VOLUME I | 2020
GFS BULLETIN
IN THE STUDIO with SANDRA BOYNTON Lighting the Way: A Vision for Equity and Education
J O I N G E R M A N T O W N F R I E N D S S C H O O L’ S
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GE R M A N T O W N FR IEN D S.OR G/D ON ATE
IN THIS ISSUE 20
Installation Sensation Artist and GFS educator Sarah Zwerling brings connectivity to the Comcast Centers with a digital photo collage that showcases the nature and neighborhoods of Philadelphia, bringing the outside in. By Meg Cohen Ragas ’85
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Lighting the Way Last spring, the School Committee and Head of School Dana Weeks launched the GFS strategic vision Lighting the Way, a framework to steward the future of GFS, advancing our role in education innovation, equity, and access. By Sam Rhoads ’82, clerk of the School Committee, and David Feldman ’76, assistant clerk of the School Committee
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Outstanding in Her Field How Sandra Boynton ’70, who felt she wasn’t particularly good at anything, wound up at the top of her game—and a household name—by doing it her way. By Meg Cohen Ragas ’85
FRONT 1 2 3 11 13 17
In This Issue From the Head of School News & Noteworthy Tiger Beat Supporting GFS Faculty Focus
B AC K 35 40
Class Notes Q&A
This magazine is printed on recycled paper.
O N T H E COV E R Sandra Boynton ’70 was photographed by Scott B. Foley in her studio in the Connecticut Berkshires on June 20, 2019. Volume I 2020 |
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EDITOR
Meg Cohen Ragas ’85 CON TR IBU TOR S
Sophie Borgenicht ’20 Jessica Fisher Kate Hanssen ’00 Hannah Caldwell Henderson ’91 Scott B. Foley, photography Diane Mallery ’80 Amanda Reath ’89 Michelle Sonsino Joanna Volpe HEAD OF SCHOOL
Dana Weeks
C H I E F A DVA N C E M E N T OFFICER
Hannah Caldwell Henderson ’91 DIR ECTOR OF C O M M U N C I AT I O N S
Michelle Sonsino
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Hilary Alger Carol Baldwin Moody ’74 Pat Bass Jordan Bastien Maureen Carr Michael Cohen ’82 Ben Cushman ’72 Marc DiNardo ’80 Moira Duggan Lexa Edsall David Feldman ’76, assistant clerk Carmen Guerra Jodeen Hobbs Mimi McKenzie Takashi Moriuchi, treasurer Kate O’Shea Dianne Reed Jonathan E. Rhoads ’56 Samuel V. Rhoads ’82, clerk Toni Sharp Anne Stassen, recording clerk Faye Steacy TRUSTEES EMER ITI
Pat Rose Pat Macpherson Christopher Nicholson F. Parvin Sharpless David A. West ’49
The GFS Bulletin is published twice a year for the alumni, parents, faculty, and friends of Germantown Friends School. We welcome your comments to the editor at: mragas@germantownfriends.org
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Dear Friends, I will always remember a comment from a new parent, who shared a heartfelt reflection about her son’s first year at GFS. She noted that during the admissions process, the school asserts that they “celebrate the Light” in each student, but she never expected that statement to truly take shape in the classroom—with teachers and classmates embracing her son’s voice, shared through his music. Helping students discover their Light has been at the heart of our mission and program for nearly 175 years. This virtue guides our teaching within all divisions and extends beyond our campus—lifting up talents, sharing perspectives, and learning from others. In this issue of the Bulletin, you will read stories that illustrate the unique inner Light that shines within members of our community, and their journeys to develop a distinctive voice, often with GFS experiences and mentors playing a role along the way. In “The Ties that Bind” (page 3), you will read how our Early Childhood students explore themselves, their families, classmates, and neighborhoods—celebrating differences while reflecting on similarities. In “Installation Sensation” (page 20), you will see how artist and GFS educator Sarah Zwerling designed a photo collage for the underground passageway that connects Philadelphia’s two Comcast towers, bringing nature and light into the urban landscape. On page 11, “Tiger Beat” shines a light on our studentathletes, highlighting the boys’ tennis team’s amazing third-consecutive Friends Schools League Championship. And in our cover story, “Outstanding in Her Field” (page 28), you will learn
about the inspired author, illustrator, and songwriter Sandy Boynton ’70, her path to creating more than 70 illustrated books and six albums, her ongoing quest for perfection, and her poignant GFS memories. Boynton reminisces about influential GFS teachers who created an environment that “fostered individuality, independence, and creativity.” In this issue, you will also read about how the school’s strategic vision, launched this past spring, centers around this same quest to incorporate diverse perspectives into our teaching and learning. Our School Committee Clerk Sam Rhoads and Assistant Clerk David Feldman share the three interconnected parts of our vision and how the title “Lighting the Way” reflects our aspiration to have an even greater impact on classroom equity and educational access. At GFS, we often say, “When you begin with the belief that each person has a unique inner Light, great things can happen.” I see this philosophy in action on campus every day, and hope you enjoy the examples highlighted in this issue of the Bulletin. Warmly,
Dana Weeks Head of School
NEWS & NOTEWORTHY
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT 31 W. COULTER STREET—AND BEYOND
The Ties That Bind Through a special project involving reading, writing, listening, and mapping, students in Early Childhood learn that community begins with connection and contribution. By Michelle Sonsino THE QUAKER TESTIMONY OF COM MUNITY PROVIDES THE PERFECT FRAMEWORK FOR OUR PREK STUDENTS
to learn about people, places, cultures, and their own relationships within the larger ecosystem. Through a crosscurricular Community Study, the Germantown Friends School Early Childhood curriculum fosters an appreciation for differences and reinforces lessons of empathy. Designed within the school’s larger academic program, this project is a developmentally appropriate way for students to identify and embrace the dynamic and important relationships that exist within their lives—and recognize that everyone has something to contribute. “There are so many benefits to our Community Study,” says Director of Early Childhood Sarah McMenamin. “Students can understand what it means to be a part of a community, why we do the things we do, why we act peacefully.” The project is a progressive and interdisciplinary social studies, math, art, and early literacy experience, developed a decade ago by Early Childhood teacher Marisa Vergnetti and embraced as a signature part of the curriculum under the leadership of McMenamin. To kick off the yearlong study, PreK students begin to look at themselves as members of their classroom community and as individuals, through a self-portrait
study. Class discussions quickly lead to queries about the students’ own families and those of their friends and teachers, which they explore through art, writing, reading, and drama. This self-study extends into the winter, when students begin to learn about their classmates through the lens of biography, as each takes a turn as Child of the Day. Parents, family members, and friends are invited to school to talk about their traditions, from lighting the Hanukkah candles to learning about Indian dance. Children are also introduced to various family compositions, and can recognize and appreciate how the lives of their classmates are different and similar to their own. In the spring, teachers broaden the concept of community by leading
intentional discussions and field trips and conducting interviews outside the classroom, giving students access to new people and experiences. Classroom discussions and lessons reflect these interactions, and are enhanced through math, reading, writing, music, and other activities. Children have the opportunity to meet GFS employees and neighbors and learn about their stories and contributions to society, offering real-life examples of seeking the Light in each individual. Students begin to see themselves as an active, integral part of the community. Specific activities differ depending on location. On Main Campus, students may explore the historic Meetinghouse, administrative buildings, or the Open Door Café, interviewing key faculty and staff members Volume I 2020 |
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along the way. Open Door Manager Ashley Alter invites students behind the register to show them how a small business works and thrives, explaining the value of customer service and discussing the importance of a community space on campus. In Center City, students explore the Curtis Center, which is filled with all sorts of shops, offices, and people, or take field trips to Washington Square and the businesses and green spaces in the surrounding area. Students speak with National Park Service Rangers, who work at their favorite local parks, as well as employees at the local coffee and snack shops.
At the end of the school year, students on both campuses study neighboring buildings and map out their community as a 3-D model (right). Through grid-mapping, they learn how math, numbers, and counting contribute to their environment. Students are assigned a particular building and explore it through photography, sketching, and, finally, scale modeling, gaining something unique and memorable from their Community Study experience. “I learned about different types of buildings and where people live and work,” says five-year-old Logan Katz. “I loved learning about big, tall
buildings because I live in one. We worked together and had a lot of fun!” The Community Study project authentically models GFS’ Quaker roots and vision for collaborative learning, and demonstrates that welcoming, wondering—and wandering—are at the heart of community.
Seeing Double WHEN GFS OPENED ITS DOORS FOR THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR, THERE WERE TWO FAMILIAR FACES AMIDST THE SEA OF
returning students and faculty: twins Jamil and Jalil Pines, members of the GFS Class of 2015. Joining the community as assistant teachers (Jamil, fourth grade; Jalil, sixth) and coaches, they are excited to be back on campus. “Going to GFS was the best decision we ever made,” says Jamil (below right), who, like his brother, attended Eliza-
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bethtown College and played Varsity basketball. “It prepared us for college and beyond. Now we want to offer that same experience to our students.” While at GFS, the Pines brothers played basketball and ran cross country, and emphasized their love of being together. “We bring out the best in each other, as people and as athletes,” says Jalil. He cites his classes, teachers, teammates, and the school’s emphasis on diversity and its inquiry-
based approach to education as why his time here was so memorable. “GFS makes you think outside the box. If you are wrong, you ask yourself why and consider other perspectives.” His mentors, though, were his and Jamil’s greatest influences. “Coach Shawn Werdt was monumental in helping [set] us on the right path, and seeing that we have potential to make an impact,” says Jalil. “Jamil and Jalil proved to be two of the toughest guards to wear a Tigers uniform in my time as head coach,” says Werdt. “They led us to a 21-5 record and an FSL championship appearance. The same attributes they displayed as athletes are now shining through as young professionals here at GFS.” The boys have great pride in being alumni of a school where they formed a network with deep, lasting connections. To strengthen that network, particularly for students and alumni of color, they have volunteered with the school’s Alumni of Color initiative. “Through coaching, mentoring, and teaching, if I can change someone’s life and contribute to making the world a better place, then I consider that successful,” says Jalil. “Life isn’t a straight line, but it always leads back to education.” –M.S.
Change of Art Lily Stone’s online gallery makes art accessible and affordable—and allows emerging artists to connect with a wider audience. By Joanna Volpe MANY BELIEVE THAT COLLECTING FINE ART IS THE EXCLUSIVE TERRITORY OF THE WEALTHY AND THOSE SCHOOLED IN
the ways of Sotheby’s and Christie’s. Lily Stone ’03 is striving to change that narrative. That’s why she founded RedDot (reddotculture.com), an online platform introducing emerging artists to new buyers—and selling their artwork at affordable prices. “I want to increase the amount of art that’s bought and sold,” she explains of the venture she launched in 2017. “There’s an untapped demographic of art lovers who say they don’t know what good art is or can’t afford it. I want to educate them and provide access to a variety of artists, subjects, price points, and mediums.” Although she has an artistic background, Stone never envisioned herself working in the business. The GFS alumna majored in art history at the University of Pennsylvania and earned her Master’s in Art Business at Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London, where she concentrated her studies on the contemporary market. Once she began acquiring inexpensive pieces, her friends began asking how they, too, could start collecting. “I saw myself as someone who didn’t belong, but once I learned the lingo and how to navigate collecting, I wanted to teach others,” she shares. RedDot exists for the benefit of collectors as well as artists, many of whom struggle to live solely off their work. Stone believes that if you can help buyers trust their tastes, and build relationships between creators and collectors, then the market will expand and more artists will be able to focus on creativity. “Right now, creators operate in a system built on high-level transactions, where galleries and auction houses want exclusive rights to their work. I tell my artists, ‘You can sell your work wherever you
want. The more places, the better.’” Stone also helps her artists value their work. “People treat art like any other item, and if it’s too expensive, they don’t buy it. That’s why there are pieces on the RedDot website that are $50 and others that are $1,000.” Affordability is only one hurdle to collecting; another is the vast number of choices. RedDot’s online gallery eliminates that obstacle by offering a curated selection of artwork by emerging artists from around the world. Stone consults with current and aspiring collectors at every financial level, and helps them become confident in their tastes. “Accessible can mean affordable. It can also mean approachable. It’s about empowering potential buyers to believe in their choices,” says Stone, who is currently based out of London. To expand on her work at RedDot and to attract more international clients, Stone is developing a partner
website with a full-service advisory program for the art-buying process, which includes collecting strategy, artwork sourcing, product purchases, at-home installations, and museum and gallery visits. ACQR. (acqrart. com)—a play on the word “acquire”— breaks down the barriers to art acquisition by partnering with and supporting clients throughout the entire collecting experience. Stone says her time spent at GFS helped her navigate the art market with patience and understanding. “GFS is welcoming and friendly. The art world isn’t always like that.” In keeping with what she learned at 31 W. Coulter Street, she has imbued the qualities of thoughtfulness and generosity into RedDot’s mission: be kind to collectors and artists and help them find their way. “The art industry can convince people that they don’t belong in this world. I’m trying to erase that stigma.”
Volume I 2020 |
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NEWS & NOTEWORTHY
A Homerun for Public Service
The Tate family with Ryan Howard and Diane Mallery ’80 (center), who was responsible for bringing Howard to GFS. MEMBERS OF THE GFS COMMUNITY GOT A TASTE OF PHILLIES FEVER WHEN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL WORLD
Champion Ryan Howard delivered the annual Mercer Tate ’48 Lecture on Public Service. Howard, now a partner at SeventySix Capital and chairman of its Athlete Venture Group, was interviewed by Wayne Kimmel, SeventySix Capital’s Managing Partner, about his transition from baseball to entrepreneurship—and how he continues to make a difference in our city and the world through meaningful invest-
ments and philanthropic initiatives. In addition to sharing his inspiration and passion for helping businesses grow, Howard spoke about how community involvement shapes his life’s work. “Stand up for what you believe,” he advised the audience of Upper and Middle School students. “Take action if you want to create change.” After the Q&A, Varsity baseball and softball captains shared student questions ranging from favorite baseball traditions to The Big Piece Foundation, founded by
Howard and his wife to promote children’s academic and athletic development. The Mercer Tate Lecture was established in honor and memory of Mercer D. Tate ’48, a GFS lifer, and features prominent speakers from various fields of public service. Tate was a dedicated public servant devoted to the GFS community and to Philadelphia. Two of Tate’s children were in attendance: Becky Tate Miller ’83 and Christian Tate ’89, as well as Becky’s son, Morgan. Tate’s other son Richard ’83 couldn’t make it, but joined his siblings in their reflection that “it is wonderful to see students deeply interested in public service and finding their own voice to make change.” Head of School Dana Weeks expressed her gratitude to the Tate family and to Diane Mallery ’80, who helped make Howard’s appearance possible. “It is inspiring to come together in celebration of Mercer Tate, a dedicated public servant devoted to our school and our city. This annual lecture allows us to reflect on the importance of public service and think about ways we can each heed the call for change in our own way.” –M.S.
Welcome! New School Committee Members J O R DA N B A S T I E N
Jordan is a financial advisor at RBC Wealth Management specializing in financial planning and investment management with sustainable and social impact. She began her career in finance as an investment adviser at Worth Financial Management, an independent financial advisory for women. Jordan graduated from Princeton University with a BA in art history, and worked as a contemporary art dealer in New York for 10 years before moving to Philadelphia in 2009. She was the director of alumni relations and a major gifts fundraiser at Abington Friends School for three years (and brought in their largest single gift in the last decade). Jordan lives in Chestnut Hill with her husband and two children and attends the Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting.
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MO I R A C L A R E D U G GA N
Moira is an attorney with Bennett, Bricklin & Saltzburg LLC, a Philadelphia-based law firm. Her work over the years has included a wide range of civil litigation, such as class actions, products liability, employment litigation, and firstparty benefits; she currently focuses on insurance bad faith, insurance coverage, and anti-fraud issues. Moira graduated with high honors from LaSalle University. She earned her law degree from Temple University and clerked for the Honorable John E. Backenstoe in the Court of Common Pleas of Lehigh County. She is a member of Germantown Monthly Meeting, where she serves on several committees, as well as a longtime volunteer at the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House.
Conscientious Farming For organic farmer Josh Volk, community and stewardship create a bountiful harvest. By Joanna Volpe AGRICULTURE IS ONE OF THE LARGEST CONTRIBUTORS TO GLOBAL WARMING, PRODUCING ABOUT 24 PERCENT OF GLOBAL GREENHOUSE-GAS EMISSIONS, ACCORDING TO THE
Environmental Protection Agency. Small farm owner and consultant Josh Volk ’90 thinks that can change, but it will take both farmers and consumers adopting conscientious practices like those at his Slow Hand Farm in Portland, OR, where he grows vegetables and consults with farmers around the world on organic and sustainable techniques. “It is possible to eat food in a way that’s environmentally-friendly, but that means consumers need to pay attention or they could inadvertently support methods that are ecologically destructive,” says Volk. One way for consumers to make an impact is through community supported agriculture (CSA), where the public pays farmers to produce the food they want, in effect becoming shareholders in the crop. “They come to the farm weekly and collect their share of the harvest,” explains the GFS alum. “A CSA creates a direct connection between farm and community. The food is fresher, too. We’re harvesting crops the same day community members pick them up.” CSAs also enable consumers to directly support local farmers who adopt ethical and green practices. Volk got his start in farming as a volunteer at a community garden in Silicon Valley, where he worked as a mechanical engineer. “I’ve always been interested in how things work, I’ve always enjoyed food, and I have a passion for social justice. I wanted to do something to benefit society. That got me interested in changing careers and focusing on food production.” According to reports by several agricultural organizations, most of the world’s food is produced by small farms and by women. Unfortunately, that’s not the story that gets told. “Tens of thousands of growers and farmers are producing as much, if not more, food than a handful of large farms, and they’re making a bigger impact.” Volk believes we should look at the food industry through the lens of small farming. “That’s the most effective way to feed the world,” he says. His book, Compact Farms, showcases the impact of small farming by profiling 15 farms under five acres in North America that successfully produce food for their communities. The publication provides insight for consumers who want to learn where their food comes from and how these farms operate. In addition to running Slow Hand Farm, Volk consults
with other farmers, helping them develop sustainable practices that align with the Slow Food Movement. This movement, which originated in Italy, focuses on the preservation of food traditions and the development of regional farming. “There are microclimates and diverse food cultures and ecologies all over the world. We need to push back against the idea that there should be one food culture everywhere for everyone,” he says. Volk has also developed Slow Tools, equipment for growing food that is cost effective, promotes efficiency, and is simple to manufacture. “We’re trying to create technology that is in line with the Slow Food principles: good, clean, and fair. Farming technology should include modifications for specific areas, crops, and conditions in different parts of the world.” Through his connections to the Culinary Breeding Network, which encourages collaboration between stakeholders in the food community, he works with chefs, farmers, and seed breeders to develop new food with the culinary characteristics that are right for the community. Community is the cornerstone of Volk’s work, a value imparted by GFS, where it was built on a foundation of mutual respect. “GFS’ well-rounded education opened up many opportunities for me. The skills I built in writing, critical thinking, art, design, and communication have allowed me to work in this industry and help others as well.” Volk believes everyone can do their part to fight the climate crisis. “Our food choices have a huge impact on the earth. A change in diet and the way we eat can help repair climate change. Everyone eats, so everyone can have an impact.” Volume I 2020 |
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NEWS & NOTEWORTHY
Meet Me at the Met IN SEPTEMBER, UPPER SCHOOL MUSIC AND THEATRE STUDENTS AND FACULTY HAD THE UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO
experience the excitement of the performing arts during a memorable trip to New York. After a morning tour of the Juilliard School and lunch at the nearby home of alumna Michelle Toll ’87, students headed to Lincoln Center to attend the final dress rehearsal of George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, which opened the 2019-20 Metropolitan Opera season. They discussed the complexity of the story, its relevance today, and its importance in musical history; it was the first production of its kind to feature a cast of classically trained African-American singers. After the performance, students participated in a Q&A with the singers and writers, gaining insight into artistic storytelling. Lisa Lu ’20 asked Eric Owens, who played Porgy, “What is the significance of the opera’s ending for Porgy?” Owens responded that he
felt Porgy had to “search deep in his soul to understand what he wanted. He had to listen to and follow his heart no matter what others thought.” That evening, the group was joined by GFS alumni for a reception at Lincoln Center, featuring alumna singer-songwriter Madison McFerrin ’10, who spoke about her deep connection to Porgy and Bess: her grandfather’s voice can be heard on the soundtrack of the film with Sidney Poitier. McFerrin, the daughter of singer Bobby McFerrin, shared that she was “honored to carry out my family’s musical legacy”
and proud of her grandfather’s position in African American history. “If you read anything about opera, my grandfather is in the books.” McFerrin also performed an original song from her upcoming EP, You + I, and inspired students and guests with her captivating vocals and songwriting. She encouraged the students to pursue their passions even when faced with adversity. “You will experience challenges, some big and some small,” she said. “I sure have. In the end, it’s all worth it. Keep it up, keep going, and stay strong.” –M.S.
A Salty New Food Venture
A BOLD MOVE TO GIVE SALT A SEXY MAKEOVER IS CHANGING THE WAY PEOPLE SEASON AND SAVOR THEIR
food. Atsuko Boyd ’87’s Philadelphiabased company FoodStudio has designed curated salts with chef-selected premium spices to create Pairing Salts™ blends. The result is a way to season meat, poultry, fish, and veggies that accents the flavor profiles of the
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world’s most beloved varietals. “Our Pairing Salts™ feature unexpected specialty ingredients, such as hibiscus, urfa biber, black cardamom, and kaffir lime leaf, that, when combined with more mainstream spices, offer the subtle flavor notes and textures of the wine varietal that inspired them,” explains Boyd, who developed and patented her concept over the past two years. “Dishes prepared with our product are perfectly suited for pairing with their corresponding wine-compliment, making food-and-wine pairing as simple as reading a label.” Pairing Salts™ currently comes in six varietals, with more already in the works. Boyd’s culinary adventure began when she stepped off the corporate ladder and into the kitchen to pursue
her passion as a chef-entrepreneur. She brought her experience in product innovation and design to the table, quite literally, when she challenged the complexity of pairing food and wine, and began exploring the idea that good taste could and should be more accessible to everyone. Naming each blend after its winecompliment, Boyd and her team sought to remove some of the mystery surrounding food-and-wine pairing. With Pairing Salts™, Boyd encourages people to trust their own instincts in the kitchen. Since November, the line has been sold at Whole Foods, and FoodStudio is in talks with other retailers, local and national. Pairing Salts™ is also currently available at pairingsalts.com. —Jessica Fisher
Number Theory Through coaching and collaboration, the Mathematics in Residence program aims to create the ideal classroom setting in which to teach and learn math. By Meg Cohen Ragas ’85
ON A SULTRY DAY LAST AUGUST, MORE THAN 50 ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STU DENTS WERE IN A CLASSROOM ON
the GFS campus, up to their elbows in—of all things—math. Attentive and engaged in joyful learning, these students were part of Mathematics in Residence (MIR), a week-long pilot program designed by third-grade teacher Diana Gomez, second-grade teacher Katie Aument, and Lower School math coordinator Sharon Askew, that brought together educators from seven local schools, including Wissahickon Charter, Friends Select, Community Partnership, and Penn Charter, to learn from one another and identify best practices for teaching math—a crucial and complex subject for many young learners. MIR is sponsored by the Maguire Innovation Fund for Progressive Education, a competitive grant program established by Jamie and Lisa Maguire in 2017 for GFS faculty, staff, students, and partner organizations to design programs and projects that support academic excellence and educational innovation. It doubles as a teaching lab for local math faculty
and an enrichment and remediation opportunity for GFS students and those from neighboring schools. “The belief behind Mathematics in Residence is that teachers do their best professional learning in the context of the classroom,” Gomez wrote in the post, “A Teaching and Learning Lab for Continual and Collaborative Growth,” on GFS’ Irony of A blog. “Watching someone else model what you are trying to incorporate is powerful, and having that person teach alongside you so you can benefit
from their wisdom is even more so.” Guided by nationally renowned math educator Cathy Fosnot, lead author and developer of the Contexts for Learning Mathematics curriculum, MIR creates an environment where teachers can engage students, develop knowledge around math content, and understand how children learn math (in order to excel at teaching it). By being in the classroom with a community of colleagues, students, and preferred materials, with expert guidance, coaching, and modeling, the program allows for the simulation of an ideal learning environment, one that is collaborative and in real time. “All of the teachers loved the teamteaching aspect of MIR,” shares Gomez. “I still find myself using techniques I learned from my [faculty] partner, and we all loved the idea of creating a collaboration site to study our math instruction together. Being coached by Cathy Fosnot was helpful in deepening my understanding of the [math] units I’m teaching now, as well as my overall development as a math teacher. I have her voice in my head as I look at the students’ work and figure out where next to challenge them.”
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NEWS & NOTEWORTHY
Force of Nature Author and activist Selena Khan Rezvani advocates for women in leadership, gender equality, and using your voice to make your mark. By Joanna Volpe SELENA KHAN REZVANI ’95 IS A FORCE FOR POSITIVE CHANGE. THE AUTHOR, CONSULTANT, AND SELF-IDENTIFIED
“culture disruptor” empowers women to reach for top leadership roles and helps employers create forward-thinking cultures where female talent is recognized and elevated. She addresses thousands of professionals each year, covering topics related to gender bias, self-advocacy, and how to be an ally in the workplace. In 2018, she delivered a TEDx Talk entitled Interrupting Gender Bias Through Meeting Culture, which was recognized with a Croly Journalism Award. As GFS’ 2019 Alumni Speaker, Rezvani came to campus in early December to address Middle and Upper School students, outlining the ways in which they can use their power for good. “Creating a wave of change starts with you. Regardless of the label society puts on you, your voices matter. Your generation has power.” During the assembly, Rezvani gave students three suggestions to confront gender inequality in their lives: expose yourself to different interests, ideas,
and disciplines; learn to identify stereotypical and limiting messages; and challenge gender stereotypes. The former Washington Post columnist cited several studies, one of which reported that by the age of six, girls start believing that boys are inherently smarter and more talented than they are. Toys, posters, and clothes are marketed differently to boys and girls. “We instill biases at such a young age. We’ve even gender divided color: pink for girls and blue for boys.” Rezvani also discussed the many stereotypes attributed to women and people who identify as non-binary, as well as societal pressures for men. “I hope you stand up to the lies that society tells you about what it takes to be a real man,” said the author of Pushback: How Smart Women Ask— and Stand Up—for What They Want. “You are man enough.” Following the assembly, students were invited to join Rezvani for lunch. “I discussed the times when I have felt systemic sexism come into play and how that has affected me academically and socially,” said senior
Maribel Carpenter, who was inspired by Rezvani’s presentation. “Selena was extremely receptive and eager to help, offering to come back to GFS to talk with students further. She has a unique position, being able to understand the intricacies of GFS and how to initiate positive change.” “It’s very empowering to hear another woman share her journey of leaving GFS and managing gender bias in college and beyond,” shared senior Sammi Deutsch. “I am so glad that the students were able to listen to her, and I hope this helps them start conversations about what it means to be an ally and to fight stereotypes.” At the end of the assembly, Rezvani left the students with this piece of advice: “My greatest hope for you is that you can help each other grow, regardless of race, background, gender, or any other label. Each generation gets one shot to make their mark. I hope you use yours to elevate the voices around you. You have the power to shape the future. What will you do today to be a changemaker?”
Rezvani (above) delivers the annual Alumni Lecture; student council leaders Sammi Deutsch ’20 (far left) and Maribel Carpenter ’20 with Rezvani and Upper School Director Matthew Young.
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TIGER BEAT
Spring Fever The Tigers were in prime form, winning playoffs and championships, breaking school records—and having a great time along the way. By Sophie Borgenicht ’20 LACROSSE Even with the graduation of four college-bound athletes in 2018, the Tigers hung tough to earn big wins throughout the season. In addition to going 7-2 in the Friends Schools League, they placed second in the FSL Championship, losing to Shipley 15-13, and advanced to the second round of the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association (PAISAA) tournament after beating Baldwin, the seventh seed. Co-captain Marlie Golden ’19 described the team as “really remarkable and coachable,” with an across-the-board love for the sport and “great team chemistry, which really helped us bring the ball up the field.” Co-captain Jane Macrae ’19 (All-League First Team) received coverage in the Philadelphia Inquirer for her career-high nine goals in the game against Westtown, and, along with co-captain Natalie Harrity ’19 (Honorable Mention), Curran McLaughlin ’20 (All-League First Team), Clare Meyer ’22 (All-League First Team, pictured right), Annie McLaughlin ’22 (AllLeague First Team), and Mia Raven ’23 their boatmates Megan Hua ’20 and (Honorable Mention), was a standout Owen Keim ’20, all qualifying for the on the field throughout the season. semifinals. The team also did exceptionally well in the Manny Flick Series, CREW with the boys placing fifth out of 35 With head coach Jackie Davidson schools in overall points, and the at the helm, the crew team had nu- girls placing third out of 28. Ten merous successes last spring. Meg different members of the team beat Bigelow ’20 and co-captain Chloe their personal records, with Annika Smith-Frank ’19 placed third in the Ehrlacher ’20 setting a new record time trial of the women’s pair and for the girls’ team. qualified for the final of the USRowing “This year, the team really took the Mid-Atlantic Youth Championships. bull by the horns and attacked every In the same competition, Robert May practice with high expectations, inten’21 placed third in his heat, as well as sity, and positivity,” said Park. Smithposted the third fastest time out of Frank ’19 (Princeton University) and both heats. Co-captains Amory Park co-captain Raz Allon ’19 (University ’20 and Doulin Appleberry ’20 placed of Pennsylvania) will continue to row eleventh and fifth (respectively), with at the D1 level.
BASEBALL The Tigers fought hard last spring, but ended up with mixed results (8-12 overall, 7-5 in the FSL), coming in fourth in the league. The team made great strides throughout the season as evidenced by the strong game they played in the FSL Semifinals, where they lost a close 6-5 to Westtown. Though it was disappointing for the boys, it was a testament to their growth as a team; when they played Westtown during the regular season, they lost 8-1. “We were struggling during the first half of the season, and could have fallen apart,” shared Head Coach Randy Mower. “Instead, the team came together and showed a Volume I 2020 |
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TIGER BEAT
captain Danny Loder ’20. “We have very strong players deep in our lineup that can step up in big moments— and they’ve had to, since we had a lot of injuries and sickness during the regular season.” Four players— Rishi Cohen ’22, Noah Eisenstein ’21, Loder, and Palmer—earned AllLeague First Team, and Harrity and Morse received Honorable Mention. TRACK AND FIELD
lot of resilience. I’m really proud of how we played in the second half of the season, and we are set up nicely to continue to grow and improve next year.” Co-captain Kai Cummings ’20 earned All-League First Team, with Caleb Friedman-Spring ’20 and Tyson Maddox ’20 (one of the best hitters in the league) earning honorable mentions. The Tigers graduated two strong players in Jake Russo ’19 and co-captain Noah Davidson ’19, who had an especially successful season and served as a great leader and role model for the entire team. SOFTBALL The softball team showed a lot of heart and success last spring, and their presence in the FSL Semifinals really highlighted their group spirit. “This year, everyone really wanted to win, so [we] bought into the season early on and self-motivation was abundant,” said co-captain and All-League First Team player Tsega Afessa ’20. The Tigers’ hard work and team connection clearly paid off: After placing sixth in the league last year, they made it to the playoffs as the fourth seed, but lost in the semifinals to Shipley.
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“The team made tremendous strides this year,” shared co-captain Ava Sinai ’20, who also earned AllLeague First Team. “We started out on the right foot, with all of the activities we did together over spring break and at the start of the season. I think that really solidified our commitment and sense of being a team. Our level of play improved by leaps and bounds.” BOYS TENNIS For the third year in a row, the tennis team won the FSL Championship, handily beating Shipley 4-1 for the title. “The team had a great season,” said co-captain Michael Harrity ’19. “We were all really close and just had a fun time together.” The first doubles team of Gray Palmer ’19 and Jacob Morse ’22 also won the FSL invitational, an individual league tournament. The Tigers had a lot of success outside the FSL as well, beating all of the top-ranked schools in the InterAc League, including The Haverford School, Germantown Academy, Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, and Penn Charter. “A lot of our success is because our team has a lot of depth,” said co-
Although the Track and Field team did not win the FSL Championship, they had another powerful season and every member contributed. At Champs, where they took fourth place, Silvia Giordano ’21 (All-League) became the league pole vault champion, while Sekou Hamer ’19 (AllLeague) won the shot put competition and Jacob Sternberg-Sher ’19 (AllLeague) ran the fastest 300-meter hurdles in the league. Additionally, co-captain Miles Gomez-Younkin ’19 came in first in the two-mile at the Haddonfield Distance Night meet, with a time of 10.01, and Annika Marcelis ’22 (All-League) qualified for the New Balance Outdoor Nationals. Both the girls and the boys teams competed in the PAISAA competition and placed very well: Anna Macdonald ’22 ran 2:26 for 800m, making her the second fastest freshman in the FSL and the third fastest freshman in PAISAA; Zuri Abdus-Salaam ’22 (All-League) ran the third fastest 100m time in GFS history; and Wiley Corlett ’19 was the top FSL finisher in the javelin. “Our team had a culture of respect and support,” reported co-captain Henry Ziegler ’19 (pictured above). “Everyone cheers for everyone and congratulates them on their throw, jump, or race. Watching athletes use nothing but willpower to cross the line or clear a jump or make their final throw. . . makes other teammates want to do the same, and the result is this chain reaction of PRs and a feeling of goodwill all around.”
SUPPORTING GFS
Gifting a Lifetime of Stewardship JOE E VA NS ’6 4 WA S C AUG H T BY SU R PR ISE W H E N, AT T H E AGE OF 26, HE WAS APPROACHED BY ERIC
Johnson ’36, then GFS School Committee Clerk. Evans recalls that Johnson was keen on engaging young Quakers who had a particular affinity for GFS, and mentoring them on board service and governance. He felt younger members could add an important perspective while deepening their relationship to the school. Evans was convinced, and soon began his first term as a young School Committee member. He went on to serve for eight years, stepping away just before the end of his third three-year term, when he landed a job in New York. “I have never forgotten that lesson from Eric,” Evans says. “We need the vitality of youth and good ideas to keep the pot stirring. Eric was responsible for my long connection to GFS.” Evans returned to School Committee service just a few years later and went on to be one of GFS’ longestserving members. “I have been involved in multiple phases of growth, more than one campaign, the economic downturn of the early ’00s, and several strategic plans. What’s great is that I find myself more enthusiastic about GFS than ever.” Evans completed his last School Committee term in June of 2019. Delighted by the school’s new strategic vision and direction, he and his wife Carolyn were inspired to create a generous planned gift to GFS using their IRA assets. To establish it, they named GFS as the ultimate beneficiary of their IRA. Additionally, they directed the IRA-required minimum distribution, which begins at age 70 ½, to GFS each year during their lifetime. This gift is expected to total just over $2 million to establish the Carolyn
Evans volunteers at the Early Childhood Center City location; with Carolyn (below).
N. and Joseph M. Evans Fund, which will broadly support innovation in education at GFS. “Both Carolyn and I are interested and heavily involved in education and Friends education,” says Evans. “The experiences we’ve had and the time we’ve spent doing it means a lot to us. We’re now focusing more and more on ways in which we can give back effectively to GFS and a couple of other organizations we care about.” Evans is particularly pleased to see Johnson’s vision for youthful vitality on the School Committee alive and well. He leaves the board in capable hands and will, fortunately for GFS, continue to serve on committees in the coming years. If you are interested in more information about making a gift to GFS using your IRA, please contact Lise Twiford, director of development, at ltwiford@germantownfriends.org or 267-323-3284. –Hannah Caldwell Henderson ’91
SUPPORTING TH E FUTUR E OF GFS Our door is always open! Deepen your connection to GFS by joining The Open Door Society. This special association honors alumni, parents, grandparents, and friends who choose to sustain the mission of Germantown Friends School through planned and estate gifts. Members of the Open Door Society have made a provision in their estate plans to support GFS, through their will or by some other deferred gift that ultimately benefits the school. For more information about The Open Door Society, please contact Lise Twiford, director of development, at 267-323-3284 or ltwiford@ germantownfriends.org.
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SUPPORTING GFS
Worth the Trip To support GFS’ growing global studies program, the development office has committed to raising half of this year’s travel budget to ensure that all students have the opportunity to engage in immersive learning experiences outside the classroom. By Meg Cohen Ragas ’85 WH E N BE LOV E D CHOIR DI R ECTOR MARY BREWER LAUNCHED GERMAN T OW N F R I E N DS SC HOOL’ S F I R S T
choir trip in 1956, it was a three-week tour of schools in France, Germany, and England. The Falaise exchange was established in 1955 after GFS students began corresponding with French high schoolers in the small western Normandy town in the wake of World War II. Historically, Classics students have traveled to Italy and Greece since the 1970s, “broadening [their] horizons … and bringing to life the places [they] have studied,” wrote late Classics teacher Penny Rainey and former English teacher Peter Reinke in an article published in GFS’ Studies in Education in 1996. Today, more than six international travel opportunities and an equal number of domestic excursions, including sports teams’ spring training trips to Florida and Nevada, are available to GFS Middle and Upper School students annually. Designed to broaden thinking and perspectives, strengthen independence and confidence, and build leadership skills, these travel initiatives support the school’s belief that not all education can or should happen in the classroom. Exposure to other cultures, languages, and traditions can deepen students’ experience in the world around them and expand their understanding of history, science, the arts—and themselves. “Our growth of global travel opportunities has been very intentional,” says Carol Rawlings Miller, GFS’ director of academic program. “Honoring differences, an important part of our mission, is something we do across our curriculum, but travel
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Taryn Barrett ’18, Leah Taylor ’18, and Celia Meyer ’18 in South Africa in January 2018.
can provide a sort of rich immersion in another culture that cannot be achieved sitting at a desk.” But travel often comes with a steep price tag, and not all families can afford the extra expense. The total cost of the school’s 2019-20 travel program is approximately $450,000, with potentially 150 students and 30 GFS chaperones participating. In order to support the school’s increased
commitment to global studies, the development office is striving to raise half of this year’s program budget in order to help fund student travel initiatives, ensuring that anyone who wants to participate has the opportunity to do so. The ultimate goal is to garner support from the extended GFS community in order to create and grow an endowment for the global studies program.
“There are significantly more trips offered this year than ever before, underscoring the importance of ongoing need,” says Director of Development Lise Twiford. “In keeping with equity and inclusion in our community, we want to ensure that funding is available for those who cannot afford it on their own, but want to participate.” While several of the trips have been part of the GFS curriculum for years, occurring annually or semiannually—in January, six ninth-grade Spanish students traveled to Tlaxcala to participate in the Mexican Exchange Program, established in 1982; four eighth-grade girls departed for St. George’s School for Girls in Edinburgh for the Scottish Exchange, established in 1972; and 17 French students traveled to Tours; in March, the Upper School choir is taking an extended singing tour of Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia—others are more recent additions. In 2017, GFS established an international learning opportunity with South Africa’s African Leadership Academy (ALA) for students and faculty; six GFS juniors and seniors and two teachers have traveled to Johannesburg for the past two Januarys. The Winchester College Exchange, established in 2014, enables four seniors each year to attend the prestigious school in Winchester, England, for three weeks. And the brand-new Spanish immersion trip to Peru for advanced Spanish-language students will serve as a capstone experience to their study at GFS. Student trips resonated deeply with alumni as well; they provided powerful educational and introspective experiences and memories, as well as created bonds-for-life with students from other parts of the world. Layah Taylor ’18, who participated in the inaugural African Leadership Academy program, wrote of her time in South Africa in a 2018 issue of the Bulletin: “The students and faculty at ALA were brilliant, articulate, and heterogenous; they came from all different walks of life and from all
over Africa. In [that] rich, educational environment… I felt inspired and empowered, as both a student and as a woman of color.” Claire (Toni) Vogel Carey ’55 still feels lucky to have been a part of the choir’s first European tour as an alumna (“We were featured in Life Magazine!”), and credits it as a huge part of her GFS experience. “I play our recording every November after GFS’ current choir comes to perform at Foulkeways [in Gwynedd, PA],” she shares. “A few years after graduating from college, I stayed for a month with a family I met in Dusseldorf while on the tour.” “Our French students are in Tours, our Spanish students in Peru, our seniors in England,” says Rawlings Miller of this year’s trips. “Our choir is singing in St. Mark’s Cathedral in Venice. We have students who are traveling to South Africa and visiting Robben Island one day, and hiking into a remarkable cave in the Cradle of Humankind, where an early hominid was found, on another. “Our emphasis on travel is simply another expression of our commitment to community,” she adds. “To make these connections, to gain this experiential education, students have to leave our village. What is more thrilling than that?”
Top: Boarding the plane to kick off the 1956 European Choir tour. Middle: French students at Berlioz's Tomb in Paris in 1994. Above: Spanish V students help clear a hillside in Puerto Rico for a coffee plantation in 1985.
If you are interested in making a donation to support student travel this year, helping to create an endowed fund, or would like more information, please contact Lise Twiford, director of development, at 267-323-3284 or ltwiford@ germantownfriends.org.
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SUPPORTING GFS
Honoring the Loeb Legacy DAVID S. LOEB, JR . ’51 AND HIS WIFE BA R BA R A R . LOE B WE R E BE LOV E D MEMBERS OF THE GFS COMMUNITY
for decades. Their endearing warmth and deep love for GFS and its students was contagious. The Loebs took great joy in financially supporting the school. Their remarkable philanthropy transformed the shape of the campus, beginning in late 1985, when they were key donors in the purchasing of the Christian Science Church, which opened its doors as GFS’ new assembly space in 1990; in 2004, it was officially dedicated as the David and Barbara Loeb Center for the Performing Arts. The Loebs continued as proud supporters of the arts at GFS until their deaths in 2017 and 2018, respectively. The Loebs’ children, Susan Loeb Moore, David Loeb III, and Judy Loeb Felix, would often accompany their parents to holiday concerts at GFS, and they, too, came to cherish the community. As they mourned their loss, they considered how they might honor the memory of their parents and continue their legacy. The answer: the David S. Loeb, Jr. ’51 and Barbara R. Loeb Memorial Scholarship Fund, established in
The Loebs in 2012 with Johnny May ’18 and Music Department Head Taia Harlos.
spring 2019. This fund is a wonderful vehicle for Susan, David, and Judy to show their love for their parents, while also reflecting what they knew was dear to David and Barbara’s hearts: ensuring that talented students with financial need could afford to attend GFS. The scholarship honors David and Barbara’s enthusiasm and love for GFS, its students, and the arts, and their belief that a GFS education should be available to all.
Big Love for GFS VALENTINE’S DAY 2019 HAD EVERY ONE ON C A MPUS SE E I NG R E D! TO CELEBRATE GFS' FIRST GIVING DAY, A
group of alumni and current parents challenged the community to #ShowYourLove for the school and secure 200 gifts in 24 hours—promising an extra gift of $120,000 to the Annual Fund. The collective effort to meet the challenge was contagious. Faculty, parents, and alumni shared personal stories about what inspires their love for GFS. Students wrote thank you notes to the first 200 donors. Even the Tiger showed up to pose for pictures with students decked out in Valen-
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tines Day-inspired accessories. The love the community showed for our school was overwhelming, and we far surpassed the goal of 200 gifts—with the final number of donors topping out at 519, or 250 percent of the original goal. A total of $239,329 was raised. “It was a pleasure being at GFS for #ShowYourLove Day, and it inspired me to get a gift or two from friends and family,” shared GFS parent Sara Perine, who volunteered to help take donations on campus. Can’t wait for our next #ShowYourLoveGFS Giving Day on February 14, 2020! –Amanda Reath ’89
The inaugural recipients of this new fund are two current Upper School students, who exemplify the qualities of David and Barbara: curious, creative, care and compassion for community, and love of the arts. We are grateful to the Loeb children for their generosity and desire to honor their parents’ legacy, and give heartfelt thanks to them for their kindness and enduring commitment to GFS. –Diane Mallery ’80
FACULT Y FOCUS
Art and Activism After surveying Cuba’s rich culture, two teachers set out to examine how the arts can educate, heal, and change. By Michelle Sonsino
Culp (left) and Friedman (right) with renowned Afrocuban filmmaker Gloria Rolando at her home in Old Havana. I NSPI R E D BY T H E 2018 “A RT A N D SOCI A L CH A NGE ” JA N UA RY TE R M COU R S E T H E Y CO -TAUG H T, A R T
Department Head Megan Culp and English teacher Robin Friedman set out to study and experience Cuban culture. In January 2019, supported by the Class of 1952 Grant, Culp and Friedman traveled to Cuba to explore how individuals, groups, and students are working to strengthen their communities and make lasting social change—through art. A brilliantly colorful, musical, and creative country, Cuba’s greatest economic, social, and political influences are all centered around art. In Cuba, art is not a luxury, but a central concept, tool, and way of life that shapes society. In Cuba, the arts are funded by the government: free dance classes are conducted in parks and children can take art at local community centers. In Cuba, art shapes education and advocacy in bold, unapologetic ways, bringing people of all ages together to make change and express themselves. Culp and Friedman were inspired to learn more after they discovered some beautiful Cuban artists during their J-Term class.
“We studied artists, we studied culture, we studied educational systems and programs, and they all focused on creativity—visual, musical, and spiritual expression,” says Freidman. “It is inspiring to see a community with little wealth yet so much joy and depth in their daily teaching and learning.” While many families and communities in Cuba have few economic resources, many are beneficiaries of a rich education, one that centers on art. “Learning about individuals and groups with very few resources, who made and continue to make a tremendous impact on their communities—this was powerful to see and experience firsthand,” notes Friedman. “Cuba is so much more than what you learn in a textbook. It has a complicated history, particularly with the United States,” adds Culp. “But while buildings may be run down, and there are economic uncertainties, people are joyful and this is reflected in their art.” Culp and Friedman’s trip was arranged by Global Exchange, an organization that partners with community groups, artists, and entrepreneurs in Havana to introduce the country’s unique qualities and features. This
partnership offered access to a diverse and fantastic range of programs and experiences, including visits to organizations, art studios, and schools, and meetings with activists and filmmakers. Through rich and often extremely open conversations with a diverse array of people, Culp and Friedman gained a much deeper understanding of the complexity of the region, and the beautiful and powerful work that is happening all over the island. Highlights of their itinerary included trips to community arts centers, which organized social justice projects with kids, such as poster and banner design and filmmaking; viewing public music and art schools outside Havana, which provide free classes year-round; visiting a cooperative community centered on collaboratively advocating through musical and artistic expression; observing an art class in a local garden; speaking with an Afro-Cuban filmmaker, who is celebrated throughout the country; and meeting many talented and powerful artists, some well-known and others under the radar, such as Gloria Rolando. “This experience provided a true exchange of humanity with those with whom we formed both small and large connections,” says Culp. “Traveling to Cuba was a transformative experience for us and our teaching, and we look forward to testing ways we can help our students further share their voices and vision through artistic expression.” Adds Friedman, “We were able to experience a culture where art is a truly essential part of life, and where people are deeply connected and reliant on their creative capabilities.” Friedman and Culp hope to lead a student trip to Cuba in the future and share this creative, colorful, musical country with our own creative visionaries and changemakers. Volume I 2020 |
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Head Masters Three teachers transitioned to department-head roles this year, exhibiting their expertise and experience—and passion for education. By Michelle Sonsino
JOHN HENDERSON
Computer Science
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nown for his dynamic 3D design, robotics, and engineering classes at GFS since 2017, Henderson brings great creativity and enthusiasm to the Computer Science Department. As the new director, he is committed to ensuring that all students learn how to create, build, and problem-solve with modern technology—and understand the ethics of using digital platforms. Henderson’s middle and upper
school teaching experience supports strong, cross-divisional curriculum development. As the clerk of the Design Lab Working Group, an interdepartmental research and program development committee, he is excited to help identify new, relevant ways to teach theory, design, and application. “I am excited about being part of a department as it is forming,” shares Henderson. “I’ve been thrilled to be a member of the community at GFS for a few years now, and I look forward to working with my new department members to bring structure and design to a program that serves students in an increasingly more fundamental discipline.” Henderson has always been interested in creating, particularly things that serve a function. “I have always been a problem solver; I love making new things.” Computers were just being adopted when Henderson was in elementary school, which piqued his interest in learning about the Internet and how computers work. In middle school, he was able to spend more time tinkering with
technology—using it and breaking it. “I [busted] my first computer doing something funny with PowerPoint. The poor teacher running the computer lab was unable to fix it.” In high school, Henderson was grateful to have access to a fullfledged computer science program, and enthusiastically signed up for all courses offered. After graduating from McGill University in Canada, he received a PhD in Condensed Matter Physics from the University of Central Florida. While studying for his degree, he created his own experiments: writing code, machining parts, and designing setups, learning and applying many computer science languages. Prior to joining GFS, Henderson served as the head of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics at The Beacon School in New York, where he was also the founder and program manager of the Beacon Technology Lab. Additionally, he has taught in higher education as an adjunct professor of physics at the University of Connecticut.
N ATA S H A L A B B É
the past and discovering its meaning for the future.” Labbé developed a passion for classical languages in middle school, when she took her first Latin class. Her grandfather had studied the Classics in Haiti, and the two bonded over the study of language. As she learned more about the culture and stories of ancient times, she developed an expertise in translation and reading; in eighth grade, she entered the Massachusetts Junior Classical League and attended state and national competitions and conventions.
Classics
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s the new head of the Classics Department, Labbé oversees the Middle and Upper School Greek and Latin curriculum and program, as well as the sixth-grade anatomy of language class. “I am pleased to lead this dynamic and intensive program, and bring even more interactive programming to the curriculum,” she shares. “Classical language and culture is very exciting and relevant today, and I want to pass along the joy of studying
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Labbé’s interest in Latin continued through high school and into her studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. In college, she interned at a middle school in Holyoke, MA, where she was concerned to see students who were not excited about learning, and developed an interest in equity and education. After she graduated, Labbé went to work for Teach for America, and was placed in Philadelphia, where she taught Latin and computers at the Young Scholars Frederick Douglass Charter School, followed by teaching sixth grade English Language Arts at
JA K E M I L L E R
Theatre
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his fall, Miller stepped into the role of Theatre Department head, overseeing the program design for the entire school. He has been teaching theatre at GFS since 2016, and moved into the role of co-head last school year, partnering with former longtime department head Lisa Burns to create a rich, thoughtful, and joyful program for all ages.
People For People Charter School. While she loved teaching language arts, she ultimately decided to return to her first love: Latin. Labbé joined the GFS community as a Latin teacher in 2014 and quickly became an inspiration to students—even those who were not in her courses—because of her positivity and contagious love of learning. In class, as a department head, and as a mentor, she helps students discover and appreciate the world beyond what we know and see, and encourages them to ask questions, travel, read, and discuss. Labbé also serves on the
Alumni of Color Steering Committee, as a faculty advisor to the SISTAHS student affinity group, and as a Directed Independent Study advisor. “Learning about the past directly impacts our present,” she says. “By studying language, tradition, and the deep, rich histories of people from all over the world, students can better realize the challenges of the past and present, and navigate ways to bring promise to our complicated world. “Through education and experiences, I want to help students find their own way to be problem solvers and forces for good.”
“Theatre does not just equate to plays and dramas, but offers opportunities for individuals to express themselves through their own bodies and words,” says Miller. “Our program provides a space for all children to find their voice, gain confidence, and collaborate. It also offers joyous opportunities for our youngest learners.” As a child, Miller was drawn to all types of performance, but discovered a deep love for theatre in high school. At Eastern College, he studied intercultural communication with a focus on theatre, dance, and economic development—a deeply interconnected combination that continues to guide and inspire his leadership. “College offered an experience that shaped my understanding of theatre as an agent for social impact, not purely a means of entertainment,” he explains. After college, Miller went on to study with different artists and companies, and worked professionally as a performer and director before
founding an arts education and youth development organization, Yes! And... Collaborative Arts. The company uses theatre to bring together students from diverse neighborhoods and backgrounds in creative, collaborative relationships. Based in Germantown, it serves kids ages 5-18 from across Northwest Philadelphia; programming is based on an educational model and pedagogy called “TribeCentered Learning,” which Miller co-authored. “Much of my work at GFS, especially in the middle school, applies this community arts model to the independent school setting,” he says. In addition to serving on the board at Yes! And… Collaborative Arts, Miller is a partner at Blue Banyan Yoga and has developed a training program in yoga and Vedic philosophy. His deep roots in the community add greatly to the GFS theatre experience, showing students the impact they can make through the arts.
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I N S TA L L AT I O N S E N S AT I O N Artist and GFS educator Sarah Zwerling brings connectivity to the Comcast Centers with a digital photo collage that showcases the nature and neighborhoods of Philadelphia, bringing the outside in. By Meg Cohen Ragas ’85 Volume I 2020 |
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SA R A H ZWE R LING IS EXH AUSTE D. W H E N W E ME ET I N L ATE J UNE I N THE DINING CONCOURSE BENEATH
the Comcast Center to discuss her latest project, Connection—the digital photo collage that lights up the walls of the underground passageway that connects the original Comcast building to the new Comcast Technology Center—she is still recovering from the grueling 12-month process that produced the extraordinary, fivepanel, 150-foot installation. “I haven’t fully processed the enormity of the project,” shares the installation artist and digital printmaker, who has been a member of the GFS art department since 2014. “It was a little bit over the top. I didn’t sleep for a year.” Connection is best described as a panoramic photomontage, printed on translucent film and mounted on giant LED lightboxes, that showcases the Philadelphia landscape on an idyllic spring day, and features city landmarks and neighborhoods, including the Walnut Street Bridge, South Philly, Fairmount, and Rittenhouse Square, along the way. Yet while it presents as one continuous photo, in reality, it is a collage of thousands of images stitched together into a seam-
less composition of bridges, landmark buildings, and rowhouses, against a gorgeous backdrop of blooming cherry blossom trees and blue skies. “I don’t think of myself as a photographer,” Zwerling is quick to point out. “I’m not, not really. Connection is not really about the photos, it’s about creating this magical space. It’s about creating an experience, and that is not something you can capture in a single moment or photo.” For Connection, Zwerling layered photo upon photo, connecting different scenes and neighborhoods through natural elements, such as the sky, tree canopies, and rocks on the riverbed, and man-made components like electrical and cable wires. “It’s all about connecting—the two Comcast buildings, the workflow, the commuters, the people, the city. I wanted to connect all of the buildings with the wires; I was thinking about Comcast and the communication that comes to all of our houses. Or how your tree limb interlocks with your neighbor’s. [Connection] creates so many different conversations around connectivity. Throughout the project, they called me The Connector, I felt like a superhero! I thought of other titles, but I just kept coming back to
Zwerling confesses that even after the project was finished, “I could have kept working on it.”
this one. I like my titles to be pretty simple and direct.” Zwerling’s process, however, is anything but. To create the appearance of a continuous photo story, with everything in hyper-focus, she had to manipulate the images and play with perspectives. “When you take a photograph, what’s in front of you is in focus, but what’s in the background is not, it’s blurry.” But in Connection, everything is in focus—the tree in front and the five trees behind it. This is the result of photographing isolated trees, cutting precisely around each and every limb and bloom, then layering the cut-outs in the photographs.
"Every leaf, every branch, every wire had to be cut out," says Zwerling of her photo-collage process; the finished work took weeks to install.
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“I wanted it to feel like you’re walking through the city. The bridge on one side of the river is just as clear as the other side. Everything feels like it’s in focus when you’re immersed in it.” It’s this vision, coupled with Zwerling’s ability to “open up a space with her work,” that initially attracted the attention of Claudia Vick ’94, a partner in the New York-based Vick Art Advisors, who was hired by Comcast to curate the art collection for the new Comcast Technology Center. Chief Executive Officer Brian Roberts wanted the project to be Philadelphia-focused, featuring artists with a connection to the city, to showcase its rich history in the arts, industry, and maker culture. Vick’s firm had assembled the art collection for the first Comcast building, and already had a strong rapport with Roberts and his team. “We did a tremendous amount of research to find a really wonderful group of artists who could produce things specifically for the building,” explains Vick, who runs the company with her mother Connie Vick. “We cast a very wide net. Our collection includes furniture makers, sculptors, lighting and textile designers; everything was custom made for the
space. We put a lot of time, effort, and thought into what went into the building and the artists who were selected, and how their work was [in relation to] the architecture.” In addition to Zwerling’s Connection, the Comcast Technology Center’s permanent collection includes pieces by
collage printed on clear vinyl that lines a terminal passageway at the Philadelphia International Airport. Hamilton Street features the houses on Zwerling’s street in West Philly, and she “altered the placement, scale, and color of the trees and birds to animate the scene and create an
“ Connection is not really about the photos, it’s about creating a magical space, an experience,” says Zwerling. several other artists and designers affiliated with GFS: the hand-rusted aluminum Xfinity Sculpture created by Adam Kamens ’89’s Amuneal; the Inkjet-printed mural designed by Shira Walinsky ’90; Emotional Gradient by current parent and fine artist and photographer Karen Harmelin; hardwood tables designed by current parent Tyler Hays’ BDDW. When Vick contacted Zwerling about the Comcast project, she was already familiar with Zwerling’s 2009 installation, Hamilton Street, a digital
entrance to a more imagined place.” Based on Hamilton Street, Vick knew Zwerling could handle the size and scope of work the Comcast project required. “[Sarah] really knows how to address scale in her work, which I think is really unique. That [Comcast] hallway is big and hundreds of feet long, and she just knows how to work with that scale. That gave us a great amount of comfort when it came to putting her on the short list.” Before Zwerling was awarded the commission, she went through mul-
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The entrance to Zwerling's installation feels like a light-filled tunnel inviting you to experience a jewel-box-of-a-surprise inside.
tiple rounds of presentations over the course of five months, sharing three different sketches for possible concepts for the Comcast tunnel, each playing with the idea of bringing the outside and the city indoors—what Vick responded to in Zwerling’s airport installation. “I had to go through showing Claudia and the architects a series of more detailed imagery,” she explains. “At first it was sort of like, ‘This is my idea. It’s like a walk through the city and you’re seeing details of the architecture, details of color.’ Then I talked about how, as you move through the tunnel from the old building, which is warm, to the new one, which is glassy and cool, the color shifts and changes.” When Zwerling finally received the go-ahead in February 2018, she had to wait for spring—and for the trees to bloom—before beginning the photographic process. In order to add more green to her palette, she scouted various locations, including the GFS campus, to find trees in bloom, representative of the Philadelphia landscape, that she could shoot in isolation. She changed her daily routine,
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waking up at 5 a.m. each morning to work on sketches that captured the overall feeling of the concept, and devoted her weekends to exploring all corners of the city, taking photographs. By summer, she had the concept nailed down, what each panel would represent, and a photo library of hundreds of trees and buildings. During spring and summer of 2018, Zwerling recruited some GFS students and recent alumni to help her cut out each of the elements that went into the collage. “Every leaf, every branch, every wire in the city, everything had to be cut out individually,” she says. While they worked on the cutouts, Zwerling focused on the composition and layout, cleaning up all of the “sharp” edges and making sure that the panels, when collaged together, looked like one perfect springtime day. It was a Herculean task. “It took me 20 minutes just to open one of the files to work on. The biggest panel, 65 feet long, when I scaled it up to actual size, I could only see one or two details at a time. That was something I had to get used to,” says Zwerling. “Sarah did a wonderful job iden-
tifying the perfect elements to incorporate throughout the space so that it looks beautiful, but then you might say, ‘I know where that bridge is!’ or ‘Those houses are so familiar to me!’ You might not know the specific street, but it feels like Philly hitting you over the head,” says Vick. On the day Zwerling and I tour the installation, one of the security guards approaches her and says, ‘I want to show you something,’ and proceeds to point out the smallest little details that he likes to look at when he passes through Connection. “That’s what I wanted,” Zwerling says, “for people to walk through and notice something different every time like you would on a regular walk. I didn’t want it to be about the collage. I really love that people think I happened to find a day where everything was in bloom. They actually think it’s a real photograph, not 300 different images in one panel, and that’s what I was hoping for. It’s all about the experience.” Would Zwerling do a project of this scale again? “I don’t know. Ask me in a couple of years.”
LIGHTING t he Way
Last spring, the School Committee and Head of School Dana Weeks launched the GFS strategic vision Lighting the Way, a framework to steward the future of GFS, advancing our role in education innovation, equity, and access. By Sam Rhoads ’82, clerk of the GFS School Committee, and David Feldman ’76, assistant clerk of the GFS School Committee
OUR CORE BELIEF THAT THE VOICES OF MANY ARE GREATER THAN THAT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL IS AT THE HEART
of our strategic vision. This practice of shared wisdom inspired our approach and priorities. Following a two-year journey of reflection and discovery that challenged the GFS community to imagine our future in a changing world, the School Committee explored the ideas shared by students, families, faculty, staff, and neighbors, while considering economic drivers, the local context, and the broader education landscape. School Com-
mittee working groups, including Strategic Financial Planning, Community Engagement, Stewardship and Sustainability, and Campus Master Plan, collaborated with a faculty-led committee on program innovation to turn our community’s feedback into a set of interconnected priorities and goals. The outcome—Lighting the Way— affirms and renews the school’s commitment to its core values and Quaker philosophy, while providing a framework for GFS to advance as a leader in educational innovation, equity, and access. With a nearly
two-centuries-old history of providing academic excellence rooted in lessons of stewardship, our vision maps our longtime mission and the traditions we hold dear to the current priorities of our students, extending to learners beyond our campus. Our vision is comprised of a vision statement, guiding principles, and four priorities: Mission-Driven Program, Learning in Community, Strength and Stewardship, and Responsible Impact. Our campus master plan, a core element of Responsible Impact, outlines exciting upgrades to our facilities that support Volume I 2020 |
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our vision and current programmatic needs while maintaining our historic buildings and the familiar feel of our campus. We are already moving forward with many components of our strategic vision and are thoughtfully planning steps toward an important campaign that will help us realize our goals. In addition to campus renewal efforts, we will grow our endowment with the principal objective of increasing equity and access through a more robust financial aid budget. Lighting the Way inspires bold actions and relies on unity and a broad, community-wide commitment to realizing our goals. Now is the time to double down on our core Lower School students explore strategic vision concepts in front of the Loeb Auditorium. values and move forward with intention, preserving the health and rich history of GFS while addressing the challenges that persist in education today. Please be on the lookout for regular updates on our progress and examples of our strategic vision in action. To read the complete strategic • B U I L D upon a program that • E M B R A C E a new financial vision or to download a copy, please fosters moral decision-making model that fully supports operavisit www.germantownfriends.org/ and flexible thinking, and entional sustainability and access. vision. You will also find stories of how courages self-awareness, wellLighting the Way is already being realbeing, cultural understanding, • R E AC H more students by extendized on campus, as well as an inspiring ing the GFS experience beyond and intellectual curiosity. video about our community. our current campus.
STR ATEGIC VISION: GUIDING PRINCIPLES
• S E E K opportunities to honor the
VISION STATEMENT
T
hrough educational programming and practices, Germantown Friends School seeks to create a campus and extended community that, in every respect, models and exemplifies a world in which we want to live; a world that witnesses and demonstrates the values of equity, peace, stewardship, simplicity, and integrity; and a world that sees the uniqueness in each individual with whom we share the earth.
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richness of all cultures; inspire a positive and powerful impact on the world. for a community and campus that—in both content and character—embrace and reflect the diversity in our world.
• S T R I V E
academic excellence, a curriculum that is rooted in the classical, relevant, local, and global.
• O F F E R
the campus to sustain and connect the community.
• A DA P T
• M O D E L environmental steward-
ship; tread lightly on the earth.
a culture of perpetual learning; demonstrate that learning is not finite.
• F O S T E R
• E N C O U R AG E students, faculty,
and staff to see themselves as both researchers and learners, and GFS as a lab for testing new ideas.
VISION P R I O R ITI E S MISSION-DRIVEN PROGR AM
C A MPUS M A STE R PL A N
This idea supports the creation of opportunities to inspire the mind, body, and spirit of our faculty, staff, and students. We want GFS to serve as an incubator for innovation in teaching and learning, to continue to support and encourage professional and leadership development. We are committed to investing in the health and well-being of our students.
LEARNING IN COMMUNITY As a school, we curate opportunities that promote deep engagement, understanding, partnership, and knowledge sharing. Our goal is to create and extend educational enrichment programs, forge more community education partnerships, and exchange and share learning within our community and beyond.
STRENGTH + STEWARDSHIP We are committed to implementing meaningful, purposeful resource planning. We will nurture greater socioeconomic diversity and access, build a targeted endowment for financial aid, and ensure the school’s longterm financial health.
RESPONSIBLE IMPACT We respect all living systems through practices and campus planning. We will continue to infuse sustainability into our program and practices, and implement the school’s sustainable campus master plan.
THE GFS CA MPUS AND BUILDINGS REFLECT THE HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL AND ITS SUR ROUNDING COMMUNITY. SOME SPACES HAVE
transformed in purpose and design; others are underused, yet overflowing with potential. Over time, the school experienced numerous land acquisitions and construction initiatives, many due to the support of generous donors. GFS partnered with Philadelphia-based DIGSAU and New York-based Leslie Gill Architect to develop a thoughtful strategy for the campus that shares our vision and directives; creates an inclusive, interconnected community; and provides ideal, modern, and adaptive spaces for our students to best learn. The campus master plan will preserve the school’s history, deepen connections on campus and within the broader community, improve learning and the student experience, and emphasize environmental integrity. We will continue to honor the Quaker values of simplicity and stewardship in our approach to the design and feel of the campus, embracing renovations and alterations to meet the needs of the GFS student body and support our educational pedagogy.
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Outstanding I N
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H E R
F I E L D
How Sandra Boynton, who felt she wasn’t particularly good at anything, wound up at the top of her game—and a household name—by doing it her way. By Meg Cohen Ragas ’85 | Photographs by Scott B. Foley Volume I 2020 |
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HERE IS A LEGENDARY TALE T H AT T H E L AT E H E A D OF GE R M A N TOW N FR I E N DS
School, Dick Wade, liked to tell about author, illustrator, and songwriter Sandra Boynton ’70’s visit to campus in 2005, when she read from her new book-and-CD combo, Dog Train. After she had finished, she asked her captivated Lower School audience if anyone had a question. As the story goes, a third grader raised their hand and said, “I have a question and a comment.” On the one hand, this is illustrative of the quintessential GFS student: engaged, inquisitive, assertive, selfassured. But it also speaks to the broad appeal of Boynton’s empire: lovable picture books like The Going to Bed Book, Moo, Baa, La, La, La!, Snuggle Puppy, Barnyard Dance, and countless others that have sold more than 75 million copies over the past four decades; award-winning albums like Philadelphia Chickens, Blue Moo, and Frog Trouble, featuring musical greats ranging from Blues Traveler and Kasey Musgraves to Ryan Adams and B.B. King; greeting cards and plush toys, calendars and sock puppets; almost 500,000 followers on Facebook. Who wouldn’t be inspired by Boynton’s mere presence to offer both a question and a comment? Last summer, two colleagues and I had the privilege of taking a road trip to rural northwestern Connecticut to meet the prolific Sandy Boynton, where we spent a few short hours basking in her creative presence. When we pulled up to the gate at the foot of a long driveway, we were met, not surprisingly, by two, plump, cartoonish Boynton chickens sitting atop the pillars that flanked the entrance, announcing that we had arrived. This touch of whimsy amidst the woodsy landscape hinted at the delights that awaited us at the end of the drive: a picturesque, red two-story barn, Boynton’s studio, tucked behind a charming, centuriesold farmhouse, where she spends 12-plus-hour workdays on a multitude of creative projects. The interior is a tribute to her empire: the entrance hall
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A Boynton chicken sentry guards the entrance to her home and studio.
bears wooden display racks, which hold dozens of her signature greeting cards intended for the taking; the ’50s diner kitchen is an assemblage of the eBay paraphernalia she collected as inspiration for her favorite album, Blue Moo; the small screening room hosts a permanent patron—the overstuffed puppy star of Boynton’s many cards and board books. Upstairs houses her sacred work space, where everywhere you look, every single surface, is covered with the tools of her trade, each with its own story and coveted place in Boynton’s legacy. People think they know Boynton from her large and varied body of work—more than 70 illustrated books, six albums and songbooks, hundreds of greeting cards, music videos; her hand-drawn characters have populated many of our childhoods as well as our children’s. And yet, during the course of our visit, we learned so many interesting tidbits and details about Boynton’s life, her work habits, her inspiration, her quirks—and her formative years spent at GFS. She served us tea, talked shop, dispensed advice, all with a healthy dose of her signature, wry humor. It’s hard to adequately describe the feeling of being in the presence of true creative genius, although the novelist Ann Patchett (who was actually at Boynton’s studio just days before our visit reporting a story for The Washington Post) came pretty close in a piece she wrote in 2018: “Sandra Boynton
is to the board book what Dr. Seuss was to the picture book, what Maurice Sendak was to illustration, what Shel Silverstin was to children’s poetry. It’s just her up there at the top and then a whole lot of other people sharing second place.” A morning spent with Sandy Boynton is better than receiving an advanced copy of her new board book Dinosnores, better than learning the intended tune for Snuggle Puppy (and realizing you were singing it to your children close to perfect all along), better than hearing B.B. King’s soulful voice croon “One Shoe Blues.” It’s simply the best—only better. Forgive me as I devolve into a bit of fan-girling, but here are seven reasons why I am now the new, selfappointed president of the Sandy Boynton Fan Club.
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SHE WAS FIRST PUBLISHED AS A THIRD GRADER AT GFS.
Before there was Earthquake, the GFS student newspaper that launched in 1972, there was the Pastorian, which, from 1897 to 1963, functioned variously as a news publication, alumni magazine, yearbook, and literary magazine—sometimes all at once. When Boynton was in third grade, the Pastorian published her first poem, “Billy’s Lost Train.”
“It started out something like, ‘Little boy Billy played with his train, it got smaller and smaller and went down the drain. Little boy Billy started to cry, his mother got nervous and baked him a pie.’ I think I was more for the rhythm and rhyme than trying to figure out the sense of it,” she says. Fast forward to high school, and Boynton saw her first illustrations published in the Philadelphia Bulletin
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IT ALL STARTED WITH GREETING CARDS.
Boynton began selling her greeting cards while she was an undergraduate at Yale University. Her spare drawings of animals in often silly situations set against sparse white backgrounds had
“ It’s kind of cool that I had to cobble things together,” says Boynton of her prolific career. “Interest matters more than talent.” in 1968 when she was a tenth-grade art major. For a class book assignment, she had created a “bestiary,” a compendium of imaginary animals. Boynton’s were car-themed: Furrari, Droll’s Voice, Revolvo. “The pages from the completed bestiaries were displayed in the GFS front hall,” Boynton recalls. “A reporter from the Philadelphia Bulletin saw mine and asked if they could print them in their weekly magazine. I got paid $40 for it. I was 15, and [the experience] gave me two valuable life lessons: one, you can get paid for cartooning, and two, newspapers will distressingly misquote both your work and your interview.” For Boynton, the GFS art department was a haven, and she took every course offered. “My teachers, Mary Lou Scull and Jayne Wilhelm, were just amazing and so excited about art and what everyone was doing. There wasn’t any sense that this person was ‘the talented person’ and that person was not, everyone was appreciated. When you go to Germantown Friends, you think, ‘This is just the way school is,’ until you find out what other schools are like.”
not become a cult hit yet, and after graduation, she attended a trade show where she spoke to a lot of companies about selling her designs. “Everyone tried to argue with me,” she says. “They said, ‘The white background isn’t working and your characters need to have names.’ I was about to leave the show when someone said, ‘Have you talked to Recycled Paper Products? You should talk to them. They’re different.’” That first encounter at the trade show resulted in a 20-year working relationship. Not only did Recycled Paper Products not care if Boynton named her characters (“Why would you name the characters?”) or kept her white backgrounds (“They might get dirty more quickly, but on the other hand, they’re going to stand out from all the other cards”), they agreed, at her insistence, to pay her a royalty instead of a flat rate—even though, they told her, she could potentially make less money if her cards didn’t sell. Between 1973 and 2003, Recycled Paper Products sold nearly 500 million copies of Boynton’s signature droll greeting cards; the best known, “Hippo Birdie Two Ewes,” a pun on the phrase “Happy Birthday to You,” has sold more than
10 million copies to date. So what gave a college girl in 1973 the confidence to go out and peddle her handmade creations? “GFS was a place that fostered individuality, independence, and creativity,” she explains. “I always knew I wanted to be independent. After my junior year in college, I thought to myself, ‘What can I do? What can I make?’ My sister, Pam [GFS Class of 1969], was making this wonderful jewelry and selling it to gift stores in Chestnut Hill. I tried to figure out what I could do, and I realized I could do cartoon kind of drawings, like my bestiary [in tenth grade]. My uncle was a printer in Clinton, NY, we were close, and I asked him, ‘If I draw some cards, would you print them so I could sell them?’ He extended me the credit to print them, and showed me how do color separations. That became my summer job: I went around selling my cards to stores. I made cold calls. I learned a lot about the business that way.”
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HER FORAY INTO MUSIC PRODUCTION IS NOT AS OUT OF LEFT FIELD AS IT MIGHT SEEM.
Boynton is a music lover but does not consider herself a natural musician. She describes herself as “the least talented member, seriously” in Mary Brewer’s choir at GFS. When she arrived at Yale, she was too overwhelmed during her first year to audition for a singing group. But during her sophomore year, posters went up around campus announcing that Leopold Stowkowski was going to conduct Beethoven’s Ninth at Carnegie Hall in New York and needed more singers for the production. She still vividly remembers the audition. Feeno Heath, Yale Glee Club’s director at the time, asked if Volume I 2020 |
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she had any experience singing, and she replied, “I sang in high school.” “Where did you go?” he asked. “Germantown Friends School.” “You sang with Mary Brewer! I don’t need to audition you,” he said. “I learned more from Mary Brewer than anyone I can think of in my life,” Boynton declares. “She was so much about getting it right for every single person in the choir. We would be singing a Brahms motet and she would say, ‘Okay, you, alto, soprano, tenor, bass—all of sudden, the four of you were singing your parts in the motet. You had to hold your own; you learn so much about the music that way and where you fit in the harmony. The sound is better. The precision of the singers is better, too.” Based on her deep appreciation for music, it seemed inevitable that she would eventually lend her voice to the recording world. From her first CD, Philadelphia Chickens (2004), which earned her a Grammy nomination, to her most recent Hog Wild (2017), a “frenzy of dance music,” Boynton’s projects have been star-studded collaborations with some of the music industry’s greatest talent. Spanning the genres of rock and roll, ’50s and ’60s jukebox-era music, blues, and country, Boynton recruited the best and the brightest for each project, with her musical journey peaking with her partnership with B.B. King on “One Shoe Blues.” She emailed his manager and heard back right away. “He had grandchildren,” recalls Boynton, “and he said, ‘I’m going to make this happen.’” King was going to be in New York, so Boynton met him at a studio for a recording session. “I was immediately intimidated, but he’s just the sweetest man,” Boynton shares. “He says, ‘I’m not going to be able to get this right. I don’t read music and you’re not going to be able to count me in. I won’t play the guitar at the same time as I sing.’ And all those things turned out to be true! He didn’t read music, but, obiviously, he’s an unbelievable musician. He would just tap, and then start
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Boynton's studio is a treasure-trove of creativity and inspiration: "Everywhere you look is covered with the tools of her trade."
singing along. There was something so endearing and ‘Aw, shucks’ about it. Working with him was probably the high point of my career.”
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HER FAMILY COMES FIRST. AND FRIENDS.
Boynton grew up with three sisters, whom she got along with “pretty darn well,” a happy child with a happy childhood (all four girls attended GFS). Her parents moved to Philadelphia in 1954 so her dad, Robert Boynton, could teach English and history at GFS, where he eventually served as the head of the history and English departments as well as the principal of the Upper School during his 16-year tenure. She met her late husband, Jamie McEwan, while both were students at Yale. McEwan, also one of four children, was an Olympic slalom canoeist and won a bronze medal at Munich in 1972 and a World Championship title in 1987. (Boynton first saw him on TV, competing in the ’72 Olympics, before realizing he was in one of her classes.) They eventually married and had four children of their own: Caitlin, Keith,
Devin, and Darcy. All are involved in some aspect of the family business and currently live within a 30-minute radius of Boynton. “My kids are in and out of here all of the time, or [granddaughter] Remy comes and visits, and I will drop everything happily,” she says. “I’m compulsive about work, but I’m happy to drop those things for family.” Her family circle is wider than most, and includes friends and colleagues, mentors and partners. During the course of our visit, we hear so many stories about the amazing, inspiring people she has worked with over the years, from Terry, her beloved printer in Buffalo, to New Yorker cartoonist George Booth, who she describes as “the best person in the whole nation” and collaborated with on Here, George (she did the words, he did the illustrations). Mark Lanegan, the former lead singer for the ’90s grunge band The Screaming Trees, who she has teamed up with for three different projects. Even Mike Tait, the producer of the tiny Discovery Film Festival in Scotland, who invited her to premier one of her short films and sent her a superior bottle of scotch as a thank you. Boynton also spoke about her classmates from GFS, whom she sees periodically (“not as often as I’d like”)
and met up with in Northampton last spring: Hannah Kalkstein, Cara Lee, Kathy Scott, Laura Evans, Emily Joyce, and Lucy Binzer Wildrick. “It’s such an important time in your life,” she says, nostalgically, of GFS. “You feel like you know all of these people, even if you haven’t seen them in years. You feel like you can just pick up with them, like you know them and they know you. And everyone’s doing something they love and that interests them. “That’s my one regret about not staying in Philadelphia,” she adds. “I would have loved to have sent my kids to GFS.”
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SHE TAKES PERFECTIONISM TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL.
Boynton is having a banner year. Silly Lullaby and Dinosnores were published in August and September, respectively. Your Nose—loosely based on a song Neil Sedaka recorded for the Blue Moo album—will be released this March, and How Big is Zagnodd will hit the shelves in December 2020. (Didn’t I say she was prolific?) During our visit, we got to see freshly-printed Volume I 2020 |
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proofs for Dinosnores, which Boynton checked and re-checked with an accountant’s attention to detail. But even while taking four steps (books) forward, she is revisiting the early years of her career by redrawing some of her first published works. Why? “I didn’t really want to change them, but there were a few things that I thought looked awkward, so I changed those things,” she explains. For a few straight months, Boynton worked crazy-long hours, from early in the morning until midnight some days, recreating her masterpieces. As of June, she had redrawn 11 of her classics, sharpening the lines, correcting the “awkward” bits, adjusting the color in some cases. Boynton is the first to admit that it’s somewhat of a vanity project. Although most people won’t even notice the changes—which Boynton is fine with, even happy about—she feels that these corrections make the books look right to her discerning eye. “Over time, publishers change printers, and sometimes lines thicken or colors look dense,” she says. “Now these books finally look like they’re meant to again. I did it for me.”
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SHE GIVES GREAT ADVICE; HER BOOKS OFFER SURPRISING WISDOM.
Puppy Love: Boynton shares her home theater with one of her star characters.
the wrong path,” she says. “That’s my feeling.” Her unconventional approach to business—focus on what makes you happy, not on what makes you the most money—has proved more successful than she could have ever imagined, and she has the awards, accolades, fan base, social media followers, and life experiences to prove it. For Boynton, it’s all about the journey. Which is a message that can be found in many of her books, in unexpected ways that respect children and don’t dumb things down. “When I wrote But Not the Hippopotamus [1982], a lot of people described it as being about exclusion, but there’s nothing exclusionary about that book,” Boynton explains. “From my point of view, the hippo is self-excluding and is reluctant to join in with the other animals. It’s a book about jumping in… When I wrote But Not the Armadillo [2018], it wasn’t the story people expected from me: I wanted to legitimize the idea of going your own way. Liking to be on your own is an important message, and you should be respected for that.”
If Boynton had to coin her life’s philosophy, she might boil it down to this: “You don’t need to know what to say ‘yes’ to, you need to know what to say ‘no’ to.” Wise words to live by. A year ago, she said no to a Netflix series; she thought it would be a collaboration, but quickly realized that they just wanted her to hand over the rights SHE’S THE REASON to her characters and grant them toy “HUMBLE” AND licensing opportunities. “ARTISTIC GENIUS” “Even if it looks like a good or straCAN EXIST IN THE tegic move, but you feel like, ‘Well, I SAME SENTENCE. don’t really want to do that, but I want to get to this place and that’s how you During the nearly three hours we get there,’ you’re going to end up on spent with Boynton, she expressed more than once that she always felt
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like she wasn’t naturally good at anything, that she didn’t think of herself as a traditional artist. And yet, she has excelled in so many different mediums, across multiple platforms, proving that her immense talent defies definition. “My son Keith once gave me a quote by [comic book artist] Alan Davis about style being the result of shortfalls and limitations in an artist’s approach,” she shares. “It was good for me that I wasn’t able to draw in the way other people do. I admire people who are more deft cartoonists than I am, or are more deft writers, but it’s kind of cool that I had to cobble it all together. I think interest matters more than talent.” When I bring up Anne Patchett’s quote, comparing her to Dr. Seuss and Maurice Sendak (one of her cherished advisors while an undergraduate at Yale), Boynton responds, without skipping a beat, with one of her classic zingers: “It cost me a huge amount to have her say those things.” She laughs, takes a moment to reflect, then offers a more heartfelt response. “It’s a little surreal. It doesn’t quite register.” Boynton sits back at her desk, surrounded by her books and stuffed versions of her characters, her sock puppets and page proofs, everything that comforts and inspires her and brings her true happiness and joy. “I like where I live, I like what I do. It has all been so much fun.”
CLASS NOTES
CLASS NOTES Want to stay connected? We encourage you to visit the GFS website at germantownfriends.org/alumni to share your stories and submit Class Notes. FOLLOW US!
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GARRETT DUTTON ’91 shares, “This has been a great year for the Duttons. Kelsey and I were married by my father at our house in Orleans, MA, and Kelsey is pregnant with our third son. My oldest son Aiden, 18, is a freshman at MassArt in Boston. My new G. Love record The Juice features the protest song “The Juice” and dropped in January 2020.” Garrett’s wedding was attended by GFS alumni, including JASON BROWN, JOHN LONG, his sister JAIME DUTTON ’94, and DAVID KATOWITZ (pictured above, left, in hat). CLASS NOTES IN THE BULLETIN: It is sometimes necessary to edit notes to reduce the length so that we can accommodate as many entries as possible. We hope we have retained the essence of your news while also providing space to include messages from your classmates. Please contact us at 215-941-2340 or alumni@ germantownfriends.org if you have questions or want more information.
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DICK CLOSE turned 96 on April 20, 2019. He’s still singing!
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SAM LUKENS writes, “I shout at the TV: number of people, not amount of people! Some things I learned I will never forget. Thanks!”
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ROBERT (BOB) FORSTER shares, “I remember jumping out of the second story window into the coal bin in the eleventh grade with some of my friends. It amused the students in the math class below as we passed their windows.” Volume I 2020 |
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CLASS NOTES
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TED WOLF reports, “Enjoy seeing and hearing Kristen Welker ’94 on MSNBC.”
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NANCY MAY COPPLE shares, “Finally, I’m a great grandmother! Josephine Cederberg (12/26/17) and Henry Copple (6/27/18). Both have visited me (and I them)—Josie in Colorado and Henry in NC.”
1950
SUE AXFORD AEMISEGGER writes, “My husband Bob and I celebrated 66 years of marriage in March.”
1955
PEGGY MINEHART shares that she celebrated her 60th reunion May BETSY WOLF STEPHENS reports, 16-18, 2019, and caught up with some great classmates. “Happily retired!” “Ralph and I are very active in Democratic politics, traveling a lot— Greece, Mexico, Costa Rica. I’m a great grandmother of three girls.” BARBARA BROOMELL PARRY reports, “My daughter and I visited JANETTE FAVRE BARON ’59 JOY FLETCHER MONTGOMERY in October, 2018, as we crossed Normandie en route to Brittany. writes, “Andy and I are still in After an aperitif with her wonderful Minneapolis, but spend summers at our cottage in Muskoka, Ontario, neighbors, we enjoyed a delicious meal before continuing on. As the and much of winter in Boca Raton, exact calendar twin to my sister, FL. Would love to hear from LOUISE BROOMELL HARRIS classmates in any of these areas.” ’57, who died in April, 2018, it was especially comforting to see her.”
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BOB MARVIN reports, “Eleven members of the Class of 1957 met in Freeport, ME, for a wonderful mini- ROB EVANS has retired from the non-profit community mental reunion.” BARBARA JOHNSTON health agency he directed. He is RODGERS (left) with NANCY still doing extensive consultations DRUM PRICE, MARY AGNES to schools. HERSHEY, and KATHRYN DAVID WOLFF ’58 was LEN HIRSH shares, “I will ‘KITTY’ PLUMMER GRECIA at recently featured in the Houston celebrate 50 years of medical and the ACTS Springhouse Estates in Chronicle: “Since moving to surgical practice this coming year, October 2018. Houston in 1966 to work for but still can remember the dark developer Brookhollow, the and damp basement nurse’s office Philadelphia native and Harvard at GFS. Best wishes to you all, Business School graduate, who especially the class of ’62.” founded his development firm in 1970… has cut a wide swath, SKIP MCKOY writes, “After two impacting Houston’s public self-published novels, I’m working transportation system and health on my first for a traditional publisher. care infrastructure while making Enjoying long-distance mentorship his mark in Northern California with a GFS seventh grader.” as a former vineyard owner and current minority shareholder of baseball’s San Francisco Giants. But it’s in his role as Wolff Cos.’ AMY E. COHN reports, “I still chairman and president where work a bit (small projects only) so [he] has likely made his most classmates can find me on their substantial mark in a metropolitan next NYC visit!” MEREDITH MARTINDALE area whose population has more FRAPIER writes, “Sadly, I have than tripled to about 7 million since little chance for GFS reunions, his company’s founding almost 50 spending most of the year in Paris years ago.” JED WEISS reports, “I’ve semior Mallorca, where my husband retired to Chapel Hill, NC, from resides (citizen of France), so greatly California, and both of my children, appreciate Class Notes!” now 13 and 16, started Carolina MORRIS WOLFF shares that he is NANCY OMAN HUSS writes, “I Friends in the fall.” tutoring adults in French, German, can’t believe 60 years out of GFS. and Spanish. He married longtime I finally retired in April, and now live in Meadowood. Keep your good partner Patricia Pawlowski and health!” expresses great joy over their LUCY BODINE NATTRASS formal union. shares, “Enjoying retirement and
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visiting and hosting children and grandchildren. Singing in two choirs, playing chamber music and orchestra. Alan Clayton was a great example to us all.”
1969
MARIE GIBBY WILKES writes, “I am still working as an RN in public health and oil painting on my days off. It’s been wonderful catching up with classmates.”
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TOM LODER writes, “Enjoying lifelong friendships, perspective and ‘continuing education’ from Dave Felsen, Harry Gratwick, Pat McPherson, and Parvin Sharpless. Teaching for a lifetime, ‘K Through Life’ indeed.”
CONSTANCE L. CUNNINGHAM shares, “I am enjoying my third year as a mental health therapist at Wedge Medical Center. Deep into my Buddhism and hanging in there with piano lessons. It was so good to see you all at the last reunion!”
1973
1979
Bucknell University gave GARY J. BELL, executive director of Bebashi, their Service to Humanity Award for his accomplishments in social work and nonprofit management, and for his service and loyalty to Bucknell University. RACHEL SIMMONS SCHADE shares, “I was delighted to run into TIM SELLERS ’76 at the PA Historic Preservation Awards accepting an honor for the restoration of Sellers Hall in Upper Darby.”
MICHAEL COHEN (below, second from left) shares, “Had an impromptu Class of ’82 get-together at the Yards Brewing Company with (from left) MICHAEL STERN, SAM RHOADS, TARO ARAI, and DAN TAYLOR.”
1978
MARY PAUL (POLLY) WELLS reports, “In 2019, I produced and directed the documentary We Began to Sing, featuring the creators BERNARD UNTI received of Rise Up Singing and Rise Again the inaugural Weller Prosocial and the late Pete Seeger.” Education Leadership Award at a ceremony in April. The Weller Award, sponsored by the Academy of Prosocial Learning, recognizes LARRY COXE shares, “DEBBIE advocates and educators committed ALLEN FOLTYN, KATE DAVIS to humane and prosocial education MCKELVY, MAGGIE SCHIELE and outreach on behalf of animals. SULLIVAN, and I held our own The Weller Award honors nonmini-reunion in Portland, OR, last classroom teachers and others May. We were all Lifers. A great who have demonstrated excellence time was had by all!” in the field and dedication to the growth of humane and prosocial education.
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1982
VALERICE BABB shares, “I have been working more hours than I have ever worked in my life and I love it!”
1981
SARAH BUTTENWIESER writes, “It was such a thrill to watch my fellow GFS friend CYNTHIA RICHIE TERRELL ’82 in action at the Unrig Summit in Nashville, TN, last March. Cynthia is the executive director of Represent Women. She made the clear case for how much opportunity there is for women to step into elected positions in this country, and how having more gender parity will strengthen our democracy. Pat Reifsnyder would be so very proud!”
1983
MARY MAXWELL ANDERTON reports, “We have just moved from a very large Victorian pile to a lovely (small) farm with stunning views. If anyone from GFS is passing through to/from Scotland they would be most welcome to visit.”
1984
SHELAGH MALONEY CUMMINGS writes, “I was delighted to see a great group of classmates at a mini-reunion at JULIE REINKE HAZZARD’s back in May, and, after 22 years together, I married Chris Cummings in a June ceremony officiated by my dear brother BRIAN MALONEY ’83.” ELIZABETH HEARN reports, “I serve as the director of a teacher residency program, training educators for work in schools in historically underserved communities. I have the best job in the world!”
1985
Last February, PETER KASTOR was honored to be installed as the Samuel K. Eddy Professor of History at Washington University in St. Louis. He presented a talk at the ceremony, “What’s in a Volume I 2020 |
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CLASS NOTES
IN M EMO R I AM
name(sake)?: George Washington and the Legends of History.” Congratulations, Peter!
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MARION PRICE WILDER March 3, 2019
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CONSTANCE DUBOIS BRISTOL June 5, 2019 RICHARD N. CLOSE February 23, 2019
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MARIE LOUISE (M.L.) THOMPSON REESE June 21, 2019
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JON MOZENTER shares, “Thinking of GFS at this time as a year ago (11/9/18) my workplace burned down in the Malibu Woolsey Fire. I have been blessed to work as a therapist in addiction treatment in Malibu for many years, facilitating recovery and healing. This fire created such uncertainty for me and my colleagues as so many were displaced by the destruction and a community was ravaged. An artifact that survived was a remnant of my 1990 GFS class mug (below). And that fire, for all its tragedy, did represent an “open door” for me to walk into an altered future. It is a future I am living in now, with even more opportunity for growth. I am always grateful for how GFS fostered a resolve in me to be able to persist and seek out new doors to open.”
HARRY A. LEONARD JR. May 23, 2019 ROBERT V. POLEY June 30, 2019
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MARGARET HARTUNG HITT December 1, 2019
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RICHARD W. ARMSTRONG March 11, 2019
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NICOLE F. MONSON recently launched her lifestyle decor brand, BuddaFlyBlaq. See offerings at BuddaFlyBlaq.com. BRYAN MURRAY shares, “I live in Arlington with my lovely wife and three beautifully challenging kids, our precocious niece, and one of the friendliest dogs you could ever meet. I am coming up on my 15th year as a software asset manager at MIT. I volunteer when I can at the Independent Film Festival of Boston, and am available to recommend films.”
1999
DOUG BERNSTEIN is an emergency room attending physician at Yale New Haven Hospital.
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JOSHUA WEST is a first-year MBA candidate at the University of Rochester’s Simon Business School. He is concentrating in marketing and strategy, and completed an internship at Microsoft as a product marketing manager this past summer.
2010
RICHARD B. PEACOCK November 23, 2019
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on July 20, 2018, and her name is Delaney Mae.”
1991
DAVID KATOWTIZ writes, “I married Samantha Wascow on April 23, 2017, at the Manor House at Prophecy Creek. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and is in private practice. I work for the School District of Philadelphia, where I am the special education coordinator and a special education teacher at Bayard Taylor Elementary. I am in the process of formulating a dissertation proposal this fall term in pursuit of a PhD in Special Education at Temple University and expect to graduate in 2020. We had our first child
SADÉ KIRKLAND shares, “I have been living and working in Japan since 2015 and plan to continue my education at a Japanese university in 2020.” JALESSA MUNGIN reports, “I am working on a new poetry podcast! Inspired by the 1997 Black cult classic film, Love Jones, “Love Jawns: A Mixtape” is a soundtrack for your everyday commuting and daydreaming pleasure. Call it an ode to Philly in the voices of its local poets and DJs, who continue to leave their mark on culture around the globe. It’s been a really fun project to work on!”
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IN M E MO R I AM
CATHERINE MCNALLY graduated as a Benjamin Franklin Scholar from the University of Pennsylvania in the College of Arts & Sciences. Class of 2015 alums made a great showing at the US Squash Nationals in Hartford, CT, last February! They were close teammates at GFS, and four-year varsity players in college. Pictured right (left to right): HANNAH SAFFORD (Brown), GRAYSON MELBY (Stanford), and ANNIE TYSON (UVA).
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PHYLLIS DUGGER BUCHANAN January 23, 2019
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HARRY M. LEESER April 26, 2019 ZOE WILLET March 31, 2018
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FRANCIS J. STOKES III January 31, 2019
John Harkins, 1936-2019 On Tuesday, May 7, 2019, John Harkins died of congestive heart failure at his home in Seattle, WA. A lifelong Quaker, Harkins came to GFS in 1969 as principal of the Lower School. He was always a relaxed presence on campus, known by the students and trusted by the faculty, often popping into classrooms, reading to students, or pulling out loose teeth (a specialty). He encouraged his teachers to experiment with new methods in their classrooms. Writing in Studies in Education, Harkins noted that the kind of open classroom that inspired him “represents a happy and relaxed balance between the group and the individual, between freedom that could become anarchy and order that could become regimentation.” When Head of School Fred Calder left GFS in 1986, Harkins volunteered to step in as acting headmaster for a year in order to keep the school he loved and respected on an even keel while it searched for a new head. He left GFS in 1989 to head the Mullica Hill Friends School in New Jersey, but the spirit and innovation he brought to GFS—from vertical classrooms to the Halloween Parade—continue to be an essential part of the school’s rich history. –Diane Mallery ’80
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RAOUL E. BANKS June 13, 2019
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COOPER ROBB June 22, 2019
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NOAH Z. ROBBIN June 20, 2019
Former Faculty TCHET DEREIC DORMAN June 22, 2019 JOHN HARKINS May 7, 2019
Volume I 2020 |
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Q&A
Jeremy Ross ’69: Guilty as Charged Twenty-nineteen was a big year for Jeremy Ross ’69. He celebrated his 50th reunion, retired from teaching history at GFS after 15 years, and moved to Georgia. The classroom legend, who is still employed as the school’s legal counsel, may be gone, but he certainly won’t be forgotten. History Department Head Kate Hanssen ’00 caught up with the teacher-turned-lawyer-turned-teacher to discuss his impact in the classroom, being a student at GFS during the Vietnam War, and if he really has a warm-and-fuzzy side. WHAT LESSONS DO YOU HOPE YOUR STUDENTS TOOK TO HEART FROM YOUR US HISTORY CLASSES?
One thing I hope they took—this will sound flippant and I don’t mean it that way—is not to take their education as seriously as many of them did. The anxiety level is very high for high school seniors, and part of what I tried to communicate throughout the year is that it is not life, it is high school. It’s not the end of the world if something goes wrong. I also hope they took a sensitivity to looking at things from multiple points of view, from interrogating their own first response to a question and actively trying to look at something from the point of view of someone they did not necessarily have any sympathy for. I also wanted them to take the public life of the country seriously; I want them to be active and engaged as public citizens. HOW DID YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A LAWYER CHANGE OR INFLUENCE YOUR TEACHING?
I think that legal education and the process of becoming a lawyer teaches you certain attributes of thought and certain disciplines in terms of analysis that I found useful. I thought the entire process of having to look at things from multiple viewpoints is something a history student should be doing, and I had a lot of experience doing that as a paid professional advocate.
were. It probably was not until the Tet Offensive that I really began to question hard where we were going. That was an event which I recall vividly. That and the invasion of Cambodia really caused me to become significantly anti-war. Before that, I think I was probably a dissenting voice at GFS about the war. DID YOU BREAK ANY RULES AS A STUDENT?
Yes.
CARE TO ELABORATE?
No.
YOU’VE ALWAYS PRIDED YOURSELF ON YOUR ABILITY TO PLAY DEVIL’S ADVOCATE, AND STUDENTS HAVE LEFT YOUR CLASSROOM UNSURE OF YOUR PERSONAL BELIEFS. WHY WAS THAT IMPORTANT TO YOU?
It’s important because it’s not the place of school to tell kids what to think about matters of contested public opinion. They have the right to think what they want, and I was concerned that if I expressed my own opinions, it was too easy for the kids. It excuses them from the labor YOUR HIGH SCHOOL YEARS AT GFS CORRESPONDED WITH of having to figure out for themselves what they think THE VIETNAM WAR. HOW DID THE POLITICS AND EVENTS and why. What was important was what the kids thought and why they thought it, and for me to express my own OF THE WORLD IMPACT LIFE ON CAMPUS? I graduated in 1969, and by that time we were deep, deep views would have gotten in the way of that process and into the war. There was a great deal of interest in politics. was, frankly, disrespectful to the students because it was A lot of people were highly active and involved, I think their class, not mine. chiefly, but not entirely, as a result of the war. It was a big, WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO IN YOUR big deal. A lot of my classmates were automatically anti- RETIREMENT? war because it was a Quaker school and it was the ’60s. I don’t know! I’ve never done this before. I don’t know what it’s going to look like. Part of what I have to do is turn down WERE YOU ACTIVE POLITICALLY? I found myself to be a sort of Henry Jackson, domestic my own temperature because a lot of the news causes my liberal Cold Warrior. It was clear to me that the Com- blood pressure to spike and I don’t want to drop dead the munist system as practiced in the various Communist minute I retire because of something Trump has done. countries was oppressive and dishonest. I believed most WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY TO STUDENTS WHO SWEAR of what the government was telling us during those THAT BEYOND YOUR SEEMINGLY GRUFF EXTERIOR, YOU’RE years because none of us had had experience with the ACTUALLY QUITE WARM AND FUZZY? government lying to us to the extent it turned out they Guilty.
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GERMANTOWN FRIENDS SCHOOL
ALUMNI WEEKEND Return. Reconnect. Reminisce. MAY 15–17, 2020
Come celebrate with your classmates, visit with faculty, and experience GFS today! Special reunions are planned for classes with years ending in ’5 and ’10. Check our website for more details about on-campus events.
germantownfriends.org/alumni Volume I 2020 |
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GFS
G E R MA N TOW N FRIENDS SCHOOL
31 West Coulter Street Philadelphia, PA 19144 TEL: 215.951.2300 www.germantownfriends.org
First graders from Germantown Friends and Greene Street Friends schools joined together for a Peace March on Friday, January 17, to model the actions of Martin Luther King, Jr. Photograph by Scott B. Foley.