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Wilbraham & Monson Academy 423 Main Street Wilbraham, MA 01095-1715 www.wma.us tel: 413.596.6811
The Magazine of Wilbraham & Monson Academy The Global School ÂŽ
ACADEMYWORLD
Where We’re Going the master plan issue
by brian p. easler Head of School
perspectives
Our Master Plan: ‘One confident step at a time, with you at our side’ You’ve heard a lot, recently, about the promise of the new WMA Facilities Master Plan and what a critical step it is to the future of the Academy. We could not be more pleased to unveil the plan to you now and to discuss it when we see you at Academy functions during the coming years. I will take a moment, however, to explain the purpose of the Master Plan and its role in shaping our path. Anyone could walk onto the WMA campus and realize that we need some things, like a new kitchen or an auditorium. It would be a logical observation. Master planning, however, is much more than a few people simply listing the things they think a school wants or needs. A master plan developed by a broad cross section of a school community answers many questions:
• What do we need to most effectively fulfill our mission? • Where should things be, and how should the campus knit a community together? • How can the physical campus support and accentuate the spirit of WMA? • In what order of priority should we address these needs?
Read the Head of School’s page at www.wma.us/hos
A master plan answers these questions and more. It provides the intentional and detailed direction necessary for a school to fulfill its mission and its vision. It is flexible enough to adjust to changing circumstances. It considers the use of current spaces and how they could be repurposed to greater positive effect on a community. A master plan does not change the character or the heart of a school; instead, it enhances it so that the physical structure of the campus reflects and reinforces the values of the institution. To accomplish all of this, the WMA Master Plan is intimately connected to, and grows out of, our program and our vision and strategic plan for the Academy. Thirty years from now, Wilbraham & Monson Academy will be a thriving and engaged community of students, staff, families and alumni; the campus will be a meticulously maintained and architecturally stunning
array of historic buildings with a few modern and complementary facilities, all wrapped in a carefully Read ‘Master Plan’ story groomed New England on pg. 26 landscape. Students and their families will continue to seek enrollment because of the sustained value of the program and the warmth of the community, and alumni confidence will buoy a sense of loyalty that will lift the school on a continuously rising tide of support, and endow the WMA legacy in perpetuity. We have made remarkable progress toward this vision during the last two decades, but much lies ahead. This is precisely why we chose to develop a master plan that is longer than most. We realize that there is great uncertainty about what the world will look like in 30 years, but we also want to ensure that our short-term priorities fit within the context of a longer vision. We will focus on the 10-year path, with our eyes on the evolving landscape. We will succeed in this endeavor and achieve our vision for WMA by being intentional, flexible, careful when we need to be, and bold when opportunity strikes. We look forward to making this happen, one confident step at a time, with you at our side. Respectfully,
contents
Editor
Teddy Ryan Associate Editors
Russ Held Bill Wells Advisory Board
Mark Aimone Brian Easler Dawn Hines Don Kelly Elizabeth Mitchell-Kelly ’04 Janet Moran Contributing Writers
Mark Aimone Erika Convery ’19 Grace Dineen ’21 Sue Dziura Brian Easler Russ Held Dawn Hines Meg Lenihan Hutcheson Jeanine Little Janet Moran Teddy Ryan Elizabeth Fontaine Squindo Sean Valentine Bill Wells Photography
Kayla Aimone Paul Bloomfield
Aidan Held ’21 Russ Held Teddy Ryan Wendy Staples Dan Vaillancourt Bill Wells Various contributing photographers
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Design
Stoltze Design Printing
Hadley Printing Board of Trustees
Scott B. Jacobs ’75, Chair James E. LaCrosse ’50W, Vice Chair Mark R. Shenkman ’61M, Vice Chair David A. Reeves, Treasurer Krista Hanson, Secretary Caitlin S. Flynn ’06 K. Ivan F. Gothner Linda B. Griffin Judith A. Knapp Barry M. Maloney ’85 Timothy J. Marini Andrew P. Mele Craig A. Rubin ’63W Bonnie Faulkner Ryan ’82 Trustees Emeriti
Eric W. Anderson Richard S. Fuld ’64W 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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Feature Story
Traveling Titans
26 Master Plan: A 30-Year Vision
46 England: Around ‘The Globe’ 48 Scotland Provides Inspiration
Supporting WMA 2 3
Peters Family Estate Gift Hale Family Remembers
Departments 4 14 52 54
News from the Hill Titans Victorious Alumni Events Class Notes
Academy World is published in the spring and fall for alumni, parents and friends of the Academy. Please direct comments and letters to:
Programs
Wilbraham & Monson Academy Marketing & Communications Office 423 Main Street Wilbraham, MA 01095-1715 marketing@wma.us
34 Diplomacy
Our Mission
38 CJ Woloshchuk ’13
64 Dave Lyman ’74 65 We Remember
Wilbraham & Monson Academy is a transformational experience where students become challenge-seeking citizens and leaders of an evolving world.
WMA Spotlight
Archives
40 Erika Whipple
66 Football (’52W) Lost and Found 67 Master Plan Time Capsule
Wilbraham & Monson Academy does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, military status, gender identity, and any other categories protected by federal, state or local law.
Alumni in Action
In Memoriam
get social with us! wilbrahammonsonacademy wilbrahammonson wilbrahammonsonacad @theglobalschool qqid: 2306006424
on the cover A “floor plan” of the 30-Year Master Plan for the WMA campus. Existing buildings are colored in navy, planned buildings in red. Read the full story on pages 26–33. (Image courtesy of Flansburgh Architects.)
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By MARK AIMONE Director of Advancement
supporting WMA
Peters Family Legacy to Help Build WMA’s Future that were written in the yearbook by Kimberly S. Peters ’78. It is clear from her words and from her classmates that Ms. Peters was a friend to many in the class. Unfortunately, Ms. Peters passed away in 1992. For Ms. Peters’ parents, Rene and Diane, the Academy was an important part of her legacy. They were grateful to the school for Ms. Peters’ experience and they remained in contact during the years following her passing. Former Head of School Dick Malley recalled the Peters making a point to come to campus and meet him early in his tenure. Mr. and Mrs. Peters expressed their gratitude and indicated that they would provide for the Academy in their estate plans. Over the years, they continued to have intermittent contact with the Academy, as it remained an important part of their connection to Ms. Peters. Mrs. Peters passed away Oct. 24, 2017,
These are the words
Do not walk in front of me, I may not follow. Do not walk behind me, I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend. Mom and Dad thank you. yearbook quote of kimberly s. peters ’78
in Brewster, Massachusetts. Mr. Peters had passed some years earlier. As Mr. and Mrs. Peters had told Mr. Malley many years before, they had in fact provided for the Academy in their estate plans. The entirety of the Peters’ estate was left to Wilbraham & Monson Academy. In addition to cash and securities, they also left their home in Brewster. When all is said and done, the gift will be in excess of $1.4 million. In her will, Mrs. Peters indicated the gift be made in the name of her daughter, Kimberly Sue Peters, and be used for the benefit of the Academy’s “building fund.” It is truly an extraordinary gift that will make a significant impact as we embark on our Master Plan and work to move the Academy forward. We are so honored that the Peters chose to walk beside us and leave this incredible gift to honor Ms. Peters’ legacy at WMA.
far left Kimberly S. Peters ’78, yearbook photo left The Senior Stone left by Kimberly S. Peters ’78
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By SEAN VALENTINE Director of Stewardship & Donor Relations
Robert T. Hale ’55W: Academy Connections Gave New Meaning to Family The Wilbraham & Monson Academy
community is often described as being a family. The copious time students share with faculty and each other during their formative years creates an environment where strong, lasting relationships are built. But for Robert “Bob” T. Hale ’55W, the idea of WMA as family was less metaphor and more reality. Shortly before Mr. Hale entered the Academy, his mother had passed away, which triggered a complete fallout with his father. Left entirely on his own, Mr. Hale found support through friends and his teammates from the tennis and track and field teams. Two individuals in particular — his roommate Peter C. Lincoln ’55W and faculty member Mr. Howe “Buff” Newell — filled the void left from his own family. “Bob Hale and I entered Wilbraham Academy as sophomore boarding students in September 1952, and became roommates during our junior and senior years and good friends for life,” Mr. Lincoln said. “We both graduated as members of Cum Laude Society, and were active in extracurricular matters — Bob being editor of the yearbook, co-founder of Gold Key and member of the debating team.” It was Mr. Newell who took Robert under his wing and eventually helped him secure a scholarship to Tufts University, where Mr. Hale graduated in 1959 with a degree in economics. At his 45th Academy reunion in 2000, Mr. Hale said, “The support and guidance that I personally received at the Academy from faculty and staff without a doubt helped to shape my life.” And what a life it was. From his Tufts graduation to his passing in 2008 from pancreatic cancer, Mr. Hale enjoyed a rich family life with wife Judy, daughter
▲
Robert “Bob” T. Hale ’55W, yearbook photo
Elizabeth (Hale) Kendall and son Robert Jr. Mr. Hale became something of a serial entrepreneur, beginning with the purchase of the Hampshire Bookshop in Northampton, Massachusetts, and quickly expanding into the paper supply and office furniture businesses. For about 25 years, he was an importer and manufacturer of women’s finer-quality apparel, and he traveled the world in search of lines that his company could sell. He became the exclusive U.S. importer of the Laura Ashley line. Later, with his son, he went into the telecommunications business, a business that flourishes today.
Lessons learned about the importance of giving back were never far from mind however, and he supported numerous philanthropic causes. With Mrs. Hale, they funded the Hale Learning Center at Thayer Academy in Braintree, Mass., started the Hale Pancreatic Cancer Research Foundation at Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Mass., and supported Tufts University, the Massachusetts Soldier Legacy Fund and the Westport (Mass.) Land Conservation Trust. All along, Mr. Hale remained involved with Wilbraham & Monson, volunteering his time to help plan reunions and calling newly-accepted students to congratulate them. Although a strong financial supporter of the Academy, Mr. Hale’s untimely passing prevented him from fulfilling his desire of endowing a financial aid scholarship at WMA. Last fall, Mrs. Hale and her children made the gift Mr. Hale always wanted. They contacted Head of School Brian Easler with the news. Their generous donation of $1 million has created the Robert T. Hale ’55W Scholarship Fund to support the financial aid program of the Academy, and to provide assistance to students whose financial stability has been substantially impacted during their Academy years. “Of course I was thrilled to get the call from Rob Hale explaining that he and his sister and mother were going to make a gift of this size for an endowed scholarship,” Mr. Easler said. “It will make a tremendous impact for years to come on our ability to attract and retain the highest quality students despite family financial crises. What was more meaningful, though, was that Bob’s family would fulfill this wish for him, as he had wanted, and that it will endow his legacy at WMA.”
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departments: NEWS FROM THE HILL
News from the Hill
Middle School Robotics building on success ▲
Left to right: Brady Gouin ’23, Michelle Itkin ’22, Gabe Dziura ’24, Jinyu “Melody” Zhan ’22 and Yuzuki Yamaoka ’23; and (back row) faculty advisor Mr. Pelletier.
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While many Wilbraham & Monson Academy students started their winter breaks smiling at the thought of having more than two weeks off, five students from the Middle School were smiling on their first day of vacation for a different reason. WMA earned a first-place trophy at the Massachusetts First Lego League Championship Tournament — Robonautica, held Dec. 16 at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. “It was unexpected,” Coach Luke Pelletier said. “The level of competition was totally different going from the qualifier to the state level. It was great to get there, and to leave with an award was incredible. It was a nice day. It was a nice finish to a great season, and it really was a great season.”
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WMA’s team — Gabe Dziura ’24, Brady Gouin ’23, Michelle Itkin ’22, Yuzuki Yamaoka ’23 and Jinyu “Melody” Zhan ’22 — finished second overall at a qualifier at Agawam High School Dec. 9 to advance to the state tournament. At the state meet, which featured more than 70 teams, WMA won the Gracious Professionalism category after the students made a presentation regarding the unfortunate absence of two of its integral team members, who were unable to attend due to traveling home internationally for break. “It struck a nerve, in a good way, with one of the judges,” Mr. Pelletier explained. “The judge could see the team was tight and we came home with an award. Not many teams went home with an award. That’s impressive at the state level.”
Elizaveta Biryukova ’19 earns entrepreneurial honor Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s Elizaveta “Liza” Biryukova ’19 has no plans to open a record store. For nearly 10 minutes on Jan. 12, though, and with no preparation allowed, Liza made her most professional pitch to do just that. Liza must have been rather convincing in her unexpected role, earning second place in the Entrepreneurship Series at DECA District competition in Boxborough, Massachusetts. DECA is an international association that prepares high school and college students for leadership in the business field, such as entrepreneurship, finance, marketing and management. Liza qualified for the district event following her performance on an exam she took for DECA in December. By placing second at the district event, Liza advanced to the state competition, which was held March 8–10 in Boston. “I wanted to do well but I didn’t know what my chances were so I was unsure whether I would get something or not,” Liza said. “I had to analyze statistics and answer to some performance indicators.”
Emma Feeley ’21 honored for future visions Third place? National competition? Not bad. Not bad at all.
Mr. Easler tabbed to speak at national conference During his 19 years at Wilbraham & Monson Academy, including the last four as head of school, Mr. Brian Easler has earned the respect of literally thousands of people connected to the Academy. People outside of WMA are starting to take notice, too. Among the more than 200 heads of school in North America, Mr. Easler was one of just four selected to give a presentation to new heads at The Association of Boarding Schools Conference in Boston Nov. 30. Prior to his presentation at the New Heads Symposium: Supporting the Unique Life and Work of a Boarding School Leader, Mr. Easler said, “I hope I can lend some of my own advice to people there who are just starting. I’ll bring the uniqueness of an internal transition. There are likely to be people at the workshop who are internal transitions. There will be an agenda, and they’ll give me pieces of that, but what I got out of it when I went was a lot of little pearls of wisdom.” With a successful $1 million fundraising campaign and detailed master plan to his credit in a short period of time, not to mention his many years as a Dean of Students, Mr. Easler had plenty of intriguing pearls to share.
Wilbraham & Monson Academy first-year student Emma Feeley ’21, along with two classmates from her previous school, placed third in the SchoolsNEXT Design Competition, a contest that asks students to build and shape classrooms of the future. “We had to design a preschool classroom, but also keep in mind we had a $2 million budget,” Emma explained. “We had to know where we would put it and how we would do it. We had to have several sources. We talked to architects, teachers and parents. We had to make a slideshow, two Google SketchUp models and a physical model. We had to give a presentation and had outside judges come in to judge us.” Emma and her group won the school competition as well as the regional contest to advance to the national round. They received an Award of Commendation, with SchoolsNEXT noting the team addressed “the economy and society of the future, enabling them to master the skills they need to take on the challenges of a world defined by change.”
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departments: NEWS FROM THE HILL departments
Success adds up for WMA Math team The Wilbraham & Monson Academy Math team has found a new formula. More specifically, it has found a winning formula. After placing no higher than third a year ago, WMA won the opening competition of the Western Massachusetts Math League for 2017–18. The Academy topped nine other schools in the meet at Agawam High School Oct. 3. “We knew we did well but we weren’t expecting to win,” Soo Young “Harry” Park ’18 said. “We were going crazy. We were really happy.” Along with Harry, also competing for WMA were JiYeon “Jane” Jang ’18, Yitian “Janice” Zha ’18, Moonseong “Leo” Kang ’19, Napat Pornmeechai ’18 and Xin “Julie” Xiong ’20. The club opened the school year meeting weekly, and the time together quickly paid dividends. “The students practiced, led by Harry and Jane,” explained Math Department Chair Mark Fischer, who serves as the faculty advisor for the club. “They looked at old problems at our Monday evening math team meetings and that made a nice difference.” “I taught them tricks regarding formulas and equations; when to use them and what to use,” Harry added. “We prepared really well and that’s why we won the competition.” Left to right, Soo Young “Harry” Park ’18, Yitian “Janice” Zha ’18, Xin “Julie” Xiong ’20, Moonseong “Leo” Kang ’19, Napat Pornmeechai ’18 and JiYeon “Jane” Jang ’18.
Mr. Aimone shares experiences at national conference Wilbraham & Monson Academy Director of Advancement Mark Aimone knows a thing or two about raising money in the prep school world, particularly in the area of international families. Mr. Aimone was asked to share his expertise in Atlanta, Georgia, in early March at the annual conference for the National Association of Independent Schools, a gathering of some of the biggest prep school names in the country. Mr. Aimone explained there has been a shift from a transactional belief to a relational, and more specifically, “transitioning from that relational side to the power of partnerships, so what are
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the keys to building relationships with your international families and also international alumni? A lot of fundraising internationally right now focuses on parents because they are the most captive audience. (But) alumni are starting to come back into the fold. We are now trying to figure out how to be mission driven with alumni.” A percentage of those international alumni aren’t that old. Mr. Aimone said there was only a smattering of Chinese students in the United States in the early 1990s. That has changed drastically, most notably in the last 10 years, with 20,000 Chinese students now enrolled in prep schools. “In the last 10 years, philanthropy behavior has changed, and even the last five, it’s beginning to change even faster,” Mr. Aimone said.
Successful international fundraising, though, can’t solely focus on Chinese families. International means just that — international, meaning worldwide. Creating a nurturing environment on campus and giving all of the international students a positive experience, coupled with communication between various departments and the Office of Advancement, are keys to productive fundraising. Mr. Aimone also believes in the theory of “honoring them at home.” “It’s a big deal for the Head of School and the leadership of the school to go to their country and have a presence,” he said. “That’s a key to building any sort of international philanthropy program.”
Mariel Picknelly ’20 earns coveted music industry status Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s Mariel Picknelly ’20 has been crowned, which in the ever-growing world of social media and entertainment is a very big deal. After meeting the criteria, Mariel became officially verified by the app musical.ly in late summer. With her crown, she is considered a talent and social media influencer. “The summer was all about what’s going on the World Wide Web,” Mariel explained. “Hopefully this will lead to other
verifications on other apps, such as Twitter and Instagram.” Mariel has her own TV show, “Jukebox Countdown,” airing Sundays at 9 p.m. on live.ly TV, the live broadcast platform for musical.ly. She has 150,000 followers on musical.ly. The summer also saw Mariel audition for “American Idol,” performing live from the studio at her home to producers and members of the show’s cast, including Ryan Seacrest.
Atticus Russell ’18 engineers unique opportunity Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s Atticus Russell ’18 acquired a great opportunity when he was hired in June as an intern at FloDesign Sonics, a cutting edge engineering firm located within walking distance of campus. When the internship concluded, however, Atticus felt somewhat incomplete because he didn’t finish the project his group was tackling. That’s when Atticus reached out to WMA’s Design Fellows, which allowed him to continue his work at the nationally known company. “We were compiling a list of variables and the ways they affect other components of the filtration system,” Atticus explained. “We hadn’t finished that yet. I wanted it to be a finished product. When I got to go back, I was able to continue all of that work and also learn some new skills, such as Computer-Automated Design and fabrication.” Atticus was experimenting with trying to clarify a solution to extract proteins, which can then be used in the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals.
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departments: NEWS FROM THE HILL
Mr. Bloomfield’s work hits a high note When Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s Paul Bloomfield was hired by a friend to take photos in London of a well-known jazz musician in March 2017, he had no idea if any of his pictures would be used for anything. Six months later, Mr. Bloomfield saw one of his photos . . . on the cover of the musician’s latest CD. “I didn’t know what shots they were going to use, if any,” explained WMA’s Fine & Performing Arts Department Chair.“There were two photographers.” Chris Stranding’s “Live in London” album was shot in London’s Cadogan Hall. Mr. Bloomfield said it was a “dream come true” to take photos of an award-winning jazz musician at such a popular venue. Mr. Bloomfield’s childhood friend served as the album’s producer. “We used to look at album covers together back in eighth and ninth grade,” Mr. Bloomfield said. “We’d pour over jazz covers actually, and that’s been our connection.” Mr. Bloomfield has been taking photos at jazz concerts in recent years. This scenario, though, was a little different because it was a photo shoot, recording and live concert all rolled into one. “It was like a movie set,” said Mr. Bloomfield, who has worked at the Academy for 14 years. “It was interesting because I think it was the first concert in the U.K. that used Sennheiser as the headphones. The audience had the option of sitting for the entire concert and using headphones plugged in to get the audio as it was being mixed — the signal as it was being recorded as a live event.” The CD was released Sept. 15, 2017.
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Mr. Held honored for communications work Russ Held, Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s Director of Electronic Communications, added an impressive line to his already lengthy resume before Thanksgiving break.
Mr. Held was inducted into the Springfield Public Schools Athletic Hall of Fame Nov. 18 at Central High School in Springfield. He was one of four contributors honored in the Class of 2017. “It was a cool thing,” Mr. Held said. “Maybe I’m just at that age now, but it’s cool to have an official ‘good job’ on the resume. “Being inducted was weird and it was cool. Being athletics, I was with guys who averaged 50 points a game and scored 89 touchdowns. But once I knew the background of other people who were inducted, including
people I worked with, it was kind of cool to be added to that list.” Prior to being hired at WMA, Mr. Held worked at The Republican, serving as the newspaper’s high school coordinator for the sports department, where he diligently managed a staff and wrote articles. Mr. Held began working at the area’s largest newspaper in 1993. He continues to write a golf column for The Republican and MassLive.com, and hosts a high school sports talk radio show on WEEI Saturday mornings.
6 WMA students win Stock Market Competition At the end of the Junior Achievement Stock Market Competition, Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s stock was very high. Competing against teams from throughout the region, Wilbraham & Monson Academy won the school division Nov. 9 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts. The team of Oron Steingrub ’18, Seth AbalSadeq ’18, Nick Gourley ’18, Napat Pornmeechai ’18, Peter LaBracio ’18 and John Kennedy ’19 earned a 75.6 percent return on investment during a simulated 60-day exercise in day trading. “It’s such a fast pace and the adrenaline is going that on the ride home from Springfield they were wiped out,” said CEGS Department faculty member Jim Irzyk, who served as the team’s faculty advisor. “They were like zombies. It was amazing. “This was the first real-time, very stressful event we’ve gone to. It was really fun.” Seth Abal-Sadeq ’18, Peter LaBracio ’18, Oron Steingrub ’18, Napat Pornmeechai ’18, Nicholas Gourley ’18 and John Kennedy ’19 teamed to win the Junior Achievement Stock Market Competition in November.
WMA earns #1 ranking for 3rd straight year Wilbraham & Monson Academy Head of School Brian Easler doesn’t need help too often. However, when Mr. Easler holds all of the recent awards from the Reader Raves contest, he could use another hand. For the third year in a row, the Academy was named as the Reader Raves Best Private School in Western Massachusetts. “The first year was a wonderful affirmation of the quality of our program and our kids,” Mr. Easler said. “It was rewarding our families felt strongly enough to make it known publicly they
feel we’re the best private school in the valley. The second year was even better, and the third year makes it feel like it’s the beginning of a healthy trend. “It feels affirming and rewarding we get the recognition from the community for everyone’s hard work here. We know we have the best kids and the best school in the valley, and it’s good other people are seeing it, too.” The contest was sponsored by MassLive and The Republican. Last year’s voting was held in June and July, and results were published in October.
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departments: NEWS FROM THE HILL
Anthony Arnieri ’18 wins 2nd Poetry Out Loud Slam For the second time in three years, Anthony Arnieri ’18 earned the right to be among the best young poetry slammers in Greater Springfield. Anthony won the Wilbraham & Monson Academy Poetry Out Loud Slam Jan. 31 at Alumni Memorial Chapel. He advanced to the state semifinal round, which was held in Springfield March 4. “It feels really good,” said Anthony, who also won the WMA event in 2016. “I messed up the first poem so I figured I wasn’t going to advance. I was excited to go back. The last time I went (to the state competition) it was really fun. I made a couple good friends so I was excited to go again. “I think poetry is really interesting,” Anthony continued. “Being able to share poetry, which is an easy way for people to express how they are feeling, is a much more accessible way than writing a novel. I think this is a good way to teach kids about poetry and get kids interested in poetry.”
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Global Scholars meet with Forbes magazine publisher One of the best ways to learn is to ask questions. On Sept. 13, when a group of students from Wilbraham & Monson Academy had the opportunity to meet a former politician who also serves as chairman of one of the most successful magazines in the world, the questions just kept coming. Fifteen students from the Academy attended a September Springfield Public Forum, with former Republican Party presidential candidate and current publisher of Forbes magazine Steve Forbes serving as the guest speaker. “He talked about different policies and political views he holds, such as
health care and taxes,” said Oron Steingrub ’18. “Almost everyone got to ask him a question, and he answered everything. He’s a funny guy. He likes to tell jokes. He was pretty critical of President Trump, although he’s fairly conservative. He’s independently minded.” Prior to the forum, six WMA students and Mr. Jim Irzyk participated in a breakout session with Mr. Forbes, who ran for president in 1996 and 2000. “He told us all about his presidential campaign in the ’90s and how he advocates for a flat tax,” Nick Gourley ’18 explained. “Mr. Irzyk asked him to give us one piece
of advice for the future, and he told us to take risks because we’re young and we can afford to. He recommended going to China and teaching English for a year. Even though it’s random, he said there’s so much you can learn by doing that and it will help us the rest of our lives.” “Our students were very engaged with the event and weren’t afraid to speak up,” Mr. Irzyk said. ▲
Global Scholars (left to right) Oron Steingrub ’18, Nick Gourley ’18, Liam Etti ’20 and Nicolas Dubois ’18 met with Mr. Steve Forbes (center) at a Springfield Public Forum event in September.
7 WMA musicians qualify for Western Districts Auditioning against some of the best high school musicians in the region, seven students from Wilbraham & Monson Academy were selected to the Massachusetts Music Educators Association Western District. The audition, which included hundreds of students from approximately 50 schools, was held Nov. 4 at Westfield State University. “They did the work. They practiced,” said Thad Wheeler,
WMA Fine & Performing Arts Department faculty member. “Some of them came in and coached with me, and others practiced on their own.” Western Districts includes an orchestra, concert band and chorus. Wenjun “Happy” Chang ’18 and his alto sax earned a spot in the concert band, while six students were named to the chorus: Nicolas Dubois ’18, Moonsu “Jackson” Kang ’20, Nolan Lorenzana ’20,
Wenjun “Happy” Chang ’18
Moonsu “Jackson” Kang ’20
Nicolas Dubois ’18
Nolan Lorenzana ’20
Phong “Justin” Ngo ’18
Mo “Elizabeth” Mao ’21, Phong “Justin” Ngo ’18 and Jack Woodbury ’19. The seven WMA students participated in a concert Jan. 13 at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. “Auditioning for Western Districts is a challenge,” Mr. Wheeler added. “They’re competing against students from about 50 schools. And, if they get a certain point grade during their audition, they’re eligible to audition for all-state.”
Mo “Elizabeth” Mao ’21
Mr. Wheeler follows passion of reworking music Any Gilbert and Sullivan fans out there? If yes, you have a friend in Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s Thad Wheeler. Mr. Wheeler, a faculty member in the Fine & Performing Arts Department, has re-written music to Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore. And, he took it a step further by hiring a person from Japan to put anime to the music. Since he began working at WMA six years ago, Mr. Wheeler has been reworking music, with a potential theater production in mind. “Gilbert and Sullivan was the best of their time and one of the best of all time,” explained Mr. Wheeler. “Their template for theater music has been used since the late 1880s. I decided to study the music. I do a hands-on study, so while I’m studying it I’m writing it in my own style.” Mr. Wheeler first started manipulating Pirates of Penzance before moving to H.M.S. Pinafore, a comic opera based on a ship’s love triangle.
Jack Woodbury ’19
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By BILL WELLS Director of Student Promotion
WMA Spotlight: Celina Rivernider ’19
‘Poet Warrior’ Earning High Praise English Department Chair Tim Harrington ’73
described Celina Rivernider ’19 as a “poet warrior,” high praise for any young writer at Wilbraham & Monson Academy. Celina’s poetic excellence was recognized and rewarded in January, when she earned four medals in the Boston Globe Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, a statewide contest for teenagers. “I was really, really surprised,” Celina said. “The last two years I’ve only gotten one honorable mention each year. “There are thousands of people in this contest. I was hoping to get one Gold Key, and I got three Gold Keys and a Silver Key. I thought it was
funny, too, because when I had Mr. Harrington sign my forms, I submitted seven pieces of work. He said, ‘They’ve got to like one of them, right?’ I said, ‘That’s the plan.’ It was completely above any expectation I had. I was very pleased.” Thanks in part to a writing opportunity provided by the Academy, Celina’s overall writing ability has flourished since May 2017, when she attended a highly-respected writing workshop at Middlebury College. “Before Middlebury, I wasn’t sure about my writing voice,” Celina explained. “I wasn’t willing to take any risk. But they (at Middlebury) encouraged that so much. I have been writing so
Celina Rivernider ’19 reads during her winning performance at Poetry Out Loud in 2017.
much more since Middlebury. It’s just a few days but you write and experiment and get used to it.” Long before her workshop at Middlebury, Celina had a passion for writing, specifically poetry. She’s already written more than 100 poems, and five of her works have been published outside of WMA. “I like how abstract poetry can be,” Celina said. “Lately my poems have been more abstract because I’m less worrying about them making sense and I can do what I want. You can talk about complicated, subtle things, like emotions or situations. It doesn’t matter if people understand them or not. It’s more personal that way for me.” “Celina lives and breathes writing and poetry and literature,” Mr. Harrington said. “It’s an interesting side of her, because the other side of her is tough. That’s a powerful combination.” Tatiana Ravelli ’18 earned a Silver Key in the Personal Essay/Memoir category, as well as an Honorable Mention for Mixed Media. Erika Convery ’19 earned two Honorable Mentions in Poetry.
“Sermon at the Sea” spell out my name into the breeze as we stand at the edge and the tide guides our feet to dance whisper it beside me, so your breath falters and i can’t hear anything but the hiss of the foaming Earth to you, my name is Hallelujah your sunday song after your saturday nights of infidelity your compass rose on an endless beach your blind watchman with wide eyes crouched in the crow’s nest of our tipping vessel it sinks and neither lookout nor captain abandon ship we watch the sails melt down with our fingers bound to each other up to our ankles in grains of blissful ignorance the moon peels the water away along with our wreckage i bow to the breeze laced with your syllables as they ricochet off the wreck laid to rest back to us, we run to their rhythm free, and i believe we are endlessly Hallelujah.
By BILL WELLS Director of Student Promotion
WMA Spotlight: Insun “Sunny” Kim ’18
Thinking Outside the Box Creates Confidence Inside For as long as she can remember, Insun “Sunny”
Kim ’18 has been interested in creating artwork. It wasn’t until recently, though, that Sunny realized just how gifted of an artist she was. At a statewide contest of teenaged artists, Sunny received an unheard of eight awards. She won two Gold Keys, three Silver Keys and three Honorable Mentions at the Boston Globe Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, which were announced in January. “Before I got this award, I wasn’t proud of my artistic skills,” Sunny admitted. “I was worried if art was my way. But after I received these awards, this gives me confidence (that I have artistic talent).” Sunny had four paintings, three sculptures and an illustration earn awards. Her two Gold Key winners — a sculpture and illustration — were put on display for a week at Tufts University in March. This was the first time Sunny had her work displayed in public outside of WMA. “I was surprised and happy (to win eight awards),” said Sunny, whose favorite type of art is digital media. “I spent all three months of summer doing artwork. That was part of my portfolio. I feel like I have been rewarded for my hard work.”
“Sunny is always thinking outside the box, creating designs that exceed expectations for students of her age,” said Ms. Wendy Staples, who has worked closely with Sunny this school year. “She’s at a very high level. Her designs, compositions and color schemes are exemplary.” Sunny serves as editor of the Yearbook, which Ms. Staples runs as an afternoon activity. Yirui “Elaine” Dong ’18 earned a Silver Key at the Scholastic contest for her sculpture, while five WMA students also won Honorable Mention awards for their artwork: Ruoyi “Sukie” Liu ’19 (Architecture & Industrial Design), Zhe “Eva” Wang ’19 (Sculpture), Haoran Zhang ’19 (Drawing and Illustration) and Yibo “Canna” Zhang ’18 (Architecture & Industrial Design).
top left Insun “Sunny” Kim ’18 bottom left Insun “Sunny” Kim ’18 earned a Gold Key for her Sleeping People sculpture at the Boston Globe Scholastic Art & Writing Awards in January.
bottom right Columnar Joint, an illustration by Insun “Sunny” Kim ’18, received Gold Key recognition at the Boston Globe Scholastic Art & Writing Awards in January.
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departments: Titans Victorious
Titans Victorious
Idan Tretout ’19 surpasses 1,000-career point milestone
Girls’ Basketball dominant in winning KIT title Winning is fun, and the Wilbraham & Monson Academy Girls’ Basketball team had an absolute ball during a weekend in December. Coach Durelle Brown and the Titans dominated the field at the Kingswood Oxford Invitational Tournament in Connecticut Dec. 15–17, winning all three games by double digits to claim the championship. Coach Brown, who attended KO, previously participated in the KIT as a player, assistant boys’ coach and head boys’ coach for his alma mater, coming up short each time in his quest for a title. In his second trip to the KIT while with WMA, there was no stopping the Titans, who beat Governor’s Academy of Massachusetts 61–47, Lawrenceville of New Jersey 71–50 and Winsor School of Massachusetts 81–58. “I got a little choked up (after the game) and I thanked the players,” Coach Brown admitted. “As I was talking, the players didn’t even let me finish; they just walked up and gave me a hug. I was thanking them. I would be lying if I said I hadn’t been thinking about winning that tournament. We won and it felt good.” Kayla Mokwuah ’18 and Alana Perkins ’19 were named to the AllTournament team. The Titans surround Head of School Brian Easler moments after winning the Kingswood Oxford Invitational in December.
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Wilbraham & Monson Academy Boys’ Basketball player Idan Tretout ’19 lost his focus for a while during a Titans’ home game versus South Kent Jan. 27. But that’s OK, because Idan forgot about focusing on himself and shifted his efforts toward helping the team. Idan reached a major milestone for a high school basketball player, scoring his 1,000th career point in an overtime loss against South Kent. He needed 17 points to hit the mark entering the game but forgot all about it once the AA Conference game began. “In the middle of the game, I didn’t know it was going on,” Idan said. “Coach (Mike Mannix) and I talked about it before the game. I knew I needed 15 or 17 points going into the game but I really wasn’t thinking about it. But when it happened I was excited. When I got the ball from Coach Mannix (when the game stopped), I told him ‘Let’s get this win.’” “His level of play was great,” Coach Mannix said. “And all throughout it, even in the game when he knew he was going for his 1,000th point, I thought he was all business and put the team first, which I think is really important and why his team shared in the moment in terms of how happy he was.”
Debut season a big success for AJ Washington ’19 In recent years, the Wilbraham & Monson Academy Girls’ Cross Country team has produced a handful of exceptional runners, namely Adriana Russell ’15 and Marissa Small-Towns ’14. Add An’Janae “AJ” Washington ’19 to that list. Like she did all season, AJ ran a brilliant race Nov. 11, placing eighth in a field of 157 runners in a 5K time of 20 minutes, 21 seconds, at the New England Prep School Track Association’s New England Division III Cross Country Championships at Weston High School in Massachusetts. “I was really happy to come in eighth place,” AJ said. “This has been a very successful cross country season for me, my first at WMA. I moved on to the all-star race so I was proud.” AJ had a remarkable 2017 season. Along with a number of high finishes at invitationals, she won four dual meets during the regular season. Her performance at the Division III meet added to her long list of accomplishments in her first year of running for the Titans. “We raced some of the teams during the season,” AJ explained. “I made sure I ran with people I raced against before. When we raced Kingswood Oxford, I beat their top girl, but I haven’t been able to beat her the last two races so I made sure I was with her the whole race. She beat me by one place but I was with her. I knew she was going to be around my time and I wanted to stay in the top 10.”
Andrew Nagle ’18 resilient to the end Resiliency is a big part of competitive racing, especially when it comes to championship meets. Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s Andrew Nagle’s ’18 resiliency was tested in a way that no one expected at his biggest meet of the season. As he did all fall, Andrew’s ability to fight and overcome led him to success. Despite taking a hard fall late in the race, Andrew placed No. 18 in a field of 152 runners with a time of 17 minutes, 40 seconds, at the New England Prep School Track Association’s Division III Cross Country Championship at Weston High School in Massachusetts Nov. 11. “I set that goal (of coming in the top 20) at the beginning of the year to run at the All-Star race, and I knew my time would have to be somewhere around sub-18 minutes,” Andrew said. “I started well in the race and was able to pull it off.” Not without a scare, though. When he fell, Andrew was in the final mile. He didn’t have much time to pass runners as the finish line was closing in. “It was scary,” Andrew admitted. “I thought I might be injured. But I remembered that goal I set. At that point I had runners passing me and knew I was right on the edge of top 20. I didn’t know where I was but knew I had to get going. When I crossed the finish line I didn’t know where I had finished, but my coach (Tom Iannacone) told me I was 17th or 18th so I was happy with that.”
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departments: Titans Victorious
Ania Axas ’19 adds to WMA swimming legacy Ania Axas ’19 had already established herself as one of the greatest swimmers in the history of the Wilbraham & Monson Academy Girls’ Swimming program — maybe the greatest. In the first meet of the 2017–18 season, Ania showed just how special she was, but not just as a swimmer — as a person. Ania set two WMA pool records Dec. 2 in a 52–32 win against Kingswood Oxford School, establishing marks in the 200-yard individual medley and 100 freestyle. Ania’s motivation, though, came from her desire to help the team, not herself. “I definitely did it for the team,” said Ania, who also swam on the winning 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays. “I knew we were tight on points and we hadn’t beaten KO for a long time. To win our first meet of the season puts things into perspective that we could have a really good season. I was excited I could contribute to the overall team points for the girls.” Ania now owns four pool records and four school records. She swam the 200 IM in two minutes, 15.52 seconds, topping the mark from 2010 by nearly three seconds. Her performance in the 100 free was even more impressive, shattering the 1995 record of 56.13 by touching the wall in 54.68.
More record-setting results for Wenjun “Happy” Chang ’18 Just like a year ago, it took Wenjun “Happy” Chang ’18 all of one meet to add his name to the Wilbraham & Monson Academy record books — again. In the season opener for the WMA Swim team, Happy established a mark in the 100-yard butterfly, touching the wall in 53.42 seconds in a meet against Kingswood Oxford School. “It was OK, pretty good,” Happy said. “It’s a good time but I know I can do better if I improve my turn, definitely by a half second. I’m capable of breaking the school record so I will try to do it next time.” Happy smashed the pool mark of 55.07. He narrowly missed the school record of 53.08, which he set at the New England Prep School Division III Championships in March 2017.
Dan Wesson ’18 on the road to success There are a lot of different levels in the world of car racing, and Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s Dan Wesson ’18 is on the cusp of going to the next level. After placing second in a season-long series at a local track, along with competing in one of the biggest races in the region, Dan traveled to North Carolina to showcase what he can do in a full-fender car.
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“I tested very well and I think that can open some doors,” said Dan, who drove, specifically, a super light model in North Carolina. “I think I can make a career out of this, if the stars and moon align. It’s a long shot but it’s possible. If I get an opportunity to come my way, eventually I could make my way up to NASCAR.” Dan enjoyed another strong year at Stafford Motor Speedway, placing
second in the SK Light Division, which is an open age group. In his 18 races, he finished in the top 10 14 times, including two checkered flag performances. Nationally, Dan ranked #13 in the 14–17 age group of the University of Northern Ohio Points Series, which tabulates various races from throughout the country.
Nate Towle ’18 chosen for Elite football game Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s Nate Towle ’18 was given the opportunity to strap on his Titans’ football helmet one more time. Nate, a four-year player for WMA, was invited to represent the United States as a member of the American Football Worldwide Elite High School Senior Select Team in a game overseas in the spring of 2018. “I was surprised,” said Nate, who received his invitation Nov. 29. “I didn’t know there was a team like that. At first I thought it might be a camp thing or a gimmick, but then I looked into it and it was a legit thing. I was pretty excited to be given the opportunity to do something like that.” The USA-AFW offered two trips to Europe, with a game in Ireland March 31 and a contest in Italy April 7. Nate, a 6-foot guard and linebacker, served as captain for the Titans. He received the team’s MVP Award.
Gene Kang ’20 continues to rise in archery world If Wilbraham & Monson Academy had an archery team, it’s pretty clear who the Titans’ top shooter would be. Gene Kang ’20 placed first in four of his seven competitions since the beginning of his season in October. In one event that he didn’t win, he was lined up with the best shooters in the country, all vying for a spot on the junior national team. Gene placed 14th in mid-December at the Youth Team Trials in Florida. “It was great to go to the training center,” Gene said. “I didn’t shoot well but it was a good experience to shoot next to the best of the best in that division.” Prior to the national event, Gene was often the best of the best. Gene started his season with wins at the Bay Path Tournament Oct. 15 and the New England Warm-Up Nov. 5, before placing second at the Lunenburg Tournament Nov. 12. Gene then won the Massachusetts State Junior Olympic Archery Development Championships Dec. 2 and finished second at another one of the New England Warm-Up meets Dec. 3. Gene repeated as the champion of the JOAD event. More than 160 competitors participated at the event in Hudson, Massachusetts.
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departments: Titans Victorious
Riflery posts back-to-back undefeated, championship seasons Make room for another riflery banner in the gym. For the second year in a row the Wilbraham & Monson Academy Riflery team won the Connecticut High School League Shoot-Off, topping four other teams at Blue Trail Range in Connecticut Feb. 21. The Academy posted a score of 961 (of 1,000), winning the championship event by five points. “The team was incredible,” Coach Bill Passy said. “As the stage got bigger throughout the year, their performance got better.” The back-to-back undefeated championship seasons, though, came under different circumstances. Last season, WMA was an up-and-coming team, going decades without a league title. For the 2017–18 championship event, however, the Titans were the favorite. “To validate what we did last year was important to us as a group,” Coach Passy explained. “We wanted to show that we weren’t just a one-trick pony. I don’t think there’s any question now about how good this team is.” And the Titans proved they weren’t a one-person team either. Yes, Dan Wesson ’18, once again led WMA, scoring a 195 (of 200). The next two shooters, though, tipped the championship
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WMA’s way. Nick Spellman ’19 matched Dan with a 195, giving the Titans a powerful 1-2 punch at the top. Then, Sara Labbe ’19 stepped up, shooting a career-best 191. Zihan “Leo” Liu ’18 (191) and Pin Hsin “Irene” Fang ’18 (189) completed the Academy’s top five. “The depth of this roster has been great for two years now,” Coach Passy said. “It’s always someone different stepping up for us. It’s fun to watch them perform and see the smiles on their faces when they’ve done well.” Remarkably, WMA pushed its winning streak to 16 matches, with seniors Ben Bicknell, Michael Carson, Yitian “Janice” Zha, Dan, Leo and Irene going out on top. “We want people to know that WMA has a riflery team,” Coach Passy expressed. “The kids work hard, they’re committed, they are well trained and respect the sport. The sport is safe, the kids are great, and the school should be very proud of them.” Xavier High School placed second with 956 points, followed by Suffield Academy (953), Bunnell High School (943) and North Haven High School (938). Other than WMA, all of the schools are from Connecticut.
John Adams ’20 making a splash in Water Polo Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s John Adams ’20 has accomplished something no student in the history of the school has ever done. At school meeting on Jan. 11, with the entire school in attendance, John was recognized for his remarkable achievement of becoming the first Water Polo player to score more than 100 goals in his first two seasons. “I was surprised,” John said. “I knew how many I scored last year but I didn’t know my amount this year. It never got brought up until today. I was surprised and didn’t know
I had 133 goals in two seasons. I was honored and happy. I’m looking forward to next season as well.” Flanked by Coach Steve Gray ’70W and Assistant Coach Patrick McCormack, John received a water polo ball, marked with the game and date of when he recorded his 100th career goal. “John is a great example of the classic water polo player: tall, athletic, strong, competitive and knowledgeable,” Coach Gray said. “In his first two years playing this sport, he has progressed amazingly well. His skills have developed exponentially, so much so that his abilities have been recognized regularly by both the opposing coaches and game officials. It is a truly awesome sight to see John having two defenders hanging on him, turn them, face the goal and score with impunity.” John, a 6-foot-7 left-handed player, netted 73 goals this season after scoring 60 goals as a freshman. He joined Ben Marcus ’11, Jason Bois ’91 and Austin Fabbo ’15 in the 100-goal club. Ben tops WMA’s all-time list with 236 goals.
John Adams ’20 scored his 100th career goal, joining only three others in program history.
Blake Ulmer ’19 saving his best for WMA lacrosse When Blake Ulmer ’19 heard he was the top-ranked high school boys’ lacrosse goalie in the country in his class, he thought one of his new Wilbraham & Monson Academy teammates was messing with him. Nope, it was the truth. Blake, a first-year WMA student, was named the #1 goalie for the Class of 2019 by Inside Lacrosse in late August. “I was with John Wright ’19 and he was going through the rankings,” Blake recalled. “I thought he was messing with me at first. He said, ‘Oh, number one, Blake Ulmer.’ Then he said he was serious and showed me. I was in shock but it shows all my hard work has paid off.” Blake comes from a family of goalies, with his dad and older brother both playing the position for their careers, which included suiting up for Syracuse University. Blake has verbally committed to play for the Orangemen.
departments: Titans Victorious
Fall 2017 Athletics Highlights The Fall 2017 season brought about exciting moments and memories for the Academy’s eight varsity teams. Highlights included strong individual seasons by Andrew Nagle ’18 and An’Janae Washington ’19 — efforts that helped the Boys’ and Girls’ Cross Country teams to some of their best finishes in recent years — and Water Polo standout John Adams ’20 surpassing an individual milestone reached only three times in program history. boys’ cross country
boys’ soccer
Varsity season record: 5–2 Captains: SangHyun “Sam” Seong ’18, Andrew Nagle ’18, Adam Kugelmass ’19 Highlights: Won Marianapolis Invitational and had top 10s at Canterbury Invitational (third place) and New England Division III Championships (eighth); Nagle set course record and was program’s first All-New England finisher in seven years.
Varsity season record: 5–9–4 Captains: Christian Mercadante ’18, Macauley Rouette ’18, Ties van Haastrecht ’18 Highlights: Posted four shutouts during an eight-game stretch in which it lost only one game; Rouette was named to the Massachusetts All-State Soccer Team by the Massachusetts State Soccer Coaches Association.
girls’ cross country
girls’ soccer
field hockey
girls’ volleyball
Varsity season record: 3–4 Captains: Olivia DeBaise ’18, Clara Harrington ’18 Highlights: Third place at Canterbury Invitational; An’Janae Washington ’19 finished seventh at New Englands, qualifying for All-New Englands.
Varsity season record: 5–9–2 Captains: Zoe Bloomfield ’18, Alex Garrison ’18, Emma Stoll ’18 Highlights: Three players named to National All-Academic team; beat Vermont Academy, 7–0, in finale.
football
Varsity season record: 1–7 Captains: Nate Towle ’18, John Wright ’19 Highlight: Young team defeated Westminster in season finale.
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Varsity season record: 3–13–1 Captains: Maia Hutcheson-Jones ’19, Maria Baltazar ’19 Highlights: Beat division rivals Berkshire and Cheshire; four Grade 9 and three Grade 10 starters on team without a Grade 12 player.
Varsity season record: 10–7 Captains: Jade Chlapowski ’18, Kayla Mokwuah ’18, Selen Ekinci ’19 Highlights: Five-set win over Kingswood Oxford to open season; Chlapowski named to New England Prep School Fall Girls’ Volleyball Association Class B First Team.
water polo
Varsity season record: 8–5 Captain: Alex Ravelli ’18 Highlights: Beat Williston for first time in three years; beat Canterbury by one, a week after losing by more than 20; John Adams ’20 became fourth in program history to score 100 goals.
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8 1 Field hockey players Emma Stoll ’18 and Alex Garrison ’18. 2 All-New England runner An’Janae “AJ” Washington ’19 finished seventh at the New England Championships. 3 Matt Shaw ’20 was a big reason the Titans enjoyed a strong finish to the 2017 season. 4 Andrew Nagle ’18 set the course record and posted a top-10 finish at the New England Championships. 5 John Adams ’20 has scored more than 100 goals in just two seasons. 6 The Titans’ defense swarms a Westminster player during a season-ending victory. 7 Maia Hutcheson-Jones ’19 helped lead a very young Girls’ Varsity Soccer team. 8 Kayla Mokwuah ’18 was an important reason the Titans won 10 matches.
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departments: campus events
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5 1 Director of the Middle School Stuart Whitcomb leads students to the Matriculation Ceremony. 2 All first-year students make their way to the Matriculation Ceremony to sign the Matriculation book. 3 An Chuc “Ann” Tran ’21 signs the Matriculation book. 4 Head of School Brian Easler welcomes Connor DeAngelis ’21 to WMA. 5 Sarah Ragnauth ’18 and English Department faculty member Royale McCormack show their Titan Pride at Orientation. 6 Aidan Esposito ’23 signs the Matriculation book. 7 Alexa Lafond ’18 and Maia Hutcheson-Jones ’19 perform at Convocation. 8 Pierry Joseph ’19 is followed by many other new Titans during the procession to Matriculation. 9 Mr. Easler socializes with parents of new international students. 10 Students enjoy a water balloon toss as an activity for Orientation. 11 A group of students strike a pose after playing a game at Orientation. 12 A group of happy students pose for a picture after going down the giant slip ’n slide. 13 WMA Faculty make their way to Convocation. 14 Soo Young “Harry” Park ’18 addresses faculty, students and parents at Convocation. 15 With Rich Hall as a backdrop, the WMA Community enjoyed a late afternoon cookout during Opening of School Weekend.
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by stacy dacruz sosa ’06 Assistant Director of Admission
Matriculation Address Good afternoon everyone and welcome. My name is Stacy DaCruz Sosa and I am WMA Class of 2006. I started my journey here as a day student freshman and had the same hesitations that many of you are probably having now: ‘I don’t want to leave home; I don’t want to leave my friends.’ The first day of school, I remember crying in the car with my mother, hating her for making me come here. But, that only happened one time. For the next four years, I basically loitered around this campus. I was a day student that never went home. I’d get here at 7 in the morning and wouldn’t leave until 7 at night. I met so many wonderful people here and became so involved. It was crazy how quickly my feelings changed. Sure, there were times of transition that were difficult — like when I found out my first class as a high schooler was in the middle school with a 10 year old. But there I learned very quickly what my mother was paying all this money for. The kids here were smart! Not only were they smart, but they were responsible. They stuck to routine and pushed to be successful. They came from different parts of the world and brought so many different stories to the community that made this place even more special. And just when you think it can’t get any better, you look around and everybody looks good! So of course, I wanted to be a part of that and I’m so glad that I did. I learned so much through my classes, my peers, sports and staff. I did a lot of growing up here and spent four of the best years of my life with some of the best people I’ve ever met.
“ . . . take full advantage of the opportunity your parents have given you to come to school here. You probably won’t realize it until you’re gone, but this place will have an impact on you for the better.” stacy dacruz sosa ’06 This school is like a family. I’m 30 years old and still have the same love for this place that I did when I was 14. I work here now because of my WMA family. I grew up to be a pretty good person, I’d like to think, and again, it’s because of my WMA family. So please do me a favor and take full advantage of the opportunity your parents have given you to come to school here. You probably won’t realize it until you’re gone, but this place will have an impact on you for the better. Now go and learn as much as you can and if any of you ever need anything you are welcome to visit me in the Admission Office . . . because that’s what we do here. You’re part of something bigger than you know, just wait and see. Good luck and I look forward to hearing about all your successes.
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departments: campus events
Family Weekend 2017 1
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1 Parents enjoy a Family Weekend dinner and watch the Flag Ceremony. 2 Sydney Caro ’20 hustles to win the ball back from Canterbury. 3 Ryan McCormick ’21 competed in a cross country meet against Minnechaug. 4 Corbyn Kelley ’19 high-fives Macauley Rouette ’18 after scoring a goal. 5 Clara Harrington ’18 and Mr. Harrington ’73 pose for a picture after Clara completed her cross country race. 6 Academy Singers performed for many families during the Family Weekend Concert. 7 An’Janae “AJ” Washington ’19 and her mom posed for a picture after her cross country meet. 8 The Varsity Football team lined up against Family Weekend opponent Canterbury School. 9 Julia Pelletier ’21, Victoria Hintlian ’19 and Ashley Ambrosino ’20 head for the ball during game action. 10 Mr. Seibold’s Titan Jazz Ensemble performed for families at the Flag Ceremony and Family Weekend Concert. 11 Boys’ Junior Varsity Soccer gets ready to attack an oncoming ball. 12 Proud parents Maria Etti and Isabel Puppolo enjoyed social time. 13 The Girls’ Varsity Volleyball team took on rival Williston Northampton School.
Harvest Homecoming 2017 1 1 Ben Johnson ’21 moves in during Boys’ Junior Varsity Soccer action. 2 Jack Baker ’18, Clara Harrington ’18 and Rachel Wilson ’18 are all smiles. 3 David and Jill Nagle are proud WMA parents of Peter ’14, Andrew ’18 and Emily ’18. 4 An’Janae “AJ” Washington ’19 (center) with brother Jordan Almore, father James Washington, best friends Brianna Metellus and David Perez, and dog Diesel. 5 Andrew Nagle ’18, Adam Kugelmass ’19 and members of the WMA Boys’ Cross Country team lead the way at the start of a race. 6 Abigail Lacey ’19 and her mother, Nancy Lacey, share a happy moment. 7 Dawn Hines, Director of Alumni Relations, served as the prize patrol captain handing out raffle prizes and WMA gear to students, parents, alumni and friends. 8 The WMA community cheered on the Titans at the WMA Girls’ Varsity Soccer match. 9 The Girls’ Varsity Soccer team celebrated their 3-0 win over Cushing. 10 Andrew “A.J.” Korytoski ’00 and former CEGS Chair and faculty member Gina Markowski Korytoski were back on campus with son Luke. 11 Matt Shaw ’20 outraces defenders during the Boys’ Varsity Soccer game 12 The Girls’ Varsity Volleyball team rose to the challenge during its home match. 13 The Girls’ Junior Varsity Volleyball team shares a Titans moment.
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Alumni Memorial Chapel and Gill Memorial Library will be focal points of the early stages of WMA’s 30-Year Master Plan.
feature story: WHERE WE’RE GOING
THE WILBRAHAM & MONSON ACADEMY
MASTER PLAN Strengthening Who We Are and What We Value By Brian P. Easler, Head of School
Wilbraham & Monson Academy is embarking on a journey to re-envision our campus and upgrade facilities. The initiative is as big-picture as it is practical: A 30-year plan reflecting our enduring tradition of transformative learning and commitment to community engagement and financial sustainability. Weaving past and future,
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feature story: WHERE WE’RE GOING
Thirty years is a long time, we realize, and much could change, but it is critical to make intentional short-term decisions within the context of a long-term strategy. That is why the plan is also woven with maximum flexibility of priority and sequence, so that we can respond to changing times while staying the course. Approved in February by the Board of Trustees, we could not be more proud and excited to present you with the new WMA Master Plan. he confident and assertive tone should not distract people T from the momentous challenge that lies ahead of us. We will all need to work together to make this plan happen, steadfast and committed yet flexible. My confidence, undeniable and unwavering, stems from my sincere belief that we will succeed. brian easler, head of school As you have read in the previous few Academy World magazines, the Master Plan is the culmination of a year of challenging and introspective work. It has been developed at every step by a devoted coterie of students, staff, families, alumni and Flansburgh Architects, whose specialty is educational institutions. Our facilities road map focuses on “inward expansion” — consolidating our large, spread-out campus around a core of buildings that will create a quintessential New England campus quad and a central green space, while better supporting the rich programmatic offerings that parents, students and alumni have come to expect. The result creates energy, visual unity and true physical community. The Master Plan represents tradition and change, as well as innovation and dedication to our core principles. Once accomplished, it will create symmetry around Rich Hall — giving it focus and a sense of presence — and a campus identity befitting WMA’s vision and vitality. The buildings and the new campus arrangement right will communicate our powerful The 30-Year Master Plan will community ethos, forward-looking transform the area of drive, pride and solid financial campus on the east side of Main Street to become “a stewardship. Just as the master quintessential New England planning process was a collaborative campus quad and a central effort, the full support of the WMA green space,” according to family is needed to make this vision Head of School Brian Easler. a reality. The focus of the Master Plan is the future, but it has been created with a healthy dose of current reality. Despite two decades of significant cultural, program quality and facilities advancements at Wilbraham & Monson Academy, the school continues to lag considerably behind most of the competition in areas of real and perceived comparative facilities quality such as visible deferred maintenance and insufficient space
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Campus Master Plan Guiding Objectives Community Facilities
Residential Facilities
Academics & Arts Facilities
Facility Reorganization
• Create an auditorium space in which the entire school can meet together for community-building assemblies, events and performances.
• Consolidate student housing in close proximity to food service.
• Right-size the classrooms and the overall square footage so that academic departments can more effectively accomplish our mission of teaching and learning.
• Create a sense of campus cohesion and identity.
• Incorporate intentional community spaces throughout the campus, within which our student and adult community can study, converse, debate, relax and learn together outside of classrooms.
• Decrease the population of Rich Hall and right-size the accommodations to match the capabilities of the building. • Incorporate the most desirable faculty housing on campus into the dorms, so that faculty and families are blended willingly within our residential community. • Provide on-campus housing accommodations for 85 percent of faculty to balance residential duties, and leverage attraction and retention of quality teachers.
• Reorganize academic facilities so that there is congruence in the proximity of programs to co-curricular resources.
• Manage the interplay with Main Street by consolidating more of the campus facilities on the east side. • Design traffic and parking alternatives to alleviate vehicular congestion and push to perimeter. • New athletic fields to replace Winchester, Harrell and the practice field behind Smith Hall, which will be used for construction of new facilities.
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feature story: WHERE WE’RE GOING
to fully meet program needs. This discordance with market expectations distracts potential families from awareness of what an amazing experience exists within the historic walls of WMA. We need to eliminate this distraction and bring the WMA campus in line with its extraordinary program. We have made considerable progress with our refocus of the Atlas Fund away from operating expenses and toward capital improvement, as well as steadily rising quantitative program quality indicators. Analysis of our application crossover list reveals that we have slowly and steadily climbed from a mid-level market position in one school cohort to the bottom of the next higher cohort. While this improvement in market position is extremely positive, it puts WMA in a much more challenging cohort position because now we are competing from the bottom of a dramatically stronger set of peers who have resources far exceeding ours. It also coincides with the timing of rapidly declining national birth rates and waning international enrollment, which will reduce the market for all schools. We need to catch up, and the competition does not wait. This is a challenging set of goals, but it also represents an amazing opportunity for us to redefine the WMA experience and how the physical campus not only reinforces who we are — but accentuates it. This is the plan that will get us to where we need to be: a The Chapel, which we currently use as an inadequately-sized school meeting space, will be elegantly renovated back to its former glory with exposed cathedral ceiling trusses and stained glass dormers. The stately room, in combination with the current library space, will provide a stunning and traditional dining experience as the new dining commons, complete with new attached state-of-the-art kitchen and serving facilities. b A new library, connected and architecturally blended to the existing one and adjacent Smith Hall, will place student study and research space closer to food service, hide the new kitchen from view of the quad and keep academic study space in close proximity to refreshments.
right A diagram of a “First Level Plan” as it is expected to look upon completion of the 30-Year Master Plan.
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Moving the dining hall to the east side of Main Street and creating a dining commons will position food service more central to residential facilities, will drastically reduce the number of times students must cross Main Street and will bring the most beautiful building on campus into daily use by the community. c The current dining hall will be retrofitted as a modular and flexible school assembly and performance space and will be
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outfitted with riser seating and theatrical lighting and sound. The large open room, with no pillars and wonderful natural light, is already climate-controlled and will easily accommodate the entire school. This location will also allow the new performance space to be utilized during all weekly class periods for both Upper and Middle School as a music practice and performance space to greatly enhance the current singular music classroom. d Two new dormitories, set across the quad from Rich Hall, will bring all student residential facilities together around the community space of the quad and the dining commons. Each dormitory will house 4–5 smartly appointed new faculty apartments, increasing the connection between residential students and faculty. One dormitory will provide housing swing space for the multiyear interior renovation of Rich Hall, and then will serve to reduce the capacity of Rich Hall to more appropriate occupancy and conditions. d1 The other dormitory will allow us to move the girls from Wallace Blake dormitory, currently on the far edge of campus, into the center of the community and adjacent to food service, and then we will renovate Wallace Blake into desperately needed faculty housing units. e The reduction of student capacity in Rich Hall will enable the reinstallation of the grand lobby staircase, removed in the 1950s, and to move the lobby spaces on each dorm floor to the east side of the hallways where they will overlook the campus quad. f All existing academic buildings will be renovated and updated to include a ground-floor community space/lobby for students and faculty to discuss issues, exchange ideas and connect in a comfortable academic setting. Classrooms will be added to repurposed space and academic square footage will be reflective of our size and mission. g Two new academic buildings, bordering the north side of the quad and directly across from the new dining commons, will provide exciting new program and community spaces for us to better accomplish our mission and open up additional academic space in our existing and historic academic buildings. These new buildings would house a state-of-the-art auditorium, nestled together with new teaching and performance spaces for fine and performing arts, and a program center for the WMA Diplomacy program. h Because the auditorium and arts building would occupy the south end of Winchester Field on Main Street, we would relocate that field space to the other side of Main Street, moving it closer to the other athletic facilities on the west side
administration commons performing arts visual arts academic residential facilities & utility
H
H
C
E
A
B G
D D F
D1
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WMA students, seen here with David Croteau, Principal and President of Flansburgh Architects and Madeleine Le of Flansburgh Architects, were among a wide variety of participants involed in feedback sessions during the development stages of the 30-year Master Plan.
Right-Sized Renovations • Academic areas, which have a surprisingly small footprint given our total student body, will realize a 35-percent increase, promoting the vibrant student-faculty interactions that set WMA apart. Today’s classrooms—insufficient, crowded and outmoded—will be transformed to optimally serve our community. Classroom space flexibility will maximize the effectiveness of different learning opportunities.
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• Community common areas, a significant deficit in our current footprint, will increase by 500 percent, giving students and faculty space to mingle, share ideas and exchange expertise. • Renovations in Rich, Smith, Binney and Fisk halls and Old Academy will expand and enhance study and community space in all campus corners. • Two new student dormitories, increasing student residential space by a much-needed 27 percent,
will consolidate housing near the Dining Hall and strengthen the sense of family. Female student housing will be situated closer to campus center. Residential rooms will be right-sized for 21st century living. • One of the newly-constructed dorms will free up residential space in Rich Hall, increasing faculty housing and enabling further renovations there. Adding contemporary faculty housing will
boost recruitment and retention of high-quality faculty. Having families and children of all ages interacting on campus, especially in the dormitories, will infuse liveliness and an even stronger sense of family into the WMA community. • Underutilized green space will be converted into a multiuse quad, giving the campus an exciting collegiate feel.
of campus. Hugh Harrell Field would also be relocated to the west, and that current location would be used to move our maintenance facility from the center of campus to the eastern edge.
All of these changes would have a significant, positive impact on vehicular and pedestrian traffic patterns on campus, and the look and feel of our physical space would be more congruent with the community and the WMA values of student-adult connectedness we all cherish. The first phase of the Master Plan, as approved by the Board, will focus on construction of the new kitchen and
serving facility and the new library on the backside of the chapel, and the renovation/repurposing necessary to swap the current chapel/library with the dining hall. This one phase will result in greatly improved daily dining and community assembly experiences for all students, significant improvement of the music program, safer pedestrian traffic patterns and remarkable blending of better utilization of existing and updated spaces with the promise of new. This is the future face of WMA and, with your help, we look forward to seeing it smile on you with pride and distinction.
below The campus, upon completion of the Master Plan, will be segmented into five major zones. A “shared” zone will create a true center of campus.
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departments: Diplomacy at WMA
By MEG LENIHAN HUTCHESON Dean of Curriculum
Why Diplomacy? “Diplomacy is the next natural evolution of our mission to develop challenge-seeking citizens and leaders of an evolving world. We already help our students become infused with an entrepreneurial and innovative spirit and we help them understand how the world works through the lens of economics . . . but we must also help them develop the ability to work with Students engage, through classroom work, in diplomacy curriculum as part of WMA’s Center for Entrepreneurship & Global Studies.
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people, diplomatically, who may or may not share their views.” brian easler, head of school
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Two years ago, Head of School Brian Easler presented to the Administrative Team his goals to develop a diplomacy strand for WMA; something he felt was needed as the natural next step in our global programming. Dean of Faculty Walter Swanson, Dean of Studies Erik Kindblom and I researched diplomacy programs at the university level, and collaborated on a program that would be gradually rolled out during the next several years. “We have been introducing this new strand slowly and thoughtfully to avoid tapping other program areas of valuable resources, including student availability,” Mr. Easler said. “For a small school, we already offer a lot. Growing the diplomacy program will be a prudent and intentional process.”
Year 1 of Diplomacy: ‘Getting to Yes’
Last fall, we launched our diplomacy strand. To begin this new phase of our global programming — which dovetails nicely with the entrepreneurship and innovation tracks — WMA adopted an approach that would serve the entire community. The all-school summer reading text was “Getting to Yes,” a primer in many negotiation and diplomacy courses, to introduce the community — students and teachers alike — to the concepts involved in effective negotiation. Nearly each
getting to yes: brief overview
week, students have been engaged in negotiation simulations during our Thursday sit-down lunch. Topics started out with hypothetical conflicts that were fun and easy to resolve, so that students would gain some experience in the frameworks for diplomacy. However, topics gradually moved into more political and socially complex situations. Mr. Swanson and CEGS Department faculty member Michael Dziura created the topics and scenarios each week and, during the last few months, the WMA community discussed and explored the following:
Method 1. Separate people from the problem 2. Focus on interests, not positions 3. Generate options for mutual gain 4. Insist on objective criteria
1. Separate the people from the problem The purpose of this step is to recognize that emotions and egos can become entangled with the problem in negotiations, and that this will adversely affect your ability to see the other party’s position clearly. This results in adversarial rather than cooperative interactions. This step involves: • Clarifying perceptions
• Dorm roommates negotiating a lights out policy
• Recognizing and legitimizing emotions
• A student wishing to revisit a grading policy with a
• Communicating clearly
WMA teacher • Sports and concussion rate policy for a hypothetical school • Mandatory military service for U.S. citizens • The NFL policy for debate over protesting the
national anthem
Diplomacy Across the Curriculum
In addition to the community program, the Center for Entrepreneurial & Global Studies Department has included more negotiation and diplomacy units within the Global Studies curricula. In Global Studies 1, Dean of Students Elizabeth Fontaine Squindo and faculty member Sommer Mahoney ’11 created three hypothetical negotiation exercises to introduce the foundations of diplomacy for students. In September, students in Global Studies 1 had to negotiate and reach a conclusion as to when Hominids became human. In December, the simulation became a bit more complex, and students were asked to play the role of a leader of the ancient world, using diplomacy and compromise to create a policy for stopping the spread of the Black Plague. In the spring, students put their growing diplomacy skills to the test and negotiated a peace strategy for World War II. In Global Studies 2 courses, students engaged in a weeklong negotiations unit centered on the Rwandan genocide. All Grade 10 students researched and wrote policy briefs, an addition to the existing Chemistry and Global Studies 2 interdisciplinary design-thinking projects. Mr. Dziura, also WMA’s AP Seminar instructor, changed the content of his course this year to focus on major diplomatic situations of the 20th century. He adopted Henry Kissinger’s text “World Order,” which students read over the summer to
2. Focus on interests, not positions In this step, there is exploration of the true interests underlying the positions of each side, rather than a focus on the superficial positions with which parties come to the table. The initial positions presented may obscure what the parties really want. It is essential to: • Ask questions to explore interests • Talk about your own interests
3. Generate options for mutual gain In this step, parties set aside time together to generate alternative candidate solutions. The idea is that parties contribute together creatively to generate possibilities for mutual gain. This step involves: • Brainstorming • Broadening options • Looking for mutual gain • Making their decision easy
4. Insist on using objective criteria The final step is to use mutually agreed and objective criteria for evaluating the candidate solutions. During this stage, they encourage openness and surrender to principle not pressure. This step involves: • Fair standards • Fair procedures
(Content Adapted from WikiSummaries)
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example of a sit-down lunch scenario Jennifer and Xi are new roommates living in the girls’ dormitory in their first year of boarding school. For the first week of school, everything went well. Yet, as classes have begun and the work is piling up, they are beginning to get annoyed with each other. Jennifer likes to go to bed early and gets angry when she hears Xi talking to her parents back home late, after lights out. Jennifer likes to listen to music while she studies, but Xi doesn’t appreciate the type of music Jennifer enjoys. Additionally, the music distracts Xi from the goal of doing her homework. She continually asks Jennifer to turn down the music. Xi is very organized with her books and schoolwork, but her room is always a mess and her clothes are scattered about. Jennifer also recently used one of Xi’s shirts she found on the floor. Xi was not happy about this, but did not say anything. On Tuesday, Jennifer had a test and needed to stay up late to study during the time Xi talks to her parents. On Friday, Xi’s friends from her soccer team visited her room to hang out. They were quite loud and Jennifer was unable to do her work. Jennifer felt that she was unwanted in her own room, could not understand what the girls were saying and left the room angry. Rather than voice their frustration with each other, they are trying to be polite. Yet, they are really quite annoyed, not sleeping well and finding the other’s presence generally frustrating. A dorm parent notices the tension between them and asks them to talk about their frustrations with the hopes of finding a resolution. For the exercise: The table is divided into two groups (representing Jennifer and Xi) to facilitate the conversation/roommate negotiation with the aim of finding agreed upon ways to successfully live together. Faculty/staff members facilitate the conversation following the four-step method: 1. Separate people from the problem 2. Focus on interests, not positions 3. Generate options for mutual gain 4. Insist on objective criteria
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serve as the starting point for studying negotiation, diplomacy and politics. Finally, a new course was added this winter. Diplomacy Seminar: Climate Change is a 10-week elective run by CEGS Department Chair Anthony Kandel, Ph.D. Students looked at diplomacy skills through the lens of global climate change, writing policy papers and using debate exercises to create resolutions.
“The key is to prepare students to understand as much as they can about the other side before the simulation starts, then they work to understand more during the negotiation process.” Sommer Mahoney ’11, CEGS Faculty member Ashley Bradway ’18, who enrolled in the course and is very interested in a career in diplomacy, said: “What I most liked about the Diplomacy Seminar course was its relevance. We were learning about real world events, as they were developing in real time, so we could better understand the world and what was going on around us. The lesson that stands out to me most from this course was our discussion on tact. I had not realized how intricate the art of negotiation was. Any good negotiator needs tact, which is essentially a social consciousness to deal with parties of different interests. It was also interesting to compare the tact (and lack thereof) in current political leaders, and speculate as to how tact affected their success in pushing their agendas.”
Debate vs. Diplomacy: Teaching Students to Reach Mutual Gain
One of the major goals of introducing diplomacy to Upper School students is to help them understand the critical thinking and rhetorical skills needed to reach mutual gain. An essential objective is to teach students the difference between debate and diplomacy. WMA’s Global Studies 1 faculty members have incorporated negotiation into an applicable academic experience. Ms. Mahoney and Ms. Squindo collaborated this year to develop three historical simulations where students take on the role of world leaders to negotiate policy and reach conclusions to pressing world matters. “The key is to prepare students to understand as much as they can about the other side before the simulation starts, then they work to understand more during the negotiation
process. Without such preparation and perspective, students rely only on their own interests and there is limited availability for mutual gain. Such preparation steers kids away from the idea that they need to debate as hard as they can to ‘win.’ During negotiation, all sides can win,” Ms. Mahoney said. Grace Dineen ’21, who participated in the first two Global Studies 1 and sit-down lunch scenarios, shared: “In the Global Studies 1 negotiation simulation in December, I was Beki. What I learned was that in a negotiation you will be more successful if you ask questions and listen to everyone talking. If you take in what everyone has to say it will be easier to find common ground and come up with a compromise without a lot of disagreement.” Fellow Global Studies 1 student Giovanni Biondo ’21 agreed: “With the Black Plague negotiation, I was Genghis Khan and it was a really exciting and fun activity. Not only did we have heated discussions, but we learned what empires were really affected by the Black Plague and how we, as the leaders, were going to negotiate so our empires could last longer.”
Plans for Year 2
Plans are in place for our second year of the diplomacy strand, with more additions to come. A yearlong honors level Government and Diplomacy course will be added this fall to the CEGS curriculum, and faculty will continue to develop more negotiation simulation units in Global Studies 1 and Global Studies 2 courses. We are also exploring and developing unit plans that offer students more crisis simulations scenarios. The Middle School is exploring a possible mini-Model United Nations or Model Congress experience, with the addition of a one-day workshop on negotiation skill development. Annually, the WMA Crossing Borders Global Day is full of workshops on topics to enhance students’ global awareness, and as we move forward with that program, more negotiation and diplomacy topics will be added. This spring’s theme was empathy, and as we all know, diplomacy cannot occur without a healthy dose of empathy, which is what is really required in working toward the mutual gain of all.
WMA students participate in Crossing Borders Global Day, a diplomacy-themed workshop day that addresses a variety of current events and hot topics.
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Alumni in Action: CJ WOLOSHCHUK ’13
By RUSS HELD Director of Electronic Communications
Seeing the Worst Brings Out the Best in CJ Woloshchuk ’13
“The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.” Nelson Henderson CJ Woloshchuk ’13 has always had something about her.
above CJ Woloshchuk ’13
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And that something often means everything to others. “I’m able to help people who are at a loss for their lives,” Ms. Woloshchuk said. “They are — helpless, hopeless and vulnerable — not in control. I’m there to help them get back to where they want to be in life.” Ms. Woloshchuk began the year as a qualified mental health crisis specialist (QMHP-CS) for the Mental Health Authority of El Paso (Texas), an opportunity and challenge without shortage of intensity and need for unconditional patience. “I see a lot of people at their worst, I’m often in the middle of crisis situations,” Ms. Woloshchuk said. “I don’t Massachusetts said. “And I was still getting straight A’s; I was always see the end product, see how or where people end never challenged even with all that. It was a big reason I ended up in life . . . they want to move on. And that’s actually what up at WMA.” I want for them, as long as they are moving in the Ms. Woloshchuk spent three years as a day student at right direction.” WMA, thriving with academics and with interests that included And that’s OK with Ms. Woloshchuk. yearbook (editor), photography, tennis, swimming and travel “I plant the seeds,” Ms. Woloshchuk said. “I provide them with (to Italy). support and structure, but it is on them to grow and flourish.” “I went from a small town, that wasn’t very diverse, to a Ms. Woloshchuk’s budding career in the medical and mental place where you’re meeting people from all over the world,” health fields includes applying this spring to graduate schools, with dreams of practicing medicine as an MD or PhD. Ms. Woloshchuk said. “It was a far better education and it really set me on the right path. I know that WMA gave me the But her start was anything but textbook. tools and opportunity to get to where I am now.” “I had some kind of autoimmune disease when I was 13, and Already, her research and work has landed in five publications, it was really bad for 1½ years,” Ms. Woloshchuk said. “I spent “most of which was based off drug use and how that changes a lot of time in the hospital. And no one ever really figured the brain.” Her most noteworthy, Ms. Woloshchuk said, is out what it was. They thought it might be Lupus, but it wasn’t. “Effects of 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone Pre-Exposure on It wasn’t until after high school that my blood work came the Aversive Effects of MDPV, Cocaine and LiCl: Implications back normal.” for Abuse Vulnerability.” Here, the seeds of her career aspirations were planted. “I was first author and led the project as an undergraduate, “That sparked my initial interest in medicine,” she said. which is rare,” she said of the psychopharmacology laboratory “The fact that they didn’t know what I had or what it was . . . work on drug and alcohol dependence. it really started me on that track.” Her undergraduate work took her through American The mystery also re-routed her path to and through University, where she made the dean’s list and graduated in 2017 Wilbraham & Monson Academy. with a major in psychology and minor in biology. “I was in a public school system and I missed a lot of time; “The majority of what I did in college at American University I went to school maybe one day a week,” the native of Monson,
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is what I do now,” Ms. Woloshchuk said. “I worked in research labs, we used animal models of drug addiction . . . it all narrowed down my interests to substance abuse disorders.” At American, Ms. Woloshchuk was very involved as a student advocate and student resource for victims of sexual abuse, assault and violence. And there’s an ongoing need for awareness and education of it. “Everything out in the news has helped with increasing awareness and some momentum,” Ms. Woloshchuk said. “It has really made people stop and think about it. But for me, it’s about being an ally for whatever they need. My role for that is, first and foremost, to ensure that the survivor’s voice is being heard. This is something I hold close to my heart.” Ms. Woloshchuk said the field requires patience and energy, as well as understanding your own boundaries. Her WMA advisor, Paul Bloomfield, recalled a high school student with exactly that. “She was patient with her peers, her academic challenges and was always willing to put in the extra effort to improve herself at WMA,” said the Chair of the Fine & Performing Arts Department, who also recognized then her openmindedness and mature attitude. “I’ve always had a very good instinct with people, and people have always said that going back to middle school,” Ms. Woloshchuk said. “I could always read people very well. It’s one of those things that help make me so good at what I do.
“I really have to think on my feet. No day is ever the same.” Ms. Woloshchuk said the flipside of such intensity requires balance. “I love what I do, but it can be personally draining . . . it’s definitely a job that not everyone can do,” Ms. Woloshchuk said. “I know I have to make personal time. I find that with my two bulldogs (Obi and Leia), hiking trails . . . “You need to find balance. That’s one thing I’d share (with students at WMA) . . . students spend a lot of time stressing about school or too much time not focusing on school. You need to find a balance. Being pre-med in college, it was obviously a lot of work and a lot of studying, which I oddly enjoy. But you can’t spend your whole life studying. You need to have fun, otherwise you will burn out.” Better yet, leave time to plant trees . . .
bottom left Obi, left, and Leia are two sources of joy for CJ Woloshchuk ’13. bottom right CJ Woloshchuk ’13 and the Washington Monument, on graduation day from American University.
By TEDDY RYAN Director of Marketing & Communications
WMA Spotlight: current faculty
‘We Don’t Know What We’d Do Without’ Erika Whipple
Humble. Unsung hero. Giving. These are just a handful of ways to describe Erika Whipple and her dedication to the Wilbraham & Monson Academy community. The Assistant Athletic Director and Head Athletic Trainer has been a mainstay on campus since the fall of 1996. Ms. Whipple designed a new Health curriculum for the Middle School, taught Physical Education and has handled Dorm Parent responsibilities. “Erika Whipple will do anything for anyone. Literally,” Head of School Brian Easler said. “She loves this school and everyone in it, and goes out of her way to be a thoughtful, helpful and considerate member of this community . . . well beyond the expectations of her job. She is truly a Boarding School Woman, and we are lucky to have her.”
Teacher Extraordinaire
With the new Middle School health curriculum as her first big project, Ms. Whipple went to work. The Grade 6 Health classes would focus on organization, self-advocacy and self-esteem, Grade 7 would highlight nutrition and fitness and Grade 8 would tackle substance use and abuse. She also started teaching Human Anatomy & Physiology in the Upper School in 2012. Ms. Whipple used her expertise to teach a unit on bone density and came up with a very creative way for students to learn the parts of the bone. One of our resident bakers, she made cookie dough (for the compact bone), Rice Krispies treats (spongy bone), yellow cake frosting (bone marrow) and had students use Twizzlers for blood vessels. It became a delicious lesson. Ms. Whipple also works with student interns from Springfield College on a regular basis. They have various tasks they must complete as
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part of their internship, so she makes sure they get as much hands-on experience as possible. “I really want them to get hands-on, because I know when I was in athletic training school, that was the one thing I really needed,” she said. They spend time taping up athletes before practices and games and perform injury evaluations as they happen. Ms. Whipple makes it a point to ask her students and interns how they learn best. “What kinds of things can we do (as teachers) to help them learn?”
Behind the Scenes
Ms. Whipple is not one to boast, brag or enjoy being in the spotlight. She is much more comfortable behind the scenes. Members of the WMA community will often see her in her golf cart, driving an injured or sick student to class or to Health Services. She goes above and beyond to help and support others, and it’s evident in the way she quietly, and without even knowing it, commands respect and admiration from so many. “We (the nurses) love Erika and don’t know what we would do without her,” Director of Health Services Rose Power said. “She works very closely with our office and is always available to lend a helping hand. She is not just available to help us,
but she helps everyone on campus. I often see her with faculty children and pets. She is the most caring and devoted person I know. And she is a wonderful athletic trainer, she knows what she is doing and we completely trust and value her opinion.” Ms. Whipple is proud of her German heritage and she celebrates traditional German holidays and events. One of her advisees was from Germany, so when Nikolaustag (or St. Nicholas Day, Dec. 6) approached, she hung a Christmas stocking on the student’s dorm room door and put food in it. Traditionally, this holiday is when children put their slippers out and candy gets left in them. She’s shared her family Thanksgivings with students, when they get to eat the German fare her mother prepares. She also bakes, especially for birthdays or faculty and staff baby showers. “I like to take care of people, that’s my thing,” she said. Erika Whipple shares pre-race instructions with the Bunion Derby crowd in 2016.
“Leadership is doing what is right when no one is watching.” George Van Valkenburg
Before WMA
Ms. Whipple, a self-proclaimed “fac brat,” attended public school until ninth grade and then matriculated to Lawrence Academy in eastern Massachusetts. Her mother taught at nearby Groton School. An accomplished ice hockey player, Ms. Whipple also played on the varsity soccer team and served as manager for the softball team. She attended Northeastern University for her undergraduate work and received her master’s in Athletic Administration from Springfield College in 2011. She knew early on, watching athletic trainers at Lawrence and being an athlete herself, athletic training and working with athletes was what she wanted to do. During her summers before life at WMA, Ms. Whipple worked at an Olympic Training Center, running tryouts for Junior Olympic teams. Once tryouts were complete, she would accompany the teams to Lake Placid, New York, and continue her work with them there. At the time she was hired at the Academy, she faced the biggest decision of her life: She was invited to accompany the U.S. National Hockey team to Australia. She ultimately chose WMA, for which the community is grateful. Her love of hockey is still very present, and she hopes to join an adult women’s league in the area in the future.
A Balancing Act
With such a giving heart, one would have to ask, “When does Ms. Whipple have time for herself?” She makes time, especially if it involves going for walks with her faithful lab, Kallie, her buddy since Jan. 17, 2004. The two are inseparable. The 14-year-old pup is often seen making her rounds in Rich Hall, getting treats from staff members and pats from students. Aside from walks, Ms. Whipple swims, teaches two classes a day and then is in the gym. Typical hours at the gym range from 3–9 or 9:30 p.m. during the winter, and from 2–6 or 6:30 p.m. in the fall and spring. She spent eight years as an Assistant Dorm Head of Wallace Blake, and continues top right Erika Whipple designed dorm duty on Sundays. a creative project to During her tenure at help Human Anatomy the Academy, she’s seen & Physiology students the athletic program understand parts of evolve to become more the human bone. student-oriented. The middle Erika with lab Kallie. staff has found ways to create different athletic bottom right Erika Whipple, speaking options for students, here with Minkyum whether that be adding “Jonathan” Kim ’18, is a Rugby or Boys’ Volleyball valuable resource to or adding more students and the WMA instructional programs. community.
Some of her favorite traditions at WMA include the Senior Stones tradition, the faculty procession at Convocation and Commencement, the recently revived Spring Fling Head’s Holiday and Bunion Derby. She always appreciates the costumes runners in the Derby have come up with. When asked about any health and wellness tips she lives by, she shared the following: “Take time for yourself. Get sleep. Prioritize, and don’t sweat the small stuff.” We are incredibly lucky to have such a kind and caring personality in our midst, and are glad she chose WMA. An unsung hero among us.
Erika Whipple, left, receives a years of service award from Head of School Brian Easler.
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WMA SPOTLIGHT: current FACULTY
School Counselor Helping Ensure ‘Health, Safety and Success of Our Students’
Wilbraham & Monson Academy embarked on the hiring process for a school counselor. At that point, we had many programs in place to help our students grow academically and develop healthy lifestyle habits, like regular exercise and time management. However, we lacked a well-rounded perspective on how to support our students’ social, emotional and behavioral health. Faculty and staff, such as dorm parents, advisors and nurses, worked together to create support systems for our students. Yet, it was not their primary focus; our students deserve a faculty member and programming specifically dedicated to overseeing and guiding their social, emotional and behavioral well-being. A school counselor listens and helps students work through their struggles. A counselor helps children create goals, such as reframing their thoughts in a more positive manner, and teaches coping skills and strategies for self-care. Tess Simpson joined the WMA community as our School Counselor and Wellness Coordinator at the beginning of the 2016–2017 school year. Two years ago,
School Counselor Tess Simpson addresses parents during a presentation on the impact of social media on our children.
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By ELIZABETH FONTAINE SQUINDO Dean of Students
Ms. Simpson has her bachelor’s degree in Education from Emmanuel College and master’s in School Counseling from Springfield College. In addition to meeting with students in individual or group meetings, Ms. Simpson is Chair of the Health Department. She teaches Health classes and coaches Track and Field. We are also fortunate to have her as a dorm parent in Wallace Blake. With the variety of roles she has on campus, Ms. Simpson is able to build relationships with many students and has developed a positive and welcoming presence on campus. Her aim is to make it so that any student feels comfortable stopping in and talking with her, and within her short time on campus, she certainly has achieved this goal. “Establishing relationships with students is the most important piece of my job and I’ve found that it’s important to build the relationship inside and outside of my office,” Ms. Simpson said. “There’s been many times when a student will come in for the first time and I’ll notice that they’re a little bit nervous or shy, but through our conversation you can almost see their nerves drop. Much of the time, it takes one conversation to break the ice and establish our relationship.” Ms. Simpson is working on multiple programs to improve wellness within our entire community. Through the Health curriculum, she has worked with the other Health faculty to develop a comprehensive Grade 6–12/PG curriculum that brings health topics into our educational program. Working with the students, she revived our Peer Counselors Group. Peer Counselors Group member Gianna Paroli ’19 said the program is “benefiting our campus because it gives the community a sense of security. By being able to trust peers and a wonderful guidance counselor who will be confidential, respectful and supportive, students feel safe, comfortable and able to enjoy their high school experience (both the academic and social aspects).” The group provides an opportunity for students to apply and work with her to spread wellness-related messages to the community. “As a student, the program has allowed me to mature and be a helping hand for those around the community,” Gianna said. “The Peer Counselors are not only open for the community to lean on, we also perform random acts of kindness, put together bulletin boards to address common mental health issues, and act as mentors for Grade 8 students moving on to high school. “As a leader, the Peer Counselors Group has taught me that every single voice is important in conquering an issue, especially the small ones. It has helped me rise to challenges and take on new opportunities I may not have before.” Ms. Simpson works with Rose Power, Director of Health Services, to train faculty and staff in Youth Mental Health First
Aid. By understanding the challenges a student may face — such as anxiety or depression — a teacher, dorm parent or coach can better connect with, and support, that child. Ms. Simpson and Mrs. Power are equipping our adults with skills and a plan on how to support our students in and out of the classroom. “Tess has been a great support to our students,” Mrs. Power said. “She assists them with social and emotional issues so they are able to achieve their highest academic and overall achievement. It is great having Tess on campus, she is a wonderful addition to WMA.” Ms. Simpson also communicates with our parents through eNews about upcoming trends and issues facing our students. Examples of these emails are how to manage stress during final exam time or how to talk to children about television shows like “13 Reasons Why.” In coordination with the Deans Office and Health Services, Ms. Simpson ensures we provide the best support systems for our students. These support systems might include weekly check-ins with her, mediated conversations between peers or tips for teachers on how to reduce a student’s anxiety in the classroom. She also stays current on mental health research and wellness plans that would work well in our boarding school community. “I always view myself as an advocate for every student that I work with,” Ms. Simpson said. “If a student is coming to me, that means that they need help with something and parent
support is a huge piece in getting that student back on track. Parents know their child better than anyone, so a parent’s input helps to guide my practice with the student. Open communication with parents really creates the most direct line of support for the student.” In the future, Ms. Simpson aims to “move toward a more proactive approach to common mental and emotional health needs through the Health curriculum, Peer Counselors Group, and school and WMA community programming.” Students often feel pressured to achieve top grades and get into highly-selective colleges or universities, all while trying to grow up in an everchanging landscape. Social media adds another complex layer to children’s lives. In addition to the real world, it is another realm where they have to learn who they are and how they fit in. Ms. Simpson says her message to students is simple: “Believe in yourself and do at least one thing everyday that makes you happy. These two things make being a teenager so much easier and they’re good skills to take with you into adulthood.” Having a school counselor provides our community with a more complete staff to ensure the health, safety and success of our students as they try to grow up. In the years to come, Ms. Simpson will be able to build off of her current health and wellness programming as well as broaden our understanding on how to support and improve our students’ lives.
School Counselor Tess Simpson meets regularly with students in her Rich Hall office. School Counselor Tess Simpson speaks to students while teaching one of her Health classes.
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departments: Faculty Fun Facts
Titan Faculty: Outside the Classroom 1 John Boozang, Director of College Counseling Mr. Boozang played in a softball tournament at Lake Tahoe, Calif., in July for the 20th year. 2 Gary Cook, Faculty, CEGS Department Mr. Cook spent two days at Gettysburg National Military Park, studying in detail the positions of the Union and Confederate armies. 3 Brian Easler, Head of School Mr. Easler took a swim after hiking up Cathedral Lakes (9,301 feet) in Yosemite National Park in California last July. 4 Dean Guarino, Faculty, English Department After buying a domain name for $10, Mr. Guarino started an online poetry magazine. The first issue went live in February. 5 Meg Hutcheson, Dean of Curriculum Ms. Hutcheson continued her work with the Independent School Gender Project group, a cohort collection of professional women, teachers and administrators from more than 50 independent schools across the country. 6 Dr. Anthony Kandel, Chair, CEGS Department During spring break, Dr. Kandel served on a visiting team for initial accreditation to the American International School at the United Arab Emirates. 7 Don Kelly, Faculty, Foreign Language Department Mr. Kelly welcomed his sixth grandchild into the world in December. Meet Joseph “Joey” Parente.
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8 Maureen Kelly Chesky ’02, Associate Director of College Counseling Ms. Kelly Chesky ran in the New York City Marathon in November in memory of her mom, Jane Kelly, to raise funds for the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition. It was Ms. Kelly Chesky’s first marathon.
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9 Sommer Mahoney ’11, Faculty, CEGS Department Ms. Mahoney completed her 200hour yoga teacher training at the Kripalu Center in Massachusetts. She now teaches yoga at WMA, as well as for her friends and family. 10 Royale McCormack, Faculty, English Department Since having children, Ms. McCormack has learned she has an inner-baker yearning to be known. :)
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11 Clark Seibold, Faculty, Fine & Performing Arts Mr. Seibold, WMA’s Titan Jazz Ensemble director, continues to perform professionally as a drummer, backing up one of our area’s best vocalist/performers, Ethel Lee. Ms. Lee’s ensemble plays a mixture of jazz, blues, and rhythm and blues. 12 Wendy Staples, Faculty, Fine & Performing Arts Ms. Staples performed a three-hour live painting session at the Springfield Science Museum during its Dinosaurs and Dragons week in February. 13 Tess Simpson, School Counselor Ms. Simpson ran her fourth marathon. In October, she completed the Hartford Marathon in a time of three hours, 50 minutes and 48 seconds.
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traveling titans: hubbard faculty travel grant
BY SUE Dziura Faculty, Fine & Performing Arts
Shakespeare, London Came Calling to Faculty Family traveling has become a passion, and sometimes obsession, in our house. Mr. Michael Dziura — my husband and most importantly “daddy” — has led many WMA student trips to places all over the world. Our three children have watched and listened to his stories and fantasize about elaborate trips for themselves. Last summer was the right time for us to take advantage of my Hubbard Faculty Travel Grant opportunity, and the kids got to choose where to go. We spent an incredible week in London. David Bowie, Dr. Who, Harry Potter, William Shakespeare . . . these are a few of our favorite things. I was preparing to teach a Shakespeare course during the winter trimester, and I was excited to get to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and learn about the Bard in London, the birthplace of professional theater and the first home to his plays. My son, Gabriel ’24, daughter Camille and I toured the inside, immersing ourselves in Elizabethan London. We even had a chance to record ourselves reading some of Shakespeare’s most iconic lines alongside some of the great actors of the London stage. As a family, we are always more interested in vacationing in a city. We love to jump into a day with a destination in mind, but no real plan for how to get there. We saw the city this way — we took the water taxi, rode the Tube and walked. We saw St. Paul’s Cathedral, Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace all while making our way to an evening performance at Royal Albert Hall. Our collective favorite tourist destination was the Tower of London. We spent hours walking over the worn cobblestones, listening to dark tales from the Beefeaters. As a lover of historical fiction, I have read many a scene in a novel of a condemned Anne Boleyn being led in through the Traitors’ Gate. It was pretty exciting to see it for myself, and to share the experience as a family. We stayed in Rotherhithe, a residential district in Southeast London. Our hotel overlooked the Thames. One of our favorite parts of the trip was to head outside, across the street to a neighborhood playground after breakfast. Our three kids made friends from all over the world in the hours that we spent there. In general, the thing that I appreciated the most about London was its incredible diversity. It truly is a global city — people from all over the world are present and visible. From our conversation in a cab with a Kurdish man about the upcoming elections for independence for Kurdistan to my kids learning French folk songs from a young Belgian family, we Camille, Grace, had truly transformational experiences. Gabriel ’24 and Michael As the winter trimester approached, I Dziura near a fountain at felt more prepared, more solid and more Tower Bridge in London. As an Academy family,
excited to teach this new Shakespeare course. Going to the Globe has given me a bit of connection to the man, and I am excited to share that with my students. The greatest takeaway for my entire family, however, has been the shoring up of our global perspective. Mr. Lev Hubbard, through his generous grant, has allowed my family to crack open our world a little wider and make important connections between our lives here in Western Massachusetts and those all over the world. The Leverett Marsden Hubbard Sr. Family Teaching Faculty Sabbatical Travel Fund provides grants of up to $5,000 to full-time teaching faculty members who have taught at the Academy for at least five years. The grant’s purpose is to help faculty become more aware of the interdependent world in which we live and to develop an understanding of different countries, especially those from whom our nation has derived our culture and heritage.
top The Dziura children (from left) Grace, Camille and Gabriel ’24 at the Tower of London. bottom left The Dziura family — (left to right) Michael, Gabriel ’24, Camille, Grace and Sue — share a happy moment during lunch at the British Film Institute Café. bottom right Clockwise from top: Sue Dziura and children Camille, Grace and Gabriel ’24 stand in front of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.
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traveling titans: global educator’s grant
BY BILL WELLS Director of Student Promotion
International Perspective Offers Classroom Teaching Points Even though there are no posters or flags, Wilbraham & Monson Academy Science Department faculty member Elizabeth MacLauchlan brought a piece of Scotland into her classroom. Following a summer trip to the United Kingdom’s northernmost country as part of WMA’s Global Educator’s Grant, Ms. MacLauchlan used her Scottish experiences to enhance two of her classes. “Getting the chance to spend July traveling around the place I’ve always been fascinated with was awesome,” said Ms. MacLauchlan, who has ancestors from Scotland. “I learned so much and now I’m able to bring some of the things I learned into my classes.” Ms. MacLauchlan found Edinburgh to be the perfect example to discuss the city unit of her Physics for Engineering and Design class. The country’s capital city dates back thousands of years and possesses ancient dwellings. The city, though, went through a major redesign and now boasts its centuries’ old buildings along with modern structures. “My background is American cities, particularly Northeast cities, so bringing in the international experience gives new perspective,” Ms. MacLauchlan explained. “I have been incorporating information from my trip to Scotland into the engineering curriculum. During the second trimester, we studied city design, infrastructure, forces and materials. We started by studying city design and compared the design of Somers, Conn., Methuen, Mass., Edinburgh and London. “During Thanksgiving break, the engineering class went on their vacation with a homework assignment to take pictures and make observations
“I wanted the students to look into something fun, but to use evidence-based thinking to show whether or not something is real.” 48
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WMA Science Department faculty member Liz MacLauchlan
of the cities they visited. Together in class they created presentations where they showed the cities they visited and described the city layout, architecture and described how the history of the city created its physical design. It was a successful project because the students ended up creating a discussion of urban sprawl in the U.S.” Ms. MacLauchlan was also looking for an avenue to add more scientific thinking to her Honors Advanced Physics class. On the first day of classes, she talked about her trek to Northern Scotland and the research she performed on the Loch Ness Monster. “Going to the Loch Ness and talking about that on the first day of school was a good way to get buy-in,” she said.
The class then completed a logic-based project regarding a well-known myth, mythological animal or an animal on the brink of extinction. “We talked about proof and disproof regarding the Loch Ness Monster,” Ms. MacLauchlan said. Zhimin “Angela” Chen ’19 did a good research project on something called the Mongolian death worm (of the Gobi Dessert). She ended up concluding that it’s real because the locals all see the same thing and the descriptions are identical, but she thinks there’s a translation error and that it’s a lizard, not a worm, because you don’t find worms in the desert. “I wanted the students to look into something fun, but to use evidence-based thinking to show whether or not something is real.”
top The structure of Stonehenge challenged Physics for Engineering and Design students to consider how physical structures link people across ages and can be used to understand the society.
left The Physics for Engineering and Design class looked at ruined structures like Kilchurn Castle in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, to consider how failure analysis can help them better understand successful designs.
above A view of the Royal Mile over Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh, Scotland.
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departments: parent programs
Programs Help Parents ‘Connect, Collaborate and Contribute’ at WMA
BY JEANINE LITTLE Director of Parent Programs
of parent engagement we would like to foster within the greater WMA community.
There are three avenues
• Connect • Collaborate • Contribute As Director of Parent Programs, my role is to help each parent or guardian be an actively engaged member of the Wilbraham & Monson Academy community. All WMA parents and guardians are automatically members of our Parents Association. Parents can choose opportunities for engagement — attending meetings or reading about events, activities and opportunities on our Parent Association page online (www.wma.us/alumni/parents) or in the weekly Parent eNews — whichever best suits them. Through my experience as a parent of three students who graduated from Wilbraham & Monson Academy, I know how important it is to be engaged and connected to the WMA community. Many of our family’s close friendships were developed through our involvement in, and engagement at, WMA. The wonderful experience our children had at WMA and the connection we felt to the community as a whole inspired us to support and to continue supporting the Atlas Fund. How can you connect, collaborate and contribute to our students’ WMA experience?
Connect
Dr. Aaron Kugelmass and wife Karen Ambrose, parents of Alex ’16 and Adam ’19, came to campus to support Titans’ athletic teams during Family Weekend.
“We support WMA’s Atlas Fund every year to honor the quality education our students have experienced in the classroom, and beyond. It is satisfying to know that donating to the Atlas Fund directly and positively impacts WMA’s ability to educate all students at a consistently high level, and to robustly plan for the future.” Dr. Aaron Kugelmass and Karen Ambrose, parents of Alex ’16 and Adam ’19
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Opportunities for parents to meet each other and to meet their student’s friends are an important part of building community. We kicked off the 2017–18 academic year with a Grade 9 Family Welcome Breakfast for more than 100 attendees, hosted a Grade 10 Parent Reception in Gill Memorial Library during Family Weekend, and held a Middle School Parent Reception in Morrow House, while the Middle School students were at their winter dance in the Campus Center. Our goal is to hold a parent gathering each year by class, for each class to help build parent connections and foster unity. • From September to December, many parents enjoyed fitness and conversation during the Tuesday morning Parent Walk and Talk. By parent request, these walks resumed after March Break. • Attendees enjoyed Paint ’n Sip night in Binney Hall, when the 24 participants were surprised with their own creative abilities, thanks to the guidance and instruction from our faculty artists Mrs. Virginia Giokas and Ms. Wendy Staples. • Our WMA Ladies Night Out at La Cucina di Hampden House immediately followed our campus holiday
decorating, when 15 parents and many happy students decorated Rich Hall, the Campus Center and the library. • W MA March Madness Men’s Night Out was held during March Madness. • Close to 30 parents, Alumni and friends enjoyed a private culinary experience at Delaney’s Market in Longmeadow. The night featured an executive chef cooking demonstration, tasting and wine pairing.
Collaborate
Education is partnership between parents and schools. Our Parent Programs have helped find ways to build this partnership.
• P arents volunteered at the WMA Open House and Middle School Preview events, Family Weekend and Harvest Homecoming. • Parent questions and concerns shared with the Academy have prompted the arrangement of faculty presentations — on the topics of Technology in our Classrooms, and Social Media and its Effects on your Child — at our Parents Association meetings. These presentations have been video recorded and shared with all parents via WMA’s weekly Parent eNews. • During one Parent Walk and Talk, Julie Russell, parent of Atticus ’18, shared her idea of a WMA Walking History Tour. We suggested this to WMA archivist Janet Moran, who developed the tour and gave guided tours for more than 30 parents, Alumni and future Titans.
• Middle School parents — led by Regina Zebrowski, parent of Gabrielle ’22 — hosted the third annual WMA Middle School Faculty Appreciation luncheon. • Jane and Steven Kang, parents of Gene ’20, provided, prepared and served traditional dumplings, broth and rice cakes for Lunar New Year at lunch in our dining hall in February for the entire WMA community. These are just some of the ways our wonderful parents are engaging with the WMA community.
above Basem Hernandez ’19, left, is all smiles with his father, Hakim Hernandez, and friends Melanie Alexander and Natahlia Stuart during Family Weekend activities. bottom left Bonnie Mannix enjoys time with other WMA parents during Paint ’n Sip Night in Binney Art Gallery.
Contribute
Volunteering is one way to contribute, but your financial support is also critical to ensure that all our students have the best possible experience. • Support of the Atlas Fund is a way all parents, regardless of location or time availability, can make a direct impact on the WMA student experience. • Last year, the Atlas Fund provided for air conditioning in the common spaces of the residence halls, as well as the renovation of the front entrance of Rich Hall. • Each year, the proceeds from the Atlas Fund will be used throughout our campus to directly impact the student experience. Your participation in the Atlas Fund is an investment in the partnership of educating our students. Ms. Little is a parent of three WMA alumni (Austin ’12, Heather ’13 and David ’16) who attended both the WMA Middle and Upper Schools, and she served for two years as Vice President of the WMA Parents Association. Ms. Little was previously an Assistant Director of Admission, working with prospective students and their families for enrollment into the WMA Middle School.
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departments: alumni events
Young Alumni Gathering 2
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January 10, 2018 Recent graduates joined WMA faculty members in Gill Memorial Library for a reception. 1 Heather Little ’13, Head of School Brian Easler and Emma Bourgeios ’13. 2 Jordana Irzyk ’17, Dean of Faculty Wally Swanson and Anthony Romano ’17. 3 Aaron Ruiz ’16 and Director of the Middle School Stuart Whitcomb. 4 Caelan Etti ’17, Zach Mann ’17, Giangabriel Linarez ’17, Alexander Strange ’17 and Jimmy Murphy ’17. 5 Morayma Linarez ’16, Caroline Hancock ’15, Carly Venditti ’16, Allie Collins-Anderson ’16 and Emily Zeno ’15. 6 English Department faculty member Lizzy Mitchell-Kelly ’04, Ricky Appel ’14, Robin Dillon ’15, Hannah Clewes ’15, Cam Bouchard ’13, Kaylee Grabowski ’15 and Dean of Students Liz Fontaine Squindo. 7 Bill Holloman ’15, Jack Faulstick ’16, English Department faculty member Lizzy Mitchell-Kelly ’04 and Payton Grande ’16. 8 Anthony Romano ’17 and Jordana Irzyk ’17.
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Upcoming Alumni Events Mark your calendars and join others in the WMA community at these upcoming events:
June 8–9, 2018 Reunion Weekend
June 8 – Sturbridge Host Hotel 366 Main Street, Sturbridge, MA June 9 – Wilbraham & Monson Academy 423 Main Street, Wilbraham, MA
July 22, 2018 Eastward Ho!
A Gathering on the Cape Hosted by Josh Binney ’07 325 Fox Hill Road, Chatham, MA
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departments
Class Notes 1962 Wilbraham 1 Great friends Richard Taylor and Bill MacKenzie, who attended Wilbraham in 1960–1961, finally reconnected. After conversing by phone and email, they got together in Seattle in September 2017 for a warm reunion. And it only took them 56 years!
1963 Monson Cary Brick and wife Janet have established the Cary and Janet Brick Riverside Foundation to create senior citizen programs at the public library in Clayton, N.Y., and to provide financial support to first readers, advancing their skills through continuing education. Cary, a former WMA Trustee, is a retired Congressional Chief of Staff and municipal court judge in Clayton. Janet is a retired school administrator and municipal court judge. They sold their Thousand Islands home in Clayton and are now in Sugar Land, Texas.
1964 Wilbraham 2 Wilber James and wife Janet met longtime friends of the Academy Pres and Helen Blake for lunch while they were in Florida in January.
1965 Monson 3 In August, classmates Bob Veit and Bruce Weiss got together in Washington, D.C., to watch an international soccer game between Barcelona and Manchester United at FedEx Field. Bob said, “We were, and still are, passionate about our enjoyment of soccer, and reminiscing about aspects of our life at Monson brought us to tears of laughter.”
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4 Tom Crafts and wife Donna stopped by campus in September. They were up from Florida visiting family and friends and for Donna’s high school reunion.
1966 Monson 5 Michael Szklarz completed the Camino de Santiago in 2017. He walked 450 miles over the course of 40 days from Saint Jean Pied de Port in France over the Pyrenees, The Meseta and Galicia to Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain. The remaining 10 percent he did by taxi, horse and wagon, and horseback. Michael said, “It was a journey of a lifetime and was more physically challenging than Coach Cardone’s wrestling practices!”
1967 Wilbraham 6 Tony Gagliardi wrote: “While I could not make the reunion this year, Mike Stone and his wife, Tracy, did a quick detour on their way from the reunion to New York City. We met for a quick catch-up. I could not be more grateful. It was great! I hope to get to the campus in 2018. Best regards to all in the class of Wilbraham ’67 — and anyone else that was there during ’65–’67.”
1969 Wilbraham 7 David Kent was on a gratitude trip across the country, visiting the people and places that have played an instrumental part in making him who he is and saying thank you. David said the trip has taken him “across Canada, down the West Coast of the U.S., up to New Mexico and Colorado to visit children and friends, and then back to
L.A. I drove south, followed the Rio Grande and then crossed Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. Had to leave my car in Atlanta for the winter . . . Then, this past April, began again up the East Coast to New England.” He was sure to visit beloved former faculty member Fred Watts. David was delighted that Mr. Watts remembered him as they shared stories. Roger Wallace retired in 2012 after 39 years of teaching elementary school, 38 of those at the Fort River School in Amherst, Massachusetts. In his honor, the Roger L. Wallace Excellence in Teaching Award was established to recognize instructors in the AmherstPelham elementary schools. The goal is to support teachers and to encourage excellence in the schools. An endowment provides the annual winner with a stipend. Roger has recently stepped out of retirement to teach math at Springfield Technical Community College.
1977 Jeff Sattler has been named Senior Vice President, Commercial Lending for Savings Institute Bank & Trust. Jeff will be responsible for managing and growing the bank’s commercial banking business, including lending, leasing and deposit accounts throughout the greater Springfield, Massachusetts, and Enfield, Connecticut, areas.
1984 8 Marilyn Clark is embarking on a new career venture as a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach. Off the Plate (www.offtheplatehealth coach.com) works with clients to develop a personalized approach to achieving health and wellness goals through nutrition and lifestyle changes. Marilyn plans to fully transition from her career in California state government information technology to health coaching when she retires from the state later this year. 9 James Rubin and girlfriend Chely were in the area from Florida. They stopped by campus on Nov. 20, 2017, for a chilly visit.
1985 10 Congratulations to Jeff Cook on being named head coach of the Penn State men’s varsity soccer program! Jeff brings 27 years of coaching experience to the Nittany Lions from his time at Dartmouth College, the University of Cincinnati, and with the Philadelphia Union (MLS) and Bethlehem Steel FC (USL).
1986 11 James Griffin and Michael Sokol had a mini-reunion at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts. They both had back surgery on the same day and were placed in the same room for recovery. Although we do not endorse this kind of WMA mini-reunion, they were both on the road to recovery as they shared stories and laughter!
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12 Rick Libby and his sons came down from Vermont to visit WMA in late January. They were able to find Rick’s Senior Stone, tour the campus and even rang the Monson Bell.
1987 13 Mark Pessolano and Leah Kenney welcomed a son into their family. Anthony was born on Nov. 1, 2017. 14 Bonnie Serino and daughter Carmela stopped by campus Oct. 10, 2017. They were up from Arizona visiting family during Carmela’s school break. Bonnie and Carmela posed in front of the Cora Pease Chandler Prize plaque, which has Bonnie’s name on it!
1989 15 Mark Cook and wife Julie have left North Dakota for Honduras. It was tough leaving as Mark had been the head coach for North Dakota State University’s women’s soccer team for the last six years and Julie had been the VP of Member and Program Services for the YMCA of Cass and Clay counties. They love to travel and fell in love with Roatan. With five bags of luggage each and their dog, they made the move to a new home and a new life. Mark and Julie spend their time working with the SOL (School of Life) Foundation, which is committed to enhancing the standards of education, arts and athletics in lesserdeveloped countries. Mark would like to use his U.S. connections to start young girls playing soccer, and Julie will focus on the foundation’s fundraising.
16 Congratulations to Dave Goucher! After 17 years of being the voice of the Boston Bruins on 98.5 (FM) The Sports Hub, Dave relocated to Las Vegas to do the TV play-byplay for the Golden Knights, an NHL expansion team. Joining Dave will be former Bruins defenseman Shane Hnidy, with the color commentary.
1990 17 Thanks to Bruce Fenton ’90 and Jack LeVangie ’94, nine members of the WMA community were able to spend a day at the Free State Blockchain Digital Assets Conference. Six students, CEGS faculty member Jim Irzyk, Director of Advancement Mark Aimone and Director of Alumni Relations Dawn Hines also connected with Bryan Musa ’92 and Irene Nakabonge-Lugude ’94, who were in attendance. 18 Nick Hampson and wife Sara stopped by campus at the end of their six-month trip across the United States. They purchased a pickup camper in Seattle, traveled across 19 northern states and will store their vehicle in New Hampshire until they come back and travel to the South. The Hampsons live in New Zealand. Here they are with their WMA tour guides Maia Hutcheson-Jones ’19, far left, and Zihan “Leo” Liu ’18, right.
1994 19 Borja Anguita and wife Laura Hidalgo stopped by campus during their December trip to the U.S. from Madrid, Spain. Borja had a chance to reconnect with Mr. D’Avanzo! 20 Chris Cronau married Diana Galan on Nov. 19, 2017. The ceremony and reception took place in Asbury Park, New Jersey. 21 Andrea Stanley and her business, Valley Malt, were featured in The Boston Globe. Creating the largest
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independently-owned malt house in New England has truly been a labor of love for Andrea and husband Christian. The maltsters are giving craft brewers and distillers in New England the opportunity to use local grain and locally produced malt to make their products distinctive.
1996 22 Eric Topor and daughter Hanami were on campus just before Christmas. Eric lives and works in Japan for Maersk Line Limited, managing the maintenance for all the Army vessels in Yokohama. 22
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1991 After working in Major and Minor League baseball for 11 years, Jeff Gladu is back in the area running the family Mobil gas station and used car business. Stop by Ren’s Mobil when you’re in Amherst, Massachusetts! Jeff was recently named Assistant Coach of the Amherst-Pelham Regional High School golf team. You can also find him coaching local baseball.
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1997 23 Tiffany (Popoli) Doyle and husband Paul welcomed a daughter into their family. Everly Maryann Doyle was born Oct. 15, 2017. 24 Jason Laverty and wife Cassy welcomed a daughter into their family. Charlotte Rose was born on Dec. 7, 2017, and joins sisters Zoey and Alyssa and brother Jack.
1999 25 Dr. Jonathan Insler and wife Dr. Erica Wu Insler welcomed a daughter into their family. Alice Bren Insler was born Jan. 25, 2018.
2000 26 Daniel Alves was back in the area visiting family during the Thanksgiving holiday and stopped by WMA. While on campus he was able to spend time with Don Nicholson ’79 (left),
Don Kelly (right), Gary Cook and Sandi Scott. Daniel is living in Germany with his family and working in IT Marketing for a data center. 27 Alexander Gillett and wife Irina welcomed a boy into their family. Huck Sadovich Gillett arrived in October 2017 and was welcomed into the Gillett “pack” by his new best friend Robin. 28 Chris Maza and wife Eileen welcomed a daughter into their family. Megan Eileen Maza was born Jan. 30, 2018.
2001 29 Michael Insler and wife Karyn welcomed a son into their family. Calvin Michael was born on Oct. 9, 2017. 30 Derin Ozsezen surprised Mr. Easler! He hadn’t seen his former advisee since 2001. A special treat before our holiday break in December.
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2002 31 Caitlin Batten and husband Irv visited campus during their trip from South Carolina to Massachusetts and Connecticut. They were up north so Caitlin could run the New Haven Half Marathon on Sept. 4, when she was the women’s winner with a time of 1:20:36! She also ran the Chicago Marathon on Oct. 8. 32 Justin Danhof and wife Kristin Rhodes welcomed a girl into their family. Nora June was born Aug. 11, 2017. 33 Chris Polek and fiancee Marina Ruge welcomed a daughter into their family. Olivia Rose was born July 30, 2017.
2003 34 Lily Ferrill and husband Alex welcomed a daughter into their family. Piper arrived on May 24, 2017. 35 Andrew Graziano and wife Christina welcomed a daughter into their family on July 24, 2017. Lucy Catherine is already wearing her WMA swag! 36 Lex McDermott had her Instagram account featured in a Boston Globe article on Dec. 7, 2017. Follow @lexmcdermott to bring some beautiful floral arrangements to your feed.
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2004 37 WMA English Department faculty member Lizzy Mitchell-Kelly met her former WMA English teacher Todd Felton for lunch. Lizzy said: “It’s been 14 years since I was his student, but I’m fortunate enough to still call ‘Mr. Felton’ my mentor and friend.
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Nothing like lunch with him to reaffirm I’m on my right path as a writer and to remind me why I’m a teacher. It is my sincerest hope, 14 years from now, to be to some of my former students what he is to me.” 38 Alli Radzicki and fiancé Nick Siniscalchi welcomed a son into their family. Arlo Alexander arrived on Sept. 16, 2017.
2005 39–40 On Oct. 25, 2017, Mindy Chang exchanged vows with Jeff Liao in Okinawa, Japan. A few of Mindy’s 2005 classmates were her bridesmaids — Saori Nakamura, Beatrice Hsueh, Rebecca Guo and Abby Hsu. Also in attendance were Katherine Kung (was at WMA in 2002–2003) and Reina Hirooka ’07. Jeremy Rogalski was engaged in Dec. 2016 to Melissa Stuart. The couple lives in downtown Boston and will be married on Cape Cod this summer. Jeremy is entering his ninth season with the Boston Bruins and was promoted to Director of Hockey Analytics.
2006 41 Stacy DaCruz married Tony Sosa on July 19, 2017, in Newport, R.I. The Sosas reside in Ludlow, Massachusetts, where Tony has his own business, Sosa’s Barber Shop. Stacy is now working at WMA as an Admission Counselor! 42 Anna Hart married Brandon Owen on Sept. 22, 2017. The Owens were married at The Red Barn at Hampshire College in a beautiful outdoor ceremony in Amherst, Massachusetts.
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43 Jeremy Korytoski and wife Lily would like to present their son Noah Herman Korytoski, born Oct. 5, 2017, to the WMA community. During the past years, Jeremy has been working as an ER nurse at Mercy Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts. Lily is a charge nurse for Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, Massachusetts. They would like to wish everyone in the WMA community happiness and health.
2007 44 Danielle Bachand and husband Derek welcomed a second daughter, Mallory Lynn, into their family on Nov. 15, 2017. Lilly Marie, 2, is clearly taking her role as big sister very seriously. 45 Stephanie Fenner and Alastair Yonkauski welcomed a daughter into their family. Marin Adrienne Yonkauski was born Nov. 6, 2017.
48 Alexander McKenna married Julianne Gallinaro on Aug. 5, 2017, at the Southers Marsh Golf Club in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Alumni in attendance were Brittany Rose Batterton ’08 and Kerry Power. 49 Fernando Zavala received a full scholarship to Georgetown University’s Global Competitiveness Leadership Program. Running from Jan. 22 to March 29, the intensive, 10-week leadership seminar aligned with Georgetown’s mission of promoting responsible leaders who will make an impactful difference in the world. The GCL program scholarship is provided by the GU Latin America Leadership Program. While in D.C., Nando met up with friend and former classmate Jeff Nowak ’06, who works at the State Department.
East Brewing Company in Bloomfield, Connecticut, and three of his recipes made the top 25 for best IPAs in America from Draft Magazine. Keegan would love to see some local Alumni come through and say “hello.” Read the Draft Magazine story here — draftmag.com/50-best-ipas-america/3. 54 First-year Northampton High School Football Coach Eddie B. Jewel was on campus with WMA Coach Jeff Vartabedian during a preseason scrimmage. Jewel played Division I football at Monmouth University (with New England Patriots receiver Chris Hogan) and then went on to coach special teams and defensive backs at Worcester State University. 56
During Caitlin Mitchell’s first week at Elon University School of Law, she and her class visited the Court of Appeals, and right then Caitlin knew she wanted to serve as an appellate clerk post-graduation. Beginning in July 2018, Caitlin will be clerking for Judge Phil Berger of the North Carolina Court of Appeals. 55 Walter Mfuko and Jordan Benton welcomed a son on May 3, 2017. It won’t be long before Malachi is dribbling a basketball. Walter is head boys’ basketball coach and middle school math teacher at Springfield Commonwealth Academy in Springfield, Massachusetts.
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46 Brian Laurita wrote: “My wife, Andrea Laurita (my 2007 WMA prom date), and I would like to introduce our son, Chatham Robert Laurita. Chatham was born on Oct. 20, 2017. Our little Laurita family now lives in Chalfont, Pennsylvania. We have also recently launched Bucks Charter & Events, a local tour and events company specializing in the booming PA craft brew scene.” Their website is www.buckscharter.com.
50 Ashley Costanzo married U.S. Coast Guard 3rd Class Petty Officer Nabil Tavarez at Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club in Brewster, Massachusetts, on Sept. 9, 2017. They reside in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where Nabil is a Marine Enforcement Specialist.
47 Former WMA faculty member Sean McGrath stopped by campus to see what else has changed, besides the new portico, since his move to California. Here he is with World Languages faculty member Drew Shea ’08 and CEGS faculty member Gary Cook.
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51 George Dyer and Alex Lindo have welcomed a son into their family. George Raymond Lindo-Dyer IV was born Oct. 2, 2017.
52–53 Kayla Caine and John Richards were married on Oct. 29, 2017, at Thousand Acre Farm in Middletown, Delaware. Standing up for Kayla as her maid of honor was her sister, Hannah Caine ’12. #LoveMakesYouRichards Timothy Keegan Dombrosky has taken the lead brewer position at Back
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56–57 Then . . . and now! Diana Heo and Yoon Ho Lee were married on June 17, 2017. They started their relationship as seniors at WMA and placed their stones next to each other at graduation. After WMA, Diana attended the University of Rochester and Yoon Ho attended Pace University. The couple moved back to Seoul, Korea, and enjoyed a two-year engagement.
2010 Steve Marcus has joined the staff of the St. John’s Edge, a team in the NBL Canada (professional basketball league), as an associate head coach. The St. John’s Edge team is based in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and Labrador, Canada. 58 Peter Pascarelli was on campus having lunch with Coach Jeff Vartabedian in August, when Coach Cook stopped by for a photo!
2011 59 Michelle Ding visited campus in August with her husband, Derek. She visited with Head of School Brian Easler, her former tennis coach Jay Hamilton and had dinner with Ms. Hutcheson and her family. 60 Jeannette Viens presented her research work on local immigrant communities in greater Springfield to two WMA Human Geography classes taught by former classmate and best friend Sommer Mahoney.
2012 Jenna Chen is working on her master’s in Applied Analytics at the Columbia University School of Professional Studies. 61 Brandon McKenna, founder and
CEO of Storybook, announced that the beta sign-up for his app is live. If you have an iOS device, are tired of being constantly subjected to the performative sharing of current “social” media platforms and are interested in becoming a future-tester, head on over to http://storybooklabs.io to register! 62 Nicole Robitaille married Drew Castonguay on Oct. 8, 2017, at the 1888 Barn in Bethel, Maine. The ceremony took place under a tent against a backdrop of beautiful fall leaves. The Castonguays live in Portland, Maine.
2013 Sophie Albano-Alisberg was named the Director of Basketball Operations for Women’s Basketball at Brown University! A 2017 High Point University graduate, Sophie relocated to Providence, Rhode Island. 63 Sarah Goolishian left in January for a two-year commitment with the Peace Corps. She’ll be teaching ESL to high school-aged children in Albania. Left to right: Lisa Charpentier Jalbert of WMA Library Services, Sarah and WMA CEGS faculty member Sommer Mahoney ’11. 64 Andrew Mordasky shared a special moment with his father during the White Coat Ceremony at St. George’s University. Dr. David Mordasky, a practicing veterinarian for more than 40 years, coated his son during the ceremony. Congratulations to Andrew, a member of the St. George’s University School of Veterinary Medicine’s Class of 2021!
2014 65 Helen Assefaw caught up with Mr. Easler. She was on campus in early
December with her cousin, who had an appointment in the Admission Office. Mick Rouette, a senior at Massachusetts Maritime Academy, was named a tri-captain of the 2017 Men’s Soccer team.
2015 Charlie Evert has accepted a position with the Peace and Justice program at the University of San Diego. The administrative position deals with academic outreach. 66 Congratulations to Derick Newton, who was drafted by the NBA’s G League Windy City Bulls. The G League is the official minor league of the NBA, where 26 teams played their 17th season. Derick’s 50-game slate for the Chicago Bulls affiliate opened in November at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill.
2016 67 Erin Demers was skiing at Mount Snow in Vermont during her January break when she struck up a conversation with a gentleman on the lift. Little did she know that she was riding up with Phil Esempio ’84. Erin lives in Western Massachusetts and Phil lives in Pennsylvania, and they met in Vermont — small world!
Yuan ’15 before he headed down to American University to see Aaron Ruiz ’16.
2017 70 Two WMA all-star football players — Alex Claudio ’17 and Jaelon Blandburg ’16 — faced each other on the gridiron Sept. 16, 2017. Claudio and Bryant University took on Brown in a college football game, with Brown winning 28–23. 71 Mike Kendall stopped in to see Mike MacDonald (right) in November. He played Varsity Lacrosse for Coach Mac for the two years he was at WMA. Mike is a freshman at the University of Miami. 72 Titans supporting Titans! Meera Ratté was all smiles as former teammate Katie Cronin traveled to Skidmore in early January to cheer her on. 73 While on break from Regis College, Alexander Strange stopped by WMA to have lunch in the dining hall with Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse Coach Mike MacDonald.
68 Varsity Boys’ Lacrosse Coach Mike MacDonald ran into Jeffrey Shepard on campus in early December. Coach Mac was the dorm parent on Rich 2 when Jeff lived there. 69 With the University of Miami shut down for three weeks (because of Hurricane Irma) in September, Rin Yamanashi traveled and visited other WMA alumni. He was at Boston University with Qianchen “Frank”
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By Erika Convery ’19
in memoriam
Dave Lyman ’74: Longtime coach, instructor kept WMA Riflery program on target Wilbraham & Monson Academy Riflery has recently taken a turn for the better, with undefeated, championship seasons in 2016–17 and 2017–18, and a school-record singlematch total in 2017–18. Prior to the recent success, though, the team posted no more than one win in a season for many years. Through it all, there was one shooter, far past his high school years, who guided us and kept us shooting straight. David Lyman ’74, owner of Blue Trail Range in Connecticut, unselfishly gave many hours to the WMA Dave Lyman ’74, during his time as a Riflery program. Mr. Lyman passed away WMA student. on Aug. 29. Mr. Lyman was, and always will be, a part of the Titan shooting family. He organized the Connecticut High School Riflery League and was a passionate coach and instructor for years. His team, Avon Old Farms School, relied invariably on his knowledge and clever wit. But he wasn’t only a single school’s coach. He was a mentor to everyone involved in the league — shooters and coaches alike. “Whenever I had a question, he was my go-to guy,” WMA Coach Bill Passy said. “Dave was an immeasurable component to our success last season.” Mr. Lyman often visited WMA to offer new lessons and to check in on longtime shooters. Dave worked with the whole
Team captain Dave Lyman ’74 (front row, center) with his Riflery teammates during his senior season. Left to right: (front row) Coach Mr. McDowell, Bill Fitz-Gibbon ’75, Lyman, Jim Goldman ’74 and manager Wayne Mountain ’74; (back row) Tom Cheesebrough ’74, Mike Schnoll ’75, Bob Voegtlin ’75, Erol Kavlak ’75 and Ricardo Salas ’74.
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team. He not only taught us the technicalities of scoring a 10 on each shot, but also sought to instill his same excitement and passion in us young shooters who were new to the sport. I found Mr. Lyman, who worked individually with Dan Wesson ’18 and me in the fall, to be a driven individual coach. “Dave was a great coach and he helped me throughout my high school shooting career,” Dan said. “He was one of my No. 1 supporters.” Mr. Lyman guided both of us along our journey toward tying the school’s individual record of 198 (of 200 points) and built us a foundation on which we’ve remained undefeated as a team for the last two seasons. We’re beyond grateful that Mr. Lyman, as an alumnus of the Academy, was able to help us make history. “The WMA team winning the championship last year was the fulfillment of his lifelong dream. To be undefeated, well, that far exceeded even his hopes and aspirations,” Head of School Brian Easler said. Mr. Lyman was able to witness the team he’d been a part of since his teenage years transform enormously, now able to accomplish goals that were thought to be impossible only a few years ago. Now that we have proven to ourselves, with the help of Mr. Lyman, that every shooter has a 200 somewhere in the barrel of their rifle, our sights are set straight for more historical WMA Riflery seasons.
We Remember Mr. Patrick L. Amarante ’62M
Mr. Andre Malouf ’10
Mr. Gonzalo O. Beruff Perez ’52W
Mr. Albert H. McKenney ’45M
Mr. George N. Blanchard ’54M
Mr. David Olsen ’52W
Mr. John E. Dragat ’78
Mr. David H. Priest ’61W
Mr. George J. Fallon ’52W
Mr. Donald F. Robbins Jr. ’50W
Mr. Franklin Hall ’31W
Mr. Michael E. Shea ’77
Mr. John L. Hanson ’53W
Mr. Charles H. Sibley II ’49W
Mr. Alvin G. Jenks ’67W
Mr. Anthony D. Smith ’53M
Mr. Robert B. Jones ’49W
Mr. Carl S. Stoy Jr. ’63M
Mr. Jordan Kaplan ’96
Mr. Eugene F. Sweeney ’58M
Mr. John B. Kopp ’36W
Mr. John F. Waitt Jr. ’54W
Mr. Richard M. Liebe ’50M Mr. Donald S. MacPhail ’49W
Mr. Charles Allen, Former Staff
Mrs. Diane Peters, Alumni Parent
Mr. James A. Bernardo, Alumni Parent
Mr. Scott V. Rutherford, Alumni Grandparent
Mrs. Suzanne B. Birmingham, Alumni Spouse
Mrs. Miriam E. O’Connor, Alumni Grandparent
Mrs. Doris Galitello, Alumni Spouse
Mrs. Beverly M. Owler, Alumni Grandparent
Mrs. Charlotte M. Graves, Alumni Spouse
Mr. Richard Searles, Former Staff Spouse
Mr. Cornelius D. Harrington, Alumni Parent
Mrs. Monique Tougas, Alumni Grandparent
Mr. Oscar L. Lasko, Alumni Parent
Mr. John L. Tyrer, Former Faculty
Mr. Peter L. Meunier, Alumni Parent
Mrs. Cleo B. Warden, Former Staff
Dr. Meme Orquiola, Alumni Parent
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by JANET MORAN Director of Archives
history
From the Archives
1952 Wilbraham Academy Football Lost and Found Again Going into the fall of 1952, the Wilbraham Academy Football team was
top left A team photo from Wilbraham Academy’s 1952 season. bottom left A bit of history of the 1952 Wilbraham Academy football team was revived with the finding at auction of a signed football from that season.
top right Cole Hansen ’17, left, and Head of School Brian Easler display the football from Wilbraham Academy’s 1952 season.
coming off of two straight seasons without a victory. Nonetheless, hope sprung eternal entering into the year as the team returned a strong and dedicated core of athletes. After two years of futility, the team came out strong against Lawrence Academy on Oct. 10, earning a hard fought, 20–7 victory. The lads would prevail twice more that year, and the entire squad later signed a football listing the results of that 1952 season. For decades, the whereabouts of that 1952 football were unknown. As luck would have it last fall, the ball was found and purchased at Trudel’s Auction House in Bellingham, Massachusetts. Jay Powell, uncle of Cole Hansen ’17, spotted a table full of items and noticed a cake plate with a football resting on top, a light shining directly upon it. When he went up to the ball, he could not believe what he saw — “Wilbraham Academy 1952.” Mr. Powell, a Worcester Academy graduate, recognized its significance immediately and had to buy it. “It literally glowed and said to me, ‘time to go home,’” he remembered. When Mr. Powell told Mr. Hansen of his find, Mr. Hansen insisted that he pay for the ball so that he could donate it to the Academy. Mr. Hansen donated the ball, but only after he paid his uncle back the $40 that he had paid for it. The ball was welcomed home to the Academy in a presentation to Head of School Brian Easler and is on display in the Athletic Center.
The Global School: A Long History of Friendship Among Cultures — The Ring the Global School®, has a long history of multiculturalism with students from around the globe forming bonds as classmates and friends. One fine example memorializing this history — the friendship ring — has been displayed in the lobby of Rich Hall. In 1952, classmates Dick Brigham ’52W and Ted Schwerdtle ’52W, formed a friendship with an underclassman — then known as Siam — from Thailand. Upon returning from December break, the young student presented both Mr. Brigham and Mr. Schwerdtle with identical sterling silver rings of friendship. The rings were known as niello, a centuries-old process in which Thai craftsmen created jewelry and other items by carving out areas of silver, filling them with a mixture of sulfur and powdered metal, and then baking them to produce a charcoal black enamel effect. On the face of each ring was a “Garuda,” the above national symbol of Thailand, a mythical winged “Garuda,” the national emblem of Thailand. half-human, half-bird creature. Historically, the below Garuda symbolized the divine power and The two rings shared by authority of ancient kings of Thailand. a Thai student with Dick Mr. Brigham and Mr. Schwerdtle gratefully Brigham ’52W and Ted received the special gifts. Upon closer inspection, Schwerdtle ’52W. though, a secret was revealed. The faces of the rings turned 180 degrees to reveal, on the opposite side, a perfect likeness of the American flag created in enamel. Finally, on each side of the rings were beautifully-carved insignias of the letters “W” and “A,” in honor of Wilbraham Academy — then as now an alma mater embracing students from around the globe. Wilbraham & Monson Academy,
above Contents of the time capsule spanned the rich, 200-plus year history of Wilbraham, Monson, Wesleyan and Wilbraham & Monson academies. right Head of School Brian Easler pauses before closing the time capsule in October.
Time Capsule 2017: The 30-Year Master Plan Starts Now! a sleek, stainless steel rectangular capsule, with the WMA seal laser-engraved on its surface, was placed discreetly behind one of the many stones supporting the new Rich Hall portico. The placement of the time capsule coincides with the start of WMA’s 30-Year Master Plan. In the words of Head of School Brian Easler, “The time capsule will be opened in 2047, 30 years from now, in concert with the culmination of the Master Plan, which was just developed. A copy of the plan is in the capsule, so we can be judged on how well we did.” Also contained in the capsule, preserved for posterity, are: a 2017 Academy World, spring edition; 2017 Commencement and Prize Day programs; a 2017 Yearbook; a “200 Years: Visions That Endure” history book of the Academy; a 2017 WMA blazer; a Monson Academy 150th Anniversary Yearbook; Wesleyan and Monson academy ephemera; and Wilbraham Academy Atlas newspapers. In 30 years, Wilbraham & Monson’s Master Plan will be realized, the capsule will be opened, and we will celebrate all of the changes that have occurred and milestones that have been reached. On a crisp fall day in 2017,
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Why I give . . . The Academy provided the foundation for my success in life. Great teachers nurtured creative and critical thinking that enabled me to develop into a good writer and reader. (For others, of course, their gifts may have led them to engineering or to medicine or to something entrepreneurial like Dean Rohan ’84.) My gifts were linguistic. Between Don Kelly and a set of great English teachers, I graduated with nascent skill as a writer, on which I built my first two careers — the first in academia, the second as a technical communications professional in Seattle’s software scene. These skills remain incredibly instrumental in nursing, the third career I’m pursuing. We write all the time, and our jobs depend on clear communication to doctors, to patients, to families and to each other. Moreover, the people I encounter come from a wide variety of educational and linguistic and cultural (and so on) backgrounds. The Academy made me a citizen of the world without leaving sleepy Massachusetts, and it makes me happy I can help it do the same for others.” — Brett Zalkan ’83
wma.us/support-wma
by brian p. easler Head of School
perspectives
Our Master Plan: ‘One confident step at a time, with you at our side’ You’ve heard a lot, recently, about the promise of the new WMA Facilities Master Plan and what a critical step it is to the future of the Academy. We could not be more pleased to unveil the plan to you now and to discuss it when we see you at Academy functions during the coming years. I will take a moment, however, to explain the purpose of the Master Plan and its role in shaping our path. Anyone could walk onto the WMA campus and realize that we need some things, like a new kitchen or an auditorium. It would be a logical observation. Master planning, however, is much more than a few people simply listing the things they think a school wants or needs. A master plan developed by a broad cross section of a school community answers many questions:
• What do we need to most effectively fulfill our mission? • Where should things be, and how should the campus knit a community together? • How can the physical campus support and accentuate the spirit of WMA? • In what order of priority should we address these needs?
Read the Head of School’s page at www.wma.us/hos
A master plan answers these questions and more. It provides the intentional and detailed direction necessary for a school to fulfill its mission and its vision. It is flexible enough to adjust to changing circumstances. It considers the use of current spaces and how they could be repurposed to greater positive effect on a community. A master plan does not change the character or the heart of a school; instead, it enhances it so that the physical structure of the campus reflects and reinforces the values of the institution. To accomplish all of this, the WMA Master Plan is intimately connected to, and grows out of, our program and our vision and strategic plan for the Academy. Thirty years from now, Wilbraham & Monson Academy will be a thriving and engaged community of students, staff, families and alumni; the campus will be a meticulously maintained and architecturally stunning
array of historic buildings with a few modern and complementary facilities, all wrapped in a carefully Read ‘Master Plan’ story groomed New England on pg. 26 landscape. Students and their families will continue to seek enrollment because of the sustained value of the program and the warmth of the community, and alumni confidence will buoy a sense of loyalty that will lift the school on a continuously rising tide of support, and endow the WMA legacy in perpetuity. We have made remarkable progress toward this vision during the last two decades, but much lies ahead. This is precisely why we chose to develop a master plan that is longer than most. We realize that there is great uncertainty about what the world will look like in 30 years, but we also want to ensure that our short-term priorities fit within the context of a longer vision. We will focus on the 10-year path, with our eyes on the evolving landscape. We will succeed in this endeavor and achieve our vision for WMA by being intentional, flexible, careful when we need to be, and bold when opportunity strikes. We look forward to making this happen, one confident step at a time, with you at our side. Respectfully,
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Wilbraham & Monson Academy 423 Main Street Wilbraham, MA 01095-1715 www.wma.us tel: 413.596.6811
The Magazine of Wilbraham & Monson Academy The Global School ÂŽ
ACADEMYWORLD
Where We’re Going the master plan issue