Fall Magazine 2022

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FALL 2022 MAGAZINE 10 | Catching up with alum Lily Kaplan ’12, Head of Development for Imagine Documentaries 26 | Faculty Innovation Awards elevate teaching and learning 40 | Celebrating the School’s 142nd Commencement 57 | Annual Giving Report highlights the generosity and support of the Brimmer community WHEN IT ALL CLICKS 04 | Balancing school while building a photography business is all in a day’s work for Edan Zinn ’23

Co-Editors Sue Cuyler

Director of Marketing & Communications

Nicky DeCesare

Associate Director of Marketing & Communications

Editorial Counsel Judith Guild Head of School

Contributing Writers Sue Cuyler

Nicky DeCesare Judith Guild Bill Jacob Elizabeth Smith P ’17 Edan Zinn ’23

Photography David Barron Oxygen Group

Nicky DeCesare Edan Zinn ’23 Edan Zinn Photography

Graphic Design blazar design studio

Alumni Affairs & Development Office

Elizabeth Smith P ’17

Director of Development

Sharin Russell Director of Annual Giving

Amanda Spooner Eppers ’88, P ’22

Director of Alumni Affairs & Special Events

Mark Sehnert Advancement Associate

Connect with us Twitter: @BrimmerandMay | Instagram: @BrimmerandMaySchool Facebook: @BrimmerandMay & @BrimmerandMayAlumni LinkedIn: Brimmer and May | YouTube: Brimmer and May School On the Cover: Edan Zinn ’23 © 2022 Brimmer and May School. All rights reserved. Published by Brimmer and May School, 69 Middlesex Road, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 (tel) 617-566-7462 | www.brimmer.org | Please send change of address to Mark Sehnert: msehnert@brimmer.org Celebrating the start of school with our Gator Greetings event
Brimmer Magazine Fall 2022 1 IN THIS ISSUE Alumni Happenings 10 | IMAGINE THIS 46 | CLASS NOTES 52 | SUMMER SHINDIG 54 | ALUMNI DAY 2022 10 26 16 Features 04 | WHEN IT ALL CLICKS Balancing school while building a photography business is all in a day’s work for Edan Zinn ’23 10 | IMAGINE THIS ... Brimmer catches up with Lily Kaplan ’12, Head of Development for Imagine Documentaries 14 | SPOTLIGHT ON KIMBERLY FORMISANO Brimmer’s new Head of Lower School shares her philosophy on education and the joys of a supportive and collaborative classroom Annual Report 58 | MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD 60 | ANNUAL GIVING REPORT 61 | BRIMMER BY THE NUMBERS 62 | OUR COMMITTED DONORS Table of Contents Around Campus 02 | FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL 13 | NEW TRUSTEE 16 | GETTING CREATIVE 26 | FACULTY INNOVATION AWARDS 28 | ATHLETICS 36 | LAWN AT BRIMMER AUCTION 40 | COMMENCEMENT 50 | BRIMMER READS 46

finding balance, finding joy

Brimmer opened the school year with 416 students—the largest enrollment we have ever enjoyed in both the Middle and Upper Schools. We planned for this growth and are thrilled to be realizing our vision. As we continue to uphold the qualities of a small school where all students are known, we are delighted to see our targeted growth achieved in each division so we can accomplish the strategic goals.

When the Hastings Center was built, we imagined an Upper School of nearly 180 students, which meant each grade’s enrollment could be between 40 and 45 students. While still small in comparison to other schools, we knew a larger graduating

Above: Head of School Judy Guild speaks at the Middle School Celebration in June; Far right: Brimmer celebrated Grade 5 during a festive Lower School Closing ceremony in June

class size would allow for more social opportunities, improved athletic and wellness programming, a variety of talent for our performances, and enrollment in broader course selections. Likewise, the Middle School was projected to grow and meet a total size of about 100 students. We have found this enrollment number to be perfect for all that we want to accomplish with our Middle School students. With our Lower School housed in our campus’ historical buildings, we cherish the homelike environment and classrooms. We have the privilege of offering smaller class groupings in PK-5, which allows our youngest children to be well known and understood. This fall we opened Lower School’s Cummings Hall after a summer of renovations and redesign. Our fourth and fifth grade students can now learn and collaborate in a modern, central airconditioned building with well-appointed large classrooms and improved spaces.

This year’s theme, Finding Balance, Finding Joy, will help us meet several of our objectives found in the School’s Strategic Priorities 2020 & Beyond. The health and wellness of our community will be the center of our attention as we plan for the School’s future. We will examine the responses to Sasaki’s Master Planning project and evaluate our fundraising needs. Our goal is to reimagine the athletic space so that structure can meet our needs for the entire School community. Additionally, as we move into the endemic phase of the pandemic, we are mindful of the wake it has caused. Important lessons were learned during the two years of pandemic management, and the learning community showed resiliency and outstanding problem-solving skills. We will find our balance going forward as we manage this next phase so our students can recapture the joy of being curious, imaginative, and free to explore. Also, we have missed the larger Brimmer community for the last two years, and we will plan to prioritize in-person gatherings and volunteer opportunities so we can reclaim the joy it brings.

In this edition of Brimmer Magazine you will read how senior Edan Zinn ’23 finds joy in pursuing his interests while meeting his college requirements. Edan grew up at Brimmer, and it always delights me when I see a “Lifer” reveal the true nature of what it means to embrace all matters of school life. His journey reflects our mission of upholding high academic standards while implementing innovative ideas. You will also read about the School’s new Athletic Director who will lead our strategic thinking as we shape Brimmer’s athletic future. Mr. Kelly will help us shape a program that will balance

2 Fall 2022 Brimmer Magazine FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

strong competition, joy in the game, teambuilding skills, and the pursuit of health and wellness. We also welcomed a new Lower School Head to Brimmer this summer, and you will read about Mrs. Formisano’s outstanding skill and experience with young learners. Her joyful approach to being with families and children is contagious. Additionally, this edition

captures many of the moments from spring 2022 when life was full of joy at Commencement, the Spring Auction, and alumni events.

I hope you will sense the vibrant programs and joyful community at Brimmer and May. With the Annual Fund exceeding one million dollars again this year, we are able to extend

our resources and make Brimmer the best learning environment possible for today’s student. I am so grateful to those who make Brimmer a priority in their giving. Our future is bright, and I am humbled to be leading such a remarkable school where students are inspired, encouraged, and empowered to be the best they can be. ■

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When It All Clicks

Click. That’s shot number 16,252—just on this camera, at least.

When I got my first big-deal digital camera in eighth grade, I had my heart set on making movies. I was going to enroll in Digital Cinema classes during all four years of Upper School. I gathered microphones and tripods for use at home. But four years later, I haven’t finished a single short film, and my school schedule has taken a different turn. Instead, I’ve found myself drawn to the shutter button; the familiar click you get when capturing a still (clunk if you’re on a film camera). I bring my camera with me

Balancing school while building a photography business is all in a day’s work.
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STUDENT REFLECTION

almost everywhere I go now, whether I’m hanging out with friends, at a community event or client photoshoot, in AP® Photography class, or in Journalism, where we produce our award-winning newspaper, The Gator. It’s an extension of my hands at this point; it makes me me.

Entering my senior year has offered me the opportunity to reflect on my nearly 14 years at Brimmer. Telling stories through journalism and capturing the world through my camera lens are passions I’ve discovered as a student here, and I look back on my experiences with incredible gratitude.

My extraordinary art teacher from PK through Grade 5, Mrs. Clamage, first introduced me to the concept of a Renaissance man: someone who does it all. One might play in the band while performing in the musical while writing for the newspaper club…and that’s exactly what I wanted to do. From fifth to eighth grade, I filled my time with theater and clarinet rehearsals. But the click of the camera caught up to me, and I found myself taking pictures of nearly everything. I offered my theater friends new headshots for their next auditions; I brought my camera to Exploration Week to capture

the scavenger hunt and design challenges. I was captivated by this newfound avenue of my art, and I pursued it by joining The Gator as a photographer in ninth grade. I simultaneously decided that my photography could be more than a new hobby, and in the summer of 2020 while bored in quarantine, I launched Edan Zinn Photography, taking on my first headshot, portrait, and event clients at a safe social distance.

My enthusiasm for journalism brought me to become Executive Editor of The Gator

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When It All Clicks

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at the end of ninth grade and Co-Editorin-Chief at the end of 10th grade. I spent my first year of Photography classes using digital cameras due to pandemic restrictions around the use of a film darkroom. For the first time since I began taking pictures, I found focus in my work, improving my skills and working with my incredibly talented classmates. I remained enthralled with running all facets of my new photography business, learning how to draft client invoices while juggling my course load and pursuing the Creative Arts Diploma (CAP).

That summer of 2021, through the referral of my CAP classmate and fellow business owner Eleanor Reyelt ’23 of Jewelz by Elle, I began a photography internship with a local bead and yarn store called Bead + Fiber, capturing photos to grow its online storefront. This internship opened many doors for my business and shows the true power of what can happen when student artists support each other in an environment like CAP. I began freelance contract work for Boston corporations, small businesses, and organizations, including the SoWa Art + Design District, a hub of commerce and culture in the city. I volunteered for Spontaneous Celebrations and took photos for local artists. I was learning so much about the commercial side of photography; I had shot fashion shows and products and

events, and to this day, I greatly enjoy this kind of work. But now that I’ve experienced working with film in the darkroom, completed an independent study in Graphic Art, and continued to expand my learning in AP® Photography, I have the fine arts side of photography to work on as well. And I have a lot to learn.

Balancing newfound photography and journalism skills is one thing, but to do it during a pandemic was difficult. With COVID-19’s viral wrath and the start of remote learning, the pandemic temporarily halted my photography business and put The Gator’s newsroom in a remote setting. However, the pandemic years have inspired me to tell more Brimmer stories and showcase the unsung heroes that have kept

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TURNING A HOBBY INTO A BUSINESS, EDAN ZINN PHOTOGRAPHY LAUNCHED IN 2020 DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE PANDEMIC.
Clockwise from top left: Ballet dancer and Brimmer senior Natalie Kozhemiakin ’23—the first of many headshot clients; Photographing his first fashion show in 2021; Working with yarn store Bead + Fiber to enhance their online advertising; Highlighting SoWa Open Market’s eclectic vendors; Capturing Brimmer Summer in action this past July

Brimmer’s wheels running. When our city streets emptied as Massachusetts locked down back in March of 2020, I was inspired to get out there and capture scenes for my first photo essay, Boston Goes Dark. I realized that being part of a student newspaper during COVID-19 presented a once-in-alifetime opportunity to document a massive generational event and its impact on our School. Future students might read The Gator and think, why are they all wearing masks and sitting six feet apart for class? And so, I went out, masked up, and with a camera in hand, became an investigative journalist documenting our pandemic lives both in Boston and at Brimmer.

The following fall, my fellow Editor Karly Hamilton ’21 and I documented the faculty and staff’s herculean efforts to make learning possible during the pandemic. I created another photo essay detailing students’ return to campus following half a semester of remote education, highlighting my peers’ and teachers’ voices—the uncertainty and the hope. Committed to COVID-19 coverage to inform and educate the community, Karly and I produced a podcast series featuring Brimmer alumni and parents, aimed at reporting the science behind COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine hesitancy. Working on these kinds of projects that localize national conversations to Brimmer’s community has helped me realize the impact that student journalism can have on our School. We have the power to combat widespread misinformation and bring vital coverage to our readers and listeners, often with more accessibility than major news outlets like CNN or The New York Times. As students, this is a priceless learning and community service opportunity, and I couldn’t be more proud of the work that we’re doing. Exactly two years after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, my co-editors and I published “March 12: A Day to Define Our Generation,” an editorial reflecting on the significance of this date, all that has changed since, and the lessons

Right top: A Photography class assignment entitled “Light”; Right bottom: In The Gator Newsroom

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When It All Clicks

we will take with us into the future. With this editorial came an ongoing archive of COVID-19 coverage on The Gator’s website, an initiative we started so that Brimmer community members can continue to look

each other up in these times, and I love to do that through visual journalism. Words on a page can only say so much, especially about a community like Brimmer, so I strive for my photos to tell stories too. I’ve had the privilege of photographing student performances, like Marlie Kass ’23’s stunning original student-directed play, Troupe of Tropes , as well as Joseph

keeps leading me to these opportunities.

Now in my senior year, I’m busier than ever between photography, journalism, and schoolwork. As Co-Editor-in-Chief of The Gator, I post article after article throughout the week, and each new headline and story I get to workshop with a writer gives me a rush of satisfaction. The coaching side of

back at primary-source coverage of the pandemic and its effects on our campus, including the setbacks and the silver linings.

One of my favorite pandemic journalism projects was following the Upper School Band as they improvised and adapted to changing restrictions. I sat in on rehearsals and performances all year long, taking photos and interviewing Band members to learn their stories of overcoming challenges, like how concurrent learner Jerry Dong ’23 rehearsed music on Zoom and Dieter Gartner ’22 and Ugonnaya Adiele ’23 learned to play piano in mere months due to masking requirements on their primary instruments. The resulting photo essay remains one of my proudest works, and community spotlights have since been the most special for me of the stories I share on The Gator . We need to lift

and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Greenline and Band concerts. I keep coming back to these student shows, in awe of what my classmates are creating.

This past summer, I had the privilege of joining the Brimmer Summer staff as a Photography, Videography, and Social Media Intern. Working with children ages three through 11, I refocused my commercial photography skills to create new content for the website. I also turned to videography, an area in which I have much less experience, and created video advertisements to promote the summer programs as well as internal videos to share with parents on social media. Working with children, counselors, and specialists was a valuable experience for me, and I’m so glad that the entrepreneurship I put toward my photography business

editing is incredibly rewarding, and it makes me happy to see growth in my writers’ abilities. Something I did not realize when I became an editor, however, is that the job leaves little time to work on my own writing. I treasure my experiences of getting out there to report, take photos, and craft my own stories, and I’m always trying to figure out how to do it all. Being a full-time student while maintaining time for extracurricular passions is a true balancing act. My CoEditor Natalie Kozhemiakin ’23 knows this well; her daily ballet routines have her coming home as late as 9:00 p.m. Then, with articles to edit, duties to complete for her

(L-R) Lower School learning; Performing in Thumbelina in 2015; At Lower School Closing with parents Prentice Zinn and Dr. Gabrielle Cobbs; At work in art class; Performing in Seussical in 2019; Competing for the Cross Country Team

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Puerto Rico–based dance nonprofit, Tutus Para Todas, and homework to finish for AP® Microeconomics and English Language, it’s hard to get enough sleep to stay strong.

“I love it so much, though,” Natalie always reminds me. We both get that; when you do get to write your own op-eds and articles, it’s worth the wait. Her work has won awards from the Columbia University Scholastic

Adler ’23, is juggling—and excelling at it. It takes a supportive and diverse environment like Brimmer to foster a talent show like the one we put on every day from 7:50 a.m. to bedtime. We owe that to our teachers and mentors. But it also takes the creativity and drive that each of us brings to the table to make magic happen, to paint another portrait, or win another basketball game.

showing me how to balance the passions that bring me joy. Whatever comes next, no matter where I’ll be snapping photos or telling stories, I hope to keep some of the passion I’ve found here at Brimmer with me forever. I’ll only be a student here until next June, but you can almost guarantee that my senior year will be full of many clicks and clunks. 16,253... ■

Press Association and other fantastic honors. But the feeling of writing stories you care about—it’s unmatched. It’s the fuel that keeps us going and makes the job worthwhile. I can think of many times when I have been engulfed in my art and writing and then looked at the clock to see that it was past 2:00 a.m.—and then stayed up later anyway. We all have those passions.

There’s something special about Brimmer students that I’ve noticed. Being a community that values participation in all areas of School life, including academics, athletics, arts, and extracurriculars, everyone is performing their own unique juggling act—and somehow, we keep all our pins aligned. Every student deeply committed to their passions, whether they be art and global studies like my classmate Hebe Qiang ’23, or baseball and photography like Zak

Through Brimmer, we find balance in the things we love. Passion is what I admire most about the Brimmer community. It’s in all of us; every teacher, administrator, kitchen and maintenance staffer, and student, surrounded by the inspiring adults who make our dreams come true. We bring it all.

My gratitude for the nearly 14 years I’ve spent here is endless. I hope to give back through my work, and that someday, future Brimmer students will be able to view Brimmer the way I did—through the lens of my camera and my writing for The Gator To the faculty and former students who have mentored me in these passions, like renowned videographer Sophia Spring ’22, my journalism teacher David Cutler, and my Creative Arts Diploma Program mentors Kathryn Lee and Bill Jacob—thank you. I owe so much to you for inspiring me and

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Read Edan’s work with The Gator, including his award-winning photo essays and editorials documenting the early days of the pandemic.

Brimmer catches up with Lily Kaplan ’12, Head of Development for Imagine Documentaries

This was a sweet assignment: cocktails and oysters on the bay with a favorite former student and theatrical co-conspirator. We chatted for hours, catching up, rehashing old productions, and dishing some of the more colorful choreographers we knew back in the day. She revealed how she was thrust into acrobatic stunts onstage because she was the same size as a particularly flexible senior who had experience in gymnastics. But the stories she told me from her career thus far!

Lily Kaplan ’12 was inducted into Brimmer’s Creative Arts Hall of Fame at the 20th Annual Academy Awards in June (see page 25), ten years after her graduation. An excellent student and a member of the Creative Arts Diploma Program (CAP), Lily was an outstanding performer/athlete, equally at home onstage and on the soccer field. She attended Barnard College, majoring in English and film. Like her fellow CAP students and Creative Arts Hall of Famers Shane Sager ’12 (touring Europe playing harmonica with Sting) and Gen Lefevre ’15 (starring in Alice’s Wonderland, a new hip hop musical at the Coterie Theatre in Kansas City, MO), Lily is working in the entertainment industry and loving it. Currently, Lily is Head of Development for Imagine Documentaries, the nonfiction arm of Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment. Her professional bio offers a glimpse into her work. “Since joining Imagine, Lily has spearheaded and overseen development for a slate of 30+ projects, cultivating original documentary feature and series ideas from nascent stages into production. Under the development umbrella, she generates ideas, acquires rights, attaches subjects, creates deliverables, and packages projects with a carefully curated team drawn from a robust network of both high-level and emerging talent.” Creative Arts Department Chair Bill Jacob caught up with Lily this summer in Provincetown, MA.

I wish we had more space. Shuffling Anna Wintour’s tote bag from one conference room to another while interning at Vogue, traveling cross-country for a six-hour meal at the Ritz to convince the guy who stole the Star of India Diamond in 1964 (and committed a few murders on the side) to agree to a collaboration, her experience as an assistant with the hazing and cruelty that washes through the entertainment business, and her conviction that her generation, spurred and supported by the Me Too movement, just might turn that tide around. We talked about what it means to work hard and love writing, and how grateful she feels to love the work she does, discovering new stories, matching collaborators to form a creative team, and then pitching the finished product. You could see it in her eyes as she talked about a soon-tobe-announced series, a subject she discovered and helped package about an NYC-based school doing incredible work in unlikely circumstances. Our conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity.

At Right top: Competing for the Womens Soccer Team; At Right bottom: Lily Kaplan ’12 performs in the stage productions of Alice in Wonderland and Anything Goes

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ALUMNI EXCELLENCE

That’s a truly impressive title you’ve got. How did you end up at Imagine?

Thanks! My current boss at Imagine was my former boss at HBO Documentaries, and she brought me over. I worked at HBO Docs after working at United Talent Agency, which was where I landed out of college.

What do you like about the gig?

It’s a truly creative job. I always wanted a job that allowed for writing and reading and imagination, and that’s what it is. I’m in charge of finding the stories that we make into docs—and talking to people about their experiences and then figuring out the angle of the story. I then help write the pitches and pitch them to networks. I think you need to be open-minded and think outside the box to do it well. We’re making docs, but we want them to be entertaining. They’ve got to appeal to an audience. It’s fun to learn things you’d never otherwise know.

Give us an example.

Different sides to different stories. I think whether it’s about an unknown cultural event, the other side to a seemingly familiar story, or a slice of life I didn’t know I needed to pay attention to. I’ve learned a lot—and I’ve learned it from a human perspective—which to me is awesome.

Are there moments when you have to pinch yourself to believe it’s really happening?

Oh, sure. I was thrown into a meeting with Ron Howard in one of my first weeks. Sitting with him or talking with Amy Poehler or Naomi Campbell, these massive talents. It’s also incredible to be working with the best

documentarians in the field, like Barbara Kopple or RJ Cutler. What’s most amazing is to have a seat at the table of a creative conversation, where I can’t help but think, who am I to be sitting here? But everyone’s really generous, and my job allows me to contribute to those conversations, which is a thrill of a lifetime.

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imagine This... In addition to theater, you were really big in soccer in high school.

Was I though? (Joking!)

I remember it was a big bone of contention between us because it took up so much of your time. Looking back, though, were there benefits to being able to participate in both theater and sports?

There were great benefits. Both sports and theater are team-building exercises, but they’re very different. They’re both experiences of putting forth real toughness and channeling it into a performance. One is public and emotionally vulnerable, while the other is private. Soccer encouraged me to continue to push myself even when it was challenging and to suck it up even if it hurt or was raining. It was a different type of discipline than theater. I didn’t feel naturally gifted on the field—it’s something I really worked at. It was hard but a great exercise in putting forth strength and

tenacity, and it taught important life lessons, like being part of a team.

What advice would you give your ninth grade self? Your 12th grade self?

To my ninth grade self, I would say, “You can do it.” And to my 12th grade self, I would say, “You will do it.” Having the trust and confidence that hard work and tenacity will lead to something good is easier said than done.

Convincing yourself to think positively is a learned skill.

Yeah, for sure.

Any shout-outs to the folks when you were at the Brim?

Definitely! My first shout-out always goes to Mr. Murray—my advisor. He was integral to my evolution as a student and as a person. Mrs. Segal was always such a positive and supportive presence during my time at Brimmer, as were Mrs. Houndegla, Ms. Scharrer, Ms. Cohen, and Ms. Sidebotham. It was a great crew at Brimmer when I was there.

Still is. I mean, half the folks on that list are still there. (Laughter)

Look for some of Lily’s current projects on multiple networks. Upcoming releases include The Supermodels, a docuseries featuring the iconic careers of Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington (AppleTV+); the Martin Scorsese–directed documentary on New York’s 1970s music scene and the New York Dolls; Black and Blues: The Colorful Ballad of Louis Armstrong (AppleTV+); the RJ Cutler–directed Murf the Surf (Epix); Larry Kasden-directed series LightandMagic (Disney+); and the definitive documentary on Carlos Santana. ■

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Clockwise from top left: Lily Kaplan ’12 performs a solo in the Spring Concert; Graduating with a Creative Arts Diploma; Performing in Shakespeare Café in 2009

welcome

to our new trustee

This fall, Brimmer and May welcomes a new member to its Board of Trustees. As a current parent who has been actively engaged in the School community for nine years, she is excited to take on this important volunteer leadership role and serve the School to meet the needs of our students.

Marsha MacLean P ’27, ’28 Chestnut Hill, MA

Marsha MacLean and her husband, Mark, came to Brimmer as parents in 2013 when daughter Abigail (eighth grade) enrolled in PK. The next year, their son Aaron (seventh grade) joined the School. During those nine years, Marsha and Mark have been integral community members who have volunteered in various roles as Parent Class Representatives, Liaisons, Athletic Boosters, and Admissions Representatives, and Mark was a Co-Chair of the Parents Association. Marsha and Mark have been incredible cheerleaders for Brimmer and have consistently supported the School in any way they could and have been vocal about the opportunities their children have had as part of this community. Marsha has been tapped to bring her expertise in real estate management, marketing, finance, nonprofit board membership, and institutional knowledge as a longtime parent at Brimmer and May to our Board of Trustees.

Marsha is currently Vice President of Sales/Managing Broker at Coldwell Banker Newton and Chestnut Hill Hammond Residential, managing 280 agents and eight administrative support associates. She is responsible for growth and revenue and has led the Newton office to be a top 10 producer in all of Massachusetts. She was named the top

Coldwell Banker Manager in New England in 2021.

Beyond her experience as a successful real estate executive, Marsha is a devoted Board Member at Max Warburg Courage Curriculum, which Brimmer and May uses in the Middle School.

The Courage Curriculum is a social emotional language arts curriculum that introduces students to the role of courage

in their lives and the power that individuals have to deal with adversity. Marsha believes in engaging in community and loves to run, cook, and spend time with her family and friends. Marsha holds both a BA in Economics and an MA in International Economics and Finance from Brandeis University.

Please join us in welcoming Marsha in her new role as Trustee!

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Marsha MacLean P ’27, ’28 with husband Mark, daughter Abigail, and son Aaron

spotlight on Kimberly Formisano

potential openings, I knew I was looking for a small school community that would allow me to build strong relationships with faculty, students, and families. I would only consider a school that was committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) work in and out of the classroom, a school where the culture was welcoming and prioritized students, a school where the leadership was strong and consistent. Enter Brimmer.

What are you most excited about in your new role?

students, especially students of color, lowincome students, LGTBQ+ students, and other marginalized students. Reflecting on how we can take these steps is work that is critical to the success of the program. I am excited to blend social emotional learning with the DEIB curricula because, when diverse perspectives are included, respected, and valued, it provides a clearer path for individual and group success.

W hat led you to Brimmer?

After working in schools for over 30 years, I had the privilege of taking the past year to reflect on the work I had done in schools and assess what fulfilled me about working in education. I quickly came to realize that I missed being part of a school community. The energy that can only be felt in a school—the classroom conversations between students, observing a teacher during a lesson, the strategizing between a learning specialist and teacher about how to address the needs of a student—I missed it all! My time as a substitute teacher affirmed that I needed to return to school leadership. I entered schools and found myself thinking about the systems that were in place and which ones I would want to adopt if I was the decisionmaker. As I researched schools with

As the fall progresses, the Lower School faculty continues to impress me with their passion for teaching, their knowledge of the students, and their love of Brimmer. I have enjoyed meeting families—learning about their children’s interests, past classroom experiences, and their hopes for the upcoming school year. Developing these relationships will help me to be a more empathetic and thoughtful leader.

I am excited about the talented group of educators who partner with me to plan our curriculum and care for our students. All Brimmer community members benefit from the talented faculty who are supporting the growth and development of students. Working collaboratively with those who play a role in the students’ lives is work I am keen to do.

I am eager to partner with Jessica Christian and other faculty to build on the DEIB initiatives. Diversity—of ideas, perspectives, and experiences—fosters a healthy School culture. Therefore, it is my goal to build on the DEIB programs that are offered and to ensure that we are following a plan that centers the voices and needs of all

Furthermore, I am delighted about starting in my role with a redesigned space for the fourth and fifth grade teams that considers the needs of students. I look forward to shadowing students in these grades, observing how they interact with the new space, and discovering the learning opportunities made possible by these classroom improvements.

What is your personal philosophy on elementary education?

The cornerstone of my educational philosophy centers on how a committed educator and leader should, and can, make a vital difference in every student’s life. Educators should carry this belief with them and reinforce it each day both inside and outside the classroom. Children thrive in a setting where relationships with their teachers and peers have depth and meaning.

When children feel comfortable trying new things, they can confidently approach their learning and not be afraid to make mistakes. I believe classrooms with strong communities

Opposite top: Kimberly Formisano (R) participating in the Pan Mass Challenge; Opposite bottom: Posing with the Brimmer Gator on the opening day of Lower School

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Brimmer’s new Head of Lower School shares her philosophy on education and the joys of a supportive and collaborative classroom

allow children to engage and invest in their work, which fosters an eagerness to achieve more. They learn to collaborate to resolve conflicts by bringing multiple perspectives to the situation. Maintaining a strong classroom community allows students to support and challenge one another, to take risks, to think critically, engage cooperatively, and ENJOY learning.

How have your own experiences as a student influenced your work in education?

Often educators reflect on their positive experiences in school as the driving force for their decision to pursue education. For me it was quite the opposite. It was my fifth grade teacher, sitting at her desk in the back of the classroom viewing her students from behind, that influenced my decision. This hands-off approach made me no longer enjoy going to school. Up until then, I approached academics with confidence and a love of learning. But during that year, I was often nervous to answer questions and doubted my abilities. I recall the teacher isolating another student who was struggling to read and write, never once shining a spotlight on his strengths. This marked the time when I first considered becoming a teacher. I knew that I never wanted a child to struggle if they had a learning difference. I wanted to create a classroom community that allowed students to learn from, and not feel embarrassed by, their mistakes—a place where people felt safe to be their authentic selves, were encouraged to collaborate with each other, and where all styles of learning were both appreciated and celebrated. That boy who I witnessed struggling mightily in fifth grade is still a friend. We often comment on the unintended gift our teacher gave us—not only of friendship, but a career path.

What inspires you and brings you joy?

Working in a school community with talented educators is inspiring. The conversations about curriculum and teaching are ones that I find energizing. Thinking about the most engaging classroom

experience for students is what drives my continued love for working in education.

I love to be outdoors, ideally moving and connecting with people. A long walk, a bike ride, playing golf (a new interest), playing tennis—all of it brings me joy, and the conversations that I have while participating in the activities inspire me! I have a close friend who I have collaborated with on some of my most innovative school projects. Our long walks often lead to some of my most creative thinking and problem-solving. Collaborating with others to spark new ideas and ways of thinking brings me a great deal of joy.

I also find spending time exercising outdoors helps me reflect on my work. My summer training for the Pan Mass Challenge (this was my ninth year riding) provided me hours of time to think about school and leadership. Not only can I support an organization that raises money for cancer research, but I also have the chance to reflect on my leadership, consider new ideas, and process the day!

Brimmer Magazine Fall 2022 15 A WARM WELCOME

All School Celebration of the Arts

16 Fall 2022 Brimmer Magazine GETTING CREATIVE
The Creative Arts Team was pleased to bring back the All School Celebration of the Arts this spring! Artwork created by students in grades PK-Grade 12 was exhibited throughout the Chase and Hastings buildings. At the art show opening, families were invited to escort their young artists to view works of art from all grades, enjoy an Artwork Treasure Hunt, and take part in hands-on art activities. The event concluded with an outstanding Middle School Musical, Beauty and the Beast, Jr. (see pages 20-21).
Brimmer Magazine Fall 2022 17

Grades 4 & 5 Musical

18 Fall 2022 Brimmer Magazine GETTING CREATIVE
This year’s 4th and 5th grade musical opened with an original one-act play called Life as a Toy performed by the 4th graders. This flowed right into the musical production of The Claw, a fun-filled story about an out-of-order claw game that suddenly comes back to life, told from the perspective of the toys who live inside the machine!
Brimmer Magazine Fall 2022 19

Middle School Musical

Audiences were treated to “a tale as old as time” with the Middle School production of Beauty and the Beast, Jr. in May! Director Andrea Underhill-Curtin picked the musical based on the classic Disney film for several reasons, including the opportunity to showcase many performers as various characters. She shared, “[The show] also tells a story about being different and what it means to care, even love, another person.” - Marlie Kass ’23, Senior Arts Journalist for The Gator

20 Fall 2022 Brimmer Magazine GETTING CREATIVE
Brimmer Magazine Fall 2022 21

Upper School Musical

In March, the Brimmer community was treated to a fabulous production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the School’s first onstage musical in two years. Creative Arts Department Chair and Director Bill Jacob shared the following with The Gator Journalist Polly Zimmerman ’26: “I wanted a crowd-pleaser. After Trap, the Upper School fall play, I thought it was important to have a show that the whole School could enjoy.”

22 Fall 2022 Brimmer Magazine GETTING CREATIVE
Brimmer Magazine Fall 2022 23

T his year’s Academy Awards began with a gala reception in the Dining Commons, complete with a Fashion Show courtesy of Mrs. Lee’s Fashion Design class. Attendees then moved to the Theatre, where hosts Marlie Kass ’23 and Zakkai Mares-Van Praag ’22 led the celebration of Brimmer’s year in the arts, live and in person for the first time in three years. Prizes were awarded, the Upper School Band played, Honorary Academies were presented, and Lily Kaplan ’12 was inducted into the Creative Arts Hall of Fame (see sidebar).

24 Fall 2022 Brimmer Magazine
GETTING CREATIVE

Excerpt from Creative Arts Department Chair Bill Jacob during Brimmer’s 20th Annual Academy Awards

Three years ago, the Creative Arts Department chose Lily Kaplan ’12 as the next inductee in the Creative Arts Hall of Fame. COVID intervened once and then once more, but here we are—finally—ready to honor one of the department’s outstanding performers.

Lily was an obvious choice. She was someone who worked her way up from bit roles and parts in the chorus, to supporting roles, and then—in her senior year—smashing it with leading roles in Alice and Wonderland and The Drowsy Chaperone

Lily was one of the first Creative Arts Diploma Program (CAP) students, and she is quick to remind me that she was turned down in her first application. Undeterred, Lily countered by asking for a lunch meeting to discuss the decision and brought along her advisor, [former] Head of School Anne Reenstierna, for backup. That’s when I knew Lily was a force to be reckoned with.

But what I remember best about Lily, and what I valued most, was her capacity to work. Lily showed up. She

was prepared, she was engaged, she brought ideas and enthusiasm, and she had a kick ass sense of humor. Lily was just plain fun to collaborate with, and in her time on the Brimmer stage, she gave us some truly memorable performances.

For more on Lily Kaplan ’12, see pages 10-12.

Brimmer Magazine Fall 2022 25
CREATIVE ARTS HALL OF FAME 2022 WINNER: LILY KAPLAN ’12

INNOVATION award winners our 2022 faculty

Our Faculty Innovation Grants are funded by the Kirwan Smith Family and the Faculty Compensation and Teaching Excellence Fund and are awarded to faculty members based upon the ability to create a proposal for a teaching experience that transcends the normal School curriculum. These grants offer $6,000 for classroom materials and $6,000 stipends to compensate for planning time for curriculum development. “The ideas we received this year were strong, and we thank everyone who took the time to put together proposals over the summer,” said Director of Development Elizabeth Smith. “We are grateful for our donors’ support as these grants allow us to pilot new ideas for our students across the entire School.” ■

Lower School

Audio Adventures in the Lower School Library Stephanie Golas, Lower School Librarian

“The library strives to be the heart of the School community; a space shared by all and a hub for engagement, creation, and above all, the love of literature,” says Brimmer Lower School Librarian Stephanie Golas. “Cultivating a love of books and reading means providing a variety of resources that engage all learners at their level and ability.” For this reason, Golas plans to acquire various audio solutions for teachers and students to borrow and use in the library, the classroom, and at home. Ideas include two types of audio-integrated books, Wonderbooks and Vox Books, which are traditional print books with an optional audio player integrated into the book cover. She will purchase a selection of popular and diverse picture books, early chapter books, and middle-grade chapter books, including bilingual books reflective of our student

26 Fall 2022 Brimmer Magazine INNOVATION AWARDS

Brimmer’s World Languages Department has been exploring new ways for students to improve their language acquisition with a goal of making learning increasingly dynamic, engaging, and student friendly. Through a variety of projects across all three languages—Mandarin, Spanish, and French—students have been increasing their fluency and confidence through variations on a theme of comprehensible input (CI) tools and literacy initiatives. “Students really enjoy learning language through reading,” says World Languages Department Chair Nicole Rudolph. “While textbooks include short excerpts of literary works, the idea of reading a book in another language that they can actually understand is highly motivating.” For this reason, Rudolph plans to use her grant to create a library of “free choice” reading materials in each classroom, so students can enjoy learning at their own pace using various books of interest in their target language. “I look forward to building a library collection that can be used by students to increase their comprehensible input skills in reading fluency,” says Rudolph. “Through using real books, students will hopefully grow to enjoy reading and also have a much-needed break from their electronic devices.”

population. “There is great benefit to offering audiobooks to all students,” says Golas. “Using audio can increase word exposure and help build vocabulary. It can also help students with fluency and be a more comfortable solution for students who have anxiety around reading.”

Golas also plans to acquire Playaway audio devices, small, portable, screen-free audio players that can be listened to independently or with a copy of the printed book, and Yoto Mini players, rechargeable, screen-free, ad-free audio with content cards and simple controls to allow even the youngest students to operate them independently. “Perhaps most powerfully, Yoto has Make Your Own cards used to create unique content or load with music or audio of your choice,” explains Golas. “I envision recording student stories and music on the cards so students can share their work with our whole community and each other.”

Brimmer Magazine Fall 2022 27
Middle and Upper School Language Acquisition Through Readers in the World Languages Classrooms Nicole R. Rudolph, Upper School French, Global Studies, and Humanities Teacher, World Languages Department Chair
28 Fall 2022 Brimmer Magazine ATHLETICS
Brimmer Magazine Fall 2022 29
30 Fall 2022 Brimmer Magazine ATHLETICS

ALUMNI ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME

Berney Gove Skutel ’67 was selected for induction to the Brimmer Athletic Hall of Fame for her outstanding contributions to the Varsity Field Hockey program during her high school career and is remembered for her beautiful play and her incredible control of the ball.

Berney was a leader on and off the field and was an active member of the student body at Brimmer and May. While she was a student, Berney was the President of the Athletics Association and the Team Captain and led the fall 1966 Field Hockey Team to a winning season.

From the beginning of her high school career, Meredith Mitchell ’02 was the star of every team she played on, and she led the Varsity Soccer and Basketball Teams to league championships. She was a fantastic student and embodied what we all think of as a “student-athlete.”

Meredith was selected for induction into the Brimmer Athletic Hall of Fame after reviewing her record of receiving 12 varsity letters in Soccer, Basketball, and Lacrosse throughout her time in the Upper School. In addition, she received four Scholar Athlete Awards, MVPs, and was named the Athletic Association Award winner at graduation.

Tom Byrne ’02 was also a three-season varsity athlete and was selected because of his outstanding contribution to Brimmer athletics while he was a student. Tom was a major contributor to Varsity Soccer, Varsity Lacrosse, and Varsity Basketball and was the recipient of an unbelievable six Scholar Athlete Awards, along with several Coaches Awards, Most Improved, and MVP awards.

Tom, too, was the embodiment of “studentathlete” who is remembered for his hard work and team orientation while playing sports. He is especially remembered as crucial to the ongoing success of the Boys Lacrosse program when there was a question whether we could continue that program. You will all be happy to know that because of the work Tom and his teammates did to revive the Lacrosse Team, it continues to thrive today.

Top left: Head of School Judy Guild with photo of Hall of Fame inductee Berney Gove Skutel ’67; Bottom left: Meredith Mitchell ’02 with Director of Alumni Affairs & Special Events Amanda Eppers ‘88, P ’22; Above: Director of Alumni Affairs & Special Events Amanda Eppers ’88, P ’22 with Tom Byrne ’02

Brimmer Magazine Fall 2022 31
ALUMNI

meet

What led you to Brimmer?

Professionally, I had been looking for an opportunity in athletic administration at an independent school, and when the position at Brimmer opened up I began to dig a little deeper into the School and the community. I was immediately drawn to Brimmer’s mission and Core Values. I believe one of the key purposes of education is to prepare young people to be ethical citizens and leaders. To do so, Brimmer teaches students the values of respect, responsibility, kindness, honesty, and equity. This really resonates with me as a professional and a person. Going through the interview process and having an opportunity to meet many community members confirmed that Brimmer is a wonderful place and a great fit for me.

What are you most excited about in your new role?

Since I arrived, I have had the good fortune of meeting and connecting with so many students, parents, faculty, staff, and alums who

are so passionate about athletics. It is clear to me that this is a very healthy Athletics and Physical Education (PE) program! Having the opportunity to build on the many successes of such an established program really excites me. While there may be some adjustments and changes for students and community members, I am extremely optimistic about the future of this program.

What is your personal philosophy on athletics, PE, and health & wellness?

The role that health and wellness plays at a school is different than what you would find at a town, club, or independent team level. Brimmer’s Athletic Department, with its many offerings, is a place to teach the same values and lessons that students learn in the classroom, just in a different manner. Students participating in athletics and PE will be pushed to learn about themselves as students, as leaders, and as athletes. We will stress respect, responsibility, kindness, honesty, and equity. In addition, Brimmer athletes will

be expected to always “Compete with Class.” Ultimately, I will strive to build a program that supports and pushes all students to value the role that athletics, PE, and health can play in their lives.

How have your own experiences influenced your work in the field of athletics in an educational setting? My professional experiences over the past 18 years have influenced me greatly as I have had opportunities to work in higher and secondary education in a number of different roles. Because I have seen students play at the highest levels, and I have also seen students who avoid physical activities, I have developed a passionate and flexible approach to both athletics and PE. Regardless of the level of the sport or activity, there are so many learning opportunities, as long as students commit. I want to ensure that all students enjoy and value their experience.

What inspires you and brings you joy? Professionally, I love when students have been able to grow as people and see themselves in a different light. There are countless opportunities to fail and succeed, and that is what I love about sports. Both failing and succeeding in a supportive and positive environment can be a powerful tool for student growth. Personally, I love being with friends and family and sharing experiences with them. Whether it is visiting a museum or going on a family trip, having the opportunity to be doing something memorable with people that are special to me brings me a lot of joy.

32 Fall 2022 Brimmer Magazine ATHLETICS
Brimmer’s new Athletic Director ensures students both value and enjoy the role of athletics, health, and wellness in their lives.
Above right: Brett Kelly with wife Stephanie, son Charlie (6 years old), and daughter Paige (2.5 years) brett kelly
Brimmer Magazine Fall 2022 33
34 Fall 2022 Brimmer Magazine ATHLETICS

WINTER & SPRING AWARDS AND ACCOLADES

Jarrel Okorougo ’22, Bryce Ruglass-Dortch ’24 Varsity I Boys Basketball, All NEPSAC, Class AA

Ismani Cepeda ’22, Quinn Nielsen ’23 Varsity I Boys Basketball, All NEPSAC, Honorable Mention

Lily Goodman ’22

Varsity Girls Tennis, IGL All League

Dieter Gartner ’22 Varsity Boys Tennis, MBIL All League

Iris Bishins ’22

Varsity Girls Lacrosse, IGL All League

Theo Pellman ’22, Owen Williams ’23

Varsity Boys Lacrosse, MBIL All League

Kelly Rimas ’22, Tahina Lizama-Kiefl ’22 Varsity Softball, IGL All League

Zak Adler ’23, Adrian Mathiesen ’26 Varsity Baseball, MBIL All League

Congratulations to A.J. Reeves ’18, who was selected by the Boston Celtics to join their NBA Summer League roster! Reeves graduated from Providence College and helped the Friars win their first Big East regular season title and advance to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament Sweet Sixteen this past spring. Assistant Athletic Director Tom Nelson traveled out to Las Vegas to catch the summer league in action and sent along these great photos from behind the scenes.

Brimmer Magazine Fall 2022 35

LAWN AT BRIMMER auction

What an incredible night we had at the Lawn at Brimmer Auction in April. It was wonderful to host our first live auction since 2019. Families joined us under the tent on the Brimmer field for food trucks, a photo booth, dancing, and our silent and live auctions with auctioneer Bill Jacob. All proceeds from the auction support faculty professional development and financial aid. A huge thank-you goes out to our community for donating their time and talents and their unwavering support for Brimmer! ■

36 Fall 2022 Brimmer Magazine SPRING AUCTION

PK

“Little Hands & Big Hearts”

PK students used sponge brushes to paint the border and create a unique brush stroke frame. They painted their hands and gently placed them in the outline of a heart, framing the love and kindness these students show every day.

Kindergarten

“Around the World”

Our Kindergarten students excitedly fingerprint painted a map of our beautiful Earth and added mixed media details to make each continent stand out.

Grade 1

“Look Whooos’s Perching in a Tree!”

First graders used a paper cutting technique to create a painted canvas of charming owls nestled together on a birch tree branch.

Grade 2

“Log Cabin Collage” Second graders have been studying the Underground Railway and the role that quilts played in helping enslaved people gain their freedom. Students created patterned papers to share and used them to create a traditional log cabin square. These colorful collages have been combined to create a unique paper quilt in a frame.

Grade 3

“A Poem for Every Mood”

At the conclusion of their study of poetry, each third grader selected a few favorite poems they wrote and illustrated to include in a hardcover anthology entitled A Poem for Every Mood

Grade 4

“Symmetrical Medallions”

Fourth graders explored radial symmetry and observed this common design element in works of art from around the world. Students used a variety of printmaking techniques to create their own bold symmetrical designs that were then combined in a frame.

Grade 5

“Colonial Sampler”

Fifth graders chose a word based on their essential question of the year, “What is strength of character?” Using graph paper, they created “cross-stitch” text in the style of a colonial sampler.

Brimmer Magazine Fall 2022 37
We auctioned off these beautiful pieces created in our Lower School classrooms! Top L-R: PK / Kindergarten / Grade 5; Bottom L-R: Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 1, Grade 2
38 Fall 2022 Brimmer Magazine
Brimmer Magazine Fall 2022 39
40 Fall 2022 Brimmer Magazine

celebrating the class of 2022

T he School’s 142nd Commencement ceremony was held in June beneath a tent on the field, and it could not have been a more beautiful day to celebrate the Class of 2022. Head of School Judith Guild joined Assistant Head of Academic Affairs Joe Iuliano and Head of Upper School Joshua Neudel in shining a spotlight on each senior and their accomplishments. Like the two classes that came before them, this class showed resilience, perseverance, and positivity during these unique Upper School years, and we wish them the very best as they head into the next phase of their lives. We hope they will come back to visit!

Brimmer Magazine Fall 2022 41 COMMENCEMENT
Paola Mammano ’20 and family approach the diploma station Class of 2022 processes out Jayden Okorougo ’22 accepting his diploma
42 Fall 2022 Brimmer Magazine
Dieter Gartner ’22, Zhuoheng Wang ’22, Martin Maynard ’22, Neel Kumar ’22, Yong Gak (Ray) Park ’22, and Brian Barrera ’22 Artist-inResidence Kelly Rimas ’22 unveils her work of art Class of 2022 Senate President Ayanna Jefferson ’22 delivers her Commencement speech Director of Alumni Affairs & Special Events Amanda S. Eppers ’88, P ’22, Marlo Frank ‘22, Brendan Frank
Brimmer Magazine Fall 2022 43
Theodore Pellman ’22, Iris Bishins ’22, Jackson Ostrowski ’22, and Theodore Johnson ’22 Neel Kumar ’22 accepting his diploma Celebrating with friends Elisabeth Fitzgerald ’22 with her uncle Board of Trustee John Fitzgerald Brimmer Lifers Board of Trustees
44 Fall 2022 Brimmer Magazine
Behare Goshime ’22 Kai Wen ’22 with family Asher Jaeckel ’22 accepting his diploma

Brandeis University

Bucknell University Clark University

Connecticut College

Dickinson College Emerson College

Emmanuel College George Washington University

Haverford College

Ithaca College Niagara University

Pace University

Pitzer College

Pomona College Reed College Skidmore College

Suffolk University Syracuse University

The New School

The Ohio State University Trinity College Tufts University

UMass Lowell University of Arizona University of Freiburg University of New Hampshire University of Pittsburgh University of Richmond University of Rochester

Brimmer Magazine Fall 2022 45
Bentley University Boston College Boston University ONWARD…THEIR JOURNEY CONTINUES Sophie Katz ’22 and Brian Barrera ’22 Spanish Teacher Mirna Goldberger with her World Language students Behare Goshime ’22, Ayanna Jefferson ’22, and Iris Bishins ’22

Class Notes

1960

Suzanne DelVecchio

“After retiring from the Massachusetts Superior Court 16 years ago, I began my mediation practice which has been lots of fun. I recently cut back to working only four days a week which is great! The only thing I regret is that in the past couple of years I have not been able to travel the way I used to, but I’m hoping to resume my annual trips to Italy next year.”

1961

Connie Golden

“We haven’t been up to much, due to COVID. My husband Jerry, a physician, and I aren’t going out and about yet. I’m doing a lot of streaming classes and learning a lot in my ‘old’ age! Jerry and I are best friends, so we are fine being home together—YAY!”

1972

Penny Gutman Link

“I have been living in Minneapolis and am retired after a career in social work and raising our family. I enjoy walking, travelling, and especially painting in watercolors and spending time with friends and family.”

2004

Courtney Camps Toomey

“I moved! And we had a baby boy, Charles Fraher Toomey (‘Charlie’), on May 15th, 2022. We are overjoyed with him!”

2006

Elizabeth DeMont

“2022 has been interesting…my son, Carver Jay (‘CJ’), turned 2 and is challenging and fun and so smart. My parents have been enjoying time with CJ.”

2013

Emily Gaylord

“Words cannot express how proud and honored I am to share that I was awarded the Yawkey Award for Teaching Excellence for the 2021 School Year this morning. The Yawkey is our school’s Teacher of the Year award. Becoming a Kindergarten teacher is one of my proudest achievements and greatest joys of my life thus far, and any

46 Fall 2022 Brimmer Magazine
Courtney Camps Toomey ’04 with her new baby boy Charlie Emily Gaylord ’13 (L) with her mother Karen as they both received a Yawkey Award for Teaching Excellence Above: Head of School Judy Guild mingles with alumni at the first annual Summer Shindig (see pages 52-53)

educator, parent, or student can agree that these past few years have brought a unique set of challenges. As if this day could be any more special, my incredibly talented and driven mother, Karen Gaylord, was awarded the Yawkey Award for Teaching Excellence for the 2020 School Year this morning. From volunteering in her classroom as a teenager and then learning from her as I went from substitute teacher, to aide, and finally lead teacher, I have learned so much from her and am so proud to be following in her footsteps in the teaching profession.”

Benji Alford

Brimmer caught up with Benji this past summer at our first annual Young Alumni Summer Shindig (see pages 52-53), and he said that he is loving teaching eighth grade Social Studies at Newton’s Brown Middle School.

2014

Jess Duserick

Jess will be attending Trinity College Dublin in fall 2022 for a graduate master’s program in Immunology. She has spent time this past academic year enjoying her job as an Assistant Teacher at the Birches School, a PK through Grade 8 independent school in Lincoln, MA, that leads with both a progressive and nature-based, thematic studies curriculum.

Aaron Yemane

Brimmer caught up with Aaron this past summer at our first annual Young Alumni Summer Shindig (see pages 52-53) where he shared with us that he is working as an attorney at Ropes and Gray in Boston.

Houghton Younge

Houghton has been working as a Mechanical Engineer for ERBI Biosystems in Stoneham, MA.

2015

Elizabeth Leeder

Elizabeth announced her engagement to Elliott Bull. A July 2023 wedding is planned.

Jaime Goldman

Jaime let us know that she is a social worker with the Department of Children and

Families in Boston, which she loves and finds very rewarding.

David Labossiere

David has been very busy recently. While in Madrid, he ran into Javier de Diego ’14. He later met up with Ju’Quan Mills ’17 and Anthony Anderson ’17 in Portugal, where he has been living and playing probasketball for a team called Basket Almada Clube. He is currently a free agent. With regard to his time at Brimmer, David writes, “You guys changed my life, and I am so thankful! My Winterim trip opened my mind and expanded it to another level!”

Graziella (Grace) Pilkington

Grace graduated from Miami University (OH) in May 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture and a self-designed Thematic Sequence in Global Public Health. Grace is an accredited Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC). Her career passion is making innovation happen in the intersection of Global Public Health, Building Science, and Architecture towards the ultimate goal of tackling human society’s greatest challenge: developing healthy, resilient, and sustainable communities.

Brimmer Magazine Fall 2022 47 ALUMNI
Elizabeth Leeder ’15 and Elliott Bull David Labossiere ’15 in Marrakech David Labossiere ’15 (L) with Javier de Diego ’14 in Madrid, Spain

Class Notes cont’d

Genevieve LeFevre

We recently found this wonderful review about Genevieve on Broadwayworld.com.

“The Coterie Theatre’s world premiere of new family musical Alice’s Wonderland is a modern-day musical adapted from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

Genevieve LeFevre is spectacular as Alice, who invents a game and then is drawn into it. She has a beautiful voice, the type you

IN MEMORIAM

could listen to daily, and appears to be an accomplished actor.

She is a graduate of Harvard University with a degree in Theatre, Dance, and Media. Hopefully, she will appear on more Kansas City stages as everyone should get an opportunity to watch her perform.”

2018

Michael Finn-Henry

Michael, recently featured in the Vanderbilt University alumni magazine, writes, “I feel so blessed to have been a part of such an amazing undergraduate community. The article highlights much of my work at Vanderbilt over the last four years. I am so appreciative of all the students, faculty, and staff that I have had the privilege of collaborating with. Going to a school that allows for such radical collaboration between business, engineering, and medicine enables cutting-edge innovation. Additionally, it has been such a fulfilling experience to help grow the Vanderbilt Climbing Club from 8 to the 82 members that we currently have actively involved; it is so exciting to see an organization I helped to start becoming so successful. I am forever grateful to the Vanderbilt community, and I’m very excited for what comes next!”

Katheryn Maynard

Katheryn recently graduated from Boston University in June and recently started a job at State Street Bank as a Senior Associate Auditor.

Emily Onderdonk

Emily recently graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a degree in Psychology and Biological Sciences.

Antonia von Litschgi

Antonia recently graduated from Smith College with a degree in Government and Sociology.

48 Fall 2022 Brimmer Magazine
(L-R) Anthony Anderson ’17, David Labossiere ’15, and Ju’Quan Mills ’17 in Portugal Michael Finn-Henry ’18 Emily Onderdonk ’18 Louise Palmer-Persen
’41
Elizabeth Forbes Codd
’41
Hope Wilson Haug
’43
Christopher “Pete” Jones, Former Trustee Board Chair and past parent (see sidebar) Muriel Stark, Former Trustee (to be celebrated in the Spring Issue)

19

Jared Heller

Jared (Haverford ’23), who played four varsity sports at Brimmer and currently plays lacrosse for Haverford, was selected for and played in the U21 World Lacrosse Championships in late August. With 23 countries in attendance, Jared played for Poland, the native country of his paternal grandfather, Marcus Heller,

IN MEMORIAM

who survived the Holocaust. Jared was the Most Valuable Player (MVP) for his team in the championships, scoring 14 goals and four assists across six games, and leading the team in goals, face-off wins, and ground balls. He appreciates all his mentors at Brimmer, especially Peter Slaski ,who coached lacrosse and instructed him in the classroom multiple times. He wears uniform #17 at Haverford (and for half the games at the World Lacrosse Championships) to honor his late former teammate in lacrosse and soccer, Raja SafiUllah Aziz ’17.

Debby ’48 and Pete Jones: Lifetime Dedication to Brimmer and May

This past year, we lost an incredible couple dear to the Brimmer and May community: alumna and Former Trustee Deborah Harvey Jones ’48 in November 2021 and Former Trustee and Board Chair Christopher “Pete” Jones this past July. As many of you know, Pete and Debby were very involved with the School in many phases of their lives, beginning with Debby as a Brimmer “Lifer” student in the 1940s and their daughters Betsy Jones Hemenway ’77 and Sarah Jones Stiff attending as well. Debby later became a Trustee followed by Pete in the 1980s. At Alumni Day 1982, Alumni Director Ruth Whalen announced winners of the Alumni Recognition Award for contributions to the School and to the community, one of which was Debby. “Deborah Harvey Jones truly exemplifies a Brimmer and May family,” said Mrs. Whalen. “Daughter of Joel D. Harvey, former member of the Board of Trustees, Mrs. Jones is herself on the Board as Clerk, and her husband, Christopher P. Jones, is currently the Chairman of the Board. Mrs. Jones is also the mother of two alumnae…and is an active member of the Alumnae Association. The citation on Mrs. Jones’ plaque reads in part, ‘In sincere appreciation of her loyalty, dedication, and service to Brimmer and May School.’ ”

The Jones family made their home in Wayland, raising their four children. They were married for 63 years. Over the decades, they attended many events, supported the School, and helped advance the School during some challenging times. They will both be greatly missed.

Brimmer Magazine Fall 2022 49 ALUMNI
Antonia von Litschgi ’18 Jared Heller ’19 playing for Poland in the U21 World Lacrosse Championships. Image credit: Instagram account 2022worldu21lax
20

brimmer & listens!reads

Faculty and staff share the books and podcasts that brought them joy this summer

The author organizes her collection of essays about living in the American South around six thematic categories. She opens with “Flora and Fauna” and ends with “Arts and Culture.” Of particular interest to me is the collection on the topic of social justice. Her essays inspire joy within the reader as she reveals the common lives of Americans. Understanding and embracing our rich American heritage produces a sense of hope and positivity that the daily news cycles rarely offer.

The complexities of the South were evident to me when I studied Southern American literature in the 1990s as part of my master’s degree. These essays pull us forward to modern-day Southern thought, behaviors, and actions and serve as a reminder that the rich history and dynamics that make up that region are important to understand.

This is a beautifully written first novel by a 29-year-old African American writer. The story is set in Georgia just after the Emancipation Proclamation. The young author weaves several family stories together as they experience postwar trauma. It is exciting to read a fresh novel from a youthful author who has created sympathetic and complicated characters with detailed visual descriptions.

I have really enjoyed listening to Emily Glankler’s Anti-Social Studies this summer. It is upbeat, wellpaced, and often humorous, with episodes that chronologically teach both AP U.S. History and AP World History from a modern point of view. She also provides classroom resources that parallel the series. According to her website, Emily created the series “after years of hearing how little adults learned (or remembered) from their history classes.” Despite her aiming to help adults like me brush up on history, her episodes feel geared directly to her current high school students in both tone and enthusiasm; a total win-win.

Also worth mentioning is Ologies with Alie Ward, a comedic science show that features experts talking about a different fascinating topic each episode. Alie’s curiosity mingles what could be dry facts with both wonder and wit.

50 Fall 2022 Brimmer Magazine FACULTY & STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS

My summer has been made more joyful by listening to Secretly Incredibly Fascinating Hosted by four-time Jeopardy! champion Alex Schmidt, the podcast explores topics you wouldn’t imagine are particularly interesting (the color beige, for instance) to reveal their unexpected history or significance. It’s a casual listen, being mostly a comedy podcast, but I always come away with fun new nuggets of information to share.

Alex Ostergard Middle & Upper School Instrumental Music Teacher Director, After School Music Program

My summer was filled with taking in stories from the stage, TV, but especially from books! To support students in their independent reading book choices, I ventured into the Young Adult genre. This is a beautiful story about being lost and then found. It takes place in a magical realism world where the characters search to find purpose in what they do and who they are—particularly the differences! As an audience member, you cannot help but be amused, reflect, appreciate, and love all the various people in your life.

I really enjoyed reading this one this summer. It weaves together native knowledge and understanding of ecosystems with botanical scientific research. Written by Robin Wall Kimmerer, who is both a member of the Potawatomi Nation and a research scientist, she explores our relationship with nature and what we can learn from it.

Cecelia J. Pan Science Department Chair Director of Educational Initiatives and Co-Director of Faculty Recruitment & Mentoring

I just finished this one. It started off slow but really got going and I couldn’t put it down. It’s a great crime thriller, and I also appreciated that it brought you into a community and allowed you to see all sides of it.

Reading this brought me joy. It is the story of a man who overcame great adversity both on and off the cycling track. Major Taylor inspired me to ride my bike just a bit farther (and sometimes faster).

Brimmer Magazine Fall 2022 51

summer

shindig

We loved catching up with our young alumni this past July in Boston at Trillium Brewing Company for the first annual Summer Shindig. We were so impressed with all the things our college graduates are doing right now in the fields of finance, social work, law, technology, education, executive search, marketing, event planning, medicine, and more!

52 Fall 2022 Brimmer Magazine ALUMNI
Attendees of our first annual Young Alumni Summer Shindig Maria Aguilar Moreno ’17 with Sarah Smith ’17 Grant Iuliano ’18, Ethan Eastwood ’18, Tyler Best ’18, Sarah Smith ’17, Head of School Judy Guild, Sophie Lapat ’18, and Enna Spivak ’17

Cape Visit with 1943 Alumna

Brimmer Magazine Fall 2022 53
(Top L-R) Director of Development Elizabeth Smith P ’17, Head of School Judy Guild, and Director of Alumni Affairs & Special Events Amanda Eppers ’88, P ’22 had a fantastic day in Marion, MA, visiting alum Elizabeth “Betty” Howard Linzee ’43. During a lovely luncheon with her family, Betty regaled us with stories of her days at Brimmer and May and reminded us that her mother had attended Ms. Cummings School! Betty gifted us with this beautiful, handneedlepointed crest that her aunt made for her when she graduated. Jaime Goldman ’14, Head of School Judy Guild, and Grace Pilkington ’14 Director of Annual Fund Sharin Russell, Director of Alumni Affairs & Special Events Amanda S. Eppers ’88, P ’22, and Benji Alford ’13 Kate Foster ’14, Leeza Gourinovich ’14, Michael Rafferty ’14, and Dietrich Pultinas ’14 Antonia von Litschgi ’18, Katheryn Maynard ’18, and Emily Onderdonk ’18 Enna Spivak ’17, Sarah Smith ’17, and Joe Iuliano, P ’14, ’15, ’18

alumni day2022

54 Fall 2022 Brimmer Magazine
ALUMNI
Annual Fund Director Sharin Russell with Ali Fisher ’12 Pamela Paine Spires ’62, Patricia Foley DiSilvio ’62, Elizabeth “Bunnie” Wicks ’62, and Joan Bengloff Greer ’62 Corey Murphy ’12, Megumi Milla ’12, and Emma Guevara ’23
Brimmer Magazine Fall 2022 55
Susanne Day Teachout ’97, Ali Drourr Brockman ’98, Head of School Judy Guild, Hanna Pastor Feldman ’11, Ali Fisher ’12 Members of the Class of 2012 with Math Teacher Nancy Bradley Nick Correia ’17 and Dashaun Simon ’17 Raymani Walker ’17, Wanghao “Charles” Li ’17, and Yiling “Elaine” Ren ’17

Your Annual Fund Gift means the world to Students & Faculty!

The 2022–2023 Annual Fund

Last year our incredible community gave generously so that our School had every tool in the toolbox to ensure excellence for today’s students and today’s challenges. A $1.1 million Annual Fund allowed Brimmer to continue to deliver a top-notch education PK-12 while reinventing and rebuilding programs such as physical education and athletics, performing arts, speakers, field trips and travel, and more. As we have become aware, flexibility is much needed in these times, and we must be prepared to make investments when needed throughout the school year.

Please continue to make the Annual Fund your top philanthropic priority this year. Brimmer’s Annual Fund helps us to attract and retain the very best faculty through strong compensation and professional development offerings; create state-of-the-art classrooms; create a strong, diverse community of learners through financial aid; invest in new curriculum and DEIB initiatives; and offer a well-rounded blend of academics, wellness, arts, fitness, and athletics. It helps us keep our campus well maintained and beautiful, and it helps us plan as we advance Brimmer for the future.

Every donation to the 2022-2023 Annual Fund is an investment in a Brimmer education and benefits each student and faculty member. Our dedicated parent, alumni, alumni parent, and faculty community works together for Brimmer each year. Thank you.

make this possible!

You
Consider a gift today at brimmer.org/give

Annual Report

2021–2022 Brimmer Magazine Fall 2022 57 ANNUAL REPORT 2021–2022

message

from the head of school & the chair of the board of trustees

generous Annual Fund gifts, major gifts, endowments, and the Auction. The Annual Fund exceeded its goal, raising a total of $1,113,698.00, and The Lawn at Brimmer Auction in the spring netted over $110,000.00 for faculty professional development and financial aid. We are confident that our community will step up again this year as we continue to focus on our priorities.

As we begin the 2022-2023 school year, we are excited to welcome over 400 students to campus. Despite the disruptions we have all faced over the past 24 months, Brimmer and May maintains a strong foundation, with an undiminished sense of purpose and commitment to our collective well-being. Ever aware that uncertainties exist, we continued to embrace our return to more normal times with bustling classrooms, competitive athletes, and live performing arts. This year we are eager to integrate the new skills, methods, and practices that were developed last year. We will also continue to focus on the ability of young people to be resilient and healthy as they develop and face the various changes they will encounter as they grow. Additional programming and curriculum in every division of the School were added to help meet this goal.

As noted in the spring Brimmer Magazine, the School has been focused on meeting the goals outlined in our Strategic Priorities 2020 & Beyond. Addressing the need to support the health and wellness of our students, which the pandemic made more urgent, led our faculty to focus on offering leadership opportunities, finding ways to connect with one another, and ensuring a sense of belonging for all students PK12. Additionally, we will continue our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) through our work in the classrooms and professional development.

We can’t wait to see what this year will bring! None of this would be possible without the generosity of our community. During this past fiscal year alone, more than $3.7 million was donated to Brimmer and May through

Brimmer has a rich 143-year history as a PK-12 school, where students are inspired to learn, encouraged to explore, and empowered to lead. Brimmer continues to provide a transformative educational experience for its students. We are keenly aware that the continued excellence of fulfilling Brimmer’s mission and the flexibility needed to serve today’s students are a direct result of the generosity of every single donor.

Thank you for your continued confidence and support.

58 Fall 2022 Brimmer Magazine
ANNUAL REPORT 2021–2022

message

from the co-chairs of the development committee

This leadership group along with several other parent volunteers and the fundraising committee of the Alumni Board helped us surpass our goal of $950,000 with 77% parent participation and 100% Trustee and faculty and staff participation. This level of giving across the board is key as we reach out to foundations that appreciate demonstrated strength in the percentage of parent and alumni giving.

On behalf of the Development Committee, we wish to thank you for your generosity and support of the Brimmer and May Annual Fund, which this year surpassed $1.1 million!

Your support of the Annual Fund is vital to the financial health of the School. Your contributions help Brimmer to attract and retain incredibly dedicated and talented faculty and provide them with classrooms equipped to meet the needs of today’s students. Annual Fund dollars also fund professional development, financial aid, and help ensure well-rounded arts and athletic programs.

In addition to the continued support of the academic, arts, and athletic programs, this

year’s successful fundraising helped with some remaining COVID-related protocols, as well as a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) educational materials and guest speakers.

We would like to extend our profuse thanks to Director of Development Elizabeth Smith P ’17, Director of Annual Giving Sharin Russell, and their dedicated parent volunteer team. Special thanks also to Annual Fund Parent Co-Chairs (trustee) Chris and Jessica Chou P ’29, ’33 and our leadership team of Panos and Sara Demeter P ’24, ’27, ’27, (trustee) David Souza P ’26, ’30, Joe and Katie Terino P ’24, and Chrissy Teschke P ’22, ’26.

The Annual Fund bridges the gap between tuition dollars and the actual cost of an independent school education and is extremely important in supporting the School’s enduring mission.

Thank you for being an integral part of the success story that is Brimmer and May.

With warmest wishes, Kenyon Bissell Grogan ’76 Trustee, Co-Chair of the Development Committee

Lisa Hastings P ’18, ’18, ’19 Trustee, Co-Chair of the Development Committee

Brimmer Magazine Fall 2022 59
ANNUAL REPORT 2021–2022

giving report

60 Fall 2022 Brimmer Magazine
july 1, 2021–june 30, 2022 annual Annual Fund Unrestricted Named, Restricted, and Scholarship Funds For Athletics, Birthday Books, Brimmer Community Fund, Creative Arts, Financial Aid, and other Restricted Current Use Funds Special Funds Playground Fund, Realizing the Vision (RTV) Payments, Other Endowments, Other Capital and Major Gifts, and Auction $1,039,098 $74,600 $2,606,200 2021-2022 Total Annual Fund Raised: $1,113,698 2021-2022 Total Raised for Annual Fund, Endowments, and Special Funds Giving: $3,719,898 thank you Brimmer and May maintains its high standards of excellence in large part because of the extraordinary generosity from the many individuals and organizations noted in the Annual Report. We are most grateful for your continued support. Giving Circles reflect all gifts to the School made between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022. Heartfelt thanks to the many volunteers who helped make phone calls and write notes on behalf of the 2021-2022 Annual Fund. Your time, effort, and enthusiasm helped us significantly surpass our Annual Fund goal, especially during the unexpected pandemic. This would not have been possible without your support. Annual Fund Unrestricted, Named, Restricted, and Scholarship Athletics, Birthday Books, Brimmer Community Fund, Creative Arts, Financial Aid, General Restricted, STEAM, Albert Borkin, Nancy Drourr, Mary Jane Hoey, Barbara Shoolman, Al Simms, and Ruth Whalen. Endowments and Special Funds, Playground Fund, RTV Payments, Major Gifts, Auction, and Bequests For a complete list of endowments, please contact the Development Office. Participation Board of Trustees: 100% Faculty & Staff: 100% Current Parents: 77% Alumni: 11% ANNUAL REPORT 2021–2022
Brimmer Magazine Fall 2022 61 Priceless GIVING TO BRIMMER AND MAY AND SEEING HOW YOUR GIFT IMPACTS EVERYONE! 100% BOARD, FACULTY & STAFF SUPPORT THE ANNUAL FUND 100% OF STUDENTS ARE INVOLVED IN SCHOOL-SPONSORED COMMUNITY SERVICE 9 donors GAVE $50,000 OR MORE TO BRIMMER IN FY ’22 6:1 STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO 17AP COURSES OFFERED 80% OF FACULTY HOLD ADVANCED DEGREES 14 GRADES COMMITTED TO DEIB WORK THROUGH A globally focused curriculum 3 signature diploma programs PLUS SCHOLAR SOCIETY ANNUAL REPORT 2021–2022

thank youto all of our dedicated and supportive donors !

All constituents are listed here by society, and current parents are also listed by class.

Giving Circles

Head’s Circle ($50,000 + )

Barry and Mimi Alperin Cornelia Cook ’84 Jon Grenzke and Elizabeth Kensinger

Caroline C. Levine

The Nichols Trust Estate of Jim and Jane Orr David and Tatyana Souza Jeff and Chrissy Teschke Gang Wu and Yi Xing

Hastings Circle ($25,000 +)

Anonymous Estate of Mollye Lichter Block ’66 John and Suzzara Durocher Mark and Lisa Hastings Harry and Nikki Nudelman Susan Kirwan and Garth Smith

Chase Circle ($10,000 + ) Alex and Livia Aber Jeff and Jody Black Ge Chen and Wei Wei Liu Cherbec Advancement Foundation Carrie Farmer ’70

Joan Feeley

Sean and Jennifer Anne Gavin Shomir Ghosh and Catherine McCarty Grabe Family Foundation Ed Jaramillo and Amy Wyss David Jennings and Jennifer Krebs Kevin Johnson and Linda Lynch Bernie and Faith Kaplan Robert Kass and Shayne Gilbert Jack and Alexandra Lull Chris and Molly Malloy Michael McDonald and Kara McDonald Richard and Jennifer Mynahan Art and Nicole Papas Parents Association of Brimmer and May Young Park and Anja Langbein-Park Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family Foundation Patrick and Lisa Taffe

Joe and Katie Terino Daniel and Linda Waintrup ’72 Guangdong Wu and Jun Wang

Cummings Circle ($5,000 + )

Vinay and Mary Aggarwal Charles Altschul Steven and Michelle Bearak Paul Bernon

Carson Biederman and Susan MacPherson George Seymour Bissell Charitable Foundation Alain and Jessica Bourgeois Chris and Jessica Chou Suzanne DelVecchio ’60 Panos and Sara Demeter Mark and Olena Dmytruk Michael and Laura Ehlers Ross Elliott Paul and Cindy Gamble Jun Ge and Xiaolin Dai Kenyon Bissell Grogan ’76 Liz and Todd Hammer

Anna Emery Hanson Charitable Trust Scott and Danielle Herritt Farouc Jaffer and Kathy Economy Qi Jiang

Allison Johnson Edward Johnson Gajen and Elisabeth Kandiah Thomas and Kristin Knox Alexander and Jennifer Kozhemiakin David Kreisler and Gwyn Williams Mark Landis and Mary Singleton Howard and Carla Leeder John Lewis and Suzanne Sheirr Robert and Helen Lockhart Mark and Marsha MacLean Johnathan and Beth Mathiesen Tracey McCain Blaine and Krista McKee Frank and Britta Nielsen

Pang Family Fund of the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts Samuel Pang and Andrew Pang Weibin Peng and Wendy Wang Danny Pi and Jenny Chan Cindy Reardon and Mark Reardon Leonard Rosen Pam and Steve Rosenberg Ronald Schafer and Anna Kuznetsova-Schafer Alvin and Wendy Shih Robert and Tamara Sitkoff Robert and Sara Spalding

John Stefanon and Michael Gackstetter

Chaoran Sun and Jing Sun Elinor Epstein Svenson ’66 James and Liza Tague Eliot and June Tatelman Cynthia Brown Thaxter ’64 Philip Thompson and Nicola Thompson David Young and Michelle Mayer

Kewen Zhang and Min Xu

May Circle

($2,500 + )

Anonymous Hussam and Arghavan Batal Andrew Brzezinski and Ashley Tarokh David Dykeman and Danielle Dykeman Keith and Laura Gainsboro Bruce and Robin Ginsberg Harry Glorikian and Katrina Menzigian David and Melissa Goldstone Jeff Hesselbein and Amy Bland Christopher and Nicole Hurst Rusty and Betsy Kellogg Samuel Kellogg ’03 John Liu and Sharon Song Brad Mak and Brigitta Herzfeld Jordan and Evonne Meranus Mark and Ines Merolli

David Pellman and Margaret McLaughlin Nihar Prasanna and Tasneem Kanji Adrian Priesol and Nurhan Torun Alexander and Caroline Stangle Stanley Szwartz and Jacqueline Washburn Joshua and Tanja Tatelman Simon Wong and Wincy Fung

McCoy Circle ($1,000 + )

Raja Elie Abdulnour and Julie Nijmeh Micah and Rebecca Adler

John and Betsy Allen Paul and Veronica Apen

Shakil Aslam and Erica Gonella Christopher and Keri Baugh Jonathan and Julie Bedard

Danny Best and Condase Weekes-Best Andrew and Sarah Bishins

Alexander Bourgeois and Emily Anesta Peter Brown and Susan Vogt Brown

Pat and Joan Byrne

Thomas Calhoun and Katherine Taylor

Meg Caven and Laura Warren

62 Fall 2022 Brimmer Magazine
ANNUAL REPORT 2021–2022

Elizabeth Cleveland ’71

Carol Tesone Croffy ’67

Kevin Dutt and Darlington Hicks Brian and Susan Enyeart Amanda Eppers ’88 Emmanuel and Karine Ernest Henry and Niki Fayne Feaster Family Andy and Maggie Ferrara John Fitzgerald and Peggy St. Clair Gerald Flaxer Charitable Foundation Michael and Meghan Garcia-Webb William and Janette Gartner Eric and Kathleen Gheewalla Charlie and Abby Glassenberg Leslie Stimmel Guggiari ’73 Bill and Judy Guild Elisabeth Schneider Hall ’55 Laurie Hall

Jill Hatton

Allan Heff and Francine Laden Neal and Susan Heffron Julian Hickman Ben Hinkle and Ann Walker Heidrun Jacobi Ekkehard and Ines Kasper Carl Katz and Leah Oko William and Rebecca Knott Aaron and Lauren Lapat Miao Liu and Ting Huang Rossanna Lizama-Soto Holly Malin-Murray ’91 Craig and Charlene Oliver Erik and Ann Ostrowski Jim and Cathy Rafferty Nancy Starr Raphael ’53 Dana Robinson and Laurel Davis Daniel and Melanie Rudoy Sharin Russell Howard and Fran Schloss

Robert Seaver and Tracey Bolotnick Andrew Shimomura and Sarah Walters Yaguang Si and Dan Mu Elizabeth and Rod Smith Deon and Peggy Stander Jihong Sun and Zhen Li John and Melinda Tarbox Courtney Camps Toomey ’04 Joseph and Lisa Trainor George Washko and Diana Gallagher Hubert and Evandra Williams Andrew Wilson and Lamya Shihabuddin John and Judie Wyman George and Susan Yfantopulos Hong Zong and Chi Chen

Middlesex Circle ($500 + )

Anonymous Pascal and Irina Aguirre Bruce and Sally Arnold Vicky Ann Barrette ’61 Emma Becker ’06

Cynthia Blanco Bem and Victoria Claiborne Teresa Cochran English ’64 Carol Rohl and Amy Coe Ray and Sheryl Comenzo Patricia Folts Dooley ’45

Jennifer Perry Potter ’81

Deepak Sampath and Sara Laroche

Jill Scolnick

Matthew Selig and Catherine Annas Eric Snyder and Maria Milekic Sarkis and Linda Soukiasian Henry Spitzer ’06 Kate Thurmond

Christopher and Elizabeth Walsh

Joanne Seale Wilson

Abraham Woldeselassie and Mahlet Gessese Zijian Zheng and Lingling Zhou Eric Zimmerman and Audrey Kalmus

Bruno Drummond Daniel and Erica Esrick David and Steffanie Finn Ann Marie Foran

Brendan Frank

Gail Gabriel ’71 and Donald Kaiser James Gammill and Susan Alexander Durrie Durant Golding ’75 Peter and Wendy Gordon John Green and Sue Green Sara Green Richard and Marcy Hirschen Lavonne Horowitz Charitable Foundation Kathleen Jacobs Jeffrey Karp and Jessica Simonetti Jeremy and Reedy Kream Chappell and Elizabeth Lawson John Maynard

Scott McIsaac and Suzanne Durrell Beth Meister

Domenic and Maria Messina Jonathan and Elizabeth Michaeli John and Erin Pels Adam and Elika Portnoy

Green and White Circle ($100 + )

Cassie Abodeely

Bill Alford and Yuanyuan Shen

Laura E. Allison ’80

Will Arndt

Angela Baggett

Aliaa Barakat

Mike Barnett and Sasha Yablonovsky Brian and Shannon Beale

Virginia Beech Mitchell and Mary Anne Bell

Carol Bello ’74 and Kenneth Bello

Ashley Bernon

Sandy Bland

Jason Bock and Miriam Gates

Moli Luo and Michelle Borkin ’02

Sheldon and Sandy Borkin Sheera Bornstein ’03

Nancy and Peter Bradley

Tom and Patty Bray Gregory and Margie Breslin

Judith Brezniak ’60

Dianne Leavitt Brooks ’69

Brimmer Magazine Fall 2022 63
ANNUAL REPORT 2021–2022

Derek and Mary Burket

Gail Grandbois Burr and Matthew Burr

Joan and Brian Canavan

Haracy Cardosa

Barbara Chandler ’65

Peter and Robin Cheung

Jessica Christian and Josh Weinger

Adam Cissell and April Nelson

Jose Corral Vazquez and Katia Saborido Cifuentes

Diana Clark Crookes ’65

Nicholas Cross and Kelly Lindert

Susan Chase Culver

David Cutler ’02

Sue Cuyler

Nicole DeCesare

Harold Dennis and Elizabeth Gerlach

Steven and Heather DePaola

Kevin and Carla Fitzgerald

Stephen and Elizabeth Foley

Robert and Jane Forsberg

Alexander Frederick and Katherine Schantz

Frances Fremont-Smith ’75 Thomas and Beth Fuller

Rahul Gandhi and Sangita Chandrasekharan Constance Abramson Golden ’61 Luis and Amy Gomez

Bruce and Teri Gorsky

Doreen Davis Gove ’45 John and Anne Grandin John Greene

Mary Ellen Grossman ’65 Sandra Hedrick

Margery E. Heins ’68

David Heller

Linda Hiller ’64

Nancy Lemcke ’50

Ken and Robin Levine

Joseph Levinger and Elizabeth Murphy Bing Liu and Mei Leng

James Mabie and Margot Mabie Craig and Dorothy Mael

Phernel Manigat and Islande Donnat Alison Martin

Dana Mathews ’92 David and Phyllis McDermott Courtney McGillicuddy ’89 Mike and Amy McHugh Michael McLaughlin and Geralyn Bywater McLaughlin Sheila Meek ’53 Owen Meredith ’16 Emily Miller

Stephen Moore and Maria Walsh

I attended Brimmer and May from freshman year to senior year of high school, and I am still so thankful for the support system I found during my time there. To this day, I keep in close touch with my classmates who helped me grow during those four years, and I always reminisce about the incredible faculty that helped shape who I am today. I learned so much about how to handle any challenge in front of me, leaving Brimmer not just prepared for college, but for my life after as a professional. I am thankful to know that the network around me will always be in my corner, and this is the reason I continue to contribute to the Annual Fund. I hope that others contribute as well so that Brimmer can continue to provide these resources for other students.

Shirley-Ann DePeiza

Deep and Charu Deshpande

Gail Devlin Moradi ’64

Molly Diamond ’09

Nancy Sobin Drourr ’66

Helen Du

Aurilus Durand and Jermain Joseph Holly Eaton ’09

Marilyn W. Edgerton

Alison Rice Edwards ’78

Tom Engellenner and Carol Stolberg Ken and Patience Epstein

Julie A. Eaton Ernst ’05 Leslie Fallon ’66

Paul C. Fay

Joseph Ferrara Saverio and Beatrice Ferrara Vincenzo and Diana Ferrara Evan and Lulit Finnegan

Maija Hinkle Steven and Michelle Hoffman Craig Horning and Melissa DePaul Sam and Amanda Hsiao Francis Hunnewell and Emily Hunnewell Brian Hurley and Christine Cignoli Aki and Naoko Itoh Joseph and Jill Iuliano

Yuhong Jia and Lingsheng Dong David and Heather Kapson Jeannette Kensinger

Nathalie Boileau and Ramin Khorasani Stephen and Oie Kistner Kazumi Kobayashi

Joan Kolligian ’69

Hassanaly Ladha and Emily Holman Phillip Lane and Sharifah Niles-Lane Eleanor Latimer ’65 Kathryn and Brian Lee

Vance and Dananai Morgan Todd and Stephanie Morrison Emily Moses ’85 David and Heather Myers Joshua Neudel and Samantha Levine-Neudel Benjamin and Sophia Niehaus Mary Olian ’70

Alexandra Oliver-Davila ’86

Michael Onderdonk and Roslyn Pedlar Robert Palmer and Nancy Smith Cecelia and Davis Pan Joseph and Melissa Panto Alicia K. Parker

Hanna Pastor ’11

Allyn Pearce

Richard and Doris Pemberton Cindy Pendergast Christina Perez

64 Fall 2022 Brimmer Magazine
ANNUAL REPORT 2021–2022
’’

Francisco Perez-Landaeta and Karen Norgaard

Christopher Petersen and Jane Rosen Petersen

Justin Peterson and Jenna Breslin Dante Poole and Sherrell Pierre

Patty Poulin

Beverly Purcell-Guerra ’62 Carl Rapisarda-Vallely Daniel and Alison Reiser William and Olivia Reyelt ’90

Elizabeth Rimas

John Rimas

Craig Roman Martin Roura and Veronica Picon Stephen and Darlene Sallan Mariana Sanford Maynard Stephen and Sara Scolnick Anatoli and Diana Shabashov Edward and Oksana Shapiro Ken Shih and Su Mei Shih Bill and Cynthia Sibold Rachael Thorne Silard ’01 Sandra Siler Frank and Donna Slaski Peter Slaski and Ann-Marie Holland Amy Solomon ’75

Bradley Starnes Stop and Shop Community Bag Program Priscilla Strauss ’51 Theodore and Yuri Sung Carl Talmo and Lisa Drew Solomon Tsegai and Stella Rupia Nicholas and Nitsa Tsiotos Ann Van Praag

David and Jennifer Walsh Robert Warren and Jane Grayson Josephine Wechsler ’54 Jukka and Suzanne Westhues Elizabeth T. Wicks ’62 Marlo and Dulce Williams Rachel Wolf-Heyman and Jeffrey Heyman Kim Woods and Stew Smith Rachel Wrightson ’93 Amol Yajnik and Karen Kariv Rachel Zeig-Owens ’00 Melanie Zibit ’66 Prentice Zinn and Gabrielle Cobbs

Friends

Lauren Abrams Simon Acevedo ’16 Chad Ajig Benjamin Alford ’13 Luca Antonucci Edith C. Armstrong ’75 Ted and Nanda Barker-Hook Josephine Barron ’80 William Horton Beebe-Center Karen Bernanke

Brian Binkowski

Nia Boutwell

Alison Brockman ’98

Robert Brooks ’15 Paul Buchanan ’11 Barbara Carey Shana Carr ’04 Gloria Cassey

Deb and Fidel Castro Caroline Champa ’20 Karin Charles

Patsy Cherney

Joanne and Marc Clamage Benjamin and Tricia Clifford Aubrey Conquergood Deisy Coronel Amanda Crater Parker Curtis Olivia Damson Giselle Davis

Susanne Day Teachout ’97 and Chris Teachout Kathleen Delaney ’17

Tenzin Dengkhim Tyrell Dortch and Shauna-Lee Ruglass Tristan Durocher ’21

Craig and Juliet Eastland Christian Ernest ’14 Didem and Kelami Ertan Beth Escobar

Samantha Estrada ’20 Melanie Ferrimy

Quinn Fitzgerald ’07 Ellen Foley Matt Gallon Linda Garrity Mark Gasperini ’16

Jeff and Mary Gates Taran Gavrin Michael and Elizabeth Girioni Stephanie Golas

Ilan and Alexandra Goldberg Mirna Goldberger

Aldolfo and Francisca Guevara Katherine Hardiman ’11 Chris and Emily Hardman Barbara P. Hart

Leah Hart and John Hart Katharine D. Heckscher Jared Heller ’19

Hali Hellmuth

Max Holman

Lindsay Horbatuck

Rupa Houndegla Kristen Howard and Ivy Krull Tiesha D. Hughes

Stephanie B. Iannone ’97

Bill and Kerry Jacob Julia Jennings

Julie Johnson ’90

Lyrae Johnson ’80

Brian Kane and Julianna Schantz-Dunn

Lily Kaplan ’12

Jeffrey and Marci Katz Ilyse Kennedy ’05 Gemma Kevaney Deborah King ’72 Myra Korin

Jack Kreisler Jen Kunkel

Michael Langlois Leon Latino and Gena Mavuli Joan R. Lavin

Catherine Leeder ’20 Michelle Levinger ’19 Constance C. Leyland

Jaime Lin Marie Lindahl

Patricia Gutman Link ’72 Mary Cooper Little ’59 John Louis and Sophya Williams-Louis Runeko Lovell ’03

Emily Luckett

Rafael Mares and Karla Van Praag Bonney Mastaby Alex and Olena Matov Matt McGuinness Molly McHugh ’21 Ely Mesa Adam Mikula ’16 Ashley Mosley Sharon Moyer

Paul and Sara Murray Abigail Mynahan ’19 Géraldine and Alfred Nadaff Mallorie Nai

Kelly Neely

Tom Nelson

Robert and Susan Neudel Liz O’Leary Deborah O’Malley

Julie O’Neill

Jahir and Stephanie Pabon Angela Park

Ina Patel James and Kristen Patten Katherine Poulson

Roberta Prado

Rachael Rabinovitz Eric and Anne Reenstierna Donald Reese

AJ Reeves ’18

Dona Rehm

Retired Men’s Association INC. Brent Ridge and Patricia MacKenzie Catherine Spinale Rieger ’58

Vincent and Paige Rietdyk

Janeata Robinson Maggie Rosenbaum Nicole Rudolph

Brimmer Magazine Fall 2022 65
ANNUAL REPORT 2021–2022

Diana Scharrer

Caroline Scheibe

Thomas and Namrata Schmottlach

Mitchell Schultz and Cris Ratiner

Mark Sehnert

Helen Selle ’76 Elyse Seltzer Helen Skeen

Sally H. Smart ’73 Eric Smith and Sasha Smith Jared Smith

Kenley Smith Sarah Smith ’17 Enna Spivak ’17

Larry Stahley Christian Stratter Zoë Stublarec Janet Sweezey Gianni Thompson ’21 Gretchen Thompson ’54 Kim Tolpa

Willa Grant Trevens ’58 Andrea Underhill-Curtin Matt Vaughan

Taylor Vaughn Jay and Lainie Wagner

David Watkins ’15 Jake Weinberg and Becky Cohen

Jody Weinberg and Jeffrey Kotkin James and Melanie Wolf Shijin Wu and Juan Chen Sarah Wyllie Rebecca Yudkoff ’97

Young Alumni Leadership Club

Emma Becker ’06 Hanna Pastor ’11 Henry Spitzer ’06

Alumni

Simon Acevedo ’16 Benjamin Alford ’13

Laura E. Allison ’80 Edith C. Armstrong ’75 Vicky Ann Barrette ’61 Josephine Barron ’80 Emma Becker ’06

Carol Bello ’74

Estate of Mollye Lichter Block ’66 Michelle Borkin ’02 Sheera Bornstein ’03 Judith Brezniak ’60 Alison Brockman ’98 Dianne Leavitt Brooks ’69 Robert Brooks ’15 Paul Buchanan ’11 Shana Carr ’04

Caroline Champa ’20 Barbara Chandler ’65 Class of 1955 Elizabeth Cleveland ’71 Teresa Cochran English ’64 Cornelia Cook ’84 Carol Tesone Croffy ’67 Diana Clark Crookes ’65 David Cutler ’02

Susanne Day Teachout ’97 Kathleen Delaney ’17 Suzanne DelVecchio ’60 Gail Devlin Moradi ’64 Molly Diamond ’09

Patricia Folts Dooley ’45 Nancy Sobin Drourr ’66 Tristan Durocher ’21 Holly Eaton ’09 Alison Rice Edwards ’78

Amanda Spooner Eppers ’88 Christian Ernest ’14 Julie A. Eaton Ernst ’05 Samantha Estrada ’20 Leslie Fallon ’66 Carrie Farmer ’70 Quinn Fitzgerald ’07 Frances Fremont-Smith ’75 Gail Gabriel ’71 Mark Gasperini ’16

Constance Abramson Golden ’61

Durrie Durant Golding ’75 Doreen Davis Gove ’45

Kenyon Bissell Grogan ’76 Mary Ellen Grossman ’65

Leslie Stimmel Guggiari ’73

Elisabeth Schneider Hall ’55 Katherine Hardiman ’11 Margery E. Heins ’68 Jared Heller ’19 Linda Hiller ’64

Stephanie B. Iannone ’97 Julie Johnson ’90 Lyrae Johnson ’80 Lily Kaplan ’12

Samuel Kellogg ’03 Ilyse Kennedy ’05 Deborah King ’72 Joan Kolligian ’69 Jack Kreisler ’17 Eleanor Latimer ’65 Catherine Leeder ’20 Nancy Lemcke ’50 Michelle Levinger ’19 Patricia Gutman Link ’72 Mary Cooper Little ’59 Runeko Lovell ’03 Holly Malin-Murray ’91 Dana Mathews ’92 Courtney McGillicuddy ’89 Molly McHugh ’21 Sheila Meek ’53 Owen Meredith ’16 Adam Mikula ’16 Emily Moses ’85

Abigail Mynahan ’19 Mary Olian ’70 Alexandra Oliver-Davila ’86 Hanna Pastor ’11

Jennifer Perry Potter ’81

Beverly Purcell-Guerra ’62 Nancy Starr Raphael ’53 AJ Reeves ’18 Olivia Reyelt ’90

Catherine Spinale Rieger ’58 Helen Selle ’76 Rachael Thorne Silard ’01 Sally H. Smart ’73 Eric Smith ’99 Sarah Smith ’17 Amy Solomon ’75 Henry Spitzer ’06 Enna Spivak ’17

Priscilla Strauss ’51

Elinor Epstein Svenson ’66

Cynthia Brown Thaxter ’64 Gianni Thompson ’21

Gretchen Thompson ’54

Courtney Camps Toomey ’04

Willa Grant Trevens ’58

Linda Waintrup ’72 David Watkins ’15 Josephine Wechsler ’54 Elizabeth T. Wicks ’62 Sally Withington ’55

66 Fall 2022 Brimmer Magazine
Rafael Salazar-Zapata and Luz Estella Restrepo
ANNUAL REPORT 2021–2022

Rachel Wrightson ’93

Rebecca Yudkoff ’97

Rachel Zeig-Owens ’00

Melanie Zibit ’66

Board of Trustees

2021–2022

David Kreisler, Esq., Chairman, P ’17, ’19, ’23

Suzzara Durocher, Co-Vice Chairman, P ’18, ’21

John R. Fitzgerald, Co-Vice Chairman, P ’07 John R. Allen III, Clerk, P ’12

Lisa R. Hastings, Treasurer, P ’18, ’18, ’19

Judith S. Guild, Head of School Danny Best, P ’18, ’20

’’

Johanna Black, P ’14, ’19

Chris Chou, P ’29, ’33

Carol Tesone Croffy ’67 Karine Ernest, P ’09, ’14, ’19 Gail S. Gabriel, Esq. ’71, P ’05 Jon Grenzke, P ’31

Kenyon B. Grogan ’76

Leslie Stimmel Guggiari ’73 Gajen Kandiah, P ’23

Bernard E. Kaplan, P ’05, ’07 Thomas Knox, P ’26, ’28, ’32

Howard Leeder, P ’15, ’20 Richard M. Mynahan, Jr., P ’19 Garth Smith, P ’27 David Souza, P ’26, ’30

Linda S. Waintrup ’72, P ’02 ’06

Board of Visitors

Sally E. Arnold

Michelle Borkin ’02

Sheldon Borkin

Julie A. Eaton Ernst ’05 Carrie W. Farmer ’70

Paul C. Fay Maggie Ferrara Quinn Fitzgerald ’07

Shayne Gilbert

Durrie Durant Golding ’75

Wendy A. Gordon

Mary Ellen Grossman ’65

Laurie Hall

David Heller

Samuel Kellogg ’03 Susan Kirwan

Lauren Lapat Carla Leeder

Our family is very grateful for the experience our two boys have had at Brimmer. We have watched them transform as both students and young adults since joining the Gator community. Brimmer has taught our children strong personal and academic skills, while developing their character in a safe, equitable environment. Both boys were challenged by the pandemic, and we witnessed the Brimmer community rise to the occasion. The administration, faculty, and staff were entirely committed to ensuring students were provided inperson learning and delivering the Core Values Brimmer represents. The united effort had a profound impact on our children. The past academic year’s theme of Reflection, Resilience, and Reconnection came to life at Commencement where faculty shared a highly thoughtful and personalized narrative reflecting on each student’s resilient journey at Brimmer. It was powerful and heartfelt. As we listened, reconnecting as a community, we were reminded of the creative, inspiring, curious, energetic, and opinionated qualities that make Brimmer students so special.

— Chrissy and Jeff Teschke P ’22, ’26

Nancy Lemcke ’50 David McDermott Roslyn Pedlar Jim and Cathy Rafferty Leonard Rosen

Cynthia Sibold

Elinor Epstein Svenson ’66 Katherine Taylor Sara G. Withington ’55

Parents by Class

Class of 2022 - 64%

Mitchell and Mary Anne Bell Andrew and Sarah Bishins Jose Corral Vazquez and Katia Saborido Cifuentes Amanda Spooner Eppers ’88 Kevin and Carla Fitzgerald Brendan Frank William and Janette Gartner Bruce and Robin Ginsberg David and Melissa Goldstone

Heidrun Jacobi

Kevin Johnson and Linda Lynch Carl Katz and Leah Oko

Rossanna Lizama-Soto Rafael Mares and Karla Van Praag John Maynard

Michael McLaughlin and Geralyn Bywater McLaughlin Erik and Ann Ostrowski

David Pellman and Margaret McLaughlin Elizabeth Rimas

John Rimas

Martin Roura and Veronica Picon Mariana Sanford Maynard Jeff and Chrissy Teschke

Brimmer Magazine Fall 2022 67
ANNUAL REPORT 2021–2022

Class of 2023 - 69%

Ted and Nanda Barker-Hook

Deisy Coronel

Nicholas Cross and Kelly Lindert Kevin Dutt and Darlington Hicks

Ann Marie Foran

Paul and Cindy Gamble Eric and Kathleen Gheewalla Harry Glorikian and Katrina Menzigian Aldolfo and Francisca Guevara Todd and Liz Hammer

Neal and Susan Heffron Richard and Marcy Hirschen Sam and Amanda Hsiao

Kathleen Jacobs

Farouc Jaffer and Kathy Economy

Gajen and Elisabeth Kandiah Robert Kass and Shayne Gilbert Alexander and Jennifer Kozhemiakin Robert and Helen Lockhart

Jack and Alexandra Lull

Michael McDonald and Kara McDonald Paul and Sara Murray Frank and Britta Nielsen

Robert Palmer and Nancy Smith

Art and Nicole Papas

William and Olivia Reyelt ’90

Elizabeth Rimas

John Rimas

James and Liza Tague Jukka and Suzanne Westhues Marlo and Dulce Williams David Young and Michelle Mayer Prentice Zinn and Gabrielle Cobbs

Class of 2024 - 61%

Angela Baggett

Joan and Brian Canavan Bem and Victoria Claiborne

Benjamin and Tricia Clifford Aubrey Conquergood Panos and Sara Demeter Tyrell Dortch and Shauna-Lee Ruglass Kevin Dutt and Darlington Hicks

Jun Ge and Xiaolin Dai Allan Heff and Francine Laden Kristen Howard and Ivy Krull Ed Jaramillo and Amy Wyss

Jonathan and Elizabeth Michaeli David and Heather Myers

Young Park and Anja Langbein-Park Dante Poole and Sherrell Pierre John Stefanon and Michael Gackstetter Joe and Katie Terino Gang Wu and Yi Xing

Class of 2025 - 86%

Alex and Livia Aber Charles Altschul

Paul and Veronica Apen

Shakil Aslam and Erica Gonella

Ashley Bernon

Paul Bernon

Joshua Bowman and Christina Perez Haracy Cardosa

Steven and Heather DePaola Deep and Charu Deshpande David Dykeman and Danielle Dykeman Kelly Feeley

Keith and Laura Gainsboro Sean and Jennifer Anne Gavin Craig Horning and Melissa DePaul Christopher and Nicole Hurst Kathleen Jacobs David Jennings and Jennifer Krebs Qi Jiang Allison Johnson Edward Johnson Alexander and Jennifer Kozhemiakin Hassanaly Ladha and Emily Holman John Lewis and Suzanne Sheirr Jack and Alexandra Lull Chris and Molly Malloy Harry and Nikki Nudelman Joseph and Melissa Panto Weibin Peng and Wendy Wang Nicholas and Nitsa Tsiotos Jay and Lainie Wagner Christopher and Elizabeth Walsh

Jake Weinberg and Becky Cohen Hubert and Evandra Williams Kewen Zhang and Min Xu Zijian Zheng and Lingling Zhou Eric Zimmerman and Audrey Kalmus

Class of 2026 - 64% Pascal and Irina Aguirre Aliaa Barakat

Carson Biederman and Susan MacPherson Cynthia Blanco

Andrew Brzezinski and Ashley Tarokh Rahul Gandhi and Sangita Chandrasekharan William and Janette Gartner Rupa Houndegla Thomas and Kristin Knox John Liu and Sharon Song Phernel Manigat and Islande Donnat Johnathan and Beth Mathiesen

Tracey McCain

Jordan and Evonne Meranus Eric Rosen

Garrett and Ludy Shih David and Tatyana Souza John and Melinda Tarbox Jeff and Chrissy Teschke Philip Thompson and Nicola Thompson Solomon Tsegai and Stella Rupia Nicholas and Nitsa Tsiotos

Class of 2027 - 92%

Micah and Rebecca Adler

Shakil Aslam and Erica Gonella

Alexander Bourgeois and Emily Anesta Derek and Mary Burket

Carol Rohl and Amy Coe Panos and Sara Demeter Tenzin Dengkhim Mark and Olena Dmytruk Bruno Drummond

David Dykeman and Danielle Dykeman Craig and Juliet Eastland Daniel and Erica Esrick Sam and Amanda Hsiao

Brian Hurley and Christine Cignoli

Jeffrey Karp and Jessica Simonetti Alexander and Jennifer Kozhemiakin Chappell and Elizabeth Lawson Mark and Marsha MacLean

Rafael Mares and Karla Van Praag Samuel Pang and Andrew Pang Allyn Pearce

Danny Pi and Jenny Chan Roberta Prado

Cindy Reardon and Mark Reardon Pam and Steve Rosenberg

Mitchell Schultz and Cris Ratiner

Robert Seaver and Tracey Bolotnick Anatoli and Diana Shabashov

Andrew Shimomura and Sarah Walters

Susan Kirwan and Garth Smith Alexander and Caroline Stangle Patrick and Lisa Taffe Joshua and Tanja Tatelman

Class of 2028 - 83%

Steven and Michelle Bearak Ashley Bernon Paul Bernon

Carson Biederman and Susan MacPherson Joshua Bowman and Christina Perez Didem and Kelami Ertan Aalana Feaster

Shomir Ghosh and Catherine McCarty Sandra Hedrick

Jeff Hesselbein and Amy Bland Thomas and Kristin Knox

Mark Landis and Mary Singleton

Leon Latino and Gena Mavuli Mark and Marsha MacLean Craig and Charlene Oliver

Danny Pi and Jenny Chan

Dante Poole and Sherrell Pierre Adrian Priesol and Nurhan Torun Daniel and Alison Reiser

Robert and Tamara Sitkoff

Eric Snyder and Maria Milekic Robert and Sara Spalding Carl Talmo and Lisa Drew

68 Fall 2022 Brimmer Magazine
ANNUAL REPORT 2020–2022

Class of 2029 - 83%

Raja Elie Abdulnour and Julie Nijmeh William Allen and Marianne Lindahl-Allen Gareth and Lisa Amaya Price Hussam and Arghavan Batal Andrew Brzezinski and Ashley Tarokh Deb and Fidel Castro Chris and Jessica Chou Daniel and Erica Esrick Charlie and Abby Glassenberg

Class of 2030 - 96%

Mike Barnett and Sasha Yablonovsky Hussam and Arghavan Batal Carson Biederman and Susan MacPherson Carol Rohl and Amy Coe Brian and Susan Enyeart Sara Green Scott and Danielle Herritt Aki and Naoko Itoh David and Heather Kapson Alexander and Jennifer Kozhemiakin John Lewis and Suzanne Sheirr Adnan Majid and Isabel Ortiz

Brimmer and May has been a significant and impactful part of my life since 1968, when my twin sister (Amy) and I entered the 6th grade. Our class of 12 grew to become a graduating class of 23 girls, and though we were a small class, we became a strong, unique group of friends. Over the years, I have come back for reunions and kept in touch with many of my classmates and former faculty. Every time we connect, it is very special. My life has been enriched by these lifelong friendships. I believe there will always be a need for a school such as Brimmer and May. This is why I make giving to the Annual Fund part of my annual philanthropy. I want to ensure that Brimmer will be around for future generations of students, so others may have the opportunity to experience the powerful, lasting impact on their lives that I have been granted.

Ben Hinkle and Ann Walker

Aki and Naoko Itoh Jeffrey and Marci Katz

Phillip Lane and Sharifah Niles-Lane Brent Ridge and Patricia MacKenzie Blaine and Krista McKee Jonathan and Elizabeth Michaeli Yaguang Si and Dan Mu Joe and Katie Terino Hubert and Evandra Williams Rachel Wolf-Heyman and Jeffrey Heyman

Todd and Stephanie Morrison Joshua Neudel and Samantha Levine-Neudel Jahir and Stephanie Pabon Dana Robinson and Laurel Davis

Deepak Sampath and Sara Laroche Ronald Schafer and Anna Kuznetsova-Schafer

Matthew Selig and Catherine Annas Edward and Oksana Shapiro Alvin and Wendy Shih David and Tatyana Souza Deon and Peggy Stander Andrew Wilson and Lamya Shihabuddin Abraham Woldeselassie and Mahlet Gessese

Class of 2031 - 76%

Christopher and Keri Baugh

Alexander Bourgeois and Emily Anesta Derek and Mary Burket Michael and Meghan Garcia-Webb Ilan and Alexandra Goldberg

Jon Grenzke and Elizabeth Kensinger Brian Kane and Julianna Schantz-Dunn Bing Liu and Mei Leng Brad Mak and Brigitta Herzfeld Dana Mathews ’92 Blaine and Krista McKee Mark and Ines Merolli Vance and Dananai Morgan Robert Palmer and Nancy Smith Daniel and Melanie Rudoy Yaguang Si and Dan Mu

Class of 2032 - 95%

William Allen and Marianne Lindahl-Allen Hussam and Arghavan Batal Jonathan and Julie Bedard Deb and Fidel Castro

Adam Cissell and April Nelson Philip and Lia Cox Giselle Davis

Brian Dellon and Emily Ryan Vincenzo and Diana Ferrara Jeff Hesselbein and Amy Bland Thomas and Kristin Knox Kathryn and Brian Lee Adnan Majid and Isabel Ortiz James and Kristen Patten Solomon Tsegai and Stella Rupia Abraham Woldeselassie and Mahlet Gessese Rachel Wolf-Heyman and Jeffrey Heyman Amol Yajnik and Karen Kariv

Class of 2033 - 65%

Vinay and Mary Aggarwal Meg Caven and Laura Warren Chris and Jessica Chou Tenzin Dengkhim David and Heather Kapson William and Rebecca Knott

John Louis and Sophya Williams-Louis Stephen Moore and Maria Walsh

John and Erin Pels

Justin Peterson and Jenna Breslin

Josh Weinger and Jessica Christian Simon Wong and Wincy Fung Shijin Wu and Juan Chen

Class of 2034 - 76%

Brian Dellon and Emily Ryan Evan and Lulit Finnegan Michael and Meghan Garcia-Webb Kathryn and Brian Lee

Brimmer Magazine Fall 2022 69
Joseph and Lisa Trainor George Washko and Diana Gallagher
ANNUAL REPORT 2021–2022
’’

Bing Liu and Mei Leng

Miao Liu and Ting Huang

Alex and Olena Matov

Vance and Dananai Morgan Todd and Stephanie Morrison Benjamin and Sophia Niehaus Francisco Perez-Landaeta and Karen Norgaard Justin Peterson and Jenna Breslin Nihar Prasanna and Tasneem Kanji Peter Slaski and Ann-Marie Holland

Chaoran Sun and Jing Sun Guangdong Wu and Jun Wang

Class of 2035 - 78%

Vinay and Mary Aggarwal Phillip Lane and Sharifah Niles-Lane John and Erin Pels Vincent and Paige Rietdyk Eric Smith and Sasha Smith

Josh Weinger and Jessica Christian Hong Zong and Chi Chen

Grandparents

Sandy Bland

Maxwell Hesselbein ’28

Meredith Hesselbein ’32

Phoebe Hesselbein ’32

Alain and Jessica Bourgeois Marguerite Bourgeois ’27 Juliana Bourgeois ’31

Gregory and Margie Breslin Connor Peterson ’33 Lucas Peterson ’34

Judith Brezniak ’60 Kate Hirschen ’23 Ray and Sheryl Comenzo Nydia Comenzo ’27

Henry and Niki Fayne Elliot Fayne ’30

Joseph D. Feaster, Jr. Jaedin Feaster ’28

Joan Feeley

Madeleine Pogoda ’25

Saverio and Beatrice Ferrara Vincenzo Ferrara ’32 Isabella Ferrara ’34

Alexander Frederick and Katherine Schantz

Nicholas Kane ’31

John Green and Sue Green Elliot Fayne ’30 Maija Hinkle

Julia Hinkle ’29

Jeannette Kensinger Juliet Grenzke ’31 Ken and Robin Levine Jacob Neudel ’30 Marie Lindahl

Jazzy Lang ’24 Angela Mong Jacob Chou ’29 Emilia Chou ’33

Robert and Susan Neudel

Jacob Neudel ’30 Richard Pemberton Veronica Castro ’29 Ruby Castro ’32

Howard and Fran Schloss Parker Kapson ’30 Bode Kapson ’33 Stephen and Sara Scolnick Chloe Rose Scolnick ’25

70 Fall 2022 Brimmer Magazine
ANNUAL REPORT 2021–2022

Ken Shih and Su Mei Shih

Molly Shih ’30

Sandra Siler

Jack Eastland ’27 Frank and Donna Slaski Jonah Slaski ’34, Adeline Slaski ’36

Jihong Sun and Zhen Li Neil Sun ’34

Eliot and June Tatelman Peyton Tatelman ’27

Ann Van Praag

Zakkai Mares-Van Praag ’22 Tavio Mares-Van Praag ’27 Aitana Mares-Van Praag ’27

David and Jennifer Walsh Ada Moore ’33 Robert Warren and Jane Grayson Jonah Warren ’33 Ezra Warren ’36

Joanne Seale Wilson William Lawson ’27 James and Melanie Wolf Mia Heyman ’29 Jonah Heyman ’32

Past Parents

Bill Alford and Yuanyuan Shen John and Betsy Allen Anonymous Bruce and Sally Arnold Danny Best and Condase Weekes-Best Jeff and Jody Black Sheldon and Sandy Borkin Nancy and Peter Bradley Tom and Patty Bray Pat and Joan Byrne Thomas Calhoun and Katherine Taylor Barbara Carey Gloria Cassey Ge Chen and Wei Wei Liu Peter and Robin Cheung Joanne and Marc Clamage Harold Dennis and Elizabeth Gerlach Shirley-Ann DePeiza Nancy Sobin Drourr ’66 Aurilus Durand and Jermain Joseph John and Suzzara Durocher Tom Engellenner and Carol Stolberg Ken and Patience Epstein Emmanuel and Karine Ernest Paul C. Fay Andy and Maggie Ferrara David and Steffanie Finn John Fitzgerald and Peggy St. Clair Stephen and Elizabeth Foley Gail Gabriel ’71 and Donald Kaiser James Gammill and Susan Alexander

Linda Garrity

Jeff and Mary Gates

Michael and Elizabeth Girioni Luis and Amy Gomez Peter and Wendy Gordon Bruce and Teri Gorsky

John Greene

Laurie Hall

Chris and Emily Hardman Mark and Lisa Hastings

Jill Hatton

David Heller Hali Hellmuth Tiesha D. Hughes Joseph and Jill Iuliano Bill and Kerry Jacob Yuhong Jia and Lingsheng Dong Bernie and Faith Kaplan Ekkehard and Ines Kasper Rusty and Betsy Kellogg Nathalie Boileau and Ramin Khorasani Stephen and Oie Kistner Kazumi Kobayashi Jeremy and Reedy Kream David Kreisler and Gwyn Williams Aaron and Lauren Lapat Howard and Carla Leeder Joseph Levinger and Elizabeth Murphy Robert and Helen Lockhart Craig and Dorothy Mael

David and Phyllis McDermott Mike and Amy McHugh Scott McIsaac and Suzanne Durrell Richard and Jennifer Mynahan Géraldine and Alfred Nadaff

Michael Onderdonk and Roslyn Pedlar Cecelia and Davis Pan Cindy Pendergast

Christopher Petersen and Jane Rosen Petersen Adam and Elika Portnoy Jim and Cathy Rafferty Carl Rapisarda-Vallely Janeata Robinson Stephen and Darlene Sallan Bill and Cynthia Sibold Elizabeth and Rod Smith Sarkis and Linda Soukiasian Theodore and Yuri Sung Kate Thurmond

Daniel and Linda Waintrup ’72 John and Judie Wyman George and Susan Yfantopulos

Faculty & Staff

Cassie Abodeely Lauren Abrams Chad Ajig Luca Antonucci

Will Arndt

Ted Barker-Hook

Brian Beale

Karen Bernanke

Brian Binkowski

Jason Bock

Nia Boutwell

Nancy Bradley Patty Bray

Tom Bray Deb Castro

Jessica Christian Joanne Clamage

Amanda Crater

Parker Curtis

David Cutler ’02

Sue Cuyler

Olivia Damson

Nicole DeCesare

Helen Du

Amanda Spooner Eppers ’88

Beth Escobar

Melanie Ferrimy

Ellen Foley

Frances Fremont-Smith ’75

Matt Gallon

Jeff Gates

Mary Gates

Taran Gavrin

Stephanie Golas

Mirna Goldberger

Judy Guild Chris Hardman

Hali Hellmuth

Julian Hickman

Max Holman

Lindsay Horbatuck

Rupa Houndegla

Joseph Iuliano

Bill Jacob Julia Jennings

Yuhong Jia

Gemma Kevaney

Jen Kunkel

Michael Langlois Kathryn Lee

Jaime Lin Emily Luckett

Bonney Mastaby Courtney McGillicuddy ’89

Beth Meister

Ely Mesa

Domenic Messina Emily Miller

Ashley Mosley

Paul Murray

Géraldine Nadaff Mallorie Nai

Kelly Neely

Tom Nelson

Brimmer Magazine Fall 2022 71
ANNUAL REPORT 2021–2022

Joshua Neudel

Liz O’Leary

Deborah O’Malley

Julie O’Neill

Cecelia Pan

Angela Park

Alicia K. Parker

Ina Patel

Christina Perez

Patty Poulin

Katherine Poulson

Rachael Rabinovitz

Carl Rapisarda-Vallely

Donald Reese

Dona Rehm

Luz Estella Restrepo

Brent Ridge

Janeata Robinson

Craig Roman

Maggie Rosenbaum

Nicole Rudolph

Sharin Russell

Rafael Salazar-Zapata

Diana Scharrer

Caroline Scheibe

Namrata Schmottlach

Tom Schmottlach

Mark Sehnert

Elyse Seltzer

Peter Slaski

Elizabeth Smith

Eric Smith ’99

Jared Smith

Kenley Smith

Larry Stahley

Christian Stratter

Zoë Stublarec

Janet Sweezey

Stanley Szwartz

Kim Tolpa Andrea Underhill-Curtin

Matt Vaughan

Taylor Vaughn

Rachel Wolf-Heyman

Sarah Wyllie

In Honor Of

Bill Alford and Yuanyuan Shen

in honor of Benjamin Alford ’13 Anonymous in honor of Elizabeth T. Wicks ’62 and Elizabeth Jones Teczar ’67

Angela Baggett

in honor of Beth Escobar, Deborah O’Malley, Janeata Robinson, and Pete Slaski

Brimmer and May has been nothing short of transformational for our family. The School’s Core Values are on exhibit daily, spearheaded by the administration, faculty, and Division Heads. Our oldest son joined Brimmer and May in 6th grade and his younger brother joined in the 3rd grade. Both were immediately welcomed into the community with compassion and kindness. They have been challenged academically, socially, emotionally, and creatively along with just the right amount of support. We are over the moon with their progress as young people and as academic achievers.

As Brimmer parents, we are amazed watching our children transform into respectful, inquisitive, and confident humans. The faculty teaching methods and small class sizes foster a nurturing environment for them to learn and grow. Whether it be a focus topic across disciplines, group work around current events, or creative ways to tap into each child’s interests, the Brimmer model challenges students to expand while simultaneously highlighting and drawing out their natural talents.

This model requires the support of us all. The Annual Fund helps cover the full cost of educating a child by helping the School to maintain an attractive faculty to student ratio, recruit and retain talented and innovative educators, invest in technology, and provide amazing theatrical, artistic, and musical opportunities. The Annual Fund also provides financial aid to those who need it. Our family wholeheartedly supports Brimmer and May through the Annual Fund. —David (trustee) and Tatyana Souza P ’26, ’30

72 Fall 2022 Brimmer Magazine
’’ ANNUAL REPORT 2021–2022

Steven and Michelle Bearak in honor of Ruby Bearak ’28 Pat and Joan Byrne in honor of Tom Byrne’s ’02 induction into the Athletic Hall of Fame Stephen and Elizabeth Foley in honor of Elizabeth Foley ’20 Mirna Goldberger in honor of Monica Steinart Bruce and Teri Gorsky in honor of Nikki Gorsky’s ’11 teachers and staff during her high school years Mary Ellen Grossman ’65 in honor of the Class of 1965 Kevin Johnson and Linda Lynch in honor of Theo Johnson ’22 Robert Kass and Shayne Gilbert in honor of Marlie Kass ’23 on her birthday Carl Katz and Leah Oko in honor of Josh Neudel and Dona Rehm Christopher Petersen and Jane Rosen Petersen in honor of Jill Iuliano Dan and Alison Reiser in honor of Hayley’s amazing Grade 6 teachers John Rimas in honor of Kelly Rimas ’22 Deon and Peggy Stander in honor of Mary Gates Jody Weinberg in honor of the Brimmer and May Faculty and Staff

Hubert and Evandra Williams in honor of Mrs. Doris Mayers, Mrs. Audrey Williams, and Mrs. Thora Graham Mahlon and Dulce Williams in honor of Kevin O’Connor Abraham Woldeselassie and Mahlet Gessese in honor of the Lower School Faculty and Staff and Sharin Russell

James and Melanie Wolf in honor of Rachel Wolf Heyman, Mia Heyman ’29, and Jonah Heyman ’32 Kim Woods in honor of Sharin Russell

In Memoriam

In Memory of Deborah Harvey Jones ’48 Karin Charles

Susan Chase Culver

Andy and Maggie Ferrara Robert and Jane Forsberg Gail Gabriel ’71

Leslie Stimmel Guggiari ’73 Judy and Bill Guild Barbara P. Hart Leah and John Hart Katharine D. Heckscher Francis and Emily Hunnewell

James Mabie and Margot Mabie

Alison Martin

Sharon Moyer

Eric and Anne Reenstierna Retired Men’s Association Inc. Helen Skeen Bradley and Jill Starnes

In Memory of Jeffrey Grogan Carol Tesone Croffy ’67 Amanda Spooner Eppers ’88 Andy and Maggie Ferrara Leslie Stimmel Guggiari ’73 Judy and Bill Guild

In Memory of Mollye Lichter Block ’66 Melanie Zibit ’66

In Memory of Kathy Kelety ’63 Suzanne DelVecchio ’60

In Memory of Walter Kirby Carol Tesone Croffy ’67

In Memory of Poppy and Grandpa Mac Geralyn Bywater McLaughlin and Michael McLaughlin

In Memory of Jim Orr Joseph and Jan Ferrara In Memory of Ellen Quinlan Courtney Camps Toomey ’04

In Memory of David Russell Linda Garrity

Sharin Russell

In Memory of Dorothy Raymon Linda Garrity

In Memory of Barbara Shoolman Holly Malin-Murray ’91

In Memory of Matthew Smith Carol Tesone Croffy ’67

In Memory of Anne Selle Spitzer ’72 Henry Spitzer ’06

In Memory of Doris R. Stratton Joshua Neudel and Samantha Levine-Neudel

In Memory of Marvin Stratton Carol Tesone Croffy ’67 and Brian MacDonald

Gifts in Kind

Chris and Jessica Chou Randy Foster Marky Kauffmann Craig and Charlene Oliver Jill Scolnick Garth Smith and Susan Kirwan

Brimmer Magazine Fall 2022 73
Joan R. Lavin Constance C. Leyland
ANNUAL REPORT 2021–2022
NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT 1008 BOSTON, MA 69 MIDDLESEX ROAD | CHESTNUT HILL, MA 02467 BRIMM R 1880
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