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THE ALLEN-STEVENSON SCHOOL
Winter 2015
THE ALLEN-STEVENSON SCHOOL
Leadership 2015-2016
Board of Trustees Mark I. Greene, President Ronald S. Rolfe ’60, President Emeritus Joshua Harris,Vice President & Treasurer Lisa Pagliaro Selz, Secretary David R. Trower h’95, Headmaster Dana B. Cowin Alexandra Wallace Creed Paquita Y. Davis-Friday Kerianne Flynn Kenneth M. Garschina
Dang T. Phan Anupama Poole
Alexander G. Gellert ’79 Fredda Goldberg* Stephanie Drescher Gorman George Hall Monica Keany Peter B. Kellner ’84 Alexander Klabin Michael S. Klein Daniel Lascano Paul A. Leff Jamie Magid ’91* Metin Negrin Lara Oboler
Trustees Emeriti Mildred J. Berendsen Marian R. Bicks Jane Phillips Donaldson Richard N. Foster D. Ross Hamilton John J. Hannan Susan B. Hirschhorn
Adam J. P. Donaldson ’05 Maurice F. Edelson ’78 Hugh Esterson ’15 Alexander C. Faherty ’98 Jason M. Farkas ’97 Michael Feinberg ’84 R.Vanneman Furniss ’91 Andrew Galant ’14 Alexander G. Gellert ’79 Andrew Gellert ’16 David Goldberg ’14 Harlan E. Goldberg ’90 Evan R. Goldfischer ’81 Christopher S. Goodman ’86 Michael H. Grady ’91 Christopher J. Hallows ’87 Christopher W. Hamilton ’96 Schuyler Havens ’88 Michael W. Hedges Jr. ’77 John C. Henry Jr. ’84 Cannon Lyell Hersey ’92 John B. Hersey ’09 David W. Herzberg ’89 David R. Hirschfeld ’99 Patrick D. R. Horan ’85 Tristan Howard ’96 C. Andrew Hughes ’98 Alex A. Ingram ’03 Andrew A. Janko ’95 Jasper H. Jarecki ’12
Clinton V. P. Johnson ’79 Timothy Johnson ’04 Stephen H. Judson ’76 William H. Judson ’78 Devon Kalsi ’15 A. Reed Katz ’03 Cameron A. Koffman ’12 Kenneth LaFreniere ’90 Dean I. Landis ’78* Teddy Landis ’13 Ethan A. Leff ’11 Davis Lister ’15 Hale Macdonald ’13 Paul J. Mancuso ’03 Brian A. Margolis ’75 Timothy C. McCabe ’94 Kenneth J. McCauley ’93 Elijah McNally ’14 Alex Melnitzky ’02 Liam R. Millhiser ’96 Ross R. Millhiser IV ’94 Max Morris ’13 Richard C. Perry ’70* Vincent Peterson ’74 Philip N. Pilmar ’01 Roger Raines ’80 Harlan Reinhardt ’83 Marc N. Rice ’84 Ronald S. Rolfe ’60* Eric Rosas ’06
*member ex officio
Karen T. Hughes John R. Hupper '40 E. William Judson Robert J. Katz George A. Kellner David H. Koch Robert Liberman '58 Thomas H. Lister Peter de F. Millard Richard C. Perry '70 Joe L. Roby Andrew P. Steffan Leonard A. Wilf
Alumni Council Executive Committee James A. Magid '91, President Colin McCabe '90,Vice-President Thomas Zipser '99,Vice-President Andrew R. Arias '92, Chair, Alumni Annual Fund Thomas Zipser '99,Vice-Chair, Alumni Annual Fund Kerim Eken '00,Young Alumni Chair, Alumni Annual Fund Ian Adler ’87 Theodore D. Agbi ’10 Charles W. Allen ’91 Paul E. Alshooler ’03 Basil L. Anderson ’08 Zach T. Axelrod ’95 Neil E. Bader ’79 Jackson Baker ’13 Anthony P. Bonan ’93 Pierre A. Bonan ’89 Robert B. Buehler ’78 Robert D. Burge ’76* Alfred P. Burger ’87 Andrew A. Burger ’59 John T. Carr III ’76 Kai Cedeño ’16 Erik A. Cliette ’81 Brooke B. Connell ’86
Berton Rose ’97 John Rose ’90 Louis Rose ’86* Henry J. Rosenwach ’04 Eric E. Rothstein ’81* Dean E. Sanborn ’61 Alessandro M. Santoro ’07 Matthew Schnitzer ’13 Yoshiki Shimada ’75 Alexander B. Shipper ’02 Denton A. Smith ’94 Wesley Stanton ’92 Sebastian Stern ’14 Jake Taub’12 Khalid A. Taylor ’10 Michael Tiedemann ’86 Andrew W.Vogelstein ’81 Noel E.Volpe ’85 Alexander von Furstenberg ’85 Mark Wasserberger ’82 Simon D. Wasserberger ’85* Matthew Wayland ’13 Michael Weiss ’02 Dewey S. Wigod ’77 Hans L. Wydler ’81 Clifton G.York ’78 Jared Zelman ’16 Andrew E. Zimmerman ’00 *President Emeritus
Parents Association
Administrative Team
Fredda Goldberg, President Kimberley Hutfilz,Vice President Kate Krieger and Shilpa Gupta, Co-Treasurers Bethan Wills, Class Representatives Coordinator
David R. Trower h’95, Headmaster Susan Etess, Lower School Head Kimberly Kyte, Middle School Head Neal Kamsler, Upper School Head Winnie Barnes, Director of Strategic & Learning Initiatives Anne Russo Meyer, Director of Learning Resources Richard Alifano, Director, P.E. and Athletics Hydee Bressler, Director of Finance & Operations Casper Caldarola, Director of Communications, Co-Director Community Life + Diversity Michelle Demko, Music Department Head Ronnie R. Jankoff, Director of Admissions David Smith, Director of Development Andy Zevon CCA.CCT.CNE, Director of Technology
Advisory Alison Bird Kelly Hensley Heather Khazaneh Kim Many Cristina Roig Morris Vivian Queen Paula Simmons
THE ALLEN-STEVENSON SCHOOL
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Winter 2015
Director of Communications Casper Caldarola
Headmaster’s Message
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Associate Director of Communications Sarah Woods
Around A-S
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Contributing Writers Rich Alifano Stacy Donovan Fredda Goldberg Robert McCallum Christopher Persley ’88 Henry Schulz ’15 David R. Trower h’95 Photographers Nancy Mitchell Al Pereira Lisa Meloni Ragusa Sarah Woods
Welcome New Members of Our Community
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Features: Honoring Traditions While Staying Modern
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News
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Closing Exercises 2015
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Alumni Events and News
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Did You Know?
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Designer Mase Kerdel-DeMarco Cover photo of Harrison Gradin ’20 working on his Greenhouse Effect diorama by Sarah Woods. Back cover photo of All School Picnic by Nancy Mitchell.
Our apologies to the following donors who were inaccurately recognized in the 2014-2015 Annual Report of Gifts. We would like to take this opportunity to extend our most sincere appreciation for their support of Allen-Stevenson. Mr. Ronald S. Rolfe '60 – Past Parent Donor Mr. Peter C.R. Matthes '85 – 10 Year Donor
The Allen-Stevenson School admits students of any race, color, religion, nationality, or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, or sexual orientation in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, employment policies, financial aid program, or any other programs administered by the School.
The Lamplighter is published biannually by The Allen-Stevenson School and is sent to alumni, parents, and other friends of the School.
Printed on paper containing 20% post-consumer recycled content.
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David Trower hearing from the boys about their Waterside Home Challenge.
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H E A D M A S T E R ’ S
M E S S A G E
“What we need most is what good teachers give students: real challenges—goals that stretch you, but that you can reach; and real inspiration—encouragement to keep trying no matter what.” —Psychologist Robert Evans, The Human Side of School Change, quoting a school principal No matter how venerable or eminent it may be, a strong school can never simply rest on its laurels. At Allen-Stevenson we use the phrase “enlightened traditional” to characterize how we balance the old and the new. Of course, it is a process: we value what we have done before, and we continue to think about how best to teach our boys, how to do so even better, so that they can learn effectively. Teachers are essential in this process.
Virtually all of the articles in this issue place Allen-Stevenson firmly in the modern, rapidly changing world. They pose questions that are consequential. What new tools should we be using to improve teaching and learning? How can we develop more inclusive metaphors to understand dimensions of life such as race, ethnicity, gender and identity? What educational foundation should we establish for boys to be able to navigate the world with curiosity, creativity and confidence? And, how do we improve the balance of academics, athletics and the arts? The foundation we provide at Allen-Stevenson starts in acknowledging that each boy comes to us with a certain natural curiosity, creativity and confidence. We want to keep those qualities strong all through school. Our initiatives shift the focus to learning, so that Allen-Stevenson graduates become even more skillful, not simply in what they know and can do, but also in their capacities to continue growing and learning throughout their lives. In an important way, the foundation we offer is one of experience and practice. What can this mean?
During each boy’s years with us, we teach the skills to bolster these traits of curiosity, creativity and confidence. He learns to ask good questions and to listen actively in seeking the best answers. He learns to take appropriate risks and to learn from his mistakes. He senses how to become responsible for his learning, to take ownership of his education. He learns how to gather information from a variety of sources and to evaluate what he finds. He also learns to communicate what he knows in writing and speaking. He learns to work with other people who may be quite different in experience. By the time he graduates, an Allen-Stevenson boy’s curiosity, creativity and confidence have become greater, and his capacity to collaborate has been strengthened. Notably, there are several pieces by alumni in this Lamplighter. Teachers have been so important— transformative, even—in giving real challenges and real encouragement in the foundational years at Allen-Stevenson. One graduate is currently in high school, and the others are at varying stages in their adult lives. It is interesting to see what each has taken from the experiences he had at Allen-Stevenson, how his years here have influenced his life now. Fortiter et Recte!
David Trower h’95 Headmaster
Winter 2015
This Lamplighter highlights some of the exciting initiatives we are launching this year. The new 1:1 laptop program for Grades 5 through 9 is a good example of how we balance the use of technology with developing a love of reading actual books. Kindergarten boys have their Book-aDay program, while older boys pursue their dynamic Book Group discussions and Mock Newbery Challenge. Other articles here reflect upon changing views of age-old dilemmas, like how notions of masculinity have changed or how to appreciate classic plays through a more inclusive lens.
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In & out of the classroom > 4
Kindergarten Boys Begin Book-A-Day Creating avid
readers is very important at Allen-Stevenson. To inspire boys to read, and to choose different types of books, the kindergarten boys participate in a library program called Book-A-Day, designed by Bonnie Tucker, the Lower School Librarian, in 2004. Each kindergarten class is given 20 picture books, chosen by Ms. Tucker. From these books, each boy then chooses a different book each day, which is taken home in his own bag imprinted with the encouraging words, “I am an Allen-Stevenson Reader” on the front. Sharing these books with an adult is rewarding for all involved.
“We help the boys to establish good reading habits early on,” explained Kindergarten Teacher Jesse Montero. In KB we use a chart system to manage the books in our class. Each boy has a shelf pocket with his name on it, and each book has a number on the back. The boys take the number off the book they wish to read at home and put it in their shelf pocket.
Once all the boys have read the full collection of 20 books, they discuss the books as a class during library time. “They learn that not everyone enjoys the same books and that it’s fine to have different opinions if they are expressed in a positive way.” explains Bonnie Tucker. When the first rotation is over, the class receives 20 new books and the process begins anew.
“Book-A-Day is an important part of the boys’ morning routine,” said Mr. Montero. “As the boys arrive they take out their books from their book bag, put the number card and book back and select their next book.”
“By the end of the year the boys are exposed to over 200 books, which is invaluable as they grow as readers at AllenStevenson. Book-a-Day really establishes their love for reading,” said Mr. Montero.
Kindergarten boys enjoy library time with Bonnie Tucker. Jesse Montero explains KB Book-A-Day Chart.
Middle School embarked on a new activity on the first day of school this year, thanks to Sarah Kresberg, our Library Director, who organized book discussion groups for all the MS boys. Over the summer each boy read a book from a thoughtfully selected list. They were expected to come prepared to make comments and raise questions about that book upon their return to school. What a lovely sight it was to see small groups of boys, comprised of all three grades, dotted around the school, all animatedly talking about
characters, themes and vocabulary from their shared reading experience! The discussions, led by teachers from various disciplines, were mature and insightful. Many of the groups also participated in an activity created by the teacher that related to some aspect of the book. For example, Ms. Meyer, Head of the Learning Resource Center, whose group read “Masterpiece,” by Elise Broach, had the boys draw either their own masterpiece or a new book cover using skinny pencils to make very fine lines, mimicking the technique used to create the masterpieces depicted in the book. While, Alex Exposito, Art and Woodshop Teacher, talked about the design elements in “A Wrinkle in Time,” by Madeleine L’Engle, and had the boys create their own graphic novels using
rulers, blank paper and templates made specifically for graphic novels. “The value of this activity is that it encourages our middle school boys to see all the other boys in the division, as well as all their teachers, as valuable members of their reading community,” said Sarah Kresberg. A huge thank you goes to the teachers who led the groups, the boys who enthusiastically participated and the parents who encouraged them to read!
Winter 2015
Book Groups Encourage Lively Discussions for Middle School Boys The
Director of Learning Resources, Anne Meyer, leads Middle School boys in a book discussion.
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In & out of the classroom > 6
Bringing Books to the Boys in Upper School The Upper School Librarian, Liz Storch, has taken her “show on the road!” Since the Upper School boys do not have the opportunity to come to the library as regularly as they did in Lower and Middle School, Ms. Storch decided to bring the books to them during break and English class. The kick-off of the Mock Newbery Challenge by Ms. Storch and Library Director, Sarah Kresberg, was the ideal
starting point. Ms. Kresberg and Ms. Storch worked together to create an online Canvas course to describe the Mock Newbery Challenge and to allow the boys to record their responses to the books they read. The boys win small prizes for each book read and will have the opportunity to attend a pizza party to make final winner predictions if they read 8
books before the Challenge ends in January. To assist in book selection, Ms. Storch has been giving quick book talks, which are designed to grab the boys’ interest in the books, before seventh grade English classes. Ms. Storch has also been helping with book choices for the boys’ independent reading sessions in English class. By mid-October, every boy in the Seventh Grade had a book that he was reading just for fun!
Liz Storch with seventh graders who were actively participating in the Mock Newbery Challenge.
Winter 2015
Some of the books from the Mock Newbery Challenge
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But when I try to reflect on the Founders Day speeches that I sat through, I don’t remember a single thing about any of them. And none of you will either. So I realized I can just say whatever I want. That was comforting. I learned how to be a person at this school. I started kindergarten here in the fall of 1993 and I was not a person. I was just a tiny vessel, a little body devoid of personality and opinions and ideas.
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B Y M A X B RO C K M A N ’ 0 3
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Thank you very much for having me. It’s an incredible honor for me to be here today. Thank you Mr. Trower, Mr. Kersey, everybody here. I love this school. My time here was incredibly important to me. And as such, I put a lot of pressure on myself to do a good job in communicating that to you all today. But I quickly realized that that might pose a bit of a challenge. There’s a fairly wide swath of people in this gym that I have to appeal to. There are boys here that are between the ages of 5 and 7. If you’re between 5 and 7, can you clap for me real quick? There are boys here who are between the ages of 12 and 15. Can the 12 to 15-year- olds make some noise please? OK. There are adults who knew me when I was a kid. Can they make some noise please? Even if you don’t remember me. Adults who never met me. Let’s hear it. And my mom is here. Mom, can you make some noise please? So in wondering how I was going to hold the attention of all these different groups of people, I tried to reflect on the Founders Day speeches that I heard when I was a student here. I sat on the floor for nine of these things. I have a pretty good memory for Allen- Stevenson stuff. I can remember all of my classmates’ names. I can remember all of my teachers’ names. First and last. Peter Haarmann, to name one. Hello, sir. There are days I spent here 15 or 20 years ago that I can remember down to the hour.
One thing I was blessed with however was violent motion sickness. Most of the time I was a student here, I lived a few blocks away and I’d walk to school every morning. But in kindergarten, I took the school bus. And it made me barf quite a lot. I just couldn’t handle it. As hard as I tried every morning, I’d get off the bus and Mr. Hughes would be standing there—and I would be covered in barf. Just drenched. My little blue polo shirt with the little gold lantern? You couldn’t even see that lantern. It was obscured by my regurgitated breakfast. The one thing I was told about Allen- Stevenson is that you always shake hands. That was the thing here and I assume it still is. The problem was my hands were coated with barf. But I knew how important handshaking was. So I would walk into the building and shake Mr. Trower’s hand and I would shake my kindergarten teacher Ms. Willis’ hand. And then finally Ms. Willis, who was a very kind and patient woman, could take it no more. She told my mom that as long as my hand was covered in barf, I should feel no obligation to shake hers. And that was the first lesson I learned here. The first step towards becoming a person. After that, the lessons just kept coming for the next nine years. And I can say with confidence that I would not be the person that I am today, writing for a television show that I pray none of you have seen—it’s incredibly filthy, please don’t watch it Sunday nights on HBO returning this January, HBOGo, HBO Now, HBO On Demand, DVD, BluRay—I would not be that person without this school. I don’t know a lot about education aside from the one that I had here and elsewhere, but I imagine a school is only as good as its teachers. And I had teachers, and my classmates as well, that nurtured creativity in a way that I don’t think is common at a lot of other schools.
Max Brockman ’03
2003 seemed so far in the future. There was just no way it could happen. But then it did happen. And it happened faster than I could have ever imagined. The other thing I did to prepare for today was I asked my friend and former classmate Paul Mancuso if he remembered the content of any of these old Founders Day speeches. And like me, he did not. But what he did say was he remembered a general sense of people reflecting on how special Allen-Stevenson was, even if they didn’t realize it when they were here.
There were a number of times here when I was encouraged to tackle assignments from unorthodox angles that, on the surface, seemed to stretch the boundaries of what could charitably be considered academia but really harnessed creativity in ways that informed the person I would eventually become.
And I made a pledge to myself to really take it in. I got here early every day that year. I would get breakfast from the Wrap-N-Run around the corner and sit on the steps outside. I was such a weird kid.
My fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Tokieda, let me write some jokes for a play we put on about Sir Francis Drake. That was the first time I ever wrote comedy and I was terrible at it but it was a start.
I tried to be present for everything that year, in body and in mind. As the year went on, I made an effort to tell my classmates how much they meant to me. I knew this place was special and I wanted to appreciate it for the role it played in my life.
In 7th grade, as part of a lesson in data collection, Mr. Herschenhous let me sit in Central Park wearing a Russian hat and SCUBA gear so I could gauge the public’s reaction. Which was confusion mostly. Confusion and concern. My 8th grade teacher, Mr. MacDougall, let me write a speech for the Upper School Speech Contest that—fairly or unfairly— revealed the contest to be the sham that I believe it to be. And I won the thing somehow. Where else but Allen-Stevenson could that happen? Also, in 8th grade, Mr. Zufall let me and two of my friends hire a monkey from an animal casting agency to pit it against a human being in a banana eating contest as part of a science experiment. I think we got an F, so I can’t recommend that one. But a sincere thank you to all those people I mentioned and many, many others, all of whom had a profound effect on my life. To wrap up, I just want to say a few words about time. I remember a moment when I was in first grade I think and I was sitting in the library. The librarian at the time—I believe her name was Ms. Hill—was reading us a story and much like most of you now, I was not listening. This was probably some time around 1994 and it had just hit me that I was in the Class of 2003. To my six-year-old brain in 1994, the idea that there was even a year called 2003 and that we would be living in it some day was impossible to comprehend. I would be at this school forever, I thought. And I was mostly OK with that.
It helped. And that was the last thing I learned here. To live in the moment, to appreciate what you have. Because people and places that matter to you will come in and out of your life. And time moves fast but you will always be you. And one day you might look up and realize that all of a sudden it’s 2003. Because no matter how impossible it may seem, 2003 always comes. So try to enjoy it. And now you can forget everything I’ve just said. Thank you.
Kai Stevens ’18 and Luca Micheletto ’23 working on a page of the Alphabet Book.
Winter 2015
I thought that was interesting because I definitely did realize when I was here that this was a special place. I remember sitting at home fourteen years ago, the summer before I was due to graduate from Allen-Stevenson, and thinking about how I was about to embark on my last year here.
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Welcome
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WELCOME NEW TRUSTEES
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Kerianne Flynn
Monica Keany
Kerianne Flynn is a business graduate of North Adams College and an accomplished human resources professional in the fashion and beauty industry. She has worked in the fields of personnel management, organizational development and employee relations in a senior management capacity for French Connection, bebe, and divisions of The Limited including Limited Design and Victoria’s Secret Beauty.
Monica Keany serves on the Board of Trustees of the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) where she co-chairs the Development Committee and is a member of the Audit, Finance, Planning and Investment committees. She is also a Co-Chair of the HSS Pediatric Council, which is charged with raising critical support for the Hospital’s pediatric care, research, and endowment. Since 2011, she has been a Co-Chair of the Big Apple Circus Benefit, HSS’s annual pediatric fundraiser. Monica is also a member of the Board of Directors of Safe Horizon and a member of The Brooking Institution’s Metropolitan Leadership Council, which focuses on bi-partisan solutions to urban problems. Monica is active at her alma mater, The Chapin School, where she attended high school on full scholarship. She co-chairs Chapin’s Alumnae Development Committee. Monica spent twelve years at Morgan Stanley in the credit research area rising to Managing Director in the Fixed Income Division. Before retiring in 2010 to spend more time with her young sons, Monica served as the Co-Head of Morgan Stanley’s Credit Research Group. She focused her credit research on high yield and distressed situations in the automotive and general industrial industries. Before joining Morgan Stanley, Monica worked in the public sector for The City of New York. She served as a special assistant to First Deputy Mayor Peter J. Powers during the Giuliani Administration. Monica earned her MBA from Harvard Business School and her A.B. in Psychology from Harvard-Radcliffe. Originally from Jackson Heights, Queens, Monica currently resides in Manhattan with her husband Daniel Zwirn and their two young sons, James ’22 and Oscar ‘25.
Kerianne presently commits much of her time to organizations focused on disadvantaged and vulnerable populations. She currently serves on the board of RxArt (2008-present), the Art Advisory Board for the Coalition for the Homeless (2011present), the Women’s Leadership Committee for The Children’s Health Fund (2015-present) and the Playground Committee for Friends of Hudson River Park (2015-present). For two years, Kerianne ran the kitchen and back of house for Monday Night Hospitality, a feeding program at All Souls Church serving over 300 dinners every Monday to disadvantaged adults. In addition, she was a member of the Board of Directors for the Heart and Soul Charitable Fund for five years. On the for-profit corporate side, Kerianne has been on the Board of Directors of City Winery since 2009. This organization operates in New York, Chicago, Napa and Nashville, bringing together concerts, food and winemaking in urban settings. In her spare time, Kerianne enjoys collecting contemporary art, producing films, studying wine and managing her family’s current personal construction projects. She lives in Tribeca with her husband Jim and son Declan ’24.
Anu Poole
Alex Klabin is Managing Partner and Co-Chief Investment Officer at Senator Investment Group LP, a New York-based registered investment adviser that pursues credit and equity investments in both public and private securities and manages approximately $9 billion in assets. Prior to co-founding Senator, Alex spent five years at York Capital Management, a global multi-strategy investment firm, where he focused on private equity, value equity, distressed debt, and special situation investments. Prior to joining York, he was a distressed debt research analyst at Quadrangle Debt Recovery Advisors (now Monarch Alternative Capital) and also worked as a private equity professional at Quadrangle Group, a private investment firm focused on media and communications companies. Alex began his career as an investment banker in the M&A department at Goldman, Sachs & Co.
Anu is a Prosthodontist specializing in restorative and implant dentistry. She received her B.A in Psychology from Indiana University and B.S. in Biology from New York University. After completing a doctorate in dental surgery from NYU College of Dentistry, she completed a general practice residency at the Westchester Medical Center, NY. After holding the chief resident position in general dentistry during her fellowship at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, she went on to complete three years of fellowship training in Prosthodontics. Anu was made chief resident of the Prosthodontics program at MMC/AECM and went on to be published in the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. She has lectured nationally on Maxillofacial Prosthetics and was rewarded 1st Place at the American College of Prosthodontists national meeting in Orlando, FL. Anu served as a clinical assistant professor within the International Prosthodontics program at New York University College of Dentistry in addition to maintaining a private practice in New York City. She recently retired as a managing partner at Schweitzer and Poole, LLC and is now the President of The Echo Street Foundation, where she is a member of the Board of Directors.
Alex is a member of the Leadership Council of The Robin Hood Foundation, New York's largest poverty-fighting organization, and a member of the Board and Chair of the Development Committee of Year Up New York, a non-profit organization that provides job skills training and career support to urban young adults. Alex and his wife Kristen are active in a wide range of philanthropic and community activities, both individually and through The Senator Foundation. Alex received a B.A. in English Literature from Princeton University. He grew up in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and now resides in New York City, where he is bravely raising his two sons, Andrew ‘22 and Graham ’24 to be Boston sports fans.
Anu currently resides in New York City with her husband Gregory Poole and their three young sons, Brayden ‘24, James ’25 and Shiva.
Winter 2015
Alex Klabin
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Welcome
WELCOME NEW SIBLINGS & LEGACIES
Beau ’25 and Nathaniel ’23 Bisceglie
Matthew ’25 and Ethan ’23 Chung
Henri ’25 and Leo’23 Fiszel
Henry ’25 and Xander ’23 Goodman
Joshua ’21 and Jackson ’25 Hong
Sebastian ’23 and Alexander’21 Irausquin-Petit
Walker ’25 and Holden ’19 Lipton
Philip ’23, David ’25 and Jeremy ’21 Negrin
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Blake ’25 and Paul Aston ’80
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Lukas ’25 and Nikolas ’22 Rizos
Rocco ’23 and Zac ’20 Romeo
Winter 2015
Brayden ’24 and James ’25 Poole
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Daya ’23, Ajai ’22 and Seva ’25 Singh
Logan ’25 and Donovan Spamer ’91
Wilson ’24 and Edward ’25 Stavros
Alexander’25 and Andrew ’22 van Dyke
Oliver ’22 and Henry ’25 Willis
James ’22 and Oscar ’25 Zwirn
Welcome America. He also loves working in the hospitality field. He lived in Ohio before moving to New York City. He is a good soccer player and loves being able to practice when time allows.
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W E L C O M E N E W F A C U L T Y A N D S TA F F
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Lariba Aguri is joining the Allen-
Katherine Callahan joins Allen-
Stevenson Business Office as the Staff Accountant. She has worked as a collection specialist for the past seven years and is currently working towards her MBA at Montclair State University. Lariba is originally from Ghana, West Africa, and migrated to the United States in 2000 to attend college. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from East Carolina University. Lariba likes to travel, cook, and enjoy the company of her family and friends.
Stevenson as a Third Grade Associate Teacher. Katherine’s most recent teaching experience was as a Lower School Associate Teacher at The Brearley School in New York City, where she was the recipient of the Margaret Riker Harding Lower School Fellowship Award. Prior to coming to New York, she did her student teaching at several elementary schools in Baltimore and Parkville, M.D. Katherine has a B.A. in Elementary Education from Loyola University in Maryland, and is studying for her M.A. in Literacy from Columbia University Teachers College in NYC. Katherine enjoys spending time with her family, especially her nieces and nephews. She loves to be outside in the fresh air and ski in Vermont.
has most recently served as the Database Manager/Registrar at Avenues: The World School, in New York City. Before coming to Avenues, Sharon was the Senior Implementation Coordinator/ Consultant at Senior Systems, the database service used by AllenStevenson. Sharon holds an A.A. in Human Services from Lasell College, in Auburndale, MA. Outside of work, Sharon likes to spend time with family and friends, and enjoys riding horses, dancing and daily workouts.
worked for Nelson Air and Device Corporation as an HVAC Mechanic. Cordell has maintained and serviced the Allen-Stevenson School’s HVAC equipment for the past 8 plus years and now is officially a member of the School’s Maintenance Department, as of November 2014. HVAC, in case you were wondering, stands for Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning. Cordell spends most of his free time with his wife and three beautiful princesses.
JoAnn Corsillo is the new Controller at The Allen-Stevenson School. Most recently, JoAnn was the Director of Finance at Preston High School in the Bronx. JoAnn received her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Fordham University. She is the proud mom of four grown sons and loves spending time with the newest member of the family, her grandson Nicholas.
Vivien Gordon joins Allen-
Jill Bordenick comes to AllenStevenson as a Second Grade Teacher with over thirty years of both administrative and teaching experience. She has served as Department Chair in Special Education, and Principal, Assistant Principal, and Special Education Teacher at various schools in Maryland, during which time she was nominated for Teacher of the Year. Among her professional affiliations, Jill has served as the President of the Association of Elementary School Principals. Jill graduated from the University of Maryland with a B.S. in Elementary and Special Education and received an M.E. in Special Education from Loyola College in Baltimore, MD.
Cordell Dubois previously
Sharon Coburn joins AllenStevenson as the new Database Manager and Registrar. She has worked over 25 years in the field of education. The first 15 years were in higher education in both Admissions and Technology, during which she was responsible for implementing the college’s first integrated student information system (SIS). Sharon
Yaya Diack is the new employee in Food Service. He was born in Nigeria, but his family moved shortly thereafter to Mauritania in western North Africa. He studied philosophy and speaks Fulani, French, Arabic and English. His dream is to attend college in
Stevenson as a Kindergarten Associate Teacher. Ms. Gordon has been a teacher at Central Synagogue Nursery School in New York City for the last 28 years, teaching the 2 ½ to 3 year olds throughout her career there. Vivien has a Bachelor of Business Education from Pace University in New York City and an M.S. in Education from Bank Street College Graduate School of Education also in New York City. In her spare time, Vivien helps run the Kenny Gordon Foundation, a charitable organization which honors the memory of her son, Kenny. Vivien and her husband Sonny are lifelong New Yorkers and love spending time in LA with their grandchildren.
Camilla Iturralde joins AllenStevenson as a Spanish Teacher. For the last several years, Ms. Iturralde has been teaching Spanish to high school students at the William Penn High School in New Castle, Delaware, and to Middle School students in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. During her time in college, Camilla studied abroad in Cusco, Peru, while volunteering at Madre Teresa and Clinica San Juan de Dios, rehabilitation centers for children. Camilla holds a B.A. in Spanish from Rutgers and a M.Ed. in Language Education from the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in New Brunswick, NJ. She completed her student teaching in Spanish and English as a Second Language to Middle School students in Perth Amboy. Outside of school she enjoys cooking, playing tennis, and being with her family and friends.
Erin Kehoe comes to AllenStevenson as a Learning Resource Specialist. Ms. Kehoe’s recent teaching experience includes teaching the fundamentals of reading and writing to 6th and 7th graders at the York Preparatory School in NYC, as well as serving as the Middle and Upper School Learning Specialist there. Before coming to New York, Ms. Kehoe was a reading specialist
Montessori School in New York City. Earlier in her career, she served as a teaching assistant and instructor in various subjects. Kate has a B.A. in History and French from the University of Richmond, Richmond, VA; an M.A. in Modern European Intellectual History from Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, and is completing a Master of Library and Information Science program at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ. She enjoys hiking, running, traveling, solving crossword puzzles, and spending time with her husband and their two sons. Most of all, she welcomes the boys and their parents in the library.
Anne Rawley joins AllenStevenson as an English and Writing Teacher. For the last several years, Anne has taught English to students from 7th to 12th grades at the Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia, PA; the Piedmont High School in Piedmont, CA; and the High School for Leadership and Public Service in New York City. Anne holds a B.A. in English Literature from Michigan University, East Lansing, MI, and a M.Ed. in Language, Literacy and Specialized Instruction from DePaul University in Chicago.
Kate Reid, who interned at Allen-Stevenson this past spring, is now Circulation Manager in the library. Kate’s prior work with libraries includes working at the libraries and book fairs of St. Bernard’s School and West Side
Ashley Train joins Allen-Stevenson as a Kindergarten Associate Teacher. For the last several years, Ashley has taught children ages 4-5 at Kane Street Kids in Brooklyn, NY. Earlier related experience includes supervising preschool age children with the Randolph Parks and Recreation in New Jersey. Ashley holds a B.A. in English from Hunter College in New York City and is a Master of Early Childhood Special Education Candidate 2016 at Hunter College. In her free time, Ashley loves to cook and travel.
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at the Rhodes School in River Grove, IL, and a classroom teacher of 9th grade world history at the De La Salle Institute in Chicago. Erin received a B.A. in Social Sciences Education at Illinois State University in Normal, IL, and a M.Ed. in Literacy and Specialized Instruction-Reading and Learning Disabilities from DePaul University in Chicago, IL. Erin enjoys hiking, yoga, and reading middle grades novels.
Erika Smith joins Allen-Stevenson as a Fifth Grade Teacher. She has ten years of experience in education, having taught 3rd, 4th and 5th grades in several schools in Florida during that time. She has been rated as a "Highly Effective Teacher" each year. One of her favorite projects is publishing novels with her students and she is excited to bring this to Allen-Stevenson this year. Erika received a B.A. in Elementary Education from the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, FL, and a Master of Instructional Leadership from Saint Leo University in Tampa, FL. She and her husband spend weekends exploring New York to become better acquainted with their new home.
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Marissa Zelmanowicz joins Allen-Stevenson as Technical Support Specialist and Help Desk Manager. Marissa’s past experience includes working as a technology specialist and computer repair technician at King Low Heywood-Thomas Private School in Stamford, CT., and a Genius at Apple, where she was a member of a 5-person Genius team that was awarded a company-wide award for outstanding customer service, ranking number 1 out of 330 stores. She received her B.S. in Informatics with a minor in cyber security from Indiana University. Most recently Marissa was a Mac Support Specialist at Yeshiva University. She is currently working towards a Masters in childhood education/special education at LIU-Hudson. Outside of school, Marissa likes to travel, read, watch hockey (go NY Rangers!), and spend time with family, friends and her dog, Bauer.
Features
We often speak about helping
Allen-Stevenson
boys become lifelong
learners, and inspiring a curiosity that challenges boys to ask why or research more is certainly a core tenant of an Allen-Stevenson education. We strive to create a learning environment where boys and faculty feel safe trying, failing, trying again, maybe failing again or possibly succeeding. It’s a balance that is similar to Enlightened Traditional—another one of our core tenants. How do you honor the past— our traditions—while recognizing the need to stay current and modern? On the next several pages of the Lamplighter, we have highlighted several examples.
Lamplighter
L E A R N I N G T O B E D I G I TA L LY S M A R T Interview by Casper Caldarola, Director of Communications
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This past summer, we received a huge delivery of 115 MacBook Airs to the School’s library. The 1:1 Laptop Program was officially launched. Each boy in grades 5 through 9 received a laptop at the start of school and participated in “boot camp” to learn the ins and outs of the A-S 1:1 Program. The impact of this endeavor is far reaching both for teaching and learning at AllenStevenson. A key goal is to develop in Allen-Stevenson boys the habits of smart digital citizens. With enormous responsibility comes tremendous opportunity for the boys. I sat down with Winnie Barnes, Director of Strategic & Learning Initiatives, and Sarah Kresberg, Library Director, who worked closely with a team of many to launch the 1:1 Laptop Program and create our Digital Fluency curricula. CC: Winnie, what is Allen-Stevenson hoping to achieve with the launch of the 1:1 Laptop Program? WB: The objective of this program is to support our curriculum and help boys employ technology safely, ethically, and intelligently. We have always had technology in our classrooms, but the 1:1 Program will allow our teachers to make more efficient use of digital learning tools to collaborate more effectively, individualize learning for boys, and reach beyond our classrooms to learn from the outside world. CC: What do you think will be the greatest benefit of this program? WB: Many of our boys have at their fingertips technological tools and resources at home they use for social interaction, various forms of entertainment, and homework. Our role is to teach the boys how to use technology to be better organized, to work through personal ideas and projects, and to learn on their own when faced with a question or problem. CC: How will this program help them to achieve this? WB: It is our contention that with steady, consistent access to technological resources and the education to go with it, we can help change a boy’s learning culture in school and that these skills will influence his behavior outside of school and into the future. CC: What behavioral expectations have been put in place to help the boys become good digital citizens? WB: Sarah Kresberg and the Digital Fluency team developed the Allen-Stevenson Digital Citizenship Code, which was shared with each parent and boy during the multiple laptop orientations that took place at the beginning of the school year. Each boy has agreed to live by this code and signed an agreement to that effect.
Kindergarten Computer Class
The School embeds basic digital citizenship into all of our work with the boys, both through modeling and teaching the following code: 1. Take excellent care of digital equipment 2. Use digital resources to grow as a learner; organize workload, connect and share insights with others and develop as a global citizen 3. Use high quality, relevant sources of information 4. Give credit to all sources of information 5. Establish permission to use online images, music and video and provide written attribution 6. Keep online interactions positive 7. Manage his online identity and respect the privacy of others 8. Self-monitor digital use to remain productive and maintain a well-balanced lifestyle CC: The boys seem to be embracing the 1:1 Laptop Program. How receptive was the faculty when it was introduced? How have you educated and supported them? WB: The fact is that our faculty has been using technology in the classroom for some time and using it very effectively. The new 1:1 Program in grades 5 through 9 has made doing so even easier by eliminating the inefficiencies of opening and unloading laptop carts at the start of class and re-loading at the end of class. All told, classes can gain almost 15 minutes of “teaching time” by having boys’ laptops at their fingertips. We have also been able to make the functioning of the laptops more efficient by having a single user per computer. This saves time when logging on and accessing software applications. Beyond the efficiencies in time, our faculty can design more creative and differentiated assignments using laptops—whether that be collaborative student projects, more engaging and interactive discussions, or simply the ability to reach out and find answers to student queries— we are just beginning to capitalize on the 1:1 Program. We spent time with our faculty during our June professional days and in August during our pre-service days to provide instruction and tools for managing student laptops in the classroom. We agreed that perhaps the most important lesson for a 1:1 Program is that there is no need for laptops to be in use every minute of class. All teachers agreed that rule #1 in the classroom is that when class starts, laptops are closed. There are many things that we have always done well that do not include technology. There is no need for that to change. CC: How do we define digital fluency at Allen-Stevenson and how has it been introduced to the boys? SK: A number of things are covered under the umbrella term ‘digital fluency’. First of all, digital citizenship is a key component. We teach our boys to behave ethically and stay safe online. Beyond that, though, digital fluency is about learning a variety of programs, understanding the laptop’s operating system and customizing preferences, touch typing, and finding, analyzing and giving credit to information sources. The process starts in Kindergarten when boys learn about the different parts of the computer and understand that a computer is not only for fun but a tool for learning and gaining new information. Throughout the three divisions, certain aspects of digital fluency have always been taught in the context of research projects and this important work will continue. Other aspects of digital fluency need dedicated teaching time, and this now happens either in the homeroom for the younger boys or in a dedicated digital fluency class for many of the older boys. Several technology, library and study skills teachers are involved in developing and teaching the curriculum. It is important that all teachers keep up to speed too, so we offer mini-workshops. For example we recently led faculty sessions on how to find images that are licensed for re-use and how to cite sources using an online citation tool. CC: What are some specific grade level examples of Digital Fluency skills being taught in the context of research projects? SK: In the Fifth Grade last year we developed a number of skills during their project about Ancient Rome. We taught the boys how to search Google effectively and how to choose websites that were both authoritative and which addressed the research questions they had developed. This is actually a skill that we are continually reinforcing from the Fifth Grade onwards. In a new
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Fifth Grade’s Ancient Rome Project
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twist, the boys had to find resources not for themselves, but for another research team, which they shared by posting and annotating them on a shared Pinterest account. At times, boys rejected the resources found for them as insufficient, sending the search team back to the drawing board and keeping the quality of the sources high. After the boys had taken notes they were given mini lessons on a number of applications and were able to choose between creating a Ken Burns style documentary using iMovie, a song or rap using Garage Band, a TED Talk style speech using PowerPoint or a Digital Poster using Pages.
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CC: How does this curriculum grow with the boys as they move into Upper School?
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SK: The seventh grade American History project for the Urbanization unit combined the old with the new. The students did research about various New York City landmarks and institutions to understand their historical and current significance. As part of the project, they used NoodleTools for electronic note taking and bibliography creation, they learned the value of primary sources, as well as why it is important to use “copyright friendly” images, how to find them, and make sure they “tell a story” to the reader. The students also learned media literacy skills, such as how to write clear headlines, persuasive editorials, and effective Twitter posts. The students then showcased these skills using electronic templates for their newspaper editorials and Twitter posts. CC: Realizing the 1:1 Program is for middle and upper school boys, how are you preparing the boys in Lower School? WB: The Lower School has always, and continues to have, a robust technology curriculum where we teach appropriate information technology skills from keyboarding to research. Beyond these scheduled classes, laptops and iPads are often in use for lessons and collaborative projects enhancing the current curriculum. Lower school boys explore programming through Scratch and Microworlds Jr. With technology ubiquitous in children’s lives, we are thoughtful and selective in how our younger boys use technology in their learning. CC: How will Allen-Stevenson measure the success of this program? WB: Success can be measured many ways, and we will look at various factors in determining the impact of the program. In fact, we are already evaluating the effectiveness of the “boot camp” program with feedback from students and faculty. We will be looking at both anecdotal and empirical measures of success. From student and faculty surveys of how laptops are being used to evaluating the number, frequency and cost of repairs, we will look at the value of the program regularly. We will also be evaluating the progress of boy’s skills. For instance: • Ultra Key, our typing program • Microsoft Word and Google Presentations • Safe Internet behavior The citizenship piece is harder to measure. Last year we ran a pilot Digital Fluency class in the Sixth Grade. As part of that we engaged in many fascinating discussions such as whether a person should be allowed to post a picture if one of the people in the picture is unaware (or perhaps unhappy) that it is online. Often there are no right answers but the boys very clearly needed to consider and express their opinions, as well develop an understanding and respect for contradictory views. They also appreciated the chance to have the complex and ever changing online world demystified a little bit. We will continue to engage in dialogue as we explore what it takes to live a healthy and balanced life in the digital age.
Seventh Grade’s Urbanization Project in American History
E U R E K A M O M E N T S : T H E A RT I N S T E A M By Robert McCallum, Ph.D., Computer Art Teacher Innovation in education remains tightly coupled with Science, Technology, Engineering and Math – what have come to be known as the STEM subjects. Just as science and technology transformed the economy in the last century it seems that Art and Design is poised to transform our economy in the 21st century. Teachers in the art department are excited with the inclusion of the +a in STE[A]M which now integrates art and design with STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). This means we’ve broadened our curriculum to address issues in a rapidly changing world through art and design. It is important that all of us, as teachers, educate well-rounded global citizens who have the imagination and skills to conquer new challenges. STEAM works with art and design as a catalyst for fostering knowledge, skills and dispositions with a focus on personal and collective creative exploration and expression.
The new National Art and Media Standards for K-12 emphasizes the following processes. We see many intersections between these processes and the other STEM disciplines: •Investigate/Plan/Make •Synthesize •Interpret •Reflect/Refine/Continue •Relate •Select •Analyze •Share •Perceive The art and design process is therefore a natural meeting space where the science, technology, engineering and math component of the projects can all come together.
Robert McCallum’s Middle School Class
Art Department in Action The art room and woodshop at certain times of the day are transformed as we continue to include new technologies and processes into the various projects. As a teacher I have been on a strong learning curve as much as the boys have, a process where we learn, discover and innovate together. For example, in third grade woodshop, the boys focus on the making of cranes, designing and constructing swivel and pulley systems. The challenge is for the crane to be able to pick up a 2lb weight at the completion of their
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STEAM is inter-disciplinary in nature and uses a project, inquiry-based approach to thinking, problem solving, and creating. Themes and open-ended solutions are critical to how the curriculum is organized. Emphasis is placed on the creative process involved in tinkering and experimenting with ideas, i.e. inventing to learn rather than learning to invent. Art & design in— STEAM—is often about addressing real world problems, such as energy, climate change, poverty, as well as the ability to envision and imagine different realities in service of humankind and the planet. It’s also about the role of aesthetics and how artists and designers incorporate technology, engineering and science into their process and productions of art making (www.steaminaction.com).
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project. Last year we incorporated mechanical engineering in more detail to include hydraulics using syringes and tubes to lift the boom of the crane. In fourth grade woodshop we explore electrical engineering concepts by using sensors and lights in the making of pinball machines. Not all projects are successful straight away. There is a lot of collective thinking and collaboration amongst the boys on how to solve particular problems. Failure is not discouraged but seen as an opportunity to work through a process and find a solution. Many of these concepts and ideas the boys have been introduced to are part of the science curriculum. In woodshop we take these ideas and try to apply them to real world situations. In the fifth grade STEAM projects, focusing on climate change and waterside homes, art and design plays an important part in getting the boys to think about design processes, functionality and aesthetics.
Lamplighter
Other Middle and Upper School Electives have the boys exploring and working in software programs such as Sketch-up and Tinkercad. These programs are used to create engineering and design components to bring their ideas to life, as planning documents and 3D forms via the 3D printers. As they become more proficient using the program tools, emphasis is placed on the aesthetics and functionality of what they create culminating in engineering components that can be used in game controllers, car designs and mechanical and robotic drawing machines.
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Math and engineering concepts are important areas of knowledge for the boys, to enable them to create designs that can function properly after they have been created with a 3D printer. All of these technologies require understanding of the capabilities and constraints of particular software and the boys enthusiastically take on the challenge. Each of the STEAM disciplines can provide opportunities for these kinds of learning activities. What the arts and design bring to the table is that shared space where science, technology, engineering, art and math can all come together. Where boys have the space to innovate, take risks, make mistakes and problem solve. We are all learning together and it is exciting to witness regular “eureka” moments in the processes of these discoveries.
R E - E N V I S I O N I N G AT H L E T I C S By Rich Alifano Director of Athletics and Physical Education Change is the only constant. That most certainly is the case with our Physical Education and Athletics program at Allen-Stevenson. I have been the Director of Athletics and Physical Education for the past twenty-five years. These are my reflections, my memories, of a boys’ school that has seamlessly and successfully navigated the ever changing enlightened traditional approach to athletics. I stepped into the lobby of The Allen-Stevenson School, ready to start the 1990-1991 school year. Entering the school I was met by our receptionist, Jane Klein, her smile and warmth was a great start to any day. At this time, the lobby was perhaps 15’ x 15’ with stairs leading down to the gym and cafeteria. It was there that I ran the P.E. and Athletics Program with Merrill Hughes. We taught physical education to 320 boys in our 45’ x 24’ gymnasium. Since physical education classes often occurred
Multi-purpose Gym, Theatre and Lunch Room
during lunch hours, it was not unusual to see several of our lower school boys peeking into the gym to catch a glimpse of the P.E. class that was being taught. Keeping guard over that area and preventing food from entering onto the court became an acquired and necessary skill. Our Basketball Program in the incredibly small sized gym was the epitome of a home court advantage. However, it also prevented us from teaching many of the skills and strategies associated with the game. The wrestlers used the bigger section of the lunchroom, 30’ x 15’, for their daily practices. This required our coach and our players to be very creative in their training methods. The size of the space with its walls and columns made the balance of safety and skill development a daily challenge.
Coaches have learned to adapt drills and structure practice so that every boy receives an adequate amount of basketball activity. However, once again we find ourselves limiting what can be taught due to court size and participant numbers. With larger facilities we could teach boys in smaller groups for longer periods of time. There would be more individual instruction and greater lengths of time would be spent on offensive and defensive strategies. Coaches could dig deeper into the nuances of their sport and thus better prepare our boys for competition. This type of instruction will lead to greater success for individual players and teams alike. Our Wrestling Program has moved into a larger space in the Dining Room, but, as with basketball, the interest in wrestling has peaked and our numbers have grown substantially. Coaches break down the tables and chairs in order to accommodate over forty wrestlers in grades five through nine.
Current Gym Facilities
Young people learn a great deal from their participation in physical education and athletics. Lessons in sportsmanship, teamwork, competition and the ability to win and lose gracefully play an integral part in helping each student in our program. We believe athletic competition adds to school spirit and helps students, both spectators and participants, develop pride in their school. The athletics facility is the hub in which our boys realize these lessons and develop as student athletes. It is essential that our athletics facility evolve with program needs if we are to create the best learning environment for our boys.
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In 1993 we built our current gymnasium, measuring 79’ long and 50’ wide, all would change it seemed, and it did. Our Basketball Program grew in numbers and soon we were faced with forty-four middle school boys playing basketball during the same practice hour, and, thirty-eight upper school boys practicing in a two-hour block. Our new gym felt small very quickly
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T H E P L AY ’ S T H E T H I N G . . . T H AT C A U S E S M U C H A G I TA . By Stacy Donovan A-S Theatre Director In recent years, more and more stories are coming to light about plays being cancelled at the eleventh hour due to some fear that the show might offend its audience in some way. This is not only happening in middle schools and high schools, but in colleges and even professional theatre organizations all over the United States.
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Here is an example of just some of the banned and challenged plays in the past decade according to the Educational Theatre Association.
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Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You, by Christopher Durang. In November, 2008, Southeast Missouri State University offered ticket refunds to any audience members who were offended by the Durang play—and more significantly, pledged to review its policies on the selection of plays for season subscriptions—after a wealthy donor objected volubly that the satire “ridicule[d] and scorn[ed] the Christian religion.” Blithe Spirit, by Noel Coward, at South Walton High School in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. It was canceled by the county board of education after community complaints that the play might “encourage exploration of witchcraft and the occult” and undermine students’ commitments to monogamous relationships. And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie. Lakota East High School in suburban Cincinnati canceled a November 2007 production of the play on the basis of an NAACP complaint that the mystery had once had a racially insensitive title. (First called Ten Little Indians in the United States, the play was based on a novel that was published in England under a title that substituted a racial epithet for “Indians.”) Voices in Conflict, a piece adapted from the writings of American veterans of the Iraq War by students at Wilton (Connecticut) High School. A scheduled April 2007 performance was canceled by the school’s principal, who said the script did not present a “balanced view of the war.” Godspell, by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak. “A breach of church-state separation,” said the same administrators. The two teachers involved in the drama program at East Guernsey’s Buckeye Trail High School resigned their unpaid positions as drama club advisors. And just this September, as reported in the New York Times by Lawrence Downes, “The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players, a small company dedicated to keeping those warhorse Victorian operettas alive and kicking, has just canceled its winter production of The Mikado.” The concerns were about racism and stereotyping. Racism, separation of church and state, balanced view of the war, religion, monogamous relationships, the occult . . . What do we do? Mr. Downes would like the Gilbert & Sullivan Players to “. . . use this setback to come up with a fresh and interesting – and brave and thought-provoking – take on what can too often be a tired old show.” There is only one
Diana Avril as the Mikado in 2003
Andre Duncan as the Mikado in 2013
problem with this idea; changing someone’s art is categorically wrong. Are you going to go into The Met with your finger paints because a work of art offends you? I think not. This is not like putting Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest in the Deep South pre-Civil War. This is not like setting Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet in the 19th century. This would be changing the setting, the character names, the dialogue and the entire intent of the theatre piece. We must not do this any more than it would be right to change our history books so that we get to use rose colored glasses to come up with a “fresh and interesting take” on our history. Our art is representative of our history, good and bad, moral and immoral, pride and shame. Alas, what is the answer? First and foremost, we must recognize that all art generally, and theatre specifically, is likely to offend, shock or challenge someone in its audience. In a perfect world, of course, we would not set out to offend, make fun of or hurt anyone; however, even with the best of intentions this is just unrealistic. Each audience member walks into the theatre with his or her own unique experiences, their own “baggage”, and trying to create something that is not going to challenge anyone is not only impossible, but it would result in incredibly uninteresting theatre. You would have a canon made up of saccharin mundane plays along the lines of Lifetime movies, and you would pretty much have to eliminate the entire genre of comedy all together, for all comedy makes fun of something, of someone. Good theatre provokes. Good theatre does not provide answers. Good theatre asks questions, and some of the most interesting questions are likely to provoke, upset or even offend at least part of an audience. So, there is no answer? No. At least not a universal one. Each middle and secondary school, each university, each arts organization must weigh the value of the provocation with the intended audience and their mission. Take for example, the mission statement of the above noted Gilbert & Sullivan organization, which reads, “New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players is a professional repertory company giving vitality to the living legacy of Gilbert & Sullivan through performance and education.” They are dedicated to a living legacy of the operettas and to education about the work of Gilbert & Sullivan. Easy. Do not rewrite The Mikado, which would be disrespectful to
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the artists. Educate your audience on the original intent of the piece, which was, in fact, to poke fun at the British who thought appreciating all things Japanese made one more cultured and refined, and then go on to educate about why it is simply no longer a viable work. In the end, this would be a real education and nothing is lost because there are so many other splendidly silly G & S shows that do withstand the test of time.
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Speaking from an educational perspective, as we select the plays for our students, we must consider our capacity to teach the entire world of the play chosen and our students’ ability to have ownership of the theatre they are creating. This means that we must look at the age group involved and what they are capable of understanding; hence, we do not do Shakespeare in the third grade, we do it with eighth and ninth graders. We also must consider our audience community, what will create an interesting season for our adults, and what will encourage young people who do not want to be on the stage to become patrons of the theatre throughout their lives. In addition, we must be keenly aware of our ever changing society, and in doing that we must be ready to make changes, even those changes that might fly in the face of tradition, in order to give our students the best theatre education that we can. This will sometimes mean that plays done in the past are no longer appropriate and may never be appropriate again. The good news is that whatever is lost to time and societal change will be replaced with new work. As Tom Stoppard reminds us in Arcadia, “The procession is very long and life is very short. We die on the march. But there is nothing outside the march so nothing can be lost to it. The missing plays of Sophocles will turn up piece by piece, or be written again in another language.” It is our job as theatre educators to find the other language as old languages lose their meaning, and if we are wise and do our job well, we will find that new theatrical language in our time creating theatre with our students.
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REDEFINING MASCULINITY By Christopher Persley ’88 I had a moment a few months ago when I thought of my grandmother, who passed away only months before Camilla's birth. This brought tears to my eyes. It made me think about the type of man I want to be for my daughter. As a father of a four year old, I can often impress my daughter with feats of physical strength. However, I want my daughter to be more impressed and inspired by my inner strength. I don't want to hold back my emotions. I want to be sensitive. I want to be thoughtful and concerned. I want her to know that it is not only OK for her father to cry when the moment hits him, but that is OK for any man to do so. I don't subscribe to many stereotypes, so it should not come as a surprise to hear me say that I don't believe in that old one that men should not cry. I truly believe that crying does not define masculinity. I chose to define it broadly. Besides, many of us think of male professional athletes as the epitome of masculinity. Yet, we don't question for a moment when they cry after winning a championship. One of the lasting images of Michael Jordan is that of him holding the Larry O'Brien Trophy crying while thinking about the loss of his father. Can that be a lasting image of masculinity as well? I know it is unrealistic to think that everyone will buy into this. A man can define manhood any way he deems fit. But I would hope that we wouldn’t hold it against someone who is comfortable enough to let the tears flow. All I know is that I am comfortable saying I want my daughter to see me cry. However, not all men share that level of comfort. I recently attended a screening of the documentary, The Mask You Live In. The film focuses on masculinity and how our often-limited view of it can impact the lives of boys and men. It is a truly powerful film, one that is relevant for all. There is much to take away from The Mask You
Christopher Persley is an at-home father living in New York City with his wife and 4-year-old daughter. He is a fatherhood advocate, diversity and inclusion practitioner, and writer. Christopher is also Co-Organizer of NYC Dads Group, which is a diverse community of more than 1,300 fathers in and around the New York City area that gives dads an opportunity to socialize and support each other. Christopher writes the blog,The Brown Gothamite. He has appeared on Good Morning America, MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry, Mic.com's Flip The Script, The Root Live, CBS News, NY1, Life of Dad After Show, Modern Dads Podcast, Father Nation, and The Broad Experience.You can follow him on Twitter at @browngothamite. Christopher worked nearly two decades as an educator and school administrator, earning a masters degree in Private School Leadership through the Klingenstein Center at Teachers College, Columbia University.
This film reminded me that for the most part, I am lucky. I wasn't bullied. I was allowed to create my own definition of masculinity. I had men in my life that were quite respectful, cared about me, and didn't question my manhood. Perhaps it was because I represented the masculine stereotype: straight, athletic, virile. What is interesting is how my mother, who raised me by herself, had to endure ridicule about me. When I was young, I enjoyed going to playgrounds, but was not really interested in sports. This was perceived by some of the men my mother knew as a sign that I might be gay. Although my mother was not concerned about whether or not I was gay, what did anger her was the mentality that a woman could not raise a boy without a father. My mother was determined to prove them wrong. As I entered Allen-Stevenson as a 7th grader, my mother and grandmother both had to deal with questions about why I was attending an all-boys school. "Aren't you afraid of Christopher becoming gay?" "No, I'm not," replied my mother. Instead of justifying behavior by constantly saying "boys being boys," we should develop good, thoughtful human beings — boys and men who value life and their actions. Men who look at how a woman is dressed not as an invitation and would not take advantage of someone intoxicated. Men who can play sports effectively and proudly and not be called out when they incur an injury. Men who are not afraid to show affection and emotion. Men who are happy to redefine the current definition of masculinity. There's a section of The Mask You Live In where some teens discuss, "If you really knew me. . ." It's because so many of us wear masks to hide who we are and how we really feel. The tough question to consider is what can we do to help people be themselves. Because, as the film reminds us, everyone deserves to feel whole.
Winter 2015
Christopher Persley ’88 along with his daughter, Camilla
Live In. What hit home for me was the data the film shared. Not all of it was entirely shocking, but all of it provided potent reminders that our behavior can far too often be problematic, especially when we are perpetuating stereotypes. In addition, the words of former NFL player Joe Ehrmann will stay with me. He feels that "be a man" is one of the most destructive phrases a male can hear. As men, we are often asked to "man up" or "be a man" because of a stale, limited view of masculinity. The film shared stories about males who had to deal with consistent bullying in school just because they didn't represent the stereotype of manhood. We were reminded that 25 percent of boys are bullied. What is more shocking is that only 30 percent of the boys are willing to share this fact with parents. This is because they do not want to be perceived as weak. Unfortunately, this can sometimes lead to the most depressing fact shared by the film. Every single day, three or more boys commit suicide. I left the theater wondering am I doing enough to prevent this and what am I doing to prepare my daughter for a world where so many men feel the need to perpetuate these antiquated stereotypes. When you hear that every nine seconds a woman is sexually assaulted, it's difficult not to be concerned.
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Features
HOW DO I EXPERIENCE CLASS AND POLITICS? Henry Schulz ’15 Sophomore at Millbrook School
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New York is an incredibly diverse city. Growing up and experiencing different cultures has cultivated a perspective full of acceptance. I live on the Upper East Side, which is known as and still is a predominantly White neighborhood. Thankfully, my previous school’s driving principle was to strive to be welcoming of all cultures, races, and foreign customs. As a result, my grade was full of boys whose parents were immigrants, had a different sexual orientation, or were of a different religion such as Islam or Buddhism. Starting in Kindergarten and ending in Eighth Grade, the School instilled the embracing of difference among individuals at an early age. Every day for nine years, I witnessed myself and peers around me become gentlemen and positive citizens because of this fundamental concept. Another aspect of Allen-Stevenson that influenced the opinion that outsiders projected on the students was the dress code. It consisted of a solid blue or white shirt, a tie, khaki pants, dress shoes, and a belt.
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After school was over, I usually went to a local pizza place with my friend, William, who is African-American. I noticed that when people walked by us, they had a surprised look on their face because William was dressed in professional clothing. The ignorance of outsiders always startled me and I never mentioned it to him but the socio-political theme always resonated with me. From experiences like this, I thought of Allen-Stevenson as its own bubble of knowledge and understanding and the rest of the neighborhood as being comprised of philistines who had an ignorant view of the world around them. I also noticed one of many advantages that White males unfortunately have. When I walk into stores, shopkeepers treated me as a normal customer in the market for a product. When I walk into a store with a friend who is of another race, especially Black or Latino, the shopkeeper always had an eye on them and didn’t pay attention to me. From an early age this bothered me and I attributed the recognition to AllenStevenson. I’ve seen this social class struggle for most of my life and it has affected me to a point in which I want to change the mindset of outsiders or any person who sees prominent racial barriers in society. If a person from a homogenous area of the U.S saw the diversity of Allen-Stevenson, I think they would be startled. The community of the School is shocking to anyone who isn’t used to a culturally rich atmosphere. I am proud that I was a part of a school that strived to spread acceptance and love of all different types of human beings.
PA S P E A K E R S E R I E S E N C O U R A G E S L E A R N I N G TO G E T H E R Parents are often seeking ways to learn more about parenting. As the head of the Parents Association I wanted to be of help to our parents by bringing in experts who can provide not only new information and skills about parenting, but who would also encourage discussions around shared experiences on a specific topic. Direct interaction with a speaker is irreplaceable, in my eyes. To kick off our speaker series we were extremely fortunate to have Michael Moss, the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller “Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us,” share his findings with us in October. He led a large group of parents in a discussion about food in the U.S. and how it is damaging to our children. He talked about why there is an obesity epidemic in our country and how the food giants “create” our food just to trick our taste buds and our minds into wanting more and more of these foods that are so bad for us and our growing children. It was very eye opening and scary to hear.
Henry Schulz ‘15
The two other speakers for the year are scheduled already. I’m excited to have joining us, Ron Lieber, author of “The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous, and Smart About Money,” who will discuss teaching children the value of money at a young age, on February 29. His credo is “give, save, spend.” Then, on April 7, Deborah Roffman, author of “Talk to Me First,” will explain to parents her expertise when it comes to talking to kids about sex and sexuality. A topic I know with which we can all use a little help. Learning together and introducing new conversation topics will, I hope, foster a more supportive community, and one that comes together to do better for our children…one of my goals for the year. I hope to see many of you at our next two talks and look forward to sharing in these discussions with all of you. —Fredda Goldberg, PA President
Michael Moss
Ron Lieber
Deborah Roffman
Winter 2015
The PA Executive Committee: (left to right): Bethan Willis, Kim Hutfilz, Fredda Goldberg, Kate Krieger & Shilpa Gupta
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News
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Glenn Lieberman’s photographs are on exhibit in the following group shows: Northeastern Biennial Twenty Fifteen at the AFA Gallery in Scranton, PA (10/17–11/12), River and Biota at the Freyberger Gallery in Reading, PA, (9/10–10/22), Cecily and Friends at the Nutshell Arts Center in Lake Huntington, NY (10/3–11/14); and his series Broadway will be on display at the Atlantic Gallery in Chelsea, NYC from 11/3–11/28.
Melissa Trepeta-Terzulli, Kindergarten Learning Specialist, and her family welcomed Leo Michael, born at 5:38am, on October 20, 2015. He weighed in at 6lbs 12 oz. Big brother Tommy and big sister Alivia are in love!
Jennifer Phillips, Kindergarten Teacher, and her family welcomed Zoë Elena Phillips, on July 6, 2015, at 7:32pm, weighing 7lbs 14.5oz and 20 inches in length. Mark, Jennifer, Naomi, and Zoë Phillips, pictured here, say thank you to everyone for their prayers and well wishes! Former Fourth Grade Teacher, Haruka Mori, and her husband, Willie Menard, welcomed their son, Kellen Mori Menard, on July 27, 2015. He weighed 6 lbs 5 ozs and was 18.5” in tall.
Erica Pettis, Director of Annual Giving, married Jerome Wallace in her hometown of Hershey, Pennsylvania, on September 12, 2015.
Liz Storch, Upper School Librarian, spent a week this past summer attending the Cambridge Teacher Seminars at Cambridge University on a partial fellowship from the program. Among other things, she explored methods for teaching history in secondary schools.
Trumpet Teacher Thomas Verchot played in the Papal Festival Orchestra at Madison Square Garden in September for the mass held there by Pope Francis during his visit to New York City. He also played with the Orchestra of St. Ignatius Loyola in October on the Sacred Music in a Sacred Space series held at the church. The concert featured Bernstein's Chichester Psalms.
Mary Terry, Jennifer Vermont-Davis and David Trower
F A C U LT Y G R A N T S The Kellner Great Teacher Award was initiated by a gift from George and Bicky Kellner, parents of Peter ’84. It recognizes outstanding achievement by an Allenrecipients were: Mary Terry, Science Teacher and STEAM Coordinator, and Jennifer Vermont-Davis, Lower School Science and Reading Teacher.
“Receiving this award was a double delight for me! The honor of being selected from such a remarkable faculty as recipient of the Kellner Award was shocking and humbling. However, when my name was announced at Middle School Closing Exercises—a total surprise!—all of my fifth grade boys stood up and cheered. This was the thing that made it truly meaningful! That moment was extremely important to me as a teacher. The doubling of delight came in the next moment: finding that the prize also going to my long time friend, colleague and confidant, Jennifer Vermont-Davis. How right and perfect for the school to acknowledge her commitment and excellence! I could not be more grateful and happy.” —Mary Terry
Winter 2015
Stevenson teacher. The 2015
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“I am so deeply honored to have received The Kellner Great Teacher Award, and even more honored to share this with my wonderful and brilliant colleague, Mary Terry. I am filled with gratitude and wonder that I am able to be a part of this generous and supportive community we call Allen-Stevenson. We have so many great, passionate teachers in our A-S community from whom we are always learning and encouraging one another to ever bring our best selves, as we guide, instruct, inspire and encourage these wonderfully curious boys from K thru 9th Grade. What makes teaching, for me, so wonderful is that I not only love teaching science to these marvelous boys, but I also get to mentor and instruct them on how to continue to be such good, thoughtful, caring and responsible human beings; as they, in turn show me daily the generosity and life affirming capacity of the human spirit given the best of all available resources. Thank you for acknowledging my joy in being but a small part of this great enterprise we call A-S.” — Jennifer Vermont-Davis
The Riklis Grant, a professional opportunity from the Betty and Pinhas Riklis Faculty Fund, was established to provide faculty with a chance for pleasure, renewal or refreshment. Additional Faculty Professional Development Grants have been generously contributed by members of the Board of Trustees.
Phil Amplo Lisa Anderson Chris Brozyna Venesha Cashdollar Devin Correa-Spain Michael DeGennaro Stacy Donovan
Andre Duncan Pete Haarmann Frank Peduto Jennifer Phillips Glenn Rodriguez Ginny Rowe Adam Shecter
Kim Sklow Jaison Spain Stephen Warner Robert Wiseman Jenn Zimmermann
Closing Exercises
David Yazbek ’75
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F E AT U R E D S P E A K E R by Sarah Woods Associate Director of Communications
On Wednesday, June 10, the Upper School held its 2015 Closing Exercises.
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The featured speaker was David Yazbek ’75, who is a long-time cult favorite—a recording artist, vocalist and pianist known for his thrilling live performances and irreverent style. Over the course of his illustrious career, Mr. Yazbek has earned numerous awards. A three-time Tony Award nominee, his shows The Full Monty and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels have played in over 20 countries. Mr. Yazbek shared his thoughts and insights about his life, interactions with his A-S music teacher, Mr. Stanley Gauger, who introduced him to all kinds of music, theatre and opera at a young age. This along with performing in G&S productions at Allen-Stevenson gave Mr. Yazbek an appreciation for comic opera, which had a big influence on his life. Mr. Yazbek encouraged the boys to “stay open” to the present as well as to everything they do. “Keep an open heart, and connect deeply,” was his closing remark.
Also speaking at the ceremony were: Welcome and Closing Remarks by Neal Kamsler, Head of the Upper School; Remarks by Mark Greene, President of the Board of Trustees; Blessing by Headmaster David Trower h’95; and the Class of 2015 Farewell speech by Zende A. Sinclair ’15. Musical performances were featured throughout the ceremony and included: the chorus singing “Cross the Wide Missouri (Shenandoah/The Water is Wide),” by Don Besig & Nancy Price, accompanied by soloist James Gallea ’16 on the flute, and “The Gettysburg Address,” words by Abraham Lincoln and music by Mark Hayes; a French Horn trio, consisting of Benjamin Edelson ’16, Richard Hausman ’16 and Harrison Ringel ’16, playing “La Rejouissance,” from G.F. Handel’s Royal Fireworks Music; Kevin Won ’16, playing “Prelude,” by J.S. Bach from Cello Suite #1, on the cello; and violinist Trevor Jensen ’16, playing “Danse Espagnole from La Vida Breve,” by Manuel de Falla, transcribed by Fritz Kreisler.
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Awards were presented to the following boys during the morning: Desmond Cole Fortiter et Recte Award Charles E. Horman Award The Robby Zuckert Honor Athletic Award Alumni Medal
Harrison Ringel '16 Michael Gesse '15 Kai CedeĂąo '16 Dylan Mack '16 Ishmam Khan '15
Certificates were given to all of the graduating boys, and the Kellner Great Teacher Award was presented to two recipients this year: Mary Terry, MS Science Teacher, and Jennifer Vermont-Davis, LS Science Teacher.
Congratulations to all the graduating boys!
Benjamin Edelson ’16
Closing Exercises
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NINTH GRADE SPEECH Zende Sinclair ‘15
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It’s easy to say hello, but it’s harder to say goodbye. You don’t realize the truth behind the saying until you’ve lived through it yourself. (And) you don’t realize the value of the climb until you’ve reached the end of the journey. Although my time at Allen-Stevenson was short, it was a journey that I’m sure my fellow classmates and I will never forget. Well, I can say for sure that I will never forget it. I’ll never forget the scoldings because of multiple missed homework assignments, the “you can do betters” from poorly done projects and last but not least the wonderful break time sit in talks with Mr. Cohen about past due assignments. It’s easy to look back at times like those and laugh knowing you’ve reached the end, but it’s harder to look back at those times and learn from the mistakes you’ve made. I’ll be truthful, I was never an advocate for long nights or big exams, and my grades clearly reflected my feelings, however my time at Allen-Stevenson definitely did not go to waste. I learned a valuable lesson that some of my classmates may have already learned or most definitely will learn after they set forth to their new schools. “Your mistakes are meant to guide you, not define you.” I felt for a long time that there was no point in dwelling on failures or disappointments because whatever happened, happened. It’s all in the past and I can’t change who I am. But then you have to realize that the ideals and beliefs that you grow now are going to carry on with you for the rest of your life. As humans
we were born to make mistakes, because mistakes are shortcuts to progression and advancement. If we take what we’ve done wrong in the past and use it to amend our disappointments or failures, it not only helps us avoid making the mistake once more but also making the chances of success in the future much higher. So as we look back at our time at Allen-Stevenson, we can see our mistakes, not as faults but as opportunities of future success, prosperity and achievement. And as we look forwards, we can see our own paths that Allen-Stevenson has played a major role in developing for us to this day. (Now) This is only possible with the help and aid of people in our lives and in the school that guides us down a road of success and achievement. I think on the behalf of both graduating classes I can say that we never forget our friends, family and teachers that have been with us through it all. I don’t think I will ever forget Sawyer Burch, Danny Rosen and the other boys at my table who made it not only interesting, but entertaining, to be their table captain. I don’t think I will ever forget the heated 9th grade discussions that left us in chaos…I don’t think I will ever forget teachers that only want the best for you for wherever you take yourself in the future. The Upper School Staff, the Athletic Department, the Arts Department; (If I named everyone I would be up here forever), and those are just a few examples of the teachers who put up with us every day but somehow still come to school with a smile the next day. I don’t think any of us will take for granted the valuable experience that being a student at Allen-Stevenson has shown us. So as we take everything we’ve learned, we realize that it was easy to say hello, but now it’s harder to say goodbye. But then again, if you are brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello. Thank you.
Zende Sinclair ‘15
ONGOING SCHOOLS
We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the Classes of 2015 and 2016 as they take this next step in their academic careers. They are attending the following high schools, among others.
After celebrating with the class at the Back to 78th Street Party in June, we’ve learned that the graduates of the Class of 2012 are attending the following colleges, among others.
Andover Avenues Berkeley Carroll Blair Brooklyn Latin Browning Choate Collegiate Columbia Prep Dalton Dwight-Englewood Eaglebrook Elisabeth Irwin Fieldston Friends Seminary
Amherst College Colby College Connecticut College Dartmouth University Eckerd College Emory University George Washington University Georgetown University Hamilton College Johns Hopkins University MIT Oberlin College Pomona College Princeton University
Grace Church Horace Mann Hotchkiss LĂŠman Loyola Masters Packer Collegiate Polytechnic Prep Regis Repertory Comp. High School Riverdale Stuyvesant Trevor Day Trinity
If you are a member of these classes and have not updated the Alumni Office about where you are attending high school or college, please send us an email at alumni@allen-stevenson.org.
The University of Virginia Trinity College Tulane University University of Maryland University of Michigan University of Southern California University of Wisconsin Ursinus College Wake Forest University Washington and Lee University Yale University
Winter 2015
Allen-Stevenson students are always well served in the secondary school placement process. The goal of the process is to find the right match for every boy. Each boy should be looking for the school that will best serve his needs as he moves through high school, inspiring him to grow and develop into the best possible student and person.
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Closing Exercises
UPPER SCHOOL HONORS 2014-2015 Daughters of the American Revolution Edward Jagannath ’17
Society of Colonial Wars Thomas Triedman ’17
Mayflower Compact Award Alexander Ross ’17
History Award Kai Cedeño ’16 Trevor Jensen ’16
Frank Peduto with José Villamil ’16
Bradford A. Warner Shop Award Harry Roepers ’16
Francis Keally Art Award Sawyer Burch ’16 Simon Sankey ’16 Felix Schloendorff ’16
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Computer Art Award Felix Schloendorff ’16
Francis Keally Gilbert & Sullivan Award
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Fallou Babou ’15 with Jeffrey Herschenhous
Benjamin Edelson ’16 Matteo de Donato ’16 Jason Kreloff ’15 James Mahedy ’15 Harrison Ringel ’16
Nicholas Meister Armington Theater Prize Ishmam Khan ’15 Alexander Peterson ’15
Chorus Prize Harrison Ringel ’16
William L. Landis Drama Prize Matteo de Donato ’16
Stanley D. Gauger Music Prize Tara Parsons with Harry Roepers ’16
Neal Kamsler with James Mahedy ’15 and Fallou Babou ’15
Matteo de Donato ’16 Benjamin Edelson ’16 James Gallea ’16 Richard Hausman ’16 Trevor Jensen ’16 Isaac Parlin ’16 Harrison Ringel ’16 Harry Roepers ’16 Benjamin Turner ’16 Jose Villamil ’16 Kevin Won ’16
Coaches’ Award Jose Villamil ’16
Rookie Award Oliver Schlesinger ’17
Dance Award James Gallea ’16
Wellness Award Gabriel Dumont-Roldan ’16
Public Speaking Prize Jordan Hampton ’16
William A. Hanway Memorial Prize Isaac Parlin ’16
Tunney Creative Writing Award Michael Gesse ’15
Mary B. Helm Award Spanish: Matteo de Donato ’16 Benjamin Edelson ’16 Isaac Parlin ’16 Daniel Rosen ’16
Mathematics Prize Fallou Babou ’15 Richard Hausman ’16 Isaac Parlin ’16
Science Award Fallou Babou ’15
Greatest Improvement Award 7th Grade: Harris B. Dubin ’17 Aidan J. Wood ’17
8th Grade: Lowell R. Creel ’16
9th Grade: Allan F. Santana ‘15
Steve Cohen with Michael Gesse ’15
David A. Agbato, Vittorio C. Assaf, James W. Benacerraf, Jonathan Bernstein, Ethan T. Brous, James R. Burge, Alexander H. Chin, Steven M. Claffey, Caleb L. Dando-Haenisch, Conrad E. Dobbs, Reynaldo E. Figueredo, Jagger C. Fleissig, Gregory L. Galant, Jacob H. Greene, Frederico H. Gruson, Lawrence I. Heller, Ian B. Henderson, J. Ryder Henry, Edward D. Jagannath, Thomas L. Kagan, Zachary L. Kreloff, Noah S. Lascano, Matthew D. Lopez-Balboa, Matteo D. Ragusa, Leo E. Rose, Alexander H. Ross, Elden F. Santana, Oliver J. Schlesinger, Masatomo M. Shiiki, Jackson C. Sohn, Philip H. Tinker, Thomas G. Triedman, Akanimo A. Umanah, Bernard C. E. von Simson, Aidan J. Wood, Oliver P. Wood, Jordan J. Woods
Class of ’16:
Rich Alifano with Dylan Mack ’16
Kai A. Cedeño, Matteo C. de Donato, Benjamin A. F. Edelson, Andrew P. Gellert, Alexander R. Grier, Richard A. Hausman, Trevor K. Jensen, Robert H. Macdonald, Dylan J. Mack, Luca S.B. Matts, Isaac C. Parlin, Alwin H. Peng, Dylan R. Porges, Harrison A. Ringel, Daniel J. Rosen, Charles L. Villalba, Jose A. Villamil, Kevin J. Won, Jared E. Zelman
Riklis & Faculty Development Grant Recipients Phil Amplo, Lisa Anderson, Chris Brozyna, Venesha Cashdollar, Devin Correa-Spain, Mike DeGennaro, Stacy Donovan, Andre Duncan, Peter Haarmann, Frank Peduto, Jennifer Phillips, Glenn Rodriguez, Ginny Rowe, Adam Shecter, Kim Sklow, Jaison Spain, Stephen Warner, Rob Wiseman, Jennifer Zimmermann
Kellner Great Teacher Award Mary Terry and Jennifer Vermont-Davis
Award of Certificates Graduates of the Class of 2015 & Graduates of the Class of 2016
Student Council President Jason Kreloff ’15
Alumni Secretary Class of ’16: Kai Cedeño Andrew Gellert Jared Zelman
Class of ’15: Hugh Esterson Devon Kalsi Davis Lister
Class of ’15: Fallou Babou, Michael A. R. Gesse, Ishmam Kahn, Jason A. Kreloff, James C. Mahedy, Gabriel G. Roldan, Allan F. Santana
Honor Student David Yazbek with Ishman Khan ’15
Fallou Babou ’15 and James C. Mahedy ‘15
Desmond Cole Fortiter et Recte Award Harrison Ringel ’16
Charles E. Horman Award Michael Gesse ’15
Robby Zuckert Honor Kai A. Cedeño ’16
Athletic Award Dylan Mack ’16
Alumni Medal Ishmam Khan ’15
David Trower h’95 with Harrison Ringel '16
PRIZES 2014–2015 MIDDLE SCHOOL Bradford A. Warner Award Harrison Schneider ’19
Anthony G. Couloucoundis II Memorial Award Maxwell Esterson ’18
Adam and Elan Benjamin Memorial Award Henry Adkins ’19
Winter 2015
Honor Roll: Class of ’17:
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THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO BE A BOY…
…AND THE ANNUAL FUND SUPPORTS THEM ALL.
The Annual Fund supports all aspects of an Allen-Stevenson education and impacts each boy and every grade. We are grateful to the parents, alumni, grandparents, parents of alumni, faculty, staff, and friends who choose to support our boys and our School each year through gifts to the Annual Fund. Just as our boys grow from Kindergarten to Ninth Grade, your gift grows the legacy of philanthropy at Allen-Stevenson and means that our School will continue to grow, thrive, and educate boys of all ages to become Scholars and Gentlemen.
PLEASE SUPPORT THE ANNUAL FUND
www.allen-stevenson.org/give
QUESTIONS?
LOST ALUMNI IN REUNION YEARS
Class of 1971
The Alumni Council is looking for mailing addresses and contact information for the following alumni who are celebrating reunions this year. Please help us ensure your classmates receive the invitation to Alumni Reunion Weekend by contacting Alumni Director Anthony Kapp with information at akapp@allen-stevenson.org or 212-933-5240. Class of 1956 William Baldwin Samuel Coleridge John Donovan John Gaines John Hirsch Michael Kelland Richard Kollmar Charles McDaniel Louis Ray Stephen Shepherd
Class of 1981 Jason Anderson John Banning Taylor Burr Robert Halder James Hansen Omar Khan Sher Ali Khan Edmond Kleefield Frank Ruscica James Sinclair
Class of 1961 Ronald Abitol John Foster Rhett Irwin Robert Jacobs Edward Kettaneh Robert Mayer Peter Sachs Robert Schappwer David Williams
Class of 1986 Simon Campbell Eric Diamond James Felder Thomas Meacham Todd Meister Romaine Ocotrad Joshua Rooke-Ley Thomas Shelburne Sebastian Von Ribbentrop Carnet Williams
Class of 1966 Steven Aleshire Lope Bello Kenneth Blye Christopher Bonner Michael Courtney George Hill Michael Kearns Eugene Kline Eli Knight Eric Lamont Jonathan Lee Michael Merrill Alessandro Passi Woodbury Perkins Myron Taylor Dean Vallas Guerin Wilkinson
Class of 2011
Class of 1971 John Beichman Paul Bigler Guy Callan Robert Daignault William de Rham William Dechert Walter Dove Christopher Guenther John Hill Paul Hutcheson Michael Keith Winthrop Morgan Shane O'Connor James Preuss Adam Theodores Class of 1976 James Bonbrest Christopher Dunham William Gill William Gross Sean Hagerty Peter Hood Robert Hutchings Charles Nadler Marc Schreuder Jonathan Seiden Richard Selden
Class of 1991 Oliver Bradley Jonathan Bridger Edward Cho Daniel Fishman Tarique Goodwine Joshua Graver Drew Gutstein Barnaby Hitzig Gualtiero Merati-Foscarini Matthew Polley Andres Rico Hans Schleich Erik Siu James Trude Class of 1996 Eric Friedman Andrew Giacalone Ferdinand Hengst Ethan Kass Alastair Kusack Damiso Richard Class of 2001 Thomas Cauchois Jeffrey Gartman Eric Gottlieb William Holliday Guohao Ko Trent McRae Olu Rufen-Blanchette Peter Seltzer Daniel Stevenson Class of 2006 Steven Mohl Peter Quinn Shawn Tsai Class of 2011 Jacob Brussel Faria William Douglas Henry Fitzpatrick Christopher Foote Justin Georgiades Benjamin Goldbaum
Winter 2015
Class of 1961
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Our Alumni Community in Action EVENTS 2014-2015
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Architect Kerim Eken ’00 Speaks to STEAM V Boys
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As part of the research step in the Engineering Design Process (EDP) for their final STEAM V challenge (a waterside home that is sustainable and "energy neutral"), fifth graders were fortunate to have Kerim Eken '00 come in to share his professional knowledge as an architect. Kerim spoke to the boys about sustainable architecture and how important it is to consider the exact site on which they are building. By factoring this in, he said it would help to determine features they will want to incorporate in designing their dwellings. "Bringing Kerim in at the start of the project is new this year," said Mary Terry, STEAM Coordinator. "Last year’s fifth graders strongly suggested talking to an architect before the design and build steps rather than just receiving feedback from one at the end. So this year, we asked Kerim to come and share his experiences and knowledge as part of preliminary research leading into the process."
Poetry Fun with Jack Salomon ’62 Jack Salomon '62 shared his love of poetry with the sixth grade boys in Peter Haarmann’s English class. Mr. Salomon is a poet by avocation, not profession, and delights in writing his own poems as well as memorizing and appreciating poems by others. Mr. Salomon opened by reading one of his own poems called “Old Boy” about a man who goes back to visit his childhood school. The boys then took turns describing “poetry” and offered up responses such as: “It can be the lyrics of a song.” “It can express feelings.” “It can explain realism and imagination.”
Mr. Salomon entertained the boys with his recitations of a number of different types of poems, which included: “I Was Mucking About in Class,” a funny poem by Michael Rosen; “On Quoting Shakespeare,” by Bernard Levin; “The Commentator," a poem about a nine year old boy who is enjoying pretending that he is playing football for England; his own “I’m Really Very Big” and “Our School Doesn’t Have Any Girls”; and the lyrics to a song from the G&S production of “The Sorcerer.” The class discussed what made each poem different, whether it was by Shakespeare or Gilbert & Sullivan and how presentation is also a key part of poetry. Mr. Salomon likened the words of a poem to a skeleton. He said that you have to provide the flesh and muscle to create the whole. Mr. Salomon finished with a poem about a calliope— “The Kallyope Yell.” The refrain required the boys’ participation, and the
follow-up centered on the importance of tempo and sound. The boys asked Mr. Salomon some excellent questions about what inspired him to write poetry, about his days at Allen-Stevenson and how he learned to memorize some of the long pieces he recited.
Alumni, Parents and Faculty come Together to Celebrate the Class of 2012 On Monday, June 8, the A-S Class of 2012 returned to the School for an evening of fun with friends, family and former teachers. The class enjoyed reconnecting over Ms. Matthew's A-S fare, and parents of the class enjoyed reconnecting with each other and the School. Cameron Koffman '12, one of the Alumni Class Representatives, made remarks about the value of the friendships built at A-S, and encouraged the class to remain in touch, no matter where life's journeys take them.
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Kerim encouraged the fifth graders to carefully consider renewable energy as they design for their chosen location. He talked about the importance of understanding the constraints of the climate for the region in which they are building.
Mr. Herschenhous summed it up best, in a speech delivered on his behalf by Mr. Cohen: "This ninth grade class is one of the finest I’ve ever worked with. They excel not only in academics but also in the social graces that make them true representatives of The Allen-Stevenson School. There are not many groups of boys whose combined spirit, sensitivity, caring and sense of respect is greater than the sum of its parts. I look forward to seeing these boys every day because they always create an atmosphere where learning takes place. That learning might be academic, philosophical or ethical and it is always useful. They can laugh one moment and talk about the implications of bioethical issues the next. They can debate about sensitive topics such as abortion and evolution and play Ping-Pong afterwards. I offer my thanks, on behalf of
Advertising, Marketing & Digital Media Alumni Meet at GILT Groupe
After their well-deserved summer break, AllenStevenson's newest alumni will go to boarding school or day school, but will always be Unicorns first.
Geoff Sanders ’92 hosted the first meeting of the Alumni in Advertising, Marketing & Digital Media on October 1, at his office at GILT Groupe. This was the third such meeting of the group, who plan to continue their biannual networking meetings. About the group, Peter Nicolardi ’01 says, "The alumni in advertising breakfasts have provided a great means to keep in touch with former classmates, as well other alums at different stages in their career in the industry. We've had great discussions about industry trends and issues, with alums from varying agencies and media companies." Peter has offered to host the next gathering at Havas Worldwide.
Alumni Council Welcomes New Graduates The Allen-Stevenson Alumni Council welcomed the newest classes of alumni to the Alumni Association at the New Alumni Breakfast on Wednesday, June 10, preceding the Upper School Closing Exercises. Alumni Association President, Jamie Magid '91, and other members of the council enjoyed breakfast with the graduates before conducting a short ceremony where the boys received their alumni pin.
Winter 2015
The Ninth Grade Class of 2015 celebrated their graduation at a special dinner on Tuesday, June 9, in the School's Assembly Hall. After a lovely dinner courtesy of Monica Matthew and her kitchen team, parents, extended family and faculty spent time reflecting on the monumental year that had passed.
my colleagues, to the Class of 2015 for helping to make Allen-Stevenson a better place."
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Class of 2015 Celebrates at the 9th Grade Dinner
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Ted Pearson, Jr. ’55
alumni NEWS
1955
Ted Pearson, Jr. and Russell D. Simbari, M.D. were married in Tucson, Arizona on Feb. 27, 2015. They have been together for 28 years, unmarried and unable to marry, but now their hour has finally arrived and they are overjoyed!
1959
Andy Burger, Class Representative
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1960
Ron Rolfe, Class Representative
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Dean Sanborn, Class Representative
1961 1970
Richard Perry, Class Representative
1974
Vinny Peterson, Class Representative
1975
Yoshi Shimada, Class Representative
David Yazbek was the featured speaker at Upper School Closing Exercises in June. David is a long-time cult favorite—a recording artist, vocalist and pianist known for his thrilling live performances and irreverent style. Over the course of his illustrious career, he has earned numerous awards. A threetime Tony Award nominee, his shows, The Full Monty and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, have played in over 20 countries. David shared his thoughts and insights about his life, interactions with his A-S music teacher Mr. Stanley Gauger who introduced him to all kinds of music, theatre and opera at a young age. This along with performing in G&S productions at Allen-Stevenson gave him an appreciation for comic opera, which had a big influence on his life. David encouraged the boys to “stay open” to the present as well as to everything they do. “Keep an open heart, and connect deeply,” was his closing remark.
David Yazbek ’75
Artemis Joukowsky ’77
1976
Robert Burge, Class Representative John Carr, Class Representative Stephen Judson, Class Representative
1977
Michael Hedges, Class Representative Dewey Wigod, Class Representative
Artemis Joukowsky’s film, "Righteous Among Us: The Story of Waitstill and Martha Sharp," was screened at The New School on Thursday, October 15. The film includes voiceover by Tom Hanks, and is the story of a young Unitarian minister and social worker who went to great lengths to provide aid to refugees fleeing Nazi persecution. The screening was sponsored by the Northeast Regional Office of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Mario Muller has released five new pigment prints. Infused with high velocity brushstrokes of color, the November Suite, takes a more improvisational approach to the UrbanMotif iconography. "Gestures, body language, individual gait and the searing city light define these urban pedestrians," said Muller. To learn more, visit mariomuller.com.
Clifton York ’78 hosts dinner
Bill Konigsberg '86
1978
1981
Maurice Edelson, Class Representative
Evan Goldfischer, Class Representative
William Judson, Class Representative
Eric Rothstein, Class Representative
Bob Buehler, Class Representative
Erik Cliette, Class Representative
Dean Landis, Class Representative
Andrew Vogelstein, Class Representative
Clifton York, Class Representative
Hans Wydler, Class Representative
Clifton York spearheaded a dinner to honor larger-than-life Allen-Stevenson former faculty member Timothy Nichols h'78, who passed away on February 25. Pictured above, from left to right: Dean Landis '78, Brad Kulman '77, Gregg Beldock '76, Clinton Johnson '79, Clifton York '78 and Robert Burge '76.
1982
Luis Ubinas recently published an article in the Huffington Post about why we should not be surprised by continued low GDP growth. Luis is an advisor and board member to corporations, governments and nonprofit organizations.
1983
1979
Neil Bader, Class Representative Alex Gellert, Class Representative Clint Johnson, Class Representative
1980
Roger Raines, Class Representative
Paul Weitz has a new film out entitled "Grandma," starring Lily Tomlin and Julia Garner. The film, centering on a feminist poet in her 70s and her granddaughter, is a comedy of conflict and solidarity, according to A.O. Scott of the New York Times.
Mark Wasserberger, Class Representative
Harlan Reinhardt, Class Representative
1984
Michael Feinberg, Class Representative John Henry, Class Representative Marc Rice, Class Representative
Peter Kellner and Linda Rottenberg, founders of Endeavor, a nonprofit organization, were awarded the 2015 Henry R. Kravis Prize in Nonprofit Leadership on April 23. Endeavor has helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs build more than 600 companies in 22 countries, collectively creating more than 400,000 jobs and generating close to $7 billion in revenue. About the honor, Peter said, “I believe anything I ever learned that contributed to my drive to produce this organization is grounded in my experience as an Allen-Stevenson boy.”
1985
Patrick Horan, Class Representative Alexander von Furstenberg, Class Representative Simon Wasserberger, Class Representative
Winter 2015
Luis Ubinas ’78
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Pete Conlon ’87
alumni NEWS
1986
1988
Chris Goodman, Class Representative
Christopher Persley, Class Representative
Brooke Connell, Class Representative Louis Rose, Class Representative
Lamplighter
Michael Tiedemann, Class Representative
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Lachlan Murdoch '87
Bill Konigsberg embarked on a 17-city tour this fall as a fundraiser for The Trevor Project. He writes to say, "Starting in September, I’ll be driving upwards of 4,800 miles in the South and Midwest, where I will meet with LGBTQ teens and talk to them, basically, about weathering the painfully difficult storm of being young and LGBTQ. As you may know, LGBTQ youth are 4 times more likely than their heterosexual peers to die by suicide. Despite all the gains made by the LGBTQ movement in terms of equality and visibility, this sad fact remains. To me, this is an issue of connection and belonging. When young people find that they are different in a fundamental way than their families of origin, core issues about worthiness erupt. They certainly did for me when I was younger. Above is a picture of me at 14, just about the time I began to realize I was gay. It was such a difficult time for me, and for a lot of it, I felt that maybe the world would be just fine without me." Bill touches upon those feelings of disconnection and lack of belonging in his newest novel, The Porcupine of Truth.
1987
Ian Adler, Class Representative Alf Burger, Class Representative Chris Hallows, Class Representative
Pete Conlon recently teamed up with Shadowmachine Studio to create a whole handful of interesting animations for Season 2 of TRIPTANK, which premiered September 25 on Comedy Central. TRIPTANK is a mind altering animated short-form variety show already generating its own spinoff series like "Jeff And Some Aliens." Lachlan Murdoch has been promoted to executive co-chairman of 21st Century Fox alongside his father, Rupert. Lachlan will steer a sprawling entertainment conglomerate that includes the Fox broadcast network, cable channels in the US and around the world, and one of the largest film and television studios, whose current box office hits include action comedy Spy.
Schuyler Havens, Class Representative
1989
Pierre Bonan, Class Representative David Herzberg, Class Representative
1990
Harlan Goldberg, Class Representative Ken LaFreniere, Class Representative Colin McCabe, Class Representative John Rose, Class Representative
1991
Charles Allen, Class Representative Van Furniss, Class Representative Mike Grady, Class Representative Jamie Magid, Class Representative
Jamie Magid and his wife, Danielle, welcomed a beautiful baby girl to their family. Charlotte Helena Magid was born on May 21 at 6:20am, weighing in at 7.14 lbs. Mom and baby are doing great.
1992
Andrew Arias, Class Representative Cannon Hersey, Class Representative Wes Stanton, Class Representative
1993
Anthony Bonan, Class Representative Ken McCauley, Class Representative
Jamie Magid ’91
Damian VanCamp ’00
Jon Kostakopoulos '05
1994
2002
Ross Millhiser, Class Representative
Alex Shipper, Class Representative
Denton Smith, Class Representative
Michael Weiss, Class Representative
1995
2003
Andrew Janko, Class Representative
Alex Ingram, Class Representative
Tim McCabe, Class Representative
Zach Axelrod, Class Representative
Alexander Melnitzky, Class Representative
Paul Alshooler, Class Representative Reed Katz, Class Representative
1996
Chris Hamilton, Class Representative Tristan Howard, Class Representative
2004
Tim Johnson, Class Representative
Liam Millhiser, Class Representative
Henry Rosenwach, Class Representative
1997
2005
Berton Rose, Class Representative
Daniel Demarse has a new book published entitled Furthest Agent. Daniel describes it as "A lyrical epic poem. I like to think of it as: Beckett released from the stone, as an informant in a suit and tie, telling me what HE saw..." Furthest Agent is available on Amazon.com.
Jason Farkas, Class Representative
1998
Adam Donaldson, Class Representative
Andrew Hughes, Class Representative
1999
David Hirschfeld, Class Representative Tom Zipser, Class Representative
2000
Kerim Eken, Class Representative Andrew Zimmerman, Class Representative
Over the summer, Damian VanCamp held a Summer Internship at Tillett Lighting Design Associates. Damian is pursuing a Masters Degree in Lighting Design at Parsons School of Design.
2001
Philip Pilmar, Class Representative
Jon Kostakopoulos '05 tweeted us over the summer letting us know that his A-S tie "still looks good, after all these years." Check him out on TheStreet.com sporting his tie and reporting on how successful broadcasting companies are positioning themselves to deliver their services to various market segments 24/7 over the web and across devices such as smart phones, smart TVs, and tablets.
Winter 2015
PJ Mancuso, Class Representative
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Brian Knott ’08
alumni NEWS
2006
Eric Rosas, Class Representative
Alex Klaris has left Nickelodeon for a new position at Hulu as a Sales Planner. Our best wishes to him in his new role.
2007
Lamplighter
Ethan Leff, Class Representative
2012
Jasper Jarecki, Class Representative Cameron Koffman, Class Representative Jake Taub, Class Representative
2008
2013
Brian Knott is the 2015 NCAA National Champion in parallel bars and was named NCAA All-American on parallel bars and on pommel horse. Brian graduated from Stanford University in June with a Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering and will be finishing his Masters degree in the fall. During his years at Stanford, he competed on the gymnastics team, NCAA second place finisher in 2015, and is a recipient of The David M. and Marcus A. Krupp, MD Scholarship and The Joseph and Mary Vickers Scholarship. He has been voted Team Captain, and will compete again this coming year since he has one more year of NCAA eligibility due to an injury in his freshman year. Stanford's Athletic Board honored Brian with its “Outstanding Male Junior Award” in 2015. In gymnastics, he was named Capital One Academic All-District, to the MPSF All-Academic Team, and to the All-America Scholar-Athlete First Team in Men's Gymnastics. His team members voted Brian “most innovative gymnast” four years in a row. Across sports, Brian was named to the Capital One Academic All-America Division 1 Men's At-Large First Team, the only Stanford Athlete to achieve this honor.
Derrick Simmons ’15
2011
Alessandro Santoro, Class Representative
Basil Anderson, Class Representative
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Daelum Mawji ’15
Jackson Baker, Class Representative Teddy Landis, Class Representative Hale Macdonald, Class Representative Max Morris, Class Representative Matthew Schnitzer, Class Representative Matthew Wayland, Class Representative
2014
Andrew Galant, Class Representative David Goldberg, Class Representative Elijah McNally, Class Representative Sebastian Stern, Class Representative
2015
Hugh Esterson, Class Representative Devon Kalsi, Class Representative Davis Lister, Class Representative
2009
John Hersey, Class Representative
2010
Theodore Agbi, Class Representative Khalid Taylor, Class Representative
Daelum Mawji was a finalist at the US Junior National Squash Championships held at Princeton University and finished his season ranked #1 in the USA for Boys Under 15. He has played on the US National Team for the past three years, and recently represented the US at the British Junior Open (Junior World Championships), and against Canada. He is a rising sophomore at The Dalton School. Derrick Simmons broke personal best records and Poly Prep school records at the recent New York Relays in April. Derrick broke an 11-year-old Poly record in the 800 meter, coming in at 1:56.29. Congrats, Derrick!
Kai Cedeño ’16
Marc Giattini ’68 in Key West
! Marc Giattini ’68 at the helm of Dennis Conner’s Americas Cup winner, Stars and Stripes, three months after his tongue surgery in 2013.
Kai Cedeño, Class Representative Andrew Gellert, Class Representative Jared Zelman, Class Representative
At Upper School Closing Exercises on June 10, Kai Cedeño received the Robby Zuckert Honor. The award was established in 2012 by the Class of 1984 in memory of their classmate Robby Zuckert, who died well before his time. An accomplished scholar, athlete and gentleman, Robby was esteemed especially for his character and personal qualities. In particular he often stood up for the underdog, such as a student who might be picked on, made fun of, or bullied. Some who knew Robby describe him as "half Superman, half Clark Kent"; "morally mature beyond his years"; and "possessing a strong sense of right and wrong." Kai received the award this year because he epitomizes many of Robby's positive traits, including loyalty, authenticity, kindness, empathy, courage, determination and thoughtfulness.
An Alumnus’ story
of inner strength and perseverance... by Marc Giattini ’68 I am ever thankful for the significant dedication to athleticism that was so thoroughly instilled in me by Allen-Stevenson. We played our hearts out for Coach Bill Landis. (I did in three sports.) Bill’s discipline and famed toughness in English class compelled his sports warriors to compete shamelessly! My life long commitment to exercise and health, born then, saved me from three serious bouts of head and neck cancer, the first of which appeared in 2003. Acid re-flux turns out to have been the culprit. After thirteen weeks of chemotherapy and radiation, not eating or speaking for five months in 2004, I recovered fully and lived extraordinarily well until I was diagnosed with tongue cancer in 2013. The intake examination was a bear, even though I was already an experienced cancer fighter, living through the real trauma of being unable to eat but somehow surviving. Yet, when a highly skilled oncologist says that you have advanced tongue cancer and most of your tongue must go to save your life; well, it’s not a moment you expect or would wish on anyone. I had already put my wife through far too much. As many know, the close in caregiver experiences as much pain and anxiety as the patient, if so differently. But, my incredibly gifted University of Miami surgeons removed 80% of my tongue and rebuilt it with tissue, a vein and artery from my left arm. This is the highest perch from which these specialists operate today, taking workable tissue from another part of the body and doing the magic of connecting it to the smallest part of the original remnant tongue. It took 12 hours and two sets of surgical teams to both remove the cancerous tongue and then create the transplant. My wife, family and friends affectionately call me Iron Man.
Legacy Admissions We are delighted to note an increase of interest in AllenStevenson among alumni who have sons of school age. Because of this, the School has developed a policy to handle Legacy Status: alumni may request an early admissions decision although Legacy Status does not mean an automatic or guaranteed acceptance. Alumni who are interested in applying their sons for Kindergarten 2016 should call the Admissions Office at 212-606-0884.
I am nearly 100% recovered, having mostly taught my new bionic tongue to eat and speak properly. Around my home we say, “I’m talking to you with my arm,” and actually, I am. Best part, my 50 year squash game is better than ever, and I am as athletic today as I have ever been, all very much originating in the halls of A-S. I hope and trust that anyone facing these types of very difficult cancers knows there really are remarkable and achievable outcomes. The state of the art in this area of cancer research and treatment is exceptional. I welcome requests for information about my journey, and would be pleased to speak with anyone facing this or similar head and neck cancer challenges. Marc can be reached at mgiattini@attglobal.net.
Winter 2015
2016
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Alumni Events
Calendar Tuesday, November 24 Young Alumni Day 4:00pm - 6:00pm Dining Room / Gym
Tuesday, November 24 Alumni & Parent Hockey Game 6:30pm - 9:00pm Chelsea Piers Sky Rink
Wednesday, February 10 Alumni Council Meeting 6:30pm Library
Thursday, February 25 Alumni Gathering in Los Angeles Hosted by Jeremy Kramer ’84 6:00pm – 8:00pm (tent.)
Lamplighter
Friday, February 26 Alumni Reception in San Francisco Hosted by Ian Kasman '84 6:00pm - 9:00pm St. Francis Yacht Club
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Friday, March 11 - Saturday, March 12
Alumni Council Seeking Nominations for the Ron Rolfe '60 Distinguished Alumni Service Award The Distinguished Alumni Service Award, the highest accolade reserved solely for alumni of The Allen-Stevenson School, recognizes outstanding alumni who are pillars in their chosen field, and have shown exceptional civic leadership or made significant contributions benefitting their community, nation or school. The award was established in 2014, and named for Ronald S. Rolfe ’60 in recognition of his unwavering commitment, leadership and service to education.
Alumni Reunion Weekend
Tuesday, May 10 Alumni Council Meeting 6:30pm Library
Thursday, May 19 Alumni Dodgeball Game 6:00pm - 8:00pm Gym
Monday, June 6 Back to 78th Street Party for the Class of 2013 6:00pm - 8:00pm Landis Assembly Hall
Wednesday, June 8 New Alumni Breakfast & Closing Exercises Lincoln Paine '74, speaker Dining Room / Gym
For more information about these events or to RSVP, please contact Anthony Kapp Alumni Director 212-933-5240 or akapp@allen-stevenson.org.
The award aims to recognize exceptional individuals who exemplify The Allen-Stevenson Code in their daily lives through service to their community, nation or school. Please nominate your peers by submitting a written nomination to alumni@allen-stevenson.org. All nominations should include biographical and other pertinent information about the nominee. Letters supporting nominee achievements are strongly encouraged.
In Memoriam Richard W. Heurtley '33 of Sea Cliff, NY passed away on January 19. Beloved husband of Janette. Loving step-father of Peter Ames '60, Hugh Mariaca, Teresa Mariaca Barnett and Kristian Mariaca. Cherished grandfather of Loran, Nathan, Tyler, Emma, Nicholas, Tessa, Amya, Liliana. Dear brother of Helen Berkeley, Charles and John Heurtley. A Memorial Service was held January 24 at St. Lukes Episcopal Church in Sea Cliff. Peter D. Bunzel '41, aged 88, passed on July 20, 2015, in Los
PLANNED GIVING
An Allen-Stevenson Legacy There may be no more meaningful gift than that made through a bequest or legacy. Such gifts, representing a lifetime of experience, testify to one’s deepest beliefs, concerns and affections. Donors help secure the longterm financial health of the School through gifts that come in the future or over a period of years. “In order to continue the tradition of providing such a strong foundation for young men, Allen-Stevenson needs and is deserving of our ongoing support. I am ever grateful for what Allen-Stevenson has given to me, and I am pleased to have supported the school with a planned gift as part of my estate plans.” —Victor Lyman ’58
To learn more about how you can support Allen-Stevenson through a planned gift, visit www.allen-stevenson.org/plannedgiving or contact David Smith, Director of Development, at 212-933-5240.
Winter 2015
Angeles, CA. Peter began his professional career at the (Martha's) Vineyard Gazette, and was later a staff writer at the New Yorker, Entertainment Editor at Life Magazine, Co-Founder, Editor and Publisher of Seattle Magazine (1963 to 1970), Editor of West Magazine and of the Opinion section of the Los Angeles Times (1971 to 1978), and a television critic at the Los Angeles HeraldExaminer where in 1986 he won a major victory for free speech in the California Supreme Court, 42 Cal. 3d 254. Born in 1927 in New York, NY, to Harriet Harvey and Ernest Everett Bunzel, Peter attended Allen-Stevenson, the Kent School and Princeton University where he was Editor and Chairman of the Daily Princetonian. In 1952, he married Jane Cole (deceased) and had four children: Cole Bunzel (deceased), Robert H. Bunzel of Oakland, CA, Jeffrey H. Bunzel of New York, NY, and John D. Bunzel of Los Angeles, CA. In 1982, Peter married Suzanne Belcher Platt in Los Angeles, CA. Peter was devoted to books, movies, theatre, martinis, politics, freighter trips and family. He is survived by his wife Suzanne, his brother John H. Bunzel of Belmont, CA, his three sons, eight grandchildren and two great-grandsons. A celebration of his life for family and friends will be held this month in Los Angeles.
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Did You Know? is now a column that highlights our many interesting parents. If you’d like to submit information for our spring issue, please email it to Casper Caldarola.
well, I had an early appreciation for vegetables, good food and the restaurant business. It was this love of whole foods and the community feeling of restaurants that lead me to launch a restaurant concept after college with my best friend. Chopt, which we opened in 2001, explores the globe’s most craveable seasonal ingredients, best local farmer’s markets and craftiest neighborhood specialists to create the world’s best salad. Today, Chopt is more than 30 restaurants, with more than one thousand employees, in multiple markets in the U.S. and growing steadily. Our mission remains the same as it did when we started, to change the way America eats. Fortunately, the growth of Chopt has allowed us to do charitable work with children in less privileged schools and to help educate them about the importance of eating well; just as Monica did with me, and does with my son Miles, today. But Miles still needs to eat his veggies!
Lamplighter
Colin McCabe ’90, P’24 Co-Founder Chopt Creative Salad Company
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For years, I kept a horrible secret: even though I was the editor-inchief of a prominent food magazine, I wasn't a great cook. I ruined nearly every dish I attempted to make from breakfast to midnight snack, from fish to cookies. In my first cookbook, Mastering My Mistakes in the Kitchen, I finally decided to come clean about my many meal mishaps. With the help of all-star chefs who I've gotten to know during my 20 years at Food & Wine—Mario Batali, Alex Guarnaschelli, Tom Colicchio, and many others—I perfected 100 recipes that are dear to my heart. Each one has a high "yum" factor, a few key ingredients, and a simple trick that makes it special. After a year of cooking with these hero chefs, I learned a lot about mastering my mistakes not only in cooking—but also in life.
Dana Cowin P’18 Editor in Chief Food & Wine
From a very early age I would accompany my father, a dedicated cardiologist, on his weekend rounds at the hospital. Often the patients he visited would come up to me and say, “You have a wonderful father—he saved my life.” It was powerful and humbling to hear. I knew then that I wanted to help people that profoundly. I wanted to save lives. I headed off to medical school and after intense training I achieved my dream of becoming an interventional cardiologist. It was incredibly rewarding work and I thought I had it all. Well, almost. I wanted a baby. After many months of trying unsuccessfully, I started to panic. I began to research available methods and that’s when I discovered mucolytics (generally used to break up chest congestion, and found in some cough syrups) could aid in conception. To my complete amazement, it worked on the first try!
In the A-S 2014 holiday video, Revel Phan ’18 wished that his “mom would get published.” Miraculously, by December of that very year, three different literary magazines had picked up her stories! D.T. Nguyen immigrated to the U.S. as a child in 1975, after the fall of Vietnam. She is completing a collection of nonfiction short stories focusing on the themes of identity, passages, and the reconciliation of cultures and values that ensue. Find her debut pieces in “Creative Nonfiction” Spring 2015 Issue 55, “The Briar Cliff Review” 2015 Volume 27, and “REED Magazine” Volume 68.
That’s why I started PregPrep. PregPrep is empowering women all over the country to take control of their bodies as they begin their conception journeys. I was lucky enough to fulfill two lifelong dreams: becoming a doctor and becoming a mother. I’ve found that it is just as rewarding helping women get pregnant and creating new lives as it is helping to save lives.
Dr. Lara Oboler P’19, P’21 Founder PregPrep
Aima Raza P’24 Founder & CEO The Peace Project
For as long as I can remember, I’ve heard the call of entrepreneurship. As a child growing up, I loved having a little lemonade stand and learned not to be afraid to take an idea and make that idea a reality. Since then, I have been lucky to live my entrepreneurial dream, first as a Co-founder of the luxury e-commerce site, Gilt. Today I am fortunate to be a Cofounder and CEO of GLAMSQUAD, a mobile beauty service that provides women in New York City, LA and Miami with high quality and convenient blowouts, makeup and nail services in the comfort of their own home, office or hotel. If you haven't tried GLAMSQUAD yet, hopefully you will by checking out our app or website www.glamsquad.com! In my spare time, I do what I can to support other entrepreneurs in New York City by serving as an advisor and mentor to founders and early-stage start-ups.
Alexandra Wilkis Wilson P’25 CEO & Co-founder GLAMSQUAD Author of New York Times bestseller "By Invitation Only: How We Built Gilt and Changed the Way Millions Shop"
Suzy Nguyen P’18
To this day, I can remember Monica Matthew telling me to ‘eat the rainbow’ when I was a young boy in the Allen-Stevenson dining room. With a school and parents that extolled the virtues of eating
decades. So, a few years ago I launched a peace initiative— The Peace Project, Inc., with the support and guidance of friends. The idea behind the Peace Project is quite simple: promote peace through community-building and shared-human-values education. Our goal is to create safe and peaceful communities by promoting peace education in schools and sponsoring community-based initiatives in the United States and around the world. To that end, we have been running peace education, teacher training and girls’ empowerment workshops at partner schools and have launched a scholarship program to help girls and boys stay in school longer. We believe in the future of our children.
I grew up in Pakistan, where peace has been elusive for over a decade but where education, especially for girls, continues to be desired, art continues to thrive and freedom of expression is highly regarded despite the international political mayhem the country has experienced in the last two
Save the Date!
ALUMNI REUNION WEEKEND Friday, March 11 through Saturday, March 12, 2016 Classes of 1956, 1961, 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006, and 2011 will be celebrating milestone reunions in 2016. Contact your Class Representative or the Alumni Office for details. Weekend festivities will include: All-Alumni Party Open House Rehearsal of Gilbert & Sullivan’s Patience Alumni & Faculty Basketball Game and more!
www.allen-stevenson.org/reunion
If you are interested in serving on the Reunion Planning Committee, or helping with your Class Party, contact Anthony Kapp at akapp@allen-stevenson.org.
THE ALLEN-STEVENSON SCHOOL 132 East 78th Street, New York, NY 10075-0381
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