Wilbraham & Monson Academy Spring 2016

s p r i n g 2 016

The Magazine of Wilbraham & Monson Academy The Global School ®

ACADEMYWORLD

The Class of 2016: Raising the Bar also in this issue:

Alumni in Action Traveling Titans Inside the Classroom

perspectives

by brian easler Head of School

A Transformational Experience collaborative people can come together under the healthy pressure of a tight deadline and the need for an immediate full-faculty presentation of results. Our discussion quickly fell into two parallel questions: how do people describe the value of WMA after coming through our program, and what do we endeavor to provide our students?

There is one recurring phrase that dominates our conversations with alumni and alumni parents of WMA about the value it represents to them: “Wilbraham & Monson Academy is a i recently participated in a remarkable transformational experience.” Other common examination of our mission statement with about answers include, “WMA changed my life,” a dozen members of the WMA faculty and “The school was exactly what I needed when administration. The session was part of our I needed it,” and, “I would not be where I am winter professional development day, where the today had I not attended WMA.” Individual details entire teaching staff was divided into work of this transformation vary, as you would expect, groups to consider challenges we need to solve, but the general idea remains consistent. We issues we want to investigate and opportunities attempted to isolate particular parts of the Academy we can explore. Our group included teachers and that act most as catalysts for this transformation, administrators who are also WMA alumni, but in the end it became increasingly obvious current parents, alumni parents and teachers that the whole WMA experience — the global who grew up with faculty children. Experience student body representing more than 30 countries, at WMA ranged from four years to more than the rare and inclusive benefit to all students 30 years. of a boarding environment, the healthy and My challenge for our team was to consider nurturing student-adult relationships, the how we communicate our Global School® mission. A guiding premise for the discussion was friendly and welcoming community of learners, the rigorous, yet supportive, academic and that the mission is not changing — our mission is extracurricular program — is, in its entirety, one we believe in and that is firmly rooted in our truly transformational. history and our future. This was simply an Once we had an answer to our first guiding opportunity to evaluate how it is understood, question, we then attempted to boil down internalized and shared. We started by defining our intent, what we hope to instill in our students, the intended outcome of our task. The mission to the fewest words possible that can effectively statement should be short, but not too short. It describe why we do what we do. We want our should be easily memorized, but full of meaning students to be competitive and non-complacent, and simple to elaborate. It should be clear, but and to seek challenges that will test them. broad enough to encourage thoughtful consideration. Any person at the Academy should We want our students to be resilient in the face of inevitable hardship and discomfort. We be able to relate to it, clearly communicate it and want them to learn that failure is just a learning easily understand their role in accomplishing it.

We should avoid marketing buzzwords that could opportunity on the path to success. We want them to exhibit grit and tenacity when they weaken or trivialize it, or that will quickly lose encounter obstacles and setbacks. We want our appeal. It should elicit an emotional response, and students to develop a healthy growth mindset offer the opportunity for anyone to imagine necessary to become life-long learners. We want herself or himself benefitting from involvement. them to innovate and invent and approach We established these guidelines, and then we gave their lives and the world with an entrepreneurial the group an hour and 45 minutes. and challenge-seeking spirit, and we want It was impressive to witness how a varied our students to have the courage to lead. group of bright, informed, thoughtful and

Challenge-seeking alone, however, despite all it encompasses, will not get the job done. In order to get anything accomplished in the world, regardless of innovative and entrepreneurial prowess, our students must know how to work effectively with others. Life, as we all know, is complicated. We want our students to seek to understand and interact with people from widely divergent backgrounds, beliefs and goals. We want them to recognize their role in the world and be sensitive to the needs of others. We want them to be ready to both defend their positions and change their minds. We want them to balance their own desires with circumstances to find a diplomatic path forward, and we want them to make the world better for themselves and others by taking opportunities to make positive change. We witness these things happening on our campus and in our alumni community every day, and we believe they describe what so many of our students and alumni represent: a predilection for compassionate and diplomatic engagement.

These words together — innovative, entrepreneurial, challenge-seeking and diplomatic — balance well to represent our goals for our students and for their role in the world.

Regardless of how we define our intentions or boil them down into succinct categories, and the preceding paragraphs are just a sketch, we know that we are preparing WMA graduates for an uncertain future. The world is evolving at an increasing pace, which creates inevitable growing pains our students will need to handle.

We believe that a diplomatic and challengeseeking approach will serve our students best, as they also evolve into global citizens and leaders.

I feel privileged, every day, to benefit from membership in this community of learners.

This mission-defining process with a group of committed colleagues affirmed that for me, and reinforced that Wilbraham & Monson Academy is, in fact, a truly transformational experience where students of all ages become challenge-seeking citizens and leaders of an evolving world.

contents

editor

Teddy Ryan associate editor

Bill Wells

advisory board

Tiffany Alrefae Christina Cronin Brian Easler Dawn Hines Erik Kindblom

contributing writers

Kristen Casey Christina Cronin Wendy Decker Michael Dziura Brian Easler Fred Gao, Ph.D. Kathleen Gorski, Ph.D. Gayle Hsiao John Lombard Janet Moran Bill Rosenbeck Deanna Roux Teddy Ryan Bill Wells

photography

Baystate Health Paul Bloomfield Kristen Casey Wendy Decker Fred Gao, Ph.D. John Lombard Lord & Taylor Bill Rosenbeck Deanna Roux Bill Wells Various contributing photographers

design

Stoltze Design printing

Starburst

board of trustees

Scott B. Jacobs ’75, Chair James E. LaCrosse ’50W, Vice Chair Mark R. Shenkman ’61M, Vice Chair Donald J. Stuart ’73, Treasurer Krista Hanson, Secretary David J. Callahan Robert S. Edmunds ’01 Caitlin S. Flynn ’06 K. Ivan F. Gothner Linda B. Griffin Hyun Chong Kim ’77 Judith A. Knapp Barry M. Maloney ’85 Timothy J. Marini Kent W. Pecoy David A. Reeves Craig A. Rubin ’63W Bonnie Faulkner Ryan ’82 Steven D. Spence ’76

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trustees emeriti

Eric W. Anderson Richard S. Fuld ’64W William E. James ’64W Frederic A. Rothery

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parents association

Renee Alexander Brenda Labbe Irma Zingarelli

feature story

35 traveling titans

alumni, we’d like to hear from you!

Send your current contact information and news to alumni@wma.us.

Academy World is published in the spring and fall for alumni, parents and friends of the Academy. Please direct comments and letters to: wilbraham & monson academy marketing & communications office 423 main street wilbraham, ma 01095-1715 marketing@wma.us our mission

Wilbraham & Monson Academy is a transformational experience where students become challenge-seeking citizens and leaders of an evolving world.

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Class of 2016

alumni in action 20 24 28 30 32

L iz Rodbell ’75 Ken Salem ’80 Virginia Salem ’82 Michael Ashe Jr. ’58M Dr. Mark Keroack ’72

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.

departments 2 8 12 46 50

News From the Hill Titans Victorious Inside the Classroom Alumni Events Class Notes

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34 F aculty Hubbard Grant 38 Costa Rica 40 China

The Class of 2016 became the first graduating class in Wilbraham & Monson Academy history to have every member donate toward its class gift. All 101 seniors and postgraduates donated their gift in a six-day span in September. The effort was led by the Class of 2016 prefects and class officers.

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by bill wells Director of Student Promotion

departments

News From the Hill WMA Makes Most of Visit with Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor

Wilbraham & Monson Academy made the absolute most of a rare opportunity Sept. 9 when the Upper School attended an event in downtown Springfield with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

The real thrill, though, came for the 20 Academy students who were invited to be part of a 30-minute Question & Answer session with Justice Sotomayor prior to the main lecture, which was held at the MassMutual Center as part of the WMA-sponsored Springfield Public Forum.

Students in the higher levels of the Academy’s Spanish classes and WMA’s Global Scholars were among 50 people at the light and social Q&A

Yujia “Cynthia” Zhang ’17 Performs with Kunming Symphony Orchestra Yujia “Cynthia” Zhang ’17 showed last year at Wilbraham & Monson Academy that she is a gifted piano player.

Someone in China felt the same way.

Cynthia was invited to perform with the Kunming Symphony Orchestra in July.

Playing as a guest performer, Cynthia was the only student among the musicians.

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venue. Morayma Linarez ’16, Colin O’Brien ’16, Nick Leone ’17 and Anike Tella ’16 asked questions and had their respective photo taken with Justice Sotomayor before the Academy had a group photo taken with the third female and first Latino to be appointed to the country’s highest court.

“Twenty of our students got to take part in a Q&A, where Justice Sotomayor really opened the floor to the students,” Head of School Brian Easler said. “There was no scripting, she took all questions from the students, answered them genuinely and with integrity and really developed a rapport with the students. It was extraordinarily meaningful.”

WMA students and faculty had the opportunity to participate in a Question & Answer session with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

“The people who organize the symphony know I like to do something instead of service, like a lot of people, and they know I want to share music with everyone as my special afterclass activity,” said Cynthia, who plans to continue her piano playing in college. “My piano playing isn’t at the top, but they think I have that mindset that I will share music.”

Despite only having three weeks to prepare, Cynthia shared her piano playing with a few

hundred people in the audience.

She played three songs by Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi at the Chuncheng Theater.

Ms. Lavin Named Convocation Speaker at Bay Path

In her two-plus years at Wilbraham & Monson Academy, Science Department member Lindsie Lavin has wasted no time making a positive and widespread impact inside and outside the classroom.

Ms. Lavin did the same while she was in college, so much so she was invited to be her alma mater’s guest speaker at Bay Path University’s 2015 Convocation on Sept. 8 in Longmeadow.

“I was thrilled to be able to return to campus as the 2015 convocation speaker,” said Ms. Lavin, a 2010 graduate of Bay Path. “The school has grown tremendously since I graduated, so I was honored to have been chosen to help open its academic year and welcome more than 300 new students, in addition to the senior class.

Additionally, I was excited to see some of my former professors and other folks I worked closely with during my four years.”

At Bay Path, Ms. Lavin served as class president for all four years, played field hockey and worked as a residential assistant. She has stayed involved by serving as a member of its alumni council.

Fittingly, Ms. Lavin’s convocation speech touched on the theme of living life to the fullest, which she has done since arriving at the Academy in 2013. Widely regarded as one of the most popular teachers and dorm parents on campus, she is the head coach for Girls’ Lacrosse and Skiing, as well as an assistant coach for Field Hockey. She is also co-advisor for the Class of 2018 and assistant director of Beech Tree Summer Camp.

Three WMA Students Named AP National Scholars

Three students from Wilbraham & Monson Academy received the highest nationwide honor possible following the College Board’s 2015 Advanced Placement exams, earning the rank of National AP Scholar.

Three members of WMA’s Class of 2015 — YoungSeok “Justin” Jang, Brian Kennedy and Robert Taylor — met the criteria for the award, scoring a 4 (of 5) or better on at least eight AP exams and averaging at least a 4 on all exams taken during their high school career. The results were posted by the College Board in July.

“I am so proud of Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s three National AP Scholars,” Dean of Curriculum Meg Hutcheson said. “They were dedicated, exceptional students who

made the most of the AP offerings at our school and they are most deserving of this honor.”

In all, 67 of the Academy’s Upper School students received honors from the College Board: • 28 students named AP Scholar

(grades of 3 or better on three or more AP exams).

• 15 students named AP Scholar with Honor (grades of 3 or better

on four or more AP exams and an average of 3.25 on all exams).

• 2 4 students named AP Scholar with Distinction (grades of 3 or better

on five or more AP exams and an average of 3.5 on all exams).

The Academy scored higher than the national mean on 16 of the 2015 AP exams, with 12 of those finishing a half-point or higher than the national

mean: Art History, AB Calculus, BC Calculus, Chemistry, English Language, English Literature, Human Geography, Italian, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Studio Art 3D and U.S. History.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the time and effort our students put into their studies and of results like this year’s AP scores,” Head of School Brian Easler said. “The students who go the extra distance to take AP options and dedicate themselves to the work involved in doing well in the classes and on the exams are setting the standard. Whether or not students choose to take AP courses, this performance demonstrates the kind of grit and determination that makes the cut at WMA.” top to bottom YoungSeok “Justin” Jang ’15, Brian Kennedy ’15 and Robert Taylor ’15.

Two WMA Students Rank in Top 5% on National AMC 8 Exam

From WMA Middle School Director Stuart Whitcomb: Congratulations to our American Mathematics Competition 8 Award winners!

AMC 8 is a national competition sponsored by the Mathematical Association of America. This multiple-choice examination is designed to promote the development and enhancement of problem-solving skills at a middle school level, and the exam itself utilizes non-traditional problems and approaches. The Wilbraham & Monson Academy Middle School students in Grade 6, Grade 7 and Grade 8 competed on Nov. 19.

Certificates were handed out to our Gold, Silver and Bronze honorees at our school meeting on Jan. 14. The top scorer in the Middle School, Tianyu “Joe” Yu ’20, will have his name added to the plaque in the rotunda, with winners dating back to 2005.

This year was very special as two of our students, Tianyu “Joe” Yu ’20 and Muwei “Katherine” Xu ’20, received Honor Roll status, which means they scored in the top 5 percent worldwide! Very impressive! left to right Tianyu “Joe” Yu ’20 and Muwei “Katherine” Xu ’20.

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departments: news from the hill

Tori Zingarelli ’17 Sings at Naturalization Ceremony

Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s Tori Zingarelli ’17 has sung at a number of events, ranging from public music performances to athletic events.

Tori sang at a totally different venue Sept. 17, but it was a venue where she could completely relate.

With hundreds of people in attendance on a sunny afternoon, Tori sang the national anthem and led the Pledge of Allegiance at a naturalization ceremony at the Springfield Armory National Historic site, where more than 200 people became citizens of the United States.

Tori’s dad, Paul, is a first generation American, with his parents immigrating to the United States from Italy.

“It was great to see people’s reactions,” Tori said.

“I’ve never experienced new people coming into the country. It gave me a new look at The Global School®. These people had gone through all this

Rubicon Wins Gold Medal

After a brief hiatus, the return of Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s “Rubicon” was a triumphant one as the 2015 publication earned a Gold Medal Award from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association in late October.

The “Rubicon” received honors in all three categories (essentials, visual and verbal), and earned 991 points out of the 1,000-point scoring system.

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time and stress, and this was their last step to get that document and become legal citizens.”

Tori said she wasn’t nervous singing in front of the large crowd because “everyone was really happy. The ceremony was really nice and well put together. Everyone respected it.”

“The staff, for their first time working on a literary magazine, put out a special magazine,” said Heidi Ostendarp, who served as the publication’s faculty advisor.

“Considering this is the first “Rubicon” in recent years, we’re really pleased with the high quality of the publication we were able to put out.

What a great starting place to be for “Rubicon” 2016. The students will just be building on the strengths of last year’s issue.”

And last year’s issue had many strengths, ranging from the cover to the writing to the art to the editing.

“Your staff’s exemplary skills included application of (Associated Press) rules, mastery of layout design, and publication of various art and literary selections,” the Columbia Scholastic Press Association said in its summary.

The 76-page art magazine included 24 writing pieces and more than 30 images. The “Rubicon” staff included: Yutong Zou ’15 (editor), Ye Lim Kim ’18, Junwoo “Lucas” Kang ’17, Jisang Kim ’17 and Hays Maynard ’18.

Liz Mitchell-Kelly ’04 Hired by Huffington Post

Since she was a young girl, Wilbraham & Monson Academy English Department faculty member Liz Mitchell-Kelly ’04 has kept a journal.

In mid-December, Liz wrote something in her journal she thought other people might have some interest in, so she sent it to the Huffington Post. The Huffington Post replied immediately.

Not only did the online media giant say it was going to run the piece, but it also wanted Liz to come on board as an independent blogger.

“It was one of those things where I woke up at 4 a.m. and something was really bothering me,” Liz explained. “I had to write it down.

After I looked at it, I thought, ‘Maybe this could be something and is more than a journal entry. Maybe somebody might want to read this.’ I submitted it to see what would happen and they emailed me back that same day.

“I’m very excited. I’ve had multiple pieces of writing that I’ve been working on but I haven’t known what outlet they belong in. Now I have somewhere. I have the freedom to write about things that matter to me.”

Liz has been a blogger for Ad Week, an advertising public relations magazine, and has had some pieces posted on the website feministing.com and other small literary magazines. Huffington Post, though, is a totally different level, with her piece, “Hanukkah Reflections on my Refugee Heritage,” catching the attention of the company’s management.

Middle School Wins Award at Lego Robotics Competition Gracious and professional are two positive words, and those words describe this year’s Middle School Lego Robotics team at Wilbraham & Monson Academy.

At the conclusion of the Eighth Annual FFL Qualifying Tournament, an all-day competition held in Agawam Dec. 12, the Academy was named the winner of the Gracious Professionalism Award. The event included 23 teams.

“I was happy for our kids,” said Middle School faculty member Luke Pelletier, the team’s coach. “We had some strong personalities and some debating, and I kept telling them they had to work together.

“They pulled it off. The kids did well. I’m real proud of them.”

The WMA team included Tristan Lynch ’20, Kyle Yamagishi-Rodstein ’20, Kyrin Walsh ’20, Atilla Troy ’20, Nolan Lorenzana ’20 and Tyler Tranghese ’21.

Mr. Bloomfield Takes “Dark Side” to Music Publication

While walking to his house from school as a child, Paul Bloomfield always knew if his dad was home because he could hear “Dark Side of the Moon” blasting from the family stereo.

“I’ve always loved music,” said Mr. Bloomfield, Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s Fine & Performing Arts Department Chair.

“Music was a big part of growing up in my household. My dad was huge into Pink Floyd and progressive rock, and my mom was into soul music.”

Even though he’s never played an instrument, the music bug has never left Mr. Bloomfield, so when an opportunity came up to write about one of his passions, although he didn’t think he was fully qualified, he couldn’t turn it down.

In the last two years, Mr. Bloomfield has written six music reviews for the JazzTimes and New England Concert Review websites, including four reports since the spring of 2015.

In May of 2015, Mr. Bloomfield saw and wrote a review on Crosby, Stills and Nash, who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

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departments: news from the hill

Mr. Rosenbeck: WMA’s Rock Journalist

back row Current parents Brenda Labbe, Irma Zingarelli, Director of Marketing & Communications Teddy Ryan and Director of Athletics Don Nicholson ’79. front row Dean of Curriculum Meg Hutcheson, Head of School Brian Easler and Stephanie Easler.

The People Have Spoken: WMA #1

People in the region recently learned what people at Wilbraham & Monson Academy already know.

In the 2016 Reader Raves, which was published Sept. 20 in the local newspaper, “The Republican,” the Academy was voted the Best Private School in Western Massachusetts.

“Of course, we are extraordinarily proud of WMA and the accomplishments of our students and our program, but it is a wonderful affirmation to hear that so many other people agree,” Head of School Brian Easler said. “WMA is a magical place where hard work abounds in a nurturing and supportive community. We are fortunate to be so involved in so many of our students’ lofty dreams becoming reality.”

More than 67,000 people participated in this year’s Reader Raves, voting on 100 categories, ranging from Best Local Bank to Best Doughnuts.

“This award is particularly meaningful because we are surrounded by such fine and first-rate private school neighbors,” Mr. Easler added. “To

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be honored in this way, by those who know us best, is a special tribute to the hard work and dedication our faculty and staff put in, day and night, to create the WMA student experience.”

Compared to most people who love music, English Department faculty member Bill Rosenbeck is in the minority. He can play the guitar and carry a tune. He’s been the front man for a band, performing at times weekly into the late hours of the evening to people cheering his musical ability and chanting his name.

Then, by chance, and later by talent, Mr. Rosenbeck found his way into the magical world of music in a completely different fashion.

While attending graduate school at Wesleyan University, a professor assigned Mr. Rosenbeck’s class an outside-the-box project — writing a music review.

“I emailed this band I liked,” Mr. Rosenbeck explained. “They were playing around me a couple times and we had to do a project.

I emailed this bluegrass band and hung out with them a little while, and then I turned that project into an article. That was my first one.

From there, one has led to another, where I talk to a record label and they had me write a story on the band Lake Street Dive, who has been on ‘Colbert Report,’ ‘Conan,’ ‘Ellen’ … all these big shows.”

Since that assignment for graduate school, Mr. Rosenbeck has written 10 music reviews over the last 14 months, typically connecting with bands in Northampton and Boston.

He’s been published by the Elmore Magazine and No Depression websites, including twice in December of 2015.

Isaias “Ikas” de Brito Trindade ’17 Wins at Harvard Model UN

Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s Isaias “Ikas” de Brito Trindade ’17 requested to be more involved at this year’s Harvard Model United Nations.

He was, and he was rewarded for it.

At the conclusion of the three-day event in Boston, which included 3,000 students from throughout the country, Ikas was selected for the Verbal Mention Award for his work with the Cabinet of the Islamic Republic of Iran, circa 1981.

“Ikas’ second year in Model UN was a successful one,” said Center for Entrepreneurial and Global Studies Chair Gina Markowski, who runs WMA’s Model UN with CEGS Department member Gary Cook. “He applied for a Specialized Agency before we even began this academic year in August. He enthusiastically contacted me in July asking for my opinion as to what committee he should apply for. That’s dedication. His passion for Model UN is infectious and he was an instrumental leader for new students this year.”

Ikas proved to be an instrumental leader at the 63rd annual conference as well. He served as Javad Fakoori, Iran’s Minister of Defense and Military Logistics.

“Ikas was able to rely on his research and pre-conference preparation, but also had to adapt to unexpected crises as presented to him by his Dias Staff,” Ms. Markowski explained.

“Ikas was able to rewrite the course of history.”

Using his Model UN experience and preparation, Ikas brilliantly played his role, embracing it as if he was indeed Mr. Fakoori.

“We (Iran) wanted to win the war with Iraq,” Ikas said. “We started the war losing so we had to stop the invasion and eventually win the war.

And then Iran had no friends in the international arena. The economy was crippled and people

were starving. There were other political factions.

There were people who wanted democracy and a different form of government.

“In the end, we did great. We not only stopped the invasion but we won the war.

We destroyed Iraq, which was our goal and we created an Islamic Republic in Iraq, too. We lifted all sanctions imposed by the international community. We traded with Israel and the United States. The economy was booming and we dealt with domestic situations.”

Being selected a standout among the 3,000 delegates was an added bonus for Ikas. More than anything, he appreciated being given the opportunity to be so involved in this year’s event.

“Model UN was the best it could possibly be,” Ikas said. “This was shared not only by me but the other kids in my committee. The staff from Harvard all said they had certain expectations with our simulation, and they said we surpassed their expectations. We did things in real life that Iran didn’t do, like end the war in less than a year. The war lived on for seven years in real life.

“It was satisfying to win an award. But, it complements the whole experience. I made this my focal point. For that weekend, that’s what was important to me. Then I got into a frame of mind that I was the minister and there was actually a war going on. It was a great experience.”

Five Selected for Western District

Not everyone is selected for the Massachusetts Music Educators Association Western District event.

Five students from Wilbraham & Monson Academy, however, passed their respective auditions and will participate at the 2016 performance.

Tori Zingarelli ’17, Yujia “Cynthia” Zhang ’17, Nick Dubois ’18 and Chanling “Lily” Bai ’18 were named to Senior Western District, while Olivia Schonagel ’21 earned a spot on Junior Western District.

“It’s great to have so many students selected,” said Thad Wheeler, of WMA’s Fine & Performing Arts Department. “They’ve worked hard. They had to audition. It’s a detailed audition. They have pretty detailed grading sheets. I did a lot of prep work with everyone individually. Not everyone makes it. You have to be at a high level to make it.”

above from top left Tori Zingarelli ’17, Nick Dubois ’18, Olivia Schonagel ’21, Chanling “Lily” Bai ’18 and Yujia “Cynthia” Zhang ’17.

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by bill wells Director of Student Promotion

departments

Titans Victorious

Ania Axas ’19 Sets Record

Two Titans Invited to National Trial Team

The older they get, the closer Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s Jahkeem Hunt ’16 (above right) and Jomei Bean-Lindo ’16 (above left) get to the highest level of soccer possible in their country.

Jahkeem and Jomei have been invited to play on Bermuda’s U20 National trial team, in hopes of playing in that age group’s World Cup. Qualifiers will begin in the summer of 2016, with 30 players competing for 22 spots.

Jahkeem and Jomei have been playing on Bermuda’s National team since the U13 level.

“It’s an honor to represent my country,” Jahkeem said. “Playing on a world stage and playing for your

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country … you want to make sure you bring home something good for your country.”

“It’s very scary,” Jomei added. “It’s hard to explain the feeling of being that close to playing on the senior national team.”

“We’re obviously proud of the guys and happy for them,” Coach Gary Cook said. “I have to imagine the ultimate joy for a football player is playing for their country. The fact they have a chance to represent their country at the national level is exciting for them.”

Tyrell Burgess ’04 is a member of Bermuda’s National team, and Chae Brangman ’14 has been selected for the 2018 Bermuda World Cup Qualifying trial team.

Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s Ania Axas ’19 was hoping to set a pool record at a home swim meet vs. Cheshire Academy Jan. 16.

She did, but not in the event she thought.

In a rare appearance in the 500-yard freestyle, Ania smashed the pool mark by nearly six seconds, touching in five minutes, 24.40 seconds to establish a new mark at WMA. “I wasn’t even thinking about a pool record — not at all,” Ania said. “When I finished, I looked up and was shocked to see my best time I’d ever done in the 500. I knew the school record was 5:19 but I didn’t know I had the pool record until Mr. (Dan) Moran told me at practice Monday.

“I’m so happy I got it. I wasn’t expecting it but I’m grateful my work is paying off.”

Ania, who has twice missed the pool record in the 200 individual medley by less than one second this season, set the record despite having limited experience in the 500.

“I was shocked I was in it, but I was feeling good at practice and I wanted to swim it at this meet,” Ania said. “You need to know how to pace yourself in the 500.

You don’t want to go out too fast. You need to believe in yourself that you can finish it.

It’s a long race, but if you think about swimming it from the beginning to the end, and you pace it, everything will be OK.”

Girls’ Basketball Takes Home Tournament Trophy

Girls’ Volleyball Sends Three to All-Star Game

level … it was amazing to see all these players from different prep schools Three Wilbraham & Monson Academy around the region come together after such a long season. Being in that environstudents were among the best high ment was a good time. Being in it for school volleyball players in the region the first time, I’d say it was a big success when the New England Prep School for everyone and our own team.”

Girls’ Volleyball Association held its Ally — “I was surprised to be chosen.

All-Star Game Nov. 8 in Windsor, Conn.

Carly Venditti ’16, Ally Faulstick ’16 I don’t picture myself as a volleyball player, more as a softball player who is and Gabby Leary ’17 were selected to compete on the West Division team with playing volleyball. But I was honored to represent the team and I was really players from Hotchkiss School, happy to go out there and be with my Berkshire School, Choate Rosemary teammates and represent WMA. I’m Hall, Miss Porter’s School, Suffield thankful for the opportunity.”

Academy, Northfield Mount Hermon, Gabby — “It was a great opportunity Ethel Walker School, Kingswood to play in the all-star game. It was really Oxford School, MacDuffie School, fun to play with the high competition, Hopkins School and Forman School. and overall it was a good experience.”

Here’s what the players had to say regarding the all-star game: from left Carly Venditti ’16, Allyson Faulstick Carly — “Playing at this high ’16 and Gabriella Leary ’17.

The Wilbraham & Monson Academy Girls’ Basketball team won the runner-up plaque at the Stoneleigh-Burnham School Tournament a year ago.

This season, the Titans earned a little bit more.

Behind its tireless defense, the Academy won three games in two days to claim the 2015 SBS Tournament title, beating Millbrook School 56–19, King School 54–33 and Winsor School of Boston 49–40 in the final.

“I told our girls at halftime that Winsor had already given us their best shot — that’s all they had,” Durelle Brown said. “We had them figured out and just had to score. There was a stretch where we went on a 9–0 run in the second half and the game was over.

Winsor cracked a little bit. We demoralized them. Winsor made a valiant effort, but there’s a toughness and togetherness about us that you can’t measure.”

In the final, Meera Miller Ratte ’17, who was named to the All-Tournament team, led the Titans with 14 points, followed by Annika Bruce ’17 (12 points) and Katie Cronin ’17 (11).

Football Awards Eight with Post-season Honors The Wilbraham & Monson Academy Football team had its best record in years, and with that came a big reward.

Two Titans were named to the New England Prep School Athletic Council All-New England Class B team, while eight players were selected to the Western New England Independent Class B squad.

“That’s a strong reflection of our team as a whole,” WMA Coach Jeff Vartabedian said. “We were able to get eight guys selected because we had a winning record, and that was a total team effort.

It was a great honor to have more guys selected this year. It’s well-deserved.”

Jaelon Blandburg ’16 (Carson, Calif.) and Alex Claudio ’17 (Springfield, Mass.) earned spots on the All-New England team.

Jaelon, Alex, Jack Faulstick ’16 (Amherst, Mass.) and Dylan Dupont ’16 (Belchertown, Mass.) made the Western New England First Team, while Steve Puzzo ’16 (West Caldwell, N.J.), James Halloran ’16 (Ridgewood, N.Y.), Amir Zeisler ’16 (Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada) and Caelan Etti ’17 (Monson, Mass.) were chosen for the Second Team.

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departments: titans victorious

Three Titans Named to All-League Team The future is bright for the young Girls’ Varsity Soccer team at Wilbraham & Monson Academy.

Katie Cronin ’17, Annika Bruce ’17 (both pictured at left with Coach Don Nicholson ’79) and Val MacEachern ’17 — three juniors — were named to the Women’s Western New England Prep School Soccer Coaches Association All-League team, as selected by opposing coaches in the league.

Katie and Annika made the first team, while

Coach Cook Steps Down

A truly great coaching era at Wilbraham & Monson Academy has come to an end.

Gary Cook, one of the Academy’s most successful and influential coaches, announced his retirement as Head Coach of the Varsity Boys’ Soccer team Dec. 17. Coach Cook, a member of the WMA soccer program for 37 seasons, addressed his players after school meeting.

“Forty years overall of coaching, 35 years as a Head Coach and teacher of history at Wilbraham & Monson Academy, those numbers resonate with me,” said Coach Cook, who has been involved in soccer at some level every fall season since 1968.

“I don’t think there’s any one, single reason.

I think it’s time for a change for me. I think maybe it’s time for a change with the program, to get some fresh energy and maybe a different personality with the boys.

“I have a wonderful wife who I haven’t been around for four decades and it’s time to spend time with my family. I feel like it’s time for a lot of reasons. We’ve had a lot of success and I’m so proud of the boys who have played here. It’s time for something different but I know I’m going to miss it.”

Coach Cook won more than 200 games — probably closer to 250. He coached three AllAmericans, two state Players of the Year and one National Player of the Year. His teams won seven division titles and New England titles in 1998, 2002 and 2006.

Sean McGrath ’07, WMA’s Assistant Coach, played on the ’06 team as a post-graduate.

“Gary has never compromised his values as

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a coach and what it means to be a player in the Titan jersey and respecting the game,” Coach McGrath said. “Coming up and him being my mentor, that’s something I’ve really admired in him. He’s had the ability to continually do things the right way over 35 years. It will kill him to step down, but like he said, he hasn’t had a fall off in 47 years.

“The things I’ve learned from him and the impact he’s had on my life — not just my career but also my personal development — has been unparalleled.”

Although there are a few things he won’t miss, such as long bus rides and games in bad weather, there are a number of aspects of coaching he will miss.

A highly respected history teacher, Coach Cook carried his love for teaching and history into his coaching. He realized how much teaching and coaching had in common after attending a coaching clinic in 1985.

“Someone told me, ‘Coaching is teaching, and we’re going to help you become a better teacher of the game.’ At the end of the day, the game has given me a chance to share that. We tried to use the field as a classroom. The values of athletics transfer to the classroom.”

Soon after graduating college, WMA Athletic Director Don Nicholson ’79 coached a dozen seasons with Coach Cook before shifting to the Girls’ Soccer program.

“I’ve watched him build a program that isn’t just one of the best in Western New England but certainly in all of New England prep soccer,” Coach Nicholson said. “Gary will be missed in the program but his legacy and all the work he’s done will live on.”

Val was named to the honorable mention list. For being picked to the first team, Katie and Annika were invited to compete in the league all-star large school game Nov. 15 at Loomis Chaffee School.

“Katie and Annika did a great job, playing against some of the top competition in New England,” Coach Don Nicholson ’79 said. “Annika and Katie both played forward and midfield, and Annika scored a goal. They both had a great afternoon and represented Wilbraham & Monson Academy very well.”

“ I’m going to miss standing on Corbin Field and looking up at the mountain on a fall day; I’m going to miss when the boys come together in a game with stuff we’ve been working on in training; I’m going to miss when the reserves get into a game and play almost as good as the first group; I’m going to miss young boys turning into men and having soccer be a part of it; and I’ll miss walking around campus being called coach.”

— coach gary cook

Wenyen Gabriel ’16 Plays for Team USA

Wenyen Gabriel ’16 loves the red, white and blue colors of Wilbraham & Monson Academy.

Just a few months after becoming a citizen of the United States, Wenyen proudly wore those same colors for his new country.

Wenyen has been selected to be a member of the 2016 USA Basketball Junior National Select Team, which played the World Select Team at the Nike Hoop Summit April 9 in Oregon.

“Being named to USA Basketball is a great achievement,” said Wenyen, a native of South Sudan whose family

Boys’ Soccer Sends Three to All-Star Game

Three members of the Wilbraham & Monson Academy Boys’ Soccer team participated in all-star games following the conclusion of the Titans’ regular season.

Jahkeem Hunt ’16 (left), Nick Kubacki ’16 (center) and Chris Kalil ’17 (right) were selected to play in one of three New England all-star events held Nov. 22 at Brooks School in Andover.

Jahkeem played in his second New England all-star game, having also played as a junior. His team won 4–3, with the WMA striker

moved to New Hampshire when he was 3 years old. “It’s proof that I’ve taken a couple steps forward. I’m excited to represent the USA.” “It’s probably the highest honor you can get as a high school basketball player, and I wouldn’t say too many people would say that’s an exaggeration because there’s really no greater honor than to play for USA Basketball when you’re a high school player,” Coach Mike Mannix said. “It shows what level he has gotten to.”

Wenyen’s USA team consists of 12 of the best high school seniors in the country, meaning, when it comes to high school basketball, he ranks among the absolute best of the best.

Of the 12 seniors on the roster, Wenyen was the only player selected with no prior USA Basketball experience, which speaks volumes.

Two of his future teammates at the University of Kentucky were also named to the team.

“I’ve played against most of the players on the USA team already,” Wenyen, a 6-foot-10 forward, said before the game. “It’s going to be fun playing with them. It’s going to be a great experience. There will be NBA

scouts there and that’s something I look forward to.”

“Top 12 in the United States vs. top 12 in the world,” Mannix explained. “Basically, what this says is it cements his place as one of the top players in the world at the high school level. It’s welldeserving. For him, it’s another dream come true. But I know he won’t be satisfied with this. He’ll want to keep going, but it’s another feather in his cap to everything he’s done and all the time he’s put in.”

The Nike Hoop Summit was aired live on ESPN2.

“It’s probably the most scrutinized high school all-star game out of all the high school allstar games,” Coach Mannix said.

“It’s the one that’s attended by the most NBA scouts and most evaluated. He had a chance to have all 30 teams in the NBA lay eyes on him.”

Earlier in the season, Wenyen had 24 points and 10 rebounds to help WMA to a come-from-behind 83–73 win against Athletes Institute of Canada at the Bluegrass Showcase in Lexington, Ky., Dec. 12.

contributing a goal and an assist.

“It was very competitive,” Jahkeem explained. “That was probably the fastest game I’ve played in America.

There was a lot of one-touch soccer, and quality on and off the ball. You could tell the players’ soccer IQ was very high. Most of all, it was fun.

Playing in front of coaches and other people was fun.”

Jahkeem also played in the Western New England All-Star Game, held Nov. 15 at Loomis Chaffee. He had a goal and assist in that game as well, with his team triumphing 7–0.

Titans Play in All-Star Game The only two seniors on the Wilbraham & Monson Academy Field Hockey team have played with each other since they arrived at the Academy, and it was only fitting they spent their final high school game of their impressive careers on the field with each other.

Sydney Liptak ’16 (above right) and Megan Wells ’16 (above left), a pair of four-year starters and captains, played in the Western New England Prep School Field Hockey Coaches Association All-Star Game Nov. 15 at Suffield Academy.

Sydney, possibly the best field hockey player in WMA history, started at left back, while Megan started in goal. Their team won, 4–2.

Remarkably, Sydney was playing in the all-star game for the fourth time.

It was the second appearance for Megan. Both plan to play Division III field hockey in college.

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by kathleen gorski, ph.d. Science Department Chair

inside the classroom

Here’s an Idea … how can wilbraham & monson academy

continue to support project-based learning? How can students and faculty deepen creative, innovative and entrepreneurial thinking? If you follow either educational literature or popular culture, the answer is clear: get into the maker movement and build an innovation lab!

Our solution was to embrace the entrepreneurial mindset (where WMA has a long history) and revamp a space that can be shared among disciplines and classes. The late summer of 2015 saw renovations in both computer labs and the physics classroom. They house Academic Computing classes, the Fashion Program and Tinkering weekend activities. All rooms have a full wall of writable space, ideal for the sprawl of brainstorming and mind-mapping activities that are often cramped on a standard whiteboard.

In teaching mode, the simple ability of all students to be taking part in kinesthetic activity at the same time drives the creative thinking process.

The old physics classroom saw the biggest changes. The original lab stations were replaced with mobile benches. This makes it easy to design a room layout that is ideal for a chosen activity.

(It also makes it great place to race the mousetrap cars and Mindstorm® robots!) Increased shelving in the physics room allows easier access to tinkering trappings and prototyping materials, which in turn makes the room more accessible to other departments that want to add a making component to their learning.

The physics room also now sports a retractable whiteboard wall. Besides adding even more writable space for wall-thinking, the room can be split and shared between a physics class and another. This allows the space to function as both lab and building/prototyping place during the academic day. The use of the room is offered to any class; with planning and flexibility, nonscience classes can coordinate with the physics teachers to schedule it. On those days, the wall gets closed, the physics classes are not displaced, and the science lab transforms to a simple maker space.

What tools and supplies are available to bring an idea to a tangible artifact? Quick prototyping uses common household items to build with; there are craft sticks and cardboard, chenille stems and string, feathers and zip-ties, doodads and gimcracks. The collection of items that

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might be used to build is, in itself, an endeavor of creative thinking! That old curtain rod might be a great marble track in a Rube Goldberg machine. The inner ring of that roll of tape will be a good prototype of a wheel. Did you know that the cardboard rolls for paper towels and toilet paper are called durders?

For more advanced projects, students can delve into programming Arduino micro-controllers.

Some projects invoke computer-aided designing and prototypes can be printed at scale with one of the 3D printers. One project from an English class crafted a reflective piece by designing leaves that had a personally defining word on them, and used them to illustrate their academic growth on a tree.

Other classes have smaller or simpler projects and choose to take kits of materials to their classrooms for use. An entrepreneurship class began their understanding of designthinking principles with clay, pipe cleaners Science Department Chair Kathleen Gorski, Ph.D., showcases the new whiteboard wall that can serve as a divider to create two separate work areas in the updated maker space.

and cardboard in a chair building exercise.

For their work, it was more expedient to work “at home” in their own classroom rather than navigating multiple schedules.

The space is great for multidisciplinary projects, such as the Global Studies 2 and Chemistry collaboration that investigates the interface of environmental issues and policy. Students go beyond a traditional research report by collaborating to develop a diverse array of artifacts that demonstrate their understanding of complex issues. They produce a policy brief, an annotated museum exhibit prototype, science fact and activity sheets, and then present to the school community with an elevator pitch to succinctly summarize their work and spark further discussion.

These examples are the just the beginning. Both faculty and students are talking about more ways to utilize the space, better ways to implement ideas.

And that’s the point. “Hey! Here’s an idea … ” This segment is Part II of Innovation in Action.

Part I introduced A Tinkering Place in the Spring 2015 issue of Academy World. Read more about the innovation lab on page 59.

by bill wells Director of Student Promotion

WMA: The Global & Art School the 2016 scholastic Art and Writing Awards

honored nine students from the Academy Jan. 28.

SungMin “Steve” Chu ’16, Drew Morrison ’16, Muyi “Jennifer” Zhao ’16, Wilasinee “Bee” Daloonpet ’16, Insun Kim ’18, Celina Rivernider ’19, Elias Skillings ’17, Bingchen “Sam” Wang ’16 and Ziyu “Wayne” Wu ’16 were recognized by the statewide competition.

“It shows the students are taking visual arts seriously, and they see this as a path toward college and going beyond to professional careers; that it’s not just an activity to do on the side to supplement academics,” WMA Fine & Performing Arts Department Chair Paul Bloomfield said. “This is actually integral for a fair number of students.”

For their gold key recognition, Steve and Drew advanced to the regional competition.

Steve earned three gold keys and an honorable mention, with his gold key total more than any WMA student in recent history.

“You won’t find many students from any

school who earned three gold keys,” Mr. Bloomfield said.

Steve had two paintings and a drawing receive the competition’s highest honor.

“I started to like art in middle school,” Steve explained. “I enjoyed drawing and people told me I was talented. I then began to learn the details of drawing.”

Drew entered a 3D bookshelf in the sculpture category. He gained his inspiration after visiting the Storm King Art Center in New York.

“I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out,” said Drew, who won a gold key in the same contest in sixth grade. “I think if I had a little more time that it could be better and more functional. But it was interesting to see how the movement worked.”

Jennifer earned a silver key in the fashion category, while Bee, Insun, Celina, Elias, Sam and Wayne were named to the honorable mention list.

top right Drew Morrison ’16 and SungMin “Steve” Chu ’16.

bottom right A 3D bookshelf created

by Drew Morrison ’16.

bottom left One of the gold key-winning pieces by SungMin “Steve” Chu ’16.

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departments: campus events

Family Weekend 1

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Oct. 16 & 17, 2015 1 Allyson Faulstick ’16 is sporting a couple Titans temporary tattoos. 2 The Titans took home a 34–14 win over the Canterbury School during Family Weekend! 3 Wenjun “Happy” Chang ’18 rocked a solo for the Titan Jazz Ensemble’s performance of “The Girl from Ipanema.” 4 Rachella Ferst ’15 and Aparna Sivakumar ’15 stopped by the Titan games while visiting from college. 5 Students represented their home countries in the flag ceremony at the Family Weekend concert. 6 The Academy Singers serenaded the audience at the Family Weekend concert. 7 Kelsey Gomes ’13 took in some games while back on campus for Family Weekend. 8 Niccolo Podesta ’16 goes for the ball against a Tabor Academy player (the Titans prevailed 3–2).

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8

Homecoming and BBQ & Beers with Brian 1

Oct. 17, 2015 1 Marcus Klebart ’15, Liam Kirwan ’15, Michael Caine ’14, Jack Kirwan ’15 and Luci Abramian ’15. 2 Christopher Catjakis ’78, Cherylann Henry ’78 and Gary Beauchamp ’78. 3 Nick Jalbert ’12 and Science faculty member Charlie D’Avanzo. 4 Drew Mele ’15 and English Department Chair Tim Harrington ’73. 5 Brian Laurita ’07, Dean of Faculty Walter Swanson and Nicholas Giokas ’07. 6 Dr. Stephanie Easler, current and alumni parent Patrice Carson and Head of School Brian Easler. 7 Jessica Bryant Padykula ’97 and her husband, Joe. 8 Jessica (Duncan) Duke ’11 and Jason Duke ’11.

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departments: campus events

Opening of School 1

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August 28–30, 2015

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1 Titans at Freshman Orientation work on team building.

2 Even the faculty participated in the slip-n-slide! From left, CEGS faculty member Dan Moran, Science faculty member Tom Iannacone, Dean of Students Tiffany Alrefae, Middle School Health faculty member Patrick McCormack, English faculty member Royale McCormack, and Science faculty members Paul Ekness and Liz MacLauchlan. 3 Jada Childs ’19 signs the Matriculation book. 4 Timofey Beloborodov ’16 and Vladimir Chomartov ’17 test the go-karts at Sonny’s Place.

5 Titans create a human pyramid during orientation. 6 Zhe “Eva” Wang ’19 and her parents get to know Head of School Brian Easler and his wife, Dr. Stephanie Easler, at Morrow House. 7 Jennifer English ’17 (top left), Deanna Conti ’16 (top right), Sydney Liptak ’16 (bottom left) and Anike Tella-Martins ’16 having fun during Orientation. 8 Xinyu “Tony” Zhang ’16 shows his love for gummy bears! 9 Head of School Brian Easler shows Matthew Shaw ’20 where to leave his mark in the Matriculation book.

by laurie ernst ’73 Associate Director of College Counseling

Matriculation Address to New Students

Opening of School, Sunday, August 30, 2015 I’m sure many of you have heard the phrase, ‘You can’t go home again.’

The phrase, popularized by the late author Thomas Wolfe, who used it as the title for his famous novel, has come to mean that the attempt to repeat or recapture the peak moments of our past is futile and ultimately disappointing. Once we have graduated from one stage of life to another, we cannot expect to experience any of those milestones in the same way again.

The fact of the matter is, in terms of my long history with Wilbraham & Monson Academy, that doesn’t appear to be the case! My story here begins in the winter of 1971, the first year Wilbraham Academy welcomed girls and enrolled just 15 females in Grades 9–12. I was attending a crowded, chaotic public high school in Springfield when I developed pneumonia and missed almost a month of my sophomore year. I was really behind in my classes, and was extremely uncomfortable and unhappy at school. My best friend had already enrolled at the Academy, and my parents were willing to let me apply. On a cold February day, I met with a very stern and intimidating director of admission, who for some reason was willing to take a chance on me

and offered me an immediate place in the sophomore class.

I became girl #16 on an otherwise all-male campus, and my life changed literally overnight.

Wilbraham Academy in the early 1970s was a much different place than it is today, although the core values of intellectual inquiry, respect for diversity and commitment to community have always been the foundation of life at WMA. Dress code was essentially non-existent, and I often came to school dressed in denim overalls (with an embroidered butterfly on the bib courtesy of my mom) or painters pants, clothing which was considered highly fashionable at the time. Our days were very unstructured outside of our required classes, and the girls had their own lounge to retreat to between classes or after school. To say that the freedom was exhilarating is an understatement. I felt like I was already in college, and couldn’t believe that any high school could be like this! My history teacher, Mr. Fred Watts, told us that the person who would do best in his class was the one who could disagree with him the most convincingly, and my biology teacher was extremely young and handsome, which made dissecting frogs a lot more pleasant! Our grading system was unique to WMA, with very vague terms such as superlative achievement, notable achievement and competent achievement, which were designed to quell our competitive tendencies rather than fuel them.

I drove to and from school in my orange VW bug and became close to my teachers in a way that I had never thought was possible. They expected a lot and challenged my way of thinking daily, and I loved it.

I had definitely found a home at the Academy.

I applied to college and was rejected at my first choice, which didn’t seem to be good news at the time, but was ultimately excellent preparation for my future career as a college counselor. I went on to Trinity College, where I took advantage of the 12 College Exchange program twice and spent a

semester at the college that had denied me admission and one at an all-women’s college that I never would have considered when I graduated.

Turns out I loved the environment of a women’s college, and decided to go immediately to graduate school at Smith College, where I could earn a master’s degree in education. By this point I knew that I wanted to work with students in some capacity, and educational counseling seemed like a good way to combine my interest in psychology with my desire to work within a school community.

My first job working in the Alumni Office of an engineering school was not ideal, but then one day I received an unexpected call from WMA’s former headmaster inviting me to apply for a job at the Academy. I jumped at the chance to come back to WMA, but never imagined how momentous my interview would be. I will spare you the details, but one of the people who interviewed me that day was the person I was supposed to replace, and that person was soon to become my husband! (I like to kid him that he asked me to marry him so that he could get out of living in the dorm!) In the end, he decided to stay in his job and another position was created for me, and that is how I became a college counselor here for the first time 35 years ago! A few years later I went into labor with my first child leaning over to pick up a laundry basket while being a dorm parent in Chapin House, so you can see that my decision to come to the Academy way back in 1971 had a profound and far-reaching impact on my life!

Although my husband and I eventually took new jobs and moved away, our connection to the Academy and our many friends on the faculty remained strong and we never lost touch. The reason I came home to WMA for the third time in the fall of 2013 was to cover the maternity leave of Mrs. Kelly-Chesky ’02, the daughter of our colleagues Don and Jane Kelly, who was born shortly after my son, David.

So this, in a nutshell, is my story of the Academy.

Your story with the Academy will be as unique and special as each one of you. Cherish your time here, be kind and helpful to one another, and be grateful for the priceless gift of a WMA education. Today is page one, chapter one. Anything is possible, and remember you can always come home again.” to read the full version of mrs. ernst’s speech, visit wma.us/2015matriculation

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by bill wells Director of Student Promotion

feature story: giving back

Class of 2016 Makes History: 100% Annual Fund Participation

Head of School Brian Easler stands with all six members of the Class of 2016 who served as class officers during their time at the Academy: left to right Junhao “Mark” Xu, David Little, Xin Yu “Joy” Weng, Allie Collins-Anderson, Colin O’Brien and Xinyu “Tony” Zhang.

in a show of thanks, respect and strength, the Class of 2016 did something no other class in the history of Wilbraham & Monson Academy has ever accomplished.

Led by the Class of 2016 officers and prefects, all 101 seniors and postgraduates donated money toward its class gift for the Academy during a sixday period in September.

“Annual Fund giving for current students isn’t about raising money,” Head of School Brian Easler explained. “It’s not about the amount or the collection of money from the current students.

For me, it’s the message that gets sent. Everything we do sends a message.

“The fact that everyone in the class participated in the Annual Fund sends the message that the Class of 2016 cares about the Academy, cares about the experience they have had here, what it means to them, and that they want it to mean something to everyone else. To me, that’s incredibly powerful. One hundred percent

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participation sends that message.”

The Class of 2016 purchased six all-weather Adirondack chairs, which were placed outside on campus for the students and faculty to enjoy. The class already had enough money for the chairs entering the school year, however, the leaders wanted the class to make its mark on the school by doing something no other class had done, which resulted in a new standard being set in regards to class giving.

“It’s important to donate to the Academy for the school’s continued success,” said David Little, a four-time Class of 2016 officer. “With the 100 percent participation rate, we’re hoping we set the bar for future classes as well as help create a strong class bond for reunions as we move on to becoming alumni.”

Along with David, the class officers and prefects who led the historic effort were: Arman Ahmed, Chang-Yi “Eric” Chou, Asaiah Edwards, Jack Faulstick, Jahkeem Hunt, Colin O’Brien,

Carly Venditti, Junhao “Mark” Xu, Xinyu “Tony” Zhang and Geqiong “Luciar” Zhao.

Below are quotes from members of the Class of 2016 on why they donated toward the class gift for the Academy: Arman Ahmed: “To quote Elon Musk, ‘I could either watch it happen, or be part of it.’”

Nichole Czuber: “I want to leave a part of me for the school after I graduate, and donating to the senior class gift seems like a perfect way to do that.”

Wilasinee “Bee” Daloonpet: “I think it’s just a really simple and amazing way for our class to show our appreciation for the school.”

Payton Grande: “WMA has shaped me to be the person I am today over the past four years. I thought it only fair to give a little something back.”

James Halloran: “My reason for donating to the Class of 2016 senior gift is simply because I have spent four years here at WMA and the school has done so much for me, from shaping me to become a better person than I had portrayed myself to be and take my academic life much more seriously. WMA has given me my sense of independence and self-reliance, which matured me very quickly and I feel I have gained a lot since I first stepped foot on this campus. For that I feel as if I owe the school as much as I can possibly offer.”

Yingwen “Phoebe” Jiang: “WMA is a wonderful place. The Class of 2016 is and will always be my favorite and I’m so glad that we have a chance to do something for WMA before our graduation. I’m really proud of the Class of 2016 for creating history and doing amazing things that have not been done before!”

Junhao “Mark” Xu: “I donated toward my class gift because I wanted to help my class in achieving 100 percent participation. A class gift can be an epitome of what the Class of 2016 is: a truly global and helpful community of students who appreciate their experience at Wilbraham & Monson Academy.”

Arman Ahmed

Xinyu “Tony” Zhang

Asaiah Edwards

Carly Venditti

Jonathan Faulstick

Chang-Yi “Eric” Chou

Jahkeem Hunt

Geqiong “Luciar” Zhao

Class of 2016 Arman Ahmed

Nichole Czuber

Ze Hua

Michele Marcellini

Manuel Rodriguez

Chen Wang

Julian Alexis

Ri Xin Dai

Jahkeem Hunt

Spencer Marocchini

Aaron Ruiz

LiuYi Wang

Jomei Bean-Lindo

Wilasinee Daloonpet

Young Ho Jang

Andre Marrero

Jeffrey Rusin

Megan Wells

Danielle Bellefeuille

Erin Demers

Yuchuan Jia

Olivia McCauley

James Sabatino

Xin Yu Weng

Timofey Beloborodov

Lin Dong

Yingwen Jiang

Ashley Michanczyk

Matthew Schmidt

Lauren Willis

Jaelon Blandburg

Dylan Dupont

Nicholas Kubacki

Drew Morrison

Jie Sheng

Ziyu Wu

Phillip Borninkhof

Asaiah Edwards

Alexander Kugelmass

Gerardo Navarro Leon

Jeffrey Shepard

Junhao Xu

Lilianna Brook

Allyson Faulstick

Evan Lanoue

Colin O’Brien

Marco Tacchini

Ali Yalcin

Peter Caine

Jonathan Faulstick

Pietro Leggio

Michael O’Donnell

Anike Tella-Martins

Rin Yamanashi

Anhang Che

Christina Felchner

Yonglinna Li

David Ortiz

Thy Ton

ChangYong Yang

Xuanji Chen

Stephen Fleury

Shaodong Liang

Jalen Paul

Sofia Tosato

Kaihan Yang

Hyo Jung Choi

Wenyen Gabriel

Morayma Linarez

Jordan Payne

Joshua VanVoorhis

Yijie Yang

Chang-Yi Chou

Baccio Galletti

Sydney Liptak

Cyrus Pishevar

Carly Venditti

Mengkun Yao

SungMin Chu

Payton Grande

David Little

Niccolo Podesta

Brenden Vessichio

Shukun Zhang

Alexandra CollinsAnderson

Craig Green

Hanh Minh Ly

Stephen Puzzo

Filip Vukelic

Xinyu Zhang

James Halloran

Yiming Lyu (Lu)

Yi Qiu

Bingchen Wang

Geqiong Zhao

Joseph Mack

Thomas Quinn

Deanna Conti

Muyi Zhao

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alumni in action: liz rodbell ’75

by teddy ryan Director of Marketing & Communications

One Alumna’s Self-fulfilling Prophecy

above The BirdCage concept stems from a restaurant that began in Lord & Taylor in the 1930s and lasted for 40 years. The iconic place where sophisticated ladies lunched and people gathered, the BirdCage today brings together new and unique product lines, whether it’s emerging designers or new trends. It constantly evolves, but remains an iconic backdrop to view new fashion. left Liz Rodbell ’75, President of Lord & Taylor and Hudson’s Bay.

it’s prophetical, really. Years following an interview in Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s own Atlas newspaper, Libby Karr, now known as Liz Rodbell ’75, grew up to own her own dress shop. Well, actually, two brands of department stores, spanning two countries and managing 27,000 employees. This is the story of how she got there.

Backstory

Liz grew up in Springfield, Mass., and developed an interest in fashion at a young age. In grade school, she disliked the school’s food so much, she purchased a handbag to hide it in.

She began to sew, making a dress and some clothes for her Barbie. She remembers shopping for bell-bottoms at Albert Steiger Co. in Springfield with her mother. “My mother was very fashionable, in a conservative way, but I was very proud of how she looked.”

Liz’s family was always close. Her parents met at Brown University. Her father, a trained industrial engineer, held management positions in the steel industry in the 1970s. As the industry began to shift, he reinvented himself, starting a 30-year career as a consultant, retiring at age 83. That lesson always stuck with Liz and how proud of him she was. Her mother taught English at the High School of Commerce in Springfield, and was heavily invested in academics and the arts. “The best mentors and best advisors were my parents.

No matter what, they were always in my corner.

Mentorship is key. They’re there for you, but they’re not always going to agree with you. They’re there to challenge and push,” Liz shared.

Liz’s first job was selling shoes as a 16-year-old. She fell further in love with fashion, the pulse of it and being able to express one’s self through clothing. Every moment she could

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alumni in action: liz rodbell ’75

and equipped with leadership and purchasing experience, joined Lord & Taylor in 1985 as a dress buyer before climbing the ranks to Executive Vice President of Merchandising and finally being named president of both Lord & Taylor and Hudson’s Bay in 2014.

A Day in the Life A colorful shoe salon at Hudson’s Bay carries brands ranging from Nine West and Steve Madden to Aquatalia and Charlotte Olympia.

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work, she did — Christmastime, summer and while at boarding school. She ended up at WMA for one year. She recalls her time fondly, and appreciated the advice from faculty and advisors, as well as the dedication to athletics.

“That’s where I learned to play tennis,” she recalled.

WMA is also where that self-prophetical Atlas interview came to be. “I saved the Atlas I was interviewed in.

I remember being asked what I wanted to do with my career, and I remember having this idea that I was going to have my own store — it was going to be this great fashion that I was going to bring to the community.”

Liz realized the only way she was going to really learn and understand the trade was to begin in New York City.

She toured Parsons School of Design, Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and Wood Tobe Coburn. “I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do, but because of the blend of classroom experience and internship opportunities, I chose Tobe,” she said. She later landed a position at Ann Taylor as Store Manager, and began an executive training program with Abraham & Strauss (now Macy’s). She loved learning,

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Liz’s days at the helm of Lord & Taylor and Hudson’s Bay are never the same. On a given day, she will work with her team to assess credit loyalty programs, view new collections from suppliers, discuss marketing for the current quarter, launch an exclusive line (like Karl Lagerfeld Paris), tour a store to plan major renovations or mingle with celebrities, like she did recently when introducing Fergie for a personal appearance and to present her shoe collection.

She travels between New York and Toronto every other week. While Lord & Taylor primarily covers the Northeast corridor of the U.S., Hudson’s Bay has a broader reach.

The brand is a full department store, carrying more brands than Lord & Taylor and spanning the entire country of Canada. Liz says one thing that remains constant across the board is the culture. “The sense of integrity, pride, heritage and connection to the community are very consistent.”

Being in the fashion industry, we had to ask what Liz’s favorite designers were. “There are so many! Alaia, Alexander McQueen, Giambattista Valli … shoes … I’m more flexible with shoes, but Louis Vuitton is a favorite …” she answered.

It’s Not Work and Family, It’s Just Your Life

Steering two international brands keeps Liz busy, but not so much that she misses the family aspect of her life.

With one daughter attending Tulane and the other in high school, Liz and her husband, who is a dress designer, find time to see movies and plays, visit the Met, and gather inspiration from film, art and fashion. “I don’t over-schedule my weekends. I want to be with friends and family.

“I have a great husband and I include my family in so much. They understand that it’s important to me. I don’t feel guilty about any of that,” she shared. “My family is really proud of me and I’m really proud of them. We share in each

other’s successes as they happen and if there’s failure, we share in that, too. I’ve been blessed with a very successful career.”

bottom left A look from Lord & Taylor’s Design Lab.

When in Doubt, Throw It Out

top and bottom right A glimpse into Hudson’s Bay.

Liz offered some advice for today’s students. She suggested to get as much experience and exposure in an industry as they can. “Find things you enjoy and that you’re good at. Trust your instincts and if something doesn’t feel right, let it go.

Don’t be afraid to try new things, and don’t narrow your scope. You never know how far you can go,” she advised.

And of course, save your Atlas interview.

All photos submitted

by Lord & Taylor.

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by deanna roux

alumni in action: ken salem ’80

Building a Foundation As for men in his life who left inspired him most, Ken said Ken’s booth at his father more than anyone the Paradise City Art Festival by far, but Roger Lincoln is (ParadiseCityArts.com) No. 2 on that list. “I had a lot of respect for him,” he said. “He was quite a man.”

After listening to what Mr. Lincoln had to say, Ken decided he wanted to work harder for his future. He was enrolled in WMA, put academics on top and was an active participant in his future plans for the first time.

“I went from doing poorly in public school to graduating No. 3 in my class,” Ken shared.

“WMA taught me that I was reasonably intelligent, where people around me before were telling me I was not.”

Education in Foundation

when ken salem ’80 arrived as a junior at Wilbraham & Monson Academy, he was a self-described “poor student.” Ken credits the Academy for helping him build a strong foundation, a key, he says, that can get you through anything in life. He used that foundation to build up his career as a financial advisor, which spanned a solid dozen years, and to grow his 18-year (and counting) fine woodworking business, Salem Board & Beam. Ken’s main tenets in life are: work hard, be persistent, listen and do what makes you happy.

Bringing Up Ken

Ken and his younger sister, Virginia ’82, grew up in the small town of West Brookfield in central Massachusetts. His family owned and operated the Salem Cross Inn, a restaurant that opened in 1961 in a refurbished farmhouse. Ken’s father and three uncles bought the land and the c. 1705 building and worked on the property for several years before opening the restaurant.

It was instilled in Ken at a young age that he was expected to work. “I was taught by my dad that if you want anything, you have to work hard,” said Ken. Although Ken worked hard for the family

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Ken had an excellent work ethic on standby.

Once at WMA it was all about academics, more than he had ever been exposed to before. He learned how to study the right way and learned the value of paying attention. business early on, he also had a strong affinity “In teaching me how to study, they taught for fun. His priorities through his first years of me something about myself; that through hard high school were sports, friends and working in work, I can effect change in my own life,” the family restaurant. He was a natural athlete Ken explained. “That was an important underand enjoyed playing high school sports. However, standing for me, and Wilbraham did that academics were not part of his priorities and for me.” this became a concern to his parents. “The summer When he graduated, Ken knew he wanted to before my junior year, my dad brought me to go into business, so he went on a college tour Roger Lincoln’s home,” Ken said. “They sat me with then Head of School Francis Casey and some down and Roger kind of took the meeting over.” other students. He decided on Union College and earned an economics degree.

Ken saw his education and a career in finance A Turning Point as an opportunity, self-empowerment and adding Mr. Lincoln, a respected and beloved WMA to his foundation. “I think where you end up in English teacher at the time and icon in WMA’s life is a function of your foundation,” Ken shared. history with a rich 30-year lineage at the school, “With a poor foundation the walls come down was a family friend of the Salems. and when you have a failure you don’t have the “My dad went kind of quiet and Roger tenacity to get through it. So if you have a good proceeded to enlighten me,” Ken said. foundation, you’re going to take your knocks, In his earnest delivery, Mr. Lincoln told the but the house still stands and you move forward.”

17-year-old that if his grades didn’t change After graduating from Union, he would and if his approach to academics didn’t change, take those knocks and experience his theory then his choices in life would be minimal. firsthand.

What was different about hearing this message this time? Ken said he was ready to hear it. “There are times when we’re available and Putting It into Practice there are times when we’re not,” said Ken. “Also, The process for entering the financial job market he was very poignant, and almost scared me.” after school was not what Ken had in mind.

Black American Chestnut salvaged from a lot being developed in Northampton. Logs will be cut in sequential order and made into book matched pieces for large dining and conference tables.

alumni in action: ken salem ’80

Young grads were entered into a pool and interviewed, but all the big firms had the same standard: no one was hired straight out of college.

“That was not a rational answer for me. I just kept pounding on people,” Ken explained. “If you were the manager, I’d show up at your office.

I’d do whatever I had to do.”

Ken’s persistence landed him in front of a senior vice president at Kidder, Peabody & Co. “He turned to me and said, ‘What are you doing here?’

I said, ‘What do you mean, what am I doing here?’ He said, ‘I’ve never had a kid in this office before. How did you get here?’ I said, ‘I’m here because you need to hire me,’” Ken explained.

Ken didn’t get the job but he did make an impression. He was told to go get some experience and come back. And that’s what he did.

“You’re learning how to sell and you’re also learning finance in a real-life application, which is not what you learn in school for the most part,” Ken said. “It’s a lot to learn. I started there and did not do so well, but through hard work and keeping my head down, I improved.”

Ken said it was hard work coupled with the foundation that was built during his two years at Wilbraham & Monson Academy that gave him a mindset of believing in his possibilities.

“We were all sitting in the board room and my manager said, ‘These are tough times and there are people in this room who are going to blow by other people because they’re working hard.’ He looked at me and said, ‘He’s the one,’” Ken shared.

“Sure enough, that happened. It took about a year.

Then I was getting calls from all over asking me for advice.”

In the Market

Ken continued to learn and enjoy the fruits of his labor.

“The first five years in the business I worked hard and played hard,” Ken said. “My job was to raise money; to go out and engage companies and high net worth individuals A bench made from who would entrust me with a beam of Douglas their money. I’d have to ask fir salvaged from a a lot of probing questions and mill in Springfield out of every answer comes and Long Leaf maple.

Resin, stone and another question. You need Tiger maple have to know what to ask, and been introduced into listen. And that’s what you the maple.

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“That eventually brought me to my experience get skilled in. That’s very useful in life, I think. You need to know what to ask to get to the real answers.” at the restaurant,” said Ken, who always had continued involvement with the family business.

Although Ken enjoyed the work, he felt it came with a price. “Markets have an uncanny way “I’d give tours to the public and I noticed a real affinity by individuals who had no connection of making you look unintelligent at times. It with the building, but once they understood just happens,” he said. “The business used to be the story of what it was they were looking at, it different than it is now. It’s more professional took on a completely different purpose.” now, more scientific.”

Ken made the decision to move back He succeeded in the finance world in Boston home, start up a woodworking business and still for many years before having a change of heart. keep a job in finance … for the time being.

The volatility of the market had taken its toll and In college, Ken had taken down a couple Ken began to dislike his job. He started thinking of large barns with American chestnut in them. about other options.

The wood was later repurposed to expand the restaurant. “I really enjoyed it. Like I said, Wood Working Its Way you were expected to work,” he chuckled.

After his father became ill and passed away, Ken looked at his life differently. He no longer wanted “When I came back, one thing led to another.”

Not the kind of guy who gives up, he knocked to do anything that he was “kind of” interested in.

He wanted to do something that made him happy. on about 40 doors before finding someone who wanted a structure dismantled. “So I took down a Around the same time, a client gave Ken a piece of advice: whatever business you’re in, there barn and re-milled that and learned how to saw and taught myself how to do all this stuff. I didn’t know will be a lot of people who are in it because they how to build. I didn’t know anything,” Ken said. have to be (in other words, they don’t love it).

At the time, “salvaged” and “reclaimed” were If it’s your passion, it will drive you farther than not buzzwords, but Ken says everybody wants it most other people.

Body of Work

to the public was through friend Denis Pearlman, founder of Silverscape Designs in Northampton.

“I had a store above Silverscape and that was actually my foray into retail. Not having any experience, it was an eye-opener,” Ken said.

“Someone needs to be in the store and that just does not work because I need to be doing more than just sitting there waiting for people to show up.”

Ken kept his retail space for a couple of years, created a simple website, and then moved into doing the Paradise City Arts Festival, which he’s been doing now for 16 years.

Without a mentor or an apprenticeship, Ken is completely self-taught. “I started at shows with small things like mirrors and then someone would ask for something like a chest of drawers.

I never made a chest of drawers before. I would come back and study how to do it,” Ken said.

“My dad always said you can figure out anything if you just work at it.”

His knowledge and business grew as he would take orders and continually explore and learn.

“Eventually, you gain a clarity, a vision; not copying but rather putting your own twist on it,” Ken explained. “So what happens is you begin to see things differently based on your own now. “My idea was to get into a green product. insight. It takes time.”

No one talked about it 18 years ago. Consumers Ken did both finance and woodworking for now are more responsible and educated.” about 3 to 4 years before quitting finance all together. Although woodworking has become Getting the Business his passion, he said there are always reasons Ken said he had a love affair with American chestnut and intended to build everything with it. to stop. “Therein lies the foundation,” Ken said.

“There are always tough days; things go wrong, “It was the most dominant hardwood on the things get in your way, things change, you have a eastern seaboard. It was said that a squirrel could bad experience — but you need the foundation jump across the tops of American chestnut trees from which to fight back.” from Maine to North Carolina without getting And fighting back is something that Ken off, barring water,” Ken said. does by working hard, being persistent and He soon realized another skill he honed in listening … to his gut. “You have to ask yourself the finance world would be important to apply to what you want to do with your life and do you his new business: listening. American chestnut want to be happy,” Ken said. “The way I look may be his favorite, but his customers had other at it, you have to make enough money to exist ideas. “There is a market for that material but and to do the things you want to do and put there are a lot of people who want contemporary money away. That’s very important. At the woods: fine woods like walnut, maple and same time, if you can do something that you cherry,” Ken said. love, you never have a day’s work.”

Ken’s first experience in getting his creations top A bench from a salvaged Maple tree off the West Springfield Common with resin and stone.

Ken’s pieces are created from three classes of wood: reclaimed (repurposed from another building), salvaged (a contemporary tree that’s come down for reasons other than lumbering, like storms, rot, road expansion, etc.), and purchased (buying wood at lumber mills, which accounts for a small percentage of his work).

In his shop, which resides on his property, Ken employs two part-time workers who assist in production. “They’re interested in learning so I can teach them a certain skillset and they’re able to help me and make a contribution,” Ken said.

Due to inexpensive furniture made available through large retail outlets, Ken said a lot of woodworkers have closed up shop over the years, but he feels it has come around recently. “There’s a growing populous of people who are looking for quality, locally made, indigenous to the Northeast — all that’s meaningful to people,” he said.

In addition to doing shows, taking special orders, outfitting homes with his furniture, and having a presence in galleries, Ken has worked with the local colleges and other companies to build their boardrooms and conference rooms.

He’s grown as an artist, perfecting his methods of insetting resins in his designs and creating pieces with a live edge. “I could teach classes in some things,” Ken said. “When it’s done right, everyone thinks it’s easy. Like the resins, it’s not easy. You have to make a lot of mistakes.”

Early on, Ken experimented with live edge pieces, but realized there was a lot to learn.

“Once I honed my skills in traditional furniture making, I came back to the live edge stuff and my twist on it has been dealing with it in different ways and looking for inspiration from someone like (George) Nakashima,” he said of the 20th century woodworking innovator.

There are two classes of work Ken does: Traditional, which is Arts and Crafts and Shaker inspired with his own twist, and the live edge movement, which mainly goes in contemporary homes. “So in modern homes there’s a stark element — a lot of glass and concrete — and what you’re doing typically, in contrast, is reintroducing what you’re looking at out the window into the home, and it’s absolutely gorgeous in these homes,” explained Ken.

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by deanna roux

alumni in action: virginia salem ’82

Taking the Show on the Road

Virginia Salem ’82 showcasing some estate jewelry she recently acquired for auction.

until 16-year-old Virginia

Salem ’82 enrolled into Wilbraham & Monson Academy as a boarder, she had barely even been out of her hometown of West Brookfield, Mass. She really had no particular direction until meeting with then Dean of Students J. William LaBelle, who asked her what she wanted to concentrate in.

On a whim, she said art history and hasn’t looked back. A graduate gemologist with an art history degree, Virginia has worked at some of the top auction houses in Boston and New York, has traveled the world in search of treasures and has been a guest jewelry appraiser on television’s “Antiques Roadshow” for 19 seasons. She looks back at her two years at WMA as a gift that gave her direction.

World of Change

After her parents witnessed what a WMA education had done for her brother, Ken ’80, she was fast tracked to finish up her high school

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education in similar fashion.

“I think in the 80s things were going really well financially and they decided to send my brother to Wilbraham & Monson,” Virginia remembered.

“And when he was doing so well they said, ‘Now it’s your turn.’ I reluctantly said, ‘OK.’” Virginia said it took her about one day to adjust to life at WMA. She had never been to school with anyone of a different race or been friends with anyone from another country. She found that educational as well.

“I took to it like a duck takes to water. It was just magical.

All these people from Switzerland, Thailand, Japan, England, Colombia! I had only traveled to Florida once in my life.

“We, as a group, just bonded. We took our studies very seriously and then we would go to the Spa and get silly and then go back to the dorm,” Virginia recalled.

Experiencing a Difference

Virginia found study hall to be invaluable. As her grades started to improve, she realized the teachers were on to something. “They really taught us how to study,” Virginia said. “I could feel myself growing at Wilbraham & Monson Academy, whereas I didn’t feel that at the public school.

The teachers were much more involved with our lives. I went down to New York City for the first time and saw ‘Evita’ with my Spanish class,” she said. “Things like that just made you feel like they really cared.”

Virginia’s fondest memories are of the people she met along the way. “The whole social aspect of it — the international mix, laughing together, living with one another, studying with one another, misbehaving with each other.

It was just a group of kids living in this great

institution,” Virginia said. “It was a very beautiful place to be.”

Choosing to Concentrate

When it came time to think about the future, Virginia was asked what she might like to study.

Mr. LaBelle suggested a few things and one idea piqued her interest: art history. “I thought, ‘Yeah, I didn’t know anything about art and growing up in a small town, I hadn’t been to many museums. I want to study art history.’ And it was just that,” she said. “I took art history classes in my junior and senior years with Steve Detra, who was a great teacher.”

“I ended up going to Simmons College in Boston, which was a great experience,” Virginia said. “I went to Temple University in Rome for my junior year abroad. That year and my two years at WMA were my most formative years.”

Looking back, Virginia said she started to embrace art history at Wilbraham & Monson Academy. “That opened up a lot of doors that the other school I was going to didn’t offer so it laid the groundwork for looking at art and travel in a different way,” she said.

First Floor, Jewelry Department

The day after graduating from Simmons, Virginia was hired as an intern at Skinner Auctioneers and Appraisers in Boston. “I was reluctantly placed in the jewelry department. As an entry-level position you kind of go where you’re told,” she said. “I was just a typist.”

From the moment Virginia stepped foot on the WMA campus, to the conversation with the Dean about what to focus on, to earning her art history degree, to this first entry-level job in the jewelry department, each step in her journey was as if it were written out for her to follow. Her journey followed suit, from Boston to New York City to Philadelphia.

She would work at Neiman Marcus, E.B. Horn Company and return to Skinner. Along the way she would earn her gemologist title.

“As a precious jewelry sales associate at Neiman Marcus, I didn’t know any of the terminology, and I decided to go to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), so I’m a graduate gemologist,” she said. “You really need that base in order to move on into the jewelry field and be serious about it.”

Now with her graduate gemologist degree appraising items. It got scary,” she recalled. in hand, she returned to Skinner and was able to “After that, we made sure whenever I traveled sink her teeth into learning about antique and we looked at the laws for each country!” estate jewelry and defining her role as an appraiser.

After Phillips, Virginia worked for herself for “It took about 7–10 years before I really got a few years, buying and selling jewelry, doing comfortable handling antique and estate jewelry,” shows and writing appraisals. “That was fun but Virginia said. “But you have to handle it it was a tough way to make a living,” she shared. over and over again in order to understand, like Next, Bonhams in London was opening up anything, what you’re looking at.” an auction house in New York and invited her to become part of their team, running their jewelry department. After 9 1/2 years, she left Taking Manhattan Bonhams and took a short sabbatical. “I was After staying with Skinner for another four years, totally burnt out. I took a few months’ rest and Virginia moved to Manhattan. “My dad had just passed away and I was ready for a move,” she said. now I’m working for Freeman’s Auctioneers out of Philadelphia as their Vice President of When she first arrived in New York, she Jewelry,” she said. worked for Phillips Auctioneers, an English auction house, as a jewelry specialist and was able to experience travel for work for the first On the Road Again time. “I went to England, Hong Kong, Uruguay, Although Freeman’s is in Philadelphia, Virginia Argentina, Mexico City — so many places — works remotely from Manhattan or West looking for estate jewelry,” she said.

Brookfield, and goes into the office occasionally.

Life became really exciting when Virginia was “They want me out and about gathering property taken in by the Uruguayan police. They thought for auction,” she explained. “They knew I she was taking artifacts didn’t want a desk job and they knew I didn’t out of their country. want to report every day on the Amtrak train.

From a prominent “Long story short, the U.S. They completely tailored this job for me and Newport, R.I., estate: 1. Antique diamond government called and so far so good.”

Maltese cross basically sprung me out, So how exactly does Virginia gather property 2. Emerald and diamond letting them know I or acquire estate jewelry? “Wherever we go ‘stomacher brooch’ wasn’t doing anything we basically do an ‘Antiques Roadshow.’ They 3. A rt Deco natural illegal, that I was only pearl bracelet schedule my appointments and people bring

their jewelry that’s usually been sitting in a safe deposit box,” she explained. “And luckily, if I’m good at what I do, I get it to sell at auction.

The auction house takes a commission and the rest of the money goes back to the consigner.”

Lights, Camera, Appraise

For 19 years Virginia has traveled around the country with a troupe of appraisers, decoding and making history as part of television’s “Antiques Roadshow.” “We’re all friends; we’re all colleagues now. We have this great network of other appraisers,” she said. “If I want to know what something is worth, I know who to call from Roadshow.”

Behind the scenes, “Antiques Roadshow” has its secrets: it’s an unpaid weekend gig and it can be a grueling 14-hour appraisal day on set, in a convention center, with no rehearsal and no staging.

“You don’t always get on. You have to pitch whatever you see to the producer and the producer decides. The only thing that we get to see is their object before and we’re not allowed to tell them what it’s worth or anything else until they’re on set and taping,” explained Virginia. “It’s very organic. It’s like the true reality TV show.”

Besides networking and having a great time with colleagues, “Antiques Roadshow” offers something else that cannot be monetized.

“Basically the payment is your name on television. It’s gotten a lot of us very well known,” said Virginia. “I can go into someone’s home if they’re thinking about consigning with me and say, ‘I’m on “Antiques Roadshow”’ and that’s almost like my calling card.”

Advice from the Buyer

So what is Virginia’s tip for the everyday shopper?

Get what you like. She said most people are not experts. “If you’re in a place like Brimfield (Mass.)

Flea Market, which is the best thing ever, go with an open mind and think creatively. Don’t buy for an investment because most people aren’t specialists. I’ve been doing it for 25 years and I can’t even do it to make a profit. It’s tough and it’s not an exact science,” she said. “So buy something you love, buy something you want to live with and you can’t go wrong.”

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alumni in action: michael ashe jr. ’58m

by bill wells Director of Student Promotion

Bridging the Gap

42 Years of Innovative Rehabilitation as sheriff of hampden county, Michael Ashe Jr. ’58M

Michael Ashe Jr. ’58M in his office in Ludlow.

He will retire after a 42-year career in January 2017.

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believes he’s providing a bridge for rehabilitated inmates to re-enter and become productive members of society.

Many years ago, at a critical stage in his life, Michael needed a bridge — a bridge that would take him from high school to adulthood. He found that bridge at Monson Academy.

Jack Sweeney ’51M was a fan of Cathedral High School football, where Michael played center his senior year. Through his play, Michael caught the attention of Jack. The two bumped into each other at a basketball game at the Springfield College Fieldhouse after the football season.

“Jack asked me what I was doing after high school,” Michael recalled. “I told him I was probably going into the Marines. He asked me if I would consider going to Monson

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Academy. He told me to be ready on Saturday at 9 in the morning and we’d go to Monson to meet the Headmaster, Mr. (George E.) Rogers, at 10.

“I remember looking out my window and wondering if the guy was going to show up, but there he was. Out we go. We’re sitting in Mr. Rogers’ office, he turned to my mother and asked if we could afford $650. It cost $1,300, and that was back in 1957.”

He didn’t know it at the time, but Michael had just found his bridge. He loved sports, but he thought he had “blown high school.”

A second chance, provided by someone he had never met, set Michael on a path he never imagined.

“The environment and atmosphere at Monson was so supportive and enriching,” Michael said. “For me, coming from Springfield, all of a sudden I was in small classes and getting more attention. We had real professional teachers who took such interest in us. They were so supportive and nonjudgmental.

the community. We asked the question, ‘How do we want “Jack somehow saw something in me that I didn’t see them to come back?’ We’re very pleased with the fact that in myself and provided that bridge. To this day, I’m a big every year we go out and get 450–500 jobs for inmates, and prep school guy.” we’ve established our own businesses.”

Michael recalled the great people from Monson And Michael’s proud of his career as Sheriff of Hampden who shaped his life: Mr. Rogers, Mr. Hugh Harrell and County. Along with his initiatives for the inmates, Mr. George Robinson. a new facility was built in Ludlow during his tenure, and “It was a wonderful experience,” said Michael, smiling. he’s employed thousands of people. He will retire in January “It gave me discipline and structure. I learned how to study of 2017 after a 42-year career. and there was a wonderful faculty. Then that gave me “I feel like I’m a coach,” the grandfather of 18 said. confidence about my own self-image, and from there I went on to Saint Anselm College. Monson was a great experience.” “What am I doing here? I’m always working with kids who have anger and hostility, and that’s something I’m Years later, in 1974, Michael had the confidence to run comfortable doing, and I’ve been able to channel that in a for Sheriff of Hampden County. He won, and he’s won positive way. For me, it’s striving toward excellence — that’s every election since, making him the longest tenured sheriff the biggest challenge. Every day is a new day and we can’t in the history of Hampden County. rest on our laurels. We’re always climbing mountains.

“The vision and the drive and commitment I had in “I like to feel the inmates think we’re trying to help.

1974 have not changed,” said Michael, 76, who was 34 years We’re fighting the good fight.” old when he took office. “I’ve built on that vision.”

More accurately, Michael has been an innovator in the field of rehabilitation. He opened the Western Massachusetts Correctional Alcohol Center; partnered with more than 300 companies and nonprofits to prepare inmates for postcorrectional jobs; initiated a post-correctional support system; and helped more than 4,700 inmates receive their General Educational Development (GED) diploma. Michael even started some businesses so the inmates could gain skills before their re-entry into society.

“We’re not in the warehouse business. We’re in the corrections business and preparing them to return to the community,” he said.

“It’s one thing here to have a safe and humane setting.

You have to have that, and we’ve built on that. And then the other thing we’re proud of is the aftercare — the re-entry.

Today, I have 15,050 inmates and they’re all going back to

“The environment and atmosphere at Monson was so supportive and enriching. For me, coming from Springfield, all of a sudden I was in small classes and getting more attention.”

— m ichael ashe jr. ’58m

Michael Ashe Jr. ’58M stands with Associate Director of Alumni Relations Dawn Hines and a copy of his class yearbook.

alumni in action: dr. mark keroack ’72

by bill wells Director of Student Promotion

Making a Human Connection

with an m.d. and m.p.h. in his title, Dr. Mark

Keroack ’72 understands the importance of an advanced education.

Through his many experiences, though, which include being at the forefront of one of the world’s biggest threats, Mark said what he learned outside of his field of expertise, particularly at Wilbraham & Monson Academy, helped him become a leader in the field of medicine.

“It’s remarkable to me that all the technical learning I’ve done is less useful to me in this moment than what I learned at the Academy,” said Mark, who served as WMA’s 2015

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Commencement speaker. “I got a masters degree in biostatistics; I don’t do statistics anymore. I got an M.D. from Harvard Medical School; I don’t practice medicine anymore. But I have to influence and inspire people every day, and I have to rally people toward a common purpose, and I have to help people see the higher value of what they’re doing. For all of those things, I draw a lot from what I learned at the Academy.”

Forty-four years after graduating in the first class after the merger between Wilbraham Academy and Monson Academy, Mark serves as President and Chief Executive Officer at Baystate

Health, the largest employer in Western Massachusetts. More than 12,000 employees at 75 facilities fall under his responsibility.

“This is a human endeavor,” Mark said. “People come into health care and leave a part of themselves.

They really do bring their hearts and full force.

We need to grab onto that and make them realize we understand that. That’s the job — to galvanize an organization and energize them toward a common goal that’s lofty and worthy.”

There was nothing common about the HIV/ AIDS epidemic that hit the world in the 1980s.

Mark found himself on the frontlines of a new battle. While some in his profession turned away from the unexpected challenge, Mark called upon his time at the Academy to not only do his job, but to lead the charge.

“Jerry Rubin of the Yippies came to campus and told us we ought to burn the place down and start all over again,” Mark recalled. “A lot of us pushed back on his radical ideas, thinking ‘was it really that bad,’ but I think that it was provocative, making you ask yourself what are you doing to make a difference in the world, as opposed to ‘I hope I get good grades and get into a good school.’

“I’ve always tried to make a difference where I was, and there were some turning points in my career, most of which were unpredicted. The first was the HIV/AIDS epidemic. I graduated from training in the mid-1980s, and it was a time when people were avoiding caring for people with AIDS because they were afraid, or they came from socially outcast groups, such as drug users, people of color, gay men, et cetera. It turned out I happened to be in the specialty that this disease fell in, and I thought there was a moral obligation to step up and do my part. I became actively involved in the care of those patients, and also in advocacy through a group called AIDS Project Worcester.”

Not everyone agreed with Mark’s approach.

He advocated for a clean needle exchange program in Worcester, designed a high school curriculum and was even banned from public access television for describing how to put on a condom.

“You look back and it seems funny now, but it was radical then,” Mark said. “I had doctors who refused to see my patients; doctors who wouldn’t use an exam room after one of my patients had been in that exam room.”

When the medical profession got a handle on the AIDS problem in the 1990s, Mark searched for a new objective. In the early 1990s he joined in the early efforts to improve health care quality, and in 2000 he was hired as the Chief Medical Officer for the University Health System Consortium in Chicago, which included 120 university hospitals all sharing data and trying to figure out how to get better at quality and safety.

“When AIDS became a treatable illness in the early 1990s, I was looking around for something new, and along came the safety and quality movement. The idea that doctors and nurses, if they work in teams and measure their results, can achieve better outcomes than if everyone works

independently was a radical notion in the early 1990s,” Mark said. “It was an exciting time and another chance to do something different and contributory.”

Mark was given a chance to make an even bigger contribution to his profession when he was hired in 2014 for his current position at Baystate Health. Again, and in a short period of time, Mark has changed the landscape.

“We’re now moving more and more away from doctors being paid every time they see a patient,” he explained. “We’re going from payment for volume to payment for value, where doctors get bonuses for achieving certain levels of quality and safety. Very much like safety and quality

were radical thoughts in the 1990s, these ideas of paying for value is rubbing some more traditional people in the medical field the wrong way.”

Calling upon some of his experiences at WMA, and despite the many uncontrollable challenges he faces daily, such as an aging population and stagnant local economy, Mark feels he has the region’s biggest medical facility headed in the right way.

“We need to understand the human and emotional connection of what we are doing in health care,” he said. “The work I did in the humanities at the Academy is one of the key things that has helped me understand the importance of that.”

Excerpts from Dr. Mark Keroack’s Speech from Commencement 2015 I felt I had made another wrong turn. I again turned to something in my quote collection that I first read at the Academy: the Nobel Prize acceptance speech of William Faulkner, delivered at a time when the entire world feared extinction from nuclear war. Faulkner reminded his listeners that one cannot understand life’s great challenges without considering what he called: … the problems of the human heart … love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice.

Rereading Faulkner and a few other works helped me to understand that I needed to appeal more to the heart than the head to inspire groups of people to work toward building a better system of care.

For you, I hope that the balanced approach to learning that the Academy gave me will serve as your compass as you consider how to confront a world where change seems to come with ever increasing rapidity.

Preparing for this talk has helped me appreciate the value of that balance and caused me to reflect on this final quote I’ll share, from T.S. Eliot, the subject of my senior honors English thesis here in the spring of 1972: e shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring W will be to arrive where we began and to know the place for the first time.

I hope that the years ahead for you will be filled with exploration, and that the twists and turns of your life will help grow your appreciation of what you have done and experienced here. I wish you all the best on your journey. Thank you.”

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The Leverett Marsden Hubbard Sr. Family Teaching Faculty Sabbatical Travel Fund: Stories From the Road A Friendly Experience in Dublin by bill rosenbeck English Department dublin is not my favorite city in Ireland.

All told, I only spent about 24 hours there over the course of my 2 1/2 months in the country, which seems wholly improbable in retrospect. To many, Dublin is unavoidable, so it took conscious avoidance to stay away as much as I did.

My uncle loved Dublin, and we clashed on this idea: I said it was like any other big, international, European city — it didn’t make you feel like you were in Ireland, which runs counter to why anyone goes to Ireland in the first place. He said I wasn’t hanging out in the right places.

This summer, I ended up in one of the right places.

Dublin houses Trinity College, and Trinity College houses the Book of Kells. It’s worth seeing.

I walked through St. Stephen’s Green, which is appropriately named, since it’s as green as anywhere else in a country known for its varying shade of the same color. At the General Post Office — still in use, a part of the daily foot traffic — I placed my finger in the bullet holes left over from the 1916 Easter Rising, a stark reminder of the violence of days gone by between the Irish and British. Those effects are greatly diminished now, a political afterthought in the Republic’s present, with only middle occasional reminders, Bill Rosenbeck at one of which I was James Fort in Kinsdale, County Cork. lucky enough to be top right present for.

The view from O’Brien’s Some 99 years after Castle on the island of the Easter Rising — Inisheer, County Galway.

June 7, 2015 — Ireland bottom right played England in an Ireland vs. England international soccer Friendly at Avira friendly, the first game Stadium, Dublin.

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played between the two on Irish soil in 20 years.

Due to the formerly volatile relationship between the two countries, which persisted through much of the 20th century, such meetings have been rare and cautioned. Following a 1995 riot at Dublin’s Lansdowne Road Stadium, the two teams did not play for 18 years, until a 2013 match in England.

That went peacefully, and so this summer’s match followed.

Dublin was alive that morning, and I was forced to concede Uncle Mark’s point: on days like that, there is nowhere like a big city. You can

feel it on the sidewalks and in the corner stores that something is different, that the city’s pulse is more heightened than normal. Chatter bounced around a distinctly promising day, which I estimate comes from the shared experience about to unfold: we get less of that now, less shared experience, in a world that is increasingly niche and splintered. But in Ireland, due to the country’s size and identity, everyone knows when something big is going on, and that June Sunday felt big.

Admittedly, I didn’t know quite what to expect when I woke up that morning to catch a 7 a.m. bus from Cork’s Merchant Quay (which itself was crawling with fans draped in green) to Dublin’s City Centre. I knew violence was extremely unlikely, despite receiving both

caution and reassurances in the days prior from shop clerks, bartenders and RTE News. Of course, clear caution was exercised. There was a sizable police presence and vigilant security in the entire city, especially nearing the stadium. In the weeks prior, known hooligans’ passports were pulled to prevent trouble for trouble’s sake.

In line with the evaporating social and political polarity, on my half-hour walk to the stadium, I saw nothing that would cause concern.

It was genuinely friendly, as the name suggested.

There was nothing of the sensationalism some people would’ve liked a wide-eyed American traveler to believe: England’s fans camped out outside the stadium with flags and jerseys. At worst, they gave and received clever jarring. Irish fans traveled in packs to the stadium with no rowdiness out of line with any other sporting event; there might have been even less than that, since none of Dublin’s pubs opened until after kickoff, and alcohol was not served inside the stadium.

On the field, the game was largely forgettable, a 0–0 tie (though Ireland had the bulk of the chances). But the uniqueness of the atmosphere transcended sport, and felt inherently different than almost any other athletic competition.

The zeitgeist of the day was national pride, not violence, and in that way, it was a historical day for well-maintained peace, not soccer.

Exploring the History of Italian Art and Architecture by wendy decker Fine & Performing Arts Department italy, in my opinion, is the hub of Western art

and architecture. That, coupled with the breathtaking landscape, delicious recipes and beautiful language, I couldn’t find a reason not to go when I was offered the Hubbard travel grant. As an art teacher, it is sometimes difficult to find the time to create my own artwork and I knew that an experience such as this would revive my personal and pedagogical inspiration.

I began my four-week journey with two of my Alfred University friends in Rome, where we traversed the city in 100-degree, humid heat. It was well worth the exhausting, daily adventures because it was such a new experience for me.

With every street, there was a beautiful building, a line of colorful Vespas, or a historical artifact situated among the new and old buildings. We tried to see as many sights as we could: the Trevi Fountain, the Capuchin Crypts, Vatican City.

All this was done in between meals sampling the food and wine.

Thereafter, one friend returned home and I headed with the other to the Barnes Artist Residency, where we spent two full weeks with Victoria Barnes, Tim Conte and their two

children. The residency is located between the cities of Perugia and Umbertide, Umbria.

Resting at the base of Monte Acuto, the villa is known as “il palazzo di Monte Acuto,” or “the palace of Mount Acuto.” The hillside is littered with vineyards, olive trees, cinghiale (wild boar) trails and towers that were once used to guard the mountain from enemy Florentines with bow and arrow. The building itself has a history dating back to the 1300s, and in the last 30 or so years (and three generations), it has been the summer home of the Barnes Family.

Our days at the villa were spent hiking, reading books, journaling, sketching, painting and enjoying light lunches while overlooking the olive grove in our back yard. Every night we had a traditional Italian dinner cooked by Victoria, and the rest of our evenings were usually spent watching the sun go down with a glass of wine and then creating in the old “cantina,” where our studio was located. On parts of the wall, tally marks still remain from an old farmer’s wine inventory and large hand-blown wine jugs still nestle in the corner in baskets. Quite frequently, Tim took us on day trips to visit small, medieval towns within a two-hour radius of Monte Acuto: Gubbio, Sansepolcro, Assisi, Montefalco, Orvieto, Perugia and Fabriano.

These trips were most inspiring for me because I began to think about architecture; I began to notice the way shapes, lines, and blue, negative

spaces interacted with one another. As a portrait painter, it was exciting for me to think about a new subject matter and plan ways in which I could begin a new body of work.

Right before I left the Umbrian region, I was lucky enough to be invited to a dinner party at the home of the American-Italian portrait painters Lani Irwin and Alan Feltus. Our dinner was prepared by Lani in her Italian charmed kitchen with heavy amounts of olive oil, garlic and rosemary; I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

After a tour of their studio spaces, I was yet again renewed with inspiration to paint. Alan carefully described his process to me and let me ask him questions about his figurative paintings. Alan and I have been exchanging emails ever since, discussing artists, lessons and the importance of sketching every day. It truly was the most inspiring dinner party I have ever attended.

With the end of the residency, I said goodbye to my friends and hello to my fiancé, Dan Staples ’04, who arrived to meet me in Rome. On my birthday, we explored the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. After a couple more days in the ancient empire, we stayed in Florence. There, we explored the leather markets, Ponte Vecchio, the sculptures in the Palazzo Vecchio, and the tombs of the Santa Croce Basilica, where many of the greats’ tombs rest. For our final leg, we stayed two nights in Naples. The first day, we ventured on a rickety train to Pompeii, and on the second day took a ferry ride to the island of Capri. Upon leaving Italy, our biggest regret was neglecting to stay in a villa on the coast of Capri; dipping our toes in the Mediterranean Sea for a few minutes was just not enough.

As I returned to the classroom for the 2015–16 academic year, I felt rejuvenated and inspired.

I am more curious about the world, particularly the deep history of Italian art and architecture.

I want to read more books, draw more portraits, paint houses, and in doing this, I wish to model the behavior of a motivated artist for my students.

When I am inspired, my lessons and class Fine & Performing Arts Faculty member projects are born from that Wendy Decker with creative energy. I am the artwork she forever grateful to Mr. produced at the Barnes and Mrs. Hubbard for Artist Residency in this opportunity.

Monte Acuto.

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traveling titans: faculty hubbard grant

Connecting to the British Countryside by john lombard Mathematics Department if you’ve ever read James Herriot’s “All Creatures Great And Small,” you’ll appreciate the pull that the verdant British countryside exerted on our family, and why we chose the United Kingdom as the country we would explore with WMA’s Hubbard travel grant. In fact, we cherished the bleating sheep and simple stone walls of Britain every bit as much as the artifacts of imperial wealth, conquest and high culture — castles, estates, ships and gardens. During our trip, we weaved seamlessly through both worlds, the thread being the warm and welcoming British and Welsh families who — thanks to the travel organization Servas — hosted, fed, enlightened and laughed with us.

For 15 years, our family has belonged to the Servas travel network (servas.org), and it was through Servas that we traveled in the U.K. Founded just after World War II in an effort to promote world peace through intimate, crosscultural exchange, Servas has connected hundreds of thousands of people worldwide over the past 70 years. Linking travelers and hosts, Servas provides far more than cheap accommodations.

With Servas, the purpose is to grow cultural understanding: to explore points of view, find common interests, exchange tokens of one’s

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culture and share at least one meal with one’s host.

We’d hosted many Servas travelers — including Americans, Europeans and Asians — at our home while raising our young children.

Now that our son and daughter were pre-teen and teen, it was time to experience Servas as travelers. We chose a country where we all spoke the language, and whose history and human and natural landscape we admire.

In the U.K., our Servas hosts were farmers, marketing directors, timber framers, retired teachers and opera vocal trainers. Each opened their home and deepened our appreciation for all things British. We arrived at each host bearing wine, bread, cheese and a neat packet of homemade envelopes made from recycled calendars, a gift reflecting our family ethic of low-impact living and passion for “upcycling.”

Our official Servas “Letter of Introduction” also described my eagerness to share handyman skills, and for one host family I repaired their guinea pig hutch, a modest return for their enormous hospitality.

A highlight in our Servas travels was sharing a locally grown meal with a Welsh family who made their living farming organically and timber framing. Their home, a converted 400-year-old stone barn, held everywhere evidence of masterful woodworking and love of food and nature. Before sharing a meal of spinach quiche, fresh salad and roasted root vegetables (thanks to their dozen laying hens and polytunnel hot house), we toured their small

holding and woodworking top left Overlooking Lake shop and drank in the Windermere while hiking rolling Welsh countryside the Lakes District. that lay in every direction.

I peppered my host with top middle questions about wood- Visiting the SS Great Britain, one of the working, that being a oldest steamships, now passion of mine as well, permanently harbored in while my wife shared her Bristol, England. experience of founding a top right nonprofit in Northampton Visiting Bodiam Castle that supports small organic in East Sussex. farmers and gardeners. My son ate second and third helpings of dinner, and my daughter forged such a strong and immediate connection to Natalie, the farmer, that Natalie invited her to return next summer to “woof ” (a recently invented verb meaning “work on organic farms”), an arrangement of free room and board in exchange for farm labor.

Our trip to the U.K. renewed our passion for Servas, with the unique opportunity it creates to connect meaningfully with ordinary people; deepened my love for James Herriot’s British countryside, where all things green and ruminating seem to thrive; and gave my family a chance to break from routine and learn and explore together. I think anytime an experience makes an educator feel more alive and connected, that spirit will flow into his or her teaching. I hope my sharing of the Servas model of traveling will inspire members of the WMA community — students, faculty and staff alike — to give it a try.

Xi’an and Beijing: A Comparative Study by fred gao, ph.d.

World Languages Department xi’an and beijing are both entitled that of

the Four Old Capital Cities, with the other two Nanjing and Luoyang. They both have abundant historical sites and relics.

From my personal experiences in the past and especially this trip, I found that the two cities have a lot of similarities. Beijing (Peking) is an old city of 600 years, and in the past hundreds of years, it has been the capital city of China, with only breaks of short periods of time. Beijing possesses a great amount of historical sites and relics from the last two dynasties, the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty especially. Xi’an has an older history, with a below longer time as the capital Tiananmen city of the country. There (the Forbidden City).

are magnificent resources of history in Xi’an, such as the Terracotta Army. The people of both cities are proud of their history.

Beijing, as the capital, has a political significance in China, and in the world arena as well. This is especially true as China advances and plays a more and more active role in the world.

A lot of heritage and habits have been retained in various regions in China, represented by their respective regional cities. Beijing represents the culture in North China, and because of its status as the capital of the whole country, it often represents the Chinese culture as a whole. Xi’an, as a regional center of the Northwest, often represents the culture of the northwestern region of China.

Thanks to the obvious importance, both the central and city governments concentrate a great amount of resources toward Beijing’s building of infrastructure, resulting in Beijing being overall well-developed in China’s economy. Xi’an also enjoys special investment attention from the

central government as its westward policy of economic development strategy. The fact that both Beijing and Xi’an hold many universities and colleges is also evidence of the central government’s special investment and attention.

The people of both cities are proud of the respective traditions and keep some of their traditional, or even “primitive” ways of life.

In spite of the similarities, I found that people in Xi’an keep more of their traditional way of life than in Beijing. This may be because Beijing has more migrants from other regions than Xi’an, which has brought in more cultural changes and diversity.

Another interesting finding I have is that although Xi’an maintains more of its cultural heritage, old buildings in Beijing are more common than in Xi’an, although they may have been fixed or even renovated. In Xi’an, in addition to many authentic sites, such as the Terracotta warriors, and original tomb constructions of political and cultural stars in history, many “historical” buildings are newly built, or rebuilt based on text records. These are “fake” buildings. One explanation for this is Xi’an has an older history, and many historical constructions were destroyed in wars and natural disasters, and therefore have disappeared.

This is a preliminary study. I hope students will find this study interesting and will conduct more research to study deeper in the same direction, or in similar topics, such as a comparative study of different folk arts or cuisines in the two cities, or they can initiate a study from other cities or regions.

For photo galleries and video of many WMA travel experiences, visit wma.us/cegs/travel

faculty hubbard grant The Leverett Marsden Hubbard Sr. Family Teaching Faculty Sabbatical Travel Fund provides grants of $5,000 to faculty members who have taught at the Academy for 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.

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Service and Learning in Costa Rica The afternoons were filled with visits to alternative energy facilities. Students participated in discussions on green energy sources in the area, and visited a solar plant, a geothermal facility, a hydroelectric plant and one of the largest wind farms in Costa Rica. Students were rewarded for all of their hard work with trips to thermal hot springs, a canopy tour, a visit to a handicraft market in San Jose and a beach day on Tortuga Island.

Evenings were spent with our La Fortuna host families. Students were divided into pairs and hosted by teachers and administrators of CTP. For many of the students, this was the most challenging experience of the trip. The families’ English language skills were limited, and since our students spoke little-to-no Spanish, they had to come up with different methods of communicating with their host families. Some students turned to Google Translate, while others played games like UNO and charades.

Many families had children and the students were invited to birthday celebrations, dance recitals and cookouts. Our students made real connections with their host families and it was humbling that they allowed us to share a part of their lives.

Throughout the trip, students were given an opportunity to challenge themselves and step outside their comfort zone. They were given an opportunity to serve and gain perspective on how people from different backgrounds live. Most importantly, this trip provided students with an experience that helped them better understand the changing world in which they live and how they can make a positive impact as a global citizen.

left The WMA group at the Miravalles Solar Park.

Serving and Learning in Central America by kristen casey Middle School Humanities the Miravalles Volcano lies the small Costa Rican town of La Fortuna de Bagaces.

This eastern province of Guanacaste is also home to several of Costa Rica’s alternative energy plants.

The country has been successfully producing most of its energy from renewable resources for more than a year. In November, 12 Wilbraham & Monson Academy students and two chaperones — myself and Middle School assistant Staci Kelley — traveled to the developing country to complete a week of service work and learn more about Costa Rica’s role in combating global climate change.

The trip was organized with Central American Service Expeditions, a company that specializes in service learning trips throughout Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua and Cuba. Students spent five days mixing concrete and laying down pathways at Colegia Tecnico Profesional (CTP), the local high school in La Fortuna. CTP is a unique school; in 10th grade, students choose their own field of study from one of four concentrations: agro-industrial, secretary management, tourism and computer support.

Most students go on to pursue a career in their in the foothills of

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chosen field. We were very impressed with what the school is doing. They are also one of the few schools in the area that work primarily with students with learning disabilities. The faculty and administration are a dedicated group of educators that care deeply for their students and the success of the school.

Each morning, we met as a group to divide the workload. Students could be found doing anything from mixing concrete to carrying wheelbarrows full of cement. The work wasn’t easy and, for many of the students, it was the most physical work they had ever done. But the experience brought us closer together. It was inspiring to see the students come together and help each other out every day.

left and this page  Students assisted in mixing concrete and cleaning up fallen branches at Colegia Tecnico Profesional (TCP).

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Teaching and Learning Learning the Right Words by michael dziura Fine & Performing Arts, English and CEGS Departments “xiexie.” I figured that I would, at the very least,

need to learn how to say “thank you.” (“Hello” is always good, but when I am going to spend a significant amount of time in another country, I feel terrible if I can’t thank people in their own language.) The problem with “xiexie,” however, is that once I started using it, and heard other people using it, I second guessed and tripped myself up. After one trip to the convenience store for a case of bottled water, I learned that this didn’t matter much; “nihao” and “xiexie” merely served as bookends for a fumbling pantomime.

I had the opportunity in July of 2015 to join a contingent of WMA faculty and alumni to take part in the first Jiahui Education American Summer Program in Dalian, China. The purpose of this program was to bring American educational methods into the Chinese classroom and to help a group of eager and enthusiastic 7th– 10th graders improve their English skills.

When I first approached Gayle Hsiao about my desire to accompany the group, I knew that the endeavor would be challenging; I was tasked with creating a drama curriculum (another aspect of the trip for which pantomime skills would come in handy) that would be simple enough for 90 students of varying levels of English proficiency, and challenging enough to raise the proficiency of everyone. When we boarded the plane and headed for China, I was nervous, but I was certain that the lessons I had planned would accomplish exactly this. We were all sure, in fact; each of us had played to our own strengths and areas of expertise to provide English lessons embedded in things like making maple syrup and pancakes, economics, the science of the water cycle, poetry and American culture.

Fortunately, we had four days in Beijing to sightsee and recover from jet lag before we headed to Dalian to find out just how imperfect our perfect plans would turn out to be. Sights like the Great Wall of China, Tiananmen Square, the hutong neighborhoods, and the 798 Art Zone, combined with truly spectacular dining

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experiences with Haotian “Roger” Cui ’15, and the families of Ziyu “Wayne” Wu ’16 and Ziyi “Cecilia” Chen ’19, were excellent introductions to what would be three weeks of total cultural immersion.

On our first day of school, we were greeted with a beautiful opening ceremony that concluded with a basketball game between some of the WMA faculty and students from Dalian. Although the faculty were triumphant, the students didn’t make it easy. We made our way from the basketball court to the classrooms, and as I mentioned above, quickly learned that our lesson plans would need to be adjusted in order for them to work. After a few days of meeting with the Chinese teachers and tweaking the lessons to make the students’ experiences better, we finally hit our stride.

In the drama classroom, with the immeasurable help of Hanbo Chen ’17 as my assistant and translator (and with a healthy dose of pantomiming things like tigers, elephants and trees) I directed 90 students in adaptations of below American children’s stories. In Michael Dziura the ESL classrooms, I saw shy, and Hanbo quiet 10th graders write and “Kevin” Chen ’17 recite poems about living in teaching drama.

Dalian. On the playing fields, I saw the smallest kids dominate in soccer, track and volleyball. In the dining hall, I learned how to make dumplings (they came out terrible) and watched the students make pancakes (they came out great). It is impossible in this small space to do justice to the experience, but suffice it to say that it was life altering.

In the days that followed, while we were shown the sights in and around Shanghai by Yiming Lu ’16, I had some time to reflect upon our time in Dalian. I reflected upon the kindness, openness, and genuine appreciation I experienced.

I reflected upon the friendships I made with the students, teachers and administrators we spent time with. More importantly, I reflected upon the fact that I learned as much as those whom we went there to teach. It may sound cliché, but I think I speak for all involved when I say that this was one of those moments of personal and professional development that make it all worth it, and that will inform everything we do for the rest of our lives.

To everyone who made this possible, I would like to say, “Xiexie.” Outside of that, all I can offer is pantomime. Hopefully, I can learn more of your words before I visit again.

games and crafts, some local sightseeing, a day at the beach, a day in the city and good old-fashioned day camp fun. The campers even learned to make s’mores.

Journaling was still a big part of the campers’ daily life and the written word was a good medium for the kids from Dalian to express their feelings. On the final day, one camper got the closing ceremony underway by reading her essay. Her words touched our hearts: left WMA students and faculty with Jiahui Education Group teachers and students at the Quabbin Reservoir.

A Growing Relationship: Jiahui International Education Group by gayle hsiao CEGS Department, Director of the International Student Program & Summer Programs Director the two-week Jiahui International American

Summer Program was the culmination of three month’s intense planning and programming.

Brian Easler, WMA Head of School, Gayle Hsiao, WMA Director of International Student Programs, Wei “Mary” Han, Yangguang School Principal, Ruige School Vice-Principal Caixin “Joyce” Wang, and Xiaohuai “Leo” Bu, VicePresident, and Zhaoliang Bu, President of the Jiahui International Education group, met in Dalian in April to discuss and agree on a cooperation between our two schools, thereby forming a sister school agreement.

In the summer of 2014, a group of 130 students, faculty, and administrators landed on our campus, according to plan, just as our teachers did in Dalian a year later. Their fatigue level was intense, their expectations were high, and their apprehensions almost overwhelming. Both programs were experiments of sorts. Two schools, separated by nearly 7,000 miles, shared mutual goals … they wanted to learn from each other.

Historically, teaching and learning in Chinese schools was totally driven by the exam system.

China’s gaokao is a make-or-break exam. Students who pass with a high grade can move on to university. Those who do not are left behind to find an alternative path in life. The pressure to

do well on the exam places heavy emphasis on rote memorization, which is great for students’ testtaking ability but not for their problem-solving and leadership abilities, their creativity or their interpersonal skills. The Jiahui Education group was looking for innovative opportunities to offer their students when they were introduced to WMA. By keeping the best of their own education practices and adopting some of the best of the Western style, they hoped to emphasize applied skills and independent thinking, as opposed to simply exam-driven content. This is not an easy feat to accomplish.

In Dalian, the WMA American teachers, all experts in their fields and with almost 200 years of combined teaching experience, used a multitiered approach to teaching English to their eager students.

In Wilbraham, the summer program participants from China would experience a total immersion program. Based on the WMA faculty’s expertise, they were able to ‘teach’ the students as well as ‘reach’ them. The WMA student leaders, working as prefects, performed as more than dorm and activity supervisors — they were guides and new friends. The initial contact between the two schools in 2014 taught us what would work and what would not work. The summer program in Dalian gave us another level of understanding.

So when the Dalian group arrived in 2015, we were prepared.

The summer program right was specifically designed Students enjoy experiences in the to respond to the needs of the Jiahui group. The one-week field as part of the growing relationship program offered a combin- with the Jiahui ation of WMA academics, International traditional American culture Education Group.

“ All sorts of activities in the camp show the passion of Americans, the kindness of Americans, and the sincere love to the other people, which were hidden in their hearts. ifferent nations, different cultures, but the same D happiness is just there. The beauty of American’s heart is in my memory and inside the heart … This is the soul of America. The campus life is really unforgettable to me. Lying under the trees and on the grass, I’m feeling the pure America, the beauty of America.”

It is the universal hope of all the participants that we can repeat this experience and grow our relationship with the Jiahui International Education Group for the professional and personal benefits it gives us all.

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by bill wells Director of Student Promotion

spotlight

Faculty & Staff

Gayle Hsiao

our own faculty,” said Mrs. Hsiao, a member of the CEGS Department who also serves as the Academy’s Director of International Student Programs. “These teachers are pursuing new ideas or new curriculum they want to try in the classroom.

“From the beginning, our mission has been to promote our facilities and our programs and our faculty. We have a lot of talented faculty who don’t always have a platform to tell their story, or to show other sides of themselves they’d like to expand. The teachers created the programs. Since everything is coming from the teachers, there’s a lot of energy.”

Director of Summer Programs: Gayle Hsiao gayle hsiao can add another hat to her Wilbraham & Monson Academy collection.

Mrs. Hsiao was named Director of Summer Programs in the fall of 2015, and she wasted little time organizing a few distinctive programs for the summer of 2016.

“Among her many other talents as an entrepreneur, an innovator, an educator, and, most importantly, a mother, Gayle Hsiao has a demonstrated knack for building programs that are exciting to children, attentive to the needs of families and appealing to the community,” Head of School Brian Easler said. “I’ve traveled and worked with her extensively. She can build a dynamite program on the back of a napkin, with very little sleep, in about 20 minutes. It’s quite impressive.

“She strikes a wonderful balance between customer and institutional needs, and is always looking for ways to improve. We are very confident that Gayle will lead WMA Summer Programs to new heights.”

The 2016 Summer Programs will include: the new Beech Tree day camp, English as a Second Language, Let’s Eat!, Man! Ball! Release! lacrosse camp, Camp Tinkerpreneurship, Darkroom to Lightroom, FBI (Finance, Business & Investing), and Make it Move — Artbotics.

“All of the programs we’re running for summer programs were created by the teachers, who are

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AC ADEMY WORLD SPRING 2016

Tiffany Alrefae

Dean of Students: Tiffany Alrefae her job title may have recently changed, but Tiffany Alrefae’s dedication toward, and love for, Wilbraham & Monson Academy certainly hasn’t.

Soon after Brian Easler was named the new head of school at the Academy, he announced Mrs. Alrefae was being promoted from Dean of Residential Life to his previous role as Dean of Students. Mrs. Alrefae is in the second year of her new position.

“My role is to create and foster the student experience here at school,” Mrs. Alrefae said. “I look at the student experience and how I can make it best for all of the students individually and for the school as a whole.”

Mrs. Alrefae is wholly on board at the

Academy. Her three children — Layla, Yasmine and Zidane — have all been born while she’s been employed at the Academy, and she lives with her husband, Hasan, and kids on campus.

Mr. Alrefae is the head dorm parent for the 12 Middle School boarding students.

“This is my life; this is my community,” she said. “It really is where I wanted to raise my family, at a boarding school. We all play our part — me, my husband, all of my children. It’s sort of like a symbiotic relationship: we get a lot from the school but we also give a lot to the school.

“In this day and age, where people can be so disconnected from their community and not really have a buy-in, we have a community we’re invested in. We’re invested in the success of our community; we’re invested in the health and life and vibrancy of our community. We all play a part at school and it’s wonderful. We’ve been given much so we feel we need to give back to the school.”

After he was appointed head of school, Mr. Easler was looking for a person who could capably perform all of the duties of the WMA Dean of Students, not replace him. He didn’t have to look too far.

“For all the same reasons that she and I made a great team when we were in the Deans Office together, this still makes us a great team,” Mr. Easler said. “We balance one another’s personalities.”

Faculty Presents at National Conferences faculty members were invited to speak at three national conferences before the end of the 2015–16 academic year.

Dean of Faculty Walter Swanson presented twice, while Ms. Melody Rivera, Mr. Michael Dziura and Mr. Paul Bloomfield also served as expert panelists.

“It speaks well to the level of expertise they have as individuals and also that Wilbraham & Monson Academy is regarded as a leader for global information and global endeavors,” Mr. Swanson said.

Mr. Swanson presented at the Global Forum on four wilbraham & monson academy

Walter Swanson

Girls’ Education in New York City in February, and then traveled to the Global Educators Benchmark Group in New Orleans in April.

At the forum for girls’ education, Mr. Swanson addressed independent girls’ schools from throughout the country with a speech titled “Building Programs for Global Citizenship,” where he covered such school topics as curriculum, global travel and marketing.

“The Academy has a robust program,” he said.

“They want to see what they can learn from us and adapt it to the girls’ schools model.”

Mr. Swanson teamed up with Mr. Bloomfield when they spoke at the annual conference for the Global Educators Benchmark Group. Mr. Bloomfield became seriously ill while on a school

Paul Bloomfield

trip to Cambodia in March of 2015 and needed immediate medical attention. Their presentation, “Tragedy Averted: International SOS and School Case Study,” focused on the importance of International SOS, which was the company hired by WMA to handle such an emergency.

“We wanted to show a real case study of what happens when something minor happens and what happens when something major happens all in the same trip, with the same people in a place you really don’t know, and in a health system you’re unfamiliar with,” Mr. Bloomfield said.

Ms. Rivera also gave a presentation at the GEBG, with her discussion on “Graffiti, Argentina and the Brain: Changing Pedagogies in the World Language Classroom.”

Melody Rivera

After studying in Argentina, through WMA’s Global Educators Grant, Ms. Rivera restructured the curriculum for Spanish III to include a six-month learning project, capped with a visual graffiti activity complete with a gallery walk open to parents, students and faculty members.

“Throughout the six months the students learn everything: literature, grammar, vocabulary, the Argentinian economy … it’s learning with brain-based teaching strategies.

It’s more experience than explicit teacher instruction. The students are put in situations where they have to experience the content and information rather than the teacher sitting

Michael Dziura

in the middle of the classroom spewing information.

“It puts everything I wanted in the curriculum together and to make sense for the student, with the end goal of the language composition. They’re learning all of this — global economies and immigration issues in Argentina — but they’re doing so by acquiring the language.”

Mr. Dziura was invited to be a speaker in Los Angeles in April at the TABS Conference, which is the largest conference for prep schools in the country. Mr. Dziura delivered “Putin Is So Cool: Critical Tools For Cultural Understanding” to the TABS Conference, which was searching for international topics.

The subject of Russian President Vladimir Putin came up in a one of Mr. Dzuira’s classes a few years ago. The students were mainly domestic, and mainly anti-Putin. One Russian student, however, after listening to the discussion, said, “Putin is so cool.”

“It caused a big stir in the classroom,” Mr. Dziura said. “Over the last few years I’ve been developing these talks about media literacy and using the traditional tools of rhetorical criticism to find common values and common ground.

“What tools do we, as global educators, provide our students to help them work past biases and bridge the communication gap in order to arrive at a place where they can better understand themselves, their peers and the world?”

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by teddy ryan Director of Marketing & Communications

spotlight

Young Alumni Active on Board of Trustees Management Program, and holds the industry designations of Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Certified Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC) and an Accredited Domestic Partnership Advisor (ADPA). Rob’s volunteerism includes: Greater Boston PFLAG, HRC and Community Servings.

Board of Trustees: Robert Edmunds ’01 rob edmunds ’01 joined UBS

Financial Services in 2011 as a financial advisor. He began his financial services career in 2002 at Morgan Stanley before joining Merrill Lynch in 2007. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business from Bentley College. In addition, he is a graduate of the Merrill Lynch Practice

One Thing Others Might Not Know About Rob

He is an avid sailor, and a member of the Boston Sailing Center and the American Sailing Association.

Between sailing in Boston Harbor, Long Island Sound and the Caribbean, it is a hobby he loves. In the Caribbean, being able to charter for a week at a time has its perks.

“It’s a different pace. You throw the anchor down and figure out what to do. It’s a small, intimate, touchingthe-water experience.”

Favorite Memory of WMA as a Student

He recalls Spring Fling: “It was held in the spring with the Bunion Derby, when everyone used to get dressed up in costumes. I have a photo of my friends and I all dressed up in tin foil!”

Favorite Experience as an Alumnus and Board of Trustees Member

“Coming back to campus and seeing the amount of intelligent and articulate young people is amazing.

The student body is continually impressive, smart and charismatic.”

He also hopes to see the sense of community continue.

Advice He Would Share with Students

“Read. You have to read. You can’t get anywhere in life without reading.” Read a newspaper, a

magazine or a book. He is appreciative for the way WMA prepared him to be able to critically analyze through reading. “It’s so amazing and important to read.”

Best Advice He Ever Received

Rob had an idea of which colleges to apply to, but his advisor, John Sbordone, encouraged him to apply to a separate list. “He helped me realize I needed to be a big fish in a small pond. The fact that he took the time to create a list to help me discover where I needed to go; Bentley (University) was the best choice for me.” His advisor meant so much to him, his social media handle was created as a tribute.

below Rob Edmunds ’01 (center) ran the Bunion Derby one year wrapped in tin foil.

Wallace Blake. Being on duty with the Clarkes or whoever would come by was super fun. It added to my WMA experience.”

Favorite Experience as an Alumna and Board of Trustees Member

left to right Caitlin Flynn ’06 and her mother, Jan, ran the Disney Half Marathon in January!

tax advisory, tax provision and tax compliance services. Her clients span a range of industries, from biosciences and technology to retail, manufacturing and professional services. Caitlin holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame and is a CPA licensed in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and a member of the AICPA.

Board of Trustees: Caitlin S. Flynn ’06 is a manager in Ernst & Young’s Global Compliance and Reporting tax practice, based in Cambridge, Mass. She works with multinational corporations managing caitlin flynn ’06

One Thing Others Might Not Know About Caitlin

She loves half-marathons! “I recently ran the Disney Half Marathon with my mom, which was really fun because you run through the parks.” A half marathon, for the running novice, is 13.1 miles. Although Caitlin

enjoys half marathons, she was never fond of running. “The first time I ran was for fitness with Mr. Joe Mazeika ’73 during my senior year at WMA.” Her first halfmarathon occurred during her senior year in college. To prepare, she followed a rigorous training plan. “Once you do your first one, then it’s all mental.” She’s participated in 15 half- marathons and two marathons, as well as 5Ks and 10Ks in Boston.

Favorite Memory of WMA as a Student

“I was a day student from Grades 6–11 and boarded senior year. My best memories are from senior year: living in the dorm, and hanging out with the girls and prefects in

“I was reinvigorated when Rob (Edmunds ’01) and I hosted a gettogether in April of last year for seniors who had donated to the class gift. They took the time and were so excited about the future of WMA even though they were about to leave. It was amazing to see how passionate they were about giving back to a place that helped shape who they are.” She said they enjoyed sharing experiences and hearing about how much the music program had grown and where the seniors were going next.

Advice She Would Share with Students

Teamwork and collaboration are extremely important. “Group projects in class — that’s something you will continue to do in college and in the workforce. Teaming and mobility, having connections, being spread out across the globe … your network will only grow as you go. I work with a team every single day, and it’s a very positive quality to have.”

Best Advice She Ever Received

“To take my time. When someone asks a question, think through responses and articulate in a meaningful and concise way.” Caitlin learned this through many English classes with Ms. Lenihan (Hutcheson) and Dr. Elliott at WMA. “It’s a classroom skill that will continue as a workplace skill. Make sure you understand the issue, take the time to think about it and then provide the best client service possible.”

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departments

Alumni Events 1

2

Boston: Sept. 17 Alumni gathered at Committee, the newest restaurant on Fan Pier, for fresh Mediterranean fare. Demetri Tsolakis ’01 hosted the evening.

1 Demetri Tsolakis ’01, Liz Wagoner ’01, Trustee Rob Edmonds ’01 and Dawn Augustus ’01.

3

2 Matthew Lawlor, Ann Marie Lawlor ’84 and Parker Smith ’65M. 3 Alumni Parents Chris and Rhonda Shepherd and Dawn Augustus ’01.

4

4 Ann Marie Lawlor ’84 and Head of School Brian Easler.

6

5 Emily Carson ’15, Andrew Goncalves ’15, Austin Little’12 and Brian Popovich ’15.

6 Brian Popovich ’15 and Head of School Brian Easler.

7

7 Steffanie Robbins ’10, Sarah Richard ’07, Chris Leitao ’05 and Trustee Caitlin Flynn ’06.

8

9

5

Lattitude Restaurant: Nov. 13

10

12

Alumni, friends and faculty gathered for an evening of food, conversation and fun at Lattitude Restaurant in West Springfield, Mass.

8 Dr. Stephanie Easler, Alumni Parent Betsy Davison, Head of School Brian Easler and Trustee Van Gothner.

11

9 Josh Slater ’13.

10 Current Parents Dr. Beata Puri and Dr. Parshant Puri ’89 with Allison Perry and Erik Dana ’00.

11 Bob Faulkner ’53W, Chuck McCarthy ’51W, Pat McCarthy and Diane Faulkner.

12 Current Parents Tim and Brenda McNeill.

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AC ADEMY WORLD SPRING 2016

13

14

Maine : Sept. 20 13 Michael Pangan ’86 and former faculty member Christine Johnston reunite.

14 Alumna and College Counselor Laurie Blair Ernst ’73 and former faculty member John Ernst hosted alumni and friends at their home in Saco, Maine.

15

16

15 Brian Juengst ’01, his son, Brady, and wife, Laurel Parker.

16 Former faculty member Joan Mento, Bobby Veit ’65M, Bob Enemark ’42W and David Johnston.

17 Head of School Brian Easler, Bill Faulkner ’57W and Peter Plumb ’61W.

18

19

17

Monson Luncheon: Sept. 12 Monson Academy alumni attended a luncheon on campus in the fall.

20

21

18 Parker Smith ’65M and David Brown ’64M. 19 Knowlton Utley ’55M and Gordon Tiziani ’52M. 20 Monson Academy graduates always enjoy ringing the Monson Bell.

21 Monson Academy graduates and their spouses gather in front of Morrow House.

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departments: alumni events 22

23

Young Alumni Gathering: Jan. 6 Recent alumni were invited back to campus for a gathering at Morrow House.

24

25

26

22 Maddy Duke ’15, Alina Shirley ’15 and Ally Stoll ’15.

23 Peter Nagle ’14, PJ Jasak ’14 and Michael Caine ’14.

24 Andrew Faulstich ’15, Head of School Brian Easler and Ben Soder ’15.

25 Jeannette Viens ’11 and Sommer Mahoney ’11.

26 Jackson FrenchRobitaille ’14, Stephanie Reeves ’12 and Kristen Reeves ’14.

Annual Fund Make a difference!

The gifts Wilbraham & Monson Academy receives annually are largely responsible for endowing the success of our students through the improvements we make to the learning environment and the wide range of learning tools we provide to our students.

Make WMA the best it can be by making a contribution today!

www.wma.us/giving

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AC ADEMY WORLD SPRING 2016

book reviews

WMA faculty and staff share their favorite reads

What’s on Your Nightstand?

“Lexicon”

By Max Barry

“This Body of Death”

By Elizabeth George

“Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things”

By Jenny Lawson

Emily is a teen runaway working as a magician/hustler when she is recruited by a shadowy elite boarding school run by Poets —people who are “good with words” — to learn how to sharpen her persuasion skills. Wil is kidnapped by Eliot, a Poet and teacher at the boarding school, to help him kill Wolff, a Poet who has gone rogue. These two disparate storylines cross time and continents to ultimately join in a unique and satisfying way. Part etymological history and inspection, part action-packed thrill ride, part atypical love story, part sci-fi/fantasy, this smart, dystopian novel has something for everyone.

No wonder it was named as a best book of 2013 by The New York Times, Time magazine, Salon, Huffington Post and Amazon readers.

Jinnie Trabulsi Library Assistant

I became a fan of Detective Inspector Thomas Linley through the wonders of Public Television. Never one to choose a murder mystery while combing the aisles of the town library, I nonetheless enjoyed watching them unfold on television. “The Inspector Linley Mysteries” was one of my favorites and, as a bonus, it was based on a series of novels. Since that discovery, I have eagerly sought out the novels of Elizabeth George.

This is a beefy (yes, I still read paper books), extensive story that takes the time to explore the personalities, personal lives and interrelationships of the detectives. Ms. George paints a complete picture that allows you to “see” each character. This is a later book in the series so she has a good deal of background information to include, in case the reader is not familiar with Lord Asherton (otherwise known as Thomas Linley), the wealthy, land-owning Brit of noble lineage who chooses to be a lowly Detective Inspector for Scotland Yard.

I appreciate the fact that she fills in the details.

Whichever book you pick in the series, you never feel as if you have missed something.

“Furiously Happy” succeeds in achieving what dark comedy was intended to do: discuss difficult and deeply upsetting subject matter with brutal honesty, soul-baring humility, and the type of laugh-out-loud humor that helps remind the reader to find the beauty in the chaos. Through discussing her experiences with depression and other life-altering conditions, Lawson manages to explore “horrible things” with both compassion and self-deprecation, creating an intoxicating combination of depth and lightheartedness. When I say I laughed out loud for three chapters straight, I am not exaggerating. If you or someone you love is living with mental illness or any other type of poorly understood, invisible, or stigma-ridden condition, if you are not easily offended by strong language and super-intimate detail, and if you want to laugh out loud while simultaneously being assured that you are not alone, this is the book to pick up.

Liz Mitchell-Kelly ’04 English Department

Susan Dziura Fine & Performing Arts Department

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departments

Class Notes (bluemountainpeakranch.com).

Richard writes that he keeps in touch with a few of his classmates and always visits the school when he’s in New England.

1

1964 Monson

1950 Wilbraham Roy Hayward Jr. wrote that he and Rose were married in Hawaii in July.

“We’re snow birds enjoying sunny Florida with a new ranch house under construction in Bellingham, Mass., for our return in the summers.”

Dr. Bob MacLauchlin was given a surprise breakfast by representatives of his former department and former students during Colorado State University’s Annual Homecoming Weekend Oct. 17. Bob served at Colorado State University as professor of speech instruction (undergraduate and graduate programs) from 1969– 1997. Major broadcasting programs that Bob created include an annual CSU — Colorado Broadcasters Association, High School Broadcasting Institute and Con Broadcast Day. The latter attracted a former president of the United States, FCC commissioners, cable and network executives and leaders from the National Association of Broadcasters.

1957 Monson Joe Furgal has retired as head of the Field Training & Special Events

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AC ADEMY WORLD SPRING 2016

Roger Adams shared, “This past June I completed my 40th year at Saint Andrew’s as a fitness teacher, advisor and mentor of middle school students, and a coach of cross country and track.

I also coach distance runners with the Los Gatos Athletic Association and am honored to be able to work with so many Junior Olympians. Our club team runners have established some very lofty accomplishments, including Youth Junior Olympic National Cross Country Champions 2015.”

David Brown wrote, “The Connecticut legislature decided to give medals to Connecticut veterans who served during wartime. I was among 150 or so veterans from our area who were given the medal at a ceremony at the Manchester, Conn., Army and Navy Club. These medals are given to anyone who lives now or lived in Connecticut at the time of enlistment, served during wartime and was honorably discharged.

My home of record was Palmer, Mass., but I was at the University of Connecticut when I was drafted and I have lived in Connecticut ever since going back to UConn and since graduating again after serving.

I actually have two honorable discharges, one as a Staff Sergeant when I graduated from Officer’s Training School, ending my enlisted service, and the other as a First Lieutenant when I finally relinquished my commission after several years in the inactive reserves following my service as an officer.”

1960 Monson

1965 Wilbraham

1 Stephen Halpert and his wife, Tasha, visited campus last fall. Gary Beauchamp ’78 gave them a tour and made sure they saw the Monson Bell.

Andrew G. Veitch wrote “Last spring I was initiated into the Buzzards Society of the Stamford (Conn.)

Yacht Club for having participated in at least 10 Vineyard races. The 238mile Vineyard race is a yearly yacht race held Labor Day weekend starting from Stamford to the Buzzards Bay light tower and back to Stamford passing south of Block Island.”

Department of Berkshire Life Insurance Company of America. He’s now a real estate associate with Wheeler & Taylor Realty in Great Barrington, Mass.

1958 Monson

1962 Wilbraham 2 Richard Taylor finally sold his home in Big Sur and can be found at his Texas Ranch when not traveling

1970 3 Paul Heller wrote, “Since graduating from Wilbraham, I’ve become a physician and have been an anesthesiologist for more than 30 years. I was on the faculty at Yale for a while then entered the private sector 11 years ago. Life has presented some challenges (it would be very boring if it didn’t) but mostly has been pretty good — two great kids, two great dogs, interesting work and hobbies … no complaints. The photo is of me (middle) with my kids, Jessica and Daniel, in Hawaii. Some years ago when my son was playing little league, there was a familiar looking parent on the field. It turns out the parent was J.R. Stone, also a 1970 Wilbraham grad. Our kids were on the same team. What a random occurrence! In any case, if anyone is in the Connecticut area, feel free to call or email me at pjheller45@gmail.com.”

2

3

1972 Dan Kunhardt completed 30 years with New York Life in early November.

Dan said, “It has been a rewarding profession and I look forward to continuing to help my many clients from my Northampton, Mass., office.

I’m still skiing with WMA alumni Pete Harrington ’72 and Tim Clarke ’73.

We’re a little slower, but we still tear up the snow!”

1980 4 Jeff Buchholz is currently working at IBM as a sales engineer and earned his funeral director/embalmer license this year. He’s been married for 29 years to Tracey Beckstead Buchholz and they have two children, Brenton, a senior at American International College, and William, a junior at Cheney Technical High School.

1982 Don Crawford has been living in Dallas for eight years with his fiancée, Sarah.

He operates a broadcasting company, with stations in Albany, Rochester, New York, Denver and Dallas.

Judy Wesson Candage has been elected president of the New England Morgan Horse Association. There are currently 465 active members across New England and beyond in the association, which promotes and celebrates the great Morgan horse in the show ring, on the trail and as favorite family pals. You can learn more at NEMHA.com.

1983 Chip Filiault has received the 2014 Commissioner’s Award for Trade and Facilitation from the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) for his work

following the tracking, inspection and eventual destruction of a vehicle composed of stolen vehicle parts.

The ongoing criminal investigation, known as “Operation Atlantic,” has made a decided impact on the illegal importation of stolen vehicles inbound to the U.S. from Great Britain. One of the biggest concerns with this type of crime is the concept of a “FrankenCar” — a car that is dressed up with a false VIN, looks great, but is composed of stolen vehicle parts. Chip’s award is one of the highest awards CBP gives and stated, “It is your distinguished service and your dedication to our important mission that enables CBP to protect our nation from acts of terrorism while also fostering economic security by facilitating lawful international trade and travel.”

4

6

5

1984 5 Kent Karosen has been busy doing his civic duty by serving on presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s Finance Committee.

1985 Tyler Sterck just moved from his lifelong home of New York City to Connecticut. “It’s the first time I’ve seen this much green since Wilbyville. Reach out if you’re in the area. I would love to catch up and network. Best to the Class of ’85!”

1988 Paul Fisher III wrote, “I am involved in the independent film industry in Southern California. I split my time between San Diego County and Tucson, where I spend as much time with my parents as I can. We make fun movies and we do as much as we can in the volunteer community as well. I just finished a student film, two full

features and am now working on a film about suicide prevention, as well as gearing up for a PSA for Down Syndrome Awareness Month.”

1990 Brian M. Hatch is excited that his company, AO Coolers, celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2015.

1991 6 Jim Cherry is a theater historian and chair of the Department of Theater at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Ind. He also serves as the college’s faculty marshal. His wife, Crystal Benedicks, is a professor in the college’s Department of English, and they have three children, all under the age 4: George, seen in the photo rocking an L.L. Bean backpack on his first day of preschool, and twin daughters, Rebecca and Katherine.

1994 7 Councilman Kenyatta Johnson honored Kevin Slaughter in Philadelphia for what he is doing in the community. Kevin has an All Girls’ Basketball Camp and is a girls’ varsity coach at Universal Audenried High School. His most famous camper is Little League World Series star Mo’ne Davis. Kevin sent a photo of a few of his players representing WMA all the way in Philadelphia.

Valley Malt, a business started by Andrea Stanley and her husband, Christian, has been featured in Amy Halloran’s new book, “The New Bread Basket: How the New Crop of Grain Growers, Plant Breeders, Millers, Maltsters, Bakers, Brewers, and Local Food Activists Are Redefining Our Daily Loaf.” From Amy, “Take Andrea and Christian Stanley, a couple who taught themselves the craft of malting

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departments: class notes

and opened the first malthouse in New England in 100 years. Such pioneering grain projects give consumers an alternative to industrial bread and beer, and return their production to a scale that respects people, local communities, and the health of the environment.”

1997 Larry Bourdeau opened OFF-SEASON Sports & Physical Therapy in North Andover, Mass., in 2010 and opened a second location in Watertown, Mass., in 2014. Larry writes, “Company is doing well. Best news of all is I got married August 13 to the beautiful Katelyn McMahon and we now have two Siberian huskies that we dog sled with. For additional fun, because life was not busy enough, I coach masters rowing at Greater Lawrence Rowing and I dragged Katie down to the boathouse to be our coxswain. Working together and racing together with the team is fun and she has picked up rowing quickly. Hope to make it back to campus this fall! All the best!

9

Hammad Graham took a job at the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) Capital Markets in New York City as vice president of the Tax Credit Equity Group. He is responsible for originating, structuring and closing affordable housing and urban real estate developments financed with private equity.

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8 Bill Metzger is the principal at Monson High School. He came to watch the Monson vs. WMA soccer scrimmage this fall. Bill says he became a teacher because of longtime WMA faculty members and soccer coaches Gary Cook and Don Nicholson ’79.

the 2015 Top Performer: Sales Manager Award from Manheim Auctions. There’s a lot to be excited about in their home.

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9 Farid Khelfaoui married Lisa Lococo Oct. 4 at the beautiful Mount Snow Ski Resort in Dover, Vt.

Boston Realty Advisors has announced the hiring of Whitney E. Gallivan as partner and managing director in the expanding retail practice area led by President Michael A. d’Hemecourt, an operation for which she will handle both leasing and capital markets activities. “We are extremely excited to have Whitney on board,” d’Hemecourt said in predicting the 10-year industry veteran will be “a great fit” as Bostonbased BRA grows the retail arm of their firm. The bulk of her career was at WS Development, the largest privately held retail developer in the country, where Whitney became the top producer, completing more than 400 retail lease transactions in less than a decade, assignments cresting one million square feet in total volume (from “The Real Reporter”).

10 Teresa (Holuk) Bruno and Frank Bruno ’98 had a new addition to their family on Jan. 5. Ariana joins big brother, Steven, in bringing the Bruno family to four! Teresa was also recently awarded 10

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Alexander Gillett started howgood. com in 2007. HowGood is on its way to becoming the largest database on food sustainability in the world. In the last year, HowGood expanded with 15 new employees and plans to double in size in the next year. There is a free app available if you would like to learn more

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information about the food you eat.

Alexander married Irina Sadovich Gillett in 2011, lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., and thinks back fondly on his time at WMA.

2001 11 Jennifer Junkin and her husband, Scott, welcomed Finn Cormac Junkin into their family on Oct. 28. Finn joins his siblings, Jack and Penny, in filling the Junkin home!

2002 12 Justin Danhof married Kristin Rhodes in August 2015. Fellow WMA Class of 2002 friends Tony Pearlman, and Mo (Kelly) & Phil Chesky were in attendance.

13 Rachael Gazda married Matthew Gagnon in the fall of 2014 and they welcomed their son, Cutler, August 23, 2015. Besides being a new mom, Rachael works as a nurse practitioner in vascular surgery at Baystate Medical Center.

Jonathan Winegar-Mendez opened Saloniki, a fine casual Greek restaurant, in Boston’s Fenway neighborhood at the corner of Brookline Avenue and Kilmarnock Street. Jonathan and his business partner have again teamed up with the James Beard Award winning Chef Jody Adams to showcase street food of the Aegean Sea port city.

2003 14 Andrew Graziano married Christina Woodward Oct. 10 at Saint Monica Catholic Church. A reception followed at The Beach Club, where fellow 2003 alumni Norell Veal, Kyle Nicholson, Nicole (Nicholson) Nicoletos, and Katie (Denby) Edwards helped the couple celebrate. The newlyweds honeymooned in Bora Bora and are currently living in Hancock Park, Calif.

Andrew is working as director of video operations for CBS Interactive.

2004 15 Carolyn (Weeks) Balicki ’05 married Rob Balicki ’04 Sept. 25. There were quite a few guests with WMA connections: alumni parent Ligia Guerin, alumni parent and Assistant Director of Admission Marjorie Weeks, alumni parent and Equipment Manager David Weeks, Peter Weeks ’99, Juli Weeks Christofori ’01, Katie Stolpinski Kalmakis ’06, Jonathan 12

Kalmakis ’04, Colin Cook ’04, Liv Clement ’06, Nick Clement ’05, Chris Antonacci ’06, Greg Balicki ’07, WMA Middle School graduate Jason Robinson, faculty member and current parent Christa Robinson, Ben Premo ’05, Mark Mitchell ’07, Pat Pio ’06, Victoria D’Amato Mayson ’06 and Richard Mayson ’01.

16 Christina Alves was named one of the Top 10 Emerging Designers by Park Avenue Fashion Week in Central Florida.

Christina showcased three eveningwear looks in September to an elite panel of judges followed by a Project Runway inspired challenge. She was one of five semifinalists who were announced at the Emerging Designer Fashion Show, where Christina featured her designs at the main runway show in October. To learn more, go online at parkavenuefashionweek.com/about.

The “New England Soccer Journal” ranked Pat Phelan #40 in its Top 50 Greatest Players From New England in 13

the January-February 2016 issue. They referred to him as a “rugged operator patrolling the New England Revolution midfield” with “combative qualities.”

Pat spent most of his six-year pro career with the New England Revolution.

Congratulations Pat! 17 Melissa Wile married Jonah Simon August 1 at Chamard Vineyards in Clinton, Conn. Members of the wedding party included Aaron Wile ’04 and Lizzy Mitchell-Kelly ’04. Melissa and Jonah enjoyed a honeymoon in Hawaii.

2006 Will Daly was recently promoted to assistant general manager of Maloney & Porcelli Restaurant in New York City.

18 Jake Eddy took a two-week trip to Iceland. The core of the trip involved a 55-kilometer-hike on the Laugavegur trail. Jake said, “The trip was spectacular from beginning to end. There were so many stopping points with breathtaking

360-degree views through glaciers, volcanoes and highlands. The people were abnormally friendly and the food was extremely tasty. I have always wanted to see the northern lights since I was a kid and Iceland was the perfect recipe for witnessing them firsthand.

We traveled to the Westman Islands, hiked what was an extremely steep crater to the edge of a cliff overlooking a bay and stayed up until three or four in the morning watching the lights dance … unforgettable experience.”

David Kreps has been busy since his days at WMA. After graduating from the University of Southern Maine with a bachelor’s in biology, David went on to American International College for graduate school. In May 2015 he earned a doctorate in physical therapy, received the Community Service Award at graduation, passed the national physical therapy exam and is now a licensed physical therapist. David currently works at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Springfield, Mass.

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departments: class notes

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Ryan Molaghan, a recent graduate of the Florida State University College of Law, has passed the Florida Bar Exam.

Congratulations Ryan!

Brian Race is living in Boston, has his master’s in music and is teaching at Montessori School in Boston, as well as giving private lessons and gigs.

2007 19 Danielle Lamoureux Bachand and her husband, Derek, welcomed Lilly Marie into their family Sept. 4.

Congratulations!

Andy D’Avanzo has been named Teacher of the Year for his outstanding work at Blackstone Valley Prep Mayoral Academy in Cumberland, R.I. He said, “My classroom is a balance of fun, craziness, silliness, hard work and determination. Learning should be fun and I want my students to know that it’s OK to let loose and be crazy sometimes. But we’re also here to learn

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and grow together, so we set very clear and ambitious goals for ourselves and our class as a whole. We also strive to build a supportive community and create an environment where everyone is comfortable being themselves, taking risks and knowing they’re part of a team. On any given day, you could walk into our classroom and see everyone smiling, scholars leading discussions or working in groups, defending their opinions, correcting mistakes and having fun.”

to Madrid. But after interviewing with 14 companies all he got was a bank that said it wanted to hire him but couldn’t say when, where, or in what job, and an engineering firm that said it would have a job for him in six months. So De Zavala got on a plane to Shanghai. A few months later, he and a friend founded IntuuChina, a relocation firm that matches young people with internships and jobs in China. So far, they have placed 286 people, 35% of whom are from Spain.”

Fernando de Zavala Carvajal was featured in a Fortune.com article Dec. 1 about the failing job market in Spain.

An excerpt: “De Zavala had built a fairly impressive resume by 2012.

A Spaniard by nationality and fluent in English from attending high school in the U.S., De Zavala held internships at Ernst & Young, JPMorgan, and L’Oréal while studying economics at Madrid’s Universidad Carlos III. Despite Spain’s economic crisis, he was confident that he would find a job when he returned

2008 Melissa Rodrigues recently graduated and passed her Massachusetts state boards and is a coagulation/triage/ endoscopy nurse.

2009 20 Look for Jermaine Boswell in country singer Eric Paslay’s new music video, High Class! Jermaine was an actor in the video.

Josh Cuddy is working on his Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin with a concentration in Administration and Policy Practice. He is attending the school through the Sheral Trousdale Skinner Fellowship and working as a research assistant at the school’s Institute for Organizational Excellence.

21 Track athletes Russell Dinkins, a 2013 Princeton graduate, and his one-time Ivy League rival Daniel Thomas, a 2012 Cornell graduate, are in a quest to reach the Olympics.

From paw.princeton.edu: “Since late September, the two 800-meter specialists have placed other aspects of their lives on hold to spend four months training at the worldrenowned High Altitude Training Center in Iten, Kenya, thanks to financial support raised through the crowdfunding website GoFundMe. com. Dinkins, a Philadelphia native, and Thomas, whose dual citizenship allows him to compete for Mexico,

aim to meet the Olympic qualifying standard and earn spots on their respective national teams. While making an Olympic team is the ultimate goal, the chance to train unbridled by the constraints of everyday life comes with another benefit: Dinkins and Thomas are about to learn just how good they can be.”

22 Nicole Grenier-Ribadeneyra sent us a photo from Germany, where she and her cousin, Clarissa, visited Caroline Cohnen! Left to right: Caroline, Nicole and Clarissa. We love WMA mini-reunions!

23 Caitlin Mitchell and Fabienne Limage ’06 had a mini-reunion at Elon University School of Law. They were both in the same orientation group and are projected to graduate together in December 2017. Best of luck to Caitlin and Fabienne!

2010 Aimee (Adamski) Nygren was married in December 2014 and moved back to Massachusetts to work as a toddler teacher at a private school.

Katie Sloan won a 2015 Ostrander Award for Supporting Actress in a Drama: The Physicists, University of Memphis. Named for beloved Memphis theater icon Jim Ostrander, the Ostrander Awards — the Memphis theatre awards — are given annually in a variety of categories, in both College and Community divisions. Every aspect of stage production is recognized: actors, directors, technical personnel and full ensembles.

Zainab Sulaiman is very busy! She’s moving to London to work on her master’s in global mental health at King’s College and is a program coordinator for Stand to End Rape/

STER in Lagos, Nigeria. Zee will work for STER full time remotely and will fly to Nigeria for major events and meetings.

2011 Eric Diogun is a photographer available for hire in the greater New York City area. He specializes in capturing people and places. Take a look at his portfolio at ericdiogunphoto.com.

Sara Lawrence has accepted a position that combines her degrees in both English and zoology. She accepted a production assistant position with Dartmouth Journal Services in Waterbury, Vt. The company is in the scientific, technical and medical journal industry and handles the editing and publication processes of some of the journals.

2012 Sam Hart, a senior offensive lineman for Amherst College, was named to the 2015 American Football Coaches Association Division III Coaches AllAmerica Team. Sam, a 2015 First Team All-NESCAC selection, was the only representative from the conference, and is the first Amherst player to receive AFCA All-America praise since 1997.

24 Emma Hjarne captured the individual medalist title at the Sept. 19 Division I women’s golf event held at the U.S. Naval Academy.

Participating schools were Dartmouth, Delaware State, Hofstra, Longwood, Navy, Quinnipiac, Sacred Heart, The Citadel, Towson, UPenn and Wagner.

The Towson Tiger won her title in a one-hole tie-breaking playoff against Dartmouth’s number one player on the U.S. Naval Academy golf course par 5 8th hole. Emma won the tournament with a birdie on the tie-

breaking hole. She carded a 75–75–75 in the three-round event, placing her Towson Tigers team in second place behind UPenn. While at WMA, Emma was on the Titans’ Soccer team, Ski team and Golf team, taking second place in the annual Pippi O’Connor Independent School Girls’ Golf Tournament in 2011. Photo courtesy of Towson University Athletics.

25 Maodo Lo, who attends and plays basketball at Columbia University, was named to the German National team. The Columbia senior played in his hometown of Berlin in the EuroBasket Tournament Sept. 5–20, which was streamed live on ESPN3.

Mo was also ranked #79 by the CBS Sports Top 100 College Basketball Players for 2015–2016.

2013 26 Kelsey Gomes finished her sixmonth internship with the Washington Spirit, a member of the National Women’s Professional League, located in Washington, D.C. She began in 19

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preseason and worked all the way through postseason, while still completing her responsibilities at High Point University in North Carolina.

Kelsey was responsible for game day operations, pre- and post-game interviews, pre- and post-game write ups, creating, editing and making YouTube videos, writing the content for the live Twitter feed during game days, photography for team usage, securing the branding of the team and community coaching support with professional players. Kelsey learned firsthand working and mentoring with some of the most experienced leadership teams and coaches in women’s soccer. She learned what it means to be a professional player, coach and manager and the demands (pros and cons) it brings. Kelsey has made lifelong contacts and true friendships with players that only a few could experience.

Arnelle Williams has fallen in love with poetry while at Wesleyan University.

You can read her poems on her blog at writtenfromwithin.weebly.com.

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departments: class notes

2014 Michael Caine was featured in On Campus, the WGBH News Higher Education Blog, in an article titled “Community Colleges: Affordable, Practical, and Increasingly Popular.”

In the piece, Michael talks about his choice to go to community college in his hometown instead of spending $57,000 a year at his top choice, Hobart and William Smith. Although Michael was accepted into his top choice, he’s getting a lot out of his time at STCC. He wants to be an architect and is getting practical, hands-on training that he’s not sure he would have received at a pricey four-year institution.

27 Joel Diaz was recently featured in an article in the Smithfield Patch, where he spoke about the impact the Tri-Town Community Center and WMA have had on his life. A 24

sophomore at Bryant University, Joel plays football for the Bulldogs and was named to the Northeast Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll and the NEC Academic Honor Roll.

28 Jackson FrenchRobitaille is a member of Bates College’s premier a cappella group “The Deansmen.”

Jackson and the group recently completed a tour of colleges along the Eastern Seaboard. You can read about them and hear their great sounds at batesdeansmen.com.

Matan Shmerling was in Sweden playing in a soccer showcase! PSC, Professional Soccer Consulting, had a combine/tryout in June to determine which players they felt were ready for the professional game. Matan was selected and his team played against professional teams and in front of their coaches and scouts.

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Jessica Smith has accepted an internship as an ABC Family ad sales intern in the Disney ABC Television Group as part of the Disney Professional Internship program. Jessie is currently a sophomore at NYU and is very excited for this opportunity!

29 Hobart College first-year linebacker Aaron Louis was named the Liberty League Football Rookie of the Week by the conference office October 5. The Statesmen’s 37–7 homecoming victory over WPI helped Hobart jump up three spots to No. 22 in D3football.com’s Top 25. Louis shared team-high honors with six tackles against the Engineers.

2015 30 While attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst Isenberg School of Management, double majoring in finance and communications, Nicholas Cotto and a friend launched an apparel line called poor. Poor is an acronym that stands for pursue our own rights.

Nicholas said, “Our clothing is a symbol of those who pursue their rights. Their right to dream, to aspire and to work to achieve any goal they have their heart and mind set on: to make that sports team, land that job, start that business, pursue that career, get that degree, train for that

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event; no matter what it is. Our mission is to influence you as people — not only by wearing our clothing, and hopefully enjoying the style, but also for what it represents. Keep pursuing. Check out pursueourownrights.com to see the online store and see what we’re all about.”

Former Faculty Former faculty member Major Tomás Benton retired from teaching 10 years ago at Key West Community College in Florida and has since pursued his love of painting, both as an artist and gallery owner in Mexico.

He has been extremely fortunate to share in the culture, history, arts and crafts, beautiful language, music and delicious foods of Mexico. What does he love most? “The people!

Financially, the people around me are very poor, but so, so amazingly rich in the important aspects of life. They have been genuinely warm and accepting of this old gringo! My years at W&M were very rewarding and I cherish the continued connection I share with many of my former students. I urge everyone there to take advantage of any opportunity to learn about, and experience, other cultures and lifestyles. It will open your eyes to many possibilities.”

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We Remember Mr. Brian D. Mortensen Alumni Parent

Mr. Kendall G. Abbott ’49W

Mr. Richard M. Curtis ’59M

Mr. Donald W. Illingworth ’54W

Mr. Donald G. Agnoli ’65M

Mr. John C. Davis ’45W

Dr. Hampton W. Irwin M.D. ’48W

Mr. Frederick M. Anderson ’41W

Mr. John P. Degnan ’46W

Mr. Joseph W. Keefe ’40M

Mr. Richard F. O’Malley ’46M

Mr. Michael D. Balise ’83

Mr. Peter Fowler ’49W

Mr. Thomas J. Kelly ’39M

Ms. Jamie L. Peters ’96

Mrs. Viola Balise Alumni Parent

Mr. Arthur A. Frankl Former Faculty

Dr. Richard H. Kimball ’41W

Mr. Patrick H. Pettengill Alumni Parent

Mr. Peter D. Bay ’58W

Mr. John W. Gibson ’41W

Mr. Barry M. Beckwith ’51M

Mr. Herman K. Golnik Former Faculty

Mr. Robert P. Martineau ’57M

Mr. James J. Shea Jr. ’46W

Mr. Gerald A. Mastroianni ’59M

Mrs. Anna B. Gramse Alumni Spouse

Mr. Harry E. Maynard ’36W

Mr. Richard C. Southworth Former Staff Spouse

Mr. Erwin R. Bragg Jr. ’41W Mr. Stanton H. Bryden ’41W Mr. Jerome S. Bush ’71M Mr. Gordon M. Clark ’38W Mrs. Kathleen B. Corrigan Alumni Parent

Mr. Wayne R. Green ’46W Mr. Gordon E. Hall ’41M Prof. Timothy M. Hennessey Ph.D. ’56W

Mr. Jonathan T. LaBrecque ’07 Alumni Non-Grad

Ms. Christine McGugan ’85 Mr. Jesse J. Morgan Jr. ’48M Mrs. Mary C. Moriarty Alumni Grandparent

Mr. Robert S. Reid ’61M

Mr. James L. Wallace ’37M Dr. Edward B. Williams ’29M Mr. Mark Yesley Current and Alumni Grandparent

Dr. Alden V. Holmes M.D. ’39W

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by janet moran Associate Director of Archives

history

From the Archives I observed in his bustling Brookline studio was a huge John Singer Sargent portrait, out of the frame and draped in wax, being restored to withstand another 100 years, or more. Soon I would have a Sargent in my own studio, thanks to the three years of patient tutelage of Mr. Broderick.

While actively practicing my own painting conservation for more than 25 years in Boston, and in my home studio in Monson, along came three children who would have the great opportunity of becoming students at Wilbraham & Monson Academy. Thus began my wonderful connection to this most special of institutions, Wilbraham & Monson Academy (known to many of you through time as Wesleyan Academy, Monson Academy and Wilbraham Academy). It is here over the last few years that I have been able to put my love

of both history and art into practice, from conserving many of the portraits of the heads of school that now hang in Alumni Memorial Chapel to restoring the monuments honoring two of our Japanese students, and historically significant connections, in the Monson Hillside Cemetery. WMA has also allowed me the opportunity to put into practice my love of history as its archivist, researching and preserving for the school the many important documents and other items of historical importance, which paint such a clear picture of the important role that WMA, in its several historical forms, has played in this country and in the world.

As I sift through the archives, finding treasures from as far back as the early 1800s, and connecting the dots among alumni, past and present, I look forward to continuing to document this amazing place that is WMA.

my journey began in New York City, a magical

place for a young girl to grow up — full of art, culture and history. From a very young age I was lucky enough to be exposed to those things that would shape my path, from the great museums, galleries and libraries to the wonderful historically significant architecture. It set me on my way.

Then came art school. First in northern New Jersey, with its constant exposure to New York’s museums and galleries, and then as a student at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. I developed both as a painter and as an art history major. I not only established my own painting style, but also a strong background in art history, with an appreciation of the importance of figures in time who made an impact on history, and on our important institutions.

It was in Boston where I, through great fortune, met my mentor, Charles Broderick, an aging master conservator, originally a chemist by trade, whose eyes were fading and above simply needed a young art Janet Moran pieces student to match color for his some Monson conservation of paintings Academy plates of importance. together for One of the first sights the archives.

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before Portrait of George McKendree Steele, Headmaster of Wesleyan Academy from 1879–1892. Born 1823; died 1902.

after Restored portrait of Dr. George McKendree Steele.

capital giving

by christina cronin Director of Capital & Planned Giving

2015 - 2016 Projects Improving Alumni Memorial Chapel with Sights and Sounds in 2015, the Academy refurbished the interior

of Alumni Memorial Chapel. Plaster was repaired, woodwork refinished and the entire space was given a fresh coat of paint. During that time, our collection of headmaster portraits were cleaned and repaired, and they now find a new home on the chapel walls. When our students returned after their break, they attended school meeting surrounded by the faces of Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s rich history.

Alumni Memorial Chapel is a beautiful place where the Academy can be proud to hold school meetings, special lectures and performances.

The next step was to make $67,000 in upgrades to technology, which had greatly advanced since Alumni Memorial Chapel last underwent an audio/visual equipment upgrade. Through the top right generous support of Head of School alumni, parents and friends, Brian Easler new lighting, speakers, demonstrates how microphones, projectors and speakers will appear on our new screen. a large projector screen

WMA Joins the Maker Movement with an Expanded Innovation Lab wilbraham & monson academy’s new and

improved innovation lab, the Tinkerpreneurshop, was created with a $160,600 investment from alumni, including Mark R. Shenkman ’61M, parents and friends who supported both the Annual Fund and special projects.

The innovation lab is a place where students from all disciplines can bottom right explore and discover. From Asaiah Edwards ’16 robotics and 3D printing to and Thy “Kathy” developing business plans Ton ’16 test some of © and fashion design, this the Lego robotics new center offers the space equipment.

now make it much easier for audience members to see and hear presentations. This is of great benefit to students whose first language is not English and all of our students will be better able to hear, see and focus.

When speakers or performers from around the

globe come to visit our campus, we can now provide them with the best quality microphones and audio/visual equipment possible. Our upgrades will ensure that our guests feel respected and provided for, and the chapel continues to be a point of pride for the entire community.

and tools for students to have unmatched hands-on learning experiences. Students across disciplines, from entrepreneurship, science and mathematics to English and art, as well as our WMA Design Fellows, Robotics Team and computer science program, will use this center as a resource to enhance their work in the classroom.

“Tinkering and entrepreneurial thinking is a mindset,” said Science Department Chair Kathleen Gorski.

“WMA’s innovation lab offers a playful way to approach and solve problems through direct experience, experimentation and discovery.” WMA is excited to add this center and its accompanying programs to our list of offerings that extend learning beyond the classroom.

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Wilbraham & Monson Academy Heritage Society

preserve our heritage .. . i nvest in our future

Profiles in Giving: A Gift of Gratitude Ron Barend ’61M and his wife, Martha, leave the Academy a $250,000 bequest some gifts the academy receives come to us

with a lot of fanfare, others arrive quietly, and some are a total surprise. We knew that Ron and Martha Barend had joined the Wilbraham & Monson Academy Heritage Society a few years ago, but the size of their legacy gift was a pleasant surprise when it arrived. They had told the Academy they would put something in their estate for Ron’s alma mater, but we had no idea that we would be receiving a quarter-of-amillion dollars from their estate.

Ron and Martha were consistently loyal donors to WMA. Ron, who made his modest annual fund gift like clockwork each year, often commented about how much he loved his days at Monson Academy. When the Barend’s $250,000 bequest arrived this fall, we fully understood how much he cared for his school.

About four years ago, Ron mentioned that he had never received a diploma from Monson Academy even though he had Ron and Martha completed his coursework. He at Yellowstone thought it might have something National Park.

to do with an incomplete payment of a final bill. He told us that he wished he had a diploma because Monson was his school. He had never gone to college. It would mean the world to him to have a diploma to hang alongside Martha’s.

Like many young men in his class, Ron entered the Vietnam War shortly after graduation from Monson. Ron was a combat veteran and served his country from 1967–70 in the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets) and achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant. Like many of his fellow soldiers, when he returned home from the service, college just didn’t seem like the right path anymore. Instead, he moved to Maine, seeking a simple life. After all he had done as a student and as a serviceman, we couldn’t see any reason why Ron shouldn’t have his diploma. We happily made an official Monson Academy diploma for him.

In Maine, Ron met Martha Beall, another transplant who owned a successful fabric shop, and together they built a wood-heated home in Waldoboro with a greenhouse, garden and small orchard where they lived with their Brittany

spaniels, and enjoyed Maine’s outdoors and beaches, great food and the arts. They were active in their community and quietly supported many organizations that had an impact on the quality of life in Midcoast Maine.

Ron passed away in 2013 and Martha left us, too, soon after in 2015. In addition to leaving a legacy to Wilbraham & Monson Academy, they also remembered Martha’s schools, The Medomack Valley Land Trust, and created a scholarship fund to help young people from Waldoboro, Maine, attend college in the University of Maine system.

Ron and Martha Barend, described by their friends and family as kind, loyal, generous and caring, will continue to have an impact long into the future thanks to their thoughtful gifts. We thank them for all they have done for WMA. please note that WMA does not provide tax or legal advice. Gift calculations may be provided for illustrative purposes only and the actual values may vary based on the timing and nature of your gift.

Advice from legal and tax counsel should be sought when considering a charitable gift plan of any kind.

If you are interested in adding Wilbraham & Monson Academy to your will or estate plan, please contact Director of Capital and Planned Giving Christina Cronin at ccronin@wma.us or 413.596.9189, or visit our website at wma.us/giftplanning.

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the world ahead

Building the Global School®

Rich Hall Is Sitting Pretty Thanks to gifts of furniture from entrepreneurs Craig Rubin ’63W and his wife, Randy

there are many ways that you can support Wilbraham & Monson Academy. You can volunteer your time, spread the word about what a great school WMA is to prospective parents, make cash gifts of all sizes or donate gifts in kind: goods or services. Over the past two years, the Academy has been fortunate to receive gifts in kind of terrific, durable furniture from alumnus Craig Rubin ’63W and his wife, Randy. Thanks to their generosity, The Rodney and Shirley

LaBrecque House and Rich Hall now have attractive new chairs and sofas upholstered in strong, water and stain resistant fabric from the Rubin’s company, Crypton (crypton.com).

In 1993, when they started Crypton in the basement of their home, the Rubins never realized that their company would turn into a global icon in the world of performance fabrics.

Today, Craig is the CEO of the Crypton Companies and Nanotex with offices in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., Kings Mountain, N.C., New York and Hong Kong.

Like many entrepreneurial ventures, the company grew out of the need to solve a problem.

Earlier in his career, Craig represented lines of beautifully made fabrics that would then be vinylized for durability and sold to restaurants, hospitals, hotels and nursing homes. However, the vinyl would make them cumbersome to work with and the laminate would peel and crack.

Customers were unhappy and the complaints to Craig kept mounting.

Craig kept thinking about how he could solve

the problems associated with laminating. Walking down the aisles of a drugstore, inspiration struck Craig as he was looking at some disposable diapers. He thought, “If they can make diapers that were water resistant yet breathable, there must be a way of treating a fabric to do the same thing.” Working with a textile researcher, the first yard of Crypton was New furniture in Rich Hall lobby and in the made in a very short time common areas of Rich in 1993. Today, with 19 3 and 4 dormitories global patents, the has made each space a company is experiencing great place for students to study or relax. global success.

When WMA constructed The Rodney and Shirley LaBrecque House in 2014, Craig and Randy immediately stepped in with an offer to provide the furniture for the dorm. “We are so proud to share the top-quality products we make with the Academy. We know that WMA is getting the best for their students and I can provide much more for the Academy than we could through a cash gift,” said Craig. This past year, the Rubins donated furniture for the Rich Hall lounge areas and chairs for the study tables that are located in the Rich Hall lobby. We are looking our best thanks to their in-kind support.

Are you a business owner who would like to donate a good or service in support of the Academy? Contact Director of Capital and Planned Giving Christina Cronin at 413.596.9189 or ccronin@wma.us to discuss whether or not your gift will fit our needs.

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

Stay Connected!

The Alumni Office is planning events around the globe. Look for us in Boston, Washington, D.C., Florida, New York City, Western Massachusetts, Asia and Thailand. Where will we see you next?

Stay connected by visiting: wma.us/alumni

non profit organization us postage paid permit no 88 enfield ct