Vox
The Academy at Charlemont: Find your voice. Speak your mind.
a newspaper for the community of The Academy at Charlemont
Fall 2017
Studio Blocks: Visual and Performing Arts Electives In Memoriam: Dr. Robert Jaros
Creativity Inspired: Studio Blocks
Alumni/ae News
Walking the Talk for Racial Justice
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pages 16-18
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VOX • Fall 2017
In Memoriam: Dr. Robert Jaros The Academy community lost a great friend this past March in Dr. Robert Jaros. A parent of three alumni/ae (Jenny ’88, David ’90, and Peter ’04), “Dr. Bob” was a tireless volunteer and advocate for our school since its early days and served as a Trustee for two decades, including 18 years as Board Chair. Those who worked most closely with him tell of his humor, his compassion, and his devotion in a way that helps all of us understand and celebrate the importance of his legacy to the growth of our school and its enduring mission. Former Academy parents Sarah and Mark McKusick P07, 10 were dear friends of Bob. In the early 1980s they lived with him as house sitters, “since he was spending so much time flying his small airplane back and forth between radiology jobs at Amherst Medical and Manchester Hospital in New Hampshire, where he became known as the ‘Flying Doc.’ Sarah says that Bob accepted them and their “chaos - including a Standard Poodle, a ‘rescued’ Doberman Pinscher, and Mark’s cat who could open the front door but did not close it behind him - with an open heart.” She notes “we quickly learned the depth of Bob’s generosity, his humor, his passion for flying, his endless fascination for medical advances especially in light of diagnostic radiology x-ray developments, his commitment to family and friends, and we counted ourselves lucky to be a part of his life. Bob had many diverse business interests, but we heard mostly about his devotion to The Academy at Charlemont.” With Bob’s encouragement, Sarah joined the board for eight years herself during the time that her daughters were students. Of that devotion and his legacy she says “Bob pushed us all hard to think outside of the box and take part in the growth
of the school. He infused us with his endless love for the unique community that it is. He taught us to squeeze water from stone and make it look easy, and how to give back in diverse ways. Bob guided The Academy through monumental growth and changes like moving the campus to a new home and meeting economic challenges of the times. He witnessed major shifts in student populations and financial aid reform. He always said there was no deserving student that he wouldn’t bend over backwards to enable them to attend The Academy - a rare sentiment that is inherent there to this day. Anyone who knows The Academy understands what a task it is to maintain its physical state and the unique organic nature of the education offered and should know how indebted we are to Bob’s legacy of determination and deep love for all that The Academy was and still is.” Gil MacLean ’89 also had a close personal relationship with Bob and his family, and served as a Trustee with him for many years. Gil remembers “countless occasions driving up Patten Hill Road to the Jaros residence for dinners and the inevitable barn-ball game, and being welcomed by Bob with a warm smile like a long-lost son. Visits to the Jaros household were not complete until Bob had thoroughly caught up on your life, your parents and your siblings, and had shared some small nuggets of advice and wisdom along the way.” Gil first came to know Bob in 1984, when he was a student at The Academy. “Bob was the father of one of my closest friends and it was obvious to anyone who has met him that
Dave Jaros (’90) clearly inherited his wit, sharp intelligence and desire for a good pun from his father. Bob also imparted lessons of empathy and a fierce desire to make sure that his children not only pursued the passions in their lives but tried to do the best they could for society and their communities at large. I know that these lessons were felt deeply by all of his children. If you had the good fortune to attend The Academy with Jen, Dave or Peter you saw the passion and compassion they brought to school every day.” Like others who knew him well, Gil commented on how Bob’s compassion, intelligence, and devotion translated to his tireless, steadfast commitment to the school. “Bob also practiced what he preached,” Gil says. “Long after his children had left The Academy, he remained on the Board of Trustees as its long time chair. He ushered the school out of its infancy and into the cherished and integral institution it is today. Every alumnus/a, parent and community member has benefited from Bob’s extraordinary dedication to this special place. I think it takes most Academy students years to fully appreciate the unique experience the school provided for us. The Academy gave us opportunities and support to be ourselves and develop confidence and skills to go out and explore the world. I will be eternally grateful to Bob’s commitment to and passion for The Academy, and to a community for which he cared so deeply.” Gil’s parents, John and Polly MacLean, paid tribute to Bob, too. They observed that “The transformation of Eric’s educational vision into a thriving
academy was achieved by committed educators and a community of caring families. The Jaros family was a critical member of that early community and their contributions, like their children, were remarkable. Equally remarkable is the longevity of those contributions. Long after the children graduated, Bob selflessly gave the school critical leadership as Chair of the Board. We are both inspired by and grateful for that amazing act of generosity.” Alumnus and Trustee Bo Peabody ’90, a contemporary of Gil’s who was also a friend of the Jaros family and who worked closely on the Board with Bob, says that “‘the doctor’ was a great listener, probably emblematic of his bedside manner. He was a patient and compassionate leader – that’s what it takes to lead a school. The Academy is an emotional place – I can’t imagine a place more wrapped up in emotion, and it requires a soft touch. With that, Bob was never afraid to ask someone for time or money – or anything at all – for The Academy. It’s a remarkable skill to be able to do that in any environment and with anyone, simply because you believe so much in what you’re working for. I believe that Bob’s passion came directly from living vicariously, but authentically through the experience of Academy students, including his own children.” David Epstein ’87 served on the Board with Bob for several years, including as treasurer before taking over the chair from him. David says that “Bob led The Academy’s Board of Directors for 18 years and, critically, saw The Academy through its important transition from the founders to the school’s second generation of leadership. We owe him tremendous gratitude for his devotion and tireless service to our community. Working with Bob was a privilege.”
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VOX • Fall 2017 Similarly, current Board Chair Cornelia Reid P01 reflected on Bob’s legacy this way: “As Chair of The Academy Board during my first term as a Trustee, Bob was inspirational. He was calm and dignified, instilling in us all a clear sense of purpose. Yet always perceptible was his sense of humor, a gusto for the job which manifested in the twinkle in his eye and in his smile. Chairing the Board for the last two years, I have looked back with gratitude to Bob’s example of respect for the process and pleasure in the job.” Founder Dianne Grinnell notes that Bob was enormously “faithful to the school, always fun to talk to, and had a great sense of humor.” She remembers with deep gratitude all that he did for The Academy, citing the fact that Bob came to the school right away on 9/11, to support the students, the faculty, and the staff on a
terribly difficult day – a story that she feels captures his dedication to the school community. Jane Grant, longtime Spanish teacher concurs. She says she vividly remembers “the tremendous amount of effort Bob put into the school when Jenny and Dave were students, and that he re-dedicated his energies when Peter came. Bob was intimately and actively involved for a long stretch,” Jane observes, “an example of real leadership and commitment. As a faculty member I was impressed that he was willing to listen to teachers’ ideas and concerns about the school
and address them as Board Chair to the best of his ability. And he was a delightful person to know.” Former Head of School Todd Sumner P04 reflected on the depth of Bob’s unwavering commitment to The Academy. He says “Bob did everything he did from a place of love – he led with his heart. His commitment to and involvement with the school were completely integrated into his family life, and he was always engaged. If it wasn’t his presence at lacrosse games, it was soccer games or concerts or plays – his and his family’s level of engage-
ment across all aspects and facets of the school was extraordinary. From the time Jenny began at The Academy (1983) to when Peter graduated (2004) and beyond, his effort and attention never flagged. Bob and the Jaros family went through a shared experience of growing up in The Academy community and we were all lucky to share that with them. The kids could have gone to school anywhere, but they, as much as any other family who has chosen to make Franklin County their home, saw the value of The Academy as a day school option, and were willing to work hard to make sure it succeeded.” All of us in The Academy community are indebted to Bob Jaros for his belief in, support of, and generosity toward our school, its students, and its families. We have indeed lost a great friend.
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Poesis: Creativity Defines our Humanity By D r. Brian Bl o omfield
D
ating back to antiquity we find that a fun-
damental human drive is to
create. The Greeks called this poesis and from it comes the ancient art of poetry. While much of what we do daily involves consumption, true joy and the best expression of the human spirit comes in the form of creating: bringing into existence something which was not here before by generating and shaping with our own hearts and hands. In this way, we leave a little piece of
ourselves for others to find. Of course, Academy students consume as well - literature, history, math, science - but life each day would be incomplete without the opportunity to create. Whether writing, playing or performing music in one of our many music Studio Block bands or designing and building a model house in Cliffside Architectural Design, creating a work in mosaics, a vessel in ceramics, a painting, a photograph, or a detailed drawing, our students practice bringing into reality their ideas and visions. On an early June day, after school in Grinnell Hall, I was watching our Biology and Chemistry teacher Will Miller print a whistle on our new 3D printer with a few excited students. These printers may feel like old news to some, but as a lifelong fan of Star Trek I still get chills from watching something real being created, something which
did not exist before. People are using these fabricators to create organs, food, and materials for building. Humans are taking the idea of creation to a new dimension by being able to fabricate from a thought or an idea. The Academy continues to be committed to inspiring students to create for themselves. Such creativity is not limited to fine arts or to whistles. Creative writing, birthday poems, team names, work within Leadership Councils all have the same goal: for students actively to form part of their individual and collective experience here and to shape the reality of Academy life for our whole community. In other words, they help to create their Academy experience. In this way we hope to encourage students truly to find their voices and speak their minds, to give them opportunities to leave their mark in the world in substantive and creative ways.
Vox
Published annually by The Academy at Charlemont
1359 Route 2 • Charlemont, MA 01339 (413) 339-4912 • fax (413) 339-4324 academy@charlemont.org
Board of Trustees 2017-2018
Zachary Kolodin ’03, Chair Elizabeth Slowinski ’98, Vice-Chair Jaka Saarony ’90, Treasurer Benjamin Thompson P09, 12, Clerk Brian Bloomfield, Sean Dacus ’88, David Epstein ’87, Denny Fuller, Bruce Lessels P14, Abel McDonnell ’03, Katherine Osborne P18, 20, Bo Peabody ’90, Cornelia Reid P01, Grayson Rizzi ’18, Student Rep., Jennifer Rosner P19, 22, Oliver Stebich ’88, Peter Stevens, Rachel Sumner ’04, Elinor Todd ’93, Catherine Valdez, Faculty Trustee Editor: Martha Tirk P07 Design & Production: Stephanie Powers P19 Editing Support: Cornelia Reid P01 The Academy at Charlemont does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, handicap, national origin, sex, gender identity or sexual orientation in its education, admissions, and financial aid policies, or in any other programs and policies administered by The Academy.
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Creativity and Passion Come Alive: Meet our Studio Block Teachers
A
mong the important elements of a
classical education is an
emphasis on the appreciation of the excellent and beautiful. Academy students make art and music every day; these activities are integrated into the curriculum and are accessible to all, and have been at the foundation of the school’s program since the very beginning. For 10 years, our Studio Block Arts electives have deepened the creative experience for our students. They provide opportunities to work with musicians, visual artists, writers, designers, and other professionals in a wide variety of media. Through these experiences, students develop a depth of understanding of the way in which the arts enhance our learning and our lives. In the process they develop proficiencies of their own and are given the freedom to explore and express their creativity in bold and impressive fashion. On Tuesday and Thursday mornings, the campus is abuzz with music, pottery wheels are humming, and students are drawing, painting, and making art with fiber, paper, and more. Our twice-yearly concerts and exhibitions showcase their developing talents and are a source of pride. Overseen by Neale Gay, Academic Dean for Humanities and the Arts, the Studio Block program is a signature piece of the Academy experience. The artists who work alongside our students offer inspiration and a perspective that supports creative growth. Get to know them here, through their students’ eyes! Fafnir Adamites has loved art ever since she was a young girl. She loved making art in any form, from ceramics to collage to simply assembling objects in shadow boxes; she loved anything that could be interpreted as art. Fafnir continued to explore her passion in college, where she took
up photography. She explained to ented artist, she has also demonme that as a self-described “purstrated great personal interest in ist,” she did not want to develop the work of students and allows film them to digitally express as was who the latest they trend in are as photogpeople raphy at through the time. their Rathart. Her er, she comwantpassion ed to goes Fafnir Adamites explore even photography the way it had been beyond caring about them as done for decades: in a dark room. students, but as people too. Sadly, once she left college, Fafnir Fafnir Adamites is a talented also lost access to the dark room, artist and an amazing human so she turned to other art forms being, and she generously shares such as knitting and weaving. It her knowledge with The Acadewas around this time that a friend my student body. of hers introduced her to felt- Patrick Osborne ’18 making, the little known process of combining sheep’s wool with Marco Almeida is from warm water and soap to create Newark, NJ and started computer “felted” objects. Fafnir began programming in tenth grade. Beexperimenting with feltmaking as fore that he had been interested well as paper sculpture and other in computers, but he had no real art forms and recently displayed experience in programming. He some rather impressive examples graduated from Vassar College, of her work in the A.P.E. Ltd where he minored in computer Gallery in Northampton. She science. He says, “What I liked found The Academy at Charabout it was the ability to solve lemont via her friendship with problems in a different way.” In a current teacher at the school, graduate school he used computwho then asked her if she would er programming to communicate be interested in teaching a Studio with scientific instruments that Block class. She accepted, and has collected and sorted data. When in fact taught three classes over he became a physics teacher, two semesters here: Sculptural he started to use programming Feltmaking, Frame Loom Weavto visualize and solve complex ing, and Paper/Wire Arts. problems that would be harder to Fafnir says that she loves solve otherwise. The Computer teaching all of these classes, but her true passion lies in feltmaking, especially because it is such a little known art, and she greatly enjoys being able to teach kids something that they might not be able to learn anywhere else. When asked what some of her favorite parts are about teaching at The Academy, she responded that “she loves how all the students here are so open minded and eager to learn and to take in what she has to teach them.” In addiMarco Almeida tion to being an incredibly tal-
Programming Studio Block was his first time teaching programming, and even though he is a regular science and math teacher at The Academy, he was “amazed to see how much certain people do in their free time even though they don’t have to, just because they are really interested in it.” Mr. Almeida also teaches Physics 1 and 2, Pre-Calculus, and Introduction to Physical Sciences. - Will Draxler ’21 In addition to coaching soccer, basketball and Ultimate Frisbee teams, Synphany Bates-Zale has taught a myriad Studio Blocks and summer programs at The Academy. When asked about her teaching experience “Coach BZ” says; “I’ve been teaching in some way, shape or form since I was 19 years old. I’ve worked with youth offenders, AIDS patients, elderly people, little tiny kids, teenagers, and the ages in between – all in many different aspects of art.” Although she is experienced in the digital and sculptural arts, she says “as far as I can remember, I’ve always loved to draw.” Growing up in the Bronx and attending LaGuardia High School and Cooper Union in Manhattan she was inspired by the colorful murals and street art that surrounded her. She “was drawn in by the intricacies of portraiture within memorial murals as well as to the quick graphic quality of simple tags.” Cartoons and comic book illustrations also inspired her, and by junior high she was drawing full renditions of comic book characters. Her family was very supportive of her artistic endeavors and at the age of 10 her grandmother bought Coach BZ her first art kit. She remembers that “it had colored pencils, good erasers, watercolors, little bottles of tempera paint, a ruler, a protractor, and its own sketchpad, which I filled almost immediately.” At 13 her mother encouraged her to apply to a specialized art high school in Lincoln Center called LaGuardia,
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VOX • Fall 2017 and after a rigorous onsite art audition with hundreds of competing participants from the five boroughs, she was accepted. After a period of struggle after the loss of her grandmother, she began taking photography classes at The International Center for Photography (ICP) at a community center in the South Bronx. She says, “I learned everything I could about photography there, and within a year I grew from being a lab assistant to running an introductory class for 8 year olds. My experience there led me to interning at ICP in Manhattan, in the community education department.” She proved very talented at photography, successfully exhibited at many galleries and took part in a photo campaign for Habitat for Humanity. In her words, “Photography reawakened in me the interest to expand my artistic expression.” Coach BZ says “my desire to teach fully formed after four years of rigorous art education at Cooper Union, and I knew that it was important for me to teach art.” Thus began her career. Coach BZ’s love of teaching has grown and expanded through her interactions with her students. She sees the creative process as an informative journey, and the teaching process as much the same, saying, “What really energizes me is the process of explaining a process to a student, seeing them grasp it or even struggle with it, and having to figure out how to see the issue from their perspective so I can then
Andrae Green support their journey towards their final piece. Teaching keeps me curious, which I like to think is a big part of what art is.” Although Coach BZ has taught in many places around the area and elsewhere, she has returned to teach at The Academy for a number of years. She credits her return each year to dedicated, creative minded students; “I am constantly blown away by the ideas these kids come up with... with their perspectives, with their willingness to follow a piece through to fruition, and still not be satisfied with it but be willing to accept it and maybe even use it as something to propel them onward and upward. The maturity of their practice is impressive. The seriousness of our students’ approach combined with a limitless, passionate curiosity is what allows what I see as burgeoning successes for them on the horizon.” - Isadora Brenizer ’19
Synphany Bates Zale
Andrae Green joined The Academy as a Studio Block teacher in 2013, and has since become a full time faculty member, teaching 7th, 8th, and 9th grade art classes in addition to a variety of drawing and painting classes. (see The Academy’s website for a full bio of Mr. Green.) This year, his focus with students has been in Artistic Human Anatomy and Representational Drawing, building upon their interests and considerable skills. An accomplished painter himself, Mr. Green feeds and is fed by the enthusiasm of Academy students, the depth of their commitment to their work, and the sheer fun that he has working with such positive energy. He says that teaching at The Academy “is a dream that [he] never want[s] to wake up from.”
Noah Grunberg Noah Grunberg (P20) is a design builder who has taught architectural Studio Blocks at The Academy for several years. His classes have included Architectural Perspective, Architectural Rendering, and in 2016-2017, Cliff Side House Design. When designing, he thinks about spaces, and how to use them creatively in residential buildings. Mr. Grunberg has quite a bit of experience in architecture - he went to a Frank Lloyd Wright school, and studied industrial design in college. Like Frank Lloyd Wright, he uses various techniques to design buildings that fit into extreme environments where they are built, on a cliff side for example.
Mr. Grunberg likes to work with Academy students in his Studio Blocks, and let their different approaches to designing create unique and realistic buildings. - Tor Olsson ’21 Karl Helander says that music was really exciting for him from a very early age. “I remember I did an Elvis impression in a church talent show when I was about five and an older teenager from the church gave me an Elvis Presley greatest hits cassette tape and a Jackson 5 tape. I was just covered in shivers when I listened to that music, but when you’re that young you don’t really think ‘oooh, this is my thing’ - you just like it.” At about 12, Mr. Helander started playing and studying drums. He also picked up guitar and immediately wanted to be able to write music. By the end of high school he was a pretty accomplished drummer and was on track to study drums in college. He had also written a handful of decent songs and done some recording, collaborating with an older cousin. He went on to study studio music and jazz drums at the Frost School of Music, the conservatory at the University of Miami (FL). He says “It was a very intensive music major, and after two years I broke my collar bone right before my final tests and had an awful breakup and I realized I didn’t want to be just a drummer - I wanted to do more. So I left.” These days, music continues to play a huge role in Mr. Helander’s life. He plays drums in a band called Sun Parade. He’s been touring and playing with them for almost two years. They’ve recorded an album that’s going to come out soon. He also writes music and records for a band called Cousin Moon, and he’s been busy mixing, performing, and recording a 17-song album with them. His wife Phoebe, cousin Aaron, and a couple of good friends have also been in-
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Studio Blocks (cont.) and teacher is his vast knowledge of music history, especially 20th century music, and its culture. He’s been involved in many classes at The Academy over the years including accompanying the Freightshakers, the school’s bluegrass ensemble from the late 2000s. The first Studio Block class he ever taught was the American Roots band. He has accompanied Chorus, Off the Grid, Women Who Rock, In the Garage, the singing group Five of Noon, and the Audio Recording class. He Karl Helander has also taught Foundations in volved. In addition, he’s involved control. It’s a constant balance. Music. Mr. Hoffman teaches only in recording projects and bringMy goal with The Originals is to at The Academy but of course this ing other bands into their studio. get the students more engaged is not the only place in his life In the past, Mr. Helander has and excited as a group.” where he makes music. He plays taught private lessons – “a little Nellie Boyd-Owens ’18 with a band in Boston called bit of guitar, a little bit of drums” Hands and Knees, performs with but it was time-consuming and Scott Hoffman, The Acadlocal musicians, and helps them he didn’t want to make it his emy’s Music Director, grew up in in their studios. “main thing.” Right now he’s only a musical household in Colrain. Mr. Hoffman loves The teaching at The Academy where Both of his parents and his uncle Academy and its students. He is he says “The kids are unbelievplayed music, and his musical thrilled to see students put effort ably nice and interesting and usu- education came directly from into their instruments and their ally really ready to go, ready to them. As a child it was normal musical parts, in bands both in try stuff. It’s amazing. There’s not for Mr. Hoffman to have records and out of school. He finds the really a school that does so much and instruments as toys. It wasn’t commitment of the students at art and music while including until his The everybody. I think it’s really spemidAcadcial.” He also likes the small size to-late emy is of the Studio Block classes, and twenties amazing that they’re mixed age groups. though, and he’s “It’s so refreshing to be at a school that his always where kids are actually nice to interest imeach other.” became pressed This past spring, Mr. Helander serious. by the taught a Country Rock band and, The protalent. with Music Director Scott Hoffcess of He’s man, a British Invasion group for learning become Scott Hoffman seventh through ninth graders. how to quite He also teaches a songwriting record music made him want to close with groups of students over group but says that it’s “morphed learn more about the way music the years who have clicked and from ‘let’s learn to write songs was put together. After moving to stuck together in different bands, as individuals’ to ‘let’s write as San Francisco with a friend and and he thinks “it’s awesome to a group and try to perform as a setting up their own studio, he watch them grow and develop as group.’ It’s kind of like making a started collaborating with more musicians, and also as people.” mock band, or an original band, and more artists and DJs. He says When the students in a given Stuso I started calling it ‘The Origthat this hands-on experience dio Block class have similar tastes inals’ this year.” In working with helped him grow as a musician and all know what they want to Academy student song writers, he and artist. perform, it helps the group perhas been trying to let them take Over the years Mr. Hoffman form well as a unit, stick together the lead in their work, trying to has worked with and produced and make lots of progress. Mr. be a little more of a coach than a many artists across a variety of Hoffman continues to be happy teacher. He’s been learning when different genres. While humbly to help The Academy’s music proto step in and kind of flesh things saying that he “...[hasn’t] perfectgram and all the students who are out, as well. “I have been trying ed his craft yet” he does feel that a part of it. to let go a little bit but maintain what makes him a good musician - Sam Zakon-Anderson ’17
Academy students have picked up the quirky but cool vibes of studio-block instructor Matt Kim, an idiosyncratic longtime punk-rock musician who is “totally stoked” to be connecting musically with the school’s youth. His endless knowledge about the Eddie Van Halen/Ted Nugent era fuels his musical guidance when teaching On the Road, a ’70s themed Studio Block this semester. As a teen, Kim was the child of an ex-military Episcopalian Minister in Michigan. Being the youthful rebellious adolescent he was (and still considers himself to be), he adopted the “obvious obligation to be anything BUT that” and he remembers going out to hold picket signs with his brother that read “Ozzy IS SATAN!” as a part of his Church Youth Group. This “80s metal kid” with a defiant but positive attitude brings to the school a brilliant understanding of teenagerhood to which Academy youth can definitely relate. On top of that, Kim has a long history of writing and performing music. He’s “been playing music pretty much my whole life, as long as I can remember. Music just tripped me out, all the sounds of anything. But my social status as a teenager went through the roof when I picked up the guitar.” He also has some pretty entertaining stories full of the regular life lessons of the regular musician. “I write all the time,” he says. “Thing is, I hate everything I write (well, not EVERYTHING), so I just let stuff sit.” At one point he decided to devote himself full time to his band. “Of course, the minute I quit my job, off to rehearsal I go and all of a sudden the drummer says, ‘I just had a kid. I can’t do this.’ Of course, at that time, I had no children myself, so I said ‘Just get a babysitter.’ Then the bassist says ‘Umm, yeah, about that…’ and that was it. End of that band.” Kim likes teaching at The Academy because of “all the perks, of course. The private planes, four-star meals, limo rides to school when I need them” -
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Studio Blocks (cont.) he says jokingly - “not that I’ve needed them, I have my own ride.” Upon walking into On the Road every Thursday morning, Kim wears an enthusiastic smile and black Converse sneakers, just like all of the other ten teenagers in the class. His teaching philosophy includes sitting back and giving a lot of freedom to the students to create the music themselves, the way they want to (something that is much appreciated by us adolescents who are
Matt Kim constantly under the pressure of direction-giving, decision-making adults), while always sharing helpful musical input. “I never listened to anyone, ever,” he says about being a teenager. “I didn’t do so good here and there because of it, and yet, here we are right now, you interviewing me for a school newspaper… [It’s crazy] that I teach at all because I never listened. Ironic, right? Rebellious?” Kim’s attitude is certainly refreshing and much appreciated by Academy students, and along with music, he teaches us this important lesson about music, life, and individuality: “You make your own way, make your own mistakes, figure it out.” Really, what other teacher is like Matt Kim? With his insightful and exuberant personality, Mr. Kim is a valued addition to The Academy community. When asked what percentage of his soul is constantly making music, he replies with a whopping 87.3 91%, and then follows it up with “you need to prove to me a soul exists before I can comfortably answer that question.” - Lila Goleman ’19
Christy Knox (P14, 18) was born in upstate New York, but grew up in the Midwest. She returned to the East Coast after graduate school. She first discovered The Academy when some of her friends’ children attended, and again later when looking for schools for her own children. Once her older daughter, Karina (14)was already a student, she learned that the ceramics position had opened up at Charlemont and realized that this would be the best of two worlds: staying involved in her children’s education and sharing her love of pottery with other people. She has just completed her seventh year of teaching at The Academy. She says that the small class sizes here allow for a very personalized teaching approach. Ms. Knox believes that the multitude of art classes available at The Academy and the school-wide passion for the arts contribute to the fact that, “the kids that come into my class have always wanted to be here.” She says that her mission as a teacher is to teach students the techniques necessary to pursue those projects that excite them. Of this method she states that “figuring out what each kid needs [and likes] is like a great puzzle for me.” Ms. Knox started doing ceramics in high school, then when she walked into the pottery studio at college she “realized [she] had come home.” As an undergraduate, she focused mainly on porcelain vases characterized by elaborate, carved designs. When she got to graduate school, however, her classes emphasized the importance of the idea behind the pottery, so she started hand building which allowed for a greater variety of shapes. It was at this time that she began her sculptures based on succulents, a series that she would continue to work on. After graduate school she was a part of the company called Kaleidoscope Pottery for which
she switched up her style once more to include more traditional, functional pieces. Later she sold the company to a friend and took a brief break from the art world, but she could not resist its call so Christy Knox, P14, 18 she worked in a variety of other media before eventually deciding After familiarizing himself with to restart her pottery career. Ms. this new and exciting area of muKnox then created Natural Elesical expression, Audio Collage, ments pottery, the company she the music took the reins, leading still runs today, which combines him to where he’s gotten thus far. her love of pottery with her love Mr. Langford and his cousin of gardening. have a band called Javelin and - Henry Walker-West ’17 they got their first record deal when they were in their twenties. George Langford grew up They spent this time touring and near Boston and in his words, has making music. He acknowledges been “obsessed with music since how lucky he is to have experielementary school. Being a music enced the world, the music, and nerd,” he experimented and tried to have “music-making” as an ocout “pretty much everything,” cupation: “The fact that I’ve been when it came to the world of mu- lucky enough to make music for sic. Only after he had developed a living never ceases to amaze as a “multi-instrumentalist,” did me. I’ve been able to travel and he invest in his first MPC (Music meet so many of my heroes. A Production Controller). MPCs few years ago, Javelin was invited are electronic musical instruto Sao Paulo, Brazil to the home ments that combine features of of Tom Zé, who is a legend and a sound sampler, drum machine one of the fathers of the Tropicaand MIDI (Music) sequencer. lia (look that up). We recorded a Langford picked up jazz guitar song with him and I thought I’d as a teenager but while attending died and gone to heaven,” he says. Skidmore College in New York Today he works primarily as a he became “enamored” with sam- composer for commercials, films, plers and multi-track recording. and radio.
George Langford
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Studio Blocks (cont.) After moving to Buckland from Brooklyn, he “quickly became aware of The Academy and its musical leanings.” He was later introduced to Nora Bates Zale and Neale Gay by one of his old friends from Skidmore, Lisse Grullemans, an Academy alumna. After speaking with Mr. Gay, he felt right away that The Academy was where he wanted to be: “[I] saw immediately… that this [school] was a perfect fit.” Joining The Academy community at the beginning of the last academic year, Langford teaches an Audio Collage Studio Block. His students work with sound collage as a way to “explore the musical possibilities of [their] surroundings.” He explains that “with field recording, collaborative sampling and tape-loop splicing we create musical soundscapes in an open and jovial atmosphere.” With regard to what it is that Mr. Langford hopes to achieve with his students, he explained that, “there’s a sort of “free your mind” aspect to [Audio Collage] that students will need to confront. If I can get students to overcome their hesitance to really engage with something that seems so abstract, I’m happy. I want musicians to think differently about what’s happening when they make music. I want non-musicians to think differently about the acoustic experiences of their daily lives.” After all, when it comes to the vast, experimental world of Audio Collage, “there [really] are no rules.” Above all else, Mr. Langford asserts that a huge part of the enjoyment in his work at The Academy is the interactions and experiences he shares with his students: “The students I’ve met at The Academy are wonderful. Each one is thoughtful, open and considerate - [The Academy is] a really nice environment to work in and grow as a teaching artist.” Mr. Langford’s journey as music teacher and as a giver of knowledge has just begun: “This experience has really fed me. I want more. I want to teach!” - Winston Posner ’18
When you arrive at The Academy at 8:00 AM each day, ready to take on your academic classes, you are suddenly aware of a delicious aroma, and you know it is going to be a good day. Whether it is delightful whoopie pies baking or the delicious “southern-hot mess” simmering away, our great chef always rocks in The Academy’s kitchen. Originally from Malden, MA, Stan Langston is a professional chef who graduated from Johnson and Wales University. His career is as astonishing as is his food. Mr. Langston has traveled all around the world, developing his cooking skills. His impressive career commenced in 1960. He was originally inspired by his childhood; he used to bake desserts in a little mini-oven and “swim lobsters in the bathtub before
for the best chefs and bakers in New England by the Family Foundation of Anthony Spinazzola, a food critic for the Boston Globe. Mr. Langston attended the Gala four times. Furthermore, his career also led him to open four restaurants for other people and to be a chef at the Harvard School of Government. Today, Stan Langston is spreading his knowledge in his field at The Academy, whether giving cooking and menu advice to teachers or preparing delightful meals for the students. He enjoys the freedom of being as creative as he wants while cooking. In addition, he teaches basic knife skills to students at The Academy in a Studio Block class. He does like to work with kids, since he sees very different personalities and skill levels in
Stan Langston eating them” he says. In addition, the environment he grew up in affected him positively; he lived in a neighborhood with a butcher shop, a bakery, a drug store “with a soda fountain” and other shops, which made everything accessible to him. His career included many impressive experiences that shape who he is today. Mr. Langston has traveled to Korea, Japan, California and other locations where he performed his advanced kitchen skills, and has taught culinary classes at Latham School, a residential special education school. In addition, he ran a kitchen at a shelter for homeless veterans. Mr. Langston is a hard-working cook and has held many jobs of high standards. He made it to the guest list of the Gala organized
each one of the students. On the other hand, he is a fan of eating healthy and sharing that with people, which is why he likes the school’s “garden to table” efforts. Personally, I enjoyed that class significantly, because you do not simply attend and imitate the chef or assist him in his cooking, you get the chance to express who you are through your own cooking and baking. Students are free to choose whatever interest they have in the art of cooking, and Mr. Langston will encourage them by teaching them everything they need to perfect their creation or their meal. - Macy Kasbo ’18 Charlene Neeley (P13, 16, 19) has been a Studio Block teacher at The Academy since
2007, when she began instructing students in basket weaving. Since then, she has also taught rug braiding, and even stepped up to teach “Yogaerobics” (a combination of yoga and aerobics) as a fall sport! Ms. Neeley has three children – all Aardvarks - and is a beloved member of The Academy community. Ms. Neeley first became interested in basket weaving through her great grandfather, whose hobby was caning old chairs. She brought him a chair to reseat, and he insisted that she do it herself. After that she “fell in love with the craft and went on to learn how to weave rush and splint [seats] as well.” The materials used for chair seats are often used in basketry as well, so her next venture was to weave a basket. Ms. Neeley was able to teach herself the craft of basket weaving using instructional books and experimentation. Additionally, she took classes in both Nantucket basketry and traditional English willow basketry. In 1998, Ms. Neeley, now an accomplished basket-maker, became interested in rug braiding as well. During the course of six years, she took intensive week-long classes and learned how to create rugs in all shapes and sizes. Ms. Neeley has sold her work at craft fairs in the past, but has more recently been re-weaving seats for people. In addition, she used to teach weaving at the Boston Center for Adult Education, the Cambridge Center for Adult Education, and the Eliot School in Jamaica Plain. Ms. Neeley has “[felt] privileged to have been able to spend an hour a week with some amazing students.” Her classes are popular and accessible to all grades because she patiently works with each student to help them perfect and finish each piece. She says that she has had students with greatly diverse weaving abilities from “students taking the basics and going on to make baskets of their own design, to students who hand me the basket and say ‘Fix it!’ ” No matter the circumstances, Ms. Neeley encourages
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Studio Blocks (cont.)
Charlene Neeley, P 13, 16, 19 (second from right) her students to try their best and helps them to create beautiful and functional baskets and rugs. She loves watching students become passionate about her favorite crafts. Ms. Neeley has had classes in which there has been lots of singing, some with students outside the class reading aloud to them, and always weaving galore! Charlene Neeley has inspired many students at The Academy to pursue difficult weaving patterns and helped them to create beautiful work. She loves seeing students of all ages interact and make connections with each other and emphasizes “what a special place the school [is].” Her passion, experience, and patience are a few of the amazing qualities that make her the exceptional mentor she is. - Sophia Corwin ’19 Katryna Nields teaches Chorus and A Cappella at The Academy, and directs the “Five of Noon” singing group. She was born in New York City but grew up outside Washington, DC. She has always felt that New England was her home and lives in Conway, MA with her family. Ms. Nields grew up in a family that spent their time making music together. She went to schools where music was valued, and a lot of time was allocated to learning music. There were weekly assemblies for performing music together and for one another. In high school she took part in 8 singing groups and several musicals. “I never thought of music as being a career path; rather I thought of it as one of life’s glorious enrichments” she says. Ms. Nields continued to play music casually alone, with friends, and she said “most im-
portantly, with my sister.” During college she spent a semester in Nepal and found that she loved the traditional music she heard there, but “was drawn to the power music has to bring people together.” Finally she wrote to her sister who had been begging her to join her in a career as traveling troubadours and told her she was in. After college, Ms. Nields, her sister Nerissa, and Nerissa’s husband formed the band The Nields. Later they were joined by bass player David Chalfant and drummer Dave Hower. The Nields signed a major label recording contract and publishing deal; they have made 17 CDs and a greatest hits double album on vinyl. Playing in 44 states, they’ve toured all over the USA and Canada at giant festivals like SXSW, Telluride Bluegrass, Lilith Fair, Newport Folk, and Green River. Among all of the amazing opportunities their band has had, one incredible event was attending a
Katryna Nields Grammy party. In the 1990s they tended to be on the road about 320 days a year. After a while they took some time off but Ms. Nields still plays 2-4 times each month. When asked about her
time off she said, “I found that I needed something more from my musical career than going to concert venues and having people applaud. Having your creativity responsible for paying your bills can rob it of its other role – to make you feel alive. When my children were born, they gave me music back as a source of joy and connection.” Ms. Nields realized that she wanted to teach music, so as to give parents and children the experience of music that she had been given as a child. After some training in how to put together a curriculum for young children, she grew a business that she still runs called HooteNanny, a series of classes in Northampton at Studio Helix. She also volunteers at Conway Grammar School which both of her children attended. Out of that business came a book deal and a book called All Together Singing in the Kitchen Creative Ways to Make and Listen to Music as a Family (Roost/ Shambala). Ms. Nields says that it has been incredibly rewarding to have a career that allows her to both perform and teach. Because of work and family life, The Nields’ touring gigs have been centered along the east coast from Washington DC to Maine for the past several years. Occasionally they will make it farther afield to places like Tampa, FL, St Louis, MO, Chicago, IL and Pittsburgh, PA. When it comes to musical influences, she believes that being a mom and being a citizen of the world are the strongest for her. She is very interested in world events, national events and local community and is always trying to figure out how her work as an artist, musician and curator of music can benefit the community, her family, the country, and the world. “I believe
that if all of us try to figure out how to make our work matter a little more, our communities will work better”, she says. Ms. Nields says, “I love working at The Academy. They say that you should do work that makes you lose track of time. My students will all attest to the fact that they are always having to tell me when class is over. I enjoy the process of finding the perfect song to learn – even when it is frustrating. I enjoy hearing my students’ voices developing over the course of their teenage years. I most enjoy hearing the students learn a challenging harmony. There is always a week when I think, ’I have to change this! It’s too hard.’ Then the next week, they blow me away with their perseverance and musicality. I love being exposed to new music by the students’ suggestions of songs to sing. My favorite thing about The Academy is how the students support each other. The cheering that goes on during the dress rehearsal for the concerts always moves me.” - Hazel Goleman ’17 Dave Noonan is the Bucket Brigade teacher at The Academy at Charlemont. He has been playing drums for 40 years, having received his first drum set at the age of 11 – which he still has – and has been going strong ever since. Mr. Noonan taught at The Academy in the early 2000s, but later left to take an office job. He always wanted to come back to teaching at The Academy and felt fortunate in 2015 to return. He earned a Bachelor’s degree from UMass Amherst in 1993, in the BDIC (Bachelor’s Degree with Individual Concentration) Department where he accomplished a self-designed ethnomusicology degree. He earned his Master’s Degree from Goddard College in 2008, where he wrote his thesis on the development of Jamaican popular rhythm from 1955 to 1981. Some of Mr. Noonan’s drumming inspirations are Buddy
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Studio Blocks (cont.) manages to foster a positive and encouraging atmosphere in the classroom. “I really like the Academy students. I’m used to teaching younger children, and I think you guys have a great attitude. You all come to class ready to have fun.” - Bella Greenbacher ’21
Dave Noonan Rich (Jazz) and Sly Dunbar (a big Reggae influence). He says he prefers playing in a group, noting that “I learn a lot more that way, it’s more challenging and way more enjoyable. You have to really develop your people skills to play music in a group setting.” Even after many years and many shows, he still tremendously enjoys performing in a group. Mr. Noonan has had a long musical career and has played with a lot of amazing musicians, but says that it is very hard to support oneself solely by playing music, especially with a family. He does teach quite a bit both at The Academy and privately at his studio in Greenfield. He has a painting contracting business, and performs with a variety of bands for all types of occasions, such as concerts, weddings, and parties. Because he plays many different styles of music, he is able to take on different types of gigs. Mr. Noonan very much enjoyed the spring semester’s Bucket Brigade and getting to drum with everyone in the class. - Elaina Gibb-Buursma ‘’21
Ms. Passiglia has been teaching printmaking on and off since leaving The Academy. She says “I majored in printmaking in college and I was really drawn to it because I like the process; I like all the materials you have to use to make a print.” She worked at a rubber stamp company for 16 years, which, she says, had a lot to do with printmaking - I helped people develop their logos and simplify black and white images. Right now I work at a library and I think that complements my background. When I studied printmaking I also studied book binding and letter press printing, so I love books and graphic design and how it all comes together.” Recalling the classes she took as a seventh grader at The Academy, Ms. Passiglia says that the Studio Block program has been growing and reaching out more to people outside of the school. She notes that “We didn’t have Studio Block classes like this, so I love that The Academy brings the community to teach students.” While teaching a productive, hardworking class, Ms. Passiglia
Francesca Passiglia ’91 returned to The Academy as a printmaking teacher this year. In her class students explore different mediums, such as carving rubber stamps, printing with gelli plates, making three dimensional stamps, and sketching both indoors and out. Students have their own sketchbooks in which they draw their ideas for stamps which they then create and use to make prints.
Francesca Passiglia ’91
When I met with Hunter Styles ’04 in late April, he was sporting the ever-enthusiastic smile his students have come to expect over the course of his Creative Writing classes this semester. Hunter (having laughingly rejected ‘Mr. Styles’ during his first classes) has an extensive list of achievements, ranging from studying performing arts and creative writing before going on to write and direct plays in Washington, DC, to working as a journalist and Preview Magazine editor at the Valley Advocate. On returning to The Academy, Hunter remarked that he had expected the school to feel alien, that he’d assumed the school to be defined by its students at the time, but that he noticed a clear, familiar overtone of attention to the individual provided by the size and ideology of the school, while maintaining a sense of community, and “everyone seems to know who they are within the context of the school.” He noted the care the school takes to maintain the spirit of community and individual attention and that “the alumni really appreciate that.” Despite what his career may suggest, Hunter explained that he is not enamored with storytelling, rather it is an unavoidable facet of life that can be used to better understand one’s self and others. His parents worked as journalists and social workers; each was required to build relationships with people soon after meeting them. He remembers that on his first day of school, his father told him to ask good questions as he got on the bus. This did not necessarily come naturally as he was shy as a child, but he went on to remark, “being a person entails being able to hold conversation with
Hunter Styles ’04 every sort of person… humans structure themselves this way [referring to books, social media, folk tales, etc.] because we are inherently storytelling animals.” He concluded this thought by saying that teaching the course only reinforced why he writes. The spring semester Creative Writing course this year was Hunter’s first time teaching high school students, which he mentioned was a lot of fun. While implementing exercises that would hone his students’ writing in a technical sense, his overarching stance on teaching the course is that “it’s not really about improving your writing, but about changing your relationship with writing.” - Kyle Mayer ’19 The Academy at Charlemont’s Jazz Band never disappoints at our twice yearly concerts. From the foot-tapping energy of Latin Band in the Spring to the refreshing sounds of standards in early Winter, Jazz is alive and well at The Academy. As a longtime member of the band, I have looked up to and learned from instructor Jon Weeks during my four years here. He never fails to inspire students to push their musical boundaries, and he plays a key role in fostering growth of both young and more experienced Academy musicians. To honor this, I would like to bring to light Mr. Weeks’ accomplishments, his career at The Academy, and his beginnings as a musician. Mr. Weeks is a New Englander who grew up in Northampton and now lives in Leyden, MA but
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Examining The Academy’s Honor Code: Considering Both Process and Outcome By C on n or O’ Brie n ’ 1 7
D
uring the past two academic years, Acade-
my students and faculty
members have examined our Honor Code through a series of exercises including small and large discussions, anonymous surveys, and prompts posted around the school to which students responded, again anonymously. The culmination of these exercises was a community vote. Students, faculty and staff, alumni/ae, parents, and trustees all were invited to participate. Voters were asked to rank four options: three proposed new Honor Codes and the original text. In the end, the majority voted to keep our existing Honor Code. While this result of the vote may make it easy to trivialize the process, it was the most important process of my Academy career. Though it is not set out literally in our Honor Code or Mission Statement, at The Academy we strive to employ awareness and intentionality in our lives. An excellent example is our Honor
Code signing ceremony, where every community member has the choice to sign or not sign the document. At the forefront of this ceremony is the understanding that behind agreeing to uphold the Honor Code there must be an intention to follow it, which the entire community must hold and support every day of every year. This is why in 2015-2016, when we noticed the community’s discontent with this intentionality, we practiced the other aforementioned value, awareness. The Academy recognizes that every year the student body changes, and that therefore the temperament of the community is subject to change. We decided to examine some of the changes and figure out how to better acknowledge them in the way we state our school’s values. To me, this decision illustrates the school’s trust in the student body to determine the values of the school, and then properly exercise those values. We chose to examine the defining document
of our central values, the Honor Code. Though this decision caused some consternation, it also demonstrated our community’s awareness. We agreed that values and ideas are not static, and used the 2016-17 school year to assess the Honor Code through multiple allschool meetings. For 2016-2017, we decided to move the conversation forward through a series of smaller team meetings in which we discussed what values we might want to see in a new Honor Code. Participants found that the community’s values were already represented in the Honor Code, but that as consequences and disciplinary structures have changed over time, so too has our response to the expression of these values implicit in those structures. As a result of these conversations a group of students and faculty members drafted three new Honor Codes with similar or identical values to those embodied in our existing document, but expressed through different voices. As we
wrote these documents, we again called to mind the intentionality of our signing process, and tried to create options which might encourage a re-commitment to this intentionality. We then held multiple meetings revising the documents, and revising the revisions. The entire process was open to direct input from all students and faculty at the school. Finally, it came time to vote. The voting process was online and anonymous, in order to reach our broader community as easily as possible. It required both awareness of our school culture and the intention to choose what best fits that culture. In the end we chose the existing Honor Code. With this vote still fresh in our minds I believe that as we move forward both inside and outside of this school, we will feel as though we have made a conscious, intentional decision to follow the values we know best fit our community. From my perspective, this process and the ultimate decision have only reinforced my understanding of what makes this school and this community magnificent.
Studio Blocks (cont.) previously resided in Vermont and New Hampshire. He began playing the trumpet in the 6th grade, despite wanting to play the saxophone. At the end of high school, he became a self-taught flutist until he took lessons with musicians at Smith College and UMASS Amherst. He took up the saxophone in his early twenties and became a multi-instrumentalist. Mr. Weeks studied at Berklee School of Music in 1975 as a performance major. He transferred to Holyoke Community College and then Westfield State University. Mr. Weeks has toured all over the United States (including Puerto Rico) and Canada, but now gigs within driving distance with occasional long distance and
Jon Weeks multi-day events. On the first and third Wednesday of each month he plays at the Arts Block in Greenfield with a Latin big band. He is officially a part of Viva Quetzal, Creación, Satinwood,
BossaTribe, and Dave Noonan’s Green Island. During festival season, Mr. Weeks can be found playing in Salsa bands based in Springfield, Boston and Hartford. He also works freelance with The
O-Tones, Roger Salloom, Soul Magnets, and many others. Mr. Weeks started teaching at The Academy in the early ‘90s. At the time, the school only offered chorus and band. Mr. Weeks watched our beloved music program evolve to offer Jazz, R&B, Blues, Funk, Latin Jazz, Reggae, Celtic, and Klez bands, all of which he has taught. When asked about his experiences with Academy students, Mr. Weeks said, “I find that working with young people provides something new every day, if not every minute. I get to witness the students’ transition from childhood to young adulthood. It has inspired and energized me in my own musical pursuits.” - Ben Michalak ’17
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36th Academy Commencement: Honoring Community Values By S oph ia C orw in ’ 1 9 and L e ni Spe rry-Fromm ’19
T
his year’s Commencement ceremony was
filled with joy, laughter,
love, and bittersweet goodbyes to the Class of 2017. For one last time in the 2016-2017 school year, the Academy community came together to celebrate the students and faculty, and our school’s strongest values. Throughout the year, and largely under the leadership of the Class of 2017, we have been working to ensure that these values continue to guide our school. Under the billowing white tent, we heard from faculty, trustees, and our graduating seniors. The soothing sounds of piano and guitar, played by Nat Boyd-Owens ’19 and Grayson Rizzi ’18, provided a poignant backdrop as the eighth grade, the faculty, and the graduating seniors entered the tent. Admiration for the seniors was evident as family, friends, and community members rose to honor them. Head of School Brian Bloomfield welcomed everyone, celebrating the “work, play, study, fun, friendship, mentorship, and growth” of the last school year. He recognized the twenty eighth graders, as they moved on from middle school to high school, emphasizing that spending time with them was for him “one of the highlights of this school year.” Academic Deans Neale Gay and John Schatz presented the Academic Awards for the year to one student in each of the
six grades. Juliet Corwin (’22), Saraphina Forman (’21), Kathleen Strachota (’20), Leni Sperry-Fromm (19), Ella Deters (’18), and Connor O’Brien (’17) were recognized for their achievements. Mr. Schatz presented Athletic Awards to Raymond Mossman (’21) and Sylvie Mauri (’21) in the lower school, and Ella Deters (’18) and Aiden Brenizer (’17) in the upper school. Mr. Gay conferred the Kerlin Conyngham Fine Arts Award for
mal Souccar (P10, P16) awarded the Zephyr Spirit Award to Yilin Luo (17). Following the awards, seniors and faculty continued the tradition of inviting all those in attendance to join them in a song. This year they chose “Peace Train” by Cat Stevens. The love and respect the Class of 2017 gave to the school during their time here was felt by all as they sang. Chair of the Board and former Latin teacher Cornelia Reid
Work in Performance to Nellie Boyd-Owens (’18), and for Work in Visual Arts to Isadora Brenizer (’19). Nora Bates-Zale recognized Saraphina Forman (’21) with the Ellen MacLeish Zale Community Service Award for her commitment to service outside the Academy community, and Macy Kasbo (’18) with the Jane Grant Honor Council Award. Dr. Bloomfield bestowed the Robert Jaros Citizenship Award upon Tucker Boyd (’17), and the Will Sparks Award to Steve and Bettie Zakon-Anderson (P17, P19). Lastly, Tanya Rapinchuk and Ka-
(P01) spoke of her great admiration for the graduates, as well as her appreciation for the values of the school, saying that the seniors embody these values, and thanked them for “making [her] job so rewarding!” She expressed her admiration for the late Robert Jaros, as a “dedicated supporter of The Academy, a fine leader, a fellow parent and friend”. Mrs. Reid concluded by thanking the Academy community for their support for the school. In his commencement address, Dr. Bloomfield spoke directly to the seniors about the importance
of telling the truth. He recounted how even the small lies of his childhood had impacted him. Urging the senior class to tell the truth, Dr. Bloomfield advised the graduates: “do not run from the truth of who you are - do not fear your weaknesses and mistakes own them - face them - learn to overwhelm them… Only if you discover who you really are, only if you live your own life, with honor and truth, do you stand a chance at becoming great.” After Dr. Bloomfield and Mrs. Bates-Zale awarded them their diplomas, each of the seniors offered their own remarks. These ranged from inventive poems to jokes about the school lamp posts to Star Wars analogies. Some were funny, some serious, but all were filled with appreciation for the school. Sunta Corciulo said in her speech, “The love that the school gave me taught me how you do not have to follow rules to know who you are… When I came to this place where no one judged me for being who I am, I discovered the importance of being myself.” Another senior, Tucker Boyd, went on to appreciate The Academy saying “I can honestly say that I didn’t just survive high school. High school made me into a more confident and capable person, an uncommon privilege for which I’m so thankful.” Ben Michalak appreciated the school’s tightly knit community, “Whether they were classmates or from other grades, my friends were my inspiration and my drive”. Following their remarks, the graduates presented their class
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gifts to the school, a new camera and drum kit, to help further the arts programs so cherished by the Class of 2017. The Academy’s 36th commencement was a heartfelt mixture of joy and sadness, but all around the tall tent there was a great sense of support for the seniors, as well as for the school
values we continue to treasure. While the graduates are moving on from The Academy, surelythey’ll never forget the respect and honor they experienced in this community. We congratulate them on their accomplishments and look forward to hearing about their further adventures!
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The GRADUATES
Tucker Boyd from Wilmington, VT will bring his talents to Skidmore College in the fall. He enjoyed taking on roles in Academy drama productions, performing with numerous choral groups, and playing Ultimate Frisbee. His commitment to his community is clear with examples such as taking on the role of Student Representative to the Board of Trustees and teaching a creative writing studio block. His commitment reaches to the greater community with his interest in addressing social justice issues which led him to plan the spring conference “Walking the Talk for Racial Justice.” Tucker was the recipient of the Robert Jaros Citizenship Award.
Michaela Lindsey from Northampton is off to Barnard College and will explore topics such as history, political science, women’s studies, economics, and statistics. Over the years, she earned many lead roles in our winter drama productions, sang in various musical groups and has been an advocate for women’s issues. She’d like to continue with these interests at the college level.
Aiden Brenizer from Colrain will attend St. Lawrence University, after leading rafting trips with Zoar Outdoor this summer. He has a love of language and culture and plans to pursue this study. Aiden brought his musical skills to many a band during his 6 years at The Academy, and made his mark on several sports teams, earning recognition as an Outstanding Athlete in the Upper School.
Yilin Luo came to The Academy from China and has honed her artistic talents. Because of her love of making art and appreciating art made by others, she took on an initiative called “Weekly Art Corner” for which she made creative announcements of encouragement to the student body to submit their art for weekly display. She also earned the Kerlin Conyngham Fine Arts Award in Visual Arts at the end of her junior year, and the Zephyr Rapinchuk Award presented at her own graduation.
Sunta Corciulo came to The Academy from Italy and has returned to her home country for the required fifth year of high school there. She came to love The Academy community, the friends she made, and experiences she had. While with us she discovered photography and played sports she wouldn’t have had the chance to experience at home. Additionally, Sunta earned a part in our winter drama production of “Our Town” and honed her guitar-playing skills.
Ben Michalak from Hadley will make his way to SUNY Geneseo and plans to major in political science and perhaps drumming. He has invested himself in our Studio Block and drama programs and was inspired to create an immersive theater experience for his senior project. Ben has also been noted for his commitment to community service, both within The Academy community and beyond, which earned him the Ellen MacLeish Zale Community Service Award at the end of his junior year.
Hazel “Zell” Goleman from Conway will take a gap year with plans to travel to Italy, among other destinations. This year she revived the “Girls Night In” event, of which she is proud and, for the duration, Zell has enjoyed Academy traditions such as Polyglot, Thing in the Spring, the Faculty-Senior Kickball Game, dances, concerts, and so much more. Academically, she has found a passion for science and math, and designed and built a small scale model of a “tiny house” for her senior project. She sang with a number of Academy bands and emceed the final concert of her Academy career.
Emily Nitzsche from Deerfield heads north to the University of Vermont to study zoology and psychology. She has competed in the independent sport of eventing and dressage through the years, which has inspired her course of study in college. As a singer and performer Emily knows she has come a long way since starting at The Academy.
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The GRADUATES
Connor O’Brien from Deerfield will be making his way across the country to Lewis and Clark College. While he’s not sure yet what will be his major, having explored music at The Academy he knows performing is something he wants to keep doing. Connor received multiple awards during his time at The Academy, including the Jane Grant Honor Council Award for his junior year, and the Academic Award for his senior year.
Ben Schocket-Greene from Northampton will attend the University of California at San Diego, and will likely study physics. After that, Ben plans to continue on to a graduate school that specializes in math and science. Ben has an appreciation for Latin and Spanish languages, and was a regular member of Academy soccer and Ultimate teams.
Henry Walker-West from Shelburne Falls will attend Wesleyan University after working as a raft guide for Zoar Outdoor this summer. He’ll choose to take courses in philosophy and continue creating art with classes in ceramics, photography, and painting. Henry also competed with our soccer and Ultimate Frisbee teams throughout his Academy years.
Senior Leadership Retreat, August 2016
Sam Zakon-Anderson of Conway will take his passion for music to Holland College (Prince Edward Island) and will major in music production and business. For his senior project he recorded an EP of five original songs with representing a mix of Hip Hop and Smooth Jazz. Junior year, Sam earned the Kerlin Conyngham Fine Arts Award in Performing Arts. As an integral part of The Academy’s soccer and Ultimate teams, Sam was presented with the 2016 - 2017 Coaches Award.
Semi, May 2017
Martha’s Vinyard, May 2017
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ALU M N OT E S
1988
1990
Jenny Jaros Friedl says “life in Arlington, VA continues to barrel along. Life with Porter (9), Lindy (7), and Tyler (7) feels like it has finally hit cruising altitude. I am sure things will change again soon (they always do) but for now we are loving life with kiddos this age. I am also excited to return to teaching after a long break while I was home with the kids - starting in September I’ll be assistant-teaching in 1st grade at Burgundy Farm, our kids’ fantastic progressive school. A fly in the ointment has been my diagnosis of thyroid cancer in May. It is both scary and not-scary. The whole idea of it is scary, but the prognosis is very positive and I have a complete thyroidectomy already scheduled. If any Academy folks have experience with this I would love to hear your thoughts and advice (jnfriedl@gmail. com)! Until then, I plan to enjoy a summer of camping, reading, and being with kids who are old enough to put their own shoes on and young enough to play in the sprinkler.”
Shelly Barnett writes “Hello Academy. This seems like a good moment to reach out and say hi because my younger son, Eric, is 14 and will be starting at Amherst HS in the fall. He will be in the 9th grade which was the same year I started at the Academy. It is hard for me believe I have a son the same age I was when I met all of you. Wow. My older son, Peter,
Elizabeth Sightler writes “I have been living and working in Burlington, VT for 29 years. For the last 25 years I have worked in the field of intellectual disabilities and autism. Currently I am the executive director of Champlain Community Services which focused on community and Vocational supports throughout the state and am the President of the statewide mental health, substance abuse and developmental services network. I guess that’s what happens when you study studio art in college. I live with my husband who is Elizabeth Sightler ’88 and family a beekeeper and keeps all of us on track, curious and fed and my two sons Will, 15 and Winslow, 11. We own the best dog in the whole wide world named Stella. On our small sliver of land here in Burlington we have gardens, fruit trees, honey bees, chickens and two tall maples that give us leaves and sap and shade. Life is beautiful in the Green Mountain State. Let me know if you’re nearby and I’ll take you out for a local brew or a dark roasted coffee.”
the 2 girls are in school, is waiting for the embassy to start hiring again after the freeze. In the meantime, she enjoys sampling the region’s coffees and culinary delights. They will be in Bangkok until June 2018 and welcome visitors before then so they can show you the wonderful city/ country.” Numeros?
1993 David Jaros ’90 and family
Eric and Peter Barnett will be a senior at Amherst High next year and will apply to colleges in the fall. This is equally unbelievable to me. Peter is nearly as old as we were when we graduated from the Academy. I only have him with me for one more year before he moves out into the world. We had a crazy school year and are glad it is summer. I am enjoying my flower gardens and the boys continue to play ultimate at camps and on summer teams. We will go to the ocean in ME in August with my sister and her boys. Then it will be time for school and it will all start again. I would love to hear from you (sybarnett@comcast.net).” David Jaros (“Too Tall” Jaros) says “proving that you can fool some of the people for some of the time, I am now a tenured professor at UB Law School (that’s Baltimore, not Buffalo), where I teach Criminal Law despite having never actually watched The Wire. (Yes, I know. Seriously, I know.) Molly and Sam have turned 11, which means I have helped to raise two awesome preteens or the equivalent of one totally incredible 22 year-old. Sam’s into building Lego robots and Molly’s into rock climbing. Both are awesome... although they suck at anything related to cleaning their room. Kate (my wife) recently left her job as a public education advocate and has taken on some pro-bono immigration cases to help us feel better about the current political climate. All are invited to Baltimore--don’t believe what you read, it’s the Northampton of the Mid-Atlantic!”
Bo Peabody writes “I ruined my perfectly good life and started another company called Renzell. We’re building data-powered guest engagement tools for restaurants. I also spend time at Greycroft, a venture capital firm in NYC. Katherine and I have three boys: Brody (8), Renn (7), and Wes (3); the two older are at Friends Seminary in Manhattan. Amos and I get together every year to ski, and every year we tell the same story about Field getting lost in British Columbia. Hope everyone is well.” Kipp Sutton and family (Ester, Kira and Zuli) have been enjoying the big city life of Bangkok, Thailand for the past 3 years. In Kipp’s words, “it’s one of the few (only?) mega-cities they could live in because the kind and tolerant Thai people soften the inevitable press and rush of the city-zens. It’s truly an amazing place where at least 9 daily-tended shrines dot every block and you can have delicious street food from a cart for $1 or walk into the 5-star hotel opposite and have a budget-busting 6-course meal.” Kipp says he is “enjoying working on a regional portfolio of assistance to smallholder farmers via technology transfer and policy and support to local agriculture technology startups. Kira just turned 7 and loves ballet and mangos. Zuli is
Kip Sutton ’90 and family 4 and loves everything her big sister does, plus elephants and sticky rice. Ester somehow keeps everything running smoothly and, now that
Jason Shurtleff enjoys living in beautiful Colorado with his wife and 3 children.
1994
Jason Emerick ’94 and family Jason Emerick writes “after a hectic couple years of home repair, work travel and house hunting, my family and I have settled in Bethel, CT. I am now in my 8th year of my CPR/ AED and First Aid training business. I travel anywhere between Maine and DC in a given week doing on-site instruction for businesses, non-profits, law firms, and private homes. My wife, Magdalina, continues to telecommute for her NYC office as Billing Manager. My two children, Jonathan (7) and Milena (2), are the lights of our lives! Looking forward to getting back in touch and back in the loop of Academy activities!”
1997
Jed Haupt says “I continue to teach history at the Fountain Valley School of Colorado, and now live on campus as a dorm parent with my spouse, Jennifer. I also recently gained a new title: Director of Interim. Each March, our entire student body embarks on experiential, cultural, scientific, linguistic and adventure-based trips around the U.S. and world, and I will be overseeing this program in full. This year we had 16 trips to such varied locations as
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VOX • Fall 2017
ALU M N OT E S Hawaii, Iceland, Thailand, Houston, North Carolina and Mexico. We also welcomed Charles Edward to our family in June. Parenting is now our newest challenge!” Dan Tuttle writes “I just graduated with my Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Life University. I also presented more research on chiropractic and brain function at the largest chiropractic conference in the world and in history. Now I am plotting my next professional move which will be practicing somewhere in the greater Tampa/St. Petersburg Florida area.”
1998
Elizabeth Slowinski lives in Shelburne Falls and works as a Clinical Social Worker at Baystate Franklin Hospital. When not at home or at work, she’s in the river.
2003
Donnell, Rachel Sumner, Nell Todd, Elizabeth Slowinski and Sean Dacus.” Abel McDonnell got married last September. A number of Academy friends joined the wedding in Bloomville, NY. Zach Kolodin ’03 and Simon Reid ‘01 were best men, and Chris Manchester ’05 played music during the ceremony. Kate Branson, Ryan Pirtle-McVeigh, and Rachael Risser-Sperry (all ’03) were also in attendance. Since April, Abel has been splitting his time between Brooklyn, where he lives with his wife Lillian, and Albany, where he’s clerking for a federal judge.
2004
Rachel Sumner continues to live and work in Ithaca, New York, where she’s studying cool stuff like purpose in life, identity, and diversity in youth development programs. She and her dog, Daphne, both have more grey hairs than they used to.
2005
Carly Carey spent the summer biking across the midwest with Brett Carey, trekking Europe for a few weeks with Beatrice Foster-Marian ’09, and sailing in Lake Superior!
Kate Branson ’03 and family
Members of the Class of 2006 and friends puses. She was in Brooklyn reuniting with 9 out of the 19 members of the Class of 2006 at Vic Sorvino’s wedding. Sadly he and his bride are not pictured here. Above: pictured from left to right, back row, Dan Quigley, Hannah Smith, William Zale, Sam Goldberg-Jaffe, Nick Van de Kamp, Julia Longley (not from class 2006). Front row, Katie Overgaard, Leah Decker, Kim Eardley-Sawyer (not from class 2006) and Glen Eardley-Sawyer.
2007
Virginia Mellen (Gin Brooks) writes that her family is preparing to move to Portland, Maine in August. She says “We will both be working for HistoryIT, and are excited to get to work together every day! Our son Avi has grown into a goofy toddler
Kate Branson continues to teach elementary school in Indianapolis. Science is her favorite subject to teach and students in her class last year started a school Food Rescue program to help get leftover cafeteria food to local food pantries. She shares her life with Owen and his two sons Sam (age 11) and Pete (age 9). She stays very busy both with her students and her family. Here’s a silly family picture. Zachary Kolodin says “My son, Jett, will be two in September. He loves scootering, airplanes, trucks, sirens, and Cheerios. I’m still living in Brooklyn, NY with him and my wife Hilary. I just completed a clerkship with U.S. District Judge Edward R. Korman, of the Eastern District of New York, and will be joining the law firm of Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler in September. I’m also delighted to be serving in my fourth year as a trustee, and my first as Chair of the Board. It is a great pleasure to work with fellow alums Bo Peabody, David Epstein, Jaka Saarony, Abel Mc-
work environment. I’m also taking advantage of the many perks of living in a diverse, booming city so close to multiple mountain ranges - world class skiing, hiking and biking are all within an hour of home. Recently I was glad to get together with classmate Julian Post and Sam Goldberg-Jaffe (2006) in Hood River, OR at the bachelor party of a mutual UVM friend. I’d be happy to hear from other Academy folks living in or visiting the area.
Virginia Mellen ’07 and family
•
Carly Carey ’05 and Beatrice Foster-Marian ’09
2006
with a lot of character. We are enjoying our Maine life.
Hannah Smith is happily living in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Boulder Colorado. She recently started graduate school at University of Colorado, Denver, to study Women and Gender in an interdisciplinary master’s program and started a job in August that focuses on Violence Prevention Education on college cam-
Nathan Tirk says “after many years of living, skiing, studying and working in the Burlington, VT area I took a job Seattle last summer with a structural engineering firm. I’m enjoying the challenges of designing buildings in a seismically active area, along with the fast paced
Nathan Tirk ’07
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VOX • Fall 2017
ALU M N OT E S
2008 Rebecca Gonzalez-Kreisberg says “I’ve relocated back to Amherst and finished my first year working as a paraeducator at Crocker Farm Elementary School. Part time this fall, I’ll begin pursuing my Master of Arts in Teaching in elementary education at Mount Holyoke College. And this past February, I had the distinct opportunity to visit Cuba for a week. As some of the community knows from my Academy senior project, my mother’s family is Cuban and this was the first trip since my family left in 1961. We had the chance to meet family, visit important family landmarks and generally enjoy the island, all for the first time.”
Rebecca Gonzalez-Kreisberg ’08
and family
2009
Hannah Blacksin writes “I’m currently at the University of Edinburgh getting my master’s degree in outdoor environmental and sustainability education. I’ve been doing a lot of rainy hill walking which is a big change from leading a program in sunny southeast Asia all summer. I mostly spend my time learning about the interconnectedness of the earth and writing lots of papers, biking around on cobblestones, and dancing to copious amounts of live music.”
Alex Gagnon - Members of the Class of 2009 celebrated together at the wedding of classmate Alex Gagnon to Christy Charnock in Vermont in June.
2012 Milo Farley writes “I’m currently teaching English in Madrid with two friends from Wesleyan. Madrid is a really nice city and living here is fantastic. For anyone traveling through, look me up on WhatsApp and iMessage.”
Katja Schneider says “I’m currently living in Berlin, Germany and studying medicine to eventually become a doctor in the German army. I will finish my second year in February, so 4 more years to go. Since I left the Academy I have spent quite some time traveling around Europe, Asia and the US and I am hoping to continue to do so, maybe even interning in different hospitals around the world. Last year I took up playing Frisbee again (definitely Sawyer’s input!) and Berlin is the perfect place for lots of yoga, concerts and good food with a glass of wine - life has really been treating me well! Looking at the political and human tragedies taking place all around the world especially in the last year, I have often thought about the values The Academy represents and the respectful environment it creates, and I still feel so grateful for the time that I was able to spend with all of you. If anyone from the Academy is ever visiting Germany, I would be so happy to see you!”
Ben Miller ‘13 and family
2013 Ben Miller has (technically not at time of writing, but by time of your reading, hopefully) graduated from UMass Lowell with a Bachelor of Music in Sound Recording Technology, despite his grandfather’s insisting that the degree doesn’t exist- “It’s actually a Bachelor of Arts”- and his advisor’s oft-repeated words of wisdom: “I do not recommend graduating.” He will be officially finished with his degree upon successful completion of a summer internship at Electric Lady Studios in New York City. Ben has his heart set on living in the big apple. Finally, he wishes you all to know that when he walked at graduation, atop his mortarboard were four big, goofy sunflowers. Zoe Neeley writes “in May I graduated Summa Cum Laude from UMass Amherst with a BA in Early Childhood Education and a BA in Psychology. As part of the Early Childhood Education program I also earned an initial teaching license for grades Pre K-2. This summer I will be starting at Smith College where I will be pursuing a master’s degree in Elementary Education.”
Noah Goldberg-Jaffe, Hannah Blacksin, Kevin Pless, Beatrice Foster-Marian, and Reed Phillips celebrate at Alex Gagnon’s wedding. Zoe Neeley ’13
Tristan Peltenburg writes “I am Tristan, a class of 2013 graduate from The Netherlands. I came over as an exchange student in 2012. After having an amazing experience with everyone at The Academy and the Sorensen-Hoberman family I flew back to The Netherlands and went to college. I majored in Audiovisual Media and graduated earlier this year. I recently started working as a media manager at NEP Broadcasting (which is actually an American company). I am responsible for all major post-production services for TVshows like Dance Dance Dance, The Voice of Holland, and many more. I want to thank all of you for giving me an amazing exchange year and the opportunity to develop myself as an individual.”
Former Faculty Stephen Morganelli writes, “Can’t believe it’s been 20 years since I left the Academy after a 16 year stint. I went on to Toronto, Ontario Canada to teach in a Franciscan Retreat Centre. I loved my time spent there but after 8 years of brutal winters, I headed to Florida to warm up! I am still teaching today. I am entering my 13th year at Epiphany Cathedral Catholic School in Venice, Florida, where I am teaching Science and Math to students in grades 6-8. My school community lives by the very same Honor Code as The Academy. Many of the activities which I held so dear to my heart, while at The Academy, are now a part of Epiphany Cathedral School. The faculty, students, and parents make up a wonderful family. If any of my former students, colleagues, or parents are in the area, please give me a call. I would love to connect with you again. Keep me posted as I always welcome Academy News! With love...Morgo.”
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VOX • Fall 2017
Our Town By K atie Tobits ’20
L
ights dim on the set. The audience whispers in antici-
pation as the sound of
footsteps can be heard, shuffling in the darkness. The shuffling ceases and the lights begin to glow, illuminating the stage. A single character can be seen, sitting at a table in one of the houses. These “houses” are only humble frames, plain, wood boards behind the tables. It can be seen that this play will be simple, at least, to follow. The character looks over the audience, takes a breath, and begins to speak. This is how The Academy’s 2017 production of Our Town began. Our Town is a simple play, written by Thornton Wilder in 1938. In three acts it tells the story of Grover’s Corners (a small, fictional town in southern New Hampshire) in the years 1901 to 1913. The play follows the lives of Emily Webb and George Gibbs, as they experience life’s joys and hardships through high school, marriage, parenthood, and eventually death. Before our production of Our Town began in November 2016, the director, Mr. Neale Gay, “was choosing between three plays, and there were a few students who were veterans of drama with whom I shared the options. They liked the idea of Our Town the most,” said Mr. Gay. “It was by far, out of the three plays, the most traditional. The other two were very 20th century and they were a lot more modern in the ideas they explored. They were also post-war, whereas Our Town is pre-war, so the [other] plays come from a place where the authors had experienced the destruction of their world.” The Academy’s previous two plays, Big Love and The Crucible, were dark plays, both centered around chaotic themes. Our Town on the other hand is gen-
erally light-hearted, yet it tackles serious subjects such as time, death, and a purpose in the world. It also introduces relatable characters such as the emotional yet intelligent Emily Webb, the dense but kind George Gibbs, the no-nonsense, yet loving mothers Myrtle Webb and Julia Gibbs, and the strict but caring fathers Charles Webb and Frank Gibbs. Of her character Emily Gibbs, senior Michaela Lindsey says, “Quite frankly, she’s pretty boring and, unfortunately, an embodiment of how male writers would portray female main characters, especially in this time period. She’s boring but she’s perfect, in that she’s pretty and smart, but not too smart or bossy. However, I did enjoy playing the part.” “I’ve seen Our Town before, but one thing that spoke to me while reading the script is that George is not the smartest guy, but in a good way. His lack of mental fortitude is what makes him a good guy and contributes to his character. He’s essentially a teenager who’s not too smart, but has a heart of gold,” says senior Ben Michalak, who played George Gibbs. “It’s as if his ignorance toward certain matters is what makes him that much more special.” The first act, titled “Daily Life,” opens with a monologue from the Stage Manager, the narrator. In most performances of Our Town the Stage Manager is played by one actor throughout, but in The Academy’s production it was divided among three actors, with freshman Katie Tobits portraying the role in Act I, senior Tucker Boyd, filling the role in Act II, (“Love and Marriage”) and sophomore Sam Fisher as Stage Manager for the solemn Act III, (“Death and Dying”). The Stage Manager’s role in Our Town is to tell the story, as well as to direct and manipulate the characters, props, and set, in order to convey a message or portray a scene. Mr. Gay said that
“the reason that I was excited about Our Town was because the audience was supposed to be conscious that they’re watching a play. I’ve seen it performed before where the role of the Stage Manager was really truncated because the stage was already set. I liked the idea of doing exactly what the author said and have all those things be imaginary. I wanted the audience to feel that kind of disquietude that you can feel when theater is done well and feel this sense of unease.” Throughout the play, the Stage Manager shifted between the audience and the characters, as if forming the bridge between the audience’s world and that of Grover’s Corners. The play was not only performed in front of the audience; it surrounded and involved them. As for the pantomime motions and imaginary props, not all were imaginary: wooden framing, tables, benches, and ladders were used to create the first and
second floors of the houses. Most of the other props required imagination though, such as the food for the breakfast scene and various newspapers that characters hold; and everyday motions and chores were pantomimed. This added a layer to the play that let each audience member use their mind’s eye, with guidance from the characters, to visualize Grover’s Corners as they wished. It gave the real props much more meaning, such as the gravestones in the last act, which were highly and beautifully crafted and detailed by Yilin Luo, a senior and the producer of Our Town. Not everything is simple and happy in this play, which was banned in 1946 in the Soviet Union “on grounds that the drama is too depressing and could inspire a suicidal wave.” Despite this, Thornton Wilder received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the work in 1938. Our Town has stood the test of time for nearly 80 years, and is still performed in schools and theaters across the world, telling the story of a small town that teaches us about hard times, loss, and love, even in death.
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VOX • Fall 2017
2016 – 2017 GIVING The Academy at Charlemont gratefully acknowledges the following donors for their voluntary contributions during the 2016-2017 fiscal year (July 1, 2016– June 30, 2017). Annual Fund donors are listed in the following categories: Headmaster’s Circle ($5,000 and above), Founder’s Society ($2,500 - $4,999), Charlemont Society ($1,000 - $2,499), Patrons ($500- $999), Scholars ($100 - $499) and Friends (up to $99). Headmaster’s Circle
Anonymous (3) Cornelia Kittler GP01 Kathy & Ben Osborne P18, 20 Cornelia & Wallis Reid P01 Oliver ’88 & Toni Stebich
Founder’s Society
Megan Kendrick ’99 & Brian Murphy Charlotte Meryman & Benjamin Thompson P09, 12 Mr. Jim Schaefer Deborah Shriver P03
Charlemont Society
Anonymous (1) Mr. John Bennett GP10,15 Verne & Gail Bissell L. Adlai & Karen M. Boyd GP18, 19 Kerlin Conyngham Rebecca Gonzalez-Kreisberg ’08 Bill Grinnell P12 Judy Grunberg GP20 David & Margaret Howland Zachary Kolodin ’03 Thomas McCrumm & Judy Haupt P97 Sarah & Mark McKusick P07, 10 Bo ’90 & Katherine Peabody Jaka ’90 & Gadi Saarony Susan & Michael Slowinski P98, 00, 01 Cathy Stevens & Juliette Meeus Martha & Ted Tirk P07 Elinor Todd ’93 & Michael Beach Eamon Wick ’12 Missy & David Wick P12 Marguerite Willis GP13, 21 Beverley & Robert Yoon P10
Patrons
Kathleen Becker & Linda Enghagen P07 Joan & Edgardo Bianchi P09 Dr. Brian D. Bloomfield Henry & Kathleen Chalfant GP19 Audrey Collins-Watson ’93 Drs. Sean ’88 & Jessica Dacus Peter Engelman & Kendall Clark P13, 15 Ken & Laura Huff GP18, 19 Devon Ingraham-Adie ’08 Bruce Lessels & Karen Blom P14 Mr. Michael Lioce, Jr. GP15 John & Pauline MacLean P89, 92 Abel McDonnell ’03 Barbara Morgan Bill Nye Richard & Mary Potter P00 Karen & Jonathan Rehmus P10, 14 Jennifer Rosner & Bill Corwin P19, 22 Peter Stevens & Linn Bower
John Thayer & Natalie Rioux P17 Sawyer Thompson ’12 Sara Wein & Neal Anderson P16
Scholars
Anonymous (3) Marco Almeida Katherine Anderson ’16 Mr. Alfred Barkan GP13 Shelley Barnett ’90 Jeffrey & Jeanne Barron P13 Mr. & Mrs. Robert Bartlett P07, 10 John Bennett & Katherine Montague-Bennett P10, 15 Diane & Ken Bigelow P14, 16, 21 Lesia & Andy Bihun GP20, 22 M. Jennifer Bloxam P10 Ms. Rebecca Bluh ’86 Paul Breault Ericka Burgin ’07 Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Caldwell GP13, 15 Paul & Amy Catanzaro P21 William Chester GP07, 10 The Class of 2016 Dr. Michael Coe Jayne & Robert Dane Bartlett M. Doty ’00 Linda Driscoll & Nelson Shifflett P88 Chris Farley & Juliet Jacobson P12 Carol A. Foote Doug Forbes Jinjer Forbes Mary Lyon Foundation, Inc. Donald & Margaret Freeman Virginia Gabert ’84 Jessica & Adam Gibb-Buursma P21 Charles Grant ’92 Jane & Stephen Grant P92, 94, 96 Noah Grunberg & Janet Muller P20 Ana Maria Harkins & Jonathan Secor P16 Lisa Harvey & Jonathan Ginzberg P14 Mary Kay Hoffman & Earl Pope P87 David Jaros & Kate Rabb ’90 Andrea & John Keins P15, 21 William & Wanita Laffond P93 Thomas & Nancy Leue P96, 04 Joanne Levenson & James Manwell P14 Brendan Levine ’01 Julie Lineberger & Joseph Cincotta P04, 08 David Lonergan P16 Simon MacLean ’92 & Jessica Streibel MacLean ’93 Vera Maitinsky GP15, 21 Jennie & Ben Markens Sabine & Michael Mauri P21 Thomas McCoy & Mary Byers P15 Jessamy McKay Ackerman ’89 James & Charlene Neeley P13, 15, 19 Wil Neeley ’15 Zoe A. Neeley ’13
Cassie Nylen Gray ’93 Robert & Judy Oakes P98 Eric & Marion Overgaard P06, 09 Katharine Overgaard ’06 Karen Parmett ’86 William & Margaret Peabody P90 Ryan Pirtle-McVeigh ’03 Jane & Michael Plager P16 Nick Plakias & Leslie Taylor P04 Cynthia Poirier & Paul DiLeo P15, 22 The Pulci/deLesdernier Family Stephanie & David Purington P11, 14 Mary Quigley & Mollie Babize P06 Mr. & Mrs. Jack Ramey Charlotte Rea & Robert Fricker Candice Reffe & Ed Hogan P13 Simon Reid ’01 Rachael Risser-Sperry ’03 Steve Robinson & Heidi Robinson P22 William & Priscilla Rope Robert Rottenberg & Rachel Cohen Rottenberg P93, 11 Charles Savage Glenn Seberg Margaret Seiler & Leonard Melnick P10 John P. Shriver ’03 Joshua Shurtleff ’93 & Jennifer McLemore Elizabeth Slowinski ’98 Mr. Mac Snodgrass & Ms. Enedina Garcia Snodgrass GP14, 17 Cyndy Sperry & Hanno Muellner P22 Brenda & William Stafford GP04 Stephanie Stebich Stevensville Corporation Lisa Styles & Larry Parnass P04, 07 Rachel A. Sumner ’04 Todd Sumner P04 Kipp ’90 & Esterlina Sutton Vicki Sutton P90 Nathan Tirk ’07 Emily Todd ’85 & Liam Harte S. Richard & Susan Todd P85, 89, 93 Ms.Yangchen Tsemtso Sithir ’02 Mo Turner & Sean Glennon P22 William & Kathy Vranos P16 Phoebe Walker & Dennis West P17, 21 Sandra Warren & Jim Locke Thomas Webler P11 Roberta & Jamie Wooldridge P15 Masako Yanagita Bettie & Steve Zakon-Anderson P17, 19 Peter & Melanie Zschau P98
Friends
A.L. Avery & Son David Adie P08, 12 Kim Alexander Cynthia & Shawn Allen P13, 15
Isabelle Allen ’13 Amazon Smile Carolyn Asbury & Peter Ranney P06 Foster Ranney ’06 Peter Atkinson & Judith Wermuth Nora ’00 & Synphany Bates Zale Margaret Bennett ’15 Samuel Bennett ’10 Cassandra Bigelow ’16 Alex Bigelow ’14 Mrs. George Bluh P86, GP16 Katie & Peter Boyd P17 Riley Boyd ’17 Kate Branson ’03 Aiden Brenizer ’17 Shane Brenizer & Cynthia McLaughlin P17, 19 Riley Brown ’16 Thomas Brown & Deborah Felix P11, 16 Sally Miles Bruns Jane Byers GP15 Karen Chase GP20, 22 Jadria Cincotta ’08 Samantha Cindir Jesse Cohen ’13 Peter Conover ’88 Ms. Rebecca Cooper ’08 Maria Assunta Corciulo ’17 Ellen Doris & Bob Strachota P20 Sue Draxler P21 Molly & Bradley Duncan Dr. Barry Elson Waverley Engelman ’13 Aethena Enzer-Mahler ’00 Michael & Joanna Evans Dr. Kara Fagan Elizabeth & Tony Falco Jeremy Finer ’93 Larry & Susan Flaccus Herbert & Christine Forgey P01 Gail Fries P03, 08 Neale & Christina Gay Fred Goldberg & Roberta Jaffe P06, P09 Judith Goldman & Sheldon Snodgrass P14 Hazel Goleman ’17 Sarah Goudreault Elizabeth Grybko P03 Grace Hall ’12 Scott Hoffman Julia Horton ’08 Aurie Ingraham-Adie ’12 Allen & Ann Irvine Liz & Matt Jacobson-Carroll P14 Peter Jaros ’04 & Anna Leue ’02 Jenny Jaros Friedl ’88 & Lawrence Friedl Dr. Wayne Johnson GP14, 17 Phyllis Kirkpatrick P86 Christy Knox & Peter Feitner P14,18
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VOX • Fall 2017 Silas Kopf Duncan & Meg Laird P20 Kate & Roland Lapierre P09, 11 Michaela Lindsey ’17 Yilin Luo ’17 Robert Mahler & Lisa Enzer P00 Rosie Marsters ’10 Wilder McCoy ’15 Gerard & Brenda McGovern P07 Rhys McGovern ’07 Elizabeth Mead Sightler ’88 Mr. William Melnick ’10 Rachel Merrell Benjamin Michalak ’17 Katherine Mieher ’13 Benjamin Miller ’13 William Miller Jennifer & Alfred Mitchell P18, 22 Frederick Moss Bartholomew Niswonger ’92 & Eliza Lake Dan Nitzsche & Bea von Hagke P17, 19 Emily Nitzsche ’17 Connor O’Brien ’17 Margaret Olin Alice Parker Patricia Parker & William Comeaux P18 Sarah Pirtle P03 Zoe Plakias ’04 Stephanie Powers P19 Geoffrey & Kathryn Precourt Peter & Susan Purdy Katy Purington ’11 Margaret Putnam Delaney ’10 Nancy Rapoport & Roxane Marini P22 Sophia Rehmus ’10 Danette Reynolds P16 Elizabeth Rodriguez Salas John & Angela ’01 Schatz Katja Schneider ’12 Benjamin Schocket-Greene ’17 Anne & Fred Seifert Patricia Serrentino & Alexander Haro P11 Phoebe Shaw & David Chase P20, 22 Lisa Slocum & Chip Weems P12 Pamela Stewart Nicholas Taupier ’05 Rick Taupier & Beth Haggerty P03, 05 Douglas Telling Madeline Thompson ’09 Susan & Charles Titus Catherine Valdez Ms. Elisa M. van de Kamp ’03 Henry Walker-West ’17 Marie & Ingar Westburg P19 Laurie Wheeler ’82 Bob & Sandy White Priscilla White P86 Sam Zakon-Anderson ’17 Jean Zimmer P21 *deceased
2 0 1 6 – 2 0 1 7 G I V I N G
Matching Gifts
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton, Garrison Charitable Gift Fund
Grants
Kula Foundation
Tribute & Memorial Gifts
In memory of Ben Miller’s mother Susanne Barkan and his grandmother Rhoda Koven Barkan Alfred Barkan GP13 In memory of Susanne Barkan Isabelle Allen ’13 Ben Miller ’13 In honor of Sean “Silly Pants” Dacus ‘88 David Jaros ‘90 In honor of our son Ezra Ginzberg ’14 Lisa Harvey & Jonathan Ginzberg P14 In memory of good friends Gillett Griffin and Eric Grinnell Michael & Joanna Evans In memory of Eric Grinnell Sally Bruns In honor of Dianne Grinnell and in memory of Eric Grinnell Charles Savage In honor of Eric and Dianne Grinnell Joshua Shurtleff ’93 In memory of Elisabeth Hobbs Larry & Susan Flaccus In memory of Robert Jaros John & Polly MacLean P89, 90 In honor of Sophia Keins ’15 Andrea & John Keins P15, 21 In honor of faculty member Sabine Mauri Nathalie Rioux & John Thayer P17 In honor of Bo Peabody ’90 William & Margaret Peabody P90 In memory of Zephyr Rapinchuk Margaret Seiler & Len Melnick P11 Margaret Putnam Delaney ’10 In memory of Gerhard Stebich and in honor of Oliver Stebich ’88 Stephanie Stebich In honor of my Academy teachers Jadria Cincotta ’08 In honor of the Class of 1988 in its 30th reunion year Elizabeth Sightler ’88
Gifts in Honor of the Class of 2017 In honor of Tucker Boyd ’17 Katie & Peter Boyd P17
In honor of Emily Nitzsche ’17 Bea von Hagke & Dan Nitzsche P17, 19
Gifts In Kind
Diane & Ken Bigelow P14, 16, 21 Steve Breslow P21 Marla Brodsky P22 Adam Buursma P22, Arboreal Habitats Amy & Paul Catanzaro P21 Bill Comeaux & Trish Parker P18 Bill Corwin P19, 22 Bill Deters P18 Sue Draxler P21 Will Draxler ’21 Jessica Gibb-Buursma & Adam Buursma P22 Noah Grunberg P20 Susan Jablon Mosaics, LLC John Keins P15, 21 Julian Keins ’21 Christy Knox P14, 18 Meg Laird P20 Manny’s TV & Appliance David Michalak P17 Melanie & Chris Mossman P21 Raymond Mossman ’21 Gina O’Brien P17 Tor Olsson ’21 Richard Parmett P86, 88 Steve & Nel Paul P22 Zoe Paul ’22 Cynthia Poirier P15, 22 Stephanie Powers P19 Marguerite Rancourt P13, 21 Sam Rancourt ’21 Phoebe Shaw P20, 22 Shelburne Farm & Garden Cindy Sperry P22 Lu Vincent P22 Bea Von Hagke P17, 19 Phoebe Walker P17, 21 Marie Westburg P19 Willow Tree Food Service Jean Zimmer P21
Cornucopia Auction 2016 Underwriters
Berkshire East People’s United Bank Berkshire Insurance Group Florence Bank Russell & Kate French, OESCO ST Insurance Agency Inc.
Special Thanks
Ben Miller ’13, Auctioneer Provisions...for pantry & cellar and Benson Hyde, Northampton Headwater Cider, Hawley Pine Hill Orchards, Colrain Pierce Brothers Coffee, Greenfield Mary Cay Brass Bob White John Baldwin The Academy Parents Council Academy Student Volunteers
Auction Item Donors
Academy Student Teams: Cosmic Cherries on Snow Country For Old Men
Sweater House 5 The Night Owls of Shivering Heights Frankensnow’s Cream Colored Duck Slow-Rising Musky Kilimanjaro Stars To Chill a Mockingburr Jane Alynn, GP20 Amherst Cinema Katherine Anderson ’16 Arboreal Habitats, Adam Buursma P21 Ashfield Hardware Store Ashfield Soap Company Berkshire East Berkshire Pizzeria Joan & Edgardo Bianchi Diane & Ken Bigelow P14, 16, 22 Cassandra Bigelow ’16 Dr. Brian Bloomfield Linn Bower Larry Bullis GP20 Jo Bunny Molly Cantor Amy Catanzaro P21 Chai-Wallah Ruby Chase ’22 Chez Albert Emily Comeaux ’18 Country Pie Pizza Company Cornucopia Auction Committee Crabapple Whitewater, Inc. Walter Cudnohufsky Cummington Supply Jayne & Robert Dane Tony Derricotte P16 Jonathan Diamond & Dana Blackburn Double Edge Theatre Susan Draxler P21 Stephen Earp Thomas Fallon Photography Carol Foote Foster’s Supermarket Spectacle Shop Denny Fuller Gazebo, Northampton Sean Glennon P22 Jane & Stephen Grant P92, 96 Cassie Nylen Gray ’93 Eva Gray ’16 Greenfield Auto Specialists Hadley Garden Center Lisa Hall Nicholas Hallenbeck ’20 Hancock Shaker Village Megan Hart P07 Harvard Museums of Science & Culture Nancy Henderson Laura Anderson Hill Hilltown Tree & Garden, LLC Hilltown Wilderness Adventures, Marla BB P22 Andy Holiner Hope & Olive Deb Hoyle P05 Marian Ives Ned James, Ashfield Tools P06 Karl Jeffries & David Posner P18 Kalliope Jones
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VOX • Fall 2017
2016 – 2017 GIVING Erin Kelly-Dill, Snack-Taxi Ken & Ethel Kipen Christy Knox, P14, 18 Stan Langston, Willow Tree Foods LEGO (through Bart Doty ’00) Bruce Lessels & Karen Blom, P14 Elliot Levin Photographer Diane Loesch & Peter Jones Magical Child Magpie Judith Maloney, P91 & Field Maloney ’91 The Mark Twain House & Museum Vera Matinsky GP15 Mac McCoy P15 Thomas McCrumm & Judy Haupt P97 Mass MoCA Kurt Meyer P11, 14, 16 Penny & David Michalak P17 Craig Miller P13 Headwater Cider Mohawk Trail Concerts, Inc. Morrell Metalsmiths Mo’s Fudge Factor Natural Roots CSA New England Cheese Making Supply Company Valerie & Mark Nicoletti Katryna & Nerissa Nields Connor O’Brien ’16 Joe Oliverio Photography Jim Olsen Owl Tree Games Ann Parker Elaine Parmett P86, 88 Townhill Potters, Aysha Peltz Peterman’s Boards & Bowls Pioneer Valley Ballet Cynthia Poirier & Paul DiLeo P15, 22 David Posner, PhD P18 Johanna Andersen Pratt & Jerry Pratt, P05 Provisions…for pantry & cellar Public Emily Artist Management Ann & Kenneth Rapoport GP22 Real Pickles Cornelia & Wallis Reid P01 Danette Reynolds P16 Steve & Heidi Robinson P22 Sam’s Outdoor Outfitters Vickie Selleck P13, 15 Ken Shapiro, P08 Shelburne Falls Coffee Roasters, LLC Side Hill Farm Cindy Sperry P22 Spirit Fire Retreat Center Spirit of the Heart Martial Arts Taproot Threads The Textile Co., Inc. Thoreau Farm Anonymous Seamus Turner-Glennon ’22 Valley Bike & Ski Werks Vävstuga Weaving School Dan Nitzsche & Bea von Hagke P17, 19
Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art Gisela & Anthony Walker GP17, 21 Sara Wein P16 Marie & Ingar Westburg P19 Bob & Sandy White Prudence Wholey Felice Wolfzahn P18 YMCA in Greenfield Beverley & Robert Yoon P08, 10 Alan Young Ellen & Peter Zale P98, 00, 06 Zanna Women’s Clothing Jean P22 & Linnea Zimmer ’22 & Tor Olsson ’22
The Academy’s 2017-2018 Annual Campaign is underway.We are grateful for the support of alumni, families and friends, and we rely on your generosity to sustain our programs. We look forward to hearing from you. Donations can be made by mail or securely online at www.charlemont.org. Thank you for supporting The Academy at Charlemont.
GIVING TO THE ACADEMY Types of Giving • The Academy relies on the generous, annual support of our community of alumni/ae, parents, families and friends to sustain our programs. Annual Giving supports all of The Academy’s programs, including financial aid. ANNUAL GIVING
• An investment in The Academy at Charlemont through a bequest provision or any other planned gift vehicle is a meaningful contribution that demonstrates a strong vote of confidence in the mission and value of an Academy education. Common forms of legacy giving include: • A bequest of cash, stock, personal or real property via a will, or beneficiary giving via a trust, retirement plan, or life insurance • Life income plans such as a Charitable Gift Annuity • Charitable Remainder Trust Donors are encouraged to discuss their charitable giving plans and needs with their own financial and legal advisors. Our Development Office welcomes inquiries and notification of intent in matters of legacy giving. LEGACY GIVING
• Restricted gifts are those that are designated for specific capital projects or programs. Please contact our Development Office for more information. RESTRICTED GIFTS
• Endowment gifts are permanently restricted to support The Academy’s programs, including but not limited to financial aid, and help sustain The Academy over the long term. Most recently, family and friends established the Eleanor (Ellie) Lazarus Memorial Fund for the Arts to support The Academy’s Studio Block program. ENDOW MENT GIFTS
Ways to Give The Academy accepts gifts by check, money order, or credit card and gifts of appreciated securities. • Please visit www.charlemont.org/give to make a secure online gift with a credit card. Online gift processing is available for onetime or recurring gifts. ONLINE GIFTS
The Charlemont Legacy Society As of June 30, 2017, the following donors have made their legacy giving intentions known to The Academy. We are grateful for their forward-thinking commitment to our mission. Anonymous (1) Loren Cole and Jason Cooper P08 Carlotta Crissey Chandler Jayne and Robert Dane Don and Margaret Freeman Eric* and Dianne Grinnell Ernest Hofer* Mr. William Hoth* Jenny Jaros Friedl ‘88 John Brace Latham* Elisabeth Leete*
• The Academy can process a recurring monthly gift with credit card information from the donor, either online as above or manually with the donor’s signature on file. Donors may indicate the beginning and end date of the pledge. RECURRING GIFTS
• Many companies match or multiply charitable contributions made by their employees. Be sure to check with your personnel office about your company’s matching gift policy, and please provide our Development Office with necessary forms in order to maximize your support for The Academy. MATCHING GIFTS
• Donors may make pledges to the Annual Fund. Pledges must be paid by June 30th, the end of the fiscal year. PLEDGES
• To make a gift of stock to The Academy, please have your broker contact The Academy’s Business Office for instructions about transferring the shares directly to our brokerage account. Stock gifts to The Academy are tax deductible. G I F T S O F A P P R E C I AT E D S E C U R I T I E S
• You may mail your gift to us at: The Academy at Charlemont Development Office, The Mohawk Trail, 1359 Route 2, Charlemont, MA 01339 GIFTS B Y MA IL
Mrs. Rolf Merton Cornelia and Wallis Reid P01 Todd Sumner P04 *deceased
For more information about giving to The Academy at Charlemont, please contact the Development Office at the address above. You may reach us by phone at 413-339-4912 or by email at developmentoffice@charlemont.org.
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VOX • Fall 2017
Why I Support The Academy By Grac e Hall ’ 12 I spent a few hours at The Academy one evening, curled up on the futon in Erato, carefully crafting dozens of paper snowflakes destined to line the downstairs hallway for Polyglot. It was the night of the winter concert, and as a student with an approximately 50 mile commute, I opted to stay after school with friends. The hours passed seamlessly while I wandered around the school as if it were my home. I remember walking down the hallway in my socks, getting some snacks out of my cubby, and primping with other girls in the upstairs bathroom, using the toiletries we had each stashed in our own decorated shoe boxes under the sink. That evening I sang back-up vocals for James Carr’s ‘The Dark End of the Street’ in the school’s Blues Band, a motley crew of 7th-12th graders. My team leader, who had composted the kitchen scraps with me a few hours earlier, was next to me on stage play-
ing the bass. During the show, I sat with my friends and giggled with glee as we learned, unbeknownst to us, that our classmate was a talented trumpet player. A rare secret for The Academy! As the Klezmer band played, I danced with my peers in the back of the recital hall as our parents delightedly clapped along. This evening, while wonderful, wasn’t novel or extraordinary, but rather indicative of much of the time I spent at Charlemont. The six years I spent at The Academy were a time of comfort, safety, and happiness. It truly was my home in so many ways. The community was generous and warm, nurturing me wholly and completely. My teachers helped me to grow intellectually, and many times I found myself learning even in unconventional settings, whether it was over homemade Malaysian food at Magistra Reid’s home in Leyden, at the Times Square Applebee’s with Mr. Sumner, in the front
seat of Mr. Brown’s bus, or while walking Mr. Perry’s poodle Razzle around the soccer field at lunch. My peers and the staff members at Charlemont were equally important to my intellectual and personal growth and I still love them all deeply. At school I was encouraged to experiment and explore creatively and uninhibitedly. I did things at Charlemont that would have probably been unfathomable at other high schools. Under careful supervision, I used a blowtorch to make my own glass beads. With my peers, I spent several Spanish classes over the years making burritos that were over 6
feet long. I DJed school dances, and felt no shame in attempting the lift from Dirty Dancing while listening to Rihanna in the Common Room. And at 5’1” I was welcomed wholeheartedly to join the basketball team. I pursued independent and group projects that allowed me to explore, synthesize, think critically and write convincingly. Transitioning to college, I found myself writing extensive research papers with ease and excitement, as many of my peers struggled. I felt prepared, and confident in myself as a student, friend, and community member. It was only after leaving Charlemont that I truly realized what a gift my time there had been. It was fun, silly and warm, while being simultaneously serious, engaging and thoughtful. My gratitude for The Academy is boundless. Charlemont loved and cared for me intellectually, emotionally and personally in a time that was central and critical to my development of self. By supporting The Academy, I hope to extend my love and care back to the Charlemont community.
Walking the Talk for Racial Justice: A Youth Conference A R eflection by Tucker B oyd ’17
I
t rained the night of August 18th, 2016. I remember because I
and fellow members of the
Class of 2017 huddled together under a small tent to discuss our summer adventures. We had gathered for the Senior Leadership Retreat, an annual event during which Academy seniors formalize their roles in the year ahead. After a summer apart, and a long day of decision-making, we relished the opportunity to spend time with one another. As the night wore on, a number of tired seniors made their way back to their tents to sleep. Dean of Students Nora Bates Zale and I remained. We were accustomed to sharing space with
one another after two years in a conversation-filled carpool. During our time in the car, we would often discuss social-justice issues, a topic about which we both feel strongly. The shooting of Philando Castille and Alton Sterling, two on a long list of unarmed black people killed by the police that summer, dominated the conversation. The first mention of an Academy-organized conference on racial justice came from Mrs. BZ on that night at the end of the summer of 2016. Nine months later, the Walking the Talk for Racial Justice Youth Conference, sponsored by The Academy at Charlemont
and Greenfield Community College, went from an idea to a reality. On May 20th, eighty participants, predominantly students in grades 7-12, spent the day discussing challenging topics related to racism in our area and what to do about it. Through a keynote speech by Anika Nailah, which questioned the narrative that white citizens are taught or choose to believe about the state of racial justice in this area, through two panels, and a choice of eleven breakout sessions, participants reported that the conference made them think differently about themselves, those around them, and the area in which they live.
There are a number of things that I appreciate about The Academy. One of the greatest is its belief in community. I hope that this conference challenged all of those affiliated with The Academy to look critically at our own community, and to recognize all of the ways in which we fail to recognize and oppose our own individual racism, as well as our collective racism. In acknowledging where we fail, and doing the work to be better, I believe The Academy could become a place that guarantees freedom and respect to everyone. I hope that those associated with our school take this process of rigorous personal and institutional reflection with them everywhere they go, working every day in big and small ways to make a world deserving of all of us. Art by Isadora Brenizer ’19
VOX • Fall 2017 The Academy at Charlemont 1359 Route 2 • Charlemont, MA 01339
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 301 GREENFIELD, MA 01301
THROUGH THE VIEWFINDER Isabel Linfield ’19
Winston Posner ’18
Sam Fisher ’19
Liam Fisher ’19
Emily Nitzsche ’17