Dwight Today Fall 2020 by Dwight School

Fall 2020

DWIGHT TODAY A Magazine for the Global Dwight Community

A YearUnlike Any Other INS I

The Dwight School Foundation Annual Report 2019-20

Dwight is dedicated to igniting the spark of genius in every child. Kindling their interests, we develop inquisitive, knowledgeable, self-aware, and ethical citizens who will build a better world.

Learning on campus circa 1930s ...

HEADING | DWIGHT TODAY

and at home circa 2020

DWIGHT TODAY

FEATURE STORIES

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Destination Dubai: A Dwight First for Seventh Graders From In-person to Virtual Learning without Missing a Beat

Abby Allen ’97 Found Inspiration at Dwight

Eric Novod Builds Self-confidence in Music Students from the Very Start

Graduation 2020 Celebrates the Class of Grit and Resilience

Global Heads of School Tapped to Share Reopening Insights with Educators

63 Laurie Silbersweig: Editorial Director Emily Chase: Design Director Samantha Roy: Editorial Associate

The Dwight School Foundation Annual Report 2019-20

Dear Dwight Family, The global pandemic has altered the world and challenged us to navigate uncharted waters. The depth of our communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s caring and resilience has given us the resolve to rethink education so that this and other global crises will never happen again. In this issue of Dwight Today, we revisit some of our most celebratory 2020 moments before and during COVID-19 in which teaching, learning, and collaboration continued unabated. We reimagined igniting the spark of genius in every child through a virtual lens, thanks to the tireless commitment of our faculty and staff, who kept our students thriving during and after school hours. Over the summer of intense preparation to welcome students back to campus for the start of the 2020-21 school year, we drew on the silver-lining knowledge and ingenuity gained during last springâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s closure to design curricular initiatives and innovative programs to inspire our students in new and exciting ways. The Dwight School Foundation, which funds student financial aid, faculty professional development, and innovation grants, continues to be invaluable to the advancement of our School. You can read more about the Foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s critical work in its 2019-20 Annual Report, which is included in this issue. As a family, together we will build a more just, responsible, and equitable world. Warm regards, Stephen Spahn, Chancellor

DWIGHT TODAY | COMMUNITY

Setting a

l a e l b b o l a G T

Our annual International Food Festival, curated by the Dwight community, featured delicious tastes and treats from around the world â&#x20AC;&#x201D; with a dash of music and a dollop of dancing! Thank you to the Parents Association for making it another great night to remember!

INTERNATIONAL FOOD FESTIVAL | DWIGHT TODAY

Seventh Graders Take Flight

for Inaugural Exchange with Dwight School Dubai “I chose to come on this trip because I wanted to meet new friends, discover new places, and learn about different cultures. This trip taught me all about how to communicate with the unfamiliar, and to be open to trying new things and experiencing the unknown!” - Eli Eli, together with 27 seventh-grade classmates, experienced a whole new world as they embarked on our first exchange program with Dwight School Dubai. After a long flight, our globetrotting students arrived and hit the ground rolling with a tour. They caught their first glimpse of the city’s sights, including the man-made Bluewater and Palm Islands, the beachfront of Le Mer, the towering sail-shaped Burj Al Arab, the Souk Madinat, the Jumeirah Mosque, and the Dubai Frame building. They also ascended the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, and took in a panoramic view of Dubai from the observation deck on the 124th floor.

Students continued their adventure over the following days with an archaeological tour and a trek into the Valley of the Caves, where they learned about fossils and paleontology. Also on the itinerary were visits to the Sharjah Islamic and Sharjah Heritage Museums, and the Kind Fisal and Al Noor mosques. A DWIGHT FIRST The cornerstone of this journey was visiting Dwight School Dubai, our first campus in the Middle East located in Al Barsha South. We watched with great excitement as the School emerged literally from the sand and opened its doors in 2018, bringing something new to the highly competitive independent school marketplace — Dwight’s singular commitment to igniting the spark of genius in every child. When our seventh graders arrived at Dwight School Dubai, they met their “buddies,” attended classes, and participated in a range of activities, including a visual arts collaboration. In addition to making new friends, some of our students reconnected with an old friend:

Linda Fussell, who is now the Head of Lower School in Dubai! Our students knew her when they were little lions and Ms. Fussell was the Associate Head of Preschool and Kindergarten in New York. Another exciting part of the School visit was taking part in the International Day celebrations, which included student performances, food from around the world, and traditional Emirati music and dance. This enriching exchange program is the newest among several that our students enjoy as members of Dwightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s global network of schools. Our cross-campus visits date back 22 years, when fifth graders in New York took their first Dwight flight across the pond to visit Dwight School London. This long-standing tradition was later extended to include a reciprocal visit in New York for London students, Dwight charts a course for students to broaden their perspectives and worldview, experience other cultures, and step into the shoes of their peers on other campuses, including those in

DWIGHT TODAY | GLOBAL VISION

Seoul and Shanghai. Dwight also offers students opportunities to participate in performing arts collaborations such as the London Choral Extravaganza and our annual global music festival, held in Shanghai in 2019 and New York in 2020. Through all of these experiences, Dwight students bond more closely with their fellow classmates and forge international friendships that will endure well beyond their years in school. Doyle put it best when he shared: “My favorite part about the trip was visiting Dwight Dubai because I made a lot of new friendships!” TRADITION MEETS THE FUTURE Our travelers’ exposure to Middle Eastern traditions expanded with a ride on a traditional boat called a dhow; touring the old city; shopping at the Spice and Gold Souks; and visiting the Arabian desert, where they saw a falcon show, ate falafel and shawarma in colorful campsite tents, learned about the art of henna tattoos, tried sand-boarding, and of course, rode camels! “Going to the sand dunes was one of the most fun things I have ever done! We ran and jumped off every dune together,” reports Nico, who shares many of his classmates’ enthusiasm for the desert experience. The exciting day closed with a performance of Tanoura folk dancing and fire blowing. While traditions run deep in the UAE, there is an equal amount of innovation with the rapid growth of new buildings, communities, and industries. On a day trip to Abu Dhabi, students visited Masdar City, a low-carbon urban community, where they learned about sustainable development and architecture, water and energy efficiency, and rode in the world’s first on-demand driverless vehicle! Our Lions also visited Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, one of the world’s largest mosques; and the Qasr Al Watan, the presidential palace, to learn about the governance and culture of the UAE. In just one week, our seventh grade travelers took in so much and returned home with a wealth of new experiences and knowledge about both the past and future of one of the world’s most exciting cities. In her reflection, Audrey describes it eloquently: “Dubai has such a unique and interesting culture, and this trip gave me a great chance to try new things. It was a mixture of Bedouin history, beautiful art and food — and a forward journey into the future of green energy and driverless cars in Masdar City.” Back home in New York, it was just a few short weeks before we welcomed Dwight students from Dubai, together with those from London and Seoul, for our global music festival. This cross-campus collaboration, with months in the planning, culminated with the Carnegie Hall concert where the music our international community made together was memorable for all!

GLOBAL VISION | DWIGHT TODAY

Welcome David Hutson New Head of Dwight School Dubai

David Hutson, a passionate educator for 20 years, has assumed the helm of our campus in Dubai. He joined the Dwight family after serving as Principal at Al Bateen Academy in Abu Dhabi for the past six years. As the new head of Dwight School Dubai, Mr. Hutson says, “I have the honor of continuing Dwight's legacy of innovation, and building upon the School’s three pillars of global vision, community, and personalized learning. In a short time, Dwight has quickly become a standout in the competitive independent school arena. As the School continues to grow, we look forward to being on the forefront of education not only in Dubai, but also throughout the UAE.” Dwight’s first school in the Middle East brought our spark of genius philosophy, strength in personalized learning, and the IB curriculum to the region to educate tomorrow’s global leaders. Mr. Hutson, who began his educational career as a Business and Economics teacher, recognizes that universities and employers seek articulate, balanced, creative, high-achieving learners and leaders who will continue to contribute positively to the local and wider community. “Our broad and enriching curriculum is designed to reflect this and give every child the platform to achieve their academic and personal goals,” says Mr. Hutson. “In essence, Dwight students are locally educated; internationally minded.” Before moving to the Middle East, Mr. Hutson served in senior leadership positions at two UK schools, Walton Community School and Ryde High School. He completed his BA (Honours) European Business degree at the University of Leicester, which included one year at the University of Catania, Sicily, as part of a languages program; and earned an MSc in Education and Training Management from the University of Portsmouth. Additionally, Mr. Hutson is a certified School Inspector and a Council of International Schools Evaluator.

Our Varsity Swimming Lions made very big waves in 2020, claiming the overall ISAL League Championship ... the boys team also placed first and the girls took second!

DWIGHT TODAY | ALUMNI PROFILE

Abby Allen ’97

Helping Brands Reflect Our World Ask Abby Allen ’97 who the lead of the 1987 Dwight play was and she’ll probably get it right, even though she didn’t go to School here until quite a few years later. She might also know who the captain of the 1988 JV Basketball Team was ... or be able to tell you the name of the senior class president. “For a long time while I was in school, I was obsessed with studying old yearbooks,” she confesses, illuminating the source of her extensive Dwightonian knowledge. “I’ve always been fascinated by people and exploring why they do what they do — uncovering what makes them tick — and Dwight to me was an endless amalgam of interesting characters to draw from.”

In her own senior yearbook, Abby was voted: most athletic, alongside Dwight Smith; teacher’s pet, together with Simon Pfister; and most likely to work at Dwight with Cedric Wallerson! When Abby, founder of Neon Butterfly, a full-service brand strategy and marketing firm dedicated to helping companies reach diverse audiences, first stepped foot inside the red doors of Dwight’s former home on East 67th Street as a seventh grader, she immediately felt inspired and excited.

At Dwight, I was able to exercise the many facets of my own personality and interests.

MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES Abby’s favorite teacher was Arthur Samuels, who taught IB History and encouraged her and her classmates to think for themselves and develop their analytical skills by introducing them to historical perspectives not taught in most high schools. He posed many thought-provoking questions like, “Why did the U.S. actually conduct so many excursions in Latin America?” and “Did the U.S. government know in advance about the attack on Pearl Harbor?” Abby, a self-professed nonconformist, appreciated the encouragement to formulate her own opinions about topics that had always been taught from one perspective and as incontestable facts. “Mr. Samuels didn’t present the facts in the whitewashed way many teachers do,” she says. “I remember reading A People’s History of America in his

class and thinking how cool it was that we were reading a more nuanced and complete type of history text.” Other teachers, like Allison McCallister who taught IB English, continued to encourage Abby’s critical thinking skills. Upon reading Lord of the Flies, for instance, the class would engage in lively discussions about whether or not they would have acted the same way as the novel’s characters did. Teachers like Arthur Samuels and Allison McCallister also created rigorous reading lists with writers like Alan Brinkley, whom Abby would later have as a professor at Columbia University. In this sense, she felt she’d already enjoyed a rigorous collegiate experience before receiving her high school diploma. Abby was part of Dwight’s academic evolution, when it joined forces with the

ABBY ALLEN ’97 | DWIGHT TODAY

I decided to lean into curating creative teams that actually reflect the audiences that brands and organizations are trying to reach. It just makes sense for business and beyond. Anglo-American School to become a full IB school in 1993. With that came Dwight’s move from the East Side to the West Side, along with the subsequent expansion of the student and faculty bodies. Sitting in class alongside students from other parts of the world, learning about their cultural differences and similarities, Abby describes this individual and collective growth as invigorating: “I felt integrated into Dwight’s journey of evolving into an altogether more formidable school.” TOP-NOTCH ACHIEVEMENTS As she began high school, Abby joined the snowboarding club and continued playing volleyball, “which was a big part of what made Dwight great for me,” she recalls fondly. As Abby’s skills as a player grew, so did the team’s ranking until eventually Dwight was outplaying some of the bigger rival schools, including Riverdale and Horace Mann. For two years, she served as captain, helping to lead the team to multiple championships. “At Dwight, I was able to exercise the many facets of my own personality and interests,” Abby shares. ”I was academic. I was also athletic. I was also somewhat of a thespian at times. It was great that I didn’t feel like I had to just stay in one lane.” When she received her Dwight diploma in 1997, it was at the top of her class. Abby graduated as Valedictorian, alongside her best friend and Salutatorian Jessica Schnur. She didn’t travel far, venturing further uptown to attend Columbia University, where she majored in American History and also played on Columbia’s Division One Volleyball team, continuing both her academic and athletic success — dual sparks of genius. “HOW CAN I ULTIMATELY USE MEDIA TO DO GOOD?” Tapping into her fascination with why people do what they do, Abby began a 20year career in advertising and marketing after graduating from Columbia. She joined

the British multinational communications conglomerate Saatchi and Saatchi, followed by stints at other ad agency giants like J. Walter Thompson, TBWA Chiat Day, and Publicis. Abby explains that, along with her passion for studying human motivation and behavior, the common thread throughout her successful career has been the underlying question, “How can I ultimately use media to do good?” “I’ve never been someone who can be happy just sitting around in third gear, collecting a paycheck, which is often what can happen in the corporate world. Being complacent has never been a possibility,” she says. “My motivation was to learn, learn, learn, so that I could eventually figure out how to use media to truly benefit others.” As Abby rose through the ranks, working with brands ranging from Olay to Twitter, she became an earnest student of Yoga and Tibetan Buddhism, spending thousands of hours studying a traditional Tibetan monastic curriculum, as well as in training and silent retreats. Her desire to serve others began to merge with her talent and expertise in the advertising world, when she offered to rebrand her Yoga teacher’s training program, leading to the rapid increase in enrollment. “Everything I do is part of my own spiritual practice and growth,” Abby shares. “I am always working to try and be a better version of myself so I can be part of the solution instead of the problem.” With this in mind, Abby has lived in many different places, from New York to Los Angeles and Boulder, with the intention of continually learning from new environments and different kinds of people. Most recently, she relocated to the swing state of Ohio before the upcoming election, so that she could live in a state where her vote counts. ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL Savoring the joy of helping others, in 2011 Abby started her own company,

Neon Butterfly, with the focus on helping companies more successfully reflect and reach their global audiences. “I came to realize that not only were ad agencies running really inefficiently, but most of the work coming out of these big shops was being created solely by white men. There was such little diversity of any kind — perspective, race, culture, etc., especially in the more senior positions. That just felt increasingly absurd to me given the way the world actually is,” Abby explains. “I decided to lean into curating creative teams that actually reflect the audiences that brands and organizations are trying to reach. It just makes sense for business and beyond. It does require a lot more effort because it means painstakingly assembling new teams for every project — but our teams have fewer blind spots and we can create work that more accurately represents the world we live in, which benefits everyone.” On the Neon Butterfly website, prospective clients read: “Our mission is to help brands connect with the changing face of America, and the world, in the changing spaces where people communicate — fusing human insight with rigorous business acumen built from nearly two decades of industry experience.” With clients like mega-brands Disney and Proctor and Gamble, along with personal brands, ranging from psychotherapists to a Congressional candidate, Neon Butterfly has garnered the attention of top players in its field. Along with that, Abby recently experienced the very surreal moment of hiring the woman who was her first boss at Saatchi and Saatchi to join her team. Similarly, Abby might soon be returning to her alma mater to help contribute to our School’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Some might call this a full swing around the Dwight karmic circle, lending credence to the 1997 yearbook prediction that Abby “was most likely to work at Dwight.” Here, it comes down to a mere change in preposition, from “at” to “with!” While Abby is currently based in Cincinnati, who knows, following the election, where this butterfly will land next?

DWIGHT TODAY | PERSONALIZED LEARNING

Bernardo Sequeira ’22 #1 in NYC’s Shakespeare Monologue Competition!

After winning several increasingly challenging rounds, Dwight’s Bernardo Sequeira ’22 won the finals of the 2020 New York City Shakespeare Monologue Competition and moved onto the National finals! This was an exceptional accomplishment and testament to Bernardo’s talent and skills — and it marked a first for our School — we are so proud of him! Bernardo’s competition path began when he won both the tenth-grade and all-school championships in our own Shakespeare Monologue match-up for students in grades 9-12. From there, he represented Dwight at the New York City semi-finals held at the headquarters of the English-Speaking Union of the United States (ESU), which sponsors the competition. In addition to delivering his Mark Antony monologue from Julius Caesar, Bernardo had to perform one of Shakespeare’s sonnets, for which he chose Sonnet 140, known for its opening line: “Be wise as thou art cruel ...” The semi-final round included more than 50 student-performers, who were champions of their own high schools. Bernardo was one of 11 to win at that level, from which he advanced to the final round at the Morgan Library, which he won. Out of thousands of high school performers throughout New York City, Long Island, and Westchester, Bernardo ranked #1! The award included a $500 prize in addition to the honor. We’re not surprised by this achievement, as Bernardo has shared his impressive theatrical spark of genius with us since joining Dwight in sixth grade. He has appeared in numerous plays and musicals, often with starring roles, demonstrating his talents for both drama and comedy, as well as his ability to sing and dance. Bernardo also participates in our personalized Master Theater Program for students who have shown drive and want to commit at a more serious level. Commit he does, as Bernardo, who has devoted much time and energy to hone his craft at Dwight, also invested countless hours to prepare for the semi-final and final rounds. Along the way, he worked with his mentor, Terry Christgau, Head of Upper School Theater Productions and the Master Theater Program. The National Shakespeare Monologue Competition is a particularly special tradition for us, as it was launched by Dr. Paul Beresford-Hill MBE, when he was Headmaster of the Anglo-American International School, which joined forces with Dwight in 1993. Ten years earlier, he began the program, which today draws 20,000 students in 60 EnglishSpeaking Union branches annually. Dr. Beresford-Hill directs the ESU and has the additional distinction of being Ambassador to the United Nations, as Permanent Observer of the Sovereign Order of Malta. Last spring, Bernardo went on to compete in the National final round virtually to match his skills against the top 55 student-orators in the country. Congratulations, Bernardo!

IN THE CLASSROOM | DWIGHT TODAY

Lions of All Ages Team up to Learn

From reading together to conducting scientific experiments sideby-side, Dwight students across grades learn with — and from — one another!

Sparks were flying at one of our Spark Tank Expos and Pop-up Shops, where students new to the program shared ideas for their passion projectsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and veterans sold their products to our community!

DWIGHT TODAY | GLOBAL PERSONALIZED VISION LEARNING

LEADERSHIP CARNEGIE DINNERS HALL | DWIGHT TODAY

Our Earth Dwight’s Global Family Celebrates

at Carnegie Hall!

The Dwight Schools’ return to Carnegie Hall was a glorious musical reunion! As the lights dimmed on the Zankel Hall stage, the lyrical sounds of the classic “Flower Duet” from the opera, Lakme, filled the air, setting the tone for what was to come: an evening in global harmony. The concert was the culmination of a weeklong music festival in New York, which brought 150 students from around the world together to share their talents and passion for music. In 2019, Dwight’s annual festival was hosted by our school in Shanghai for the first time; the 2020 event reconnected many who participated in that collaboration alongside those new to this Dwight tradition. Unfortunately, we missed students from Shanghai who had planned to take part. A THEME COMES TO LIFE The planning and preparation for our global music festivals begin many months in advance when the music directors of each school work together to map a cohesive program and students audition on their own campuses. This year’s theme was “Our Earth,” chosen as a musical celebration of the beautiful world around us. It allowed all campuses to explore the vast array of music selections that highlight the natural world; throughout the concert, we heard many different musical styles

DWIGHT TODAY | GLOBAL VISION

celebrating earthly motifs, from the changing of the seasons, blooming of flowers, and power of the weather, to reflections on human life on earth. Additionally, the theme brought Dwight’s global vision pillar to life. As Eric Novod, Head of Performing Arts in New York, shared in the Playbill, “This special concert is, quite literally, a representation of ‘our earth’ coordinated by music faculty and performed by students from campuses in New York, London, Seoul, Dubai, and online, representing dozens of countries that stretch around the world. Opportunities to experience this level of cultural and musical exchange are unique to our global community, and everyone can be proud to be part of such a vibrant and harmonious family!” Students from each campus performed pieces that showcased their impressive instrumental and vocal talents, and when everyone from The Dwight Schools was on stage together, they wowed us with combined artistry. Joining them were fifth-grade students from New York, who performed two vocal pieces and got their first taste of what it’s like to be part of this special event. As the famous saying goes, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice. Practice. Practice.” Indeed! Each school convened many rehearsals on their home ground prior to arriving in New York, and the final touches were put on all performances in intensive rehearsals during the days leading up to the concert. While lots of hard work goes into it, the week everyone spends in New York is an incomparable bonding experience. Students forge friendships and create memories through a shared love of music. In addition to clocking many hours together in rehearsals with our global music faculty, students connected in the classroom, toured The Big Apple, and enjoyed some downtime by taking in a Broadway show. THE BIG NIGHT! Before a single note was heard, Mr. Novod welcomed the audience, sharing, “The talent, character, teamwork, and passion displayed by students during the festival week have already made this unique Dwight experience a singular success.” Then it was time for many musical sparks of genius to shine brightly, as students took us on a journey around the world. We heard pieces spanning genres, from classical and traditional folk Korean music to jazz, rock, pop — and something new this year — country with a reggae twist! That’s how the finale, “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” was described, and it was a rousing number that brought the audience to its feet! Our Head of School, Dianne Drew, closed the program with notes of appreciation. But before the evening ended, there was something more in store: a surprise, gangnam-style! Following the announcement by Kevin Skeoch, Head of Dwight School Seoul, that the 2021 music festival will be hosted in Seoul, a group of K-pop dancers brought the message home!

CARNEGIE HALL | DWIGHT TODAY

Our Boys Varsity Basketball team roared very loudly in 2020, clinching the ACIS regular season and playoff championships â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and making their way to the NYSAIS Tournament Semi-finals!

A Lion-sized congratulations goes to Richard Nweke â&#x20AC;&#x2122;22, who was named to New York's Fourth Team All-State! Richard is the third student-athlete in Dwight's history to receive All-State honors from the New York State Sportswriters Association!

DWIGHT TODAY | BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

Scintilla’s Studentdriven Process

and Storied Past

For the past five years, members of Dwight’s Writers Club have proudly published Scintilla, our School’s literary magazine. Chock-full of creative sparks — prose, poetry, photography, and traditional and digital art — Scintilla is edited and produced by Upper Schoolers. From beginning to end, Scintilla is student-inspired and student-driven, which takes many months to produce. In the first trimester, students hone their skills through creative writing workshops, select writing prompts with their faculty advisor, and write and discuss their work together. During trimester two, the call for student submissions goes out. The Club selects and edits the pieces, sharing suggestions with fellow writers. Once final, the written works are arranged with thematically related art and the layout is designed by students. Dwight’s Design Director, Emily Chase, provides some expert tips before the magazine goes to print. This immersive and collaborative creative writing experience is exactly what draws students, as Samantha Strauss ’22, says, “My ninth grade English teacher, Ms. Katagiri, encouraged me to join since I love creative writing — I’m so glad that I did!” Natasha Girshin ’21, who also joined as a freshman, shares, “I love writing and wanted to be part of something bigger. I find writing with a group even more enjoyable than writing on my own. Being part of the Dwight Writers Club is

also a wonderful opportunity to dive into great writing units, from prose to poetry, and it’s a great outlet to share my ideas creatively.” The 2018-19 issue of Scintilla earned high marks with an “Excellent” ranking from the National Council of Teachers of English, which honors students’ creativity through its Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines (REALM) program. REALM encourages all schools to develop literary magazines that celebrate the art and craft of writing, and our Club members were proud to be recognized with their very first submission! A RICH LITERARY LEGACY In recent memory, our student magazine was published under different names and mastheads over time before its 2016 rechristening to Scintilla. From a longer historical perspective, we unearthed this reference to the 1948 founding of a writing club in the 1949 Dwight yearbook, which was called The Scroll:

SCINTILLA’S STORIED PAST | DWIGHT TODAY

TRUMAN CAPOTE ’43 AND HAL PRINCE ’44: ON THE SAME FRANKLIN MASTHEAD As those familiar with our School’s history know, the legendary writer Truman Capote ’43 was a graduate of The Franklin School, which later became the Anglo-American School and joined forces with Dwight in 1993. Mr. Capote demonstrated his writing spark of genius early on, with pieces published in Franklin’s literary journal, The Red and Blue.

become leading writers and journalists, Leonard Engel and PulitzerPrize winner Walter Lippmann. Mr. Lippmann was also a social theorist, adviser to Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and public philosopher — a force whose writings about politics and modern democracy, foreign affairs, media, economic policy, and more helped to shape American thinking for threequarters of the 20th Century. With over 120 years of history that we can trace, our literary magazine no doubt featured the early poetry and prose of many more accomplished authors, journalists, dramatists — scribes of all kinds — who went on to leave their marks on our world through the written word. We are proud of our literary magazine’s shining history and know that its future is equally as bright!

Hal Prince ’44, the most celebrated producer and director in Broadway history with a record-breaking 21 Tony Awards, was also a Franklin School graduate. He credited Truman Capote’s early impressive literary talent as the impetus to turn his own attention from writing to theater. As Mr. Prince told The Observer in 2013 about his fellow editorial board member of The Red and Blue, “Our writing appeared in the same issues of the literary journal. Truman was writing magnificent poetry in those days and I was writing lousy short stories. So, when I realized I wasn’t good enough to write, I decided that directing was the next best thing.” As we know, “the next best thing” turned out to be a lifetime of phenomenal success! Mr. Capote, who in addition to writing novels, short stories, and screenplays, was also a playwright … imagine what he and Mr. Prince could have created had they teamed up! The 1941 Franklinite yearbook, which includes the photo of Hal Prince as a high school freshman, details the history of The Red and Blue, dating its launch back to 1899! It also cites two contributors from earlier eras, who went on to

DWIGHT TODAY | FACULTY Q&A

Eric Novod Head of Performing Arts

Adds New Notes to Dwight ’s Rich Musical Score Shortly after we welcomed Eric Novod, Head of Performing Arts, at the beginning of last year, he dove head-first into planning the largest event on our calendar — not just in New York, but worldwide across all Dwight campuses: our global concert at Carnegie Hall! We applaud Mr. Novod’s leadership and sat down with him to learn about his own musical journey and commitment to teaching and building self-confidence in students. WHEN DID YOU DISCOVER YOUR LOVE OF MUSIC? Music has always been a part of my life. Though there are no musicians in my family, they’re all big music fans, so music was always playing and instruments were around the house. I had a toy acoustic guitar, xylophones, and bells, and then I got a junior drum set when I was five or six. That was it — I was hooked right away! I started taking percussion lessons and learned to read rhythms. In high school, I played classical, marching band, and jazz percussion and started rock bands outside of school. I went on to Rutgers University to study music and history, and combined my interests by getting a Master’s degree in Jazz History and Research, also at Rutgers. WHAT CAME NEXT? I became a music writer in grad school, where students were encouraged to publish in the world of jazz journalism. I wrote for Modern Drummer magazine, a handful of music encyclopedias, and the former

website, jazz.com. I also became a recording studio producer for artists across genres: pop, rock, folk, jazz, and reggae. Producing is a big responsibility and something that I love. Above all else, it’s about connecting with musicians about their very personal art and helping them to realize the best versions of their vision. Being a music producer has a lot in common with being a teacher —

developing long-term goals while carefully plotting short-term improvements. WHAT WAS YOUR PATH TO EDUCATION? My long-term plan always included teaching. Shorter term, I was a full-time touring and studio musician for eight years after grad school. I traveled nationally and worldwide, which included being on the road for the entire 2009 Vans Warped Tour, the largest music festival in the country, with a reggae band called Westbound Train. I also wrote articles, gave private percussion lessons, and taught as an adjunct professor at Brookdale Community College in New Jersey. After touring slowed down, it was time to pursue teaching full-time. I began at Hanover Park High School in New Jersey, teaching concert and jazz bands, music technology, and marching band percussion. After five years, I became the Education Director at Lakehouse Music Academy in Asbury Park, which is connected to a professional recording studio. With 65-70 student bands rehearsing weekly and performing, we were incredibly busy! After three years, I joined the Dwight team. WHAT'S YOUR EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY? My aim is to build self-confidence and self-motivation in students from the very

ERIC NOVOD | DWIGHT TODAY beginning. If those two things are both truly developed, then the skills, the work ethic, the process, and everything else will fall into place. I focus on those two elements at the beginning of a student’s musical journey because I don’t want to provide all the answers or explicitly teach every aspect of a skill right away. I want students to explore and discover an instrument or music software on their own, so they can absorb whatever they can first. Then I can guide and help shape their actual skill sets. I’ve found that it’s the best way to build student confidence and motivation, and help them to take ownership of their musical goals. From there, the sky's the limit! WHAT CLASSES DO YOU TEACH? I teach grades 8-10, introducing students to digital composition of popular song formats in one trimester (the other two are dedicated to theater and visual arts). When students enter ninth grade, they select projects involving traditional instruments and voice, and/or digital composition and mixing skills. We focus on composing music for TV and film, as well as group and/or solo performance; rhythm and harmony advancement; and original composition for student portfolios. When students move on to higher-level courses, they engage in more critical analysis, formal composition, and have continued opportunities for live performance. Vita Zambetti teaches grades 1-5 and Michael Ferrari teaches grades 6-7 and 11-12. We work together on project ideas, coordinating performances and ensuring a smooth musical path from grade 1 all the way to grade 12! We also each instruct different after-school ensembles, including choirs, bands, and small ensembles. All of us see many talented students whose musical sparks of genius are also amplified in Dwight’s Music Conservatory, where over 20 professionals teach private lessons spanning a wide range of instruments, from guitar to harp, as well as voice, music composition, and audio engineering. WHAT DO YOU ENJOY ABOUT TEACHING IN AN IB SCHOOL? The answer is global-mindedness for sure! Teaching music in the IB curriculum enables

us to bring in so many different types of music from around the world that don’t normally pop up in a non-IB music classroom. The scope is wider and the richness is deeper when teaching in a global context. Additionally, my philosophy and preference for extended exploration and project-based learning are well-matched with the IB ethos. CONGRATS ON DIRECTING DWIGHT’S RETURN TO CARNEGIE HALL IN YOUR FIRST YEAR! I want to thank Dwight’s global music faculty and the countless teachers and staff who came together to make the 2020 music festival and our global concert at Carnegie Hall an extra-special and successful event for everyone. It was months in the making and their dedication was inspiring. It was truly a uniquely rewarding experience. The opportunity to connect music faculty and student-musicians and singers around the world from every campus in one shared pursuit does not exist anywhere else. I’ve coordinated some big concerts and festivals before with professional musicians, yet what our students accomplished is more impressive! Talented performers from every Dwight School first auditioned and then practiced on their own campus for months prior to coming together to execute a combined concert in less than a week — it was just amazing! They enjoyed some of the unique benefits of being part of Dwight’s global family, forging friendships, and collaborating through the universal language of music. The week spent together rehearsing, learning in classrooms, and socializing created lasting bonds, making the culminating concert at Carnegie Hall almost the icing on the cake. It was fun, intense, and went by in a flash. I tried to remind students to take a moment whenever they could to look around and appreciate what was happening! TELL US ABOUT DWIGHT’S MUSIC RECORDING STUDIO. Located on the lower level of the Performing Arts Center, it’s equipped with: a professional-level digital mixing console, studio monitors, individual headphone mixers so students can customize what

they’re hearing, and lots of instruments and microphones ready to use. It’s exciting that students writing original songs will be able to record their own music here and then share it with the world. We're introducing a club offering them a pathway to write, arrange, record, and release original music. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE MUSIC TO LISTEN TO AND PLAY? Jazz is number one. I’m shamelessly obsessed and have tried to listen to as many recordings as I can get my hands on! I also listen to Motown, indie rock, singer-songwriters, classical, and more. I love playing jazz, too.

My aim is to build self-confidence and self-motivation in students from the very beginning. If those two things are both truly developed, then the skills, the work ethic, the process, and everything else will fall into place.

WHAT’S A LITTLE-KNOWN FACT ABOUT YOU? I’m a lifelong New York Mets fan. I share the same thing with all classic Mets fans: a heavy dose of Spring optimism followed by “we’ll see what happens once the season starts.” WHAT’S YOUR SPARK OF GENIUS? I think that my spark of genius is using music to enrich the lives of others. Whether it’s family, friends, or students, I’ve always found myself connecting with people through music and guiding them in unique musical directions. This may be a serious music student or a friend who has never played a note. My “runner-up spark” is the combination of being calm and relaxed while still having very high expectations! We know that Mr. Novod’s spark — and runner-up spark — are enhancing the music learning and performing experiences for Dwight students in New York and around the world!

DWIGHT TODAY | PERSONALIZED LEARNING

Flipping the Digital Switch www.dwight.edu

FLIPPING THE

FROM IN-PERSON

Dateline: Tuesday, March 10. This was the day we began virtual teaching and learning amid the global pandemic. The closure of our School in New York followed the closure of Dwight campuses in Shanghai, Seoul, and Dubai; and it would not be long until the same ensued in London. We were well prepared to make the transition, drawing on the learning of our sister schools that had already â&#x20AC;&#x153;flipped the digital switch,â&#x20AC;? and insights from Dwight Global Online School, which since its founding seven years ago, has successfully built community and closely mirrored the experience of students in our physical campuses. Throughout, with flexibility, compassion, outsized commitment, and innovation â&#x20AC;Ś

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VIRTUAL LEARNING | DWIGHT TODAY

DIGITAL SWITCH:

TO VIRTUAL LEARNING

Our faculty brought emboldened levels of creativity to teaching and mentoring. Our staff kept the operational wheels of our School and programs turning. Our parents partnered with us, supporting their children with strength and reassurance. Our students embraced a new method of learning with enthusiasm and resilience. Our whole community navigated uncharted waters together, bringing a deeply shared certainty of purpose â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to ensure our students would continue to grow and thrive â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in uncertain times.

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VIRTUAL EVENTS BROUGHT THE SAME LION-SIZED PRIDE

Campus was closed, but learning, activities, connecting, sharing sparks of genius, and celebrating student achievements and milestones continued unabated virtually. From March through June, our community gathered online for Dwightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s full calendar of events designed for students in every grade, culminating with the Class of 2020â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s virtual graduation!

DWIGHT TODAY | PERSONALIZED LEARNING

Fifth Graders Wow Us with Their Virtual PYP Exhibition!

As our School and students made the transition to distance learning, fifth graders didn’t miss a beat in finalizing the details for their big annual event: the Primary Years Program Exhibition, which has traditionally taken place in the Quad. In fact, they wowed us with their first-ever virtual Exhibition, demonstrating their enthusiasm for embracing a new method of learning and working! Inviting parents to the Exhibition, fifth grade teachers said, “Even during these unprecedented times, we knew that all of the fifth graders’ hard work and dedication deserved recognition. Reflecting all that Dwight has taught our students about open-mindedness and innovation, we’re delighted to bring you the PYP Exhibition in a whole new way!” The event, as always, was a milestone for fifth graders, who demonstrated attributes of the IB Learner Profile that they have been developing, as well as their ability to synthesize essential PYP elements — action, concepts, knowledge, and skills — in a collaborative project. Each year, the Exhibition is the culminating experience for students, marking their transition from the Primary Years Program to the Middle Years Program. The roots of the Exhibition were planted last year, when students, as fourth graders, selected “Sharing the Planet” as the theme for their Exhibition. The theme was most apt, as the 2020 Exhibition came not long after the 50th anniversary of Earth Day around the world in which climate change was front and center. Fifth graders began the process of working in earnest in January. “When School closed in March, they were already deep into the inquiry process, having completed their research and written pieces, so we all shifted gears to continue working toward the collaborative showcase remotely and its virtual presentation,” reports Brittany Dallal, PYP Coordinator. For example, students were beginning to plan a prototype for their projects in design class, which they had to reimagine using materials accessible at home, making for some

resourceful choices! “Additionally, students were no longer able to ‘take action’ in the way they had hoped to, as many of the people, businesses, and organizations they wanted to reach out to were either not open or operating virtually. So students decided to include action plans suggesting ways that others can protect the planet in their presentations,” Ms. Dallal explains. Traditionally, fifth graders co-write a special Exhibition song together with their music teacher, Vita Zambetti. As everyone was working from home, students recorded their voices individually and Ms. Zambetti, using music software technology and iMovie, integrated them into one track so they could sing as one! After learning how to use iMovie to create a video describing their projects on topics ranging from water pollution, homelessness, poverty, overfishing, and animal poaching, to robots and AI, renewable energy, global warming, international relations, and more, students shared their research and what they learned in a virtual Quad, mirroring the in-person expo experience for our community. While students traditionally move from the Quad into break-out classrooms to present slideshows on the night of Exhibition, this year, they accomplished this by using a computer or smartphone to present to their families who were watching on another device in a different room. Exhibition mentors helped students prepare for their presentations via Zoom sessions. Fifth graders usually celebrate the end of their Exhibition with a rite of passage: their first trip abroad, as part of our long-standing Dwight School London exchange program. This year, their amazing teachers created a virtual trip to London, which students enjoyed over the course of the next week. Cheerio! We congratulate our fifth graders not only for their hard work and dedication, but also for their flexibility and how well they shifted to completing their projects remotely with great enthusiasm — and well-deserved pride!

Dwight Global Webinar Series Helps Students, Teachers, and Families in the Age of COVID-19

Since its founding seven years ago, Dwight Global Online School has successfully translated what educators can do on the ground in Dwight Schools into the cloud. Using an array of technologies (and lots of family and educator feedback) to help students thrive in our robust, rigorous online education program, Dwight Global has been recognized for building community and personalizing the experience for each student. As the rest of the world pivoted to online learning last spring, Dwight Global was here to help by sharing best practices and experiences, so that other schools and educators could provide true extensions of their brick-and-mortar classrooms. Dwight Global offered a series of free webinars to help students, families, and fellow educators adjust to these massive changes in teaching and learning. The School's diverse faculty and student body have years of experience using virtual tools, and created several sessions that speak to the issues faced by many around the world â&#x20AC;&#x201D; from students who answered questions about what itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like to go to school virtually and offered tips for success; to administrators, school counselors, and teachers who discussed how to structure online courses, as well as how to manage the stress that can accompany a dramatic shift like the pandemic's onset.

Music Coffeehouse, grades 6-12

Dance Showcase, grade 5

Spring Music and Conservatory Concert, grades 1-12 34

VIRTUAL ARTS | DWIGHT TODAY

Spring Scene Night, grades 9-10

THE VIRTUAL SHOW MUST GO ON!

Bentley House Production, grades 6-12 35

DWIGHT TODAY | PERSONALIZED LEARNING

Timothy House Gallery, grades 1-5

Short films, grades 9-10 IB Film Showcase, grades 11-12

VIRTUAL ARTS | DWIGHT TODAY

Bentley House Gallery, grades 6-8

Visual Arts Exhibitions and Showcases Franklin and Anglo Houses Gallery, grades 9-11

IB Visual Arts Exhibition, grade 12 37

Celebrating Our 2020 Graduates

The Class of Resilience and Hope

DWIGHT TODAY | COMMUNITY

Our 148th Commencement Exercises was unlike any other ― and the same can be said of the Class of 2020. The unprecedented circumstances brought about by the global pandemic forever altered the course of their senior year, but did not alter their Lion-sized spirit! Indeed the fortitude, compassion, and resilience shown by our seniors will be remembered for many years to come. We were delighted to honor them at our virtual Graduation, during which we reflected on their many achievements, unique contributions to our school and community, and celebrated their final milestone in their Dwight educational journey. As seniors and their families awaited the start of Graduation, they were greeted by digital shout-outs of congratulations and wellwishes from parents, teachers, staff, and fellow students. Pada Schaffner ’20 played several pieces on the piano, including his own composition entitled “Winter’s Afternoon.” Dean of Twelfth Grade Alexander Cunningham was the first to deliver remarks about the seniors he had gotten to know well, who will be united by coming of age amidst the global pandemic and remembered, more importantly, for how they responded. Head of School Dianne Drew spoke of the graduating seniors’ indomitable spirit, how they had carved their own paths, and how — even before our world was altered by COVID-19 — the Class of 2020 was destined to be agents of change, which our world needs now more than ever. Chancellor Stephen Spahn shared a poem that he had written specially for the Class of 2020, imparting wisdom about the quest each one will undertake beyond Dwight and throughout their lifetimes, concluding with a reminder that his door and heart will always be open to them.

Three other graduates also shared their musical sparks of genius during the ceremony: Yiqiao (Elaine) Song ’20 and Nicholas Oblonsky ’20 performed a piece together, “Daisies and Violets” by Stephen DeCesare, on violin and piano, respectively. Annabella Civorelli ’20 sang “Our Time” by Stephen Sondheim, accompanied by her Dwight Music Conservatory voice teacher, Mary Thombs, on piano. Eric Dale, Head of Upper School, presented awards to 32 seniors recognized for their outstanding accomplishments in academics, the arts, and athletics, as well as for their leadership and contributions to our community. This year’s Salutatorian Esmé Robson ’20 and Valedictorian Kate Schlein ’20 shared what had made their Dwight education so special, what our school and the IB had taught them, and of course, that they never could have imagined ending their high school experience with distance learning separated from friends and classmates. Virtual or not, they spoke of many wonderful moments together, and as Kate said it quite well for everyone: “The end does not define the journey.” Then the milestone moment arrived — the awarding of well-earned diplomas to our Dwight and Dwight Global Class of 2020 by Mr. Dale. After the last name was read, he instructed them, in the time-honored tradition, to turn their tassels from right to left, symbolizing their transition to our newest alumni! A virtual cap toss followed, as did a series of congratulatory messages from former alumni and friends of Dwight, ranging from Broadway star Billy Porter to the number-one ranked men’s tennis pro in the world, Novak Djokovich. The final festivities came in the form of a virtual after-party before grads celebrated with their families. As the Class of 2020 moved on to the finest colleges and universities in the world, we wished them all the very best and a giant roar of congratulations!

DWIGHT TODAY | COMMUNITY

Dwight’s 13-YEAR Club

Welcomes Five New Members!

As graduation nears each spring, we spotlight seniors who share a history that goes back to their first days together in Kindergarten — Dwight’s 13-Year Club.

Five members of the Class of 2020 were the newest to be inducted, as they took their last Dwight steps in sync when they graduated: Anish Bardhan, Annabella Civorelli, Joseph Demarest, Stephane Hatgis-Kessel, and Pablo Navarro. Before their final trimester came to a close, we asked each one a few questions, hoping to capture a glimpse of their unique interests and paths — and parallel Dwight educational journeys. Here’s what they had to say: What’s your spark of genius — and how has Dwight fostered it? Anish: Mine is leadership. Growing up, I was compelled to take action and be a leader among my peers. I hope to one day go into politics and try to make a difference within my community. Dwight has encouraged and provided me with opportunities to take action. From working with Mr. Spahn and fellow students on student-led projects, to taking on the role of student body President, Dwight has allowed me to develop leadership skills and helped nurture my interests in politics and activism. Bella: My spark of genius is performance. I find that I'm most in my element when on a stage. Dwight has fostered this through the annual musical, Shakespeare Monologue Competition, and Carnegie Hall performances, which have given me once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. I played both Janet Van de Graff and Triz in the 2019 production of The Drowsy Chaperone. In my freshman year, I played Beth in Little Women. All were a blast because I enjoyed the unique bonding experience that musical theater offers. I also gained a very close mentor through the years, Mr. Christgau. I started singing in sixth grade in Mr. Hamilton’s choir; and began lessons as a freshman with the amazing Ms. Thombs

in Dwight’s Music Conservatory. We continued and found that I had both a liking and a voice for opera — and ran with it! This gave me the opportunity to perform in an octet as a sophomore in Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium and as a soloist this year in Zankel Hall.

Varsity Golf Team, where I was Captain for three years. These opportunities allowed me to develop my leadership skills and have prepared me to lead in the future.

Joey: My spark of genius is my ability to work hard regardless of the circumstances, and to realize the rewards. In school as well as in athletics, including track and field and basketball, working hard allowed me to persevere, maintain my standard in all classes, and prioritize what is most important to me. Throughout the years, my teachers have supported me; and my teams became another family.

What’s your favorite memory or what have you enjoyed most?

Stephane: My spark of genius is coding. I enjoy making things — especially things that have the ability to help others. Dwight’s Spark Tank program provided funding and guidance for many of my endeavors, including building a prosthetic hand, hosting a Hackathon, and creating an app. Dwight teachers, especially Mr. Moran and Mr. Gragg, always made themselves available after school to help with my projects. Pablo: My spark of genius is leadership. I have been a part of many clubs, such as the Student Tech Committee, where I was the General Secretary; and the

Anish: I’ve enjoyed the community most. After 13 years, I know that many of the friends I’ve made will be my friends for life. I think that having such a community at a school is truly priceless. Bella: My favorite experience was being the vocal soloist at Carnegie Hall this year. I also went on the Dwight School London choral trip in tenth and eleventh grades, which was fantastic. I have friends on the London campus with whom I still keep in contact. Joey: I have enjoyed the feeling of community that Dwight has created. Since Kindergarten, I have formed relationships that I hope will last forever. Also, I am grateful for the guidance that my teachers have provided, which has allowed me to produce my best work. Stephane: I had the opportunity to present the projects I worked on in Middle School at Dwight’s booth at the NYC Maker Faire. This was the first

13-YEAR CLUB | DWIGHT TODAY time I showed my work and both Mr. Moran and Mr. Farnsworth were very supportive. Their encouragement was a really positive experience. I have also enjoyed the friendships I have built with all my classmates. Pablo: One of the things I have enjoyed the most is the friendships I have created. While there are five people in the 13Year Club, there are many more people who have been here for a long time, which has allowed us to build a really tight-knit community. What has changed the most? Anish: Dwight’s integration of technology into the curriculum has changed the most. I remember being part of the test year for the addition of iPads in fifth grade. It was such a new experience back then. The use of technology is now a regular part of my everyday life. This was a change for the better; not only does it improve the quality of our education, but also it helps to better prepare us for a future filled with new technology.

the addition of the Dwight Athletic Center, the Performing Arts Center, and the new brownstone. The administration has been continuously improving our campus for current and future generations.

My Literature HL class has exposed me to various works that fueled my interest in analyzing texts. Majoring in English will also be a foundation for law school, as I want to become a sports lawyer.

What college will you be attending and what do you plan to study?

Stephane: I will be entering the Turing Scholars Program at University of Texas Austin and plan to major in computer science. I am most interested in conducting research, so I hope to pursue a PhD.

Anish: Cornell and I hope to major in policy analysis and management, so that I may pursue a career as a political advisor; hopefully, one day as the Senior Advisor to the President. Bella: Sarah Lawrence College! I’m interested in studying art conservation and restoration and in continuing my studies in operatic singing. I'd like to pursue both as a career.

Pablo: I will be attending New York University - Stern School of Business, where I will major in business and political economy with a concentration in finance. I hope to pursue a career in finance and eventually become an entrepreneur.

Joey: I’ll be going to Skidmore and am thankful to my college guidance counselor as well as my teachers for facilitating my growth as a student and individual. I want to major in English.

Thank you to all for sharing your personal passions, Dwight memories, and exciting plans for the future. We look forward to following your success in the years to come!

Bella: When I first came to Dwight, there were 12 students in our Kindergarten class and the Quad wasn't finished being built yet! Also, the amount of opportunities to perform, travel, and interact with our other campuses has grown so much. Joey: As an IB Diploma candidate, the amount of work has changed the most. With the expected increase in eleventh grade, teachers from the previous years structured classes, allowing me to prepare for the challenge and for college. Stephane: I remember the Main Campus looking very different when I was in Lower School. Over the years, Dwight has also worked on fostering a technologyfocused community, which I have been a part of. Pablo: The campus has changed the most. I have witnessed expansion with

DWIGHT TODAY | COMMUNITY

WPIX Channel 11 News Features

Dwight Lions Helping New York’s Homeless Get Back on Their Feet The volunteer work that Dwight students are doing to make

development cycle to launch last spring with an innovation

a difference in the lives of homeless New Yorkers captured

grant from The Dwight School Foundation. Alex says, “Spark

the attention of legendary journalist Marvin Scott at WPIX

Tank allowed us to combine our love for sneakers with our

Channel 11! Ross Brodsky ’21 and Alex Goldenberg ’21,

passion to help those in need. Thanks to the funding received

co-founders of Sole Purpose, which collects, refurbishes,

from the Foundation, our idea quickly became a reality.”

and distributes sneakers for men, women, and children

Last spring, the duo also

who are homeless, were featured on the 10 pm news in September. They shared the inspiration for Sole Purpose and how Dwight’s Spark Tank helped them bring it to fruition.

submitted Sole Purpose to Dwight’s Spark Tank Service Challenge, “Innovation for the

An Idea Is Sparked

Greater Good,” an initiative the Foundation launched, together

took off his sneakers, gave them to a homeless man with-

service during the pandemic. Ross and Alex received a service

Last year, when Ross saw a YouTube video in which a jogger out shoes, and ran home barefoot, he thought about the

with our CAS and Spark Tank programs, to support student challenge grant as well, further boosting their social entre-

sneakers in the back of his closet and what he could do

preneurial efforts.

with them. Ross teamed up with Alex and Sole Purpose was

Very quickly, with the addition of fellow seniors Fernando Cas-

born. They presented their concept to the judges in Spark

tellanos, Lexi Colodne, Alex Rich, and Marlowe Clarke, the Sole

Tank, Dwight’s incubator, to nurture student entrepreneurial,

Purpose team began collecting new and gently worn sneakers,

leadership, and innovation skills, and advanced through the

sanitizing them, and distributing them in “Purpose Packs” to the

SOLE PURPOSE | DWIGHT TODAY

Bowery Mission, Covenant House, Bronx Works, Care for the

sneakers not only add protection from the environment and

Homeless, and Volunteers of America - Greater New York. They

help to prevent foot-related medical conditions, they also can

also extended the team beyond Dwight with the addition of Eric Viloria, a student at the Bronx Studio School for Artists and Writers. Sole Purpose Hits the Streets

It was in Tompkins Square Park this summer where the impact

go a long way in enhancing self-confidence and self-esteem. “I never would have thought that within almost an hour of our Sole Purpose shoe event, we could single-handedly change over 125 different peoples’ lives,” Alex says. “It was an amazing

of what the students were doing was seen and felt immedi-

and humbling experience.”

ately. They planned, with the help of New York City’s Police

To date, Sole Purpose has distributed over 600 pairs of sneakers

Department, a sneaker give-away event called “Taking It to the Streets” on August 22. After flyers went up and the word went out, there was a line of people waiting for sneakers. Within an hour, the team gave away over 125 Purpose Packs, which brought many smiles and a wealth of gratitude from recipients. “This is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever done in my life,” Ross shares, “I’ve never helped this many people and seen what it’s done for them.” The impact that a pair of clean socks and sneakers can have is both immediate and dramatic. For someone who is homeless,

and over 4,000 pairs of socks. Ross, Alex, and their teammates are excited to expand their program to schools throughout the New York City area to engage more student volunteers — and to extend the impact they can have together. On the Sole Purpose website, students boldly declare, “We envision a future in which every homeless person in New York City has a good pair of sneakers and socks to help them take the next step forward in their lives.” Their vision is becoming a reality.

DWIGHT TODAY | COMMUNITY

Alumni Support Each Other — and Alumni-to-Be —

Amid COVID-19

Alumni have been helping to put the capital “C” in “Community” — one of Dwight’s three pillars — which has become more important during the pandemic than ever before. With some creative thinking and lots of heart, alumni are connecting and helping in new ways: Small Business Initiative In the face of COVID-19, small business owners have displayed great courage as they evolve and persevere. Knowing that our alumni are among this group, last spring, the Dwight, Franklin, and Anglo-American (DFAA) Alumni Association put the word out that they were creating an online directory of alumni-owned small businesses that remained open. The goal: to encourage fellow DFAA alumni to support them during this unprecedented time in history. We received lots of thank-yous, but want to share our appreciation to all of you who have, and will continue to do so! You can find this directory on the Dwight website and alumni portal.

INNOVATION | DWIGHT TODAY

Young Alumni College Ambassador Program Fall means it’s college admissions season, but this one is unlike any other. Due to the pandemic, students are no longer able to visit college campuses in person, making it more difficult to make an informed decision about where to apply. Thanks to a new collaborative initiative by The Dwight School Foundation, College Counseling, and Alex Cunningham, Dean of Grade 12 — the Young Alumni College Ambassador Program — students are gaining an insiders’ perspectives. This program connects current eleventh and twelfth graders with recent Dwight alums, who are sharing their insights and experiences from the college they’re currently attending or from which they recently graduated. When the call for college ambassadors went out, we received lots of responses with: “Count me in!” We’re grateful to all who are participating on behalf of our alumni-in-the making!

It was a big moment for little lions when our half-day preschool 3s class had their first full week of school!

DWIGHT TODAY | GLOBAL VISION

Sharing Lessons Learned

from Reopening Our Global Schools in a COVID-19 World

“It was by far the single most informative webinar I have listened to since COVID-19 became a household word.”

– Nancy Mugele, Head of Kent School, Chestertown, MD

When the return to school amid the continuing pandemic was foremost on everyone’s mind, U.S. school leaders were eager to hear from colleagues abroad who reopened their schools in late spring to glean insights as they prepared for their own this fall. Recognizing Dwight’s global leadership role and its unique ability to share lessons learned when our Schools in Shanghai, Seoul, and London welcomed students back to campus, the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS); and the Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington (AISGW), alongside its sister organization, the Association of Independent Maryland and DC Schools (AIMS), invited Dwight to speak to their members. In total, leaders from 400 independent schools in New York, Washington, DC, Virginia, and Maryland logged on to multiple webinars with Dwight panelists: Blake Spahn, Vice Chancellor; Dianne Drew, Head of School; Brantley Turner, American Principal of Shanghai Qibao Dwight High School; and Kevin Skeoch, Head of Dwight School Seoul. Our Schools in Asia were the first to navigate the uncharted COVID-19 waters by closing and shifting to distance learning

beginning in January with Shanghai Qibao Dwight High School, as the coronavirus emerged in China and started its dramatic deadly spread around the world. So, too, were our Schools there the first to reopen, followed by Dwight School London — each without one COVID-19 case. Dwight in Dubai and New York remained closed with robust virtual learning in place through the end of the 2019-20 year. As all school leaders planned for a hopeful safe reopening in the fall, the administrators and educators who attended the NYSAIS and AISGW webinars were interested in hearing from Dwight’s panel about many topics, ranging from logistical considerations, health and safety protocols, and social distancing, to curriculum and classroom changes and the social and emotional impact of COVID-19 on the Schools’ communities. With a focus on what worked well and what will be improved, Dwight leaders shared how they planned to welcome students back to all of our global campuses at summer’s end based on reopening experiences to date.

LESSONS LEARNED | DWIGHT TODAY

Dwight School London Dr. Spahn introduced our global network and noted that each one operates differently in a COVID-19 world based on government stipulations in their home countries. He shared insights gained on the ground from Dwight School London’s reopening in April following a month-long shutdown and with little notice from the government. Parents there had the choice to have their children return to the bricks-and-mortar campus or continue with virtual learning, making for a unique reopening and some challenges that teachers faced in managing both simultaneously.

Shanghai Qibao Dwight High School Both Ms. Turner and Mr. Skeoch also began by putting their School reopenings in the larger context of their unique cities and countries, which have higher levels of government control and expectations than U.S. schools do, as well as different cultural norms and behaviors. With that said, COVID-19 is under control in Shanghai and Seoul, and Ms. Turner enumerated some of the protocols implemented at our boarding high school there, which could be replicated or adapted to help schools elsewhere return safely. She also covered a variety of considerations around academics, leadership and decision-making, digitizing processes, and supporting faculty and staff.

Dwight School Seoul Mr. Skeoch, who noted how technologically advanced Seoul is as a city and culture, spoke about one of the high-tech solutions employed on our campus: a circulating robot to remind students, especially younger ones, about the importance of temperature checks and social distancing. Students of all ages adapted well to the new requirements, particularly with regard to wearing masks. Mr. Skeoch also shared some of the collaborative hurdles social distancing brings to classrooms such as the need to remove reading rugs and couches, where younger students gather, and how to best facilitate group project work, which is integral to the IB curriculum across all ages.

Throughout the webinars and Q&A sessions, Dwight leaders delved into a variety of additional scheduling, facilities, transportation, budgeting, admissions, and safety considerations and recommendations, which helped our Schools in Dubai and New York prepare for successful reopenings and welcoming students back to campus at summer’s end. Ms. Drew spoke to the critical importance of transparency and consistent communication, highlighting what’s working well and surveying community members on a regular basis to gather feedback to make necessary adjustments. She also highlighted how helpful it is to share a reopening plan with all community members to help reduce anxiety about what to expect. Webinar attendees were grateful for the practical advice and recommendations Dwight provided to help them envision what the back-to-school landscape could look like and manage uncertainty, as COVID-19 continues to be a public health threat. Among their many take-aways was the knowledge that schools around the world all face the same pandemic challenges — some just sooner than others.

DWIGHT TODAY | ALUMNI

The Class of 2008

Caren Saphirstein Osborne ’69 recently New York’s 2020 sofi Gold Award for Best moved to Chapel Hill, NC. Baked Good internationally for our honey Bruce Blau ’76 was recently featured on cake, and the sofi Silver Award for Best MSNBC for helping children fighting Condiment for Kurtz Orchards asiago multiple cavities. He reports, “My love of bread topper. helping people is what led me to dentistry. At Dwight, I excelled in science and math, and found I enjoyed working with my hands. Through a Dwight externship, I landed a volunteer position at Downtown-Beekman Hospital (now part of Beth Israel) and had a ‘life-changing’ first day that confirmed my wanting to go into health care. I went to NYU undergrad and College of Dentistry, and worked in public hospitals and private practices before setting up my own on the Upper East Side.”

Erin Taylor ’98 was elected Vice President of the Mecklenburg County Bar in Charlotte, NC — the first Federal Public Defender elected to that position — in July 2020.

was equipped with a toolset that gave me the confidence to embark on the career path of my choosing. At Dwight, I adored my theater and film classes, and was given the opportunity at age 15 to sing in Carnegie Hall and to spend two weeks in Nice, France. I do believe that these experiences made my college experience at Ithaca as a Film and French major that much more enlightening and enjoyable. Now, two years post-grad, I just wrapped the filming of the pilot episode of my TV show and cast Terrence Christgau (my beloved Theater teacher) to be in it! We hope to continue making the show with a larger budget or have it picked up.”

Reza Sa rba k hsh ’0 0, Vice President of our Alumni Council, married Sa m a r K e sh ava r z , a n optometrist-in-training, on September 27, 2020, i n a s m a l l C OV I D appropriate ceremony on Long Island. Andrew Chait ’78 lives in NYC with his They are very happy! wife, Hedy Hartman ’72 Franklin; and son John Prentice ’08 lives in Florida and married Jeremy, age 15. He continues to work at the Nina Spohn in May 2020. Ralph M. Chait Galleries with his brother, credit: Harrison Monico and Anastasia Sioris Steven. Andrew is the Treasurer of the Evan Rabin ’08 says, “I’m living on the UWS, Antiques Council, Assistant Treasurer of the not far from Dwight! I am busy running my We were saddened to learn of the passing of Men of Reform Judaism, and a Vice President company, Premier Chess, and learning lots the following alumni: about Judaism in the Senior Fellowship at of the Men’s Club at his temple. Emile Grignard ’48 on May 17, 2020 Stacey (Rosenberg) Kurtz ’80 shares, “Our Manhattan Jewish Experience.” Abby Shutz Bennett ’66 Franklin on Tuesday company, Fruit of the Land is the proud Sophia Conger ’13 shares, “One thing I can April 7, 2020 recipient of the Specialty Food Association in say after graduating from Dwight is that I

Send your class notes to Olivia Merrick-Haight: omerrickhaight@dwight.edu

Annual Report The Dwight School Foundation

2019-20

Table of Contents Letter from The Dwight School Foundation Board Chair...................................... 55 Letter from the Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, and Head of School........................ 55 Year in Review...................................................................................................... 56 Volunteers............................................................................................................ 57 The Dwight School Foundation by the Numbers.................................................. 58 Spark Tank............................................................................................................ 59 Professional Development and Financial Aid....................................................... 60 Spark 21 Campaign - Capital Giving.................................................................... 61 The Spark Tank Service Challenge and Spark Talks............................................ 62 Annual Fund......................................................................................................... 63 International Society...................................................................................... 63 Supporters..................................................................................................... 64 Senior Gift...................................................................................................... 66 THE DWIGHT SCHOOL FOUNDATION

Parent Giving................................................................................................. 67 Alumni Giving................................................................................................. 68 Faculty and Staff Giving................................................................................. 69 Grandparent, Alumni Parent, Former Faculty and Staff, and Friends Giving.......70 Corporate and Foundation Giving.................................................................. 70 2020 Half Marathon.............................................................................................. 71 Ways to Give........................................................................................................ 72

Established in 1969, The Dwight School Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that is governed by a Board of Trustees and provides professional development grants to faculty, and financial aid and innovation grants to students.

The Dwight School Foundation Board of Trustees 2019-20 Susan Kessler, Chair Julie Stratopoulos, Treasurer

Elizabeth Callaway

Andrew Chrisomalis Gary Fuhrman ďż˝79

Sean Gallagher Max Herrnstein

Michael Kalnick Dave Lindsey

Kim Saperstein ďż˝92 Ravi Singh

Aileen Bruner, Ex-Officio, Parents Association

Shriti Rath, Ex-Officio, Alumni Council President

Dear Dwight Community and Friends, On behalf of The Dwight School Foundation’s Board of Trustees, thank you for giving your time, energy, and resources to our community during a year unlike any other to sustain Dwight’s unwavering commitment to ignite the spark of genius in every child. During this unprecedented time, our community has not only come together to help one another, but also, to support the Foundation’s critically important mission during the most challenging time in our 50-year history. Thanks to your generosity, in 2019-20, we awarded $1.55 million in financial aid, enabling many gifted and talented students to receive a world-class Dwight education regardless of their financial means; funded 104 professional development grants, so that faculty could bring the latest teaching and innovation strategies into the physical and virtual classroom to benefit all students; and nurtured the entrepreneurial dreams of 70 students who participated in Spark Tank, including 14 who received launch awards for successfully completing their projects.

This year, we were also pleased to provide funding to underwrite the Pollyanna Racial Literacy Curriculum to enhance the School’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) instruction for students in Pre-K-grade 10; and WILD (Wilderness Instruction and Leadership Development), an innovative outdoor program that helps to fulfill the School’s vision to foster the next generation of global leaders who can thrive anywhere in the world. I want to thank all of the volunteers who worked tirelessly to spearhead our fundraising initiatives both before and during the pandemic, which enabled the Foundation to achieve its goals without interruption. Despite uncertainties and the changing landscape of our world, we have much to celebrate, beginning with the strength and caring of our community. All of us, most especially our children, are fortunate that Dwight is such a truly special place. With Chancellor Stephen Spahn, Vice Chancellor Blake Spahn, and Head of School Dianne Drew leading the way, their sparks of genius will continue to shine brightly and their futures promise to be even brighter.

We have been able to advance education in new and exciting ways for more than five decades, thanks to the vision and funding of The Dwight School Foundation. Never before in Dwight’s near 150-year history has this been more critical than during COVID-19. We thank the Foundation and you on behalf of our students and faculty, who are the beneficiaries of your generosity. Your support of the Foundation and its vital mission to fund student financial aid, faculty professional development, and Spark Tank innovation grants during these uncertain times fills us with equal measures of gratitude and hope for the future. In 2019-20, the amount of money the Foundation raised through the Annual Fund for student financial aid enabled us to empower so many gifted and talented students to take intellectual risks, follow their hearts, and develop their talents. Additionally, a record number of students participated in and launched their passion projects through Spark Tank, thanks to Foundation guidance, mentorship, and innovation grants. The pandemic fueled the Spark Tank Innovation Challenge, in which even more students received funds to advance causes they believe in, illustrating their strong desire to make our world a better place amidst a global crisis.

ANNUAL REPORT 2019-20

In response to COVID-19 and the School moving to a virtual learning model this past spring, the Foundation was pleased to introduce two new initiatives: the Spark Tank Service Challenge, where student-led projects that raised funds and/or supplies for worthy causes were awarded grants; and Spark Talks, a webinar series featuring innovators and entrepreneurs in the Dwight community who shared their expertise with students and all of us.

Dear Dwight Community and Friends,

Also through the 2019-20 Annual Fund, support for faculty professional development, which advances our teachers’ abilities to educate skilled transformational thinkers — needed now more than ever in the pandemic — was greatly enhanced. The Foundation’s Spark 21 Campaign, which invests further in our students, faculty, and programs, underwrote the Pollyanna Racial Literacy curriculum to enhance our School’s DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) efforts, enabling Dwight to incorporate this critically important instruction for students from Pre-K through grade 10. So, too, did the Campaign support the growth of the WILD (Wilderness Instruction and Leadership Development) program and the purchase of new instruments for our student-musicians.

Thank you again for your ongoing support, and wishing you health and safety as we move forward.

We thank the Foundation — and all of you — for your generosity of both spirit and resources, especially as we shifted during the spring to virtual learning. Our community, buoyed by a deep and abiding dedication to our students, navigated uncharted waters together with compassion, resilience, and an innovative mindset. As we look ahead, we know that together we will continue to break new educational ground and to ignite many more sparks of genius for years to come

Warmly,

Warm regards,

Susan Kessler (Stephen ’10, William ’14) Board Chair, The Dwight School Foundation

Stephen Spahn Chancellor

Blake Spahn Vice Chancellor

Dianne Drew Head of School

Year in Review Thank You for Supporting The Dwight School Foundation! Your generosity during 2019-20 made the following possible:

$1.55 million in financial aid grants awarded to students

THE DWIGHT SCHOOL FOUNDATION

104 professional development grants awarded to faculty Underwriting the Pollyanna Racial Literacy Curriculum to

enhance Dwightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Our community gathered together for: Alumni Reunion and Alumni Basketball Game Spark Tank Events, Expos, and Pop-up Shops Spark Talks Volunteer Appreciation events

(DEI) instruction

70 students

participated in Spark Tank

Spark Tank Service Challenge grants for

15 students Funding for

state-of-the-art equipment and curriculum innovation for enhanced classroom learning

Funding to launch WILD (Wilderness Instruction and Leadership Development), an

innovative outdoor program

Our volunteers continued to make a difference: Board of Trustees Annual Fund Committee Senior Gift Committee Spark Tank Committee Parents Association Executive Board Alumni Council Class Representatives

Volunteers Thank you to all of our volunteers in the following groups who played a critical role in supporting The Dwight School Foundation’s efforts in 2019-20: The Dwight School Foundation Trustees advise and work in conjunction with the Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, Head of School, and the Foundation Office to think critically about how Foundation resources can positively impact the lives of Dwight students and faculty. The Annual Fund Committee solicits gifts from members of the Dwight community to provide support for student financial aid, innovation grants, and faculty professional development. The Senior Gift Committee solicits Annual Fund gifts from grade 12 families and helps identify spaces or items to be named in honor of the graduating class.

The Spark Tank Committee advises, mentors, and approves funding for K-12 student projects. The Parents Association Executive Board works closely with the Foundation to promote Foundation initiatives within the parent body. The PA President is an Ex-Officio member of the Foundation Board of Trustees. The Alumni Council and Class Representatives help identify and promote meaningful ways for graduates to get involved with the School and stay connected with each other. The Alumni Council President is an Ex-Officio member of the Foundation Board of Trustees.

We also want to thank those who volunteered for this year’s Alumni Basketball Game, Alumni Reunion, Half Marathon, Spark Lunches, Spark Talks, and other Foundation initiatives!

Rachel Ehrlich ’87 Ann Ferguson Gary Fuhrman ’79 Sean Gallagher Lola Garcia Alex Gendzier Joyce Giuffra Zoe Goldberg ’09 Heather Grbic Richard Habersham ’92 Sona Hacherian Jacob Hadjigeorgis ’02 John Halpern Gillian Hearst Scott Hefler ’97 Max Herrnstein Nina Hissnauer ’23 Michael Horvath Amy Hull Mikhail Hutton Ariel Hyatt ’89 Michael Kalnick Hasan Kazmi Heather Kibbe Josh Kigel

Kim Kelleher Susan Kessler David Kleinman ’89 Antonia Koller ’89 Ming Lam Amy Landis ’93 Nicole Lawi Hannah Linder Dave Lindsey Deborah Meer Frederic Michel Shanna Milman Peter Myers Kesiah Nuttall-Crola Caren Osborne ’69 Yi Pan Deb Parnes ’89 Winifred Parnes Gadi Peleg ’93 Sonya Pesselev ’22 Felabi Phillips Erika Pintoff Drew Pizzo Yvette Pomerantz Kim Putzer

ANNUAL REPORT 2019-20

William Abramson Erin Aidi Katie Arnold Caroline Axelrod ’03 Rachel Bardhan Noam Bardin Dominique Bastos Jyotsna Bean Kelley Beiboer Hillary Brizell-Delise, Franklin ’69 Dave Brown ’97 Aileen Bruner Elizabeth Callaway Jessica Capiraso Fernando Castellanos Laura Charecky Andrew Chrisomalis Darly Corniel Alexander Cunningham Eric R. Dale Paul Dean Bob Dunphy Ronni Eisenberg ’69 Nicole Eisenstadt ’22

Shriti Rath ’05 Cecilia Rebolledo Tabish Rizvi Jan Sage Kim Saperstein ’92 Reza Sarbakhsh ’00 Annie Sigal ’93 Scott Sigal ’95 Beth Silber Ravi Singh Julie Stratopoulos Maria Teles ’22 Nuno Teles Patricia Teles James Thomashower, Franklin ’69 Louise Tonkin Carolina Villamizar Alf Wang Bruce Warshaw ’74 Amanda Wooden Pearl Zeng

The Dwight School Foundation by the Numbers

10% ANNUAL FUND

SPARK 21 CAMPAIGN

REVENUE 2019-20

20%

ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS

61%

INVESTMENT INCOME (DIVIDENDS, INTEREST, AND NET GAINS ON INVESTMENTS)

THE DWIGHT SCHOOL FOUNDATION

Annual Fund...........................$1,540,076 Spark 21 Campaign..................$485,450

12%

FINANCIAL AID SPARK TANK PROGRAM

EXPENSES 2019-20

17%

7% 2%

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, FACULTY TRAINING, AND SPARK 21 CAMPAIGN PROGRAMS

61%

GENERAL AND ADMIN EXPENSES FUNDRAISING EXPENSES

Financial Aid..........................$1,550,000 Professional Development, Faculty Training, and Spark 21 Campaign Programs.................$189,341

Spark Tank Spark Tank, Dwight Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s incubator for K-12 students, supports the School's mission to ignite the spark of genius in every child. Through Spark Tank, students learn how they can make an impact and build a better world through entrepreneurship, innovation, leadership, and service.

2019-20 Spark Tank Committee Nuno Teles, Chair Jessica Capiraso Fernando Castellanos Paul Dean Hasan Kazmi Dave Lindsey Frederic Michel Drew Pizzo Tabish Rizvi

4 5

IDEA ANNUAL REPORT 2019-20

1 2 3

This year, 70 students participated in Spark Tank. We held three Spark Tank events (two in person and one virtually), where 17 students gave presentations to our Spark Tank judges for feedback, mentorship, and funding through innovation grants; 14 students reached the launch stage and received awards. We also hosted three Spark Tank Expos and Pop-up Shops, exciting new additions this year, where students in the early stages of their project could introduce their ideas for feedback and those whose projects are market-ready could sell their products.

PLAN PROTOTYPE OPERATIONS

LAUNCH

2019-20 Spark Tank Community Partner

Professional development enables our faculty to access careerenriching programs and bring innovative knowledge back to the classroom. This year, The Dwight School Foundation is proud to have awarded 104 grants to teachers to pursue the following: “I found the experience instructive in a number of areas, from communicating innovative school initiatives to encouraging girls to pursue STEM education and career fields.” – Matt Moran, Director of Technology and Innovation

THE DWIGHT SCHOOL FOUNDATION

“We received important reinforcement of the idea that creativity and design are not innate abilities, but are skills that you can learn and develop over time, which is an essential concept to reinforce for our students.” – Emily Chakwin, Quest teacher

“I gained greatly from the diverse variety of experiences at the Institute. I came away with new resources, ideas, and experiences to draw on.” – Sorush Panahi, Third Grade teacher

Curriculum Innovation Graduate Studies IB Training Non-IB Conferences and Workshops TOTAL

5 8 35 56 104

“Empathy interviews will play a significant role for me moving forward.... It has been worthwhile to see how I can better understand the user and take that information to enhance life at Dwight, as well as make my own work more effective.” – Ron Posner, Head of Middle School “I learned about a new way to assess, using storytelling rather than checklists, as a student-centered approach.” – Carly Sheehan, Kindergarten teacher

Financial Aid In 2019-20, The Dwight School Foundation awarded $1.55 million in financial aid, enabling many gifted and talented students to receive a world-class Dwight education regardless of their financial means.

Number of Grants

Professional Development

Spark 21 Campaign - Capital Giving We are deeply indebted to the following families for their generous gifts to the Spark 21 Campaign in 2019-20: Elizabeth Callaway and Robert Carey The Fribourg Family Foundation Michael Kalnick Leonard A. Lauder and William P. Lauder Dave and Jessica Lindsey Ninah Lynne and Elizabeth Lynne Planet Andrew and Annette Alvarez Pizzo Julie and Nick Stratopoulos

With Dwight School’s continued investment in new and renovated spaces, including the exciting addition of the 21 West 88th Street brownstone, The Dwight School Foundation has partnered with the School to support initiatives that will advance learning through the Spark 21 Campaign for Dwight. With a goal to usher in a new educational era at Dwight, the Spark 21 Campaign continues to invest in Dwight students, faculty, and programs; and funded the following grants this past year:

State-of-the-Art Equipment The Foundation continued to create new opportunities for students to excel by purchasing new musical instruments for the Performing Arts Department. ANNUAL REPORT 2019-20

Financial Aid Thanks to funds donated to the Spark 21 Campaign, the Foundation was able to award financial aid to talented students in the 2019-20 academic year.

Curriculum Innovation Committed to equipping our faculty with the tools and framework needed to enhance and expand Dwight’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) training, the Foundation underwrote the Pollyanna Racial Literacy Curriculum for students in Pre-Kgrade 10.

Programming Through Foundation funding, the WILD (Wilderness Instruction and Leadership Development) Program was launched as an innovative outdoor initiative designed to build community and help fulfill Dwight’s vision to foster the next generation of global leaders who can thrive anywhere in the world.

The Spark Tank Service Challenge and Spark Talks In the wake of COVID-19 and the School’s move to virtual learning this past spring, the Foundation launched two new initiatives: the Spark Tank Service Challenge and Spark Talks. We look forward to resuming both in 2020-21! THE DWIGHT SCHOOL FOUNDATION

Spark Tank Service Challenge: Innovation for the Greater Good The Foundation introduced this challenge to support student-led projects that raised funds and/or supplies for worthy causes during this unprecedented time. Following an application process, the Foundation awarded grants to 15 students for their winning individual and/or group projects. Spark Talks This new webinar series featured innovators and entrepreneurs in the Dwight community who shared their valuable insights and expertise in a wide range of industries with us. Each speaker was interviewed by a student moderator and answered live audience questions. The Foundation hosted nine Spark Talks and thanks all of our guests and moderators for participating!

Spark Talk Participants William Abramson Dominique Bastos Jessica Capiraso Richard Habersham ’92

Rachel Hayes Gayle ’90 Hasan Kazmi Kim Kelleher

Ravi Singh Nuno Teles Alf Wang

Annual Fund The Annual Fund is the Foundation’s primary fundraising initiative. It supports the causes of faculty professional development, student financial aid, and Spark Tank innovation grants, directly impacting students in all grades.

International Society The International Society recognizes those who have supported the Annual Fund with leadership gifts of $1,872 or more in 2019-20. The amount of $1,872 is emblematic of the year our School was founded: 1872.

Prime Ministers’ Circle ($25,000-$49,999) Anonymous (1) Indrajit and Rachel Bardhan Danielle Curi and Max Herrnstein Jay and Anne Eisenhofer Mr. and Mrs. Michael M. Kellen, Caroline Kellen ’98, and the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation Olga and Igor Kroutoi Scott Landis ’92 and Amy Landis ’93 John F. Prentice ’08, and Acorn Hill Foundation, Inc. Robert Rubin and Stéphane Samuel Haoqing Shen and Jin Liu in honor of Emily Shen Ravi Singh Foreign Ministers’ Circle ($15,000-$24,999) Phil and Meredith Berkowitz Ezra and Marlene Field Lori and Steven Fineman Dorian and Gary Fuhrman ’79 John and Mirinha Halpern The Klingenstein-Martell Foundation The Svarre Family Ambassadors’ Circle ($10,000-$14,999) Dina Colombo Alessi and Gregg Alessi Harvey and Chrysanthi Berger

Chris and Aileen Bruner Jonathan and Christina Dever Donny Deutsch Gillian Hearst Brian and Tania Higgins Peter Labbat and Karen Kiehl Hyung Lee Daniel Mintz and Meredith Berkman Philippa and Larry Portnoy Val and Min-Myn Schaffner Consul Generals’ Circle ($5,000-$9,999) Anonymous (2) William Abramson and Susan Buchbinder Erin and David Aidi Artur and Irina Baysara Rosario Buendia and Umberto Serrano Samuel Chenillo and Cecilia Rebolledo Peter Davidson ’82 Patricia Druck in honor of Caetana and Marina Fossati Druck ’22 The Family de Lambilly Brett and Cheryl Nunziata Daniel and Fiona Paltridge Jean and Kimberly Putzer Greg Racz and Alexa Jervis Vicky and Ed Rich Isabelle Riviere and Michel Sadelain Jaime and Lola Robles-Gil Victor Schwartz, Franklin ’58 Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Scibilia Robert and Donna Shafir Matthew and Cynthia Skaruppa Prasanna and Manreet Someshwar Lauren and Danny Stein Julie and Nick Stratopoulos Larry Ullman Carrie and Roberto Woldenberg Andrew and Kimberly Yoon

Presidents’ Circle................................. $50,000+ Prime Ministers’ Circle............ $25,000-$49,999 Foreign Ministers’ Circle.........$15,000-$24,999 Ambassadors’ Circle................ $10,000-$14,999 Consul Generals’ Circle...............$5,000-$9,999 Diplomats’ Circle..........................$2,500-$4,999 Founders’ Circle........................... $1,872-$2,499 Young Explorers’ Circle ............................$100+ alumni from the ten most recent classes

Dwight Supporters

Sponsor.......................................... $1,000-$1,871 Advocate.............................................. $500-$999 Contributor.......................................... $249-$499 Friend................................................... up to $249

Diplomats’ Circle ($2,500-$4,999) Anonymous (5) Aytug and Halide Alagoz Jonathan and Shelley Allen Donato and Sarah de Donato George and Jennifer Dong Sandrine and Thomas Droumenq Joyce and Robert Giuffra Felicia Grumet Thomas Haines and Hannah Linder Meridith and Shannon Hill Jett Kain and Lynn Ban Dan and Kim Kelleher Susan and Peter Kessler Peter Lee and Olga Bakhmat-Danilava Mitchell Levine Ruth Levine in honor of Jonah Pintoff ’25 Jennifer and Alon Markowitz Erika and Scott Pintoff Steven and Yvette Pomerantz Amy and Andrew Ross Rebecca J. Simmons Jan Sage and Bob Dunphy Yu and Mamiko Takasaku Stephanie and Juan Enrique Torruella Gregg and Mina Wattenberg Greg Williamson ’97 and Katy Williamson Shelley Wong-Chassine and Eliezer Chassine

ANNUAL REPORT 2019-20

Presidents’ Circle ($50,000+) Anonymous (2) Mauricio Amaro and Gabriela Borges Sean and Katie Gallagher Dave and Jessica Lindsey Edward and Wendy Sassower The Spahn Family

International Society Leadership Circle

Adam Yellin ’91 and Jeanne Yellin ’94 The Zheng Family Founders’ Circle ($1,872-$2,499) Anonymous (4) Meg and Jay Axelrod Daniel and Adi Beltzman Selma Bueno The Campbell Family Foundation Laura and John Charecky Bjorn de Carro and Patrick Kullenberg Aaron and Niesha Foster Mrs. Lisa Goldenberg and Mr. Brian Goldenberg Stephanie K. Johnson Sarah and Steven Knox Hank and Lesley Liao Nancy and Morris W. Offit Yi Pan and Jin Zhang The Parker Family Candace and Jonathan Perkin Bill Strong Scott Weiss and Jill Kaiser Maria and Jim Wilson Jinhao Zhang and Yongjuan Shao Young Explorers’ Club ($100+ alumni from ten most recent classes) Benjamin C. Alpert ’18 Cleo Egli ’13 Maxine Jamison ’19

2019-20 Annual Fund Committee Alex Gendzier, Co-Chair Gillian Hearst, Co-Chair Julie Stratopoulos, Co-Chair Darly Corniel

Joyce Giuffra John Halpern Hasan Kazmi Nicole Lawi

Deborah Meer Kesiah Nuttall-Crola Yi Pan Felabi Phillips

Erika Pintoff Louise Tonkin Pearl Zeng

Supporters

THE DWIGHT SCHOOL FOUNDATION

Sponsor ($1,000-$1,871) Anonymous (4) Tiki and Jeremy Barnes Paul and Kelley Beiboer Ajay Bhumitra and Anita Mehta Newton Campbell Michael and Jessica Capiraso Jackie and Andrew Chrisomalis Gary and Judy Clare Alessandra and Alfredo Deza Lizzie and Scott Domansky Dianne Drew and Alexander Phan Hege and Mikkel Eriksen Michael and Fabiola Fitzpatrick James and Adrienne Gemperle Tatyana and Gregory Girshin, MD Richard C. Goodwin ’46 Stuart Gayle and Rachel Hayes Gayle ’90 Olivier and Jane Harari Max Hoover Michael Kalnick James Kaplan and Amy Egger Kathleen Katz George and Sanjana Koshy Nakul Krishnaswamy and Piyali Kothari Fran and Gary Langenhahn Geralyn and Tyler Lucas Daniel Mahoney Richard May in memory of Hal Prince, Franklin ’44 The Meer Family Andrew and Shanna Milman Tom and Mona Morrison Braeden Nacino Brian Naylor and Lauren Chidoni Steven Newman Jeremy and Jenny Novak The O’Hare Family Steven and Linda Parker Mr. Salustiano Perez and Mrs. Silvina Gonzalez Podesta Abhinay and Parul Poonja Laurie and John Reische

Vera Rossi and Marcelo Genzini Lynda Rovine ’83 and Josh Rovine Meredith and Eric Scharf Lauren Braver Schiller ’94 Jonathan and Heather Schindler Robert and Susan Shin Robert Stern and the Hampton Foundation in honor of Stephen Spahn and Kathryn Gonnion ’08 Regina Tarone and Jonathan O’Donnell Nuno and Patricia Teles Mr. Harry Toung and Dr. Dorothy Lebeau Brantley Turner-Bradley Steven Wilson and Jan Wysocki Vanessa Wilson Advocate ($500-$999) Anonymous (6) Sol and Lisa Abraham Tara Allmen AmazonSmile Caio and Anna Luisa Azevedo Baloch-Zehri Family Juan Manuel Barbera and Veronica Arnolfo Barry and Sandra Berkowitz Bruce B. Blau, DDS ’76 Carucci Dasic Family Daniel Cavalli and Karoliina Ohukainen Dai and Lisa Choi Rachel Ehrlich ’87 and Charles Gayner Rebecca Everly and Christopher Harland Ann Ferguson and Ken Gleason in honor of MacPhee Gleason ’25 Brad and Martha Frenette Friedson Family Stan and Ronnie Goldberg Mr. Luis Heitor Goncalves and Dr. Liliana Kawase

Gragg Family Grzic Family Karl and Claire Heckenberg Martha Hirschman Craig and Jean Horenstein Xinyi Jiang The Kazmi Family Kerenyi Family Josh Kigel and Ann Tilley Laura Kozelouzek Ileana and David Kutler Nicholas Lappin and Sharon Kim Mathieu and Anne-Charlotte Le Bourhis Marie and Harley Lippman Jon and Sharmee Mah Gabriel and Daphne Mello Rob and Sireenah Michlovich Azra, Ismet, and Vedad Osmanovic Sojung and Gene Park Liana Pai and Geoffrey Quelle Sergey Porotsky Dan Ripp and Randy Shapiro Luigi Romano and Laura La Posta Mr. Steven Rosenblum ’93 The Rosengren Family Jose Ruiz and Tahnee Galarza Katie Schuele Scheirle Elizabeth Schiff in honor of Brian Kaufman ’09 and Jacob Kaufman ’10 Martha Seiver Annie Sigal ’93 and Julian Medina Tong Family Daniel Walton and Ming Lam Zach and Michelle Williams The Wittig Family Contributor ($250-$499) Anonymous (6) Jae Ahn and In Young Park Vera and Roman Batichev Mr. Elliot Bogod and Mrs. Valerie Kritsberg Elizabeth Callaway and Robert Carey

Gregory Cass and Heather Francovitch Adam and Judy Cohen Paula Oppenheim Cope ’71 and Timothy Cope Darly Corniel and Brian Gurski Kim Dickerson Jun Dong and Xue Ting Li Bonnie Eissner and Joseph O’Connor Noah Garvey ’99 Lyn and David Grogan Ziad Hammodi and Dr. Reyna Payero Ian and Debra Hendler ’89 Yigit and Asli Isiker Maxine Jamison ’19 Elana Katz Tom Krouwer Anne Lawi Alfred and Dorothy Lebeau Jacqueline Leitzes Margo Messinger and Matthew Levine Stacey and Roselle Nicholson Halil Okutan and Maureen Teo Deb Parnes ’89 Chris and Patresse Phillips William and Barbara Phillips Nitin and Elena Saksena Victoria Sanford and Raul Figueroa-Sarti Reza Sarbakhsh ’00 Anand and Ann Marie Sastry Alexander Scheirle Gaurav and Sawako Shukla Randee and Albert Sigal Takara Strong and Dwayne Lashley Joseph and Bridget Tichar Tim Van Wingerden The Vasquez Family Javier Villarejo and Esther Hernandez Derek and Danielle Wallis Chris and Tracey White Yan Yan Xi and Ryan Oliveri

Supporters (cont.) Pamela Estes Allison Feldman Sharon Feldman and Alan Eidler Bentley Ferraina Alvin and Lydia Foster Marco Fracchia and Manuela Gamba Scott and Lauren Gaynor Joe Gelfand Caroline Crosson Gilpin Dr. and Mrs. Jaime Giraldo The Gouge Family Thomas and Gina Gray Matthew Grogan ’08 Claudia Guerra Ethan and Susan Gussow Kim Guzowski Michael and Danya Haber Annette Harchik Roberta Harnett Tim Heath Elliott and Gail Hefler Scott Hefler ’97 Jeanne and Ed Hendrickson Nancy Horowitz Elizabeth and Mikhail Hutton Armen and Idrija Ibrahimagic The Irico Family Faika and Robert Jackson Alicia Janiak Robert Jarvis Alex and Liyan Jin Seth Kahn James Kearsley Mallory King and Sansana Sawasdikosol Monica Klein Susan Kluger Megan Koepsell Antonia Koller ’89 Heather Kovaci Nicole Lawi Lauren Lazarin Isabella Leahy Monica Leardi, Franklin ’80 Franky Lee

Shelby Levin Mark Lipari Barry and Harriet Lipsitz Julie Ludwick Stephen J. Lurie, Franklin ’74 Sarah Magness Larry Malitzky and Caryn Gorden Carol Manning Graham ’74 Scott May Brad Meeder Suzy Nachman Mercado ’82 Anne Metcalf Denis Michalak Megan Miller Cassandra Mohan Amy Shapiro Moffatt ’77 Joanne Montaldo Gerwig Moos and Clare Cheng Matthew Moran Andrew and Anne Namm in honor of Blaim Namm ’97 Elaine Natalicchi Mamadou Niang and Fadhima Thiam Marie Nieto James and Patricia O’Hara Jill and John Ortman Carole Ostroff Sorush Panahi Parents of Jonathan Shechtman ’03 Gregory Petrick and Cynthia Smith Felabi Phillips Jessica Piccinich Sandra A. Plummer-Cambridge Ron Posner Stephen Presti The Purovic Family Angela Raborg and Carlos Romero Rayna Rapp Liliana Rodriguez and Michael Berkowitz Marat and Natasha Rosenberg Jason Rowley and Robyn Levinson Heidi Rubenstein-Brethel

Katya Rudnik Honore Ryan ’76 Rosa Saad Daniele Sahr Arthur Samuels III Ellen Sayers The Schlein Family The Schoenfeld Family Jessica Schottenstein ’07 Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Filiz and Savas Sevil Aly Shampain Zach Shapiro Randee and Albert Sigal Tracy and Scott Sigal ’95 Laurie Silbersweig The Singer-Zhou Family Doug Sklar Beverly Soares Peter and Lenore Standish Ms. Karen Suazo Svetlana Sverbeeva Ms. Lori Taylor and Mr. Mark Miller Sarah Taylor Nora Thomson Taylor Thorne ’17 Robert and Valerie Tornambe Marco Maria and Juliana Tronchetti Provera Charles Van Deventer Bunny and Larry Varricchio Caroline Venturini William and Anne Wagner Sarah Waldron Jessica Wieselgren Michael, Eleonora, Charles, and Theodore Wiesenfeld Richard S. Wilson ’53 Shirley Wu in honor of Brennan So ’23 Lauren and Sam Wunderlich Elaine Yudkovitz and Jeffrey Levine Pearl Zeng Dmitri and Kate Zolotkovsky

ANNUAL REPORT 2019-20

Friend (up to $249) Anonymous (35) Eric and Lyndsay Alden Chris Allen Benjamin C. Alpert ’18 Debra and Daniel Alpert Tahira Antoine ’06 Wallace Arthur, Franklin ’49 Ashley Austin Madison Awalt Caroline Axelrod ’03 Arnold Barkman, Franklin ’59 Kristy Benfante The Bergman Family Jaya Bhavnani Manoj and Shalini Bhavnani Daniel Bjelis Susan Bonell, Franklin ’66 Amy and Mark Bowllan Neil F. Brier Heidi and Charles Brodsky Robert Brooks III ’94 Colleen Brown Jill Brown Regan and Kate Cameron Candace Cardwell Daniel Carver ’93 Mr. Andrew Chait ’78 and Ms. Hedy Hartman, Franklin ’72 Moira and Nadjeeb Chouaf Terrence Christgau Patty Close Alexander Cunningham Eric R. Dale Brittany Dallal Ms. Monique Dana Michelle Darby Sandra Darzy Jacqueline Demarest The Dietche Family Yee Ding Joe Dowling Dimitry Drovniachine ’18 Claudia Egli and Cleo Egli ’13, and Lend a Hand

Senior Gift The Performing Arts Center Is Named in Honor of the Class of 2020! In recognition of the senior class families who contributed to The Dwight School Foundation’s Annual Fund, the Performing Arts Center on Columbus Avenue will be dedicated in honor of the Class of 2020. A plaque commemorating the Class of 2020 will be installed and will serve as a lasting legacy and source of pride for the graduates.

THE DWIGHT SCHOOL FOUNDATION

Class of 2020 Senior Gift Donors Anonymous (8) Aytug and Halide Alagoz Indrajit and Rachel Bardhan Paul and Kelley Beiboer Ajay Bhumitra and Anita Mehta Jacqueline Demarest Jonathan and Christina Dever Rachel Ehrlich ’87 and Charles Gayner

James and Adrienne Gemperle Olivier and Jane Harari Brian and Tania Higgins Mallory King and Sansana Sawasdikosol Ileana and David Kutler Hyung Lee Jennifer and Alon Markowitz The O’Hare Family

Steven and Yvette Pomerantz Philippa and Larry Portnoy Jean and Kimberly Putzer Amy and Andrew Ross Robert Rubin and Stéphane Samuel Jan Sage and Bob Dunphy Val and Min-Myn Schaffner The Schlein Family Rebecca J. Simmons

Class of 2020 Senior Gift Committee Rachel Bardhan, Chair Bob Dunphy and Jan Sage Rachel Ehrlich ’87 Winifred Parnes Yvette Pomerantz Kimberly Putzer Beth Silber Prasanna and Manreet Someshwar William and Anne Wagner

Parent Giving Jacqueline Demarest Donny Deutsch Jonathan and Christina Dever Alessandra and Alfredo Deza The Dietche Family Lizzie and Scott Domansky George and Jennifer Dong Jun Dong and Xue Ting Li Dianne Drew and Alexander Phan Sandrine and Thomas Droumenq Patricia Druck in honor of Caetana and Marina Fossati Druck ’22 Rachel Ehrlich ’87 and Charles Gayner Jay and Anne Eisenhofer Bonnie Eissner and Joseph O’Connor Rebecca Everly and Christopher Harland The Family de Lambilly Ezra and Marlene Field Lori and Steven Fineman Michael and Fabiola Fitzpatrick Aaron and Niesha Foster Marco Fracchia and Manuela Gamba Brad and Martha Frenette Friedson Family Dorian and Gary Fuhrman ’79 Sean and Katie Gallagher Stuart Gayle and Rachel Hayes Gayle ’90 James and Adrienne Gemperle Tatyana and Gregory Girshin, MD Joyce and Robert Giuffra Ann Ferguson and Ken Gleason in honor of MacPhee Gleason ’25 Mrs. Lisa Goldenberg and Mr. Brian Goldenberg Thomas and Gina Gray Felicia Grumet Grzic Family Claudia Guerra Ethan and Susan Gussow Michael and Danya Haber Thomas Haines and Hannah Linder John and Mirinha Halpern Ziad Hammodi and Dr. Reyna Payero Olivier and Jane Harari Gillian Hearst Karl and Claire Heckenberg Jeanne and Ed Hendrickson Brian and Tania Higgins

Meridith and Shannon Hill Max Hoover Craig and Jean Horenstein Elizabeth and Mikhail Hutton Armen and Idrija Ibrahimagic The Irico Family Yigit and Asli Isiker Alicia Janiak Xinyi Jiang Alex and Liyan Jin Stephanie K. Johnson Jett Kain and Lynn Ban James Kaplan and Amy Egger Kathleen Katz The Kazmi Family Dan and Kim Kelleher Kerenyi Family Josh Kigel and Ann Tilley Mallory King and Sansana Sawasdikosol The Klingenstein-Martell Foundation Sarah and Steven Knox George and Sanjana Koshy Laura Kozelouzek Nakul Krishnaswamy and Piyali Kothari Olga and Igor Kroutoi Ileana and David Kutler Peter Labbat and Karen Kiehl Fran and Gary Langenhahn Nicholas Lappin and Sharon Kim Nicole Lawi Mathieu and Anne-Charlotte Le Bourhis Hyung Lee Peter Lee and Olga Bakhmat-Danilava Mitchell Levine Hank and Lesley Liao Geralyn and Tyler Lucas Sarah Magness Jon and Sharmee Mah Alisha Mahoney and Scott Brown Jennifer and Alon Markowitz The Meer Family Gabriel and Daphne Mello Margo Messinger and Matthew Levine Rob and Sireenah Michlovich Andrew and Shanna Milman Daniel Mintz and Meredith Berkman Gerwig Moos and Clare Cheng Tom and Mona Morrison

Brian Naylor and Lauren Chidoni Steven Newman Stacey and Roselle Nicholson Jeremy and Jenny Novak Brett and Cheryl Nunziata The O’Hare Family Halil Okutan and Maureen Teo Liana Pai and Geoffrey Quelle Daniel and Fiona Paltridge Yi Pan and Jin Zhang Sojung and Gene Park The Parker Family Mr. Salustiano Perez and Mrs. Silvina Gonzalez Podesta Candace and Jonathan Perkin Felabi Phillips William and Barbara Phillips Erika and Scott Pintoff Steven and Yvette Pomerantz Abhinay and Parul Poonja Sergey Porotsky Philippa and Larry Portnoy Jean and Kimberly Putzer Angela Raborg and Carlos Romero Greg Racz and Alexa Jervis Laurie and John Reische Vicky and Ed Rich Dan Ripp and Randy Shapiro Isabelle Riviere and Michel Sadelain Jaime and Lola Robles-Gil Liliana Rodriguez and Michael Berkowitz Luigi Romano and Laura La Posta Marat and Natasha Rosenberg Mr. Steven Rosenblum ’93 The Rosengren Family Amy and Andrew Ross Vera Rossi and Marcelo Genzini Lynda Rovine ’83 and Josh Rovine Robert Rubin and Stéphane Samuel Jose Ruiz and Tahnee Galarza Jan Sage and Bob Dunphy Nitin and Elena Saksena Victoria Sanford and Raul Figueroa-Sarti Edward and Wendy Sassower Anand and Ann Marie Sastry Val and Min-Myn Schaffner Meredith and Eric Scharf Alexander Scheirle Jonathan and Heather Schindler The Schlein Family The Schoenfeld Family

ANNUAL REPORT 2019-20

Anonymous (41) Sol and Lisa Abraham William Abramson and Susan Buchbinder Jae Ahn and In Young Park Erin and David Aidi Aytug and Halide Alagoz Eric and Lyndsay Alden Dina Colombo Alessi and Gregg Alessi Jonathan and Shelley Allen Tara Allmen Mauricio Amaro and Gabriela Borges Caio and Anna Luisa Azevedo Baloch-Zehri Family Juan Manuel Barbera and Veronica Arnolfo Indrajit and Rachel Bardhan Tiki and Jeremy Barnes Vera and Roman Batichev Artur and Irina Baysara Harvey and Chrysanthi Berger The Bergman Family Phil and Meredith Berkowitz Manoj and Shalini Bhavnani Ajay Bhumitra and Anita Mehta Mr. Elliot Bogod and Mrs. Valerie Kritsberg Heidi and Charles Brodsky Jill Brown Chris and Aileen Bruner Rosario Buendia and Umberto Serrano Selma Bueno Regan and Kate Cameron The Campbell Family Foundation Michael and Jessica Capiraso Carucci Dasic Family Gregory Cass and Heather Francovitch Daniel Cavalli and Karoliina Ohukainen Laura and John Charecky Samuel Chenillo and Cecilia Rebolledo Gary and Judy Clare Adam and Judy Cohen Darly Corniel and Brian Gurski Danielle Curi and Max Herrnstein Ms. Monique Dana Michelle Darby Bjorn de Carro and Patrick Kullenberg Donato and Sarah de Donato

Parent Giving (cont.) Katie Schuele Scheirle Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Scibilia Martha Seiver Filiz and Savas Sevil Robert and Susan Shin Gaurav and Sawako Shukla Annie Sigal ’93 and Julian Medina Tracy and Scott Sigal ’95 Rebecca J. Simmons Ravi Singh Matthew and Cynthia Skaruppa Prasanna and Manreet Someshwar Maryll and Blake Spahn ’89 Lauren and Danny Stein Julie and Nick Stratopoulos

Bill Strong Takara Strong and Dwayne Lashley The Svarre Family Yu and Mamiko Takasaku Regina Tarone and Jonathan O’Donnell Ms. Lori Taylor and Mr. Mark Miller Joseph and Bridget Tichar Tong Family Robert and Valerie Tornambe Stephanie and Juan Enrique Torruella Mr. Harry Toung and Dr. Dorothy Lebeau

Marco Maria and Juliana Tronchetti Provera Charles Van Deventer Tim van Wingerden The Vasquez Family Javier Villarejo and Esther Hernandez William and Anne Wagner Derek and Danielle Wallis Daniel Walton and Ming Lam Gregg and Mina Wattenberg Scott Weiss and Jill Kaiser Chris and Tracey White Michael, Eleonora, Charles, and Theodore Wiesenfeld

Stuart Gayle and Rachel Hayes Gayle ’90 Richard C. Goodwin ’46 Matthew Grogan ’08 Scott Hefler ’97 Ian and Debra Hendler ’89 Maxine Jamison ’19 Mr. and Mrs. Michael M. Kellen, Caroline Kellen ’98, and the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation Antonia Koller ’89 Scott Landis ’92 and Amy Landis ’93 Monica Leardi, Franklin ’80 Stephen J. Lurie, Franklin ’74 Carol Manning Graham ’74 Richard May in memory of Hal Prince, Franklin ’44 Suzy Nachman Mercado ’82 Amy Shapiro Moffatt ’77 Deb Parnes ’89

John F. Prentice ’08, and Acorn Hill Foundation, Inc. Eddie and Fatmira Purovic ’92 Mr. Steven Rosenblum ’93 Lynda Rovine ’83 and Josh Rovine Honore Ryan ’76 Reza Sarbakhsh ’00 Lauren Braver Schiller ’94 Jessica Schottenstein ’07 Victor Schwartz, Franklin ’58 Annie Sigal ’93 and Julian Medina Tracy and Scott Sigal ’95 Maryll and Blake Spahn ’89 Kirk Spahn ’95 Taylor Thorne ’17 Greg Williamson ’97 and Katy Williamson Richard S. Wilson ’53 Adam Yellin ’91 and Jeanne Yellin ’94

Zach and Michelle Williams Maria and Jim Wilson The Wittig Family Carrie and Roberto Woldenberg Shelley Wong-Chassine and Eliezer Chassine Shirley Wu in honor of Brennan So ’23 Yan Yan Xi and Ryan Oliveri Andrew and Kimberly Yoon Pearl Zeng Jinhao Zhang and Yongjuan Shao The Zheng Family Dmitri and Kate Zolotkovsky

THE DWIGHT SCHOOL FOUNDATION

Alumni Giving Anonymous (2) Benjamin C. Alpert ’18 Tahira Antoine ’06 Wallace Arthur, Franklin ’49 Caroline Axelrod ’03 Arnold Barkman, Franklin ’59 Bruce B. Blau DDS ’76 Susan Bonell, Franklin ’66 Robert Brooks III ’94 Daniel Carver ’93 Mr. Andrew Chait ’78 and Ms. Hedy Hartman, Franklin ’72 Paula Oppenheim Cope ’71 and Timothy Cope Peter Davidson ’82 Dimitry Drovniachine ’18 Claudia Egli and Cleo Egli ’13, and Lend a Hand Rachel Ehrlich ’87 and Charles Gayner Dorian and Gary Fuhrman ’79 Noah Garvey ’99

Alumni Council 2019-20 Shriti Rath ’05, President Reza Sarbakhsh ’00, Vice President Caroline Axelrod ’03 Scott Hefler ’97 Antonia Koller ’89 Amy Landis ’93 Deb Parnes ’89 Annie Sigal ’93

Landmark Year Class Representatives 2019-20 Hillary Brizell-Delise, Franklin ’69 Ronni Eisenberg ’69 Zoe Goldberg ’09 Ariel Hyatt ’89 David Kleinman ’89 Caren Osborne ’69 James Thomashower, Franklin ’69

Faculty and Staff Giving Sandrine and Thomas Droumenq Allison Feldman Bentley Ferraina Joe Gelfand Caroline Crosson Gilpin Dr. and Mrs. Jaime Giraldo The Gouge Family Kim Guzowski Michael and Danya Haber Annette Harchik Roberta Harnett Tim Heath Martha Hirschman Elizabeth and Mikhail Hutton The Irico Family Alicia Janiak Robert Jarvis Seth Kahn James Kearsley Josh Kigel and Ann Tilley Monica Klein Susan Kluger Megan Koepsell Heather Kovaci Lauren Lazarin Isabella Leahy

Jacqueline Leitzes Shelby Levin Julie Ludwick Scott May Anne Metcalf and John Hunt Denis Michalak Megan Miller Cassandra Mohan Joanne Montaldo Matthew Moran Elaine Natalicchi Marie Nieto Jill and John Ortman Azra, Ismet, and Vedad Osmanovic Sorush Panahi Jessica Piccinich Ron Posner Stephen Presti Eddie and Fatmira Purovic â&#x20AC;&#x2122;92 Angela Raborg and Carlos Romero Liliana Rodriguez and Michael Berkowitz Jason Rowley and Robyn Levinson Heidi Rubenstein-Brethel Katya Rudnik Rosa Saad

Daniele Sahr Arthur Samuels III Ellen Sayers The Schoenfeld Family Aly Shampain Zach Shapiro Laurie Silbersweig The Singer-Zhou Family Doug Sklar Beverly Soares The Spahn Family Ms. Karen Suazo Svetlana Sverbeeva Ms. Lori Taylor and Mr. Mark Miller Sarah Taylor Nora Thomson Brantley Turner-Bradley Caroline Venturini Sarah Waldron Jessica Wieselgren Michael, Eleonora, Charles, and Theodore Wiesenfeld Lauren and Sam Wunderlich Dmitri and Kate Zolotkovsky

ANNUAL REPORT 2019-20

Anonymous (19) Eric and Lyndsay Alden Chris Allen Tahira Antoine â&#x20AC;&#x2122;06 Ashley Austin Madison Awalt Kristy Benfante Jaya Bhavnani Manoj and Shalini Bhavnani Daniel Bjelis Amy and Mark Bowllan Neil F. Brier Colleen Brown Jill Brown Candace Cardwell Laura and John Charecky Moira and Nadjeeb Chouaf Terrence Christgau Alexander Cunningham Eric R. Dale Brittany Dallal Michelle Darby Sandra Darzy Alessandra and Alfredo Deza Joe Dowling Dianne Drew and Alexander Phan

Grandparent, Alumni Parent, Former Faculty and Staff, and Friends Giving

THE DWIGHT SCHOOL FOUNDATION

Anonymous (2) Debra and Daniel Alpert Meg and Jay Axelrod Daniel and Adi Beltzman Barry and Sandra Berkowitz Elizabeth Callaway and Robert Carey Newton Campbell Dai and Lisa Choi Jackie and Andrew Chrisomalis Patty Close Kim Dickerson Yee Ding Claudia Egli and Cleo Egli ’13, and Lend a Hand Hege and Mikkel Eriksen Pamela Estes Sharon Feldman and Alan Eidler Alvin and Lydia Foster Scott and Lauren Gaynor

Stan and Ronnie Goldberg Mr. Luis Heitor Goncalves and Dr. Liliana Kawase Lyn and David Grogan Elliott and Gail Hefler Nancy Horowitz Faika and Robert Jackson Michael Kalnick Elana Katz Mr. and Mrs. Michael M. Kellen, Caroline Kellen ’98, and the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation Susan and Peter Kessler Tom Krouwer Anne Lawi Alfred and Dorothy Lebeau Franky Lee Ruth Levine in honor of Jonah Pintoff ’25

Dave and Jessica Lindsey Mark Lipari Marie and Harley Lippman Barry and Harriet Lipsitz Daniel Mahoney Larry Malitzky and Caryn Gorden Brad Meeder Braeden Nacino Andrew and Anne Namm in honor of Blaim Namm ’97 Mamadou Niang and Fadhima Thiam James and Patricia O’Hara Nancy and Morris W. Offit Carole Ostroff Parents of Jonathan Shechtman ’03 Steven and Linda Parker Gregory Petrick and Cynthia Smith Chris and Patresse Phillips

Corporate and Foundation Giving Anonymous (2) AmazonSmile American Express Charitable Fund American International Group, Inc. Bank of America Foundation Dell Giving Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation Emigrant Bank

Estée Lauder Companies, Inc. Goldman, Sachs & Co. MarketAxess Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Mizuho Americas Moody’s Pfizer Foundation Matching Gifts Program Prudential Foundation

Regeneron S&P Global Select Equity Group Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education The Soros Foundation TPG Capital The Walt Disney Company

Sandra A. Plummer-Cambridge Rayna Rapp Elizabeth Schiff in honor of Brian Kaufman ’09 and Jacob Kaufman ’10 Robert and Donna Shafir Haoqing Shen and Jin Liu in honor of Emily Shen Randee and Albert Sigal Constance and Stephen Spahn Peter and Lenore Standish Robert Stern and the Hampton Foundation in honor of Stephen Spahn and Kathryn Gonnion ’08 Larry Ullman Bunny and Larry Varrichio Steven Wilson and Jan Wysocki Vanessa Wilson Elaine Yudkovitz and Jeffrey Levine

The 2020 Half Marathon

ANNUAL REPORT 2019-20

Although the 2020 United Airlines NYC Half Marathon was cancelled because of the coronavirus, members of Team Dwight School Foundation had raised funds in advance, and some even ran independently to support student financial aid, faculty professional development, and Spark Tank innovation grants! We thank them â&#x20AC;&#x201D; as well as all 2020 NYC Half Marathon donors â&#x20AC;&#x201D; for their support!

Donors U-Roy Agboli Christine Allen Sam Altman Brian Arnold Katie Arnold Lisa Arnold Kelley Beiboer Kristy Benfante Daniel Bjelis Corie Brooks Barry Brown Margaret Brown William Buckley Martin Bush Laura Charecky Don Cronin Erin Cummins Michelle Darby Sandrine Droumenq Cynthia Fahey Bentley Ferraina Rochelle Goldman Nahantara Gonzalez

Regan Hales Sabrina Harding Mikhail Hutton Robert Jarvis Aaron Joly Veronica Jones Stephen Kelly Mitzie Kim Jonathan Kriner Nicky Lau Michael Lightman Travis Merchant Matthew Mesang Denis Michalak Shanna Milman Joanne Montaldo Peter Moran Denise Moroney Shradha Muktidoot Peter Myers V Jack Myers Jordan Novak Lester Parmar

Elizabeth Paulson Josue Perez Elizabeth Pizarro Allison Poirot Keisha Powell James Radicioni David Radzinsky Paul Ragusa Jette Rasmussen Heidi Rubenstein-Brethel Ellen Sayers Kira Schlesinger Rebecca Singer-Zhou Douglas Sklar Stephen Spahn Veronica Speller Muriel Svarre Elise Taitt-Lance Nuno Teles Sylvia Tiersten Govinda Upadhyay Ian Vazquez Flavio Velasquez

Caroline Venturini Sarah Waldron Mariya Walsh Cecil Weeks Jessica Wieselgren Amanda Wooden Jingy Zhang Leiddy Zuber

2020 NYC Half Marathon Team Katie Arnold Kelley Beiboer Mikhail Hutton Shanna Milman Peter Myers Nuno Teles Amanda Wooden

Ways to Give The Dwight School Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization and donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. There are several ways to make a contribution: ONLINE Please visit www.dwight.edu/givingtodwight. BY MAIL Checks should be made out to The Dwight School Foundation and mailed to the address below: The Dwight School Foundation 291 Central Park West New York, NY 10024 BY PHONE Please call the Foundation Office at 646-400-0313. GIFTS OF APPRECIATED SECURITIES/STOCK A gift of appreciated stock, which has been held for more than one year, allows you to avoid the capital gains tax on the appreciation. It also qualifies you for an income tax charitable deduction based on the fair-market value of the stock on the date you make the gift. Please contact Jacqueline Leitzes at jleitzes@dwight.edu or 646-400-0309 to make a gift this way. MATCHING GIFTS You may be able to double or triple your gift! If your company is eligible, request a matching gift form from your employer and send it (completed and signed) with your gift to The Dwight School Foundation. Please contact Moira Chouaf at mchouaf@dwight.edu or 646-400-0314 with any questions. AMAZONSMILE Support The Dwight School Foundation every time you shop, at no cost to you. Every eligible purchase you make on AmazonSmile will result in a 0.5% donation to The Dwight School Foundation. Make us your charity of choice by going to www.smile.amazon.com today and searching for The Dwight School Foundation.

Foundation Office Jacqueline Leitzes Foundation Director Moira Chouaf Annual Fund Director Olivia Merrick-Haight Manager of Alumni Relations and Foundation Engagement Katya Rudnik Foundation Assistant

This report gratefully acknowledges gifts received between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2020. Best efforts were made to ensure the accuracy and completeness of this report. If there are omissions or errors, please notify Moira Chouaf in the Foundation Office at mchouaf@dwight.edu or 646-400-0314. Photography by: Matthew Gilbertson Mike Sheehan | Dwight School staff Produced by The Dwight School Foundation and Communications Department The Dwight School Foundation 291 Central Park West | New York, NY 10024 646-400-0313

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A student from the Class of 2034 shares his Lion-sized excitement to start the new school year!