Vox 2015-2016

Vox

The Academy at Charlemont: Find your voice. Speak your mind.

A newspaper for the community of The Academy at Charlemont Fall 2016

The Academy at Thirty Five Student Reflections

Faculty Reflections

Alumni/ae Perspectives

35th Reunion

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VOX • Fall 2016

Character Matters

By Dr. Brian Bloomfield

D

uring the summer months, school work

slows down and life feels

calmer at The Academy. I see more flip-flops and shorts on staff, and deadlines come and go with little stress. This change in tempo, however, is our opportunity to reflect. Aristotle believed that self-reflection in times of leisure is how moral character developed in people. And this summer, more than in recent ones, I cannot help but ponder the great importance of moral character.

Much of what is happening in the outside world (politics, economics, religious conflicts) makes me aware that never before in American history has moral character been more important. Indeed, our current

presidential election forces us all to think about the importance of the character of those who seek to hold high office, to represent us to the world, and to help shape our laws. This summer gives me much reason to ponder the character of people in the world and how The Academy is preparing our students to enter into that world and to help heal it.

react is a matter of our character, not theirs; when someone challenges us to a fight, our answer reflects our character, not theirs.

We lead our lives by character, always, whether we mean to or not.

While some view their time at The Academy as an insular experience, one detached from the demands and pressures of the

“I see character each and every day in my students and I know it will inform their adult-selves as they evolve and mature, and allow them to be leaders”.

Character is not free from conflict; in fact, character matters most when conflict is present.

Whether conflicts are ideological, matters of perspective, or physical, one’s character determines one’s actions and response. When someone crosses a line, how we

outside world, I disagree. One’s life as a sixteen-year-old is as real and substantial then as the experiences of one’s fifty-year-old self. Our first love is as strong and powerful to us then as later loves; disappointment, jubilation, stress, betrayal, victory: the milestones

we experience in our youth are parts of our real lives, just as much as adulthood feels real to adults. Academy students live lives of joy and torment, fun and stress, heartache and challenge, just as adults do. We measure how they respond to their challenges as a sign of character; how they build happiness and love are also signs of character. I see character each and every day in my students and I know it will inform their adult-selves as they evolve and mature, and allow them to be leaders.

As our Academy students discuss matters of global conflict, as well as matters of scholarship, integrity, personal behavior, kindness, anger, friendship, parental relationships, and everything else in their world, I believe that we are helping them to prepare to immerse themselves into this world, and to be forces of good. I hope that they lead by character, which is the bedrock of an Academy education in the first place.

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A Tribute:

Vox Published annually by The Academy at Charlemont 1359 Route 2 • Charlemont, MA 01339 (413) 339-4912 • fax (413) 339-4324 • academy@charlemont.org Editor: Martha Tirk P07 Design & Production: Stephanie Powers P19 Editing Support: Cornelia Reid P01 Contributing Writers: Katherine Anderson ’16, Dr. Brian Bloomfield, Tucker Boyd ’17, Nellie Boyd-Owens ’18, Isadora Brenizer ’19, Quinn Downie ’19, Elizabeth Falco, Sara Goudrealt, Nick Hallenbeck ’20, Zevulon Lane ’20, Michaela Lindsey ’17, Abel McDonnell ’03, Benjamin Michalak ’17, Connor O’Brien ’17, Jennifer Rosner & Bill Corwin P19, P22, Christina Secor ’16 Contributing Photographers: Nora Bates Zale ’00, Sophia Corwin ’19, Hazel Goleman ’17, David Michalak P17, Emily Nitzsche ’17, Connor O’Brien ’17, Indra Rapinchuk-Souccar ’16, Leni Sperry-Fromm ’19, Henry Walker-West ’17 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.

Ellen MacLeish Zale Ellen MacLeish Zale retired from The Academy at the end of the 2015-2016 school year, after 23 years as a faculty member. In her time here, she was a French teacher, Librarian, Community Service Council leader, mentor, and friend to many adults and students.

Mme. Zale has seen The Academy go through almost all of its growing pains, and worked with every Head of School. Her insight into our culture has helped us to hold firmly onto the best parts of our past, and, through our many changes, enabled us to remain true to The Academy vision.

Ellen MacLeish Zale She leaves behind an enduring testament of commitment, hard work, and friendship.

VOX • Fall 2016

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My Academy is: Student Reflections During one Morning Meeting last Spring, then-senior Christina Secor asked the student body to think about “their Academy” and to reflect on what was most important to them about their individual experiences here. She asked everyone to write down three activities and three descriptors that characterize The Academy today. These graphic representations reveal, in the weight of the words and phrases, the relative frequency of their responses. Through these “wordles” it is our hope that what’s most meaningful about an Academy experience – in the minds of our current students - comes through to our readers. For alumni/ae and their families, we imagine that The Academy today as characterized herein is both familiar and a window into the ways in which our school continues to grow.

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VOX • Fall 2016

The Academy Today: Faculty Reflections

C o n t r i b u t i n g W r i t e r s : Q u i n n D o w n i e ’ 19, N i c k H a l l e n b e c k ’20, E l i z a b e t h F a l c o , S a r a h G o u d r e a u lt

D

uring his first year at The Academy,

science teacher Marco

help of a tight-knit community”.

He notes that “one consequence of that is that how we view individuals is not static. Although both students and faculty have past experiences with each other that inform their interactions, today we allow room for growth, which fosters mutual understanding. This ties into one of my other favorite characteristics of The Academy—students are not just one thing. They are not just the

Almeida tells Nicholas Hallenbeck (’20) he’s “learned that students are full of surprises, and when I present them with a challenge, we will achieve it”. Mr. Almeida conveys that it’s important not only to encourage competition, but also to foster cooperation.

He feels that a science classroom, rather than facts, should affect the teaching of science: there is the inquiry stage where you are exploring a new phenomenon, then Science Teacher Marco Almeida the refinement stage where you compare your model against different drama kid or the budding mathphysical scenarios, and finally ematician but the small commuthe real challenge of the model, nity gives students a chance to which is the predictive capability be multi-dimensional, exploring reflected in the experimentation new interests and aspects of we do. themselves hitherto unprobed”.

During some classes, he lets the students come up with their own answers. Instead of giving them a problem he gives them Elizabeth Falco joined The some information, and they find Academy as a Humanities teacher answers that match the situain the 2015-2016 school year. For tion. On the first day of the new her, making space for ques8th grade science class this past tioning, allowing for multiple year, he gave the students a game interpretations, putting intellecboard, and showed them how one tual curiosity ahead of concepgame was played. With that infor- tualizing things as absolutes, mation, they had to come up with are cornerstones of her teaching the rules of the game. No two stu- philosophy. She notes that “studydents’ rules were the same. ing the humanities is necessarily Mr. Almeida appreciates the interpretative and subjective, emphasis on student growth at as people construct meaning in The Academy. In the classroom different ways”. and in their various roles here, At The Academy, Ms. Falco the expectation is that “students says she has “found a great deal actively develop intellectually, of support for my belief that socially, and emotionally with the frequent, voluminous writing

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is an essential in middle and high school. I view writing as a process that leads to understanding, rather than the creation of a product signifying the end of an exploration. I encourage students to become reflective, adaptive, and critical of their own writing, in order to hone this lifelong skill”. To this end, her lessons and assignments include long form journalism, debates, structured student-led discussions, group explorations, creative writing, and in the eighth grade Civics Class, a mock trial.

She says “my assignments serve to elevate discourse, develop precision of language as a means of conveying thought, and shift the bulk of the cognitive work onto students—beginning in 7th grade”. Ms. Falco has found The Academy to be “a wellspring of initiative, purpose, and passion. Every single person at The Academy has something wholly remarkable to offer our community, whether they’ve identified what that is, or not. The mere willingness to participate in this social experiment is, to me, indicative of a kind of selflessness that is rare and becoming rarer all the time”.

She acknowledges being routinely and properly inspired by (her) students’ collective ability to examine history and literature from 30,000 feet (as products of/catalysts for various movements) as well as on a micro level (rhetorical analysis, close-reading analysis—examining the function of a word in a sentence, or of a sentence in text). She loves how frequently she has the opportunity “to be proud of my students; we offer so many different avenues for kids to showcase their talents and abilities”. She cites a feeling of being humbled after the Spring Concert, for example, by the “skillful, joyous, unpretentious, effervescent displays of

artistic expression up on stage”.

One of Ms. Falco’s favorite experiences this past year was working with Katherine Anderson on her Senior Project: teaching Michael Shaara’s The Killer Angels to the eighth grade.

“Witnessing the culmination of her hope, intention, and pure love for this school and for a treasured text was something that I will carry with me for the rest of my teaching career. Her skillful bridging of the past to the present set us up for a wonderful trip to Gettysburg, during which I learned, firsthand, what it truly means to trust my students and colleagues”, Ms. Falco says.

Humanities Teacher Elizabeth Falco Something else that she loves about this school: “What happens between classes is often times as illuminating as what happens during class. My days are punctuated with impromptu doorjamb conversations about politics, philosophy, poetry, puns, pranks, podcasts, music, meditation, history, social justice, etymology and, of course, reading and writing. How lucky am I”?

• In considering her first year at The Academy Math teacher Sarah Goudreault remarked on the feeling she has at the start of each day when the whole school com-

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VOX • Fall 2016

Math Teacher Sarah Goudreault munity meets to take attendance and discuss the day’s activities.

“Morning Meeting accomplishes much more than information dissemination; it provides all members of the community an opportunity to connect. There is something extraordinary about an entire school cheering for a seventh grader’s indoor soccer team’s first win or encouraging a student to retell his failed jokeof-the-day by chanting his name.

Every day I watch students grow into leaders as they organize new clubs, dances, and various other activities for the community and I appreciate their courage as they make creative announcements.

It’s easy to wake up for school, knowing I will start my day with fifteen minutes of laughter, and perhaps a birthday poem or a rousing chorus of Take Me Out to the Ballgame, and learning about the personalities and passions of the students that make The Academy community so special”.

In her math classroom, Ms. Goudreault focuses on developing community in an academic setting. Students are always encouraged, and often required, to work with peers to solve the problems posed to them each day.

The dynamic changes from group to group and over the course of the year, but she believes her students learn many skills from engaging in learning as a social process. Some students in her classes have competed to solve the most problems correctly in a class period, while others support each other by sharing ideas on how to start a difficult problem or explaining their thought process

to a friend when they have it figured out. Any and all of these outcomes are celebrated and are used to create a space where every student’s voice is heard and mistakes are simply part of the learning process.

Using this community-based learning environment, Ms. Goudreault and her students explore mathematics from all angles.

They study the history of different types of mathematics and how those same ideas can be used in our modern society. They use the language of mathematics to understand the theory behind different mathematical concepts and processes. They use mathematics

He says that teaching at The Academy has been inspirational for him, and “it’s largely the students here who have made it so.

They possess remarkable creativity, intellectual curiosity, a willingness to pursue lines of inquiry as far as possible, and are dedicated to fostering a supportive and inclusive community. I have come to expect a great deal from them, and am continuously impressed with their work. This has allowed me to give them more autonomy in the classroom—more freedom to improvise, explore ideas with scientific creativity, and direct the focus of their studies. Their hard work is infused with good humor

Math and Science Teacher Will Miller as a tool to model phenomena observed in the real world. Ms. Goudreault hopes that by the end of her class students can not only do Algebra or Calculus, but also have an understanding of why it is important, a curiosity about what they can do with their new skills, and an appreciation for the study of math.

• Quinn Downie (’19) describes Will Miller as “a newly found math and science teaching gem”.

He first came to The Academy as an Ultimate Frisbee coach and now Mr. Miller teaches Geometry, Biology, Statistics and Chemistry. According to Quinn, “Mr. Miller makes his classroom mirror the world, with hands on lessons like science labs or by teaching math in a new light by going outside to find the height of a tree”. Mr. Miller’s philosophy is that “if my classroom can evoke the world, then the world can become my students’ classroom”.

and appreciation for one another’s ideas. It’s a joy to behold, and I feel like I’m part of something great”.

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Donald Young, or “Mr. Pecunia Adolescens” as some students call him, was a first-year Latin teacher at The Academy this past year. Mr. Young teaches his class in a relaxed manner, allowing room for what his students want to learn. Mr. Young believes that students’ questions are valuable.

In higher level Latin classes here at The Academy, lessons are largely run by students; by allowing that, Mr. Young believes students’ interest in and understanding of the language are deepened. At all levels, he believes that class time should be spent answering student questions and having conversations about student interests.

Mr. Young creates text-based lessons on student-generated topics. He believes diversions are worth taking whenever someone

wants to gain more in-depth knowledge than they already possess. He considers that a person can learn a language by reading a book but that knowing the language comes from dialectic understanding.

For all that Latin teaches us about grammar, precision and vocabulary, his main goal is for students to be immersed in the language as a whole. He believes that “being in the language” allows for real analysis of the language and sometimes of the culture. In the classroom, “Donald’s Challenge” is to balance what people conceive to be the benefits of Latin with creating an enjoyable, authentic experience similar to that gained from the study of modern languages.

Mr. Young quotes Roman philosopher and playwright Seneca the Younger about the learning process: “ ‘Homines, dum docent, discunt—While men teach, they learn.’ ” He says that “this mutual growth is part of what attracts me to teaching, and it is this spirit that I have found in abundance at The Academy. I find it in questions that stretch my knowledge and challenge my powers of expression, in hallway conversations about music or magic or international relations, in colleagues who entertain my scattered questions. Students here

Latin Teacher Donald Young have a unique chance to share their knowledge and passions— from mythology to medicine to 20th century literature to art—and this enriching of our common education through the contributions of all members is, for me, a defining feature of our community”.

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VOX • Fall 2016

The Academy Today: Alumni/ae Perspectives C o n t r i b u t i n g W r i t e r s : T u c k e r B o y d ’17, Z e v u l o n L a n e ’20, M i ch a e l a L i n d s e y ’ 1 7 , B e n j a m i n M i ch a l a k ’17, C o n n o r O ’B r i e n ’17

A

fundamental aspect of attending a small,

community-focused school

is an inexpressible connection to the organization. Students at The Academy feel a fondness for the school as an entity, and alumni note the fortitude of this relationship long after graduation.

In its 35 years The Academy’s outstanding teachers have educated hundreds of students.

The school has undergone a move and space-altering renovations, seen the birth of new traditions to complement original ones, and encouraged diverse viewpoints.

Throughout, there have been unique aspects of our middleto-high school experience that have defined our school. In these qualities, we as a community recognize the importance of adapting to the inevitable changes presented to us from time to

Kip Sutton ’90 talked with students about The Academy’s influence in his life. visited.

Benjamin Michalak (’17) corresponded with Kipp Sutton (’90), who works in Thailand for the US Agency for International Development. Kipp remarked that, upon his visit last December (he was home visiting family and was a guest in our “Lunch with an Alum” program), “the school felt more mature”. He expressed his admiration for the new layout of the school, writing from Thailand that “The parking lot now wraps

“I owe a great deal to The Academy, and am grateful for lifelong friends, for an education that allowed me to be a free thinker, and for the support that set in motion my life’s chain of events”.

Kipp Sutton ’90 time. Our Head of School, Dr. Brian Bloomfield, once wrote, “Let us not fear change: it is the harbinger of greatness”.

Many students and recent alumni/ae would agree that The Academy is a different place from what it was just two or three years ago. The addition of new faculty and improvements to curricula are noticeable to multi-year Academy students.

However, to really measure our school’s evolution, several current students connected with alumni/ ae who attended The Academy in decades past and who are either currently involved with their alma mater or have recently

around to the left of the building… My favorite new addition was the path leading up the back hill to beautiful sports fields, nestled in Berkshire forest. The school has clearly grown and now feels like much more of a campus.

It was great to see as all these things, including Grinnell Hall with its arts spaces and locker rooms, were needed. Changing before practices in the tiny bathrooms or an advantageously darkened classroom of our time was definitely not ideal!”

Additionally, Kipp noted both the similarities and differences in the school’s atmosphere. He commented on the artistic side

of The Academy, recognizing the rise in musical and visual prowess. “The sounds of music practices filtered throughout the school from the recital hall.

Students walked around carrying instruments, and others sat in empty rooms plinking out tunes with friends. If I hadn’t known better, I would have guessed that The Academy had redefined itself as a prep-school for a conservatory or Nashville. But if my short inquiry was correct, it’s the students and teachers themselves who have embraced this art. I thought it was fantastic to see so many students shamelessly trying their skills and open to exploring their muses so publicly. It seemed a braver and more useful pastime than some of mine at that age”.

While Kipp observed the changes in Academy students, he also recognizes the rewarding nature of a Charlemont education.

“Each generation builds on the work of those before it and progresses a little further, a little faster. Our world is more connected now than ever, and our opportunities to explore its intricacies are almost limitless. As someone who never dreamed, as a high schooler, that I would spend my career living and working in different cultures and learning so much about myself, it was exciting to see a host of young people with their eyes already opening, eager to explore. I owe a great deal to The Academy, and am grateful for lifelong friends, for an education that allowed me to be a free thinker, and for the support that set in motion my life’s chain of events. I am happy to see that The Academy is still giving those same things to its students and preparing them for a lifetime of inspired living, learning and adventure”.

Getting to know “Kipp’s Academy” was enlightening, says Ben. During their conversations, he referenced a few areas within the school which have since been al-

tered. For example, he mentioned “Joe’s little home/store, a place where students would “occasionally squander [their] summer savings on microwave meals and completely and deliciously artificial candy”. Ben realized that his and Kipp’s corresponding experiences “unify under the unchanged Academy spirit of freedom and friendliness”.

Ben also spoke with Rosie Marsters (’10) who similarly attested to this spirit, noting, “The vibe of the school hasn’t changed…. I love how much artwork still hangs on the walls and how the Common Room was filled with students in their free periods hanging out and doing work”. Rosie commented on the new gender-neutral bathrooms at the school. “It is great to see The Academy take steps to be even more inclusive”, says Rosie.

“It does not surprise me that the school still strives to make students feel comfortable and accepted”. Rosie serves as Legislative Director to MA Representative Stephen Kulik.

Rosie Marsters ’10 visited with students and shared over lunch.

When Ben asked what in particular stands out about her Academy experience, Rosie responded, “I look back fondly on my experience at the Academy. I am always surprised at how few people are still friends with the kids they went to high school with. I still consider my Academy friends to be some of my best friends. Even though I graduated six years ago, during my four years there I formed friendships

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The Academy Today: Alumni/ae Perspectives that are stronger than any I have made since”.

By speaking with these alumni Ben says he realized “that although change is inevitable, The Academy’s central mission will never lose its substance. The Honor Code is a time-honored set of core values established by the founders and early students, and alumni and current students continue to uphold them. Likewise, The Academy’s focus on community, warmth, and individualism continue to create friendships and inspire its students to find their voice and speak their mind”.

Sarah Hartshorne graduated from The Academy in 2005.

While here she took a great interest in comedy, from which her senior project was born. After graduating she attended Boston University but took some time off to be a contestant on America’s Next Top Model. Now living in New York City, Sarah hosts her own live comedy shows. She also helps to run Project UROK, an organization that works to destigmatize mental illness through posting videos online. Zev Lane (’20) first met Sarah when she came to campus to participate in our school’s “Lunch with an Alum” program. Zev immediately took a liking to Sarah and jumped at the offer to get to know her better. He spoke with her by phone about her impressions of The Academy today.

Sarah told Zev that much was the same: the same campus, the same buildings but noted that what was most different was the faculty, because they’re the ones who help you manage your life at The Academy. She commented that she enjoyed seeing all of the students talking about the Honor Code and all the values that were similarly important when she was a student.

About her interactions with current students, Sarah told Zev, “It was great and, it was so much fun! I love the type of kids that are attracted to The Academy and that The Academy attracts. Also you are all way cooler than I was

it is important to keep the Honor Code in mind and to continually discuss it”. Wes often returns to campus for board meetings, as a parent, and formerly to teach a Robotics class during Studio Blocks, and finds that although the physical location Sarah Hartshorne ’05 and students during a and appearance of The Lunch with an Alum visit.

Academy has changed, when I was in high school. I’ve the energy, passion, and charisma taught at a lot of high schools and of the students are the same as I am obviously biased because I when he attended, if not greater. went to The Academy, but you He expresses joy in the creation were just the best; most kids just of traditions that evolved after he ask the straightforward questions graduated, such as Polyglot and but you all went to the next level”. Senior Projects. He also knows For all of our alumni/ae and that his Academy education current students, The Academy prepared him for college and is a shaping factor. Sarah says beyond, as he learned critical that the biggest thing she took thinking and debate skills, as well away from her experience is “the as his own civic responsibility, desire to question everything and necessary to be a responsible and to wonder about everything. I conscientious citizen. don’t necessarily think this is a Michaela also spoke with Eliznatural instinct though I think abeth Slowinski (’98). Elizabeth we all have it as children and as was a student at The Academy we grow up we can lose it, but for seven years, starting in 1991 The Academy fosters that sense of in 5th grade. College, travel and inquiry”. work took Wes Rosner (’86) served three her all terms on The Academy’s Board over the of Trustees. A founding student world, and writer of the Honor Code, but since Wes understands our school’s returning foundational, core values and be- to The lieves that they still prevail at The AcadElizabeth Slowinski ’98 Academy today. He offered his emy as historical perspective to Michaela a trustee in 2013, Elizabeth has Lindsey (’17). felt a similarity between her own Wes fondly remembers being Academy peers and current stuactively involved in writing dents, noting an “ease in talking the Honor Code, and says that to a student from the Academy— “because all socially contracting no matter when they graduated”. documents are living documents, She also notices a “blend of old and new” on the actual campus, which made her feel at home when she first returned. Elizabeth noticed a lot more trees on campus, which she considers representative of the growth and evolution of the school.

Elizabeth attributes her decision to study Classics during college and her passion for travel to her Academy education. Despite her love for travel, she has returned to Western MassachuWes Rosner ’86

setts to live and work, realizing that The Academy ignited and inspired her love of community, and she has made it a priority to continue that connection.

Hunter Styles (’04) told Tucker Boyd (’17) that he began his career at The Academy in 9th grade, and spent the next four years wrapped up in the theatre and languages programs at the school. Upon graduating, Hunter dabbled in a range of disciplines at Georgetown University, until he became one of the first to graduate from there with a degree in theatre, in 2008. He spent the next several years in DC exploring the small but comprehensive theatre scene in the nation’s capital. After writing, producing, and directing a series of plays in local theatres, Hunter returned to his old stomping grounds to become a staff writer, and eventually the Arts Editor, at The Advocate in Northampton.

When asked what he believes The Academy did for him, Hunter pointed to two important lessons that have followed him through his various careers. He says that The Academy taught him “to take everything with a grain of salt, to think critically, and to examine what you know”.

This has been useful, he says, in his career as a journalist because he is asked every day to consider various perspectives, “to talk with and share the stories of people that don’t look or sound like me” and “to comment on society”, all of which require well-tuned analytical abilities.

Hunter also acknowledged that The Academy taught him about competition. In his view, “life is not a zero-sum game”, in other words, one person’s success is not at the expense of another’s. Particularly in theatre, a notoriously competitive arena, it is important to remember that “being competitive is about holding yourself to a high standard. There’s room for everybody to hold themselves to a high standard”.

About his recent return to campus, Hunter notes that “the feel of the place—the rhythm, the

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The Academy Today: Alumni/ae Perspectives Hunter pointed to the greatest commonality among Academy people: they are all educated “by a place that knows what it is”.

Connor O’Brien (’17) Hunter Styles ’04, Lunch with an Alum visit spoke with things that people talked about, Trustee Oliver Stebich (’88) the way people walked around” who affirmed the close bond were all reminiscent of The between school and alumni, Academy that he attended, twelve noting that for him “The Acadyears ago. He says that “the life emy has always felt like a family and a home”. Of course, while this affection remains largely unchanged, the school itself does evolve. Recent changes in faculty and the geographic distribution of students naturally provide a slightly different atmosphere, Zach Kolodin (’03, also a Trustee) noted; however, he told Connor that he feels “the core values of the school, such as the centrality of the Honor Code, maintain the same character and qualities that [he] valued as a student and prizes as an alumnus”.

Oliver Stebich ’88 Oliver agrees with Zach: of The Academy is about refining “the core [of the school] is the a really noble, clear goal” i.e. the same”. Highlighting the school’s values that the school represents. focus on “growing well roundAfter being asked what it was like ed students”, Oliver noticed the to interact with current students, “maturity and urbanity of stu-

dents’ discussions” when visiting campus. Zach also remarked on the intellectual acuity of student voices at the school, mentioning a group of students offering to host a school-wide discussion on gender fluidity. David Epstein, ’87, Trustee and former Board Chair, remarked to Connor that during the time he spends on campus he feels that “students at The Academy interact with a level

Zach Kolodin ’03 of maturity and a quality to their people-skills that are unique to the school”. David notes that this characteristic has endured and transcended changes and growth in The Academy over the years.

For Zach, the “Academy ethos of self-governance” remains a central value to this day. Even Zach’s current projects reflect the Acad-

In Memoriam:

Gillett Griffin, 1928-2016 The Academy acknowledges with gratitude the life and contributions of Gillett Griffin (19282016).

Mr. Griffin was a great friend of Academy founders Eric and Dianne Grinnell. Much of the original art and many artifacts displayed around the school were gifts from his extensive collection.

Our alumni/ae fondly remember his guest lectures during school

assemblies and in the classroom, during which he would show and explain original works of art and archaeological relics. An expert on pre-Columbian art, he served as curator of the Princeton University collections of Pre-Columbian art and Graphic Arts.

He was himself an accomplished graphic artist and painter; several of his own works hang in the halls of The Academy. Mr. Griffin passed away in June 2016.

Gillett Griffin

David Epstein ’87 emy idea that “any institution works better if all the people who make up that institution have a voice”. David feels similarly, noting that the “general respect between everyone at The Academy gave him self-confidence, a sense of optimism, and a belief in humanity” that has impacted his life. “It’s a community that comes together to implement timeless core principles”, he says.

Reflecting on the merit of an Academy education, Oliver says, “The Academy has made me who I am today. I feel I am a person with understanding, compassion, reason and willingness”. And, in the end, it is these ageless Academy principles which have made countless graduates fall in love with a tiny school at the foot of the Hoosac Range.

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35th Anniversary Alumni/ae Reunion It was so wonderful to see the many alumni/ae and guests who returned to campus to celebrate The Academy’s 35th Anniversary Reunion in May. More than 70 people connected as they visited, bowled, painted, created jewelry, cooked and served Spanish lunch with Señora Grant, and relived moments from their Academy days. Here’s a look at some of the weekend’s activities:

Zoe Neeley ’13, Kellie Rainville ’13, Kate Mieher ’13, and Rebecca GonzalezKreisberg ’08 prepare a Spanish lunch

Tupshin Harper ’90 and Virginia Gabert ’84 in a jewelry making workshop taught by Cassie Nylen Gray ’93

Former Head of School Todd Sumner with Trustee Sean ’88 and Jessica Dacus

Bart Doty ’00, Trustee Elizabeth Slowinski ’98, Coach Synphany Bates Zale, and Dean of Students Nora Bates Zale ’00

Julian Post ’07 with Trustee Abel McDonnell ’03 and Nathan Bartlett ’07

Trustee David Epstein ’87 and Amanda Wilson take an Impressionism workshop with Art Teacher Andrae Green

Rebecca Gonzalez-Kreisberg ’08, Sarah Hartshorne ’05, Maddy Leue ’06, Trustee Rachel Sumner ’04, Bart Doty ’00, Aethena Enzer-Mahler ’00, and Ellen Zale (seated)

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The Academy Today:

The Honor Code and its Ongoing Relevance B y K at h e r i n e A n d e r s o n ’16 Ask any student or faculty member who’s been at The Academy for several years, and they’re likely to tell you that discussions about the Honor Code and its role in governing our school— though they may fluctuate—never truly cease to occur. Many of them will tell you, moreover, that our frequent and open discussions about the Honor Code are precisely what make it so special and so effective—we revisit it, we examine it, we remind each other of it, and we argue about it, all the while making it a living document of which we are always conscious. In recent months, however, discussions about the Honor Code have taken on a particular prominence. Throughout the late Winter and Spring, students, faculty, and staff devoted three assembly-length periods to school-wide and grade level discussions about the Honor Code, the dialogues from which have overflowed into classes, advisories, and even hallway gossip.

The recent “buzz” about the Honor Code began in early March when Head of School Dr. Bloomfield began sharing—first with the Board of Trustees and the faculty, then with the student body—his observation that the values of current Academy students seem to differ from those expressed in the Honor Code.

He began by hanging large post-it notes around the school posing questions such as “What does it mean to speak your mind at the Academy”? or “What is the dress code at our school”? inviting students to answer these questions in the space below. At the same time, Dr. Bloomfield, along with Dean of Students Nora Bates Zale, read through the Honor Code with each grade, asking students to extract the specific values expressed in the text of each article.

After gathering this information, Dr. Bloomfield gave a

presentation to the school in which he placed side-by-side a list of the values which students had derived from the Honor Code and those which students had expressed in their post-it note responses. While the top six

values that students had identified in the Honor Code were community, honesty, respect, self-discipline, hierarchy, trust, and individual independence, the values which were expressed in the responses reflected selfishness, sarcasm, activism, personal interest, obedience, morality, and joking/humor. Upon sharing these findings, Bloomfield invited

Addressing her objectives with these first steps, Mrs. Bates Zale commented, “I believe that our goal as the administrative team was to listen earnestly in order to better understand what students were experiencing in terms of

how they read the Honor Code, and how much they shared its values. Personally, I am always interested in how the school’s culture as articulated by the Honor Code is or is not embodied in the ways community members move through their lives at The Academy—and what the factors are in determining whether or not that embodiment exists”. As the administrative team had “Civic discourse has always been a hoped, many students reportkeystone of an Academy education”. ed after this first discussion, serving as a moderaconversation not only that they tor as students and faculty shared felt their own voices had been reactions and thoughts regarding heard, but that they themselves the sets of values he presented. heard the voices of many students Common themes in this discuswhich they had yet to hear in the sion included community versus past”. individual interests, how the With the themes of rules, auvalues of adolescents change over thority, and hierarchy emerging time, and hierarchy, particularly frequently in our first assembly the role of rules in our school discussion, Mrs. BZ proceeded and how students respond to to lead another conversation them. Junior Connor O’Brien, a with the school, posing some member of the Honor Council, questions for the community to felt “. . . that the first school-wide consider ahead of time regarding discussion . . . really got at the the roles which rules play in our root of the problem, the values”. school. Instead of sitting in rows,

as we had during the previous discussion, students, faculty, and staff gathered in a large circle for a discussion which revolved largely around the role of consequences at our school. 9th grader Amelia Chalfant later observed, “I think the second discussion was more productive; even the fact that we were all sitting in a circle made it better” and, on a more general note, added, “I think these discussions work better when the students are the focus”. A variety of student-led conversations regarding our use of additional chores as “punishment” for minor infractions have grown out of this discussion.

Though some students inevitably feel overwhelmed or frustrated with the administration’s approach to addressing this alleged shift in student values and adherence to the Honor Code, or even with their choice to bring it up at all, most students—whether or not they agree with every article of the Honor Code or every rule in our school—are excited to see these topics become a living part of our everyday dialogues. Commenting on how these conversations have affected the student body, Mrs. BZ said, “civic discourse has always been a keystone of an Academy education, and I think that the process of hashing out the semantics, implications, personal interpretations and applications of the school’s defining document was a welcomed and valued experience overall”.

In the coming months, Mrs. BZ and other administrators will look to the Student Advisory Board—a student organization, new this year, which provides a forum for discussing and changing school policies and advising the administration when appropriate—to help determine the direction in which these conversations will go. As of now, however, though some

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The Student Advisory Board

By Tu c k er B oy d ’ 1 7

When Grace Engelman (’15) turned in her proposal for a Student Advisory Board, she wasn’t sure that her idea would materialize. It was her last day at The Academy, and if it were to go forward, it would require that someone else take charge. Grace couldn’t have known then that her idea would become one of the most significant student-run groups on campus. She also didn’t know the amount of change that she would effect by creating such a powerful platform for Academy students. However, in the year following her graduation, the Student Advisory Board (affectionately called SAB) has become vital to The Academy community.

The impetus for the SAB came from Grace’s work as the Student Representative to the Board of Trustees. She determined that many of the issues affecting daily student life were not relevant to the Board. “It makes sense” she said. “The Board has to discuss the budget, strategic planning, and other broader goals and plans”. She believed, as outlined in her proposal, that “there has to be a place to discuss subjects that affect students but aren’t matters

The Academy Today The Honor Code (cont.) concern and consternation has arisen among students as a result of these discussions, many are feeling particularly grateful to attend a school at which we not only have an Honor Code, but at which we are willing to dedicate significant time to examining how this code of conduct governs our everyday lives. “I am thankful for the community as a whole”, says Mrs. BZ, “[for] displaying the willingness, curiosity and care to embark on this adventure.

These are big, nebulous questions to be considering, yet they affect the minutiae of daily Academy life, and that’s the stuff that we all feel and can benefit from most acutely”.

for the Board (such as teacher hiring and the reorganization of the library)”. Thus, the Student Advisory Board was born.

As Grace outlined it, members of the Student Advisory Board are not elected. Rather, all students interested in discussing The Academy’s culture are welcome to take part. It was important to Grace, and to those that followed her, that the SAB did not become a small group of students running the school. The goal instead “was to get students talking about the school and to allow them to be more involved in decision-making and planning.

The SAB’s mission states that the goal of the group is “to empower the collective voice of the student body and discuss student culture in the interest of strengthening our community”.

This past year, the SAB served as a platform for students interested in starting a dialogue around an issue, discussing Academy culture, and drafting proposals that in some cases became new policies.

Katherine Anderson (’16), this year’s Student Representative to the Board of Trustees and

active advocate and member of the Student Advisory Board, described the SAB during the 2015-2016 school year as “a good forum for students to voice their opinions, and often their complaints. It was also a way for the Administration to elicit feedback from students”. She was careful to note the important causes that the Student Advisory Board championed, including changing the Reading Period, a time in every eighth grader’s schedule that was dedicated entirely to reading, to a Study Hall, when students could read as well as finish homework, meet with teachers, work on an art project, write, etc. The SAB also drafted a proposal for an open campus, so that seniors could enjoy a different setting away from school in which to study or relax during designated times of the day. The faculty accepted the Student Advisory Board’s proposal, and starting next year, seniors will be able to leave campus during specific blocks if they are in good academic standing. The group was also active in expanding on discussions around the Honor Code.

Writer’s Postscript: I came to the Academy in seventh grade and graduated last June. Over the years I have fallen in love with the idea that being part of this community means more than just coming to school every day—each of us, ideally, makes an intentional choice to submit ourselves to a community greater than any one individual. The Honor Code stands at the core of this idea, and to watch this school question its commitment to the Honor Code and to witness individuals speaking out in opposition to this vital document has troubled me on a personal level.

However, at The Academy’s 35th Anniversary Alumni Reunion in May, some of my discomfort regarding these discussions was appeased.

Around twenty alumni joined Dr. Bloomfield and a small group of students including myself for an

informal conversation about student life at The Academy, which quickly evolved into a discussion of the Honor Code. I think that when we talk about the Honor Code in relation to The Academy’s past, we often view it through rose-colored glasses, with the idea that in years gone by every student adhered to the Honor Code without questioning or resisting.

Nonetheless, I watched as alumni from the early ’90s through the ’00s reminisced about questioning, arguing about the Honor Code and even doubting its true importance in our community. This dialogue made me realize not only the normalcy of the questions that students are currently asking, but also how vital these questions and ongoing discussions are to our understanding of the Honor Code and our trust in its governance of our community.

These are only a sampling of the activities that occupied members of the SAB this year, which were made possible because of the student body’s dedication to their school. Grace mentions that “I had no part to play in how the SAB came together. It is running today because the students this past year took the initiative and had the dedication to make it happen. They deserve a lot of credit and praise, along with the teachers and deans who contribute. I hope that the SAB can continue to evolve as student needs grow and change”.

The Student Advisory Board’s story exemplifies how The Academy is a place where student voices are heard and respected.

What started as one student’s idea grew into something that resonates long after the individual’s graduation. SAB this year was a reminder of the unique opportunity that The Academy offers its students: to make a difference, to leave a legacy, to affect the future of the school. These are the enduring reasons why our school is such a special place for people to grow into themselves.

Academy at Charlemont Board of Trustees, 2016-2017 Chair: Cornelia Reid, P01 Vice Chair: Zachary Kolodin ’03 Treasurer: Jaka Conklin Saarony ’90 Clerk: Elizabeth Slowinski ’98 Brian Bloomfield, Head of School Tucker Boyd ’17, Student Rep. Sean Dacus ’88 David Epstein ’87 Denny Fuller Neale Gay, Faculty Rep. Bruce Lessels P14 Abel McDonnell ’03 Katherine Osborne P18, 20 Bo Peabody ’90 Oliver Stebich ’88 Peter Stevens Rachel Sumner ’04 Benjamin Thompson P09, 12 Elinor Todd ’93

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35th Academy Commencement: Traditions Old and New

By Nel l i e B oyd - O we ns ’ 1 8 The commencement ceremony for the Class of 2016 called upon many well-loved rituals, but was also delightfully atypical.

Under the large white tent, new faces and varied voices from the community honored the graduating class and contributed to a sense of both continuity and change. The Academy community experienced a similar blend of old and new this past year, as we welcomed new teachers and initiated or expanded upon organizations. Graduating seniors, teachers, and others reflected upon these changes in moving words. It was a wonderful celebration!

The soft, melodic piano-playing of junior Sam Zakon-Anderson opened the ceremony, as the graduating seniors walked in arm-in-arm, smiling as their family members stood to honor them; the eighth graders and the beloved faculty and staff followed. Board Chair and former Latin teacher Cornelia Reid (P01) welcomed parents, family members and friends. Speaking of The Academy’s “vibrant community”, she said that at commencement “We honor our individual members, in all their creative, intellectual, athletic, or social uniqueness, and we thank those same individuals acting for and about each other, whether as a class, a team, or any of the groups which Academy students gather in so easily and generously”.

Though Dr. Bloomfield’s absence (due to the birth of his first child) was felt, his leadership role did not go unfulfilled, as Mrs. Reid, Academic Dean Neale Gay, and others stepped up to mark the

momentous occasion in his place.

Humanities teacher Elizabeth Falco honored the eighth grade class, mentioning wonderful memories they had created together in her classroom and on their trip to Gettysburg, an eighth grade tradition known for its importance and transformative power. She spoke highly of her students as individuals and as a class, reminding them that, though they were attending a commencement ceremony, their

These were earned by juniors Yilin uo and Sam Zakon-Anderson respectively. Athletics Director Jamison Isler presented awards to Raymond Mossman and Natalie Nicolettin for the lower school, and to Cassandra Bigelow and Lyric Williams Russell for the upper school. The coaches award was presented to Enid Gallaghar.

Dean of Students Nora Bates Zale (’00) presented the Jane Grant Honor Council Award,

time for learning was far from over. It was refreshing to hear the thoughtful, inspiring words of someone new to our community.

Individual honors were then presented. Academic Deans Neale Gay and John Schatz gave academic achievement awards to individuals in each of the six grades. Recipients were Linnea Zimmer (7th), Natalie Nicoletti (8th), Amelia Chalfant (9th), Macy Kasbo (10th), Benjamin Schocket Greene (11th), and Eva Gray (12th).

Mr. Gay conferred the Kerlin Conyngham Fine Arts Awards for visual arts and performance.

and, new in 2016, the Ellen Zale Community Service Award, recognizing service outside the school community. The award recognizes Ms. BZ’s mother, a French teacher, librarian and beloved long-term member of the Academy community who retired last spring, having worked with every Head of School since the school’s founding. The inaugural recipient of this award was junior Benjamin Michalak.

Director of Admissions Martha Tirk (P07) presented the Robert Jaros Citizenship Award to Katherine Anderson and the Will Sparks Award to Diane and Ken

Bigelow. Tanya Rapinchuk and Kamal Souccar (P10,16) presented the Zephyr Spirit Award to Riley Brown, and to their daughter, Indra Rapinchuk-Souccar.

Following awards, and in keeping with Academy tradition, a song was sung. This year, however, the seniors introduced and sang to us all a beautiful new song, “Rivers and Roads”, by The Head and The Heart. As its title suggests, it captured the spirit of the day: change and new life paths. Set to a poignant and moving melody, the lyrics reflect on the hardships and the benefits of moving forward in life, just as the graduates and The Academy are doing.

Before the conferring of diplomas, Neale Gay, Humanities teacher, College Counselor and Academic Dean, addressed the Class of 2016. A cherished faculty member with a close relationship with the seniors, Mr. Gay spoke about how well he knew them, how he had “seen them in their existential crises, worrying about their futures, gazing into the unknown for the first time, obsessed about where they’ll end up in a year,” and scared to make the wrong decision. But, as he reminded the seniors and the audience, “the measure of a person isn’t contained in the decisions they make, but in how they react to the consequences of those decisions.” We try, he said, “to do the right thing all the time, but the reality is that sometimes we don’t.

Sometimes we take risks, stare into the gulf of unknowns and jump, unaware of whether the landing will be hard. The measure

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of character, the measure of a person, is in whether… they have the courage to present themselves to the world, blemishes and all, and own their mistakes, continuing to labor on no matter the difficulties they encounter.”

It was a wise message, one that resonated with the audience and the seniors.

Finally, the seniors received their diplomas! In keeping with tradition, faculty, staff and trustee parents joined Mr. Gay, Mr. Schatz and Mrs. Reid on stage to present diplomas to their graduating children, with many a hug and some happy tears.

In their valedictory speeches (one of the most inspiring traditions at The Academy), the graduates thanked the community and their loved ones. In language alternately humorous, clever, insightful and honest, they expressed openness to the future and gratitude to The Academy for how it has affected their lives. They revealed confidence, strength, independence, curiosity, compassion, and commitment.

Eva Gray wittily compared herself to a new kind of car for each of her years at The Academy. The Academy, she said, had shaped

her and taught her so much year by year that she went from a “generic Toyota Corolla” in 7th grade to a Mustang (“the brand-new, super-charged, 750 horsepower Shelby GT500 Super Snake with 5.0 liter Coyote V-8 engine”) in her senior year.

Katherine Anderson, in a more serious vein, remarked that “this community – those who founded it and those who sustain it… has created and nourished something remarkable: a school which, as it has done for so many others, sparked within me confidence, curiosity and admiration for the world in which I live”.

The graduating class then announced their gift to the school: a small grove of fruit trees and shrubs, and a bench to be near them. The gift seemed symbolic of the growth and change of the past year, like a promise of continued evolution for the school.

The 2016 commencement ceremony was bittersweet, as times of transition always are. All around growth and change could be felt, but the special Academy traditions were comforting. It was a big day especially for the seniors, as they said goodbye to The Academy. We wish them well on their travels, and remind them to welcome the change that resides on the rivers and roads beyond this small and special school.

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The GRADUATES

Katherine Anderson of Williamsburg will attend Hamilton College. While at the Academy she was highly involved as a student leader, serving as Student Representative to the Board of Trustees, and as an active member of the newly-established Student Advisory Board. Katherine played Ultimate Frisbee at The Academy and kept up her competitive swimming on top of her school commitments. She has been a Creative Writing facilitator/teacher as well. Katherine was the recipient of the Robert Jaros Citizenship Award for 2016.

Enid Gallaghar of Rowe will attend Skidmore College. Highlights of her Academy career include soccer, basketball, baseball and lacrosse, as well as singing with many musical groups. She has served on the Social Justice, Community Service, and Arts & Athletics Councils, and has been a photographer for many school events. She was the recipient of the 2016 Coaches Award.

Cassandra Bigelow of Colrain is off to Saint Anselm College.

She has been actively involved in many singing groups at The Academy, and has been a member of the cross country, basketball and Ultimate Frisbee teams. She was named Outstanding Female Athlete in the Upper School for 2016.

Cameron Bluh-Derricotte is from Greenfield. Her post-Academy plans include travel. She has been a core member of many singing groups and a vocalist in many bands at The Academy, and highlights for her have been playing soccer, basketball, and lacrosse. She has also been a member of the school’s Sustainability, Cultural Exchange, and Social Justice Councils.

Riley Brown is from Hadley.

He will attend the Rhode Island School of Design. He points to playing the saxophone in several jazz bands, participating in lots of visual arts Studio Blocks, serving on the Honor and Arts & Athletics Councils, and membership on the cross country and Ultimate Frisbee teams as highlights of his Academy career. Riley was a recipient of the Zephyr Spirit Award for 2016.

Eva Gray is from Amherst. She will attend Vassar College. The passions she has developed at The Academy include lacrosse, music, and photography. For the 20152016 school year, Eva received the 12th grade Academic Achievement Award.

Emma Loubsky Lonergan is from Colrain. She points to soccer, basketball, and lacrosse, as well as singing with a number of different musical groups and serving on the Community Service Council as highlights of her Academy career. She will attend Hobart and William Smith Colleges beginning in the fall.

Matthew Plager is from Greenfield. At The Academy he played soccer and basketball and was the assistant coach for the girls’ lacrosse team. He served on the Arts & Athletics Council.

Matt received the McScholar Athlete Award and in the fall he will attend the University of Vermont.

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The GRADUATES

Ilaria deLesdernier is from Greenfield. At The Academy she enjoyed playing soccer and basketball, serving on the Arts & Athletics Council, and singing, playing keyboards and bass guitar with numerous vocal groups and bands. After a gap year that includes travel and work, she will attend the University of Southern Maine.

Indra Rapinchuk Souccar of Cummington will attend Mount Holyoke College. At The Academy she was a member of the cross country team and as an equestrian she pursued her sport of eventing at an internationally competitive level. She served on the Arts & Athletics Council and was a recipent of the Zephyr Spirit Award for 2016.

Nils Donohue Meyer is from Ashfield and Buckland. His Academy highlights include playing soccer and basketall, serving on the Sustainability Council, and playing in several bands. Nils will spend the next year traveling and working and finalizing his college plans.

Leah Finn-Erb of Northampton will attend Westfield State University where she will continue to play soccer. While at The Academy, Leah was an active athlete, competing on the soccer and lacrosse teams. Her membership on the Community Service Council was also a highlight.

Christina Secor is from Drury and New York City. At The Academy she was an active member of the Honor Council and played soccer, basketball and lacrosse.

Christina was a percussionist and vocalist for numerous bands, too.

She will attend Bard College in the fall.

Casey Walsh Warder of Shelburne Falls will attend Brandeis University. At The Academy he was a member of the cross country and Ultimate Frisbee teams and served on the Sustainability Council.

Lyric Williams Russell is from Greenfield. He served on The Academy’s Honor Council, played soccer, basketball and Ultimate Frisbee, and was vocalist and percussionist in numerous Academy bands. He was named Outstanding Male Athlete in the Upper School in 2016, and he will attend Goucher College.

Allen Gabriel is from Ashfield.

After a gap year of living and working in Germany and New York City, he will attend SUNY, Purchase. The highlights of his Academy experience include major roles in annual drama productions, membership on the cross country and Ultimate Frisbee teams, and serving on the Sustainability Council. In May, Allen was a recipient of a Peacemaker Award from the Traprock Center for Peace and Justice in recognition of his work with Citizens Climate Lobby.

Mark Vranos is from Greenfield. He will attend Curry College. Mark points to his work on the Community Service Council, especially his efforts to forge a partnership between The Academy and the I.N.S.P.I.R.E. School for Autism in Brattleboro, as a highlight of his time here. In addition, he played major roles in annual drama productions and enjoyed both Ultimate Frisbee and the freedom to explore his passion for sketch comedy through his Senior Independent Project.

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1984 Virginia Gabert says she is still happily entrenched in the hilltowns of western Massachusetts. “Last year, my long-standing position in Hawley changed from Administrative Assistant to Financial Administrator when I took on the treasury function in exchange for some of the clerical work.

I continue to do my best to keep small towns viable and functioning as the influence of eastern Massachusetts as well as state and federal regulations seem to be neglecting the realities of small town life. I still also work for the Bernardston Fire & Water District (District Clerk); Pioneer Valley Veterinary Hospital (Inventory & Accounts Receivable Manager); and The Dog House at Working K9 Services (Bookkeeper).

“I am also quite involved at the Charlemont Federated Church—helping with a successful capital campaign; serving as Deacon of Missions and Outreach; and helping with many events there throughout the year. It is a great church—all are welcome!

It has also spurred me into being involved with CROP Walk as well as Walk to End Alzheimer’s (my father’s battle ended in April, 2015)—anyone interested in joining me is more than welcome!

“After being a devoted dog person for 16 years—bringing my dog Jake with me to all of my jobs—when he crossed the rainbow bridge a couple of years ago, I returned to being a cat person—adopting a beautiful one year old Russian Blue with the name of Angel. A year later, I added a spunky little orange kitten that I named Charlie. They are complete opposites of each other—somehow appropriate for being Angel’s Charlie.

“I am anticipating several changes in the near future. As I have been settling in to a relationship over the past few years, we will be (hopefully) buying a house together in Plainfield!

Hoping for a closing date around the beginning of August”.

1988

Jenny Jaros Friedl writes “Hello from Arlington, Virginia! I am stayat-home-mom-ing with 8 year-old Porter and twin 6-year olds Tyler and Lindy. I am a bit grayer and wrin-

ALU M N OT E S and never a dull moment. She adds “Synphany, Beignet (the large dog), Timecat (the wee feline), and I are once again making the VT/MA border cross (this will now be the third time we’ve moved from one to the other), quite possibly for the long haul in this case, as we have become homeowners in my native Conway, MA. Come and visit, fellow alums!

The Academy is much as it was when you left it, in all the right ways—there may be a lot of new faces, but in a sense, you’d recognize them”.

2001

Jenny Jaros Friedl ’88 and family klier, and a lot more, um, “padded” these days, but life feels sweet and our family is a happy one. Oh it’s not to say we don’t have our struggles (who doesn’t?). I don’t exercise as much as I should, one of our kiddos has a recurrent fever syndrome (any alums out there have a child with PFAPA? I’d love to connect!), another one works with an OT for fine muscle development, and the third one is struggling with some spelling and reading challenges that are a bit baffling. But we have supports in place and we take one step at a time and truly, we have much to be grateful for. We spent the summer doing lots of camping and hiking and playing outside in the evenings, and in the fall Porter will start 3rd grade, the twins will be in 1st, and I will be subbing at their school in whatever classroom needs me. Life is good! the picture is me with Tyler (L) and Lindy (R). Hard to get Porter to hold still long enough for a picture these days”.

1996

Reni Papananias reports that “In 2015, I graduated with my Master of Science in Nursing from Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing in New York, and am currently an Adult & Geriatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner.

My graduate research and area of clinical focus was on how to better integrate pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV (PrEP) in the primary care setting. In January, I became a professor of nursing at Adelphi University in New York. I have found a passion for mentoring aspiring nurses in the beginning of their career and in that, finding ways to bring their individual and unique talents to the art & science of nursing. Professor Drakulich (class of 1997) has given me some good pointers as I transition into this new role!

On a personal note: In February, I became engaged! My fiancé Noelle and I are planning to wed in Key West in September 2017. “ Sarah Pedrosa lives in Austin, Texas with her spouse Hawk and daughter Ines and is in her last semester of grad school finishing her M.S. in Information Studies from the University of Texas.

1998

Amy (Waterman) Mason writes “My family and I have moved again, this time to Huntington, MA, where we are enjoying living among the trees and hills again. Sammi is almost 4 already, and such a fun, joyful kid!

We’re all happy and well”.

2000

Ayana Detweiler writes “since my time at The Academy I’ve gone from studying speech-language pathology in Memphis, Tennessee to studying law in Washington, DC. Currently I’m living in Northern Virginia and spend my days practicing estate and trust law. Love getting back to New England whenever I can!”

Nora Bates Zale is loving being The Academy’s Dean of Students and teaching Photography, adding 9th grade Art to the load of classes for the future - all quite fulfilling

Maya (Rocke) Jalbert continues to live in Heath with her husband, Eric, and their daughter Verva. In the summer, she enjoys gardening and traveling to visit friends and family; during the school year, Maya works as a Speech-Language Pathologist at a local elementary school. She loves hearing all the goings-on at The Academy!

2003

Abel McDonnell is getting married this September! He and his fiancé, Lillian Meredith, initially met at Vassar 13 years ago, and started dating in 2014. They live in Brooklyn and have a cat with strong opinions.

Zoe Plakias writes “I completed my Ph.D. at the University of California, Davis in July and will be joining the faculty at the Ohio State University as an Assistant Professor of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics in August. Not only am I excited to move and to explore the midwest, but I am also excited that my parents will be moving to the Patten District of Shelburne in August, making me that much closer to the Academy and all my favorite hilltown hangouts when I visit the area”.

Reni Papananias ’96, Noelle, George Papananias, and Nick Papananias ’97

2004

Hunter Styles became the arts editor at the Valley Advocate newspaper in Northampton, as well as the editor of Preview Massachusetts magazine, both of which cover the Valley, the Berkshires, and southern Vermont. He also continue to work on a seasonal basis for the Provincetown Ten-

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ALU M N OT E S nessee Williams Theater Festival on Cape Cod in September.

production of “West of Elsewhere” when it stopped in Salt Lake City.

Emily’s performance was exemplary and it was great to catch up.

Katie Overgaard writes “I got a dog in April! She’s named Sadie and she’s incredible. I’ve nearly commenced year six in my role as director of an art gallery on the Upper East Side.

All is good”.

Marguerite White ’04 Marguerite White says that “after seven years in education and five as a yoga teacher, last year I opened Vital Glow Yoga in Pittsburgh, PA, a non-heated vinyasa yoga studio. I’m very happy to say that we’ve had a successful first year, and I’m currently preparing to run my first 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training in September.

Stop in for a class if you find yourself in the steel city!”

Rachel Sumner reports that “2016 has been an exciting year! I celebrated my 30th birthday by fulfilling a lifelong dream: kayaking with manatees (in Florida’s Three Sisters Springs). I recently moved back to Ithaca, NY, to begin working as a postdoctoral associate at Cornell; I’m working on a project that connects Cornell staff to the youth and adults involved in New York’s 4-H program to conduct research that is relevant to audiences in both academic and real-world youth development contexts. My dog and I are both thrilled to be back in Ithaca, which has a 4-acre dog park and a Wegmans that’s open 24 hours a day”.

2006

Ali Hamdan writes “I hope this finds you well. I am currently in my 5th year of a MA-PhD program in Geography, for which I am writing a dissertation on the geopolitics of the Syrian opposition in exile. I have been living in Amman, Jordan for the 2015-2016 year conducting interviews and field visits and will be living in Gaziantep, Turkey for the next, following a brief return visit to see family and friends in MA this August. Then I return to the States and hopefully finish the thing!”

Emma McGowan (06), and Luke Arbib (06) were lucky enough to catch Emily Caffery’s (06) traveling

Maddy Leue is happily divorced, indulging in lots of artistic pursuits, and raising 3-year-old Calliope, the greatest muse in the world.

2007

Rhys McGovern says “I have been working for the last 2 years as a bilingual speech-language pathologist with deaf and hard-of-hearing kids, preschool through 8th grade, in a public school system north of Boston. I just accepted a job with the Newton North Deaf and Hardof-Hearing program to work with their high school kids! My work is a huge part of my life, and one I enjoy immensely”.

Nathan Tirk has just moved to Seattle after living in Burlington, VT since graduating from The Academy.

He’ll miss a lot about his life there, including the chance to connect with classmates Julian Post and Heather Gagnon, but looks forward to big mountains, lots of skiing, hiking, and biking, and his new job as a structural engineer with a firm specializing in buildings.

2008

Erin Tuffy graduated from medical school in 2016 and in July of 2016 began her residency in Emergency Medicine at Albert Einstein Medical Center. She lives in Philadelphia with her fiancé, Christopher.

2009

Beatrice Foster-Marian writes “After graduating from The Academy in 2009, I attended one year of university at UNC-Asheville before transferring over to the UK to attend university in the far north reaches of England. I spent three years at Durham University where I received a B.A. (Hons) degree in Anthropology. I now live and work in London in media sponsorship, bringing consumer brands together to create campaigns that range from simple television ads to long-standing partnerships like Evian and Wimbledon”.

Chelsea Overgaard reports that

Alessandra “Sandy” Carroll ’09 and Chelsea Overgaard ’09 “after graduating from the Academy, I moved to Philly and received a degree in Fashion Merchandising from Philadelphia University. Graduating a semester early Summa Cum Laude, I immediately jumped into an in-store executive position at Kohl’s.

After 2+ years in that position at 3 different stores, I was feeling restless, so I packed up and road-tripped to Seattle (where Sandy Carroll also lives). I am now working as the Store Manager of the first Aesop shop in Seattle. I happily spend my free time taking advantage of the beautiful Washington outdoors, and playing fetch with my cat, Penelope”.

Madeline Thompson writes “Masquerading as an adult by working for the International Office in Shiga, Japan. Spending days off traveling by train and bicycle, drawing lots of pictures and romanticizing about a future life making art and living out of a van”.

Emily Caffery ’06, Emma McGowan ’06 and Luke Arbib ’06

2011

Mackenzie Brown ’11 Mackenzie Brown writes “I graduated from Goucher College in December 2015. Currently working at the LEAP Program through the Kennedy Krieger Institute of John’s Hopkins University. I’m teaching middle schoolers with severe autism and other pervasive disabilities.

Loving living in Baltimore and will be starting grad school at Johns Hopkins in the fall pursuing a masters in severe disabilities”.

Forrest Webler is at Brown University in the Biomedical Engineering program doing a Masters program for 2 years. His research will probably be on biological adhesives for medical applications. He’s also still working with his undergraduate professor from Brandeis on a non-invasive way to map the 3D shape of the eye for full eye contact lens fittings. They just got some funding so that will continue on the side for him and he will be presenting a paper about that work at a conference in Washington soon. And he’s got a job in the Brown design lab where he’s designing homeless tent shelters.

2014

Kai Webler is finishing his A.A. in Environmental Science at GCC and is doing Mass Transfer to UMass Amherst, Department of Environmental Conservation. He wants to get his BA in Natural Resource Conservation, but there’s still a chance he will switch to Environmental Science.

He’s really involved in rock climbing movie/video making. Kai spent time in Spain this year having been brought there to film a team doing some climbing. He’s getting to be pretty well known in the international community of climbers.

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VOX • Fall 2016

Big Ideas, Big Undertaking: Big Love at The Academy B y I s a d o r a B r e n i z e r ’19

T

he sun is just beginning to set over an Italian

veranda. There is a bathtub

in the center and wedding music is blasting. This is how the stage was set last March when students in The Academy’s theater program performed Charles Mee’s play, Big Love, its story based on the earliest western drama by Aeschylus, The Suppliant Women: fifty brides escaping forced marriages and fleeing to Italy from Greece.

In our production of Big Love, there were only nine brides. The nine women wash up on the shores of Italy to find themselves in the home of a man who is at first reluctant to take them in but soon finds he has no choice.

The cousins to whom they are contracted to be married are condescending and threatening, and the women refuse to be wed.

As the play progresses, one of the brides (Lydia) finds that she and her fiancé Nikos are in fact in love and wish to marry. Of course, this creates complications with her sisters. All of the troubles and conflicts culminate in a dramatic climax, leaving the stage cluttered with six dead husbands, six spiteful sisters and one dismayed couple. Director Christina Gabriel (P16) was able to incorporate her abundance of dance experience into the play, starting each rehearsal off with a movement warm-up and masterfully choreographing four dance numbers for the performance. This expert touch added to the extremely expressive nature of the play and provided an exciting element for the audience. Ms. Gabriel says, “Coming from a dance background, I was excited to read the many indications for movement

and music in the script. I used some of the musical suggestions, changed some, and added more to keep a sense of flow and urgency throughout the play”. This addition made the production fresh and exciting. Many of the rehearsals were solely focused on perfecting these dances and cast members would often return to rehearsal the next day feeling sore and weary, but ready to do it all again.

The cast of Big Love was made

mother. Kyle Mayer ’19 and Katie Tobits ’18 played two lovebird house guests. One with an Italian accent and the other an English one, they made the perfect duo.

All together the characters were brilliantly cast and came together to form a thrilling ensemble.

Big Love was compelling and powerful. It challenged actors and audiences to confront important topics such as gender roles and stereotypes, and atrocities such as rape and

up of 22 talented and dedicated students who spent many weeks perfecting their roles. The leading brides were Michaela Lindsey ’17 as Lydia, Nellie Boyd-Owens ’18 as Thyona and Lilah Feitner ’18 as Olympia. Leading grooms were Riley Brown ’16 as Nikos, Allen Gabriel ’16 as Constantine and Connor O’Brien ’17 as Oed. “There was so much talent in this group that we had to divide the six main characters into eighteen, three sets of three each for the men and the women, representing different qualities of male and female in ways that were sometimes stereotypical, sometimes more nuanced, and often blatantly honest”, says Gabriel about the casting. Besides the brides and grooms other major characters were the suave uncle Piero (Mark Vranos ’16) and his nephew Giuliano (Tucker Boyd ’17). Isadora Brenizer ’19 played a fiercely traditional Italian grand-

extreme violence. The content of the play was brutal and beautiful at the same time, and although some of the issues raised by the performance are hard to process and even harder to portray, they are extremely relevant to today’s world. It was challenging for some of the actors to portray their characters fully because the things they did and said were so terrible, but even the characters’ most horrible behaviors were portrayed with realism.

“For young people trying to find a moral compass in a world of vain posturing, violence and intolerance, and facing expectations about what it means to be

masculine or feminine, this play offers a chance to understand and speak loudly and clearly the mind of another human being, and in so doing, learn to dig deep and articulate their own beliefs”, says director Gabriel about the relevance of Big Love to the lives of the cast members. It took the most complicated and difficult topics and displayed them in a way that was heart wrenching and beautiful.

Everyone involved with the production devoted an enormous amount of time and energy, and it paid off. Opening night was spectacular and left the audience in tears of both love and sympathy. There were four performances, and each one brought a new kind of energy to the stage, making each slightly different. Whatever small changes occurred, whether in the dance or energy or someone forgetting their black socks, the performances were outstanding and powerful. Big Love led the audience on a rollercoaster of emotions including joy, sadness, compassion, anger, hate, sympathy and most of all, love.

VOX • Fall 2016

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VOX • Fall 2016

2015 – 2016 ANNUAL GIVING The Academy at Charlemont gratefully acknowledges the following donors for their voluntary contributions during the 2015-2016 fiscal year (July 1, 2015 – June 30, 2016). 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). These listings are based on gifts recorded as of June 30, 2016. We regret any errors or omissions and welcome notification thereof.

Headmaster’s Circle Anonymous (3) David Epstein ’87 Cornelia Kittler GP01 Cornelia and Wallis Reid P01 Oliver ’88 and Toni Stebich Benjamin Thompson and Charlotte Meryman P09, 12 Founders’ Society Kathleen Becker and Linda Enghagen P07 Henry and Kathleen Chalfant GP19 Kathy and Ben Osborne P18, 20 Deborah Shriver P03 Charlemont Society Anonymous Verne and Gail Bissell Dane Boryta ’84 and Liz Ferro L. Adlai and Karen M. Boyd GP18, 19 Kerlin Conyngham Rarie Dye* GP12 Peter Engelman and Kendall Clark P13, 15 Dr. Daniel Goleman GP17, 19 Bill Grinnell P12 Judy Grunberg GP20 Bill and Karen Hall GP19 Hartford Foundation for Public Giving David and Margaret Howland Megan Kendrick ’99 and Brian Murphy Zachary Kolodin ’03 Bruce Lessels and Karen Blom P14 Thomas McCrumm and Judy Haupt P97 Sarah and Mark McKusick P07, 10 Bo ’90 and Katherine Peabody Wesley Rosner ’85 Jaka ’90 and Gadi Saarony Jim Schaefer Michael and Susan Slowinski P98, 00, 01 Cathy Stevens and Juliette Meeus Martha and Ted Tirk P07 Elinor Todd ’93 and Michael Beach Missy and David Wick P12 Marguerite Willis GP13, 21 Bettie and Steve Zakon-Anderson P17, 19 Patrons Joan and Edgardo Bianchi P09 Dr. Brian D. Bloomfield

Drs. Sean ’88 and Jessica Dacus Ellen and Michael Feld P12 Obediah and Joan Gibson P90 Gary Hyslop Michael Lioce, Jr. GP15 John and Pauline MacLean P89, 92 Stuart Mieher P13 Mohawk Trail Concerts, Inc. Barbara Morgan Bill Nye Karen and Jonathan Rehmus P10, 14 John Thayer and Natalie Rioux S. Richard and Susan Todd P85, 89, 93 Sara Wein and Neal Anderson P16 Beverley and Robert Yoon P10 Scholars James and Marjorie Abel GP17, 19 Elizabeth Adams P02 David Adie P08, 12 and Deb Hoyle P05 Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bartlett P07, 10 Joan A. Bianchi, LICSW P09 Diane and Ken Bigelow P14, 16, 21 M. Jennifer Bloxam P10 Jim and Gloria Brand GP20 Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Caldwell GP13, 15 Bill Corwin and Jennifer Rosner P19 Paul and Amy Catanzaro P21 William Chester GP07, 10 Dr. Michael Coe Carol and Mort Corwin GP19 Jayne and Robert Dane Linda Driscoll and Nelson Shifflett P88 Chris Farley and Juliet Jacobson P12 Tom and Sally Fegley Carol Foote Donald and Margaret Freeman Virginia Gabert ’84 Peter Gowdy ’85 Charles Grant ’92 Jane and Stephen Grant P92, 94, 96 Diane and Ned Gray P16 Greenfield Savings Bank Louis and Suzanne Greenwald GP21 Justina and Patrick Gregory Mary Kay Hoffman and Earl Pope P87

Ken and Laura Huff GP18, 19 David Jaros ’90 and Kate Rabb Daniel Kramer and Adele Mattern P20 William and Wanita Laffond Duncan and Meg Laird P20 Thomas and Nancy Leue P96, 04 Brendan Levine ’01 James Linfield and Sheryl Waxler P19 David Lonergan P16 Simon MacLean ’92 and Jessica Striebel MacLean ’93 Sabine and Michael Mauri P21 Thomas McCoy and Mary Byers P15 Jessamy McKay Ackerman ’89 Jacquelyn McLaughlin and John Bride GP17, 19 Elizabeth Mead Sightler ’88 Leonard Melnick and Margaret Seiler P10 Rachel Merrell Mr. and Mrs. Richard Meyer GP11, 14, 16 William Miller Zoe A. Neeley ’13 Wil Neeley ’15 James and Charlene Neeley P13, 15, 19 Gary and Deborah Niswonger P90, 92 Cassie Nylen Gray ’93 Robert and Judy Oakes P98 Kate O’Brien GP17, 20 Deborah Phillips P07, 09 Maura Pinnavaia Ryan Pirtle-McVeigh ’03 Jane and Michael Plager P16 Richard and Mary Potter P00 Stephanie and David Purington P11, 14 Mary Quigley and Mollie Babize P06 Mr. and Mrs. Jack Ramey Tanya Rapinchuk and Kamal Souccar P10, 16 Charlotte Rea and Robert Fricker Candice Reffe and Ed Hogan P13 Danette Reynolds P16 Rachael Risser-Sperry ’03 Mr. and Mrs. Donald Robinson William and Priscilla Rope Robert Rottenberg and Rachel Cohen Rottenberg P93,11 Charles Savage Robert Savage P02

Eve Schocket GP17 Glenn Seberg Jonathan Secor and Ana Maria Harkins P16 The Reverend Neale Secor GP16 Elizabeth Slowinski ’98 Mac Snodgrass and Enedina Garcia Snodgrass Peter Stevens and Linn Bower Lisa Styles and Larry Parnass P04, 07 Todd Sumner P04 and Mark Melchior Kipp ’90 and Esterlina Sutton Vicki Sutton P90 Emily Todd ’85 and Liam Harte William and Kathy Vranos P16 Phoebe Walker and Dennis West P17, 21 Thomas Webler P11 Guy and Deb Wheeler P97 Leah Wiedmann Gailey ’93 and Christopher Gailey Ellen and Peter Zale P98, 00, 06 Peter and Melanie Zschau P98 Friends Kim Alexander Katherine Anderson ’16 Peter Atkinson and Judith Wermuth Peter Barnett P90 Jeannie Bartlett ’10 Nora ’00 and Synphany Bates Zale John Bennett and Katherine Montague-Bennett P10, 15 Cassandra Bigelow ’16 Cameron Bluh-Derricotte ’16 Mr. and Mrs. Manfred Bräutigam Elizabeth Burgess Jaslyn Cincotta ’04 Jesse Cohen ’13 Barbara Cover Carlotta Crissey Chandler Ilaria deLesdernier ’16 Angela Di Martino Patricia Donohue P11, 14, 16 Clare Donohue-Meyer ’11 Mollie Donohue-Meyer ’14 Nils Donohue-Meyer ’16 Molly and Bradley Duncan Waverley Engelman ’13 Milo Farley ’12 Karina Feitner ’14 Larry and Susan Flaccus Herbert and Christine Forgey P01 Alan and Betsy Fraker P04

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VOX • Fall 2016 Gail Fries P03, 08 Phyllis and Fred Furminger GP21 Allen Gabriel ’16 David Gagnon and Shelley Dresser P07 Enid Gallaghar ’16 Erica and Govinddass Goleman P16, 19 Eva Gray ’16 Elizabeth Grybko P03 Kathryn Hallenbeck GP20 James Harkins GP16 Jonathan and Elizabeth Healy Nancy Henderson and Peter Adams Samantha Hersh ’15 Julia Horton ’08 Aurie Ingraham-Adie ’12 Allen and Ann Irvine Noah Jacobson-Carroll ’14 Liz and Matt Jacobson-Carroll P14 Jenny Jaros Friedl ’88 and Lawrence Friedl Roger Kasbo and Hasna Haffar P18, 21 Andrea and John Keins P15, 21 Silas Kopf Jerry Levine and Julie McCarthy P01 Emma Loubsky-Lonergan ’16 Vera Maitinsky GP15, 21 Abel McDonnell ’03 Ann McNelly Mary L. Meryman* GP09, 12 Kurt Meyer P11, 14, 16 Frederick Moss Albert Norman and Anna Morrison Sal Pace GP15 Ann Parker Patricia Parker and William Comeaux P18 Alice Parker Dr. and Mrs. Richard Parmett P86, 88 Miranda Pierce ’90 Matthew Plager ’16 Zoe Plakias ’04 Nick Plakias and Leslie Taylor P04 Stephanie Powers P19 Geoffrey and Kathryn Precourt Monica Pulci and Daniel Delesdernier P15, 16 Gloria Jean Purinton Indra Rapinchuk-Souccar ’16 Susan Samoriski Michele Scanlon GP19 John and Angela ’01 Schatz Christina Secor ’16 Anne and Fred Seifert Patricia Serrentino and Alexander Haro P11 Ingrid Shockey P11

2015 – 2016 ANNUAL GIVING

Lisa Slocum and Chip Weems P12 Pamela Stewart Rachel A. Sumner ’04 Eric and Mary Sumner Target Take Charge of Education Fund Rick Taupier and Beth Haggerty P03, 05 Douglas Telling Madeline Thompson ’09 Nathan Tirk ’07 Susan and Charles Titus Yangchen Tsemtso Sithir ’02 Catherine Valdez Casey Walsh-Warder ’16 Amy H. Waterman Mason ’98 and Josh Mason Barbara and Harold Westwood P11 Priscilla White P86 Lyric Williams-Russell ’16 Roberta and Jamie Wooldridge P15 Jean Zimmer P21 * deceased Matching Gifts MassMutual Matching Gifts Program Select Equity Group Foundation Grants Charles H. Hall Foundation Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts Greenfield Garden Club Kate Risley Foundation Honorary and Memorial Gifts In Honor of the Academy Class of 2016 William Miller In Honor of The Bigelows Barbara Cover In Honor of Brian Bloomfield Jennifer Rosner and Bill Corwin In Honor of Eli Catanzaro’21 Phyllis and Fred Furminger In Honor of Emily Comeaux’18 Ann Parker In Honor of Kerlin Conyngham Jaslyn Cincotta ’04 In Honor of Dianne Grinnell Charles Savage In Honor of Samantha Hersh ’15 Sal Pace In Honor of Sabine Mauri John Thayer and Natalie Rioux In Honor of Steve Morganelli David Jaros

In Honor of Emily ’17 and Kyle ’19 Nitzsche James and Marjorie Abel

In Honor of Cornelia Reid Justina and Patrick Gregory In Honor of Madeline ’09 and Sawyer ’12 Thompson Elizabeth Burgess In Memory of Eric Grinnell Gloria Jean Purinton Charles Savage In Memory of Elizabeth Hobbs Larry and Susan Flaccus In Memory of Zephyr Rapinchuk ’10 Meg Seiler and Len Melnick In Memory of Gerhard Stebich P88 Angela DiMartino Maura Pinnavaia Richard and Mary Potter Gifts In Kind Marcine Appel Atherton Farm Joan Bianchi Big Y BJs Wholesale Club Janice Boudreau Rebekah Boyd Nellie Boyd-Owens Cheri Cross Bill Deters John Downie Peter Feitner Foster’s Supermarket Levi and Meghan Fuller Christina and Manfred Gabriel Roger Gunn, Stevensville Transportation Hall Tavern Farm Jamison Isler Bob and Lynda Jaros Christy Knox Sandy Lilly Diane Loesch Jones, London Lace Lorena Loubsky Jim Neeley Kathleen O’Rourke Richard Parmett Pine Hill Orchards Cornelia Reid Paul Robbins Associates Ted Tirk Paul Tobits Walnut Hill Farm Bob White Gifts to the Senior Legacy Fund in Honor of the Class of 2016 Neal Anderson and Sara Wein Diane and Ken Bigelow Patricia Donohue Ned and Diane Gray

Cornucopia Auction 2015 Underwriters Berkshire East People’s United Bank Berkshire Fairfield Insurance Agency Florence Savings Bank OESCO Inc. Sessions Repair ST Insurance Agency West County Equipment Rental Special Thanks Stephanie Purington, Auctioneer The Academy Parents Council Provisions...for pantry and cellar and Benson Hyde, Northampton Headwater Cider, Hawley Pine Hill Orchards, Colrain Pierce Brothers Coffee, Greenfield Mansir Printing, Holyoke Mary Cay Brass Bob White John Baldwin Donors Adele Mattern, P20 Adlai Boyd, GP18 & 19 Alan Young Allen Gabriel, ’16 Amherst Cinema Ann and Ray Hallenbeck Ann Parker Annabelle Lytle-Rich Anthony Walker, GP17, 21 Arboreal Habitats Ashfield Hardware Ashfield Soap Company Ashfield Stone, Johanna Andersen Pratt and Jerry Pratt, P05 Barbara Cover Berkshire East Berkshire Pizza Beverley and Robert Yoon, P08, 10 Beverly Duncan Blue Rock Restaurant and Bar Cassandra Bigelow ’16 Cassie Nylen Gray ’93 Celia Feal-Staub Pottery Chai-Wallah Christy Knox, P14, 18 Cornelia and Wallis Reid, P01 Country Pie Pizza Company Cummington Supply Dana Blackburn and Jonathan Diamond Daniel Kramer P20 Dave & Pegge Howland Deb Felix, P16 Deb Hoyle, P05 Diane and Ken Bigelow, P14, 16 Diane Loesch and Peter Jones Double Edge Theatre Dr. Brian Bloomfield

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VOX • Fall 2016

2014 – 2015 ANNUAL GIVING Duncan and Meg Laird, P20 Elaine Parmett, P86, 88 Ellen and Peter Zale, P98, 00, 06 Elliot Levin Photographer Elmer’s Store Erin Kelly-Dill Felice Wolfzahn, P18 Foxbard Farm Gayle Kabaker, P12 Green River Auto Greenfield Auto Specialists Hancock Shaker Village Headwater Cider Iron Horse Music Hall Jaka ’90 and Gadi Saarony James and Charlene Neeley, P13, 15, 19 Jane and Stephen Grant, P92, 96 Jayne and Robert Dane Jennifer Rosner and Bill Corwin, P19 Jim Olsen Jo Bunny Joan and Tito Bianchi, P09 Jonathan Ginzberg, P14 Katherine Anderson, ’16 Katryna Nields, P19 Ken and Ethel Kipen Ken Shapiro, P08 Kendall Clark and Peter Engelman, P13, 15 Kimberly Sebrey Kurt Meyer, P11, 14 & 16 Laura Hill Linn Bower Mac McCoy P15 Magical Child Toy Store Marguerite Morris Willis, GP21 Marian Ives Mark Leue, P03, 06, 07 Mary Kay Hoffman, P87 MASS MoCA Matt’s Automotive Michael and Susan Slowinski Mike Cardozo Mohawk Trail Concerts, Inc. Molly Cantor Pottery Mo’s Fudge Factor Nancy Henderson Natural Roots CSA Ned James, Ashfield Tools, P06 New England Cheese Making Supply Company Nicholas Hallenbeck ’20 Noah Grunberg and Janet Mullen, P20 Northampton Wools Orion Becker ’07 Pioneer Valley Ballet Pothole Pictures Provisions…for pantry and cellar Prudence Wholey Replay Music Gear & More

Sandri Energy Sandy Bigelow Sara Wein, P16 Side Hill Farm Spirit Fire Retreat Center Stan Langston, Willow Tree Food Service Stephen Earp Susan Draxler The Textile Co., Inc. Thomas Fallon Photography Thomas Fegley Thomas McCrumm and Judy Haupt, P97 Tony Derricotte, P16 Tricia Wells, P18 Valerie and Mark Nicoletti, P20 Vävstuga Weaving School Vera Matinsky, GP15 Vickie Selleck Walker-West Family Walter Cudnohufsky YMCA in Greenfield

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

The Charlemont Legacy Society As of June 30, 2016, the following donors have made their legacy giving intentions known to The Academy. We are grateful for their forwardthinking commitment to our mission.

Anonymous Carlotta Crissey Chandler Loren Cole and Jason Cooper P08 Jayne and Robert Dane Don and Marilyn Freeman Eric* and Dianne Grinnell Russell and Mary Henne* Ernest Hofer* John William Hoth* John Brace Latham* Elisabeth B. Leete* Mrs. Rolf Merton Cornelia and Wallis Reid P01 Todd Sumner P04 If you have made bequest provisions naming The Academy at Charlemont as a beneficiary of your estate, we would welcome the opportunity to honor such and expression of confidence by including your name in this listing in the future. * deceased

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 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 BY MAIL

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 2016

Why We Support The Academy

By Je n n ifer Ro sner & Bill C orwin, P ’ 1 9 , P ’ 2 2 We first visited The Academy at Charlemont when investigating it as a possible fit for our older daughter, Sophia. Upon touring the school, our initial impression was of high academic standards in a warm, open, upbeat, fun, and creative community. We admired several things: the mutual respect evident among faculty and students; the opportunities (and expectations) for students to be independent and self-determining; the vast and varied artistic expression all around.

We went to a concert for further exposure, and we were struck by the exuberant support the students gave one another and by the range of musical interests they displayed. Students played in Rock groups, a Latin band, a Celtic band; they sang in A Capella and Choral groups—and all were respected and appreciated.

Finally, we attended the annual presentation of Senior Projects, where we witnessed young adults in the full swing of intellectual innovation, passion, and leadership. One student had researched the effects of river silt washed up from Hurricane Irene on seedlings; another had scripted a movie incorporating historical

elements from the life of Roman senator Lucius Sergius Catilina; another had created a photography portfolio featuring the work of street artists; yet another had built a recording studio on site.

These projects seemed a true culmination of what The Academy offers to its students: challenging academics in a supportive, inspiring, art-filled, self-launching environment.

(Needless to say, we fully supported Sophia in applying, and she is now a rising tenth grader.

Our younger daughter, Juliet, will be attending as a seventh grader starting in the fall of 2016.)

Months prior to those early visits, we attended a Smith College graduation at which Jane Lynch, actress and former Second City improvisation performer, spoke. Lynch explained that the most useful life skill she’s learned, and also the basic principle in

improv, is the “Yes, and…”.—a principle by which one accepts the contribution given by another and expands on it so as to begin the collaborative process. It struck us that the spirit of this principle was at work at The Academy. Studio Blocks, some of which are devised out of the quirky and random interests of seniors, are offered and other students join in— and learn. Athletics are for everyone (even those who have never played a sport), and this opportunity enables students to grow in competence and confidence and to be part of a team. Rather than a closed culture that fosters competition, there is openness and cooperation. Students work together in ways that prioritize innovation above ego.

In so many school environments, young students face unbearable pressures to conform and to excel at any cost. We believe that The Academy strikes a great balance, encouraging strong work, integrity, and excellence in an environment that is compassionate, accepting, and kind. And whether intentional or not, it prepares students to handle whatever is tossed their way—be it a Greek proverb, a literary allusion, a Frisbee or an improv prompt—and to make the most of it.

This is why we support The Academy.

Alumni/ae Council

By Abel McD onnell ’03 Over the last year and a half, a small group of alums have worked together to establish the Academy Alumni Council.

We all know one of the defining characteristics of The Academy is its strong sense of community. The Alumni Council was founded because we missed that sense of community and felt it was time for alums to take charge of engaging with each other and our school. Our goals are to foster community among alums and build more connections with The Academy.

While donating is incredibly important, there are many ways to be involved and give back to the school we love. Over the coming months, we hope to discuss these opportunities with you.

The Alumni Council hosted its first two events in early August, happy hours in Northampton and New York City. Alums came together in both cities and had a great time reconnecting.

Some met for the first time, others hadn’t seen each other in years. The Council plans to host more events soon. Hopefully we’ll see you at one of them.

To become more involved or share an idea for an event in your area, please email me at abelmcdonnell@gmail.com. I’d love to hear from you.

•

The Academy’s 2016-2017 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.

VOX • Fall 2016 The Academy at Charlemont 1359 Route 2 • Charlemont, MA 01339

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THROUGH THE VIEWFINDER Zell Goleman ’17

Connor O’Brien ’17

Henry Walker-West ’17

Indra Rapinchuk-Souccar ’16

Emily Nitzsche ’17