Thistletalk Winter 2010 by Winchester Thurston School

555 Morewood Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213 www.winchesterthurston.org

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Thistle

The Power of Partnership

TALK

Winchester Thurston School

in this issue: City as Our Campus Partnership with Pitt Asian Studies Center Builds a Bridge to Beijing and Beyond Urban Arts Revealed Connects WT Students to Pittsburghâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Vibrant Arts Community Painting by Olivia Bargeron, WT Class of 2018, City Campus fourth-grader.

Winchester Thurston School

Young Alum Leadership Council Reunion 2009 Reflections on the G-20

Winter 2010

Thistle

TALK

Malone Scholars

M A G A Z I N E

Volume 37 • Number 1 • Winter 2010 Thistletalk is published two times per year by Winchester Thurston School for alumnae/i, parents, students, and friends of the school. Letters and suggestions are welcome. Contact Maura Farrell, Winchester Thurston School, 555 Morewood Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213.

Editor

Maura Farrell Assistant Head for Planning

farrellml@winchesterthurston.org

Alumnae/i Editor

students. WT was selected as one of only three schools for this prestigious award in 2007.

Inspired minds. Record enrollment! Winchester Thurston School opened its 123rd year with record enrollment of 639 students. From their athletic and artistic accomplishments to their exceptional scores on the entrance exams, from their leadership accolades to their demonstrated commitment to thinking also of the comfort and the rights of others, we are pleased to welcome 110 new students in grades PK -12 for the 2009 - 2010 school year. Our new families hail from more than 30 zip codes, 50 schools, five states, and four countries. More than 23 percent are students of color, and a significant number of families speak more than one language at home. We welcomed 24 siblings and have more than 20 legacy children in attendance this year. WT also offered over $2 million in financial aid and scholarships. Each year over 80 percent of our families learn about WT from a current parent, a WT alum, or a colleague. Thank you for referring your friends and helping to build the WT community! Contact the Admission Office at admission@winchesterthurston.org if you would like us to include a friend of yours in WT Admission monthly emails or mailings.

Sara Mitchell ‘76, October 24, 2009 Sara Ann Kalla ‘73, May 31, 2009

Director of Development and Alumnae/i Relations

Aline Massey ’62, August 25, 2009

Contributors

Congratulations to this year’s Malone Scholars: Alexander Zukoff ’12, Noah Vito ’12, Kyle Czurko ’14, and Alexa Yu ’11. These outstanding students received this distinction as the result of a $2 million grant from the Malone Family Foundation in recognition of WT’s challenging academics and its excellence in serving the needs of gifted and talented

The following members of the WT community will be missed by their classmates, friends, students, and colleagues. We offer sincere condolences to their families.

Gaylen Westfall

westfallg@winchesterthurston.org

Winchester Thurston School proudly acknowledges our 2009 - 2010 Malone Scholars.

In Memoriam

Anne Sauers Brassert ‘57, August 28, 2008

David Aschkenas Kathleen Bishop Dionne Brelsford Jason Cohn Lisa Kay Davis ‘97 Max Findley ‘11 John Holmes Ashley Lemmon ‘01 Karen Meyers ‘72 Lee Moses A’98 Melissa Rostek ‘11 Jennifer Scanlon Jane Schilling Jonathan Springer ‘10 Karyn Vella Justin Weinstein ‘12 Gaylen Westfall

Suzanne Scott Kennedy ‘52, June 21, 2009

Printing Design

To Enid Mitchell Dunmire ‘42 and Susan Dunmire ‘76 on the death of their niece and cousin, Sara Mitchell ‘76, October 24, 2009

School Mission

To James Eversmeyer ‘04 and Alex Eversmeyer ‘99 on the death of their father, Michael Eversmeyer, August 2, 2009

Core Values

To Amy Guccione MacMillan ’96, Taylor Guccione A‘99, and Mrs. Leslie Guccione on the death of their father and husband, Joseph Q. Guccione, November 3, 2009

Herrmann Printing Anne Flanagan Winchester Thurston School actively engages each student in a challenging and inspiring learning process that develops the mind, motivates the passion to achieve, and cultivates the character to serve.

We activate our Mission by creating a learning envir onment that pr omotes and instills appreciation for these five Core Values: Critical Thinking, Integrity, Empathy, Community, and Diversity. Thistletalk content represents opinions, ideas, and perspectives of the authors that are not necessarily those of the Trustees or Administration of Winchester Thurston School. The editors reserve the right to accept, reject, or edit any content submitted for publication in Thistletalk. Winchester Thurston School is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools. Winchester Thurston School is accredited by the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools. Winchester Thurston School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, or disability in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, financial aid programs, and athletics or other schooladministered programs. Copyright © 2010 Winchester Thurston School. All Rights Reserved.

Antoinette Vilsack Seifert ‘32, October 6, 2009

Condolences To Mrs. Marilyn Alexander on the death of her husband, Robert D. Alexander, May 19, 2009 To Daryl Massey Bladen ‘65 on the death of her sister, Aline Jay Massey ‘62, August 25, 2009 To Mr. John Brassert on the death of his wife Anne Sauers Brassert ‘57, August 28, 2008

To David Hallas and Keenan Hallas ’07 on the death of their father and grandfather, Robert G. Hallas, September 10, 2009 To Nancy Quick Langer ‘84 on the death of her mother, Mary Jane Quick, September 4, 2009 To Ms. Suzanne K. Martin on the death of her mother, Kate Corinne Howat Waldron ‘43, October 19, 2009

To Gray Pipitone ‘14, Gianna Pipitone ‘16, Gunnar Pipitone ‘21, and Scott J. Pipitone on the death of their mother and wife, Stella Ann Aggazio Pipitone, September 5, 2009 To Helene Stone Prince ‘79 on the death of her mother, Marylou Stone, July 7, 2009 To Marjorie Vilsack Propst ‘35 on the death of her sister, Antoinette Vilsack Seifert ‘32, October 6, 2009 To Sandra Metz Qureshi ‘54 on the death of her husband, M. Mohsin Qureshi, October 6, 2009 To Emma Raizman ‘89, Noah Raizman ’95, and Mrs. Dorothy Raizman on the death of their father and husband, Dr. Richard E. Raizman, September 22, 2009 To Kate Rogal ‘02, Jacob Rogal A’06, and James Rogal on the death of their grandmother and mother, Mrs. Ann Rogal, July 13, 2009 To Sally Guy Stone-Worsing ‘57 on the death of her husband, Robert Worsing, October 9, 2009 To Simone Jackiw Ahlborn ‘82 on the death of her mother, Sharon Jaciw on November 13, 2009

This issue of Thistletalk is printed on Reincarnation Matte from New Leaf Paper, 105# text (cover) which is made in North America using 100% recycled fiber and bleached without the use of chlorine compounds, and 70# text (text) which is 50% recycled, 50% post-consumer waste, and 50% processed chlorine free. In using this recycled paper versus using virgin fiber paper, Winchester Thurston saved 14 fully grown trees, 2,644 gallons of water, 6 million Btu energy, 671 pounds of solid waste, and 1,015 pounds of greenhouse gases.

VOL. 37 • NO.1

WINTER 2009

contents Great Teaching:

Imagination, Dedication Make the WT Difference FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Gary J. Niels

FEATURES:

Young Alum Leadership Council Formed

COVER STORY:

The Power of Partnership: Dynamic City as Our Campus Programs Emerge from Meaningful Partnerships that Benefit WT Students and the Community

WT TODAY: SCHOOL NEWS Fall Arts, Academics, and Athletics Highlights…New Boats for the Crew Team…Warhol at WT…Girls in Science…Joseph Cornell Shares Nature with North…Upper School Students Reflect on the G-20…Eighth Grade Holocaust Museum Enters the Public Realm…Faculty Highlights

DEVELOPMENT & ALUMNAE/I NEWS:

Gerard Michael D’Emilio ’07 Young Alum Profile

Alums Reconnect in Manchester-by-the-Sea

Loretta Lobes Benec ’88 and the Miss Mitchell Society

Judy Apt Nathenson ’69 Lessons and Legacies

29 20

Reunion ’09

Janet Marstine ’77: This Is Not Art. Or Is It?

Class Notes

31 www.winchesterthurston.org

Winchester Thurston School

Great Teaching: Imagination, Dedication Make the WT Difference imaginative, disciplined, knowledgeable, and dedicated! The common thread is their desire to play a role in developing young people. In choosing this vocation they have made significant lifestyle decisions. Teachers, it is widely known, do not become wealthy through teaching. However, they are enriched by teaching children who want to learn and whose families have high aspirations for them.

recommendations for seniors applying to college. Under the leadership of a few faculty members WT is engaging in an important discussion of how we might more effectively “reward and support great teaching.” This has been identified as a vital component in our strategic future. One of the ways that we wish to implement this goal is through a more

New Faces on the Board Deborah L. Acklin ’80 is Chief Operating Officer for WQED Multimedia. As Executive Producer at WQED from 1996-2000, she developed blockbuster music specials for PBS, generating more than $45 million for public television; oversaw production of national documentaries for PBS; and created WQED’s nightly magazine program “OnQ.” Her many awards include a national Emmy nomination for a documentary on the legendary Fred Rogers; seven Emmy awards (Mid-Atlantic); a CINE Golden Eagle; White House Press Association honors; the Catholic Communicators Conference Gabriel Award; the Pearl Award from the descendants of the Warner Brothers; the Daughters of the American Revolution Pennsylvania TV/Film award; Associated Press honors for Best Newscast; Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters awards for Excellence in Broadcasting; one of Pittsburgh’s “40 Under 40”; YWCA Leadership award in Arts and Culture; and one of Pittsburgh’s Outstanding Women in Science by the Women & Girls Foundation. Acklin serves as chair of the Three Rivers Arts Festival board, and is on the boards of the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium; Carlow University; The Steeltown Entertainment Project; St. Vincent Seminary; and The Pittsburgh Psychoanalytic Society. She holds a B.A. from Duquesne University and completed the prestigious Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. Choreographer, performer, and teacher Elsa Limbach studied dance in Pittsburgh and at the University of Michigan, Banff School of Fine Arts, Pennsylvania Ballet, and with numerous teachers in New York City. As a founding member and artistic director of Dance Alloy Theatre in Pittsburgh, she performed in works by such contemporary choreographers as Bill T. Jones, Victoria Marks, Charlie Moulton, and Mark Taylor.

Gary J. Niels

alk to anyone about t heir educational experiences and the first thing you will hear is a story about a life-changing teacher. The stories are sometimes dramatic, and not always romantic. Undergirded by a deep belief in the student, these accounts are often of a teacher’s challenging the student to a higher level of performance. Invariably the student recounts that the teacher’s passion for her or his subject or craft became infectious. It is not uncommon to hear adults say that they chose their careers because of the influence of a particular teacher. Nowhere are these stories more prevalent than at Winchester Thurston. In my eight years as Head of School I have heard countless stories about such legendary and beloved teachers as Ann Peterson in Art History, Fae MacCamy and Jinny Sheppard in History, Selma Kress in Music, Dorothy Seif in Science, Genevieve Yagodkin and Annie Guentner in French, Fran Hein in Math, Gloria Acklin in English, and Judy Apt Nathenson in Kindergarten. I did not have the privilege of knowing many of these great teachers who transformed the lives of WT alums, but I do know the teachers who are influencing the lives of current students and recent alums. WT teachers of the past and present are a special group of human beings—

Thistletalk Wint er 2010

“WT teachers of the past and present are a special group of human beings—imaginative, disciplined, knowledgeable, and dedicated!” Our class sizes are smaller than those in public and parochial schools, the curriculum is demanding, and the faculty has a remarkable commitment to develop each student intellectually and ethically. To achieve all of this, WT teachers must be dedicated to more than just transmitting knowledge. They also serve as mentors and advisors to students. In addition to teaching their regular classes, during a typical school day a WT teacher is likely to spend his or her “free periods” meeting with students for academic and non-academic guidance, planning classroom activities, and communicating with parents; they teach elective courses, advise clubs, coach sports teams, direct performing arts shows, and attend games and performances. They serve on committees, mentor colleagues, and meet with their fellow teachers to review and evaluate curriculum with the student’s learning at the center of the conversation. Yet, it is what teachers take home at night that is often so demanding of their personal lives—lesson plans to develop or review, tests to correct, papers to read and comment on, and such invisible responsibilities as writing

effective evaluation system that will also enable us to reward exceptional teaching. Pat Bassett, the President of the National Association of Independent Schools, often says, “Give me 30 minutes in your school and I’ll tell you who the great teachers are!” Bassett explains that every school has teachers about whom students, parents, and administrators speak openly and effusively because of the impact that they have on their students’ lives. The challenge of our faculty committee is to determine a system that quantifies truly exceptional performers both in and outside the classroom, and recognizes and rewards such excellence. I’ve talked to countless alums over the years and witnessed that which is special about WT today. One of the most important aspects of our history is the “hall of fame” of dedicated, talented, demanding, supportive, and truly exceptional teachers who have called and who currently call themselves members of the WT faculty. Year after year, day after day these are the people who make the WT experience so outstanding.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

She has performed and taught in the United States and abroad, particularly in Bulgaria, where she worked with the Ballet Arabesque and the State Musical Theater in Sofia. She was awarded a Fulbright Lectureship to the Bulgarian National Academy of Theater and Film Arts. Limbach’s recent work includes a collaborative venture, Ensemble Palimpsest, whose first project, “Stalking the Sublime,” premiered in Costa Rica in 2007. Limbach has served on the boards of the Bulgarian Macedonian National Educational and Cultural Center, Dance Alloy, Shady Lane School, and Society for Contemporary Craft. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in political science from Chatham College. Limbach’s daughter Karolina Karagyozova attends WT (Class of 2016), as does her nephew Angel Karagyozov (Class of 2010). Angel’s brother Nikolay graduated in 2008 and attends Roanoke College. David L. Porges has been president and COO of EQT since 2007, after serving as senior vice president and chief financial officer. He has served on the board of directors of EQT since 2001 and was named vice chairman and executive vice president, Finance & Administration in 2005. Porges joined EQT from Bankers Trust Corporation, where his positions included leading Bankers Trust’s energy advisory efforts as managing director for the firm’s BT Wolfensohn Mergers & Acquisitions unit. Prior to joining Bankers Trust, Porges was with Exxon Corporation in various managerial positions, first with the Asian headquarters in Houston and later with its Esso Australia unit in Sydney and Melbourne. A Chicago native, Porges holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and operations research from Northwestern University. He serves on the board of directors at City Theatre and is a member of the Independent Producers Association of America. Porges and his wife, Gabriela, have two children at WT: Victoria (Class of 2021) and Amelia (Class of 2022). Winchester Thurston School

ADVISORY BOARD 2009-2010

Carol R. Brown, Former (Retired) President and CEO, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Esther L. Bush, President and CEO, Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh Ronald Cole-Turner, H. Parker Sharp Chair of Theology and Ethics, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Thomas Detre, Emeritus Distinguished Senior Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences, UPMC

2009-2010 Henry Posner III President Ralph L. Bangs Vice President Kathleen Buechel Vice President

Stephen G. Robinson Vice President Douglas A. Campbell Treasurer Deepak Kotwal Secretary Gary J. Niels Head of School Deborah Acklin ’80 Ronald J. Bartlett Barbara Abney Bolger ’52 John B. Christie-Searles Robert I. Glimcher Rosanne Isay Harrison ’56 ◊ Diane Holder Elizabeth S. Hurtt ’74 Ian James Dusty E. Kirk Elsa Limbach Steve Loevner Carole Oswald Markus ’57 ◊ Linnea Pearson McQuiston ’69 Douglas H. Ostrow David L. Porges Martin E. Powell Susan Santa Cruz ’60 Nancy T. Scott Stephen B. Thomas Jane Arensberg Thompson ’57 ◊ ◊

Emeritus Trustee

Patrick Dowd, Member of City Council, Pittsburgh City Council District 7 Lee B. Foster, President and CEO, L.B. Foster Company Tori Haring-Smith, President, Washington and Jefferson College John T.S. Keeler, Dean and Professor, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs Indira Nair, Vice Provost for Education, Carnegie Mellon University Jim Roddey, Senior Consultant, McCrory & McDowell LLC Alan J. Russell, Director, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine Lisa Schroeder, Executive Director, Riverlife Task Force Tom Sokolowski, Director, The Andy Warhol Museum

Aradhna Dhanda, President and CEO, Leadership Pittsburgh Inc.

Janera Solomon, Executive Director, Kelly-Strayhorn Theater

Nathaniel Doyno ’02, Vice President, Clean Technology, The Ecolibrium Group, President, Doyno Consulting LLC

Jane Werner, Executive Director, Children's Museum of Pittsburgh www.winchesterthurston.org

feature story

Winchester Thurston School Young Alumnae/i Leadership Council

young alum leadership Council formed

Co-Chairs Jennifer Gonzalez McComb ’89, Physician, West Penn Hospital Pulmonary and Intensive Care Adam Witt ’97, Vice President, Witt Pest Control Ann Stanton Adams ’93, Volunteer Project Manager, Grow Up Great, PNC Financial Services Group Lauren Ames ’95, Attorney, Davies, McFarland & Carroll, P.C. Azadeh Masalehdan Block ’98, Teaching Fellow, University of Pittsburgh, Outpatient Therapist, UPMC Eric Brown ’94, CEO, ImpactGames Lisa Kay Davis ’97, Freelance Writer/Graduate Student, Carnegie Mellon University Michael Della Vecchia ’03, Law Student, University of Pittsburgh

“I thought it was time to try to give more and in a different way." — Jennifer Gonzalez McComb '89

cover story

THE

POWER OF

PARTNERSHIP

David Farkas ’02, Main Street Regional Coordinator, Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation Molly Dorrance ’01, Designer/Marketing Nathaniel Doyno ’01, VP, Clean Technology, The Ecolibrium Group; President, Doyno Consulting LLC Michael Larson-Edwards ’04, Project Engineer, Massaro Corp. Ashley Lemmon ’01, Assistant Director of Athletics, Winchester Thurston School

Members of the WT Young Alum Leadership Council gather on the Upper School terrace during their June 2009 meeting.

n January 2009, WT realized its long-standing desire to create a council of young alumnae/i leaders to serve the school in an advisory capacity, and to act as a liaison to other WT young alums. In less than one year, the Young Alumnae/i Leadership Council has evolved into an actively engaged body of thoughtful champions for their alma mater. The Council currently boasts a membership of 28 WT alums from the classes of 1989 through 2005.

A physician and mother of two, McComb identifies WT as integral to her development. “The skills I learned at WT were crucial to my success. I have always tried to give whatever I could financially to the school, but I thought it was time to try to give more and in a different way. I would like to have a significant and positive impact on how WT alumnae/i perceive their school and hopefully increase their participation as alumnae/i, friends, and future parents of WT students,” she says.

The Council’s specific focus, which they developed over the course of their first two meetings, will be to advise and assist the school in a number of areas, including Admission and Marketing, Communications, Networking, and Philanthropy. “We are so excited about the participation of this group in the life of WT,” says Gary Niels. “Their energy is infectious, and they are committed to ensuring that Winchester Thurston remains a vital institution of which they can be proud. Their involvement will be an important contribution to that vitality. This group has personal knowledge of the Winchester Thurston experience, and the alums are clearly dedicated and supportive of our mission.”

Witt, Vice President of Witt Pest Control, believes the Young Alumnae/i Leadership Council has tremendous potential for impact. “[The Council] is going to be the nerve center connecting the three segments of WT’s ‘immediate family,’ the older alumnae/i, the younger alumnae/i, and current student body. Hopefully we can be the conduit, allowing for all of these connections to create opportunities, strengthen relationships, and promote Winchester Thurston to the ‘extended family’ of parents and Western Pennsylvania for that matter.”

The Council has two co-chairs, Jennifer Gonzalez McComb ’89 and Adam Witt ’97. Both were eager to participate in the Council and look forward to implementing many of the new ideas already developed in the early meetings.

“The group has already helped WT move forward with new ideas and suggestions,” says Jennifer Scanlon, Director of Institutional Advancement, who convenes the Council. “They’re a positive force for WT.”

Kristen Maser Michaels ’01, Marketing Manager, Air and Waste Management Association Kathleen Metinko ’91, Principal, Special Acquisition Services, Deloitte & Touche LLP Daniel Michelmore ’97, Attorney, Swartz Campbell LLC Antoinette Oliver ’98, Attorney, Meyer, Unkovic & Scott LLP Kelly Hanna Riley ’91, Real Estate Agent, Howard Hanna Real Estate Abby Robinson ’03, Graduate Student, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs Anjali Sachdeva ’96, Fiction Writer and Freelance Editor Christie Schroth ’95, Veterinarian, Point Breeze Veterinary Clinic Laurel Shaw ’96, Senior Program Officer, McCune Foundation Kerry Soso ’01, Program Administrator, Office of Experiential Learning, University of Pittsburgh Benjamin Sota ’99, Executive Director, Zany Umbrella Circus Laura Stack ’01, Manager of Operational Research, University of Pittsburgh Jennifer Staley ’91, Supervising Attorney, Program & Policy Coordinator, Kid’s Voice Ian Sullivan ’04, Planning Specialist, Westinghouse

When a school embraces its community, a context for learning emerges and adds vitality to the educational experience. The strengths of a region may contribute unique experiences and opportunities not found elsewhere, while the challenges of a region may provide a learning laboratory for programs that shape an ethos of inquiry, critical thinking, service, problem solving, and community. Partnership is powerful because it draws on the strengths and resources of all involved. In the following pages, you will read about some of the dynamic City as Our Campus programs at WT which would not be possible without the contributions of our partners. Moreover, you will read about how Winchester Thurston is striving, through these partnerships, to connect to and benefit the community. Through partnership, WT models for students the “think also” credo of Miss Mitchell.

Electric Company

Thistletalk Wint er 2010

Steven Tracy ’05, Credit Analyst, PNC Financial Services

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coverstory story cover

BUILDING

a Bridge to Beijing & BEYOND

ver the past three years, Winchester Thurston has embarked on a virtual journey to East Asia, enriching student learning, developing faculty expertise, and serving as a resource to the community in true City as Our Campus fashion. WT’s Asian Studies program is emerging from a unique partnership forged with the University of Pittsburgh’s Asian Studies Center, one of only 15 national resource centers on East Asian Studies in the United States. 6

Thistletalk Wint er 2010

n 2006, Director of Middle School Holly Hatcher-Frazier formed a committee whose charge was to explore how WT might develop a Pre-Kindergarten through grade 12 Asian Studies program. They began with an audit to locate points in the curriculum where Asian Studies was emphasized and found much upon which to build, particularly a third-grade multidisciplinary unit on China, sixth-grade social studies, and ninth-grade contemporary world history. Realizing that connecting these points into a comprehensive curriculum

would require outside expertise and professional development, Hatcher-Frazier sought advice from the National Consortium on Teaching about Asia (NCTA), part of Pitt’s Asian Studies Center. NCTA supports and facilitates teaching and learning about East Asia in K-12 schools. A core NCTA program is a seminar on East Asia. Five WT teachers have participated, resulting in a slate of new Asian Studies academic electives and enhancement to existing units and courses. Through NCTA support, WT has also begun to establish an Asian Studies library/resource center. Perhaps most powerful is the extraordinary travel opportunity two faculty members had last summer. HatcherFrazier and City Campus third-grade teacher Karen Gaul were selected to participate in two separate NCTA research trips to East Asia. Gaul—one of only 18 teachers chosen for a three-week study tour of Beijing, Guangdon, Guangzhou, Guilin, Shenzen,

Hong Kong, and Northern Vietnam—studied migration and identity and has used her research to significantly augment third grade units not only on China, but also pioneers and Pittsburgh. “When we study Pittsburgh, we talk about where you come from and why your ancestors came to Pittsburgh,” she explains. “When we talk about pioneers, we discuss moving west. Because of the tremendous amount of Chinese goods purchased by Americans, it’s impossible “[Students] should to understand modern without examining, begin to recognize China even on a third-grade level, that they have a role factories and their impact on Chinese culture and in a wider global migration. Many community as they internal young people leave their analyze and compare villages because of lack cultures, economies, of opportunity. They go to the cities where the and politics that factories are, and they shape the countries send home their earnings they study.” to help their families.” Gaul is including China’s ethnic minorities and religions in her teaching. “There are many faces of China. Visiting temples and shrines across China gave me a significantly improved understanding of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism from the Chinese perspective. China also has a rich Islamic heritage.” “When you have authentic travel opportunities like this, the world becomes smaller,” says Hatcher-Frazier of her trip to China, adding, “It was important to me that my students have the opportunity to learn more about a region that many have little knowledge of. I want to make ‘the strange familiar and the familiar strange’ to my students. They should begin to recognize that they have a role in a wider global community as they analyze and compare cultures, economies, and politics that shape the countries they study.” Among other things, Hatcher-Frazier’s study tour focused on exploring the Chinese education system to better understand its culture and people; learning how to best support WT’s new Middle School and Upper School Chinese teacher, Tian Yu; and enriching the Asian Studies Program. In addition to touring major cultural centers, she visited a number of Chinese schools, which resulted in invaluable sharing of perspectives and pedagogical philosophies. “The cross-cultural exchange was a powerful development experience for me,” she says. Pitt’s Asian Studies Center had much to offer WT beyond NCTA, particularly the Confucius Institute (CI). Sponsored by the Chinese government, CI has the mission to promote Chinese language and culture worldwide and provides Chinese teachers for K-12 schools via China’s Hanban program. Michele Heryford,

www.winchesterthurston.org

cover story

Managing Director of Pitt’s CI, provided guidance and support during WT’s two-year exploration of adding Mandarin to the foreign language curriculum; she ultimately secured a teacher for WT, Tian Yu, who arrived from his native China in July and is now teaching Mandarin to Middle School and Upper School students. He also serves as team leader to all Confucius Institute teachers in Western Pennsylvania and shares his research findings with the University of Pittsburgh and Wuhan University. Yu is pursuing a Master’s degree at Wuhan University in teaching Chinese to speakers of other languages (MTCSOL). He has won numerous awards for teaching excellence, for his performance in English-speaking competitions, and for coaching others in such competitions. Warm and friendly, Yu enjoys working with his new students and continues to be inspired by their level of commitment and intellectual curiosity. “I appreciate the fact that my students are self-motivated to learn something difficult, and they take on the challenge.” Yu incorporates as many cultural lessons as he can, introducing music, customs, popular culture, and food to the students. His classroom is a rich display of colorful photos, paintings, and decorations representing the vast history and culture of China. One of his many goals is to provide his students with a complete picture of China. “Through this program, they get to really know China and Asia. What they learn in the classroom is current and relevant.” Driven by his students’ high energy and strong performance, Yu hopes to help WT develop a student trip to China, where they will be able to apply what they have learned. Heryford sees no limits to the partnership. “The benefits for both the University of Pittsburgh and Winchester Thurston are numerous. From our perspective, we are able to expand our mission to have Chinese language and Asian-related curriculum incorporated into the schools. We recognize that these young learners are the future scholars, business people, and diplomats of the United States, and the earlier we can introduce them to Asia, the more likely they will approach their chosen fields with a greater sense of the entire world.” From the Asian Studies program’s inception, WT intended to create cultural bridges within the classroom, as well as within the community. To this end, the partnership has involved educational programming for adults, including a 2008 lecture series on China at WT, “Great Wall, Terrible Towel:

Thistletalk Wint er 2010

When Brian and Lynn Schreiber learned that WT would be bringing Tian Yu from China through the Confucius Institute, they offered him their carriage house apartment and welcomed him when he arrived in July. The Schreibers, along with their sons Sam (a WT freshman) and Josh (who attended WT through eighth grade), have helped Tian Yu assemble the accoutrements of a household, taken him to see the Steelers at Heinz Field, hosted him at their Thanksgiving table, and made him a part of their family. They all share an appreciation for music and for Asian culture; Tian Yu jogs regularly with Josh and teaches the boys Mandarin on weekends. “Having Tian Yu here has really been a gift to us,” says Brian.

Understanding China, Connecting to Pittsburgh,” and a 2009 film/discussion series at WT, “Asia Unreeled,” co-sponsored with Silk Screen, a Pittsburgh Asian arts organization; the series is scheduled to run again in 2010. In addition, with Yu as the instructor, WT launched Chinese language classes for adults last fall. Heryford considers community involvement key to advancing cultural understanding. “Having both students and adults learning Chinese helps to support Pittsburgh’s emerging image as a world-class, internationalized city. The enthusiasm for the programs at WT certainly seems to imply that there is both interest and need for us to understand China.” Looking forward, WT hopes to expand and enhance its partnership with Pitt’s Asian Studies Center. “We are fortunate to have one of the most highly regarded centers of East Asian studies right in our backyard,” says Hatcher-Frazier, “and everyone at Pitt has been extremely interested in working with us as true partners.”

Perceive, Create, Connect, Reflect

From sambas, ragas, and glass casting to contemporary dance, silkscreen printing, and murals a la Andy Warhol and Shepard Fairey, the arts pulsed through WT’s Upper School during its first ever Arts Immersion Day on November 19. Students were steeped in an electrifying, interconnecting array of on-campus and off-campus workshops led by artists, curators, choreographers, performers, and educators from WT’s core arts partners: ATTACK Theatre, The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh Public Theater, The Carnegie Museum of Art, Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild, The Pittsburgh Glass Center, and Artists Image Resources. The theme for the arts immersion day: Perceive, Create, Connect, Reflect. Above: The Pittsburgh Glass Center was just one of many sites for intensive arts workshops during the Arts Immersion Day.

www.winchesterthurston.org

cover story Creativity, Connection… and Chemistry

The immersion day is a core element of The Urban Arts Revealed, a new City as Our Campus program. Last spring, when Winchester Thurston School was named an Edward E. Ford Foundation leadership school for its proposal to expand and enhance City as Our Campus in the Upper School, the school developed this program to build upon unique partnerships that WT had already established with Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild and Pittsburgh Public Theater. Through immersion days, the program will provide all students with exposure to a variety of

“It was a day of experience and reflection, not of perfecting one art form.”

Grammy Award-winning Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild jazz musicians—Marty Ashby, Jay Ashby, Dwayne Dolphin, and Roger Humphries, accompanied by vocalist Maureen Budway— swept students on a musical journey from be-bop and swing to Latin jazz and funk while teaching the jazz language. “Jazz really is the physical embodiment of the Golden Rule,” says Ashby, MCG Jazz executive producer. “Each musician on the bandstand treats other musicians the way they want to be

“Everyone is creative,” asserts Pittsburgh Public Theater’s Lisa Ann Goldsmith. “It’s almost more important for those of us not in the arts to express creativity.” Goldsmith’s acting workshops focused on expanding creativity, honing concentration, and fostering communication through script exercises and a series of complex yet playful theater games involving balls, patterns, and rhythm. She points out that whether one is an actor, a scientist, a mathematician, or an attorney, success stems from the creative ability to see connections. “If you’re a medical researcher and you’re looking at two diseases, maybe there’s something that connects them. How do you decide which direction to go? It’s all creativity. Mathematicians and scientists have to analyze and connect just as actors do.” Students experienced the cross-pollination of art with other elements at The Carnegie Museum of Art in an exhibit by

treated; this is the core component of jazz. If somebody plays a riff or a phrase, I’m going to play the riff or phrase that I’d want to have someone play back to me. There’s a certain element we want to get across on the bandstand that [students] can take out into their daily lives.” ATTACK Theatre’s music director Dave Eggar and bandmates Tom Pirozzi and Charlie Palmer illustrated basic components of music and demonstrated how music differs from one culture to the next. “Think of mazurkas, polkas, and waltzes, or a raga,” said Eggar. “In Southeast Asia, there are 72 notes in the musical scale. Here, we have 11 notes; our music sounds dissonant to [other cultures].” The trio also described the process of collaborating with dancers to “turn melody into motion,” and played student compositions in a lively songwriting session.

renowned engineer Cecil Balmond. His installation, “H_edge,” builds an aesthetic structure derived from the study of math and patterns, and provided the jumping-off point for students’ exploration of the intersection of math, structure, and nature. In Pittsburgh Glass Center (PGC) workshops, students literally had a hand in making connections between art, math, and chemistry. “We’re using heat and gravity,” says PGC’s Heather Joy Puskarich of projects including bead making, glassblowing, and glass casting, in which students carved molds to create glass blocks with a bas-relief design. “The students… learn the value of teamwork, problem solving, and concentration skills. But it’s not just art—it’s using both sides of the brain.” “We’re hoping to spark curiosity within a student who’s always participated in sciences, for example, and was never

Music: The Keeper of Culture

“The students were exposed to an incredible smorgasbord of experience,” says ATTACK Theatre co-founder and managing artistic director Michele de le Reza, who worked closely with Sadowski and Allan to shape Arts Immersion Day. “It was a day of experience and reflection, not of perfecting one art form.”

Dance: More than Movement

art forms; ultimately, WT intends also to provide students who have deeper interest in the arts with opportunities for more intensive experiences and projects. “The idea...is to have the students experience the richness of the arts in Pittsburgh regardless of their individual interests or talents,” says Performing Arts Chair Dan Sadowski, who spearheaded the event with his colleague Sally Allan, Visual Arts Chair. “We hope to expand our students’ awareness, knowledge, and experience of how the arts impact each of our lives and how the arts can enhance their curriculum regardless of the subject.”

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One goal of the day was to encourage students to open their minds and take risks. “The hope was that the students would rely on each other in their workshops for strength, encouragement, and the opportunity to take risks and try things they may have never tried before,” explains Sadowski. In an ATTACK Theatre workshop, students learned firsthand the essential nature of trust, momentum, and timing for dancers. Through a series of partnering exercises, students discovered that when these elements exist—and not just brute strength—it is possible even for smaller dancers to lift larger ones. “We were surprised at how easy it is to trust someone,” says Hallie Goldstein ’11. “It was so cool to see people lifting each other up!” Salvador Dali’s The Persistence of Memory, with its iconic images of melting pocket watches, inspired another group exploring choreographic strategies. “This is the way we create structure and movement,” explained ATTACK Theatre cofounder and producing artistic director Peter Kope, who led the workshop with colleague Ashley Williams. “We spend hours analyzing. We start with a simple concept and layer it with different emotions and feelings.” Through their own choreography, students spontaneously responded to Dali’s art enhanced by original music. “I was impressed with how open the students were to the emotional layering,” says Williams. “I didn’t think they would open up to it so easily.”

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cover story Harris’s work fueled a second workshop in which students carefully analyzed his photographs to study how subject, composition, and technique converge in a successful photograph. Then, armed with digital cameras, the students crisscrossed WT’s campus to document the day.

Doing and Reflecting interested in painting or drawing,” says Tresa Varner, Curator of Education and Interpretation at The Andy Warhol Museum, where students created collages and large-scale murals featuring high-contrast, silk-screened serial images in the styles of Andy Warhol and street artist Shepard Fairey. “Maybe seeing how artists use photography in silk-screen printing will grab that student and get him to the museum. We also want people to realize that looking at work and interpreting it is just as creative as making it.”

The immersion day culminated in reflective workshops; in small groups, students created visual representations of their impressions, which they shared in a large-group reflection. “We learned that art is something everyone can do, and it’s really approachable,” says Chris Bangs ’10. “Rarely do students see how the various performing or visual arts connect with one another,” observes Allan. “Hopefully students will begin to see how the creative process is similar no matter the discipline and, eventually, how it connects to every subject in the curriculum. The ability to be creative is becoming

Student Photographs

DOCUMENTING a la a Charles Teenie Harris

Creation and Interpretation Interpreting is key, agrees Marilyn Russell, Curator of Education for The Carnegie Museum of Art. “Art is a way of navigating the world,” she declares. “It makes sense of everyday experience— visually, socially, culturally, emotionally—and it translates that experience. Art is about life, and by coming into closer contact with the work of other artists, or by making art, you can process your own experiences, be they humble or profound.” Students were given access to the Museum’s historic archive of Charles “Teenie” Harris, a Pittsburgh photographer who documented life in the Hill District from the 1940s through the 1970s. Using Harris’s work as a springboard, students learned how visual art communicates character, setting, plot, and theme, and then they developed their own written narratives.

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more and more important to success in any field.” “There has been a growing schism in education—between a utilitarian approach, which focuses on facts, grades, and scores as a way to position students for success in life, and the conviction of some thought leaders who are calling for students to be prepared as imaginative problem solvers,” says Head of School Gary Niels. “Although I would not discount the reality and place of the former, we are committed to the development of the whole child, and this includes the development of the imagination through the arts. A crucial part of City as Our Campus is partnership with Pittsburgh’s outstanding arts organizations.”

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FALL HIGHLIGHTS Class of 2013: Building Bonds The annual Ninth Grade Retreat at Ligonier Camp and Conference Center brought together the freshman class with student leaders from the senior class and ninth grade faculty advisors. The purpose of the retreat is for the class to begin to work together to strengthen their bond as they begin their Upper School experience. Retreat activities included white-water rafting, high and low rope courses, and group initiative activities.

The mystery unfolded throughout the month of October as WT parents were asked, “wtup?” and invited to find out on October 23, when a special WT Fund challenge was announced: An anonymous donor had agreed to give an additional $500 to the WT Fund each time a class reaches 100% parent participation. As of December, four WT classes had reached 100%, and 139 parents had made their first-ever gift. There is still time to participate: www.winchesterthurston.org/ wtup

Medieval Festival

HONK! APPLEFEST! More than 100 volunteers—WT parents, students, faculty, staff, and grandparents—created one of WT’s best Applefests ever! A long-standing tradition of the Parents Association, Applefest opens WT North to the entire community for a fall festival featuring apples, pumpkins, crafts, food, and fun! This year, more than 600 people from the WT community and beyond attended. A new tradition was created by the Athletics Department—the Applefest T-Shirt Shoot! A bull-riding record was set by the WT Bear at 4 minutes 19 seconds!

The Middle School presented a twisted, wacky take on Hans Christian Andersen's The Ugly Duckling with HONK! in November. The Olivier-awardwinning musical followed the journey of one determined duck and his unstoppable mom on their search for acceptance in a discriminating world, and wove a funny, imaginative tale of love and understanding for all ages.

Road Trips First Day Festivities At both the City and North Hills Campuses, faculty, parents, and students welcomed each other back for another school year. The Parents Association hosted parents at welcome back coffees, and the WT Bear gave high-fives and hugs.

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Fifth-graders concluded their multidisciplinary study of Medieval times with a traditional Medieval Festival, a celebration of the students’ extensive study of social studies, language arts, art, music, and dance; each fifth-grader was formally “knighted” by Mr. Swauger, Mrs. Simon, and Mr. Perkins.

Eighth-graders traveled to Washington, D.C., and seventh-graders to Williamsburg on their annual curricular trips. A highlight of the eighth-grade trip was a tour of the White House, given by WT alumna Margaret Campbell ’03, who is personal assistant to Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden.

Fairy Houses Dried grasses, pine cones, tree bark, and berries were the stuff of imaginative architecture as North Hills Campus fifth-graders and their Kindergarten buddies designed and built these whimsical fairy houses after collecting the natural objects around the campus.

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directly to the students. He acknowledged that one may not always see or know the people that contribute to one’s quality of life, and that it takes many people to help shape the person one becomes. He encouraged students to give back in any way possible. The WT crew program has been s the sun set on a beautiful with Steel City Rowing—a spirit that built and sustained by families like the O c t o b e r a f t e r n o o n , t h e John Charley captured in his remarks. Charleys and Bartletts. Having started Winchester Thurston and Steel “The rowing technique is only part of in 1990 as a club sport, thanks to the City Rowing community gathered the education that occurs at Steel City perseverance of Emily Dorrance ’93, crew on the banks of the Allegheny River Rowing. Another enormous part is an joined the varsity leagues in 1994 coached to ceremonially by art teacher name three new C h r i s Fe t t e r. additions to the Af t e r a h a rd crew fleet and f o u g h t b at t l e to acknowledge w i t h c a n c e r, the generosity of Emily passed two WT families. away in 1998. John and Her parent s, M a rg a re t Susie and Roy Charley, parents Dorrance, of Tom ’07 and made sure that Ben ’08, both of Emily ’s legacy whom rowed and dreams during their four would live on. The Dorrances Upper S cho ol donated two y ears and are boats: a four now rowing at oared shell in the collegiate Maggie and John Charley, left, and Ron and Renee Bartlett, right, christen the Charley, the Ally honor of Emily, level, donated Bartlett, and the Lucy Tuttle-Smith. an d an e i g ht a new Empacher oared shell in double. The crew team had already been casually referring extension of the Winchester credo: ‘Think honor of previous head of school, Linda to the new double as “Charley,” so the also of the comfort and the rights of H. Kelley, Ed. D. Over the years, other Charley family followed the team’s lead others.’ It is a code of ethics that has had families have also stepped forward to and christened the Empacher the Charley. a favorable effect on many participants donate boats. After hearing of the additions WT trustee Ron Bartlett and his wife of the rowing program. I can say that Renee, parents of crew team member my sons seem to have turned out well. to WT’s crew fleet, Susie Dorrance Allyson ’12 and WT alumna Kate ’07, They are considerate of others. They commented, “I’m smiling as I think back donated two new Vespoli singles. One have attained a sense of Arête, and I truly to the fledgling crew program that began they christened the Ally Bartlett, and the believe that a large influence on them was in 1990—before co-education—with other they named the Lucy Tuttle-Smith, provided by WT’s environment and also very few, mostly ninth-grade girls and after Steel City Rowing coach and mother by the learning environment that [the no equipment of their own. Practices of Penny (current WT sophomore) and coaches] provide.” Charley added, “The were before the school day began. I was WT alum A.J. Smith ’07, who now rows experience with Winchester crew had among several mothers who carpooled at Trinity College with his WT classmate been a favorable one for our sons, so we for a group of sleepy-eyed but determined wanted to give something to that program neophyte rowers. I know that Emily joins and friend Tom Charley. With its spirit of camaraderie and with the idea that future Winchester the rest of us Dorrances in beaming with pride over all that has been accomplished enthusiasm, the naming ceremony students would benefit in similar ways.” Head of School Gary J. Niels thanked and in cheering the crew teams on for reflected the tightly knit community of the WT crew team and its partnership the Bartletts and the Charleys and spoke continued success.”

FALL SPORTS ROUNDUP

A Team Built on Philanthropy and Community

SMASHING!

For the second consecutive year, the Girls Varsity Tennis team made their way to the WPIAL Playoffs, led by coaches Leslie Leopold and Job Brennan. The girls’ regular season record was 8-4, taking them to the playoffs to face off against Montour High School in the first round. Despite a valiant effort, the Bears fell to Montour with a 3-2 loss.

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FIELD DAY

Boasting a season record of 10-7, the Girls Varsity Field Hockey team was third-seeded in the WPIAL Class AA division, taking them to the playoffs. In a close game, the team fell to Shady Side Academy, 3-2. Seniors Morgan Re and Chris Schmidt were elected to the WPIAL AA Section and League All-Stars team.

FOR KICKS TEE-RIFFIC!

Senior golfer Miranda Santucci finished her season on a high note, placing third in the state with a two-day total of 156. This was Miranda’s second year to make it to the state championships and her best finish yet. Sophomore Sammy Pollack represented WT in the WPIAL qualifying round, shooting a 77, tying for second place, and advancing to the sectional round. Unable to reach a qualifying score of 81 to move onto the regional tournament, Sammy finished the season strong at the WPIAL Sectionals.

ON TRACK

The Boys Varsity Cross-Country team had their best season yet, finishing in their section with a record of 4-3. They ended their season at the WPIAL Championships, placing 18th out of 38 teams. The team is coached by Pete Frey and Travis Bui.

Upper School Boys Varsity Soccer had their strongest season since entering the WPIAL league in 2001. With a season record of 9-6-1, and a conference record of 8-5-1, the team missed the playoffs by only one game. The last game of their season proved to be monumental, when the Bears defeated powerhouse Trinity Christian Academy, 1-0. Junior David Curtis was nominated to the All-Section Team. Coaches Adam Brownold and David Piemme could not be prouder of the team's effort.

Young Bears Prepare for Future Seasons With a record 40 players, the Middle School Soccer team earned wins over Community Day School, Falk School, Sewickley Academy, and Aquinas Academy. The team was coached by Jeff Cronauer, Courtney Rovnan, and Kevin Miller. Highlights of the Middle School Field Hockey season included wins against rivals Shady Side Academy and St. Edmund’s Academy. The team also hosted a play day with St. Edmund’s Academy, Greensburg YWCA, and Valley School of Ligonier. The team was led by Ashley Lemmon ’01 and Brenda Carnahan. The Middle School Cross-Country team had record participation, with 11 Middle School students coming out to run. The team ran against Community Day School, Riverview, and Falk School. Coaches Pete Frey and Travis Bui have high hopes for the team’s future.

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EAGER , EXCITED, EMPOWERED:

sharing nature with children:

GIRLS IN SCIENCE

n d y Wa r h o l : one of the 20th century ’s most influential artists…key figure in the American Pop Art movement… Prince of Pop. Now the list of laudatory titles can include “patron of partnership”—thanks to an alliance between the Andy Warhol Museum and WT that brings a collec t ion of iconic Warhol silk screen prints to the City Campus for the entire academic year. “While we do take advantage of having The Warhol in Pittsburgh,” says Sally Allan, visual arts Department Chair, “there is no comparison to having actual Warhol prints just down the hall. Close up, the sense of scale is heightened. The colors are more vivid; the black in the Lenin portrait is cavernous. There is an excitement that you feel being right next to them that you don’t even get in the museum.”

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The prints were made available to WT for educational purposes. “It’s a meaningful experience for students to have this close relationship with the works throughout the academic year,” says Eric Shiner, The Warhol’s Milton Fine Curator of Art. Tina Plaks, City Campus Lower School art teacher, says that studying Warhol’s work is a natural fit for even the youngest students: “Children relate easily to the vibrant colors, lines, and images of the human face.” Warhol-inspired projects include a first grade unit on printmaking; a study of Warhol’s use of contour line by third-graders; and, for fifth-graders, an extensive Warhol unit that includes creating multiple self-portrait prints, Coke can compositions, and a field trip to The Warhol for silk screen printing workshops. Seventh-graders will dig deeply into Warhol’s works with Jean-Michel Bas quiat, whose “… c ollaborat ive work s are often referred to as ‘physical conversations’ using images instead of words,” explains Middle School visual arts teacher Mary Martin. “The project will explore the notions and meanings of words, symbols, and images that reflect pop culture and contemporary issues. Ultimately, students will create a series of images that are the outcome of their dialogues.” Allan selected prints with the intention of inspiring projects not only across divisions, but across curricula. “I’m looking forward to finding more and more ways to integrate Andy Warhol’s art into our curriculum!”

aunched in 2008 by City Campus Lower School science teacher Kelly Vignale, WT’s Girls in Science was originally created for girls in grades 2 through 5 at both WT campuses. In a series of lunchtime lectures, girls meet female scientists and engage in hands-on activities. Last year the program boasted nearly 100 percent participation. “It’s immensely rewarding to see the girls participate so eagerly, and to hear the thoughtful questions they ask of our speakers,” notes Vignale. Inspired by enthusiasm for the program, she recruited Middle School science teacher Tracy Valenty to help her expand it to Middle School; the program was selected for the 2009 Mary Houston Griffin Award for Excellence in Teaching. Additional enhancements include drawing more speakers from Pittsburgh’s rich science community, in medicine, animals and wildlife, chemistry, technology, robotics, and engineering. “So many talented women gravitate away from careers in the sciences. It’s in the upper elementary and middle school grades when girls’ interest levels and performance in science drops below that of boys,” Valenty observes. “Given the importance of science in our everyday lives, it’s imperative that girls maintain their interest in science regardless of the career they ultimately choose.” This year's program will culminate with a trip to the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium. “Many women work there,” Vignale explains. “The girls will see women working as sea lion trainers, cat keepers, and aquarists. One woman works with gorillas. We’re also planning an activity; for example, acting as animal researchers, the girls will observe and collect data.” “It’s meaningful to have the support of administration and other faculty, notably Kristen Hannan, City Campus fourth and fifth grade science and computer teacher, and Heather Capezzuti, North Hills Campus science teacher. But most of all,” Vignale smiles, “it’s inspiring to see young girls feeling so empowered.”

joseph CORNELL

tudents at the North Hills Campus traveled back to the 1800s last October, when world renowned naturalist Joseph Cornell visited them in the guise of John Muir, an early preservationist who co-founded the Sierra Club and whose activism and philosophies remain important in the environmental movement of today. Cornell, who leads workshops around the world, seeks to inspire students with Muir's legendary sense of adventure and advocacy for the earth. Through his books Sharing Nature with Children and Sharing Nature with Children II, he has provided a compendium of resources that are used all over the world to develop an appreciation for the natural world within young children. In his meeting with North students, he drew from a unique narrative "autobiography" he has written about Muir, John Muir: My Life with Nature. Cornell’s visit to Pittsburgh included a workshop for educators, co-sponsored by WT and the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania and made possible by the Judy Apt Nathenson Fund at Winchester Thurston School, which fund an annual teaching award. The 2008-2009 recipient, North Hills Campus Kindergarten teacher Lynne Raphael, was eager to use the award to continue her work with fifth-grade teacher Brock Perkins to develop engaging environmental programming. “Our campus is a place of wonder for young learners,” says Raphael. “We wanted to understand unique and effective ways we could use this setting to not only teach the children about the natural world but inspire them to become knowledgeable, passionate advocates for the environment. Mr. Cornell’s workshop provided us with a huge leap forward, and we were very pleased to be able to offer it to other area teachers and educators.”

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WINDOW ON THE WORLD

Justin Weinstein ’12 (left), Melissa Rostek ’11(center), and Max Findley ’11 (right)

“Winchester Thurston’s ability to change with students’ needs stands as a model for education, as Pittsburgh stands to the world.” 20

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All eyes were on Pittsburgh as world leaders converged on our city for the G-20 Summit September 24 and 25, 2009. WT Upper School students participated in a Mock G-20 Summit sponsored by the World Affairs Council, a G-20 Media Panel at Carnegie Mellon University, and a roundtable discussion of county executives and other local government leaders from around the United States.

with five of the nation’s largest technology companies, one of chains nearby. Even this protest, the extreme of the Pittsburgh the nation’s leaders in healthcare (UPMC), and Westinghouse, G-20, was quite mild. a national leader in alternative energy. All of these companies Most protests were peaceful. The rally for Clean Energy Jobs contribute to making Pittsburgh what it is today. epitomized them: Riot police greeted entrants to Point State Don Staple from Arizona said that Pittsburgh has made a Park. Local union leaders gave passionate speeches about what remarkable turnaround, though our city still has challenges the average worker could do to push for clean energy and, ahead. Eldrin Bell, the county leader from Atlanta, stated that therefore, more jobs. In between speeches, Joan Jett and the transportation is at the epicenter of what a city like Pittsburgh Black Hearts played, along with others, to attract a crowd. The needs to attract people. Pittsburgh International Airport serves protest wasn’t violent; the guards were bored. eight million customers annually, in comparison to Atlanta, When the summit ended, the city was almost disappointed which sees more than 90 million travelers. by the anticlimactic finish. Downtown opened back up intact It is crucial for people to see Pittsburgh as a “green” city with a and all the precautions seemed unnecessary. President Obama broad range of culture. The old Pittsburgh—steel mills, the smell called the Pittsburgh G-20 one of the most peaceful ever and of sulfur in the air, and an industrial polluted city—are images gave kudos to the city’s officials. The Pittsburgh G-20 was calm of the past. A new canvas has been created, filled with medicine, and sent good messages about the city. The summit, although technology, and alternative energy that have a positive impact without groundbreaking developments, was a huge success for the city of Pittsburgh. on the future of Pittsburgh. The leaders shed light on what the G-20 Summit means for Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh’s economy represents, on a micro level, what the nation is trying to do on a macro level. This transition from steel to technology has made our city a model for what our nation needs to do to overcome the current economic crisis and harvest growth that lives on from generation to generation. Our city needs to be nimble to address the needs of the future. The only way our city and nation can overcome this economic downturn is to bring education into clear focus so my generation can become a prosperous, diverse, and educated group of citizens, each offering our own expertise to society. Winchester Thurston’s ability to change with students’ needs stands as a model for education, as Pittsburgh stands to the world.

A Long Sigh of Relief By Max Findley ’11

Pittsburgh’s Paradigm Shift By Justin A. Weinstein ’12 I was honored to be a part of a meeting on Friday September 18 with community leaders from around the nation, where we were briefed on Pittsburgh’s economic development. One leader referred to Pittsburgh’s progress as a “renaissance” from steel to technology and medicine. The leaders stressed the importance of education and the ability for students like ourselves to find jobs in Pittsburgh and support the community. In 1983, the last time our nation faced a deep recession, Pittsburgh’s unemployment rate was 10 percent above the national average. In today’s financial crisis, Pittsburgh has maintained unemployment of two percent below the national average, illustrating the paradigm shift from industrialism to technological innovation. Our city has a balanced economy,

Pittsburgh was swamped. The city was preparing for the Group of 20 Summit on every level. Numerous security measures were put in place. Not only were thousands of police brought in, many equipped with riot gear, but nearly half of downtown Pittsburgh was shut down. Even Pamela’s Pancakes was preparing!

Voices Staff Attends G-20 Media Panel By Melissa Rostek ’11 In September, the editors of Winchester Thurston’s student newspaper, Voices, had the privilege of attending a Carnegie Mellon University College of Engineering media panel on the G-20 Summit. Voices members have attended such panels in the past, but this was easily the most interesting. WT students were the only high school students in attendance. The panel itself consisted of Howard Fineman from Newsweek and MSNBC, Dennis Roddey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, James (Bob) Hagerty of the Wall Street Journal, and Jonathan Kersting of TEQ Magazine. All four journalists had engaging insights and opinions surrounding the G-20. They discussed how the event would be covered by various news outlets, what the protesters were protesting, and the specific issues likely to be discussed by world leaders at the summit itself. All four had something to say about why Pittsburgh was chosen as the location for the summit. Some felt Pittsburgh’s selection underscored the region’s reputation as a leader in green technology and cited our LEEDcertified convention center as an example of this innovation. Others noted that Pittsburgh is a city that has transformed itself into a center of industrial and economic growth.

Local news sources raved about possible protests, and apprehension gripped the city. Global companies boarded up their windows, and schools were cancelled. No one knew what Overall, it was an honor for WT students to attend the panel. It was going to happen. Some groups feared Pittsburgh would be was fascinating to learn more about an internationally important broken by the G-20. event from those who work in the center of the media. It is opportunities like these that make WT great. There was only one violent protest, on Baum Boulevard, where some windows were broken. No one really knew what the protest was about, except that it was somehow anti-G-20. Without clear reason, the main target of the mob’s frustrations was Boston Market, which is not a global company, unlike many other www.winchesterthurston.org

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faculty highlights

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The Plentiful Lessons of Project Zero LOST, LOVED, REMEMBERED

n 2007, Middle School language arts teacher Kathryn Gaertner, inspired by a trip to Poland with the Agency for Jewish Learning, was determined to create an experience for her students that would guide them to understand that even as lone individuals, they could effect change. That fall, after the eighth grade visited the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., Gaertner and social studies teacher Amanda Greenwald worked with the students to create a Holocaust Museum of their own in an empty classroom. Since then the project has expanded to incorporate social studies, visual art, language arts, and community outreach. In 2008, under the direction of Lisa Allswede, the Holocaust

This year, the WT Holocaust Museum project, “Lost, Loved, Remembered,” took shape in the public realm, as Allswede forged a partnership with Pittsburgh Ballet Theater and its production of Stephen Mills’s “Light/The Holocaust & Humanity Project.” The partnership emerged after PBT’s Executive Director Harris Ferris visited WT’s 2008 Holocaust Museum, “Never Shall We Forget,” and attended the student forum on genocide. Ferris says, "I was stunned and moved. The students brought the historic significance to life, and the museum showed the students’ deep understanding of the Holocaust and genocide.” A goal of “Light” was to educate the community on the Holocaust, and PBT invited a number of Pittsburgh organizations Students prepare to display their artist books at the Byham Theater.

Students conceive, design, create, and build the museum.

Last summer Middle School Language Arts teacher Kathryn Gaertner participated in Project Zero Classroom, a program of Harvard University’s Project Z ero. Each summer, Project Z ero conducts this program for teachers, consisting of symposia and workshops designed to help them integrate Project Zero’s ideals and ideas into their own

classrooms. Founded in 1967, Project Zero promotes its mission “to understand and enhance learning, thinking, and creativity in the arts, as well as humanistic and scientific disciplines, at the individual and institutional levels.” Project Zero Classroom focuses on helping teachers create learning environments that promote intellectual inquiry, that recognize and develop students’ multiple intellectual strengths, and that encourage students to think critically and creatively.

ISRAEL: Past, Present, and Future Last July, Israel's rich past, present, and future came alive for Upper School English teacher Matthew Bachner, who participated in a study tour organized by the Agency for Jewish Learning. The tour immersed the group in Israel's history, current social and political climate, and a diverse selection of schools. Bachner writes of his experience: I [prepared] for my trip by reading the poetry of Yehuda Amichai, one of Israel’s most renowned poets.…[His] words shaped my outlook of Old Jerusalem and drew my attention to details that I would have otherwise overlooked had I depended solely on my own perceptions. Ultimately, I found this experience to be one of the clearest

examples of the capability of literature to shape our understanding and challenge our presumptions. I also became quite fascinated with the architecture of Jerusalem. In many streets of the Old City, one can find architectural styles from various periods interacting with and supporting one another. For example, the Tower of David, located in the Armenian Quarter of the Old City, features the stratified layers of architecture from the Hebrew, Medieval, and Muslim worlds, a result of the many groups who gained control of the structure over time. Such buildings truly represent how the story of Jerusalem is literally carved into the walls and streets of the city. I am looking forward to integrating more Israeli authors into my curriculum….I’m also exploring the prospect of developing my experience into a Winterim course which would explore the architecture of the region as well as the importance of oral tradition in preserving cultural history.

been teaching drums in the WT Musical Arts Program for six years, and Stahurski has taught bass. WT senior Jonathan Springer took the CD jacket photographs, and alumnus Jess Naus’s (Class of 2004) company, Red Caiman Media, did the CD layout and pressing. Gary J. Niels learns from a student about the exhibition.

Museum became a full-blown multimedia art exhibition in the WT art gallery, conceived, designed, created, and built by the students. “The process of creating the space takes the students beyond the textbooks and connects them to a more in-depth understanding of their world,” comments Allswede. “Art is an essential part of critical thinking and allows the student to make emotional connections to the past and present.” Further developing the museum's concept, art teacher Mary Martin guided students to combine memoir and historical research in the creation of artist books. Study of the Holocaust expanded to the study of genocide in contemporary times; last year the students hosted a forum on genocide for eighth-graders from other schools, participated in advocacy efforts with Amnesty International, and volunteered at local community centers.

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KDKA-TV interviews eighthgraders about their museum.

and institutions to participate in this effort, including WT’s eighth grade. Their artist books were displayed in the lobby of the Byham Theater in November, during the performances of “Light.” The partnership resulted in an array of enriching experiences for Middle School students. PBT’s Director of Arts Education, Carol Meeder, and dancer Gabrielle Thurlow visited WT in October to discuss the making of the ballet. In addition, the entire Middle School attended a performance of “Light,” after which the eighth-graders shared experiences with Stephen Mills. “This project has gone from a research paper to an experience of compete understanding,” reflects eighth-grader Rachel Dubner. Allswede says, “Our goal is to create community members with a conscience, who have an awareness of history, and how it plays out in our world today.”

The Kind of Gray Project: Maione Releases CD Winchester Thurston congratulates guitarist, composer, and WT music teacher John Maione on the release of his latest recording, The Kind of Gray Project. Maione celebrated the release with a concert at Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild in October. The recording, several years in the making, was completed at Mr. Small's recording studios in Pittsburgh. It features Jeff Berman on vibraphones, Gino Maione, on drums, Brian Stahurski on bass guitar, and John Marcinizyn on guitars. It also has many WT community connections. Berman has

U p p e r School history teacher Lindsay Phillips attended the Institute for Writing and Thinking at Bard College. Phillips spent a week in a writing workshop, reading and writing and talking about narrative and analysis with 10 other teachers. Phillips says, “I came away from the program highly aware of the importance of metacognition—of helping students to be aware of their own mental processes. Independent learning requires students to

notice their own reactions to a text, question, or idea, and then build upon those reactions. I want to help my students develop this awareness.” C i n d y Green, Middle School lan g ua ge a r t s t e a c h e r, attended Te a c h i n g English with Technology in Boston, where she learned about Web 2.0 applications—Wikis, Voicethreads, Nings, and Blogs. She also spent some time trying out Audacity—a program that can be used to create radio shows.

www.winchesterthurston.org

development & alumnae/i news

WT On the Road

Alums Reconnect in Manchester-by-the Sea

Young Alum

Gerard Michael D’Emilio ’07

“I

“I wanted to leave some mark on this institution that has meant so much to me.”

can honestly say that I can’t imagine having a better foundation than that which WT gave to me,” declares Gerard Michael D’Emilio ’07. “The overall faculty quality at WT is unbelievable. I still maintain close connections with several teachers—their knowledge, support, and expertise undoubtedly made me who I am today.” As a Winchester Thurston student, D’Emilio distinguished himself in many ways, serving as Vice President of his senior class; garnering numerous awards for academic performance, including the Mary Campbell Award, the Virginia Ann Sheppard History Prize, the Williams College Book Prize, and the Senior English Award; and winning the Gene Kelly Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Officer Lockstock in Urinetown. In addition, D’Emilio’s original musical, Peasants! The Musical, received the Scarborough Arts Award, and a junior research paper was tapped for The Concord Review, which publishes exemplary history essays by high school students from all over the English-speaking world. As an alum, D’Emilio—now in his third of five years at Oberlin College, double-majoring in Vocal Performance and Politics—has made another kind of contribution to the WT community: his first gift to the school, a milestone that means as much to him as any other, and maybe more. “WT runs on the generosity of alums and parents, and it was the least that I could do to give a small amount back to a school that enabled me to do what I love to do.” In college as at WT, D’Emilio pursues music while maintaining academic excellence. To date, highlights include performing in four operas, notably principal roles in two Mozart classics (Sarastro in The Magic Flute and Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte);

Thistletalk Wint er 2010

several master classes; and most recently, singing for internationally acclaimed pianist Warren Jones and world-renowned mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne. It’s a schedule he handles with aplomb, due in no small part to lessons learned at WT “When I hear there is a perception that the academic rigor at WT is too low…I scoff. It’s utter bunk,” declares D’Emilio. “I can’t tell you how easy Oberlin has been because of my time at WT. Mark my words—there is not a better school in the country, let alone Pittsburgh, than Winchester Thurston in terms of college preparation, individualized instruction, and nurturing intellectualism.” D’Emilio’s deep appreciation for WT has only increased since his student days; having worked in the Development Office for the past two summers doing everything from data entry to making donor thank you calls, he has gained a different perspective on the school. “Working in the Development Office definitely changes your perspective on things. Tuition only covers 86% of the cost of each student’s education, which is why it's important to give. Beyond this, being on the inside makes you appreciate what each and every employee does on a daily basis. “I wanted to leave some mark on this institution that has meant so much to me,” concludes D’Emilio. “I will always consider WT, above all other institutions, my alma mater, my home. It allowed me to pursue both music and academics, to perform and pontificate, to ponder and create. My confidence, my abilities, my love of learning—all these things and more I have because of Winchester Thurston. It is an open community, a place where students can truly realize their dreams, a school that absolutely allows for uniqueness and courage.”

bluff overlooking the Atlantic provided a fantastic setting for a brunch hosted by Kathy Zillweger Putnam ’71 and her husband, George, on Sunday, October 4, in their lovely home in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts. Approximately 20 alumnae/i and friends shared Winchester Thurston memories. Among those attending was former trustee Put McDowell, father of Mouse ’67, Lucy ’68, Barbara ’69, and Martha ’73, and president of WT’s board of trustees in the 1960s. McDowell’s foresight and leadership ensured that WT was able to preserve the land upon which the new Upper School was later built in 2006. After moving the school from

Fifth Avenue to Morewood Avenue, WT faced financial challenges that tempted some to sell a parcel of land at Bayard Street and Morewood Avenue. McDowell knew this could be a long-term mistake and requested a loan from Mr. Henry Hillman. Hillman agreed to the loan and later forgave it, thus securing the land for WT. Judith Getty Treadwell ’59, whose father, Bill Getty, served as President of the board and personally supervised the construction of the new building in 1962, also attended the brunch. Gary Niels reported news and highlights from the new school year and ended by thanking the Putnams with a special gift of appreciation.

Gary J. Niels, Put McDowell, and Kathy Zillweger Putnam ’71 Below: Guests gathered to share WT memories at the home of George Putnam and Kathy Zillweger Putnam ’71

Elizabeth ’45 and Douglas Black

SHOPPING FOR A CAUSE

Retail merchants in

family’s business, Henne Jewelers, 32 stores participated,

the heart of Shadyside banded together to support financial

and more than $5,000 was raised for financial aid at WT.

aid at Winchester Thurston School with SmartGifts 2009,

Winchester Thurston extends a warm and sincere thank you

a special promotion to the WT community providing

to these companies for their generosity. Read more about

discounts and dona-

SmartGifts 2009 on

tions during the week

the WT Web site: www.

of Thanksgiving.

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org/smartgifts.

Gibson ‘91 and her

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development & alumnae/i news

ReUNiON

ReWiND Alumnae/i spanning six decades, from the classes of 1944 to 2004, returned to their alma mater October 16 and 17 to reunite with classmates and former teachers, and to get a glimpse into life at WT today.

A panel discussion with Lower School and Middle School girls and three WT alums who are physicians: ( left to right) Catherine Farinet ’84, Christina Sabeh ’89, and Jennifer Gonzalez McComb ’89. They talked about their careers in medicine, their transitions to college and medical school, and their memories of WT.

More than 160 alums and guests, many flying to Pittsburgh from across the country, partied at a Friday evening cocktail party in the Upper School.

On Saturday, alums returned to Garland Field to play field hockey with the Upper School Field Hockey team. Bruised shins and swollen knees signaled a highly competitive match, which fortunately ended in a tie. Players and spectators enjoyed a lovely barbeque lunch for 100 in Mellon Gymnasium. A luncheon in the Mitchell Room honored the Class of 1959 and all alumnae who have celebrated their 50th reunion. They were entertained by WT’s a cappella choir and enjoyed an intimate conversation with Head of School Gary J. Niels.

Save the Date for Reunion 2010: Mark your calendar now for October 15 -16, 2010 28

Thistletalk Wint er 2010

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development & alumnae/i news

class notes

ReUNiON

Visual Arts Department Chair Sally Allan and Janet Marstine ’77

This Is Not Art. Or Is It?

Janet Marstine ’77 Addresses Issues of Museum Ethics in WT Art Gallery Talk

uring Reunion Weekend and against a backdrop of silk screen prints on loan to WT from The Andy Warhol Museum, WT alumna Dr. Janet Marstine ’77 addressed a large crowd of Upper School art history students, faculty, and alumnae/i in the WT Art Gallery. Marstine’s presentation, “This Is Not Art. Or Is It? Artists and Museum Ethics in the Twenty-first Century,” described recent social, economic, political, and technological shifts that present museums with new challenges and opportunities. Marstine, Assistant Professor at Seton Hall University and founder of the Institute for Museum Ethics, argued for a new museum ethics that alters the purpose of the museum from traditional, monolithic repository of art and artifacts, to democratic, dynamic resource that engages with the community. “Right here in Pittsburgh…we have a great example of an incredibly democratic museum, The Warhol,” declares Marstine.

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“The Warhol is an unusual institution, and Andy Warhol is a fascinating figure for museum ethics. Twenty-two years after his death, he continues to be an inspiration to this museum, an institution that is transparent, democratic, and refuses to be censored or self-censor, that works closely with the community and with some of the most difficult issues, more difficult than almost any art museum in this country.” Marstine developed her passion for art while at WT: “[Art teacher] Ann Peterson influenced me in many deep ways to think historically, to look at images in profound ways. [English teacher] Susan Brownlee taught me how to read text in a very deep way, and [history teacher] Fae MacCamy really got to the heart of the deep societal and social conscience issues that we confront. Human rights issues are an area of interest for me in museum ethics and in thinking about social history. Mrs. MacCamy was the one who made that come alive for me.” Upper School visual arts teacher Michele Farrell states, “Dr. Marstine’s talk...will sensitize students to the important question of museum ethics by making [the students] more aware of how they are experiencing a work of art in a museum context. I think Dr. Marstine will make the students more savvy museum-goers.” That’s precisely the point, says Marstine, urging students to “think about museums as an active space…[Students] need to think about how that space is constructed for them, about the boutique lighting, why color was chosen and the effect that it has. They should think about the juxtapositions of objects, about who gets a mention in terms of donors, and where, and what that means to the way you understand the exhibition, collection, or whatever it is you’re looking at…All of these things...impact the meaning of the object...in profound ways.” “I really enjoyed the way Dr. Marstine talked about the juxtapositions [in] museums,” says Hazel Eaton ’10, “because that’s not something one typically thinks about with museums, especially those that are more traditional. Also interesting was how she spoke about drawing people in….It made sense to me as a young person who often sees museums as more for older people. She made them seem much more accessible to me.” “Having an alum like Janet Marstine in a cutting edge field speak to our students is wonderfully motivating,” adds Farrell. “They will realize how vast and varied the art field is, and how it is possible to discover a new area in the world of art and art history and to carve a niche for yourself there, like she did.”

2006 Don Mike Mendoza is now an intern for the 88.5 WAMUFM Newsroom at American University. He is learning about NPR, being a reporter, assisting in research, and writing script in preparation for graduation in May 2010. Don is the vice president of his fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega, an organization founded on the principles of community service. He also served as the PR Director for the on-campus student theatre troupe, AU Players. He is part of an original show called “The Cast” that explores what it’s like to be an Asian-American student studying theatre and the challenges that are faced in terms of casting in an industry where his ethnicity is underrepresented. It ran in December 2009 at American University’s Katzen Arts Center.

2004

2003 Rebecca Barnett graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 2007 with a B.S. in chemistry with University Honors, and a minor in art. For the last two years she has been employed by Pfizer Global Research and Development as an Associate Scientist in Product Enhancement and Solids Development, in Groton, CT. Becky is enrolled at West Virginia University School of Medicine, class of 2013.

Jim Allan left for Korea on November 15 for a year-long commitment to teach English in Seoul. Jim will work with students ages 8 through 12 in an after-school program.

Abby Robinson was engaged to Michael Foster on Friday, November 13, 2009 in Ligonier, PA. Abby and Mike are looking forward to a summer 2010 wedding.

Winston Posvar was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army in May 2008 upon completion of the Boston University Army ROTC Program. In October 2009, Winston deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is currently a Rifle Platoon Leader in the tenth Mountain Division.

2001 John Schalcosky, Associate Alum says that WT North shaped him into the person he is today. He can still remember almost everything from that time in his life (the school, the people), while the rest of his schooling afterwards “is just a big blur,” he says. Through Facebook he has kept in touch with most of his original classmates but has yet to see any “face-to-

face.” After high school John moved to Hollywood, CA, with aspirations of becoming a film director. He completed schooling and then moved on to UCLA to complete a degree in film scoring (music for the movies). During this time he began writing classical music, including a piano concerto, violin concerto, and string quartets. John recently started a new on-the-side career as a “Historical Private Detective.” He states, “I look up the history of your house, family, objects, and books, and tell you who originally owned them and what kind of historical value they might have. It is a VERY exciting job that hopefully will take off.” John was recently profiled by the Pittsburgh PostGazette North section about how he has been trying to save a house from the 1820s.

1999 Ben Sota is in Italy after deciding to go back to school to pursue his M.F.A. in Physical

Theater at a school located in a small town in Tuscany. His circus, The Zany Umbrella Circus, is still performing, and he hired a managing director to keep things going while he is away. He is sorry he missed his 10 year reunion at WT this past October. He extends his apologies for losing touch! Emily Wood Heffelfinger just celebrated her tenth WT reunion. She is a child life specialist, having worked at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh for three years until her husband decided to pursue a physician assistant degree in West Virginia. She now works in the pediatric intensive care unit at WVU Children’s Hospital. Her role is to help children and families cope with the stress of hospitalization through play, talking, etc. She does procedural preparation, helps distract patients during procedures, and engages children in medical play to help them to feel more in control and to be more familiar with

Sarah Baker, Hillary Thomas, Teresina Cardamone-Rayner, Emily Wood Heffelfinger, and Katie Lofquist at Emily’s May 9 wedding to Dan Heffelfinger in St. Pete Beach, FL

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class notes

class notes the things that are happening to them. Emily traveled to Vietnam in November with Operation Smile, a non profit organization that does cleft lip/palate surgeries in other countries.

and student support for the P.M.B.A., the Flex M.B.A. program, and specialized master’s programs, including the new Executive Master of Science in Finance and Executive Master of Science in Managing Information Technology.

pumpkin regattas, and making biodynamic sauerkraut. She occasionally writes about serious topics like the decline of dairy in Vermont and the

1997 Adam Witt married Gina Herrington on September 5, 2009. Adam is currently serving as Co-chair of WT’s Young Alum Leadership Council. Meridith Deluzio Pettigrew and Stacey Stanczak Smith took their crew to the Children’s Museum while Meridith was in town, and they had a blast!

Lauren Ober ’96 at the Giant Pumpkin Regatta

effects of border protection on the rural landscape. This winter, she gave herself the ridiculous challenge of snowboarding at all 20 ski resorts in Vermont, even the one that doesn’t allow snowboarding. She is not married, has no children, and doesn’t have a book to promote. She would like you to visit her blog at Oberandout.com. She hopes you are all of good cheer.

support law, after time off with the little one! She would love any “mom-to-be advice” from her classmates.

in the wonderful City of Lights from 1905-1945. It opens in February, so for all of the folks living in New York, it’s an easy train ride to Philly from NYC! Miesha will also be working on the contemporary art side of things; right after Picasso opens in February, she’ll start on a project on British pop artist Richard Hamilton. She writes, “That should be a fun romp!”

Sherri Hercules Sokolovich lives in Cincinnati and is finishing her M.S.N. in anesthesia. She will be done in March 2010. Sherri’ s son, Zakarije Sokolovich, was born on December 10, 2008.

1993

1979

Elisabeth Bennington and her husband, Brad Korinski, are expecting their first child in January 2010. They are excited to welcome a little girl in the New Year! Lisa will return to her practice of divorce, custody and

Kathleen Paylor has recently launched her own firm, Conscious Capital. She is working with social entrepreneurs to raise capital, and also with social investors and philanthropists to strategically place their capital. “I have more potential clients than I know what to do with, but it is inspiring to see the amazing social ventures upon which people are embarking and how many investors, even in this climate, are willing to support them. It's a very exciting time to be in this space!” The Web site address for Conscious Capital is: www.consciouscap.com.

1991 Dorothy McLaughlin had a daughter on September 19, 2009 named Norah Rose Sachs.

Emily Wood Heffelfinger ‘99 and Sarah Wood ‘06 Anne D’Appolonia Dickson is the Director of Marketing & Development for Propel Schools, a charter school organization based in Pittsburgh. She lives with her husband, Andrew, and their dog, Wally, in Point Breeze.

1998 Toby McChesney has been named director of the newly formed Graduate Recruiting and Student Services Department at Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business. In his new role Toby will oversee recruiting, admissions,

Michelle Bowden is happy as manager of Family Services of Western Pennsylvania, Greensburg and Tarentum offices, and choir member and cantor at St. Vincent Basilica.

1989 1996 After three and a half years writing about municipal squabblings and cats stuck in trees for The Burlington Free Press in Vermont, Lauren Ober dodged the lay-off bullet and became a staff writer at Seven Days, Burlington’s altweekly paper. There she writes about playing Wii Sports with the elderly, rowing in giant

Thistletalk Wint er 2010

Sarah Gross Fife ’96 and Laurel Shaw ’96 (pictured with Sarah's husband, Tim) recently enjoyed a trip to Turkey together in July. In addition to seeing some of the things that they learned about in their WT history classes, they also enjoyed seeing beautiful landscapes (including the bizarre terrain of Cappadocia from a hot air balloon ride, pictured), setting off on a sea voyage for four days, eating delicious Turkish cuisine and, of course, spending time together catching up, laughing, and having fun!

Dina Kaplan, Associate Alum started an internet company called blip.tv and is enjoying the entrepreneurial insanity. Blip.tv is a platform for creators of Web shows offering free hosting, distribution, media management, and optional advertising with a revenue share. Dina would love to connect with classmates in NYC.

Constance Paras Wong ’89

Constance Paras Wong is employed at the main branch of the Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh. She works in the Children’s Department where she does the morning toddler storytime and gets to interact with lots of lovely people. Lately she has been training her poodle puppy, Kyra, and just adopted a 10-year-old maltese/poodle mix. She goes to a lot of classes and is training for obedience titles. Along the animal front, her bird, Mr. Hoover, whom she has owned for 11 years (since he was a baby) flew off in June. After being gone for two months, someone found him, took him

to a bird rescue, after which he was returned to Constance. It’s amazing, and can only be described as miraculous. He is safe and sound and being nursed back to health.

1987 Miesha Harris, Associate Alum accepted a job at the Philadelphia Museum of Art as one of the curators in the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art, which is nicknamed “ModCon.” She is working on an upcoming show called “Picasso and the AvantGarde in Paris,” which traces Picasso and his peers working

Nancy Packer co-curated an exhibition that opened 9/24/09 called “Lace in Translation” at The Design Center at Philadelphia University. It features new commissions by three internationally known artists and designers.

1978 Jan Mermelstein Shaw has been married for 18 years to Don Shaw. They have two boys, Andrew, 16, and Matthew, 12. They live in Pittsburgh

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class notes

class notes 1974

Holly MacIsaac Berkley ’74 where she has her own business helping salespeople and busy small- to mediumsized business owners build those important relationships they need to build, through the use of greeting cards. Jan is an independent rep for SendOutCards. When you’re in Pittsburgh, look her up. She would love to catch up!

1976 Stacy Jannis Tamerlani is still living in Silver Spring, MD, and enjoying a busy life in DC. Husband George works as a television news producer for Thompson Reuters, and son Eric is a sophomore at DePaul University in Chicago. Stacy produced films and interactive media for LA’s new Grammy Museum and directed and produced a computer animated film for NIH on Alzheimer’s Disease, which was featured in the HBO series, “The Alzheimer’s Project.” Most

recently she worked with the National Cancer Institute on a film that helps communicate the critically important role biospecimens play in today’s cancer research. Stacy received an International Science Animation award for animation featured in HBO’s “The Alzheimer’s Project.” Susan Dunmire and her husband, Sam, are enjoying an empty nest after their twin girls left for Connecticut College in August. Their son, Robert, is close by at CMU, so he is getting all of the attention. Susan was reminded of the close bonds that WT forges when her cousin, Sara Mitchell, passed away in October. She heard from more than 20 of their classmates (they only had 43 at graduation) who came together to share memories and grieve at their loss. She thanks them all for their friendship and support.

Thistletalk Wint er 2010

Holly MacIsaac Berkley enjoyed her 3,000 mile solo motorcycle camping trip around the southwest this summer, and says “Trips like this reconnect me with my self-reliance!” In addition to writing on body-mind issues for various publications, Holly is celebrating 20 years of assisting women worldwide to Find Your Way through the different stages of life using Energy Psychology and Energy Medicine. She welcomes contact with other alums. Carolyn (Carey) Field lives in Wilton, CT, with her husband John Guth, her daughter, Sarah, 16, and her son, Jake, 13. She graduated from Middlebury College in ’78, and after a short stint as an assistant buyer at Bloomingdales in NYC, left retail for the advertising world. During her 17 years at several major NYC advertising agencies, she rose to Senior Vice President and managed major accounts that included Smith Barney, AT&T, L’Oreal, General Mills, and Procter & Gamble. She is currently the editorin-chief of Wilton Magazine, the lifestyle magazine for the towns of Wilton, Weston, and Georgetown, and a freelance writer for many other local and national publications. In addition, she is an active volunteer in her community. She has served on several

community organization boards, volunteers as a mentor to a nine-year-old girl in a big sister-little-sister program, and coaches and manages her son's soccer team. In her spare time, she gardens, collects and refurbishes vintage and antique furniture, sews, paints, skis, and plays tennis and paddle tennis. She credits all of her English teachers at WT for developing and encouraging her love of writing, and thanks them immensely.

1972 Carolyn Cramer Sanford, Associate Alum wrote “Hi to all the Class of 1972! It was wonderful seeing all of you at our last big gathering in Pittsburgh at Patty Peters’ lovely home. Scott and I are raising three teenagers at the moment, so life is full! I hope we will all continue to keep in touch!”

1968 Margie Balter is known as Piano Coach to the Stars, having coached Holly Hunter to play in the film The Piano. This was the start of her 17 films with Tom Cruise, Scarlett Johansson, Sandra Bullock, Greg Kinnear, and many others. Margie Balter’s CD, Music from My Heart: Solo Piano Pieces by Margie Balter, has been named the winner of the 2009 L.A. Music Awards for Best Acoustic Piano Performance. This is the second year that Margie has been honored by LAMA. The red carpet award ceremony was held on November 12, 2009 at the Avalon Theater in Hollywood. Yet another award, Margie’s song “Thinking About

You” won Best Pop/R&B Song at the 2009 Malibu Music Awards. The ceremony was held on September 26, 2009.

1966 Jane Soxman is still practicing as a pediatric dentist and lecturing at dental meetings nationally. Her daughter, Bailey, is a senior at the University of Maryland, and her son, Zachary, graduated from the US Naval Academy in 2008. He has just completed nuclear power school in preparation for his service on a nuclear submarine in Pearl Harbor.

1965 Eleanor Levinson Peris retired as Director of Special Services for the Rahway, NJ Board of Education in January 2008. She now spends time with her six grandchildren. She is also on the board of a nonprofit, I Have a Dream, which helps students in urban schools reach college. She still loves to spend her free time outside exercising or traveling with her husband.

1959 Lyn Clark Pegg writes, “Our 50th WT reunion was the best, and we don’t plan on waiting another 50 years to be together again! We had a great time reviewing sketchy memories and becoming friends again. Coming up right away is a Witness for Peace delegation to Colombia in February 2010, and another delegation to Nicaragua in June.” For more details, contact Lyn at carolynpegg@ yahoo.com.

1958

1954

Linda Lear recently gave a talk about Beatrix Potter and her work in general at a special reception at the North Hills Public Library in Glenshaw, PA. A portrait of Linda was commissioned and presented that night as well. Her grandparents and parents were founders of the library. Linda was also a speaker at Chatham University’s Founder’s Day celebration held in December 2009.

Sarah Buchanan Braun writes, “Sorry we could not attend reunion due to previous plans. I still live in the same home in NJ for 50 years.”

1955 Suzanne Dressler Kellar has been helping to feed Seattle’s hungry for 35 years. She recently won the Volunteer of the Year award at the mayor's End Hunger Awards on October 19, 2009. She said she is driven by the concern she had when she moved to Seattle: that the poor ought to be fed and clothed. Each week Suzanne gathers bags of bread donations and takes them to St. Vincent, travelling by bus. “It’s been marvelous,” Suzanne said. “I’ll keep going as long as I can.” [Posted by Charles N. Wainger on seattlepi.com]

Darin Geise Snyder chairs the Quilt Project, celebrating the 200 years since the settlement of Bay Village, OH, in 2010. Sally Helsel Price spent most of September driving to and from CA. “We revisited many places we took our three sons to see years ago. Kind of a sentimental journey. Attended our bonus’ granddaughter’s wedding on the shores of Lake Tahoe. First of the six grandkids to get hitched. Wonderful trip and beautiful wedding.... Best wishes.”

1953 Judith Allen Summersby and husband Ed (of 47 years) are enjoying retirement She writes, “No more icy ski slopes for me! We like photography— everything from yellow flowers, to bright red trucks, to gauze like clouds over the seashore. Of course our two grandchildren are our first love, and then our adorable black cat, Oliver. Sometimes they can get all three together. I have spent some time in recent years expressing my love for our beloved constitution in protesting the war in Iraq and other abuses in the Bush years and now feel very anxious about the war in Afghanistan. I am not eager to protest President Obama for whom I worked very hard. We shall see.

I have many fond memories of our Class of 1953, and wish I could see them again.”

1950 Robena Moses Spencer lives in Santa Barbara, CA. “I love Winchester Thurston,” says Nena. “I have done so many wonderful things; I travel and have met many movie stars.”

1948 Gloria Palmer Fuller had a broken leg for four months, but her surgeon was outstanding. She is as good as new and still above the sod!

1946 Thelma Levin Levine lives in Boca Raton, FL, with husband Robert.

1941 Ruth Weimer Tillar had a wonderful trip to Norway in June with her son, Tom. She visited both Virginia Tech and William and Mary for football game weekends this fall. She also visited her daughter in New Hampshire in October and enjoyed seeing the campus where she teaches at Plymouth State University. Ruth has attended meetings for the DAR and the Hospital Auxiliary in several Virginia cities recently. She hopes to visit Marion Thompson Kerwin in Alexandria. She writes, “We keep in close touch with each other, and we roomed together for three years at WT.”

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class notes

class notes 1937 Ruth Succop celebrated her 90th birthday at Longwood. Mary George Gast is still working on a 28 foot sailboat in her backyard. She is planning a fall 2010 launch party, then on to Presque Isle Bay, Lake Erie, “to see if she floats.”

Nancy Steigerwalt Dwyer was visited by Gaylen Westfall in October 2009 in Boston; Gaylen gave Nancy her Miss Mitchell Society pin, signifying Nancy's participation in WT’s planned giving society. Nancy and her husband, Vincent, were celebrating 67 years of marriage! Nancy shared many stories about Miss Mitchell and WT in the 1930s.

Pam Shaw, Honorary Alum ’02, paragliding in the Alps this summer. Pam and her husband Tom accompanied a European performance tour of youth dance companies. Pam is Head of School at Canton Country Day School.

Class Notes Nancy Steigerwalt Dwyer ’37 and her son, Court Dwyer, who attended WT Kindergarten.

Please send us your news and photos! Send information to Gaylen Westfall, Winchester Thurston School, 555 Morewood Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 or westfallg@winchesterthurston.org. Class notes do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Winchester Thurston School or the editors of Thistletalk.

Save the Date

REUNION 2010 October 15-16

Especially for the Classes of 1935 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

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Thistle

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Malone Scholars

M A G A Z I N E

Editor

Maura Farrell Assistant Head for Planning

farrellml@winchesterthurston.org

Alumnae/i Editor

students. WT was selected as one of only three schools for this prestigious award in 2007.

Sara Mitchell ‘76, October 24, 2009 Sara Ann Kalla ‘73, May 31, 2009

Director of Development and Alumnae/i Relations

Aline Massey ’62, August 25, 2009

Contributors

The following members of the WT community will be missed by their classmates, friends, students, and colleagues. We offer sincere condolences to their families.

Gaylen Westfall

westfallg@winchesterthurston.org

Winchester Thurston School proudly acknowledges our 2009 - 2010 Malone Scholars.

In Memoriam

Anne Sauers Brassert ‘57, August 28, 2008

Suzanne Scott Kennedy ‘52, June 21, 2009

Printing Design

To Enid Mitchell Dunmire ‘42 and Susan Dunmire ‘76 on the death of their niece and cousin, Sara Mitchell ‘76, October 24, 2009

School Mission

To James Eversmeyer ‘04 and Alex Eversmeyer ‘99 on the death of their father, Michael Eversmeyer, August 2, 2009

Core Values

To Amy Guccione MacMillan ’96, Taylor Guccione A‘99, and Mrs. Leslie Guccione on the death of their father and husband, Joseph Q. Guccione, November 3, 2009

Antoinette Vilsack Seifert ‘32, October 6, 2009

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TALK

Winchester Thurston School

Young Alum Leadership Council Reunion 2009 Reflections on the G-20

Winter 2010