhong (I call her Hong ... her English name is Mia). We have a 1-year-old daughter. Her name is Mei Bao. She is an English Springer Spaniel with black spots on white. Adorable and a ‘Cutey-Wutey.’ We spent 11 years together in my wife’s hometown/city called Xiamen, a southeast coastal city across from the southern tip of Taiwan. I was offered and took a Head of Studies position at an International High School in Singapore that was to start the summer of 2020, but that obviously got derailed by COVID so we moved to the delightful and culinarily wonderful city of Dongguan, China, which is very close to Hong Kong (if you go to Hong Kong and like pizza, there is a place called ‘Death by Pizza.’ INSANE. They opened up a store recently in NYC. Check it out.). I am working at one of the finest Foreign Language High Schools in China and am also into some import/export action. The plan is to be semi-retired by 58: Spain, pool, good food.”

1990

4 Chris Belisle has spent the last 23 years traveling and protecting the country’s coastline as a U.S. Coast Guard Helicopter Rescue Swimmer— from Florida to Hawaii, California through Oregon, up to Alaska and stations beyond. “Thank you, Mr. Nick for those cold winter morning two-a-days. Both kids are attending Oregon State University (Go Beavers!) and are looking forward to my retirement next year. Hope all are well and hope to see you soon!”

1999

5 Caitlin (Majocka) Sepeda has announced her candidacy to run for Sheriff of Hampshire County in the 2022 election. Sepeda is a registered nurse who has worked in two Western Massachusetts correctional facilities, including nine years at the Hampshire County Jail and House of Correction in Northampton. Her campaign website is www.sepedaforsheriff.com.

2000

Whitney Gallivan is a partner and Managing Director at Boston Realty Advisors, where she is the top retail real estate broker in Boston, completing on average 50 deals a year. She resides in Concord, Massachusetts, with her wife, Meghan, and daughters Stella, 4, and Leyo, 1.

2008

6 Brigida (Palatino) Froling and Kevin Froling were married on March 19, 2022, at Union Station in Northampton, Massachusetts.

2009

7 Stephanie (Pajak) Firely and her husband, Chris, welcomed a baby boy to their family. Logan Christopher Firely was born May 22, 2022.

2013

8 On June 23, 2022, Molly Moran married Brandon McKenna ’12 at The K Club in Ireland. Brother Trevor ’10 and sister Emily Moran ’15 were part of the wedding party. Gillian Callahan ’12 and Jared Osuman ’12 were also in attendance. Mr. and Mrs. McKenna now reside in Colorado.

2015

9 Sophia (Gourley) Nallen married Miles Nallen this past July in Cape Cod. Jackson Bloomfield ’20, Nick Gourley ’18, Brianna (Goncalves) Lacroix ’12, Andrew Faulstich, Andy

Goncalves, Aparna Sivakumar, Kasey Reed ’20, Drew Mele, Brian Kennedy, Austin Fabbo, Evan Roy, Andres Feng, Andrew Dasco and Emily Moran were all in attendance. Photo credit goes to WMA faculty member Paul Bloomfield! Sarah Goolishian ’13 was the couple’s other photographer.

2017

10 Katie Cronin graduated Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in Management and Human Resources from Bryant University in the spring of 2021, where she also played four years of Division 1 soccer for the Bulldogs. Due to the pandemic, all NCAA

athletes were granted another year of eligibility, and she decided to return to Bryant to earn her MBA and play a fifth year of collegiate soccer. She completed the MBA program in Business Analytics this past August, graduating Magna Cum Laude. Katie has accepted a position with the Fortune 500 company Thermo Fisher Scientific, a biotechnology company based in Waltham, Massachusetts. She will be part of the Human Resource Leadership Development Team.

2019

11 For the second time during the spring 2022 season, Jack Robinson was named to the United States

Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Division II Dynamic Team of the Week. As of April 21, Robinson, who plays attack for Saint Anselm, had led his team and the Northeast-10 Conference in assists.

2022

14 Cara Murphy ’22 (front row, second from right) participated on a gold-medal winning team for basketball in the Bay State Games.

12 & 13 Blake Ulmer ’19 was regarded as one of the top lacrosse goalies in the country during his two years at Wilbraham & Monson Academy.

At the conclusion of the 2022 season, Blake was considered one of the top goalies at the collegiate level with a national title as a hard-earned bonus.

Blake stopped nine shots as Tampa University of Florida defeated Mercy College of Dobbs Ferry, New York, 11–7, in the NCAA Division II Championship, which was played in May in East Hartford, Connecticut.

“We’re really happy for Blake,” WMA Boys Lacrosse Coach Mike MacDonald said. “He proved during his time at WMA that he had the skills to be an outstanding collegiate goalie. It’s rewarding to see so many of our guys doing great things at the next level.”

With Tampa leading 10–6 through three quarters, Blake rejected three of the four shots he faced in the final period as the Spartans claimed their first men’s lacrosse title in school history. The team finished 21–0, with Blake starting every game.

Blake was named the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Division II National Goalkeeper of the Year, a USILA All-American and a First Team All-Sunshine State Conference selection.

Mr. Richard F. Cutler ’51W Alumnus

Mr. Charles L. Chiecko Jr. ’60M Alumnus

Mr. William R. Martell ’57M Alumnus

Mr. Walter J. Hallack ’83 Alumnus

Mr. Theodore J. Ondrick Jr. ’60M Alumnus

Mr. Richard E. Hall ’49W Alumnus

Mr. Robert L. Cox ’55M Alumnus

Mr. Edmund S. Salva ’61M Alumnus

Mr. Marshall Z. Solomon ’48W Alumnus

Mr. John D. Hathaway ’53W Alumnus

Mr. Richard P. Hayes ’55M Alumnus

We Remember

Mr. Philip E. Erlenbach ’52W Alumnus

Mr. Robert W. Tull ’50W Alumnus

Mr. Carl F. Roberts ’51M Alumnus

Mr. Robert J. Nooney ’49W Alumnus

Mr. Peter M. LeClair ’62M Alumnus

Mr. G. E. Pucher ’47W Alumnus

Mr. Donald J. Sylvester ’59M Alumnus

Dr. Kenneth M. Selig ’68W Alumnus

Mr. J. Michael Alexander Jr. ’64M Alumnus

Mr. Michael Peter Anthony Williams ’63W Alumnus

Mr. George R. Miller ’55M Alumnus

Mr. Corey C. White ’93 Alumnus

Mr. Stephen M. Allen ’57W Alumnus

Mr. Reid Jorgensen ’60W Alumnus

Mr. Peter F. Hooben ’82 Alumnus

Mr. Alan K. Neelans ’57M Alumnus

Mr. Andrew S. Dragat ’52W Alumnus

Mr. Sameer D. Vagal ’00 Alumnus

Mrs. Frances Popovich Alumni Grandparent

Ms. Maria L. Merritt ’06 Alumnae Non-Grad

Mr. Craig J. Roy ’93 Alumnus Non-Grad

Mrs. Karin Bonk Alumni Parent

Mrs. Naomi Mitchell Alumni Parent

Mr. Richard Murphy Alumni Parent

Mr. Athan Catjakis Alumni Parent

Mrs. Sharon L. Drost Alumni Parent

Mrs. Mildred E. Leaning Alumni Parent

Mrs. Gloria Sack Alumni Spouse

Mrs. Patricia Pinney Alumni Spouse

Mrs. Christine Tiziani Alumni Spouse

Mr. Gale Giles

Former Faculty

Mr. Richard P. Goldman Former Faculty

Ms. Sandra M. Schoppe Former Staff

Mrs. Barbara A. Moran Former Staff

• LEft

A drone shot of the Middle School and its students in October 2017.

Middle School building dates back 60 years

B Y jANET m or AN Director of Archives

IIn 1961, Wilbraham Academy was well underway with its second Annual Fund drive. Alumni, parents and others were concerned with Wilbraham’s progress with the plan to improve the facilities on campus. At the time, improvements to the Arts and Athletic Center were proposed.

It was at this point that Mrs. Clayton P. Chamberlin made known her interest in giving the school a fitting memorial to

her husband, a former secretary and member of the Academy’s Board of Trustees and a graduate from the Class of 1887 Wesleyan.

Mr. Chamberlin, publisher of the Hartford (Connecticut) Times, had been a lifelong lover of music and art, and so it was a logical development that the Trustees should expand their original plans and combine that with the Chamberlins’ very generous gift to the Academy. Plans were drawn up and work quickly began in the summer of 1962.

The Chamberlin Memorial Arts Center, which was built on the site of the current Middle School, was a one-story building of modified Georgian design. It was designed to

have an art room, a large music room, five smaller practice rooms and a rotunda area in which concerts could be played and objects of art displayed.

More than 1,000 alumni and friends attended the Academy’s dedication during Founders Weekend in October 1962. The dedicatory exercises were held in the Alumni Memorial Chapel.

Leroy Temple 1919W, president of the Board of Trustees, Francis Cowdrey, a Trustee and Chairman of the Buildings and Grounds Committee, and Assistant Head of School Gilder Jackson, filling in for W. Gray Mattern Jr., addressed the student body and visitors. The audience then adjourned to the front of the Chamberlin Building to hear a dedicatory prayer by Chaplin Sumner J. Brown and to inspect the new facility.

The Arts facility was a welcome addition, but it wasn’t long before the Academy had more needs and growing pains. This included a time from 1986 to 1993 when the building was home to the Academy Hill School for gifted elementary school children.

The building later stood empty for a few years, all while the Middle

School had been steadily growing in numbers. The Middle School was conducted mostly where our Campus Center is today, beneath Lak Dining Hall. As part of a Strategic Plan, it was time to create a proper space for their needs.

There was also a big need to update our science program, which was housed in Binney Hall. Dedicated in 1854 as a state-of-theart science building of its time, Binney was outdated by the late 1960s and the need for a new science building was evident.

Under the tutelage of Mattern, it was decided that a thoroughly modern science building was a must to stay competitive in a fast-changing world. Mattern Science Center was completed in 1972.

A few years later, Chamberlin Arts and Music Center was expanded to create and make room for the Blake Middle School. A generous donation from Friendly’s Ice Cream Co-Founder S. Prestley Blake and his wife, Helen Davis Blake, made it possible; and its dedication took place on Oct. 4, 1997.

With this change, Binney Hall became the school’s art center and gallery as it is today.

Archives Notes

Clayton P. Chamberlin, who died in 1949, had been a member of the Board since 1920 and for a large part of that time had served as secretary to the board.

A quote after his death states “Integrity of character was one of his outstanding qualities. Mr. Chamberlin had the confidence and respect of all who knew him, as well as the high regard of his friends and family for his social and cultural qualities.”

In addition to the Blakes’ gift to the school, Robert and Marjorie Griffin dedicated a multipurpose room in honor of their son, former Board Chair William A. Griffin ’68W, and Mark R. Shenkman ’61M, who has named the distinctive rotunda area in honor of his parents George and Florence Shenkman.

Binney Hall is named after one of the school’s first Trustees and president of the Board from 1824 to 1830 Colonel Amos Binney. Colonel Binney was also instrumental in moving Wesleyan Academy from Newmarket, New Hampshire, to Wilbraham, Massachusetts in 1824.

1 Chamberlin Memorial Arts Center Dedication ceremony, 1962. 2 Building supporters gather at the construction sign. 3 A backside view across Crystal Pond. 4 Start of expansion to the Middle School in the mid-1990s. 5 In progress, 1962. 6 From high above Rich Hall, a view of the Middle School and the Rodney and Shirley LaBrecque House dormitory (left) in 2017.

Wilbraham & Monson Academy 423 Main Street Wilbraham, MA 01095-1715 www.wma.us tel: 413.596.6811 address service requested