Ross School Annual Report 2016–2017 by Ross School

ROSS SCHOOL 2016â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2017

annual report

“One of the things I appreciate most about Ross is that the learning environment is tailored for individual students, allowing each person to do their best and thrive.” —JENNA KESTAN ’19

ROSS SCHOOL 2016–2017

annual report On the cover: Sixth grade students celebrate the planting of a Kousa Dogwood tree, which was donated to the Lower School on June 16 by parent Elizabeth Yektai. The tree was planted in the farm area, where it will offer year-round interest and grow up to 25 to 30 feet. In the spring, the tree blooms with beautiful flowers, followed by cherry-like fruit that the birds love. Back cover: Yae S. ’17 shares her knowledge with Luke M. ’29.

Ross School’s mission is to change the way education meets the future; to foster interdisciplinary, integrated thinking and innovative leadership; to engage fully in the global community; and to facilitate lifelong learning. ROSS INSTITUTE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, 2016–2017

Courtney Sale Ross, Founder and Chair Nick Appelbaum Barrie Glabman Jennifer Chidsey Lori Schiaffino Elizabeth Colby Patti Silver Rob Eloff Susan Weber Nicole Ross Eloff ROSS SCHOOL PARENTS ASSOCIATION, 2016–2017

Executive PA President: Elizabeth Colby Executive PA Vice President: Beverly Murphy Executive PA Secretary: Virginia Edwards Executive PA Treasurer: Abigail Gallaher Upper School PA President: Judy D’Mello Middle School Coordinator: Ann Stewart LS PA President: Genie Egerton-Warburton LS PA Vice President: Ann Stewart LS PA Secretary: Melissa Hammel ROSS LEADERSHIP TEAM

Carrie Clark, Co-Director of Academics, Dean of Cultural History Kristin Eberstadt, Director of Institutional Advancement Andi O’Hearn, Chief of Student Advancement Bill O’Hearn, Head of High School Junellen Tiska, Co-Director of Academics Jeanette Tyndall, Head of Lower School and Middle School Jason Warnick, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid

LOWER SC HOOL

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TEL : 6 3 1 - 9 0 7 - 5 5 0 0

P.O. BOX 604 BRIDGEH AMP T ON, NE W Y OR K 1 1 9 3 2 UPPER SCHOOL 18 GOODFR I E ND DR I V E EAST HAM P T ON, NE W Y OR K 119 3 7

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

A Letter from the Leadership Team

Report of Gifts and Giving

6 Foresight Education: Preparing Students for the Future 8 Donors 2016–2017 10 Ross Lower School Celebrates Grandparents and Special Friends 11

Donor Profile: Champions of Education

12 Looking Toward the Future: Campus Improvements 14 Field Academy: Legacy and Sustainability 16 Senior Projects: Solutions for a More Sustainable World 18

Awards: Honors and Accolades

College Update: Acceptances 2017

Donor Profile: Leading Lives of Service

22 Passion Project: How One Student’s Hobby Could Reduce Food Insecurity

A LETTER FROM THE LEADERSHIP TEAM

Dear Friends, Our Ross School motto, “Know Thyself in Order to Serve,” reflects the school’s commitment to preparing students for meaningful lives and leadership in the global community. Students come to know the value of what it means to be part of an interconnected world during their time here, from their earliest years in Lower School to the realization of their Senior Projects in High School. The connections students make are at the heart of Ross School’s unique pedagogical approach. Interdisciplinary connections lead to interpersonal connections, deepening both students’ understanding and their commitment to improving the world around them. One such example can be found in the work of Brandon Hecht ’19, who is breeding and raising tilapia at the school with the goal of modeling how fish farming can provide a means of self-sustainability for those in disadvantaged communities or metropolitan areas. You will read more about Brandon’s project in the following pages. Thanks to the generosity of donors who support the school each year, Ross School is able to continue to offer students like Brandon invaluable opportunities to excel and fully develop their abilities. In this Annual Report, you will find more stories that offer an insider’s glimpse into our classrooms, educational ethos, and system of Core Values over the past academic year. On behalf of our entire school community, we thank you for your abiding interest in and ongoing commitment to Ross School. As members of the Ross Senior Leadership Team, we are not only educators and administrators, we are also parents—two of us parents of Ross alumni. It is from this perspective that we recognize that your generosity, engagement, participation, and unfailing support are key to all we do in the service of nurturing the next generation of future leaders. Whether you are a recent alumnus or a longtime contributor, we extend our sincerest thanks for the invaluable role you play in the success of Ross School and for helping us advance the dreams, character, and passion of our students as they prepare to make a difference in the world.

With gratitude, Ross School Senior Leadership Team A N DI O’HEARN B I LL O’HEARN JE ANETTE TYNDAL L

Report of Gifts and Giving We wish to thank everyone listed within these pages for their generosity this past year. In total, your gifts exceeded $1.1 million dollars. In the year ahead, the Annual Fund will remain Ross School’s number one philanthropic priority. Your generous support makes a difference to our students.

2016–2017 ROSS SCHOOL TOTAL GIVING SUMMARY GIFTS MADE JULY 1, 2016–JUNE 30, 2017 2016–2017 SOURCES OF PHILANTHROP I C SU P P O RT ANNUAL FUND

$643,523

DONOR-DIRECTED GIFTS

$500,000

_________ TOTAL PHILANTHROPIC SUPPORT

$1,143,523

Operating Surplus 0% Interest and Debt Service 1% Financial Aid 12% Facilities 12%

Academics and Well-Being 51%

EXPENSES $28,109,624

CAPITAL EXPENDITURES $2,520,675 Middle School 45% Operating Costs 24% Upper School 30%

Lower School 8%

Tuition and Fees, Regular Day Students 11% Mandated Services 2% Rental Income 1% Fundraising 2% Community and Summer Programs 5%

Tuition and Fees, Financial Aid Recipients 21%

REVENUES $28,109,624

Technology 11% Schoolwide 5%

Tuition and Fees, Boarding Students 58%

Foresight Education: Preparing Students for the Future The pace of change in the world is ever increasing, and as a result, education itself must rapidly adapt to prepare students for success in a society that will be vastly different than those that have come before. The leaders of the future will be those with the foresight to envision the future implications of the problems we are facing today and the ability to imagine and implement solutions to lead us toward the best possible outcome. In this vein, Ross School incorporated the curricular theme “Foresight Education: Preparing Ross Faculty and Students for the Future” for the 2016–2017 school year. This focus on the future was initiated in August during Ross Institute Summer Academy, a time of professional development for Ross faculty and staff, under the guidance of preeminent scholars and engineers that included Jeremy Rifkin, Ben Fry, and Danny Hillis. Through panel discussions, lectures, and collaborative work, our team of educators devised ways to integrate activities into their classrooms to cultivate such 21st century skills as innovation, creativity, and empathy in students.

This pedagogical groundwork bore fruit throughout the school year, as students and faculty alike approached both curricular learning and current events with a future-oriented focus. In the face of one of the most dynamic election cycles in American history, students on both Ross campuses engaged in daylong events that helped them better understand and synthesize the information they had learned during the 2016 presidential race to predict how future elections might look, beginning four years from now and leading up to the year 2048. In response to local need for education about teen dating issues, several Upper School students teamed up with East Hampton nonprofit The Retreat to raise awareness and support for National Teen Violence Awareness Month. A forward-looking approach to problems with ensuring global and ecological sustainability was exemplified not only in classrooms, Senior Projects, and Field Academy journeys, but also on the Lower School campus in Bridgehampton, which was recognized by the National Wildlife Federation as a Certified Wildlife Habitat, honoring the community’s efforts to create spaces that improve habitat for local fauna.

Facing page: Luanna C. ’30 examines flowers in the Lower School garden, which has been certified as promoting wildlife. From top: Computer scientist Ben Fry consults with faculty and staff during Ross Institute Summer Academy; sixth grade students cast their votes for student government officials; Maria C. ’18 makes her point during a mock political debate during the Election Teach-In.

Teaching students to employ foresight as they analyze problems and generate solutions helps them to discover, claim, and harness the power they have to address current challenges. This curricular goal, which is supported by the Ross Model framework, endows students with the perspective to imagine the world as it could be and the tools to bring those imaginations to fruition. Ross School has long embraced the idea that our students must study the past in order to understand the present and envision the future. Now, more than ever, we commit to implementing foresight education as a vital means of sustaining and improving lives and cultures around the world.

From left: Monsignor Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences; Ross School Founder Courtney Sale Ross; Marcelo Suárez-Orozco; and Gene D. Block, chancellor of University of California, Los Angeles.

ROSS INSTITUTE COSPONSORS UCLA CONFERENCE ON MASS MIGRATION In January, Ross Institute cosponsored a workshop on Humanitarianism and Mass Migration in conjunction with the University of California—Los Angeles Graduate School of Education and Information, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. Attendees at the two-day workshop, including leading scientists, social scientists, humanists, religious leaders, policy makers, philanthropists, practitioners, and nongovernmental agencies, gathered to examine mass human migrations as well as the demand for and role of humanitarian efforts in response to these movements. Ross School Founder Courtney Sale Ross served as the event’s honorary chair, and two longtime Ross School mentors, Marcelo Suárez-Orozco and Gonzalo Sánchez-Terán, presented at the conference. Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti enthusiastically welcomed conference participants in a letter, writing, “Never has your work been more needed. Today, the lives of over a billion people are shaped by mass migration.” It is hoped that the conference will lead to future international collaboration to address the crises and challenges associated with such migration. 7

DONORS 2016–2017

Many Thanks for Your Support! We acknowledge and appreciate the generous support of the people and organizations that made gifts to Ross School’s Annual Fund and the Steven J. Ross Scholarship Fund. Thank you! C H AIRS CIRCL E ($100, 000 & ABOVE)

Courtney Sale Ross* 21S T CENTURY COUN CI L ($50,000–$9 9,9 99 )

Yan Cao and Wenquan Zhao* Jinhye Park and Eunsang Choi LE A DERSHIP CIRCLE ($25,000–$4 9,9 99 )

Anzhela Albakova and Vladimir Akaev Xiaojuan Gao and Can Zhu Barrie Glabman and Adam Schwartz* Sang Hee and Dong Hoon Han* JAF Foundation Jürgen and Anke Friedrich* Terra Nova Foundation Charles Stevenson and Alex Kuczynski* B E NE FACTORS CIRCLE ($10,000–$2 4,9 99 )

Armand G. Erpf Fund, Inc. Paul and Cornelia Forsman* Sai Chen and Rongxian Huang* Amy and Michael Cosgrove* Jennifer and Austin Handler* Mei Hu and Xin He Dina and Michael Kontokosta* Son-Jung Kuo Su-Jen Liu Kuo and Wen-Liang Liu Mao Liu and Jie Dong

Jennifer McSweeney and Peter Reuss Yan Qun and Lu WeiDong* Jessica and Michael Schessel* Mr. & Mrs. Robert E. Swanson* Mei Wu and Yirong Wang* Wen-Yen Yang and Hsueh-Jen Fu Honghua Zeng and Ping Guo* Jane Zheng and Kane Zhang PATRO N S CI RCLE ( $5, 000– $9, 999)

Bridgehampton National Bank* Hudson Chang Jie Feng and Kai Wu Melissa Hammel and Michael Burton* Jiezhen He and Guoshun Lin* Heeseung Lee and Chongwha Jon* Lili Ma and Wei Fan Cary Mabley* Yuping Zhao and Li Tao* Caihong Zhou and Qidi Li ADVO CATES CI RCL E ( $1, 000– $4, 999)

Laura Auerbach and Dominic LaPierre* Melinda and Julian Beck Cesar Bautista Landscaping* Genie and James Egerton-Warburton* Christina Galesi and Stephen Grant*

Cindy Gotard-Parra and Raoul Parra* Claudia and John Hunt John Hummel Custom Builders, Inc.* Susan Lamontagne and Lawrence LaRose Lands’ End* Linda Mintz* The New York Community Trust Karl Sprules Gwi Park and Heungjae Lee Quogue-Sinclair Fuel, Inc.* Roger and Susan Stone Family Foundation Lauren Stone* Lori Schiaffino and Ted Stratigos* Patti Silver* Chunhong Tao and Huagen Chen Michael Tiedemann* Ann Tintle-Carmo and Vinicius Carmo* Johnathan Turetsky* Christine and Manny Vilar* Geraldine and Jamison Weiner* Qiuping Xu and Yuanfang Fan* Yanwen Yang and Wenguang Liu Haiping Yu and Guomin Zhao*

Robert Bray* Leslie and David Clarke Kristin and Oliver Eberstadt* Virginia Edwards* Hamptons Carpet One Floor & Home* Anders Holst* Constance Landis* National Waste Services, LLC Cynthia Parry and Dr. Bruce Stewart* Mr. and Mrs. Harry L. Richter* Ann Fristoe Stewart and William J. Stewart* Heather and Sean Ward

SCHOLARS CIRCLE ($500–$999)

A S S O C I A T E S C I RCL E

Susan Almrud* Johari Banker and William Costello*

F R I E N D S O F R O SS

Michele and Ben Bonaventura* Leeli and Jim Bonney* Carrie Clark and Peter Strugatz* Judy D’Mello* Hamptons Gym Corp. Bruce Cotter* Janice and John Hummel* P. W. Grosser Consulting Inc.* PAR East Mortgage Company, Inc. Patti Romanzi* Kevin Snyder* Paul Weinhold Ming Zhang and Tang Li

Anja and Mike Abney* Matthew Aldredge* Arlet Amar and Fernando Rivas*

In 2016–2017...

Marina Leous Badilla and Joe Badilla Nathalia Beller ’17 Deborah Boulanger* Novelette Brown Sean Carmichael* Lauren Carrozzi and Jerome Lucani* Samantha Christie* João Paulo Coelho ’17 Betsy and John Colby* Tucker Costello ’08 Katrina and Douglas Cunningham* Noemi and Henryk de Kwiatkowski Natahne Dennis ’02 Julia Dickey and Jill Ward* Yuting Ding ’17 Gabriela Do Nascimento da Silva Laura Eisman and Todd Richter* Laura and Christopher Engel* Faith Evans-Lado* Barbara and Edward Gaias* Rory Gallaher ’17 Mingwei (Sherry) Gao ’17 Lisa and David Gillespie* Catherine Glennon ’03 Jared Goldsmith ’17 Vita and Oleg Golod James Grossi* Kristin Guarino and Barnaby Friedman* Haoting (Amy) Guo ’17 Michelle Guo Emma Walton Hamilton and Stephen Hamilton* Sheryl and Michael Hastalis* Lori Holmes* Sylvia and Andreas Hommert* Julie Iden and Mark Foard* Tomoe Ito Connie Judson*

Nicholas Judson* Lynne Kalinowski Aaron Kresberg ’17 Elisabeth Larsen* Charles Lehner ’11 * Holly and Ling Li* Jiehong Li ’17 Jiawen Liang ’17 Mari Linnman* Jonas Linnman-Feuerring ’17 Hailey London* Jacquelyn Lowery* Chenhong Lu ’17 Nicole ‘01 and Thomas Mabey* Anna Martinez ’17 Alexandra and Tim McAuliffe* Seamus McCarthy ’17 Janine and James McLoughlin* Nancy and Paton Miller Amanda Mintz ’17 Katherine Morgan ’16 Wyeth Moyer ’17 Leila Murphy ’17 Nicklas Muster ’13 Natsumi Nakamura ’17 Rita and Darius Narizzano* Andrea and William O’Hearn* Pink Chicken Rowaida and Jay Plumeri* Anna Popova ’17 Ali Pratt and Tom Carey* Weijing Qi ’17 Yiwen Qiu ’17 Kate Rabinowitz and Rameshwar Das* Lisa and David Rattray* Meg Regan* Melissa Roach* Lucia Robinson ’17 Carrick Rowe* Isabelle Rowe ’17 Nancy and Thomas Scala* Raphael Shoshani ’17 Edward Smyth*

Yoora Song ’17 Ziqing Song ’17 Sara Kay Stewart ’16 Xiaoqi Sun ’17 Anil Tickaram ’17 Daisy and Doodnauth Tickaram* Junellen Tiska* Samantha and Mark Tompkins* Mingjie Tong ’17 Janet Truran Jeanette Tyndall* Michael Vanegas-Alban ’17 Walkiria and Jacques Vaney Anna Vantseva ’17 Susan Verde* Colleen and Jason Warnick Zhaoyi Wei ’17 Wil Weiss ’02* Chelsea Werle ’10 Yujiang Wu ’17 Zewei Xu ’17 Jiling Yang* Shanshan Yang ’17 Erica Yardley* Timur Yuldashev ’17 Cathy Yun Beth and Nelson Zager* Kathryn Zahorsky and Stephen Murray Annmarie and Christopher Zanchelli* GIFTS IN KIND Sean Carmichael Chuck Miller* Dave Robbins

contributions were made by donors from outside the United States.

$3.2M in financial assistance was awarded.

30%

more parents participated in giving than in the previous year.

3/5

of donations were recurring gifts.

43%

of contributors were first-time donors to Ross School.

Italics indicate soft credit. * Repeat donor 9

Ross Lower School Celebrates Grandparents and Special Friends Sometimes, acknowledging the past to prepare for the future can take the form of personal interactions with elder members of the community. Such was the case at the annual Grandparents and Special Friends Day at Ross Lower School in May, when grandparents and mentors were invited to participate in classroom activities and view students’ curricular masterpieces in an art show. The day culminated in a rousing concert, which included songs in three languages and a performance from Ross Children’s Community Theater. Ross School Founder Courtney Sale Ross attended the event as the guest of her godson, saying, “I am so thrilled to see all of these happy faces of the children who are so engaged, learning, and practicing their Core Values. I am so grateful to all of the faculty and staff; it’s delightful to see the children treated with such love.” To read more about Grandparents and Special Friends Day, please visit http://blogs.ross.org/news/2017/05/10/rosslower-school-welcomes-grandparents-and-special-friends.

Clockwise from top: Sophie H. ‘30 and her grandfather visit the Parents Association book fair; Sanai C. ‘26 and her mother select books; Leo H. ‘28 shares a story with his grandmother in his classroom; Jackson P. ‘24 poses with his grandfather; Wesley H. ‘25 works on domino math with his grandparents in his classroom.

DONOR PROFILE

Champions of Education ROBERT AND BARBARA SWANSON Robert and Barbara Swanson (grandparents of Nick ’18 and Lily Rose ’26) have been valued members of our school community since their grandchildren began attending Ross School in 2001, but they have been champions of education for three generations.

as parents were to create as nurturing a home as possible and to give our children a great education.” Now, as the grandparents of 11 ranging in age from not-yet-born to 17 years old, the Swansons continue to play a fundamental role in ensuring that their descendants enjoy a supportive and enriching learning environment.

Both Bob and Barbara enjoyed their school years and were active in the “Even before our grandRidgewood, NJ school children began attending community in which their Ross School, we admired three sons were students. For [Founder] Courtney Sale three years, Barbara volunRoss’s commitment to teered with the Picture Ladies, education and her willinga group of engaged mothers ness to give back to the who educated themselves community,” Bob said. “The about influential artwork and school has benefited many volunteered to teach art people.” Nick and Lily Rose lessons to students in the area. have certainly flourished at Ross, where Nick has “We’ve always considered explored his passion for home to be the first school,” music and Lily Rose has been Barbara said. “Our priorities active in the performing arts.

“I see the smiles on my grandchildren’s faces,” Barbara said. “They seem really happy and bright, and a child’s enthusiasm about school means a lot.”

“Even before our grandchildren began attending Ross School, we admired Courtney Sale Ross’s commitment to education and her willingness to give back to the community.” —BOB SWANSON

Though they split their time between Palm Beach, FL, and Orange County, NY, the Swansons return to campus as often as possible to attend school performances and be present for Grandparent and Special Friends Day each year. They have also been repeat contributors to Ross School’s Annual Giving Campaign. “Bob and I share the belief that progress is important, especially where children are involved,” Barbara said. “Nothing that we do escapes them, so doing all that we can matters.”

Looking Toward the Future: Campus Improvements Thanks to the generosity of our community, Ross School was able to make a number of improvements to our facilities and grounds during the 2016–2017 academic year, the most transformative of which was the redesign of the Middle School classrooms. The suites in Building 4, which also include spaces for Innovation Lab @Ross and Ross’s wood shop, were upgraded with new paint, flooring, and furniture, as well as renovated bathrooms. Artwork in the building was updated to reflect Middle School curricular themes, such as the Golden Age of Islam. The result is a fresh design that is conducive to student concentration and learning. To ensure that Ross students have the most effective athletic training resources available, an expanded selection of fitness equipment was added to the Center for Well-Being’s weight room. Recent additions include a new Smith machine, a gluteham developer, a Peleton bike, weight benches, rowing and ski ergometers, an elliptical trainer, a prowler sled, a cable column machine, TRX suspension straps, kettlebells, weighted battle ropes, and dumbbells. At the Tennis Center, an exterior tennis wall was erected to serve as a helpful 12

teaching aid, allowing students to participate in individual practices and helping them to improve their strike zone and find a consistent rhythm. Other Upper School upgrades include resurfacing the stone path throughout campus. On the Lower School campus, a larger storage shed was assembled to effectively manage outdoor equipment and care-taking supplies for the on-campus farm. In addition, a complete 16-channel PA system with microphone and speakers was installed in the Field House, and the musical instrument selection was augmented with handbells, tambourines, and rhythm bells.

Facing page: Math teacher Jennifer Biscardi works with students Elyse B. ’22, Emma T. ’21, and Greer C. ’21 in the Cultural History classroom of the Middle School Building; inset: newly renovated Innovation Lab suite. From the top: Middle School Science lab suite; Middle School library.

Field Academy: Legacy and Sustainability Each year, Ross students have the opportunity to learn more about the world and about themselves through intensive, hands-on courses under the auspices of Ross School’s Field Academy program. In the spring of 2017, many of the courses used the lens of future-oriented problem solving to explore a wide variety of subjects. In one example, students who participated in the course titled Creating a Legacy: Using Cultural Legacy to Plan for the Future were inspired by inventor Danny Hillis’s 10,000year clock as an example of designing an artifact for future generations. The group traveled throughout Western Europe, considering the impact of their choices in dealing with environmental issues and the significant role their generation will play in ensuring the future sustainability of our planet. From cave paintings created by early humans, to Renaissance artwork, to modern-day inventions, legacies left by our ancestors have provided insight into historical cultures. Surveying those legacies gave Ross students a basis for thinking deeply about the legacy they wish to leave.

Ross Middle School students are also fortunate to be able to participate in on- and off-campus Field Academy courses. This year, a group of seventh and eighth graders broadened their Cultural History studies of world empires with travel through Andalusia, a community in southern Spain significant for its cultural influence by the Moors, Sefardi, Gypsies, and Christians. Studying the cultural traditions of the region, the students gained firsthand knowledge of these groups’ contributions to the Spanish language, architecture, and food. Other student groups visited places like Morocco, Oman, Fiji, and Hawaii—as well as sites close to home, on Long Island—where they learned about local ecological issues and assisted in implementing solutions. To learn more about these and other Field Academy courses, please visit http://blogs.ross.org/news/category/ fieldacademy.

Facing page: Raphael S. ’17, Pedro D. ’17, João C. ’17, and Gianluca A. ’17 pose with traditionally dressed Fijian warriors during Field Academy. Top left: Anil T. ‘17 enjoys breathtaking views over Spain’s Santillana del Mar; top right: Jenna K. ‘19 and Sabrina L. ‘18 pose with Bajau children on Kalapuan Island; middle: Middle School students surround one of the Alhambra’s many ornate fountains during their Ethnography and Sustainable Ecology course in Andalusia; bottom: students enjoy a camel ride through Oman’s Wahiba Sands.

Senior Projects: Solutions for a More Sustainable World

Primed with a future-oriented approach to education, Ross students are prepared to rise to the challenge of facing the trials and opportunities of our complex, globally connected society. Several students in the Class of 2017 exemplified this concept by addressing some of societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s toughest environmental issues through their Senior Projects. Informed by the Sustainability thread recently added to Rossâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Spiral Curriculum, they spent the year developing innovative solutions to problems they identified. For information on these and other 2017 Senior Projects, visit http://blogs.ross.org/news/category/seniorproject.

Facing page: Audrix A. ‘17 tests the water filtration system he built as his Senior Project; inset: Ella G. ‘17 displays her beehive. This page, left: Jonas L. ’17 stands before his model of an ecologically sustainable Sag Harbor. This page, right, top to bottom: Anil T. ’17 poses with the vehicle powered by the motor he built; Gabriela D. ’17 performs her own belly dancing choreography at Senior Project Performance Night; Anna P. ’17 displays her working model of a human heart.

W AT E R F IL TR A TION After visiting locations like Zimbabwe and South America, Ross School Tennis Academy student Audrix Arce ’17 decided to use his Senior Project to develop a potential solution to one of the most significant problems globally affecting people’s quality of life: access to clean water. Estimates show that nearly 2 billion people around the world currently drink water from nonpotable sources, and by 2025, that number is expected to grow to half the world’s population. This lack of clean water results in chronic infection and fatal illnesses. To combat the issue, Audrix developed an inexpensive water filter capable of rendering clean water using solar power. “There are lots of families around the world who live without electricity and running water, and I wanted to give them hope,” Audrix said. “I developed this filter so that they could create water just using what they have.”

B E E C ONS ER V A TI O N Aspiring conservationist Ella Gatfield ’17 used her Senior Project to address the diminishing population of bees, which threatens the nation’s entire agricultural system. In 2016, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service added seven species of bee to the list of endangered species. More than 40 percent of the world’s pollinators are facing extinction, due in part to climate change, insecticides, and invasive parasites. Without intervention, the decline of pollinators

is likely to have a dramatic negative effect on the world’s food supply. Ella studied beekeeping and built an observational, top-bar beehive for her project. Because she believes that the success of bee conservation initiatives will rely upon the action of current and future generations, she has donated her beehive to Ross Lower School so that the beehive can be used to teach students the critical role of pollinators in our agricultural system— a curricular thread for students in grade 1.

RE N E W A BL E ENERGY Environmental enthusiast Jonas Linnman-Feuerring ’17 drew from both the Visual Arts and Science domains to create a model of a sustainable town, inspired by his hometown of Sag Harbor. Incorporating wind turbines, solar power, and geothermal heating, Jonas crafted a system to use renewable energy to offset the amount of energy Sag Harbor currently uses. In addition to modeling a section of the town’s commercial district, Jonas designed two homes: one representing the ways that existing homes could be retrofitted to be more environmentally friendly and the other—his own custom design— showing the optimal selections to build a home with no carbon footprint. “Even though it may be expensive up front, it’s worth it to invest in the future,” Jonas said. “Sag Harbor could be under water in a century if we don’t change our ways.”

SENIOR PROJECTS DISPLAY STUDENTS’ TALENTS AND PASSIONS Ross School’s Class of 2017 exhibited their Senior Projects over three nights last winter. The impressive works included handmade items, like a tube–powered guitar amp and a metalworking forge and tools; a variety of films, three of which went on to win prizes at the New York Alliance Film Festival; and a number of service projects.

AWARDS

Honors and Accolades Ross School is fortunate to be associated with many skilled and talented students and staff, and we are proud to acknowledge the recognitions they have merited, both externally and internally. Some of their awards and honors received in the past year are listed below.

G RAD UA TION A WARDS

OTH ER A WA RD S

Courtney Sale Ross Awards, in recognition of faculty members most exemplary of the Ross School vision of leadership, academic excellence, and personal integrity: Meghan Hillen, Lisa Gillespie.

Ross School Athlete of the Year awards were given to Noa Langleben ’17 and João Coelho ’17.

Ross School Board Award for demonstration of outstanding leadership qualities: Weijing (Frank) Qi ’17. Anders G. Holst Award for demonstration of courage in creativity: Amanda Mintz ’17. Steven J. Ross Humanitarian Award in recognition of pursuit of excellence, magnanimity of intention, and personal integrity: Rory Gallaher ’17. Richard M. Dunn Award for achievements in the study of literature and journalism: Emmanuelle Benard ’17.

Yi Lan ’18, Seamus McCarthy ’17, and Zewei Xu ’17 received awards of excellence for their contributions to the 2017 Parrish Art Museum Student Exhibition. Jonas Linmann-Feuerring ’17, Mingwei Gao ’17, Alex Lawson ’17, and Lucia Robinson ’17 won prizes in the NY Alliance Film Festival. Several Ross School students won awards in the 10th annual LongHouse Student Annual in categories that included sculpture, painting, and mixed media. The award winners included Elise A. ’25, Maisie C. ’25, Tali Friedman ’18, Grace Fu ’18, Sunny Guo ’18, Joy Mae H. ’25, Keqing (Kevin) He ’20, Wesley H. ’25, Amaya J. ’25, Eleni K. ’25, Seamus McCarthy ’17, Nick Swanson ’18, and Jennifer Cross’s Advanced Art class.

COLLEGE UPDATE

Acceptances 2017 The Ross School Class of 2017 received 335 acceptances to 160 different colleges and universities in five different countries as well as $4.6 million dollars in merit scholarships from the institutions below. Bold text indicates matriculation; asterisk indicates more than one student attending.

Adelphi University Allegheny College Arizona State University Babson College Bard College Bennington College Boston College Boston University* Brandeis University Bryant University California College of the Arts California Institute of the Arts Case Western Reserve University Chapman University City College of New York CUNY Clark University Colby College Colgate University College of Charleston College of the Atlantic Columbia College Chicago Concordia University—Irvine Cornell College Cornell University* Dean College DePaul University Drew University Drexel University Eckerd College Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University—Daytona Beach Emerson College Emory University The Evergreen State College Florida Atlantic University Florida International University Florida State University Fordham University Franklin & Marshall College George Mason University The George Washington University* Gettysburg College Hampton University Haverford College Hawaii Pacific University Hobart and William Smith Colleges Hofstra University Indiana University at Bloomington

Institute of Audio Research Iona College Iowa State University Istituto Marangoni, Milano Ithaca College James Madison University Johnson & Wales University (Providence) Lesley University Lewis & Clark College Loyola Marymount University Loyola University Maryland Manhattan College Marist College Maryland Institute College of Art* Marymount Manhattan College Marywood University Massachusetts College of Art and Design Miami University, Oxford Michigan State University The New School—All Divisions New York Institute of Technology New York University* Northeastern University The Ohio State University Otis College of Art and Design Pace University, New York City* Pennsylvania State University* Philadelphia University Pitzer College Portland State University Pratt Institute Prescott College Purdue University Quinnipiac University Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rhode Island School of Design Ringling College of Art and Design Rochester Institute of Technology Roger Williams University Rollins College Rutgers University—New Brunswick Saint Louis University Salve Regina University

San Diego State University Santa Barbara City College Santa Clara University Savannah College of Art and Design School of the Art Institute of Chicago School of Visual Arts Seattle University Seton Hall University Simmons College Skidmore College Smith College St. John’s University— Queens Campus St. Lawrence University State University of New York at New Paltz Stevens Institute of Technology Stony Brook University SUNY Buffalo State College SUNY College at Oneonta SUNY College at Potsdam Syracuse University Temple University Texas A&M University Towson University Tulane University Union College (New York) University at Buffalo The State University of New York University of California, Davis* University of California, Irvine* University of California, Riverside University of California, San Diego University of California, Santa Barbara University of California, Santa Cruz University of Colorado at Boulder University of Connecticut University of Delaware University of Hartford University of Illinois at Chicago The University of Iowa University of Massachusetts, Amherst University of Massachusetts, Boston

University of Miami* University of Michigan* University of Minnesota, Twin Cities University of New Hampshire at Durham University of Oregon University of Pennsylvania University of Pittsburgh University of Puget Sound University of Redlands University of Rhode Island* University of Rochester University of San Diego University of San Francisco University of South Florida, Tampa University of St Andrews University of the West of England University of Toronto University of Vermont University of Virginia University of Washington University of Washington, Tacoma University of Wisconsin, Madison Virginia Tech Washington State University Wentworth Institute of Technology Wesleyan University Westmont College Wheaton College (MA) Whittier College Woodbury University

“Relationships are the heart of teaching, and those I have formed while teaching at Ross mean so much to me, both professionally and personally.”

—MEGHAN HILLEN, GRADE 3 TEAM LEADER

Clockwise from top: Early Childhood and Team K celebrate Martin Luther King Day at an all-school assembly; Chloe H. ’23 and Luanna C. ’30 participate in the end-of-the-year Field Day; Miles Z. ’22, Zanzy R. ’22, and Maya T. ’22 bring to life the iconic Julius Caesar and Roman Senate; Jiehong L. ’17 and Di L. ’18 perform in the Upper School Winter Concert; Cameron M. ’25 shares his contribution to the Lower School’s Activating Our Future Memory exhibition.

DONOR PROFILE

“We want to set positive examples for our children to maintain a positive outlook on life and lead lives of value.” —MS. QUN YAN

Leading Lives of Service MS. QUN Y A N A N D M R. WE I DO N G LU In selecting a boarding school “We truly believe that everylike education, disaster relief, for their son, the parents of one has a responsibility to and rehabilitation of buildings Di (Leo) Liu ’19, Ms. Qun Yan contribute what they can to and social services both in and Mr. Weidong Lu sought better society,” said Ms. Yan. China and in Uganda’s Sukulu an institution that shared their “We want to set positive mining region. family’s values of service examples for our children to and community. In the end, maintain a positive outlook “We immigrated from China’s Ross School’s international on life and lead lives of value.” countryside, where poverty vision, innovative curriculum, remains prevalent,” Mr. Lu and values-based learning One of the factors that led said. “The less fortunate are system proved to be the the family to choose Ross was always in our hearts, and we right fit for their child. Since that its students are empowhope that our philanthropy his start at Ross in the ninth ered to find solutions to socican inspire others to do their grade, Leo’s family has been ety’s problems, a theme that part in helping those in need.” an important part of the Ross has factored prominently family. They are consistent in the couple’s life. Over “We know that it’s not likely donors to the Ross School the past two decades, their for most people to live for Annual Fund, the school’s philanthropy has centered 100 years,” he added. “But foremost fundraising priority primarily around causes we can do more than 100 that directly impacts every that build communities and good deeds in the time we student. support long-term growth have.”

Passion Project: How One Student’s Hobby Could Reduce Food Insecurity

In the basement of Ross School’s High School Building, avid fisherman and marine science enthusiast Brandon Hecht ’19 is breeding and raising animals that he hopes will provide tremendous relief to impoverished families: tilapia. His hope is that his research exploring new ways of farming tilapia might provide an avenue for those in disadvantaged communities to grow more of their own food. As a student in Innovation Lab @Ross, Brandon has enjoyed the opportunity to dive into his passion for technology and environmental science. Driven by the school’s call for students to “Know Thyself in Order to Serve,” and guided by the Core Values of compassion and responsibility, Brandon turned his 22

hobby into a source of servant leadership. Using the principles of vertical gardening, which make it possible to grow produce in spaces as limited as a wall, Brandon is working to combine hydroponics and aquaponics into a single-stream process that makes it easier to breed and raise the fish in humane and environmentally sustainable ways. “Brandon’s fascination with fish and compassion for the environment keep him working tirelessly in the EcoLab any chance he gets,” said marine science teacher Hazel Wodehouse. “He is motivated by a desire to effect change in the world. . . . His enthusiasm is contagious, and he should be very proud.”

Maximize your gift to Ross School by participating in our Annual Giving challenge! A member of our school community has agreed to match every new contribution and any increase in gift size to the Annual Fund, up to $50,000. This opportunity can double the impact of your donation, directly impacting the lives of all Ross students!

GIVE TODAY

www.ross.org/give or call 631-907-5500

Meet the Challenge!

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