Fall 2019
DWIGHT TODAY A Magazine for the Global Dwight Community
Educating
GLOBAL LEADERS One Student at a Time INS I
DE
The Dwight School Foundation Annual Report 2018-19
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Dwight Golf team, circa 1938
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.
HEADING | DWIGHT TODAY
Members of today’s Varsity Golf team teed off last spring in the ACIS Championship.
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DWIGHT TODAY
© Rosalie O’Connor Photography
FEATURE STORIES
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In Global Harmony at the Shanghai Music Festival
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Globetrotting Lions Spend Spring Break around the World
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Lily Cosgrove ‘17 Storytelling through Ballet and Film
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A Lion’s Roar of Congratulations to the Class of 2019
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Laurie Silbersweig: Editorial Director Emily Chase: Design Director Samantha Roy: Editorial Associate
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For Restaurateur Andre Gerschel ‘06 lobal ision s Baked n The Dwight School Foundation 2018-19 Annual Report
Photography: Oscar Brett, David Dean, Matthew Gilbertson, Mike Sheehan, Stomping Ground, Kerry Tkacik, Ian Wilson, Chloe Zachmanoglou Printing: SPC PRINT INTEGRATED, orth prin eld Copyright © 2019: Dwight School
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CHANCELLOR’S LETTER | DWIGHT TODAY
Dear Dwight Community, “Never stop challenging yourself. Take risks. Make the impossible possible. Keep your spark of genius alive. Be true to yourself and remember that wherever life takes you, you’ll always have a home at Dwight.” Simple, direct, and true, these were among my parting Commencement words to the Class of 2019, as they prepared to turn the tassels on their mortarboards last June. While not lofty, these words speak to what we want for every Dwight graduate, as he or she takes that next step on what I hope will be an exciting, lifelong educational journey of experimenting, braving, and succeeding as global leaders. This issue of Dwight Today highlights some of the learning experiences and unique opportunities that we offer students to expand their worldview, prepare them to thrive anywhere, and become the ethical and compassionate global leaders who we need now more than ever. Of special note is The Dwight School Foundation’s 2018-19 Annual Report, which is included in this issue. We are most grateful to the Foundation, which funds student financial aid, faculty professional development, and innovation grants. Without this critical support, many of the accomplishments that you’ll read about in the following pages would not be possible. We look forward to many more inspired and inspiring moments this school year. We welcomed students back to an expanded campus, with new facilities at 21 West 88th Street, including a new lobby, art pavilion, Spark Lab, and other multi-use spaces outfitted with the most innovative technologies, empowering Dwight to deliver our visionary model of education. Fondly, Stephen H. Spahn Chancellor of Dwight School
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DWIGHT TODAY | COMMUNITY
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INTERNATIONAL FOOD FESTIVAL | DWIGHT TODAY
A Festive for All! Always an evening to remember, our annual PA International Food and Wine Festival featured delicious cuisine from around the world curated by our global community — plus some extra flavor in the form of Brazilian music and dance! We had a blast and thank our Parents Association for the merriment!
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DWIGHT TODAY | DWIGHT GLOBAL
Dwight Global Students Come Together for
Annual
STEAM Weekend!
Dwight Global students came from near and far to spend time on campus in New York for the annual STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics) Weekend. This is just one program that Dwight Global hosts each year to bring online students together in the real world. The weekend, which focused on forensic science, design, and immigration, included a number of enriching activities fostering community among students as well as challenging them academically. They were tasked with solving a fictional “who done it” mystery. As part of their detective work, they conducted witness interviews (with faculty and students playing roles and answering “in character”), performed psychological analyses, and conducted forensic laboratory testing on evidence found at the “scene of the crime.” “As a science teacher,” said Lezlie Carroll, “I loved seeing students examine evidence related to fingerprints, a handwritten note, and clothing fiber forensics in the lab, as they showed off their skills with Bunsen burners, forceps, and microscopes — it was awesome!” Students also enjoyed history teacher Travis Hughes’s lessons about immigration in New York City, as well as an in-depth look at the famous Sacco and Vanzetti case. The immigration experience was brought into focus with a visit to the Tenement Museum in downtown Manhattan to see what life was like for newly arrived immigrants at the turn of the 20th century. Over the weekend, students bonded through a team-building activity at Exit Escape Room, enjoyed seeing “The Prom” on Broadway followed by a stroll through Times Square lit up at night, and shared a real New York-style meal at John’s Pizza! Dwight Global stands apart from other online schools for its focus on community. Our students connect in real-time, virtual classes, clubs, and a house system that fosters camaraderie. They also meet face-to-face in cross-campus cultural collaborations like our Shanghai Music Festival, in student leadership programs such as the annual GIN Conference in Luxembourg — and events like this STEAM Weekend.
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GLOBAL VISION | DWIGHT TODAY
Jaya Bhavnani Honored for Contributions
to Global Education
Congratulations to Jaya Bhavnani, Coordinator of the Middle Years Program at Dwight School Dubai and Executive Director of Dwight Global Online School, for receiving the GESS Outstanding Contribution in Education Award! GESS — Global Educational Supplies & Solutions — selected their 2019 Dubai Award winners from among thousands of nominations across 45 countries. Upon learning that she was among them, Ms. Bhavnani said, “I am excited, humbled, and honored to receive the award at such a prestigious and global event. I hope that this award inspires more educators globally to challenge the conventional approach to education and promote innovative learning.” A passionate educator, Ms. Bhavnani was instrumental in founding our online program with Chancellor Stephen Spahn and extending Dwight’s mission of igniting the spark of genius in every child to every online student. Dwight Global began with 12 courses and just a handful of students in 2014; today, we teach over 15 IB courses, 18 AP courses, and have over 100 students all over the world.
In 2018, Ms. Bhavnani brought her expertise to Dubai as part of the team that launched Dwight’s newest campus. In addition to heading up the MYP, she has mentored new faculty, and helped to spearhead the KHDA proposal to collaborate with Dwight in the creation of innovative blended and online learning programs for students in the UAE. This exciting partnership was formalized when the Prime Minister of the UAE, His Royal Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, signed the first-ever license to develop groundbreaking educational models. Ms. Bhavnani embodies the many qualities that make Dwight itself special, and her journey from inside the classroom to the online global classroom is defined by vision and fortitude. “We are incredibly proud of Jaya Bhavnani’s many achievements in disrupting traditional learning,” said Janecke Aarnaes, Head of Dwight School Dubai. “She is an inspiration to our school and students, and truly deserves this recognition for constantly going above and beyond for each and every one.”
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In Global Harmony Dwight Blends Eastern and Western Traditions Beautifully at the Shanghai Music Festival
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Against a spectacular modern skyline, the historic Shanghai Concert Hall stands, echoing with performances by generations of world-famous musicians who have graced the stage since its grand opening in 1930. This beautiful 1,122-seat venue was the setting for a concert entitled “Music of Spring� performed by nearly 130 students from Dwight campuses around the world. he had been preparin for this moment for months and hen the time nall came the lled the ma ni cent hall ith music ran in from traditional hinese and orean folk son s to classical, jazz, rock, and Academy Award-winning numbers ... from the sound of barrel drums beating loud as thunder to dulcimer strings being plucked delicately as if to announce peonies and lotus flo ers bloomin !
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DWIGHT TODAY | GLOBAL VISION
Outside the Concert Hall, “Music of Spring” banners graced the building’s façade and lined the plaza announcing to passersby that a special event was unfolding, hosted by the Shanghai Qibao Dwight High School. Inside, distinguished guests had gathered: representatives from the Minhang Education Bureau, Qibao Town, and Qibao Education Group, together with the Heads of School from every Dwight campus, parents — including some who had flown in from New York and London — and students and friends of Dwight in Shanghai. SIX SCHOOLS, ONE DWIGHT FAMILY The two-hour concert was the culmination of the inaugural Shanghai Music Festival, which welcomed students and music faculty from New York, London, Seoul, Dubai, and online for a week of connections, collaboration, and
cultural exchange with their counterparts in Shanghai. Some students were meeting for the first time; others were reuniting after making friends at last year’s Carnegie Hall concert or London Choral Extravaganza. All were excited to be part of this first international musical celebration in China, where the music selected aligned with the spring theme. Last fall, students from each school had auditioned and music faculty across campuses began collaborating to bring the festival to life.
They planned a program to showcase the unique musical heritage of their home countries, as well as the significant talent of their students, concluding with rousing medleys performed by the entire global orchestra and choir on stage together. “The beauty of our annual global concert — no matter where in the world it takes place — is the spirit of cooperation embraced across campuses and our shared commitment to arts education as a family of schools,” says Alistair
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SHANGHAI MUSIC FESTIVAL | DWIGHT TODAY
entire student body assembled and students from different campuses shared their musical sparks of genius as a preview of things to come! A What was to come was a singular focus on music with several days of intensive rehearsals on campus and later at the Concert Hall, where the staging and technical aspects of the performance were finalized. Hamilton, Former Head of Performing Arts for Dwight in New York. “Our students work very hard on their home campuses to prepare, but it isn’t until they come together with their peers from sister schools to forge friendships around music and rehearse as one prior to the concert that all the notes, literally and figuratively, come together harmoniously.” DISCOVERING SHANGHAI TOGETHER Dwight in Shanghai is distinguished as the first independent Chinese-foreign collaborative high school approved by the Ministry of Education in China. Upon opening in 2014, our boarding school introduced a new model of education, integrating the IB with courses from Chinese compulsory education — bringing the best of Eastern and Western curricula together. Shanghai Qibao Dwight was excited to host all the other campuses and planned activities to introduce fellow Dwightonians to China and to the local culture. In a whirlwind of sightseeing, everyone visited the Pearl Tower, the Shanghai Museum, Old Water Town, the Shanghai Zoo, the Bund waterfront, Tianzifang in the French Concession area, and the Yuyuan Garden district, which was aglow with lanterns in celebration of the Lunar New Year.
While all the musicians and singers were finetuning their performances, an additional 200 tenth and eleventh graders from Shanghai — those not pursuing music studies in school — participated in special workshops. Global music faculty introduced them to choral singing, jazz, music composition, playing keyboards, stage performance, and more, broadening their exposure to the arts — and possibly igniting new sparks of genius! THE BIG EVENT When concert day arrived, a touch of spring was in the air and our performers were ready to shine. As the house lights went down, a video set the stage for what was to come — a glorious, multi-sensory celebration of spring! As images of shy pink buds burst open and lush, color-drenched blossoms danced across the screen, the music affirmed the name of the
first song: “It’s a Beautiful Day.” With each piece, students impressed the audience with their artistry and skills. Some like the New York rock band, the London jazz band, and the Korean drum ensemble, who wrote their own vocal chants, raised the roof; others serenaded the audience with gentle sounds of traditional Chinese string instruments and chamber music. The pieces arranged for the global choir and orchestra brought the entire audience to its feet. The talent extended beyond students, as members of the Shanghai faculty choir, which was formed last fall just for this big event, took to the stage to sing. Additionally, an award-winning troupe of dancers from nearby Wenlai Middle School embodied peacocks in a breathtaking performance of their own. The concert, which began at 3 pm Shanghai time, was live-streamed on Facebook at 2 am New York time, with some parents “pulling an all-nighter” to watch their children light up the other side of the world! Several soloists stepped into the spotlight to play instruments or sing: Cindy Oh ’24 and Jennifer Choi ’22 from Seoul; Barbara Chwastowska ’24 and Clara Jiang ’20 from London (formerly from Shanghai); Annabelle Joslin ’22 from Dubai; Feng Zhou ’21 from
There was more! An acrobatic show and an evening dedicated to creative pursuits — Chinese calligraphy, decorating fans, and making dumplings — in addition to a special flag-raising ceremony at school where the
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DWIGHT TODAY | GLOBAL VISION
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SHANGHAI MUSIC FESTIVAL | DWIGHT TODAY
Shanghai; and Akhil Karra ’22 (formerly from London), Ava Goldfarb ’21, Justin Chen ’21, and Jennifer Klein ’21 from New York. The singers fronted the global orchestra and choir, which altogether brought down the house with medleys from “A Star Is Born” and “The Greatest Showman.” Indeed, many stars were born that day! Before the final applause, the Heads of all Dwight Schools, who were among those clapping the loudest, took to the stage to share their appreciation and congratulate the performers. MEMORIES TO LAST A LIFETIME As the trip came to an end, students wrote their reflections and shared that being part of the Shanghai Music Festival was an amazing experience that they will never forget. Each in his or her own words, echoed many of the same sentiments about how the trip had opened their eyes and ears to another culture, showed them an exciting part of the world they couldn’t imagine, enabled them to explore and try new things ... how much they enjoyed making new international friends, becoming closer to their New York classmates, and coming together with everyone through a shared passion for music. One reflection spoke to this last part best: I was entirely convinced that the world is huge, full of the most diverse people and interesting cultures; that was, until I met the students from other campuses. Upon connecting with people from different places, raised in different cultures, yet brought together through a common passion for music, I witnessed firsthand the power that art has to build bridges and enable people who are different to empathize with each other. After this trip, I’m not sure whether the world is small, or huge and merely made small by interconnectedness; and whether people from different cultures are similar, or unique and merely united by art. In both cases, I prefer to think the latter is truest. – Bernardo Sequiera ’22, who was among the Dwight global students interviewed during the concert by Chinese television.
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DWIGHT TODAY | FACULTY Q&A
Fiona Imboden Ignites Sparks of Genius Beyond the Classroom iona mboden has her n er on the pulse of all thin s extracurricular at i ht! A familiar face ithin our communit for ears iona has spearheaded the plannin of a ide ran e of pro rams that have become part of the de ree i ht chool experience We sat do n ith iona to nd out about her o n ourne at i ht and to move her from behind the scenes into the spotli ht!
P A AB PA W It started in 2005, when we chose Dwight for our son, Race ’11, who was entering the seventh grade. I had been teaching preschool and also took part in parent groups previously, so I wanted to become involved in the Dwight community right away. Joining the Parents Association was — and is — a great way to get to know the school, participate in programs, and meet other families, so I jumped right in! My first job was helping to sell wrapping paper at a PA book fair and it wasn’t long before I joined the Board as President for two terms. I really enjoyed working with fellow parents, which remains a significant part of my job today. Serving on the PA was a great foundation for what I do, and knowing what it’s like to be a Dwight parent and see things from that perspective is so incredibly helpful. As my PA service was ending, I wanted to continue contributing in some fashion. The timing was right because a position opened up as Director of After-school Programs for Grades 1-5. When Chancellor Spahn asked me to consider it, “yes” was the clear answer because I genuinely loved the Dwight community. I had already collaborated with staff on PA events and communications, so coming on board didn’t feel like work to me — I was already home. W A A P A A I had a wonderful predecessor, who had already developed quite a bit of programming, so I built on that and enjoyed watching students explore new pursuits and develop their sparks of genius beyond the classroom. We added programs like dodgeball and cooking, which are among our most popular today. We also started Club House, which provides a structured alternative to after-school activities. This drop-in program has been a big plus for parents who need extended-day options. When Neil Brier, who was in charge of after-school for grades 6-12, stepped down, Agata Medic, who had been working with me for a few years, took on the day-to-day management of after-school for 1-12, enabling me to focus more on the ever-growing number of Dwight trips. P A AB P Dwight had a long-standing fifth-grade exchange program with Dwight School London, which Elaine Natalicchi, former Head of Lower School, initiated 21 years ago. In 2019, we took this journey across the pond with three times more students! As the first overseas trip students take, this represents a big leap for them. It’s the first time that they’re away from home for a whole week, the first time they travel to another country with the School, and the first time they connect with Dwight peers abroad. Their growth is quite notable, and while
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FIONA IMBODEN | DWIGHT TODAY
some students have an easier time than others at the beginning, they all return home proud of trying new things and stretching themselves, plus looking forward to welcoming their London buddies in New York for the reciprocal leg of this exchange. To pave the way for the London journey, we decided to add a fourth grade trip to Washington, DC, introducing students to an overnight experience earlier. We also launched three grade-wide domestic trips for Bentley House connected to what Middle Schoolers are learning in the classroom. During these journeys, students forge deeper bonds and become more independent while away from home. Dwight also had a history of running other international trips; some annually, such as the GIN Conference in Luxembourg, where students in grades 8-12 from around the world gather to propose solutions to global problems; while others were more of a one-off. Over the last ten years or so, we added the trip to the WISER School for Girls in rural Kenya, which grew out of a GIN connection; service trips to Costa Rica and rural China; and more. Additional exchange programs have been made possible by the expansion of Dwight’s global network since 2012. We began with one at Dwight School Seoul for seventh graders and another at our school in Shanghai for ninth graders. We look forward to introducing an exchange with Dwight School Dubai this year and to working with Dwight School London to plan a service trip to Nepal for students from every campus in 2020. In preparation, I traveled to Nepal to survey the site. These opportunities are really unique to Dwight, offering students so much in terms of exposure to other countries and cultures, and expanding their worldview, which are extraordinary benefits of being part of a global network. When they go on adventures with the School and friends, students have a completely different experience than they have when traveling with family. They’re always so excited to meet peers on other campuses. This is one of the things I love to see, especially when students get older, crisscross the globe, and reconnect. We also work with faculty, who are passionate about developing new trips that tie into the curriculum, the arts, and our athletic programs. Examples include the eighth grade visit to NASA Space Camp, the Choral Extravaganza at Dwight School London, the Varsity Rugby team’s trip to Ireland, and the Shanghai Music Festival. AS IF THIS ISN’T ENOUGH, YOU ALSO OVERSEE DSAC AND DWIGHT SUMMER CAMP! Yes, extracurricular programs extend to DSAC and camp. I’m a behindthe-scenes person and we have such a great team, making it easier for me to juggle so much. Miguel Rodriguez is the Aquatics Manager and Mercedes Knibbs is the Camp Director. She had been an integral part
of camp as a counselor for five years — since the very beginning — so she really knows what makes our camp special. WHAT’S YOUR PERSONAL SPARK OF GENIUS? I’m a practical problem-solver and bring a strong dose of good old common sense to whatever task is at hand. I’m also quite detailoriented, which is a critical skill for trips especially. Last year, Meredith Nuber joined me as Coordinator of Domestic/Global Programming and together we plan every aspect, from mapping the itinerary, obtaining visas, and scheduling transportation to orienting students, parents, and chaperones, running the trips themselves, and getting everyone home safe and sound. There is no logistic too small — and there are literally hundreds of them! WHAT MOTIVATES YOU EVERY DAY? The students do — and providing them with opportunities to spark their growth as global citizens just like Dwight did for Race. When he was a student, he traveled quite a bit to compete on the world stage as a foil fencer and Dwight supported him and his spark of genius. [Race is a two-time Olympian and Bronze medalist.] This is true for faculty and chaperones, too; they see students and each other in a different light and it becomes a bonding experience for everyone involved. I enjoy being a part of this, collaborating with all the different teams on each campus, getting to know so many students, and watching them spread their wings!
No matter the trip or destination, students return home changed in some fashion; everyone comes back with something — an insight into themselves, into the orld more con dence a ne spark of genius, a new friend.
WHAT’S A LITTLE-KNOWN FACT ABOUT YOU? While born and raised in a small village in Yorkshire — the North of England — deep down, I’m an island girl! I love the beach and have a house in the Dominican Republic, which offers me a chance to escape and unplug. After planning so many journeys for others, we’re glad that Fiona takes some time to enjoy her favorite island hideaway!
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DWIGHT TODAY | PERSONALIZED LEARNING
The
Perfect Recipe for Our Grade Six Dinners! 1 Part Leadership 2 Parts Teamwork
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LEADERSHIP DINNERS | DWIGHT TODAY
The Class of 2025 served up the fourth annual round of grade 6 Leadership Program dinners to their parents with style! As in previous years, they created a pop-up restaurant in the Quad, where they cooked a three-course meal under unique circumstances: without a kitchen. Without a what … why? To put students in a challenging situation, where they have to collaborate and problemsolve — and develop a pound of resourcefulness, a cup of determination, and a pinch of grit along the way! This recipe for learning invaluable leadership and teamwork skills was cooked up by Head of Middle School Ron Posner, Associate Head Shelby Levin, and restaurateur Jacob Hadjigeorgis ’02, who has dedicated himself to mentoring our students for several years. Owner of a trio of popular Upper West Side restaurants, Jacob also founded Jacob’s Pickles Digs NY, a non-profit that supports urban farming in New York City. “At Dwight, we believe that asking students to work together on a project of this scale is incredibly important,” reports Mr. Posner. “Each year, the project evolves further and the determination and teamwork that students demonstrate reminds us that when students come together to implement ideas of their own, there is no limit to what they’re capable of achieving.” Well before making dinner was on the agenda, sixth graders learned about different leadership skills and styles in class; and members of Jacob’s team, including Executive Chef Glenroy Brown, shared how these translate into different roles and the day-to-day running of a restaurant. The experts also shared insights about best food practices, customer service, and creating an enjoyable dining experience. Students learned what it takes to run the front of house, the back of house, and then were guided through the process of setting up the pop-up restaurant.
Actually, there were four pop-up restaurants on four different nights, each with its own theme and cuisine: • Smokehouse: Comforting BBQ and American cuisine • International: Around the culinary world in one evening • Beach: A relaxed affair with casual bonfire fare • Under the Sea: A dive into fine seafood dining
Students had lots to decide and do to prepare, beginning with what kind of meal they wanted to serve and how they would cook it — ranging from induction burners to heat all-manner of pots and pans, an electric griddle, and a heat lamp, to a blow torch for putting the final touch on crème brûlée! In each class, students joined either the marketing or operations team, creating a clear division of labor; the former designed the invitations, menus, and decor; the latter worked on guest lists and room layout. The class also had to determine who would cook, serve, act as general manager, and who would provide the entertainment. The number and range of these tasks challenged students to be creative, collaborative, detail-oriented — and how to handle the heat, literally and figuratively, in the kitchen! Of the experience, sixth grader Danielle shares, “Working with a professional chef and team has been an incredible experience. I learned from Chef that if we stay calm, everything will be okay.” As the Quad was transformed each night for the culminating experience of their leadership course, students took great pride in all the time and preparation they had invested to make their dinners a success. Some donned aprons and toques, some stepped into leadership roles, and all impressed their parents with their delicious and professional five-star results. Despite the pressure, students were reminded by their mentors to enjoy themselves, too. Maya recalls some final words of advice her team received before the doors opened: “Relax and have fun with it because it’s a once-in-alifetime experience with your friends!”
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Nothing is better than reading — except reading together!
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The Drowsy Chaperone As people streamed into the Five Angels Theater, students dressed as waiters and waitresses greeted the audience, served up playbills on trays, and echoed, “Welcome to the wedding of Robert and Janet!” For those unfamiliar with the plot of The Drowsy Chaperone, a wedding is in the works — in fact, four weddings are in store. But the audience is not yet aware that more than one couple is to be married, as they take their seats at round cocktail tables with art-deco centerpieces, perfectly appointed for a wedding reception, circa 1928. When the action begins, it’s closer to present day and we’re treated to an opening monologue by Man in Chair. Wearing a bathrobe, he’s sitting alone in his gloomy basement apartment strewn with treasured theatrical relics of days gone by. Despite declaring that he hates the
theater, Man in Chair turns to his phonograph and begins to play the recording of his favorite fictional musical: The Drowsy Chaperone. When the needle meets the LP, the room comes alive with the show’s characters — flappers with bobs and ostrich-feather bands, fur stoles, and long loops of pearls; men in three-piece tweeds, knickers, newsboy hats, and boutonnieres. Servants in black tie. It’s the Roaring 20s! During the 90-minute show, Man in Chair treats the audience to a running and mostly cynical commentary from the side of the stage about the glitzy musical and the “real,” less-glamorous lives of the actors who are unaware of his presence: gangsters, starlets, ditzy wannabes, tycoons, wealthy widows, a Latin lover — and one drowsy chaperone. Why is she drowsy? Because she drinks quite a bit and lounges dramatically on a settee in a bejeweled turban and exotic outfits. So much for Prohibition!
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Kept Us on Our Toes! The Drowsy Chaperone takes us on a fun ride filled with mistaken identities and foiled plots. As one trip down the aisle is sabotaged, canceled, and reinstated, three other romances bloom. The show finds its happy ending, as four brides and grooms are married — and all fly off to their honeymoons in Rio. Filled with big song and dance numbers, including an impressive tap dance that starts out timid and ends triumphantly, the show puts a big smile on the face of Man in Chair and everyone in the audience. A comedy. A musical. A parody of musical theater from that era. In his Director’s Notes, Terry Christgau, writes, “Someone called this a comedy with a musical inside of it. I love this phrase and all that it means, implies, and allows for. ... At the end of the show — and the
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DWIGHT TODAY | PERSONALIZED LEARNING
show within the show — our Man in Chair, whether in his fantasy or reality, as it really doesn’t matter, does not fly away [as he does in previous Broadway productions]; rather, he realizes a life dream and joins the fictional cast for the finale. It is delightful, funny and perhaps to some, a little bit sad. But ultimately, it is endearing. We have shared great songs and characters and laughed together with you. We hope it’s memorable for you — in real life.” Indeed it was! Bravo to the super-talented cast and crew! The Drowsy Chaperone was the second Mainstage Theater production of the school year — and the 43rd that Mr. Christgau has directed and designed in his 21 years at Dwight. Head of Upper School Theater, he also spearheads Dwight’s Master Theater Program, which offers students especially dedicated to honing their craft intensive instrucinstruc tion. It’s a college-level program designed specifically for high school students, connecting them with members of the New York professional theater community. Mr. Christgau tapped into the same spirit when conceiving The Drowsy Chaperone:: “The production team was made up of real pros in choreography and set, lighting, and costume design, which has been my vision for theater at Dwight for years. Working with directors and designers of this caliber offers our students an invaluable learning experience. In addition, I was delighted that the Five Angels Theater, the first permanent home for the only professional theater company in New York City devoted to kids, embraced our concept and we could transform the black-box theater into a wedding reception.” Congratulations to Mr. Christgau and to all the triple-threat performers — actors, dancers, and singers — who made The Drowsy Chaperone a smash success!
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Globetrotting Lions Spend Spring Break around the World
Expanding worldviews ... exploring new countries and cultures ... opening portals to learning and collaboration, Dwight makes all this possible by offering students a wide range of unique trip and exchange opportunities year-round, yet it is during Spring break that the lion’s share of miles are logged, new friendships forged, and memories made.
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SHANGHAI AIRPORT
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JOMO KENYATTA AIRPORT
WISER
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DWIGHT TODAY | GLOBAL VISION
Scholar-Athletes Rugby Lions Take Spring Training to the Emerald Isle
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They went, they saw, and — most importantly — they bonded and learned together as a team!
match for Dwight. Some of their players joined our team to make
Our Varsity rugby players and coaches, Heidi Rubenstein-Brethel and Arnold Chavis, had the opportunity to spend Spring break on a special training trip in Ireland, an iconic home for the sport since 1875.
to have this experience!”
15 for our side, so we gifted them with Dwight t-shirts. Rookies from both teams took to the club stage to exchange anthems. We were lucky Once back home as they headed into the Spring season, Coach Rubenstein-Brethel reflected: “This trip was significant because it allowed the players to see a real link between our Dwight team culture and the rugby culture in another part of the world where the tradition
In the words of captain Marcello Massone ’19: “It was amazing! It’s a beautiful country with such a rich culture and amazing rugby. We enjoyed the scenic and historic sites between Dublin and Limerick.”
is deep. It was comforting to realize — and probably also surprising
While the team certainly enjoyed sightseeing, practicing the sport they love in a region devoted to the game was paramount.
This experience also allowed them to bond as a team and strengthen
for some of the new players to see — that there is a true global connection through the sport of rugby and that they’re a part of that. the already-amazing brotherhood that they share.”
“As a senior player, I benefited immensely because I got to know our new teammates who had never played before,” Marcello explains. “It was the best possible introduction for them — to get to know the spirit of the sport and our team.” Coach Rubenstein-Brethel documented their experiences via WhatsApp, providing highlights for us fans back home of the immersive rugby experience, which included touring Limerick and Kilkenny Castles, and visiting Na Fianna Gaelic Club to learn about the Gaelic sports of football, handball, and hurling … to watching pro matches, and training and playing their own against local teams: Clondalkin (loss) and Saint Munchin’s College (win). There was also plenty of camaraderie, sportsmanship, and memorymaking both on and off the pitch. About the first game, she wrote: “Clondalkin were amazing hosts! We lost today but it was a hardfought match and our boys did very well. They honored Marcello ’19 with a captain’s ball and Ven Cernjul ’20 was named MVP of the
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SPRING BREAK AROUND THE WORLD | DWIGHT TODAY
Student Ambassadors 3-D Mission: Dwight, Dubai, the Desert What makes Dwight so special?
DXB
02
DUBAI AIRPORT
Four students from New York answered that question, sharing their experiences and insights with peers and prospective families at Dwight School Dubai!
As ambassadors — Regina Castellanos ’19, Bernardo Sequeira ’22, Kyra Spahn ’23, and CAMPUS Pepe Valles Fons ’20 — traveled to Dubai over Spring break and visited our newest campus, which emerged from the sands a year ago to quickly become an impressive force in the competitive international educational marketplace. Following their “official” duties, the team visited the desert on a tour showcasing the majesty of falcons, the national bird of the UAE, and featuring camel rides!
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DWIGHT TODAY | GLOBAL VISION
Global Leaders Students Share Solutions at the GIN Conference
LUX
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GIN
Eight New York students brought their passion for making the world a better place to Luxembourg, where they attended the 13th annual European Global Issues Network (GIN) Conference during Spring break.
There, they joined peers from other Dwight campuses and students from all around the world to explore solutions to problems facing some of our most at-risk populations and natural resources. GIN was launched in 2006 to “nurture and mobilize transgenerational communities of global citizens to build a just and sustainable future.” Dwight changemakers have been active GIN participants for many years, underscoring our students’ dedication to taking action and bringing our School’s global vision pillar to life. Two teams from Dwight New York made presentations at the conference in keeping with this year’s theme: “Committing to Our World’s
Second up was the team of Cormac Bradley ’22, Carlotta Bustos ’20, Chaz Jackson ’21, and Chloe Trujillo ’21, who explored how biased immigration policies and First World prejudice have prevented Third World countries from advancing. According to the UN Center for Human Settlements, “80% of the world’s countries are classified as ‘developing countries’ with a majority of citizens living on less than $10 per day (CNN).” Students proposed means to improving collaborative relations among developed and developing countries, which would provide a stronger foundation for the growth of the latter. Students from Dwight Schools in London, Shanghai, and Dubai presented solutions to a wide range of other problems, from fighting climate change, improving access to water, and promoting sustainable development, to protecting endangered wildlife and re-examining health care — each of which is a mammoth global challenge. Collectively, our Dwight ambassadors brought a lion’s share of innovative thinking and leadership to these important dialogues. We’re extremely proud of all Dwight GIN teams and applaud them for their efforts to ensure a brighter future for all!
Most Vulnerable People, Places, and Resources.” The first, comprised of Victoria BuendiaSerrano ’23, Gwynne Capiraso ’22, Alexander Goldenberg ’21, and Calvin Yang ’21, discussed a problem prevalent in Africa, which is the trafficking and persecution of people with albinism. According to the BBC, “90% of people with the condition [albinism] in Africa die before the age of 40.” Educating others about this pressing problem is the first step in a series of measures the team proposed to enhance safety in countries like Tanzania, where albinism is more prevalent than in other parts of the world.
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Voyagers
PVG
04
SHANGHAI AIRPORT
EXCHANGE
Ninth Graders Grow through New Experiences in Shanghai
“Shanghai is one of the most astounding cities in the world, and I’m so grateful I was able to explore China with my classmates. I’ve created such a special bond with each and every one of them — they are not only my friends, but also my 2019 Shanghai family, too!” – Jennifer Park ’22 Jennifer and fellow ninth graders took a trans-
known as the Luwan district. They took a speed train to Hangzhou to
formative journey to Shanghai during Spring
visit the Leifeng Pagoda, Ling Yin Temple, and Green Tree Plantation.
break, forging connections with each other
With museums, marketplaces, and even Disneyland to explore,
and with peers at Shanghai Qibao Dwight High School to last a lifetime. They also added another stamp on their passports as future global leaders!
Students began their week-long immersive experience into the culture right away upon landing. They took a night-time tour of the glorious city, which is China’s largest, and one of the world’s leading global hubs. The juxtaposition of colonial-era buildings on one side of the Huangpu River and a super-modern skyline on the other side is
students took in all that Shanghai has to offer. Through kung fu and cooking classes, they also learned more about Chinese traditions and cuisine. “Coming on this trip was the highlight of my year! I have learned so much about a new culture and I was able to see how different people act in different parts of the world,” reports Sonya Pesselev. “I also really enjoyed Hangzhou, taking a boat ride, seeing the original pagoda, and trying soup dumplings for the first time! … It was eye-opening.”
striking, especially when lit up beautifully at night.
“Eye-opening” is, indeed, a perfect description for the many inter-
The city is also home to Shanghai Qibao Dwight High School,
national experiences Dwight provides to students beginning in fifth
which opened in 2014 as the first independent Chinese-foreign collaborative high school approved by the Ministry of Education in
grade, when they take their first steps abroad to visit Dwight School London. By ninth grade, they’re ready to go farther for this exchange
China. This pioneering development ushered in a new model of
in Shanghai, where our annual global cross-campus music festival was
education, combining the best of Eastern and Western traditions.
held for the first time last February.
New York students spent two days on campus of the boarding school,
Upon returning home from any trip — domestic or international
stepping into the shoes of their Chinese cohorts, attending classes
— Dwight students have a broader worldview. They also share
and assemblies, and participating in a range of activities.
great memories and are forever enriched by the people and places
While noting differences in how their days are structured, our ninth
they encountered.
graders observed that they share much more in common with
Sonya sums it up well in her reflection: “Going on this trip was
Shanghai students as both teenagers and proud Dwight lions!
the best decision ever — I learned, tried, and experienced new and
When not on campus, our New York crew was on the go sightseeing in
interesting things. This was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
the Puxi and Pudong districts, and the Former French Concession area
that I am so thankful to have experienced!”
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DWIGHT TODAY | GLOBAL VISION
From New York to Rural Kenya
Girls Connect through Education NBO
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WISER
On the last night of their visit to WISER
DWIGHT’S HISTORY OF SUPPORTING WISER
(Women’s Institute for Secondary Education
After learning about WISER’s compelling mission at a GIN Con-
and Research) in Kenya, Dwight students cel-
ference in 2009, a Dwight team of staff and students launched
ebrated the bonds they had forged with new
a WISER Club and raised $1,000, enabling one girl to attend the
friends and shared some emotional farewells. Only four days prior, nine Dwight girls, who had traveled nearly 8,000 miles from New York to Muhuru Bay on Spring break, began
their stay on WISER’s rural campus, which is starkly different than
school, which opened the following year. WISER takes “a holistic approach, providing everything a girl needs to be successful: clothes, books, safe housing, female role models, leadership training, healthy food, mosquito nets, HIV education, and essential medicine.” The impact of WISER is significant: graduates pursue college and higher education, are empowered to transcend some of the harsh
our own. The bare-bones boarding school is the flagship program of
realities they’re born into, and become agents of change in their
WISER, a Kenyan NGO working in partnership with Duke University’s
own communities.
Global Health Institute to improve education, economic, and health
From 2010-12, Dwight students visited WISER annually to contribute
outcomes for girls whose families have been torn apart by HIV/
directly through hands-on service activities. Among them was
AIDS, poverty, and gender-based violence. Nearly 40% of WISER
Hannah Levi ’10, who was inspired by the experience to return to
students are orphans.
the school for another six weeks during her gap year.
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Beginning in 2013, travel warnings curbed trips to Kenya, yet the WISER Club kept going, raising additional awareness and support through an annual “WISER Week.” As we headed into the tenth-anniversary WISER Week last year, Dwight students had raised enough money to send 11 girls to school. This year’s efforts raised an additional $2,500. Conditions in Kenya changed yet again and we were pleased to resume the trip in 2019, connecting students personally and more deeply with the beneficiaries of their efforts and introducing them to the traditions and cultures of East Africa. THE 2019 VISIT It just so happened that the high school group who ventured to Kenya was comprised of all girls; eight from our New York campus and one Dwight Global student. They were excited to meet the students whom they had seen on video during WISER Weeks in recent years.
After two long flights and a night’s stay in Nairobi, the group set off for a seven-hour drive west to Muhuru Bay, a small fishing village located on the banks of Lake Victoria near Tanzania. They were greeted warmly at a welcome dinner before settling into the bunkhouse. Over the next few days, Dwight students shadowed WISER students in classes, participated in writing and computer labs, observed after-school clubs, played soccer, helped during evening study sessions, and even visited some students’ homes. They learned a few words of Swahili from girls, who shared their personal stories, underscoring that education is their only path to better future. The days at school were busy, punctuated by silent tea breaks and lots of smiles. When not on campus, Dwight students learned about the area by visiting a clinic to hear about pressing healthcare issues; and met local officials, who discussed the important role clean water plays in the region. They also ventured to Lake Victoria and to the Suba Caves nearby to see rock art and learn about the history of the Suba people.
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DWIGHT TODAY | GLOBAL VISION
As their time together at WISER came to an end, everyone was sorry to say good-bye. With many hugs to go around and some hand-written notes of appreciation exchanged, the Dwight group was on their way. Departing Muhuru Bay, they headed southeast to the Maa Maasai Mara, named in honor of the Maasai people, to visit a local village and learn about their traditions. This area is also home to a famed national wildlife reserve, where the group enjoyed a one-day safari, observing many large animals up close in their natural habitat of the savanna. FOREVER CHANGED Dwight students saw a bit more of Kenya on their long drives to and from WISER and reflected on
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SPRING BREAK AROUND THE WORLD | DWIGHT TODAY
their incredible experiences. The trip had expanded their worldview and provided a glimpse into the trials and triumphs of girls their own age for whom life is vastly different. “After coming back to New York, I feel how this trip really has impacted me in long-lasting way,” says Maya Singh ’22. “I am more aware of challenges people face locally and around the world, and I’m more aware on a daily basis of how grateful I am for every opportunity that I have.” She continues: “Cross-cultural experiences like this are important to help students gain a different perspective on the world. When you immerse yourself in a different environment and mindset, you broaden your horizons and can approach situations differently. I went to Kenya to have a different experience and it has been
life-changing. I came back with a heightened ambition to evoke change in the world. WISER students, who live in a rural area, really appreciated making personal connections with us. I want to continue to make a difference in some way.” Maya encourages other Dwight students to take this journey in the coming years, sharing, “I had seen videos of WISER girls, but meeting them in person was amazing. We saw their hearts and souls, which are so genuine. This had a great impact on me. I hope that I was able to do the same.” We have no doubt that Maya — and everyone on this trip — most definitely did the very same.
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DWIGHT TODAY | 50TH ANNIVERSARY
Students observed a Maasai jumping dance during their visit to a local village.
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CHANCELLOR SPAHN | DWIGHT TODAY
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DWIGHT TODAY | GLOBAL VISION
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A
Sy m bolic N od to a H istory of Serv ic e in A f ric a
The students who went to Kenya brought home a token of appreciation for Chancellor Stephen Spahn: a handmade stone dish decorated, fittingly, with a lion! What they may not have known is that the dish was symbolic of the Chancellor’s own travels to Africa as a young man. His personal history of service and the inspiring leaders he met there helped to shape his global perspective. As the recipient of a public service fellowship while at Dartmouth College, the Chancellor interned for the UN Special Fund — today's UNDP — to eradicate locust breeding grounds in 20 African countries. During that time, he forged a lifelong friendship with a young Kofi Annan, who became the Seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations.
After college, Chancellor Spahn volunteered for The Dooley Foundation, which provides medical care to people in the developing world, and met its honorary head, Dr. Albert Schweitzer, at his hospital in Lambaréné, Gabon. So, too, did he meet Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's first Prime Minister and President, who fought against apartheid and imagined a united Africa; and came to know Jeremiah Nyagah, Kenya’s Minister of Education. Encountering such leaders, who envisioned a future with without racial discrimination and a world where education is an essential pathway to peace, were defining moments that helped to lay the foundation for Chancellor Spahn's early championing of the IB curriculum.
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DWIGHT TODAY | PERSONALIZED LEARNING
We Are Number 1 Dwight’s Mock Trial Team Takes Manhattan! Hundreds of hours. Twelve students. Six months. That’s what it took to become the number-one Mock Trial program in Manhattan — and number-one among all private schools across New York City! We congratulate our legal eagles — or more appropriately, our Dwight legal lions — for their amazing achievement in the 2019 New York State Bar Association Mock Trial Tournament! Coach Michael Wiesenfeld, Esq., Head of our English Department, drew on his substantial experience as a criminal prosecutor to guide our team of students acting as attorneys and witnesses in this year’s case: Harley Davison v. Gotham City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Combining analytical skills with extemporaneous oral argument — all while navigating myriad trial procedures and evidentiary laws — the team advanced through seven rounds to the semi-finals, where their bid came to an end after a close match against Brooklyn Tech, the reigning New York City champion and New York State runner-up.
Dwight’s Mock Trial program is now ranked as one of the top four teams in New York City, out of nearly 100 schools, as well as one of the top 16 in the State, out of more than 400 schools.
We applaud the legal sparks shown by: Zara Ding ’19, Isolde Hatgis-Kessell ’20, Charlotte Kabelac ’20, Deba Kermanshah ’20, Jenny Klein ’21, Arielle Kutler ’20, Hanna Lakhter ’19, Gabriel Markowitz ’20, Jeanne Rondot ’21, Gabriela Kovarsky Rotta ’19, Sam Wohabe ’21, and team captain Gabriela de Mendonca Gomes ’19, who acted as lead attorney. “I could not be more proud of our team,” shares Mr. Wiesenfeld. “They have devoted literally hundreds of hours to our collaborative efforts, including lunch periods, after school, late nights, weekends, snow days, and vacations. They have learned the rules and procedures of trial advocacy, honed their skills of public speaking and oral argument, and, along the way, have become more than a team; they have become a family. Coaching these students has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my career.”
Michael Wiesenfeld Receives Outstanding Educator Award
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BEYOND THE CLASSROOM | DWIGHT TODAY
Mock Trial: Breaking It Down Michael Wiesenfeld writes: Dwight participates in the New
We switch sides from trial to trial, requiring a compre-
York State Mock Trial Tournament against more than 450
hensive knowledge of the case and frequent strategic
schools. In October, we study trial procedures, culminating
adjustments to our contentions. The trials take place in
in tryouts to determine the 12 members plus alternates for
real courthouses before real judges; our attorneys and
roles as attorneys and witnesses. In December, we receive
witnesses constantly adapt — moment by moment —
the case: roughly 15 pages of physical evidence, 25 pages of testimony across six witnesses, and 35 pages of evidentiary rules and caselaw.
to arguments by the opposing attorneys, claims by the opposing witnesses, and rulings by the judge. Witnesses are on the stand for up to 30 minutes each, and full trials
After several weeks deconstructing the case, students write direct examinations for our attorneys to ask our witnesses and cross-examinations for our attorneys to ask opposing witnesses; we also prepare our witnesses for cross-examination. The team studies numerous objec-
take three hours to complete. The intense daily practices, the copious amounts of reading, writing, and public speaking, and the grueling February-to-April tournament schedule are simply too much
tions to assert against opposing attorneys and prepare
for many students; but those students who commit and
rebuttals to possible objections against us. Our attorneys
persevere through the six-month season find the rewards
craft five-minute opening statements and ten-minute
— a deep knowledge of the American trial system, sharply
closing arguments to deliver to the judge, continually
honed analytical and argumentation skills, and a close
adjusted to fit evidence adduced at each trial.
bond with teammates — to be uniquely worthwhile.
Congratulations to Michael Wiesenfeld, Mr. Wiesenfeld, who joined Dwight in the classroom and to the excellent IB accomHead of our Upper School English De-
2011, is a deeply passionate educator and
plishments our students achieve each year.
leader. His lifelong love of literature, writing,
partment, for winning a 2019 Education and crafting a persuasive argument inspires Additionally, in our school’s tradition of igUpdate Outstanding Educator Award! students to use their own voices every day. niting the spark of genius in every child, Mr. Wiesenfeld has tapped into his own He received this prestigious honor, which As an IB Diploma Program English teach-
recognizes some of the most dedicated teachers in New York, at a ceremony at The Harvard Club.
er, Mr. Wiesenfeld motivates and empowers
spark of genius as a former prosecutor in
students to contribute their ideas, opinions,
the New York City District Attorney’s Of-
and interpretations, which has translated
fice to coach Dwight’s Mock Trial team to
into some of the most engaging exchanges in
great success.
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DWIGHT TODAY | INNOVATION
The Sky’s the Limit for Students in Spark Tank!
Almost immediately upon launching in 2015, Spark Tank quickly became one of our school’s signature programs, fueling students’ ideas, imagination, and ingenuity. With each passing trimester, more and more students dive into Spark Tank to develop products, businesses, and non-profits of their own imagining. Last year, we had a record number of 76 participants: Lower School students worked on miniTank projects during lunchtime and 20 presented their ideas at mini-Tank events; Middle and Upper Schoolers did so after school — and all demonstrated their entrepreneurial spirit. Some students returned as veterans to continue their progress through the five-stage development cycle, from idea to market launch; others began work on novel concepts for the first time. With Spark Tank as such an integral part of life at Dwight, we tend to forget it didn’t always exist! The vision for Spark Tank — to foster entrepreneurial, innovation, and leadership skills beyond the classroom for K-12 students — was introduced at The Dwight School Foundation’s 2015 Spring Benefit and was quickly embraced by our community. It kicked off in earnest the following fall, thanks to the leadership of the Spark Tank Committee’s Founding Chair, Dave Lindsey (David ’18, Maggie ’19, JackieRay ’21). His personal commitment to
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SPARK TANK | DWIGHT TODAY
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DWIGHT TODAY | INNOVATION
nurturing student entrepreneurial sparks contributed much to their success and to making Spark Tank one of Dwight’s unique calling cards. Last fall, Mr. Lindsey passed the torch to fellow Committee member Nuno Teles (Madalena ’19, Maria ’22, Ines ’25), who had also been a dedicated mentor and judge since the program’s very beginning. Mr. Lindsey has stayed on as a judge and the next generation of Spark Tank took flight under the stewardship of Mr. Teles, President of Diagio Beer Co USA.
Also of note during the 2018-19 year was the return to campus of two of the most prolific Spark Tank presenters to date: Daniil Frants ’17 and Ilan Pesselev ’18. Both attend NYU and each took a seat on the Spark Tank judges’ panel to contribute and give back. They, too, had sought Spark Tank feedback, mentorship, and innovation grants to develop and launch their projects. Drawing on their experiences “on the other side” of the panel, Daniil and Ilan shared lessons they had learned along the way.
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SPARK TANK | DWIGHT TODAY
Some Spark Tank participants took to the stage more than once to present as individuals and as collaborators in group projects. Four students reached the launch stage and received a $2,500 scholarship (indicated with an asterisk): Individual Presenters Anish Bardhan ’20 | The Bardhan Ruler Ishani Chakravorty ’20 | phobeX app Luca Daly ’21* | Daffodils in Paradise Tommaso de Donato ’21 | Horus Killian Terisse Flagg ’21 | RetraBoard Stephane Hatgis-Kessell ’20 | The Hephaestus Hand Adam Kaplan ’23 | District 12 NYC Charlotte Kabelac ’20 | Grounded (formerly ReCoff) Maggie Lindsey ’19* | What the F4 Blog Alessandro Pesaresi ’21 | Beyond Pesa Furniture Kirin Sawasdikosol ’20 | Dwight Activism Club Kate Schlein ’20* | The Fan-tasy Club Jordan Sotomayor ’21* | Weekend Business Academy Elaine Song ’20 | NanoSpark Chloe Trujillo ’21 | InterActivism app Group Presenters Anish Bardhan ’20 and Stephane Hatgis-Kessell ’20 | Citizen Prep app Anish Bardhan ’20 and Teddy Koutsos ’20 | StrEat Anoushna Bardhan ’22 and Sonya Pesselev ’22 | Bloom Cards Victoria Buendia-Serrano ’23, Amelia Gayle ’23, Vlad Kolotnikov ’23, and Benjamin O’Connor ’23 | Redesigning the Performing Arts Center Justin Chen ’21 and Jordan Sotomayor ’21 | Dwight Business Investment Club Benno Colodne ’19 and Alex Putzer ’20 | Outset Jordan Sotomayor ’21 and Calvin Yang ’21 | TEDX Dwight We congratulate everyone who presented, and look forward to welcoming more Spark Tank graduates back to share their entrepreneurial pursuits and to inspire younger students embarking on their own innovation paths!
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DWIGHT TODAY | ALUMNI PROFILE
For Restaurateur Andre Gerschel ’06
Global Vision Is Baked In Turning to Andre Gerschel’s page in Dwight’s 2006 yearbook, one sees into his future: alongside childhood photos and moments in time with friends and family is a collage of restaurant matchbooks. At the very least, the patchwork, which includes classics still going strong, such as Le Bernardin and Cipriani Dolci, along with now-shuttered spots like Lot 61 and Brasserie Julien, reflected his tastes. At most, the collage foretold that Andre would become a restaurateur. Today, Andre is Managing Director of Baker & Spice, an organic baker and wine bar, with 15 restaurants and food shops across the Arabian Gulf. Known for its commitment to locally sourced, organic, seasonal products, Baker & Spice also features its own farmers’ market. As if managing the multi-regional brand wasn’t enough, the intensely driven Andre recently opened Kizmet, a soulfood gastropub in downtown Dubai, which has become one of the city’s hottest spots. Calling Dubai home for nearly ten years, Andre has always been interested in the world beyond New York City. At Dwight, he had a chance to begin exploring it earlier than most and says, “When you go to an international school like Dwight, which teaches the IB and offers students opportunities to study at its global campuses, you realize that New York City isn’t, and shouldn’t be, the center of the universe.’’ DWIGHT AS GAME-CHANGER Andre had attended two other independent schools prior to arriving at Dwight for high school, where he spent his freshman year not on our Upper West Side campus, but at Dwight School London (known then as Woodside Park). The international focus and change of environment spurred his growth. As Andre puts it, “I had a hard time finding the right school environment before Dwight. Chancellor Stephen Spahn, who I had met prior to my year in London, thought that the time abroad would be good for me — and it was. In addition to focusing on academics, I interned at the House of Lords as a Parliamentary page, which was amazing.
I was in an adult work environment, learning about the world, and building practical skills, rather than fixating on the SATs as my only end goal. Through my experiences in London, I began expanding my idea of what the goal of education should be for me, which extended beyond earning straight A’s to what I wanted to do after earning them.” Upon Andre’s return to New York, Chancellor Spahn was impressed by his growth and newfound discipline. Then a tenth grader, Andre was ready to continue working hard toward an IB diploma — and emerge as his own person. Outside the classroom, Andre was Co-editor, with Sam Lansky ’06, of the school newspaper and could be seen on stage acting in Upper School productions. One summer, he also began working as an overnight bellhop at the City Club Hotel in Times Square, which was an eye-opener: “I loved interacting with people there and discovered a great passion for the hospitality industry,” Andre recounts. His focus and success at Dwight translated into acceptance letters from every institution to which Andre applied. He chose McGill because he wanted to continue learning beyond the U.S., and with his French lineage, the school was a good fit. Just one year in, Andre wanted to complement his education and gain more practical experience back in New York, so he took a sabbatical and enrolled in the French Culinary Institute to earn his chef ’s toque, while also working with the Thompson Hotel Group. THE ENTREPRENEUR EMERGES With culinary credentials in hand and the completion of management training at Thompson, Andre had an opportunity for a real adventure before returning to McGill. He set off for an island off the coast of Madagascar to work as the pre-opening manager of a sustainable eco-friendly hotel under construction. Given the remote location, all the rooms were built exclusively with materials found there, and the absence of a grid meant that everything was 100% solar-powered. This crash course in sustainability later served Andre well at Baker & Spice, where the all-things local, “farm-to-table” philosophy drives the brand. College beckoned again and upon resuming his studies, Andre continued to hone his spark of genius by taking evening jobs wherever he could. Over the next few years, with a full academic course load, he served as Restaurant Manager at a hotel in Vancouver and then as
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ANDRE GERSCHEL ’06 | DWIGHT TODAY
Food and Beverage Manager at another in Montreal. After graduation, when a job in Dubai beckoned, Andre, who had never been to the Arabian Gulf and didn’t speak Arabic, bought a one-way ticket. DESTINATION DUBAI: HOME OF DWIGHT’S NEWEST CAMPUS “To figure out how good you are at something, go somewhere where it’s hard, where the language is not our own, where you’re not a citizen, where you’re not familiar with the traditions and culture … that’s how you figure out how good you are,” Andre says with great passion.
f ou
ant to ure out ho ood ou are o to a desert and make it rain
Making it rain in Dubai began with work as Food and Beverage Manager of the Jumeirah Restaurant Group and later as Director of Operations of Merchant Star Hospitality before the founder of Baker & Spice, Yael Mejia, called upon Andre to help expand the artisan business. Well-known for her farm-to-table model, she was also a mentor with great impact in the industry, from London to Dubai: “Imagine every player who won the U.S. Open for the last 30 years had the same coach and you didn’t know it was the same person — that was Yael,” Andre explains. “She was the mother of an immense culinary dynasty of young chefs and operators who have gone on to do extraordinary things.” Working with Yael was a labor of tough love and the business blossomed, adding new locations, while supporting the expansion of the local food movement during a time when the restaurant industry in Dubai was mostly uncharted territory. Yet Dubai as a city, and by extension the Arabian Gulf, was developing more hospitality ventures per square foot than any other place in the world, making this desert the best place to be for a young ambitious restaurateur. CITIZENSHIP IS A PRIVILEGE Part of that ambition was to ensure that Baker & Spice was neither a “flash-in-the pan” restaurant nor an expat venture. “We didn’t consider ourselves expats, but as citizens of the restaurant scene,” Andre explains. “I actually dislike the word ‘expat’ because an expat has no accountability. An expat can critique, but does not fix; an expat is, simply, entitled. I believe that ‘citizen’ is a much more appropriate word ... being a citizen is a privilege and brings an obligation to contribute to the growth and well-being of the community.” Andre — and his passion project Kizmet — have definitely added new experiences to the community, including the menu itself, which
offers great casual dining amid fancier choices in the Dubai Opera House neighborhood. “Our food is inspired by the dishes that the staff grew up with … what we all miss from home,” says Andre. “That type of personal investment means that every dish has a story. It also means that home and sense of identity are transportable — you bring the food you grew up with to make where you live now home.” Andre’s personal investment expanded into a culinary-forward concept known as Opposite Kitchen, connecting people on polar ends of the world through food. He developed it with two partners: “Safi, a food entrepreneur and Afghan refugee who grew up in Denmark; and William, a well-known chef, who shares our passion for food origins. We created pop-ups to showcase Arabian cuisine in Scandinavia and vice versa; we served Iftar, the traditional Ramadan break-fast meal, in Copenhagen during Ramadan, followed by Nordic cuisine at Kizmet. Both pop-ups were extremely successful in drawing people together to break bread, and to share traditions, cultures, and memories,” Andre reports. “We want to show that food knows no boundaries and that gastro-diplomacy is a real idea that needs attention.” In addition to being a citizen of the restaurant community, Andre is a citizen of the Jewish community in Dubai, a grassroots group working in partnership with local stakeholders to establish a normalized presence. “Dubai has always been a beacon of tolerance and is perhaps one of the most modern and progressive cities in the region working toward a recognized pluralistic place of worship for Jews. This is an amazing opportunity to open up dialogue and promote tolerance,” he says proudly. ON THE HORIZON Clearly, Andre doesn’t shy away from ambitious goals — no matter the arena — and he has a few more in sight: further expansion of Baker & Spice across the Middle East and North Africa, additional franchises, managing food and beverage operations for a new boutique hotel … all while keeping Kizmet customers satisfied and coming back for more. A super-active Andre, who is a kickboxer in his “spare” time, loves the high energy, perpetual motion, and sense of urgency of restaurants. He believes that the recipe for success is spending money on great people and great ingredients. The proof, as they say, is in the pudding. While he loves every minute, the pace and intensity of the restaurant business is grueling. Andre envisions a time when he will put an end to the super-long hours and tap into his experience in hotels to transition from restaurateur to hotelier. Until that day comes, bon appetit!
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DWIGHT TODAY | COMMUNITY
Thanks to their parents’ winning auction bids at The Dwight School Foundation’s 2019 Spring Benefit, three students — including two siblings — stepped into big shoes of Martha Hirschman as “Head of Lower School for the Day.” First, “Little” Martha was “big” Martha. What were some of her big executive decisions? A PJ day with chocolate chip cookies for all during lunch! A few weeks later, the brother-sister team of Jay and Maddy had the same special experience. The duo’s agenda for the day included high-fives and ice cream for all!
Are Better Than One!
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GLOBAL VISION | DWIGHT TODAY
Another Dwight Tradition Goes Global!
The Camerer Essay Competition — one of Dwight’s proud traditions — has extended across continents. It is held annually in memory of Emil E. Camerer, a prominent educator who served as Headmaster of Dwight from 1895-1926. He is pictured below left, outside Dwight School. This year, Shanghai Qibao Dwight High School, Dwight School London, and Dwight Global joined Dwight in New York to host their own school-wide competitions. The winners for grades 8-11 from each campus then competed in a worldwide championship and the following students took home “the gold!” Grade 8: Bodhi Samudradewa, Dwight School London, for “Regret” Grade 9: Anoushna Bardhan, Dwight, for “His Hopeless Eyes” Grade 10: Isabel Tenney, Dwight Global, for an untitled essay Grade 11: Ruiqi Cai, Shanghai Qibao Dwight High School, for “The Unexpected Benefit” The topics for the Camerer Essay are always personal and as diverse as the students who write them. For example, Anoushna shared an experience she had traveling with her family on the Ganges River, and Isabel wrote about how she dealt with mistakes in a ballet performance. The competition began when students submitted their essays to their English teachers, who selected the best in each grade for review by all English Department faculty. The winning essays were then entered into the global competition for judging by a team of faculty and administrators from across The Dwight Schools. This essay-writing contest offers students yet another opportunity to participate in cross-campus programs and collaborations that range from the arts to leadership. According to the Camerer Competition rules, “The personal essay must adhere to formal writing standards but is usually written from a first-person perspective. While the piece can be written creatively and resemble a short story in form, the writing is not fiction. The essay is a truthful account of feelings, thoughts, or experiences of the writer. ... The most important factors are that the writer is passionate in the reflection and that the essay engages readers through the use of effective imagery, meaningful details, and compelling narrative.” Compelling narratives indeed! Congratulations to all the finalists and winners!
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Our Girls Varsity Soccer team headed to the City of Light this summer to take in the iconic sites, play matches — and cheer on Team USA to victory in the Women’s World Cup!
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DWIGHT TODAY | FACULTY Q&A
Geoff Schenker
Head of World Languages and Spanish Teacher, puts an
t n e c c A on Learning
A lifelong fan of languages, Geoff Schenker brings passion and practicality to the classroom as a Spanish teacher and to Dwight’s World Languages curriculum as Department Head. Dedicated to preparing students to be global leaders, Dwight begins teaching Mandarin and Spanish in preschool and offers upwards of 14 languages to choose from in later years. With language learning as a central focus of a Dwight IB education, our students graduate well-positioned for success in the global workforce. We sat down with Mr. Schenker to find out how he teaches students to connect and gain independence through language skills. WHAT SPARKED YOUR PASSION FOR LANGUAGES? My mom was Head of Languages at the school I went to in Bedford, NY, so I basically grew up in her office surrounded by languages! Also many aunts and uncles taught Spanish or French. So both at home and at school, I grew up in a very multilingual space and it sparked a lifelong love! WHAT WAS YOUR JOURNEY TO LEADING A DEPARTMENT? When I first started teaching in Brookfield, CT, I was a leave replacement and the school was unsure if the teacher would return after maternity leave. She didn’t, so
I stayed on, teaching Spanish in grades 7 and 8 for three and a half years, and then in grades 9 and 12 for a year and a half before coming to Dwight. When I began, I didn’t think in terms of heading a team. However, I quickly found myself in a leadership position in my department. From there, it developed naturally; in my second year, I was writing a curriculum for a new program and mentoring other teachers. I continued to teach for eight years, including three years here, before I became Head of World Languages. I’ve always been really lucky to work with people who saw leadership qualities in me, who were very collaborative and wanted to offer me opportunities to lead, for which I’m very grateful. I try to do this now as Head —
to find people with leadership qualities and give them the opportunity to shine. WHAT IS YOUR EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY? The biggest thing I want students to take away is that language is an important key to understanding and connecting with others in our own international community and in the world beyond. Language learning is a deeply practical tool they can use in life. I also believe in the power of languages to bring different people together. In 2019, with technology so readily available, especially when speaking a new language, it’s so important to get kids to understand that authentic connections to people and cultures are far more powerful than a device. Language learning and proficiency allow students to forge deeper connections with both peers and strangers. I also think it’s important for students to understand that communicating on your own rather than using Google Translate grants real independence. Technology is great and has lots of advantages, but when you work to learn a new language, you develop your
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GEOFFREY SCHENKER | DWIGHT TODAY
citizenship and your ability to interact with others around the world. HOW DO FACULTY PERSONALIZE LEARNING? One of the things we’ve worked on is creating more “real-life” projects and making sure students have diverse options. For instance, we initiated a project last year in which students played the role of an AirBnB host in a Spanish-speaking location of their choice. They had to leave directions to various destinations for their tenants using Google Earth screen-
HOW IS TEACHING LANGUAGE AT AN IB SCHOOL DIFFERENT?
HOW WAS WORLD LANGUAGES DAY DIFFERENT IN 2019?
It’s both more challenging and easier. In non-
I worked with an agency called Follow Me
IB schools, curricula are very prescriptive and
NYC Adventures to plan exploratory activ-
rigid. The IB gives teachers great flexibility in
ities for last April 29th. Students learned
designing curricula. We have amazing freedom
about the history and traditions in various
to make our classes engaging and tailored to
parts of New York City through walking
our students. By the same token, it can be-
tours and eating authentic cuisine; for exam-
come a challenge for teachers who constantly change their curriculum to fit different groups of students, and especially so for less experienced teachers. Teaching at an IB School is
ple, Greek culture in Astoria, African American and Afro-Caribbean cultures in Harlem, and Korean and Chinese in Flushing.
more creative, innovative, and flexible.
HOW DID YOU BRING LEARNING FROM A PD GRANT BACK TO THE CLASSROOM?
to engage in personalized and practical learn-
One thing we’ve really done well as a depart-
I’m very grateful to The Dwight School Foun-
ing. They’re able to choose how to express
ment over the past five years is work together
dation for the grant I received in December
themselves, which simultaneously helps them
to create standards — or learning expecta-
to go to an IB conference. It was an extremely
tions — for each grade level, so teachers have
valuable experience in which I met IB teachers
something to hold onto as they dive into
from other schools and got a glimpse of what’s
the ocean, so to speak. With a department
going on in their language departments.
as large as ours, we have to coordinate and
In taking this learning back to the classroom,
shots of local places of interest. This type of project gives students of all languages a chance
develop their writing and speaking skills for both IB exams and real-world experiences. Through our language lab computer program, students practice their listening and speaking skills while working at their own speed. Students can take their time so as to not be overwhelmed by too much content or they can take on more content if they’re advancing quickly. We use this program to personalize listening recordings for students, as well as to expedite oral assessments through student recordings. Multiple students can use the program to test simultaneously.
itself a learning experience; faculty become
map out the language-learning journeys of our youngest students through our most advanced learners. This work has enabled great advancements for our students: Ninth grade honors students today are doing what honors tenth graders were doing two years ago! HAVE YOU HAD ANY CROSSCAMPUS COLLABORATIONS? Yes, I reached out to a Spanish teacher at Dwight School London and we created a video pen pal project. Our students made a video
The IB gives teachers great flexibilit in desi nin curricula We have amazin freedom to make our classes en a in and tailored to our students
I’ve been working with all faculty to align our K-12 curriculum with new IB language standards. These include the addition of a listening section to the IB exam in 2020, and changes to the format of the writing section. We have been working together to implement more listening activities to both line up with standards and diversify students’ learning even more. We’ll also focus on teaching text types at earlier ages both implicitly and explicitly.
in Spanish and sent it to their pen pals. New
WHAT IS YOUR SPARK OF GENIUS?
York students answered questions from their
I have a huge passion for fitness and nutri-
London partners and gave presentations to
tion. For over ten years, I’ve been very in-
introduce their English pen pal to our class.
vested in learning all I can about health and
Many students had participated in Dwight’s
what’s good for us. Recently, I took a seminar
fifth grade London exchange, so they knew
to become a Crossfit level 1 trainer to help
some of their pen pals. The collaboration was
others achieve their fitness goals and enjoy a
lots of fun and something I’d like to continue.
healthier lifestyle.
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DWIGHT TODAY | COMMUNITY
Bloom on Campus Flora, Community,
and Education
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DWIGHT'S GARDEN | DWIGHT TODAY
From the seed of an idea to colorful flowers and a hearty harvest, Dwight’s new garden program has blossomed beautifully! Kate Zolotkovsky, Director of CAS and Service, worked with fellow Dwight community members, to plant the initiative. “Over the past few years, I had spoken with quite a few people who wanted to have a school garden,” Kate explains. “I realized that a garden planted and maintained by Dwight students, parents, faculty, and staff would perfectly fit into our community engagement mission. Additionally, it would be educational and launch conversations on a wide variety of issues, such as world hunger, food distribution systems, healthy eating, and of course, the environment. We began the 100% volunteer-led community project last spring on the Main Campus and had over 70 gardeners involved, including students from every grade.”
Finally, the rooftop next to Saturn became home to a vegetable garden with several types of lettuce, broccoli, tomatoes, swiss chard, kale, and onions. Our gardeners harvested and enjoyed our homegrown veggies at an end-of-year garden party, along with herbs to make simple syrups to garnish lemonade and ice cream. It was a sweet way for our horticulturists to cap off their accomplishments! In addition to bringing together gardeners of all ages from within the Dwight community, this program connected our volunteers with neighbors at Goddard Riverside through intergenerational activities. Dwight gardeners planted the same varieties of herbs and vegetables in their backyard and painted plant tags with residents.
After lots of planning, research, and expert advice, Dwight kicked off the garden project by planting spring flowers at the Timothy House 88th Street entrance, which along with the rooftop play space, became home to tulips, pansies, hyacinth, poppies, columbines, sedums, and foxglove — all designed to bloom before June.
Dwight’s foray into gardening has been a beautiful and delicious experiment in urban gardening. After seeing what would grow in different spaces with varying degrees of sunlight — and what the pigeons would and would not poach — we learned a great deal that will help shape what we do this coming year.
The herb garden was planted on the Quad terrace, about which Kate muses, “You can get lost in the variety of textures and smells, with beautiful sage, parsley, cilantro, oregano, dill, chamomile, mint, chives, thyme, lavender, and rosemary. The mint was a favorite of our Timothy House students, especially the unusual varieties like chocolate mint and pineapple mint.”
Over the summer, our amazing and tireless Facilities team took care of the garden and watered the plants. In August, Kate took stock of what survived and what spaces need to be replanted. “This fall, we are joining together to continue what we started and embark on another experiment to see what fast-growing crops we can grow before the cold weather.” she says. “I’m hoping for some miniature pumpkins!”
On the terrace outside room 305 (a Bentley House science lab), gardeners planted a variety of native perennials and a few herbs. “This garden is not only beautiful, but also is a sustainable choice good for pollinators,” Kate explains.
As our garden grows, so does our knowledge, our commitment to sustainability, and our bonds as a community. We can’t wait to see what blooms this year!
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DWIGHT TODAY | LILY COSGROVE ’17
Dwight Global Grad Lily Cosgrove ’17
Storytelling through Ballet and Film
© Rosalie O’Connor Photography
If you ask Lily Cosgrove ’17, rising professional dancer with the New York City Ballet, who her number-one childhood role model was, you might be surprised: “One idol who had a significant impact on me at a very young age was Shirley Temple. Some of my earliest memories are singing and dancing along to her movies. I absolutely loved her ability to tell stories through charismatic performances. I believe that watching her initially inspired me to pursue dance — and later on, other storytelling mediums such as writing and film. Her performances were always so generous, so giving to the audience. Watching her contagious joy inspired me to strive to do the same for others.”
AN EMPOWERING FORM OF EXPRESSION Following in her idol’s footsteps, Lily began dancing very early to fuel her innate passion and most natural mode of expression. “Dancing has always felt like the most authentic way to express myself. It’s music visualized,” she explains. “You’re physical body is both the artist and the art, and there’s something really empowering about that.” By the time Lily reached eighth grade, she had excelled at the preeminent School of American Ballet (SAB), which was created by George Ballanchine as the academy for the New York City Ballet. Lily began training there at age 10 and progressed from four
here asn t an aha moment hen realized anted to be a professional dancer t as al a s ust a iven
classes weekly to daily classes with increasing difficulty in technique, artistry, and choreography. Now 19, she doesn’t remember life without ballet: “There wasn’t an ‘aha’ moment when I realized I wanted to be a professional dancer. It was always just a given.” Lily also practiced at least three hours daily and attended summer programs at the Chautauqua School of Dance in upstate New York. Her dedication and rigorous training certainly paid off; Lily’s ballet spark of genius was recognized by SAB teachers and mentors, who encouraged her to pursue her passion as a full-time career. As a young SAB student, Lily performed children’s roles in NYCB productions of “The Nutcracker,” “Swan Lake,” “The Magic Flute,” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” As an advanced student, she performed in ballets such as George Balanchine’s “The Four Temperaments” and “Danses Concertantes,” Peter Martin’s “Hallelujah Junction,” and Justin Peck’s “In Creases.” In addition, she choreographed four pieces: two at Chautauqua and two for a SAB student choreographic workshop. “It was definitely strange being on the ‘other side’ of rehearsals, rather than taking direction from someone else’s artistic vision,” she recalls. “Yet at the same time, it was a truly eye-opening and enriching experience. I loved being inspired by the dancers I worked with. I’ve also had several opportunities to be directed by other students, which is always really special. I feel lucky to have been choreographed by some very talented artists.”
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ALUMNI PROFILE | DWIGHT TODAY
HIGH SCHOOL: EITHER OR OR? Academics, alongside dance, were extremely important to Lily and her family. With high school on the horizon, Lily faced a difficult choice: If she wanted to pursue a professional track in dance, a traditional 8 am-3 pm school schedule would not be possible. Always an excellent student who thoroughly enjoyed learning, Lily made what seemed like the necessary decision to forfeit a quality education by enrolling in an online school. As she had predicted, Lily quickly found that the program wasn’t working for her. “There was no sense of community,” she recalls. “I felt very much on my own, with very little personal interaction with teachers, and the curriculum was comprised of mostly busywork.” Like many online schools, success was measured by hours spent “in seat time,” logging in and logging out, and crossing things to complete off a checklist rather than absorbing knowledge. Needless to say, this method was uninspiring, frustrating, and brought little reward. THE CHANCE TO HAVE IT ALL Lily and her parents began looking for a better solution so she could continue pursuing her passion for dance and still receive a top-notch education. In addition, she wanted a program that offered a flexible schedule and sense of community. They found Dwight Global Online School, our campus in the cloud, which offers all of these. When Lily’s mother heard about Dwight Global from a friend, it was indeed like a magic portal opened up for her daughter: “Right off the bat, there was a completely different feel at Dwight. Teachers were truly concerned, caring, and quick to connect. I could tell they genuinely wanted what was best for me,” she reports.
A MOBILE, GLOBAL CLASSROOM As a high school student, Lily continued to train daily at SAB, taking advantage of the commute from her home in Connecticut to Manhattan and the breaks between classes to do homework and write papers. She appreciated the freedom that Dwight Global afforded to complete weekly assignments at her own pace, so that she could enjoy and absorb all that she learned. Its flexibility also enabled Lily to accelerate her pace and finish high school in three years. “Graduating a year early allowed me to transition from high school to college first, before having to adjust from dance training to a professional program,” she explains. Unlike other remote-learning programs, Dwight Global felt like a mobile classroom within a tight-knit school community. Not only did Lily feel instantly tied in with her teachers, she also appreciated that she could always connect whenever needed. Lily still remembers the night before her AP U.S. History exam, when her teacher spent three hours helping her to review on the phone. “The next day, I walked into the exam feeling so prepared. Everything Mr. Hughes and I had talked about proved useful. Thanks to his support and genuine desire to see me succeed, I aced the exam!” When it came time to graduate and share the aisle with all Dwight seniors, Lily truly felt she’d been afforded the best of both worlds as a high school student and pre-professional dancer. While her schedule didn’t allow for much socializing, she had opportunities to participate in on-campus programs, activities, and the senior prom. The same is in store for her younger sister Esme, who is also a ballet dancer and entered her junior year at Dwight Global this year.
i ht o the bat there as a completel di erent feel at i ht eachers ere trul concerned carin and uick to connect could tell the enuinel anted hat as best for me
A FUTURE SO BRIGHT Some of Lily’s favorite classes at Dwight Global and now at Columbia’s School of General Studies have been creative writing, where she has found expression through language equally as engaging and rewarding as it is through movement on stage. She explains, “Similar to the moments between dance steps in a performance, the negative spaces between words on a page often express just as much as the words themselves.” Lily is focusing on the humanities and considering a major in film. “I’m interested in creating independent documentaries that communicate important messages, and am most intrigued by films that portray real life — unembellished, unfiltered — but through an artistic lens to offer a new perspective on aspects of life that are otherwise overlooked as mundane or unglamorous,” she says. Last year, Lily was selected, with a small number of advanced SAB students, to participate in the New York City Ballet’s prestigious one-year apprenticeship program — an impressive first step in a professional career — taking classes and rehearsing with the Company six days a week. She also performed in several ballets, including “Jewels,” “Symphony in C,” “Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet,” and the newly choreographed “Judah” and “Stars and Stripes.” Last winter, a stress fracture waylaid Lily, so she is extending her apprenticeship this season. Now fully healed, she’s excited to embark on the new school year underway. Asked what her dream role is, Lily said that she would one day love to dance as one of the principals in “Emeralds” from Balanchine’s “Jewels” and as a principal in his “Apollo.” We’re sure that principal roles and much more are in store for such a bright, young star and scholar!
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DWIGHT TODAY | COMMUNITY
VARSITY GOLF PABLO NAVARRO ’20 PLACED SECOND IN THE ISAL INDIVIDUAL LEAGUE TOURNAMENT AND COMPETED IN THE NYSAIS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP WITH LUKE ALESSI ’21, HALEE YOU ’21, AND TEDDY PABLO AND HALEE RECEIVED ACIS ALLLEAGUE RECOGNITION AND PABLO WA B A A
VARSITY SOFTBALL NEW TO DWIGHT ATHLETICS, THIS TEAM OF 17 MADE US ROAR WITH PRIDE FOR SCORING MORE THAN 30 RUNS OVER A A A HOOTSTEIN AND SARA PAIO WERE HONB A A
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ATHLETICS | DWIGHT TODAY
MIDDLE SCHOOL TRACK & FIELD HAD A BLAST BECOMING BETTER, FASTER, AND STRONGER SCHOLAR-ATHLETES AND TEAMMATES! VARSITY TRACK SEVERAL LIONS COMPETED IN THE NYSAIS STATE A P P A A A P ERS ADRIANA BERLFEIN AND EMMA LAURENCE, AND GRADE 10 DISTANCE RUNNERS MATTHEW ARMSTRONG AND ALEX RICH WERE HONORED BY A A A A AA A A A W A A A A PA A W B A A
VARSITY RUGBY HAD THE LARGEST ROSTER TO DATE, INCLUDING TWO EIGHTH GRADERS, AND LEVELED UP TO COMPETE STRONGLY IN NEW YORK’S METROPOLITAN DIA A A A AWA A A A A A WA A A A
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BOYS VARSITY TENNIS EARNED A POSITIVE SEASON RECORD AND COMPETED IN THE ACIS LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYA A AB A W AND NICHOLAS OBLONSKY ’20 WERE HONORED BY THE ACIS LEAGUE, AND GABRIEL AND CHASE B B A A
Dwight School athletics
2019 SPRIN
H LI GH TS
GIRLS VARSITY TENNIS THE ACIS HONORED VICTORIA PAUWELS ROMERO ’22 AND CHLOE BOUILLONNEC ’20 WITH ALL-LEAGUE AWA
IG H G
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DWIGHT TODAY | COMMUNITY
Art xhibitions
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onservator
oncerts
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ARTS | DWIGHT TODAY
Bentley House Theater Production of Our Town
In the Spotlight: Artistic Sparks of Genius Music Concerts
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DWIGHT TODAY | COMMUNITY
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GRADUATION | DWIGHT TODAY
A Lion’s Roar of Congratulations to the Class of 2019!
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DWIGHT TODAY | COMMUNITY
Our 147th Commencement Exercises were a glorious moment in the lives of Dwight seniors and their families! Held at the beautiful Metropolitan Museum of Art, the graduation of the Class of 2019 also marked the final hours that they would spend together as one. Savoring the moment in her remarks — and even trying to stop the clock for all — was Valedictorian Gabriela Kavorsky Rotta. She, together with Salutatorian Sol Martinez-Rumbo Munoz, spoke in their own unique ways to the challenges and triumphs their classmates shared, the bonds they forged, and provided a glimpse into their own personal Dwight journeys. Chancellor Stephen Spahn; Head of School Dianne Drew, who had a special connection to this class as their advisor throughout high school; and Twelfth Grade Dean Alex Cunningham also delivered remarks and parting words of wisdom.
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GRADUATION | DWIGHT TODAY
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DWIGHT TODAY | COMMUNITY Three graduates shared their musical sparks of genius: Tiffany Zhang played a stirring Chopin Nocturne on the piano; and Nadia Affolter and Estella Zacharia sang a moving duet of “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.� The extended Dwight family was there, looking on proudly, as students were recognized with 32 awards for their outstanding achievements in academics, the arts, and athletics, as well as for their leadership and contributions to our community. Following theses recognitions, all 79 Dwight and Dwight Global students received their well-earned diplomas. Once every name had been called and the last diploma was in hand, the time had come for turning of tassels, from right to left, symbolizing the crossing from high school to the next exciting stage in their lives. With this ceremonial gesture, the Class of 2019 became our newest alumni! As they enter the finest colleges and universities in the world, we wish them a lion-sized congratulations!
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13-YEAR CLUB | DWIGHT TODAY
Joey Heppard ’19
Is “Inducted” into Our 13-Year Club!
As the Class of 2019 graduated and celebrated the last milestone altogether before taking their next big steps beyond Dwight, one among them — Joey Heppard — began his Dwight journey in Kindergarten. He has the distinction of being the newest member of our 13-Year Club! Also a member of Dwight’s NYSAIS championship-winning Varsity Basketball team, Joey enjoyed numerous victories with fellow Lions over the last four years; the most recent was the third consecutive ACIS League title this season. As he completed final assessments and his busy senior year came to a close, we asked Joey a few questions about his Dwight experience: What is your spark of genius? “My spark of genius is my ability to stay true to myself in any given circumstance. Dwight has fostered my spark by helping me to have more of an open mind. Throughout my years here, I have been in several different unique classes that have introduced me to new interests.” What did you enjoy most about Dwight? “I enjoyed Dwight’s individualized attention, which has assisted
me in improving my academics. I also enjoyed connecting with my friends, which has been even more intriguing because the majority of my classmates come from different backgrounds.” What has changed the most over your years here? “I would say myself. Dwight has taught me valuable lessons that have helped me to mature and progress from a kid into a man.” What college will you attend next year?’ “I will be attending High Point University.” What do you hope to major in and what might you want to do as a career? “In college, I will major in business. In the future, I hope to become a lawyer.” We’re sure that whatever field Joey chooses, it will be a slam-dunk!
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DWIGHT TODAY | ALUMNI
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1964 Franklin Varsity Basketball Team
Andrew Howe, grandson of Andrew Murray Howe III ’22 (approximately), writes, “I am seeking information about my grandfather, who was born in 1903 and began at Dwight in 1921 (I have the tuition receipt!). He wound up on the Board at the Wrigley Co. in Chicago. Please contact me with any information you may have at ahowe@cranewoods.com.” Paul Onish ’64 Franklin shares news that he and some members of the Class of 1964 met in New York City for a mini-reunion “to catch up on what’s been happening since their graduation 55 years ago: Earl Nemser, Richard Brodlieb, Richard Sheldon, Ken Schorenstein, Dave Berman (our educator) and his wife Elaine, and me, the organizer.” Nancy Gershman ’74 Franklin writes: “I published a book, Prescriptive Memories in Grief and Loss: The Art of Dreamscaping (Routledge 2019), for clinicians who work with anyone contending with loss of self, a person, relationship, place, or thing. With the practitioner’s guidance, you create a picture of the memory you wish you had — in your mind — and
then take it to the next level, making it into a tangible dreamscape that can be shared with your support network. My first set of two-day workshops on dreamscaping were held in Sydney and Melbourne in August.” Tahira Antoine (maiden name: Sands) ’06 writes with her news, “I am attending Hunter College in pursuit of my Masters in Early Childhood Education. I graduate in Spring 2020. After doing some of my fieldwork at Dwight, I became a floater at the Dwight Pre-kindergarten campus last year. I am about to celebrate my fourth wedding anniversary!” Congratulations to Race Imboden ’11 and his fellow US Men’s Foil Fencing Teammates, who won the Gold Medal in the 2019 International Fencing Federation World Championships in Budapest this July. This is the first time in the history of US Men’s Foil fencing that Team USA has won! Currently ranked number two in the world in Men’s Foil Fencing, Race is heading into the 2020 Olympic qualification season. He was back on campus this spring and said,“It’s great to see that sports still has an important place in
Dwight culture and that the school finally has its own Athletic Center. Dwight was a place for me to call home, in which I could chase my dreams both athletically and academically.” The two-time Olympian and Bronze medalist, has launched Engrde (theengrd.com), an online fencing community dedicated to sharing information from the best athletes and coaches. “Engrde is committed to growing the sport, raising the level, and building a legacy for generations to follow that will be different than any before it.” Taylor Levy ’12 and Sophia Conger ’14 connected with their mentor, Terry Christgau, Head of Upper School Theater Productions and the Master Theater Program, over dinner on the Upper West Side. Tom Jansen ’15 visited his alma mater and spent time catching up with Chancellor Spahn, following his graduation from the United States Military Academy at West Point. Tom is the first Dutch student to have attended and graduated from West Point.
Send your class notes to Shannon Cassell: scassell@dwight.edu
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Annual Report The Dwight School Foundation
2018-19
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Table of Contents Letter from The Dwight School Foundation Board Chair ..................................... 67 Letter from the Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, and Head of School....................... 67 Year in Review ..................................................................................................... 68 Volunteers............................................................................................................ 69 The Dwight School Foundation by the Numbers ................................................. 70 Spark Tank........................................................................................................... 71 Professional Development and Financial Aid ...................................................... 72 Spark 21 Campaign - Capital Giving ................................................................... 73 Annual Fund ........................................................................................................ 74 International Society ..................................................................................... 74 Supporters .................................................................................................... 75 Senior Gift ..................................................................................................... 76 Parent Giving ................................................................................................ 76 THE DWIGHT SCHOOL FOUNDATION
Alumni Giving ................................................................................................ 78 Faculty and Staff Giving ................................................................................ 78 Grandparent, Alumni Parent, Former Faculty and Staff, and Friends Giving......79 Corporate and Foundation Giving ................................................................. 79 Spring Benefit ...................................................................................................... 80 2019 Half Marathon ............................................................................................. 83 Ways to Give ....................................................................................................... 84
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 2018-19 Susan Kessler, Chair Elizabeth Callaway Andrew Chrisomalis Gary Fuhrman ’79 Sean Gallagher Max Herrnstein Michael Kalnick Dave Lindsey
Drew Pizzo Kim Saperstein ’92 Ravi Singh Julie Stratopoulos Aileen Bruner, Ex-Officio, Parents Association Shriti Rath ’05, Ex-Officio, Alumni Council President
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Dear Parents, Alumni, and Friends of Dwight,
Dear Parents, Alumni, and Friends of Dwight,
On behalf of The Dwight School Founda-
On behalf of our students and faculty —
tion’s Board of Trustees, thank you for giving
the beneficiaries of your generosity —
your time, energy, and resources to sustain
we thank you and The Dwight School
cutting-edge education at Dwight School. Thanks to your generosity, the Foundation awarded over $1.77 million in financial aid. The Foundation also funded
Foundation for supporting Dwight’s long-standing mission of igniting the spark of genius in every child. With students at the core of everything we do, we are grateful to the
grants, so that faculty could bring the latest teaching and
Foundation and donors for enabling gifted and talented students
innovation strategies into the classroom to benefit all students.
across campus to take intellectual risks and to follow their hearts.
Additionally, students pursuing their entrepreneurial dreams
The Foundation’s commitment to funding faculty professional
in Spark Tank received feedback, mentorship, and innova-
development and Frontier Teacher training grants enhance our
tion grants, including four who were awarded scholarships
teachers’ abilities to educate every graduate as a skilled transfor-
for reaching the launch stage.
mational thinker. Thanks to this support, more teachers this year
We had much to celebrate this year, and I want to thank all
acquired the skills and techniques that entrepreneurs and start-ups
of the Committee Chairs and volunteers who worked tire-
employ and shared them with students.
lessly to spearhead our fundraising initiatives and to make
Spark Tank continued its trajectory, drawing more participants
events like our Spring Benefit a success.
than ever who developed their passion projects in our incubator.
Our community, most especially our children, are fortunate
With the assistance of Foundation guidance and innovation grants,
that Dwight is such a special place where every student’s spark of genius shines so brightly. With Chancellor Stephen Spahn, Vice Chancellor Blake Spahn, and Head of School Dianne Drew leading the way, their futures promise to be even brighter. Thank you again for your continued support. Warmly,
ANNUAL REPORT 2018-19
162 professional development grants and 61 Frontier Teacher
students made great progress, including four who achieved market launch. Founded in 2015, Spark Tank continues to allow Dwight students to distinguish themselves among other independent school graduates; more importantly, it enables our students to go wherever their ingenuity takes them. We thank the Foundation and all of you for your generous, abiding commitment to our students and community. Warm regards,
Susan Kessler (Stephen ’10, William ’14)
Stephen Spahn
Blake Spahn
Dianne Drew
Board Chair, The Dwight School Foundation
Chancellor
Vice Chancellor
Head of School
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Year in Review Thank You for Supporting The Dwight School Foundation! Your generosity during 2018-19 made the following possible:
over $1.77 million THE DWIGHT SCHOOL FOUNDATION
in financial aid grants awarded to students
Our community gathered together for:
162 grants
“The Future Is Now� Spring Benefit Alumni Reunion Spark Tank events Volunteer appreciation events
professional development awarded to faculty plus an
additional 61 grants for Frontier Teacher training
76 students
participated in Spark Tank and 46 presented to judges for feedback, mentorship, and funding through innovation grants
four students
passed the launch stage and each received a scholarship
Our volunteers continued to make a difference: Board of Trustees Annual Fund Committee Senior Gift Committee Spark Tank Committee Spring Benefit Committee Parents Association Executive Board Alumni Council Class Representatives
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Volunteers Thank you to all of our volunteers in the following groups who played a critical role in supporting The Dwight School Foundation s e orts in The Dwight School Foundation Trustees advise and work in conjunction with the Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, ead of School, and the Foundation Office to thin 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 twelfth grade families and helps identify spaces or items to be named in honor of the graduating class.
The Spring Benefit Committee organizes and promotes the Foundation’s largest community event. The Parents Association Executive Board works closely with the Foundation to promote Foundation initiatives within the parent body. The A resident 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 ouncil resident is an ex-officio member of the Foundation Board of Trustees. We also want to thank those who volunteered at this year’s events Alumni Bas etball Game, Alumni Soccer Game, Spring Benefit, and Alumni Reunion.
Brooke Alexander Susan Anderson Caroline Axelrod ’03 Lisa Bardin Tiki Barnes Sasha Bar-Tur ’08 Jyotsna Bean ’96 Mary Bradley Dave Brown ’97 Aileen Bruner Elizabeth Callaway Jessica Capiraso Fernando Castellanos Eleanor Cayre James Chang Jane Levey Charles, Franklin ’73 Eric Chernick ’83 Andrew Chrisomalis Judy Cohen Darly Corniel Danny Curi Paul Dean Avni Desai Sandrine Droumenq Patricia Druck Ann Ferguson
Suraya Khan Sarah Knox Nita Kohli Piyali Kothari Tsui Lam Amy Landis ’93 Liz Lange Jessica Lapczynski Hannah Linder Dave Lindsey Jessica Lindsey Jeralyn Lucas Maarten Maaskant Melody Marcus Thelma Martinez Bernie Mastrangel Lorena Matus Janice Meyer Adriana Moura Scott Novick ’73 Kesiah Nuttall-Crola Yi Pan Winnie Parnes Erika Pintoff Drew Pizzo Ronald Pledge ’83 Shriti Rath ’05
Ana Fons Lucrece Francois Kelly Frankeny Stuart Friedman ’73 Polly Fry Gary Fuhrman ’79 Lisa Kaye Fuld, Franklin ’73 Palmer Hankoff Gaget, Franklin ’73 Sean Gallagher Lola Garcia Alex Gendzier Gina Gray Matt Grogan ’08 John Halpern Gillian Hearst Claire Heckenberg Scott Hefler ’97 Esther Hernandez Max Herrnstein Meridith Hill Donna Johnson Maria Lara Jurado Michael Kalnick Venetia Kapernekas Rachel Kaplan Susan Kessler
ANNUAL REPORT 2018-19
The Spark Tank Committee advises, mentors, and approves funding for K-12 student projects.
Holly Heston Rochell Julie Rosenblatt ’83 Udi Sagi Kim Saperstein ’92 Reza Sarbakhsh ’00 Betsy Scherl Peter Shaerf Damali Shepard Annie Sigal ’93 Ravi Singh Lauren Stein Julie Stratopoulos Takara Strong Nuno Teles Patricia Teles Lisa Thurlow, Anglo ’83 Louise Tonkin Heidi Untener ’83 Carolina Villamizar Jenny Wang Bruce Warshaw ’74 Olivia Warshaw ’17 Byrna West Anqi Zhang
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The Dwight School Foundation by the Numbers
NN F N S C
REVENUE 2018-19
I N
ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS INVESTMENT INCOME
Dividends, Interest, and Net Gains on Investments
S IN B N FIT N T
THE DWIGHT SCHOOL FOUNDATION
Annual Fund Spar Campaign Spring Benefit Net
FIN NCI AID
GENERAL AND ADMIN EXPENSES
EXPENSES 2018-19
F C C
F SSI N T T ININ I N
FUNDRAISING EXPENSES
N S
S
NT
SPARK TANK PROGRAM
Financial Aid Professional Development Facult Training and Spar Campaign Programs
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Spark Tank Spar Tan , Dwight School’s incubator for K-12 students, supports the School’s mission to ignite the spar 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.
2018-19 Spark Tank Committee Nuno Teles, Chair yotsna Bean ’96 Jessica Capiraso Fernando Castellanos James Chang Paul Dean Liz Lange Dave Lindsey aarten aas ant Drew Pizzo
4 5
ANNUAL REPORT 2018-19
1 2 3
This year, a record number of 76 students participated in Spar Tan 26 students presented at Spar Tan and 20 presented at mini-Tank events; and four students successfully launched Spark Tank projects and received $2,500 scholarships in recognition.
IDEA PLAN PROTOTYPE OPERATIONS
LAUNCH
2018-19 Spark Tank Community Partner
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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 162 grants to teachers to pursue the following
Curriculum Innovation Graduate Studies IB Training Non-IB Conferences and Workshops TOTAL
umber of Grants
Professional Development
Financial Aid THE DWIGHT SCHOOL FOUNDATION
This year, The Dwight School Foundation awarded over $1.77 million in scholarships to gifted and talented students, enabling them to receive a world-class Dwight education.
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Spark 21 Campaign - Capital Giving ith Dwight School’s investment in new and renovated spaces, including the exciting addition of 21 est th Street, The Dwight School Foundation has partnered with the School to support initiatives that will advance learning through the Spar 21 ampaign for Dwight. State-of-the-Art Equipment The Foundation created new opportunities for students to excel by purchasing a variety of new and innovative musical instruments, as well as several pieces of tech e uipment to further advance the creation of virtual-reality pro ects.
ith a goal to usher in a new educational era at Dwight, the Spar 21 ampaign continues to invest in Dwight students, faculty, and programs and funded grants in the following five areas this past year
Experts-inResidence
ANNUAL REPORT 2018-19
Financial Aid
Through Foundation funding, over the course of the year, several educational professionals visited the School and shared their insights and expertise with our faculty, who then integrated this expert information into their wor with students in the classroom.
Than s to funds given to the Spar 21 ampaign, the Foundation was able to award additional financial aid to talented students in the 201 -19 academic year, and is poised to award an even greater amount in 2019-20.
A-List Prep
Frontier Teacher Training This professional development initiative e uipping faculty with the tools and framewor s used by startups and entrepreneurs so they can teach students the same s ills and prepare them for success continued to expand in its second year, with the Foundation awarding 61 grants to 9 teachers.
The Foundation continued to support this innovative in-house program focused on s ill-building and college test preparation to help students achieve high levels of success on the A T and SAT exams, and to prepare for their educational futures.
e are deeply indebted to the following families for their generous gifts to the Spar 21 ampaign David and Patricia Almeida Elizabeth Callaway and Robert Carey The Fribourg Family Foundation Michael Kalnick Leonard A. Lauder and William P. Lauder Dave and Jessica Lindsey Andrew and Annette Alvarez Pizzo Julie and Nick Stratopoulos
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Annual Fund The nnual Fund is the Foundation s primar undraising initiati e It supports the causes o acult pro essional de elopment student financial aid and Spar Tan inno ation grants directl impacting students in all grades
International Society The nternational Society recogni es those who have supported the Annual Fund with leadership gifts of 1, 72 or more in 201 -19. The Dwight School, which includes alumni of both the Fran lin School and the Anglo-American School, was founded in 1 72.
THE DWIGHT SCHOOL FOUNDATION
Presidents’ Circle ($50,000+) Anonymous (1) Dave and Jessica Lindsey Edward and Wendy Sassower The Spahn Family Prime Ministers’ Circle ($25,000-$49,999) Raymond Barzana and Amanda Hindlian Danielle Curi and Max Herrnstein Jay and Anne Eisenhofer Sean and Katie Gallagher Mr. and Mrs. Michael M. Kellen, Caroline Kellen, and the Anna-Maria & Stephen Kellen Foundation Olga and Igor Kroutoi Robert Rubin and Stéphane Samuel Ravi Singh Mr. Zhong Zhao and Mrs. Ximing Yan
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Scott Gilbert and Judy Sund Richard C. Goodwin ’46 Gillian Hearst Michael Jamison and Janice Meyer Radford Klotz and Shahnaz Batmanghelidj Julia and William Kohane Peter Labbat and Karen Kiehl Daniel Mintz and Meredith Berkman Farah and Morris Moinian Carrie and Roberto Woldenberg
Foreign Ministers’ Circle ($15,000-$24,999) Anonymous (1) Indrajit and Rachel Bardhan Harvey Berger Phil and Meredith Berkowitz Citi Ventures Lori and Steven Fineman John and Mirinha Halpern John Moores, Jr. Royal Highnesses Prince Pavlos and Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece The Saperstein Family
Consul Generals’ Circle ($5,000-$9,999) Anonymous (4) William Abramson and Susan Buchbinder Artur and Irina Baysara The Berlfein Family Stephanie Cohen and Erik Glover The Family de Lambilly Tatyana and Gregory Girshin, MD Elyse N. Kroll Liz Lange and David Shapiro Mitchell Levine Rahul Lulla Philippa and Larry Portnoy Holly Heston Rochell Jacqueline Pugh Sackler ’94 and Mortimer D. A. Sackler Val and Min-Myn Schaffner Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Scibilia Robert and Donna Shafir Matthew and Cynthia Skaruppa Prasanna and Manreet Someshwar Julie and Nick Stratopoulos Lou and Gina Switzer Andrew and Kimberly Yoon
Ambassadors’ Circle ($10,000-$14,999) Dina Colombo Alessi and Gregg Alessi The Callaway Family Bobby and Eleanor Cayre Jonathan and Christina Dever Ezra and Marlene Field Dorian and Gary Fuhrman ’79
Diplomats’ Circle ($2,500-$4,999) Anonymous (2) Erin and David Aidi Halide Alagoz Jonathan and Shelley Allen Josh and Jung Brooks Rosario Buendia and Umberto Serrano
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International Societ
eadership Circle
residents Circle ................................ rime inisters Circle ........... Foreign inisters Circle ........ m assadors Circle ............... Consul enerals Circle .............. iplomats Circle ......................... Founders Circle .......................... oung plorers Circle ...........................
alumni from the ten most recent classes
Dwight Supporters
Sponsor......................................... d ocate ............................................. Contri utor ......................................... Friend .................................................. p to
Michael and Jessica Capiraso Samuel Chenillo and Cecilia Rebolledo Donato and Sarah de Donato Paul Dean and Julee Nelson Aaron and Niesha Foster Joyce and Robert Giuffra Felicia Grumet Jett Kain and Lynn Ban Dan and Kim Kelleher Feliks and Beata Kogan Peter Lee and Olga Bakhmat-Danilava New York Road Runners The O’Hare Family Erika and Scott Pintoff John F. Prentice ’08, and Acorn Hill Foundation, Inc. Amy and Andrew Ross Rebecca J. Simmons Lauren and Danny Stein Karin and Steven Swain Regina Tarone and Jonathan O’Donnell Patricia and Nuno Teles Stephanie and Juan Enrique Torruella Daniel Walton and Ming Lam Gregg and Mina Wattenberg Yongping Yang and Yufan Dai Shaobin Yuan and Qiuyan Lin The Zheng Family Founders’ Circle ($1,872-$2,499) Anonymous (3) Meg and Jay Axelrod Chris and Aileen Bruner
The Campbell Family Foundation James Cesare and Claudia Carulla Rachel Ehrlich ’87 and Charles Gayner Hege and Mikkel Fossum Eriksen Laurence and Sharon Greenberg Alfred Hiermann and Julia Martin Alvarez Meridith and Shannon Hill The Jacob Family Jimeno Family The Knox Family Jacquelyn Krese and Neftali Rodriguez Geralyn and Tyler Lucas Estanislao and Thelma Martinez Offit Capital The Parker Family Eugene and Katharine Prentice Pieter and Christine Puijpe-van Meeuwen Scott Weiss and Jill Kaiser Shelley Wong-Chassine and Eliezer Chassine Jinhao Zhang and Yongjuan Shao Young Explorers’ Club ($100+ alumni from ten most recent classes) Benjamin C. Alpert ’18 Dimitry Drovniachine ’18 Cleo Egli ’13
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2018-19 Annual Fund Committee ulie Stratopoulos, Ti i Barnes Danny uri ucrece Francois Alex Gend ier
hair
ohn alpern Gillian earst eridith ill Suraya Khan i an
innie arnes Eri a intoff Kim Saperstein ’92 ouise Ton in
Supporters William Strong Yu and Mamiko Takasaku Mr. Harry Toung and Dr. Dorothy Lebeau Lukas and Siske Van der Hoef Eduard and Bronwyn Wittig Arthur Palaci Zani Paula and Steven Zirinsky Advocate ($500-$999) Anonymous (4) Benjamin C. Alpert ’18 Debra and Daniel Alpert AmazonSmile Andrew and Victoria Bailey Ivar and Angela Blanken Noah Bogen and Jessica Delgrange Brian Boglitz and Fiona Pathay Erik and Eva Boneta Carucci Dasic Family Fernando and Lorena Castellanos-Matus Adam and Judy Cohen Mr. Joe Dowling Boris and Lucrece Francois Dubrovsky Pamela and Mike Dunn Linda Seidel Field Michael and Fabiola Fitzpatrick Stan and Ronnie Goldberg Heather and Steven Grzic Ziad Hammodi and Dr. Reyna Payero Brian Janiak Kerenyi Family Dr. Simon Kessell and Ms. Natalia Hatgis Laura Kozelouzek Mathieu and Anne-Charlotte Le Bourhis The Gabbie Lee Family Bill and Mamak LoPinto Jon and Sharmee Mah Richard May, Franklin ’63 Brett and Cheryl Nunziata Liana Pai and Geoffrey Quelle Daniel and Fiona Paltridge Dan Ripp and Randy Shapiro The Rosengren Family Nitin and Elena Saksena Alexander Scheirle Victor Schwartz, Franklin ’58 Marian and Aaron Tenenbein Mark and Suzanne Warfield
Yi Family Richard and Audrey Zinman Contributor ($250-$499) Anonymous (9) Caroline Axelrod ’03 John Bartram, Franklin ’73 Vera and Roman Batichev Colleen and Bradley Bell Barry and Sandra Berkowitz Elizabeth Callaway and Robert Carey Regan and Kate Cameron Paula Oppenheim Cope ’71 and Timothy Cope William and Chelsea Deng Kim Dickerson Bonnie Eissner and Joseph O’Connor David S. Ettinger ’73 Sharon Feldman James and Adrienne Gemperle Gragg Family Lyn and David Grogan Matthew Grogan ’08 Jan Gura and Alan Pickman Karl and Claire Heckenberg Ian and Debra Hendler ’89 Kimberly Hardy Heppard Martha Hirschman Elana Katz The Kazmi Family Josh Kigel and Ann Tilley Sandeep & Nita Kohli Jamie Kramer Jacqueline Leitzes Margo Messinger and Matthew Levine Martha Seiver Ronald Shechtman and Lynne Meadow Gaurav and Sawako Shukla Randee and Albert Sigal Audrey and Joe Train The Usifer Family Chris and Tracey White Friend (Up to $249) Anonymous (25) Dr. Mary C. Abdullah Eric and Lyndsay Alden Wallace Arthur, Franklin ’49 Steven Asciutto Ashley Austin Madison Awalt
Arnold Barkman, Franklin ’59 Kristy Benfante The Bergman Family Frauke and Richard Berman Jaya Bhavnani Amy Bowllan Neil F. Brier Jennifer Brown Candace Cardwell Daniel Carver ’93 Shannon Cassell The Charecky Family The Chiweshe Family Moira Chouaf Terrence Christgau and Suzanne Griffin Eric R. Dale Sandra Darzy Peter Davidson ’82 Fernando and Leslie de Oliveira Dimitry Drovniachine ’18 Maria and Jeremy Edman Claudia Egli and Cleo Egli ’13, and Lend a Hand Pamela Estes Allison Feldman Diane and Buddy Flateman Emma Ryan Flood Alvin and Lydia Foster Alessandro Fracchia Linda Fussell Scott and Lauren Gaynor Joe Gelfand Carol Manning Graham ’74 Michael and Danya Haber Annette Harchik Elliott and Gail Hefler Scott Hefler ’97 Jeanne and Ed Hendrickson Nancy Horowitz Keith Hyatt ’97 Faika and Robert Jackson Alicia Janiak Robert Jarvis Parents of Anika Jeyaranjan Osten Johansson Mallory King and Sansana Sawasdikosol Susan Kluger Isabella Leahy Monica Leardi, Franklin ’80 Shelby Levin Robyn and Lily Levinson Ms. Shu Jing Li Mark Lipari Julie Ludwick
ANNUAL REPORT 2018-19
Sponsor ($1,000-$1,871) Anonymous (5) Paul and Kelley Beiboer Jackie and Andrew Chrisomalis Fabrizio and Cristina Cipriani Gary and Judy Clare Alessandra and Alfredo Deza Dianne Drew and Alexander Phan Richard Forman and Katrina Bradley Jeffrey and Barbara Frankel Stuart Gayle and Rachel Hayes Gayle ’90 Michelle and Marc Goldfarb In honor of Jackson Guthart ’19 Max Hoover Michael Kalnick James Kaplan and Amy Egger Warren and Kathleen Katz Karsten and Heather Kibbe Alexia and Daniel Klein George and Sanjana Koshy Fran and Gary Langenhahn Ronald Lauder Marie and Harley Lippman Maarten and Ilse Maaskant Jennifer and Alon Markowitz Helen Meates and Simon Prisk Laura Miles and William Stein Andrew and Shanna Milman Mohamed Ali Family Tom and Mona Morrison Braeden Nacino Steven Newman Steven and Linda Parker Jonah Pintoff Laurie and John Reische Seth Reisman and Dana Reisman ’05 Vicky and Ed Rich Marc and Marcelle Rothenberg Jan Sage and Bob Dunphy Darlene and Jeff Sammon Jessica Sarnicola and Ian Cohen Meredith and Eric Scharf Lauren Braver Schiller ’94 Jonathan and Heather Schindler Haoqing Shen and Jin Liu Annie Sigal ’93 and Julian Medina Robert Stern and the Hampton Foundation in honor of Stephen Spahn and Kathryn Gonnion ’08
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Supporters (cont.) Stephen J. Lurie, Franklin ’74 Alix Smith Mager ’96 Larry Malitzky and Caryn Gorden Mark Mariscal and Lori Zabar Suzy Nachman Mercado ’82 Matthew Moran In Honor of Blain Namm ’97 Elaine Natalicchi James and Patricia O’Hara Halil Okutan and Maureen Teo Paul Onish, Franklin ’64 Jill and John Ortman Azra, Ismet, and Vedad Osmanovic Sorush Panahi
Christine Paterakis and John Duff John and Nancy Perls Gregory Petrick and Cynthia Smith Sandra A. Plummer-Cambridge Ron Posner Stephen Presti Rayna Rapp Randy and Monette Rivera Ms. Heidi Rubenstein-Brethel Honore Ryan ’76 Arthur Samuels III Victoria Sanford and Raul Figueroa-Sarti Kimberly Wueste Schnell ’88 The Schoenfeld Family Jessica Schottenstein ’07
Peter Shaerf and Betsy Scherl Sophia Shamail Tracy and Scott Sigal ’95 The Singer-Zhou Family Emily Smith Beverly Soares Valerie and Enzo Soderini The Stabb Family Peter and Lenore Standish Jean Strait Takara Strong and Dwayne Lashley The Sulima-Horbatowski Family Ms. Lori Taylor and Mr. Mark Miller Andre Theisen and Ann Peters Nora Thomson
Nicole Vaughan Mr. Haibo Wang and Mrs. Yanhong Hu Michael, Eleonora, Charles, and Theodore Wiesenfeld Cooper Williams Richard S. Wilson ’53 Alden Bryce Wilson Shirley Wu and Tat So Ronald Wurtzburger, Franklin ’59 Yan Yan Xi and Ryan Oliveri Mr. Lin Xia Hee-Jin Yim Elaine Yudkovitz and Jeffrey Levine Vita Zambetti Dmitri and Kate Zolotkovsky
THE DWIGHT SCHOOL FOUNDATION
Senior Gift The ntrance to
Central ar
est Named in
onor o the Class o
n recognition of the senior class families who raised over 350,000 for The Dwight School Foundation’s Annual Fund, the School’s entrance at 291 entral ar est will be dedicated in honor of the lass of 2019. A pla ue commemorating the lass of 2019 will be installed at the entrance and will serve as a lasting legacy and source of pride for the graduates. Class of 2019 Senior Gift Donors Anonymous (5) Steven Asciutto Ivar and Angela Blanken Fernando and Lorena Castellanos-Matus Bobby and Eleanor Cayre Jason Colodne Paul Dean and Julee Nelson Pamela and Mike Dunn Scott Gilbert and Judy Sund Jan Gura and Alan Pickman In honor of Jackson Guthart ’19 Kimberly Hardy Heppard
Michael Jamison and Janice Meyer Parents of Anika Jeyaranjan Jimeno Family Alexia and Daniel Klein Sandeep & Nita Kohli Jacquelyn Krese and Neftali Rodriguez Liz Lange and David Shapiro The Gabbie Lee Family Dave and Jessica Lindsey Maarten and Ilse Maaskant Helen Meates and Simon Prisk Laura Miles and William Stein
John Moores, Jr. Royal Highnesses Prince Pavlos and Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece Pieter and Christine Puijpe-van Meeuwen Dan Ripp and Randy Shapiro Holly Heston Rochell Marc and Marcelle Rothenberg The Saperstein Family Peter Shaerf and Betsy Scherl Sophia Shamail Patricia and Nuno Teles Lukas and Siske Van der Hoef
Class of 2019 Senior Gift Committee anice eyer, hair Eleanor ayre ita Kohli essica indsey orena atus olly eston Rochell Kim Saperstein ’92 Betsy Scherl eter Shaerf atricia Teles Mark and Suzanne Warfield Yi Family Arthur Palaci Zani Xiaogang Zhang
Parent Giving Anonymous (24) William Abramson and Susan Buchbinder Erin and David Aidi Halide Alagoz Eric and Lyndsay Alden Dina Colombo Alessi and Gregg Alessi
Jonathan and Shelley Allen Steven Asciutto Andrew and Victoria Bailey Indrajit and Rachel Bardhan Raymond Barzana and Amanda Hindlian Artur and Irina Baysara Paul and Kelley Beiboer
Harvey Berger The Bergman Family Phil and Meredith Berkowitz The Berlfein Family Frauke and Richard Berman Ivar and Angela Blanken Noah Bogen and Jessica Delgrange Brian Boglitz and Fiona Pathay
Erik and Eva Boneta Jennifer Brown Chris and Aileen Bruner Rosario Buendia and Umberto Serrano The Callaway Family Regan and Kate Cameron The Campbell Family Foundation
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Parent Giving (cont.) Kimberly Hardy Heppard Alfred Hiermann and Julia Martin Alvarez Meridith and Shannon Hill Max Hoover The Jacob Family Michael Jamison and Janice Meyer Alicia Janiak Brian Janiak Parents of Anika Jeyaranjan Jimeno Family Jett Kain and Lynn Ban James Kaplan and Amy Egger Warren and Kathleen Katz The Kazmi Family Dan and Kim Kelleher Kerenyi Family Dr. Simon Kessell and Ms. Natalia Hatgis Karsten and Heather Kibbe Josh Kigel and Ann Tilley Mallory King and Sansana Sawasdikosol Alexia and Daniel Klein The Knox Family Feliks and Beata Kogan Julia and William Kohane Sandeep & Nita Kohli George and Sanjana Koshy Laura Kozelouzek Jamie Kramer Jacquelyn Krese and Neftali Rodriguez Elyse N. Kroll Olga and Igor Kroutoi Guram Kurdiani Liz Lange and David Shapiro Fran and Gary Langenhahn Mathieu and Anne-Charlotte Le Bourhis The Gabbie Lee Family Peter Lee and Olga Bakhmat-Danilava Mitchell Levine Ms. Shu Jing Li Dave and Jessica Lindsey Geralyn and Tyler Lucas Rahul Lulla Maarten and Ilse Maaskant Jon and Sharmee Mah Jennifer and Alon Markowitz Estanislao and Thelma Martinez Helen Meates and Simon Prisk Margo Messinger and Matthew Levine
Laura Miles and William Stein Andrew and Shanna Milman Daniel Mintz and Meredith Berkman Mohamed Ali Family John Moores, Jr. Tom and Mona Morrison Steven Newman Brett and Cheryl Nunziata The O’Hare Family Royal Highnesses Prince Pavlos and Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece Halil Okutan and Maureen Teo Liana Pai and Geoffrey Quelle Daniel and Fiona Paltridge Yi Pan and Jin Zhang The Parker Family Christine Paterakis and John Duff John and Nancy Perls Erika and Scott Pintoff Philippa and Larry Portnoy Pieter and Christine Puijpe-van Meeuwen Laurie and John Reische Vicky and Ed Rich Dan Ripp and Randy Shapiro Randy and Monette Rivera Holly Heston Rochell Alvaro Rodriguez The Rosengren Family Amy and Andrew Ross Marc and Marcelle Rothenberg Robert Rubin and Stéphane Samuel Jan Sage and Bob Dunphy Nitin and Elena Saksena Darlene and Jeff Sammon Victoria Sanford and Raul Figueroa-Sarti The Saperstein Family Edward and Wendy Sassower Val and Min-Myn Schaffner Meredith and Eric Scharf Alexander Scheirle Jonathan and Heather Schindler The Schoenfeld Family Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Scibilia Martha Seiver Peter Shaerf and Betsy Scherl Sophia Shamail Haoqing Shen and Jin Liu 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 The Stabb Family Lauren and Danny Stein Julie and Nick Stratopoulos Takara Strong and Dwayne Lashley William Strong The Sulima-Horbatowski Family Karin and Steven Swain Lou and Gina Switzer Yu and Mamiko Takasaku Regina Tarone and Jonathan O’Donnell Ms. Lori Taylor and Mr. Mark Miller Patricia and Nuno Teles Stephanie and Juan Enrique Torruella Mr. Harry Toung and Dr. Dorothy Lebeau Audrey and Joe Train The Usifer Family Lukas and Siske Van der Hoef Daniel Walton and Ming Lam Mr. Haibo Wang and Mrs. Yanhong Hu Mark and Suzanne Warfield Gregg and Mina Wattenberg Scott Weiss and Jill Kaiser Chris and Tracey White Michael, Eleonora, Charles, and Theodore Wiesenfeld Cooper Williams Alden Bryce Wilson Eduard and Bronwyn Wittig Carrie and Roberto Woldenberg Shelley Wong-Chassine and Eliezer Chassine Shirley Wu and Tat So Yan Yan Xi and Ryan Oliveri Mr. Lin Xia Yongping Yang and Yufan Dai Yi Family Andrew and Kimberly Yoon Shaobin Yuan and Qiuyan Lin Arthur Palaci Zani Jinhao Zhang and Yongjuan Shao Mr. Zhong Zhao and Mrs. Ximing Yan The Zheng Family Paula and Steven Zirinsky Dmitri and Kate Zolotkovsky
ANNUAL REPORT 2018-19
Michael and Jessica Capiraso Carucci Dasic Family Fernando and Lorena Castellanos-Matus Bobby and Eleanor Cayre James Cesare and Claudia Carulla The Charecky Family Samuel Chenillo and Cecilia Rebolledo The Chiweshe Family Jackie and Andrew Chrisomalis Fabrizio and Cristina Cipriani Gary and Judy Clare Adam and Judy Cohen Jason Colodne Danielle Curi and Max Herrnstein Paul Dean and Julee Nelson Donato and Sarah de Donato The Family de Lambilly Jonathan and Christina Dever Dianne Drew and Alexander Phan Pamela and Mike Dunn Rachel Ehrlich ’87 and Charles Gayner Jay and Anne Eisenhofer Bonnie Eissner and Joseph O’Connor Lori and Steven Fineman Ezra and Marlene Field Michael and Fabiola Fitzpatrick Richard Forman and Katrina Bradley Aaron and Niesha Foster Alessandro Fracchia Dorian and Gary Fuhrman ’79 Sean and Katie Gallagher Stuart Gayle and Rachel Hayes Gayle ’90 James and Adrienne Gemperle Scott Gilbert and Judy Sund Tatyana and Gregory Girshin, MD Joyce and Robert Giuffra Michelle and Marc Goldfarb Laurence and Sharon Greenberg Felicia Grumet Heather and Steven Grzic Jan Gura and Alan Pickman In honor of Jackson Guthart ’19 Michael and Danya Haber John and Mirinha Halpern Ziad Hammodi and Dr. Reyna Payero Gillian Hearst Karl and Claire Heckenberg Jeanne and Ed Hendrickson
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Alumni Giving
THE DWIGHT SCHOOL FOUNDATION
Anonymous (5) Benjamin C. Alpert ’18 Wallace Arthur, Franklin ’49 Caroline Axelrod ’03 Arnold Barkman, Franklin ’59 John Bartram, Franklin ’73 Daniel Carver ’93 Paula Oppenheim Cope ’71 and Timothy Cope Peter Davidson ’82 Dimitry Drovniachine ’18 Cleo Egli ’13
Rachel Ehrlich ’87 and Charles Gayner David S. Ettinger ’73 Dorian and Gary Fuhrman ’79 Stuart Gayle and Rachel Hayes Gayle ’90 Carol Manning Graham ’74 Matthew Grogan ’08 Scott Hefler ’97 Ian and Debra Hendler ’89 Keith Hyatt ’97 Monica Leardi, Franklin ’80
Stephen J. Lurie, Franklin ’74 Alix Smith Mager ’96 Richard May, Franklin ’63 Suzy Nachman Mercado ’82 Paul Onish, Franklin ’64 John F. Prentice ’08, and Acorn Hill Foundation, Inc. Seth Reisman and Dana Reisman ’05 Honore Ryan ’76 Jacqueline Pugh Sackler ’94 and Mortimer D. A. Sackler
Kim Saperstein ’92 Lauren Braver Schiller ’94 Kimberly Wueste Schnell ’88 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 Richard S. Wilson ’53 Ronald Wurtzburger, Franklin ’59
Alumni Council 2018-19
Landmark Year Class Representatives 2018-19
Shriti Rath ’05, resident Re a Sarba hsh ’00, ice resident aroline Axelrod ’03 Scott e er ’97 Amy andis ’93 Bruce arshaw ’7
Sasha Bar-Tur ’0 ayne evey harles, Fran lin ’73 Eric hernic ’ 3 Stuart Friedman ’73 isa Kaye Fuld, Fran lin ’73 almer an off Gaget, Fran lin ’73
att Grogan ’0 Scott ovic ’73 Ronald ledge ’ 3 ulie Rosenblatt ’ 3 Annie Sigal ’93 isa Thurlow, Anglo-American ’ 3 eidi ntener ’ 3
Faculty and Staff Giving Anonymous (9) Dr. Mary C. Abdullah Eric and Lyndsay Alden Ashley Austin Madison Awalt Kristy Benfante Amy Bowllan Neil F. Brier Candace Cardwell Shannon Cassell The Charecky Family Moira Chouaf Terrence Christgau and Suzanne Griffin Eric R. Dale Sandra Darzy Alessandra and Alfredo Deza Mr. Joe Dowling Dianne Drew and Alexander Phan Allison Feldman Emma Ryan Flood
Linda Fussell Joe Gelfand Gragg Family Michael and Danya Haber Annette Harchik Martha Hirschman Alicia Janiak Robert Jarvis Josh Kigel and Ann Tilley Isabella Leahy Jacqueline Leitzes Shelby Levin Robyn and Lily Levinson Ms. Shu Jing Li Mark Lipari Julie Ludwick Matthew Moran Elaine Natalicchi Jill and John Ortman Azra, Ismet, and Vedad Osmanovic
Sorush Panahi Ron Posner Stephen Presti Ms. Heidi Rubenstein-Brethel Arthur Samuels III Jessica Sarnicola and Ian Cohen The Schoenfeld Family The Singer-Zhou Family Emily Smith Beverly Soares The Spahn Family The Stabb Family Ms. Lori Taylor and Mr. Mark Miller Andre Theisen and Ann Peters Nora Thomson Michael, Eleonora, Charles, and Theodore Wiesenfeld Hee-Jin Yim Vita Zambetti Dmitri and Kate Zolotkovsky
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Grandparent, Alumni Parent, Former Faculty and Staff, and Friends Giving Jeffrey and Barbara Frankel Scott and Lauren Gaynor Stan and Ronnie Goldberg Lyn and David Grogan Elliott and Gail Hefler Nancy Horowitz Faika and Robert Jackson Osten Johansson Michael Kalnick Elana Katz Mr. and Mrs. Michael M. Kellen, Caroline Kellen, and the Anna-Maria & Stephen Kellen Foundation Radford Klotz and Shahnaz Batmanghelidj Susan Kluger Ronald Lauder Marie and Harley Lippman Bill and Mamak LoPinto Larry Malitzky and Caryn Gorden Mark Mariscal and Lori Zabar Farah and Morris Moinian Braeden Nacino
In Honor of Blain Namm ’97 James and Patricia O’Hara Steven and Linda Parker Gregory Petrick and Cynthia Smith Jonah Pintoff Sandra A. Plummer-Cambridge Eugene and Katharine Prentice Rayna Rapp Robert and Donna Shafir Ronald Shechtman and Lynne Meadow Randee and Albert Sigal Valerie and Enzo Soderini Constance and Stephen Spahn Peter and Lenore Standish Robert Stern and the Hampton Foundation in honor of Stephen Spahn and Kathryn Gonnion ’08 Jean Strait Marian and Aaron Tenenbein Larry Ullman Nicole Vaughan Elaine Yudkovitz and Jeffrey Levine Richard and Audrey Zinman
ANNUAL REPORT 2018-19
Anonymous (6) Debra and Daniel Alpert Meg and Jay Axelrod Vera and Roman Batichev Colleen and Bradley Bell Barry and Sandra Berkowitz Jaya Bhavnani Josh and Jung Brooks Elizabeth Callaway and Robert Carey Stephanie Cohen and Erik Glover Fernando and Leslie de Oliveira Kim Dickerson Boris and Lucrece Francois Dubrovsky Maria and Jeremy Edman Claudia Egli and Cleo Egli ’13, and Lend a Hand Hege and Mikkel Fossum Eriksen Pamela Estes Sharon Feldman Linda Seidel Field Diane and Buddy Flateman Alvin and Lydia Foster
Corporate and Foundation Giving Anonymous AmazonSmile Anheuser-Busch Foundation Bank of America Foundation Barclays Citi Ventures Diageo Estee Lauder Companies Goldman, Sachs & Company
HSBC Bank USA ING Financial Services Corporation MarketAxess Marsh & McLennan Companies Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Moody’s Morgan Stanley New York Road Runners Offit Capital
Oppenheimer Funds Pfizer Foundation Select Equity Group Soros Fund Charitable Foundation TYR Energy, Inc. UBS Unilever United States Foundation, Inc.
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Spring Benefit e
ad a Ball at the
Spring Benefit
ore than 00 members of the Dwight community gathered for the 2019 Spring Benefit in the da ling iegfeld Ballroom in midtown anhattan in support of The Dwight School Foundation. The theme of this year’s event The Future s ow celebrated Dwight’s innovative approach to preparing students to be the next generation of global leaders, innovators, and visionaries. The festive evening, which included coc tails, dinner, dancing, a fabulous auction, and a live fundraising appeal, raised critical funds for student financial aid, faculty professional development, and Spar Tan innovation grants. e heard from hris Beddows, former Associate ead of ower School in ew or who is now the ead of pper School in ondon, about his passion for the B and what ma es a Dwight world-class education special. Three students also too to the stage solde atgis-Kessell ’20 and arcello assone ’19 shared their uni ue ourneys at Dwight and how our school ignited their spar s of genius and Kai Kelly ’20 sang a beautiful rendition of The Greatest ove of All.
THE DWIGHT SCHOOL FOUNDATION
Than you to our Benefit o- hairs Darly orniel and ouise Ton in and the guests, and volunteers for oining us and for your generosity
ommittee
along with our donors,
Spring Benefit Donors Tiered Tickets Anonymous (2) Cyndy and Bjorn Aaserod William Abramson and Susan Buchbinder Phil and Meredith Berkowitz Michael Brown Lori and Steven Fineman Dorian and Gary Fuhrman ’79 Laurence and Sharon Greenberg Michael Jamison and Janice Meyer Susan and Peter Kessler
Gabriel and Julia Kimyagarov John and Halley Moores Guilherme Oliveira and Stefanie Ting Cedric and Susana Pauwels Jeff Rabin and Pamela Goldberg Vicky and Ed Rich Mr. Steven Rosenblum ’93 Robert Rubin and Stéphane Samuel Kim Saperstein ’92 The Wilson Wysocki Family
Paula and Steven Zirinsky Faculty Ticket and Event Underwriters Anonymous (1) William Abramson and Susan Buchbinder Robert and Marisa Allan Artur and Irina Baysara Phil and Meredith Berkowitz Steven and Ann Berzin Chris and Aileen Bruner The Callaway Family
Boris and Lucrece Francois Dubrovsky Paul Ehrlich M.D. Rachel Ehrlich ’87 and Charles Gayner James and Adrienne Gemperle Andrew and Lauren Janian Kerenyi Family Susan and Peter Kessler George and Sanjana Koshy The Ronald & Jo Carole Lauder Foundation
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Spring Benefit Donors (cont.) Vicky and Ed Rich Mark and Tomoko Rubery Robert Rubin and Stéphane Samuel Ben and Mara Saltzman Peter E. Sass Shanda and Jonathan Scibilia Scholastic Culinary Services Eric Segal and Karen Shoplik Gaurav and Sawako Shukla Randee and Albert Sigal Matthew and Cynthia Skaruppa Andrew and Kimberly Yoon Live Appeal Donors $10,000+ Anonymous (3) Paul and Adrienne Mulligan Jean and Kimberly Putzer Maryll and Blake Spahn ’89
$2,500-$4,999 Charles Carter and Carolyn Tierney Fernando Castellanos and Lorena Matus Castellanos Sandrine and Thomas Droumenq The Wilson Wysocki Family $1,000-$2,499 Anonymous (3) Eric and Jamie Foran
$500-$999 Anonymous (2) Gabriela Alonso and Jorge Sanchez-Lara Jackie and Andrew Chrisomalis The Gallagher Family Christopher Harland and Rebecca Everly Felix, Valentina, and Enrico Hoover Mitchell and Michelle Kessler Nakul Krishnaswamy and Piyali Kothari Laura Miles and William Stein Hubert Nguyen and Tanya Barnes Liana Pai and Geoffrey Quelle Daniel Sausmikat and Juliet Reynosa Derek and Danielle Wallis Daniel Walton and Ming Lam $250-$499 Mark and Nikki Chemtob Darly Corniel and Brian Gurski on behalf of Sebastian Gurski-Corniel ’29 Katie Scheirle Julie and Nick Stratopoulos
Up to $249 Anonymous (2) Chris Allen Andrew Atkins and Erin O’Hara Daniel Espinoza Marco Fracchia and Manuela Gamba Linda Fussell Barry Gragg James Kearsley Christopher Lapczynski and Jessica Marlin Mark Lipari Jan Sage and Bob Dunphy Tracy and Scott Sigal ’95 Takara Strong and Dwayne Lashley
Piero Venturini and Bryony Bechtold In-kind Donors and Solicitors Cyndy and Bjorn Aaserod Jonathan and Shelley Allen Allan Baillie Photography American Ballet Theatre American Museum of Natural History Apthorp Pharmacy Babi Deitos Biquinis Lisa Bardin Julian Beck Bella Luna Bruce B. Blau D.D.S. ’76 Book Culture Columbus
ANNUAL REPORT 2018-19
$5,000-$9,999 Anonymous (1) Dorian and Gary Fuhrman ’79 Susan and Peter Kessler Peter E. Sass Oliver Storch and Geidy Perez-Storch
Aaron and Niesha Foster Brian and Lisa Goldenberg Anita Mehta and Ajay Bhumitra The O’Hare Family Yi Pan and Jin Zhang Kevin and Kelly Purcell Vicky and Ed Rich Matthew and Cynthia Skaruppa Paula and Steven Zirinsky
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Spring Benefit Donors (cont.)
THE DWIGHT SCHOOL FOUNDATION
Botticelli Portrait Studio Dave Brown ’97 Chris and Aileen Bruner, Central Park Conservancy Camp North Star Maine Michael and Jessica Capiraso Carnegie Hill Test Prep Central Rock Gym Jackie and Andrew Chrisomalis Clarity Classic Kids Photography Clinique College Works Admissions Concept Salon Laura Connor CRD Associates Sara Crucet Alex Cunningham Brittany Dallal Dancer NYC Dashing Diva West Delicatessen Vasken Demirjian, Vasken Salon Isabelle Dervaux, Photo Organizer and Visual Storyteller Dot Shop Caetana and Marina Druck Jay W. Eisenhofer and Anne Jameson Ela Rae Jewelry Scott Ellis Engage Green, Inc. Steven Feller and Fiona Simpson Lori and Steven Fineman Lauren Fisher Francesco's Pizza Charles and Polly Fry The Gallagher Family Jacqueline Toboroff Gross Nicole Hamilton
Warren Handelman Hands On! A Musical Experience Betsy Harris and Alyson Shenker Pamela Hellman and Vanity David Roberto Hidalgo Rene C. Hofstede Felix, Valentina, and Enrico Hoover Hortus NYC ibidPREP Indian Accent Insolito Kids Karen Berlin Ishii Jean-Georges Venetia Kapernekas Fine Art Laurance Kaufman and Melody Marcus KERAMIDA, Inc. Julia and William Kohane George and Joanna Koutsos Kouzan Japanese Restaurant La Central Laird SuperFood Lands' End School Outfitters Kiyoko Layne Le Rivage Leshem Loft Li Qi New York Acupuncture PC Jason Licker Limani 51, LLC Lionette by Noa Sade Live with Kelly and Ryan Mark Losnick and Jenny Wang Lululemon Madison Plastic Surgery Magpie Marea Masana Portrait Artwork NYC MaxMara USA Inc.
Daniel Mintz and Meredith Berkman Modern Day Optx Jane Mogel Momoya New York Historical Society New York Kids Club NH Collection Hotel Nobu 57 Nicole NouNou and Ali Rosenzweig Bernardo Novick and Maria Scarpa NY Marriott Marquis The O'Hare Family Guilherme Oliveira and Stefanie Ting Oxbow Tavern Liana Pai and Geoffrey Quelle Perfect 57 MedSpa & Wellness Pinnacle Prep Pirelli Tire North America, Marco and Kesiah Crola Posies Flower Shop Prada Premier Chess and Evan Rabin ’08 Stephen Presti and Sorush Panahi The Public Theatre Pure Barre Columbus Avenue Eddie and Fatmira Purovic RARE Bar and Grill Robert
Robert Rubin and Stéphane Samuel Saks 5th Avenue Arthur Samuels III Scott J. Salon Peter Shaerf and Betsy Scherl Annie Sigal ’93, Chef Julian Medina, Davos Brands LLC Rebecca Singer-Zhou, Laura Connor, and Kristy Benfante Soyulla Artists Sports for All, Inc. Spring Lake Day Camp Lauren and Danny Stein Storico Symphony Space Nuno and Patricia Teles The Thinking Traveller Thirteen WNET New York Versed, Inc. Via Transportation, Inc. Viand Kathie Von Ankum VR World Wade Maxx Art Gallery West Chin Architects, Designers, & Decorators WestJet The Wilmslow Group You Should be Dancing Zaghira Jewelry Zo Wines
2019 Spring Benefit Committee Darly Corniel, Co-Chair Louise Tonkin, Co-Chair Brooke Alexander Susan Anderson Lisa Bardin Tiki Barnes Mary Bradley Aileen Bruner Sandrine Droumenq Patricia Druck Ana Fons Polly Fry Gina Gray Claire Heckenberg Esther Hernandez Donna Johnson Maria Lara Jurado Venetia Kapernekas Suraya Khan
Sarah Knox Piyali Kothari Jessica Lapczynski Jessica Lindsey Jeralyn Lucas Melody Marcus Thelma Martinez Bernie Mastrangel Lorena Matus Kesiah Nuttall-Crola Damali Shepard Annie Sigal ’93 Lauren Stein Takara Strong Jenny Wang Bruce arshaw ’7 Byrna West Anqi Zhang
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The 2019 Half Marathon On Sunday, arch 17, six members of the Dwight community participated in the 2019 nited Airlines alf arathon. embers of Team Dwight School Foundation, these runners raised critical funds for student financial aid, faculty professional development, and Spar Tan innovation grants. ongratulations to all of our runners on this great accomplishment and than you to all of our supporters nterested in running next year ontact Shannon assell at scassell dwight.edu to apply for a spot
Donors
Betty Grothaus Marianne Haggerty Regan Hales HPBC Jet Cadet Joy Hutton Tim and Laurie Kelliher Curtis Lambert Claudia Lisa Joshua MacNaughton Lisa and Jim MacNaughton Gustavo Magalhaes Anthony Majewski Sue Majewski Katie McCollough
2019 NYC Half Marathon Team ulia artin Alvare Nick Butcher ason auf
Lisa Metcalfe Emmanuel Midy Duane and Crystal Moore Michael Nelson Ravi Patel Scott Simon Marcus Slaymon
Alfred iermann Mikhail Hutton Tony Majewski
Beryl Spiegel Bela, Alice, and Ian Szigethy Lou and Jim Tharp Venecia Tyndale Ilana Vachani Lora Weigman
ANNUAL REPORT 2018-19
Anonymous (9) The Abeyta Family Chrystal Adueni Dan and Lindsay Bailey Tim Berry David Brind Eugene Brodach Tons Brooks Nick Butcher Annie DeAngelo Sebastian Delmont Sally Deschamps Matty Flanagan Rochelle Goldman
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Ways to Give The Dwight School Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization and donations are tax-deductible to the extent of the law. There are several ways to ma e a contribution ONLINE lease visit www.dwight.edu givingtodwight. BY MAIL Checks should be made out to The Dwight School Foundation and mailed in the enclosed envelope or to the address below: The Dwight School Foundation 291 Central Park West ew or , 1002 BY PHONE lease call the Foundation Office at 6 6- 00-0313. GIFTS OF APPRECIATED SECURITIES/STOCK A gift of appreciated stoc , which has been held for more than one year, allows you to avoid the capital gains tax on the appreciation. t also ualifies you for an income tax charitable deduction based on the fair-mar et value of the stoc on the date you ma e the gift. lease contact ac ueline eit es at leit es dwight.edu or 6 6- 000309 to ma e a gift this way. MATCHING GIFTS ou may be able to double or triple your gift n 201 -19, The Dwight School Foundation received 50,000 in matching gifts f your company is eligible, re uest a matching gift form from your employer, and send it completed and signed with your gift to The Dwight School Foundation. lease contact oira houaf at mchouaf dwight.edu or 6 6- 00-0313 with any uestions. 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. a e 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 Shannon Cassell Director of Alumni Relations and Foundation Engagement Moira Chouaf Annual Fund and Operations Manager
This report gratefully ac nowledges gifts received between uly 1, 201 , and une 30, 2019. Best efforts were made to ensure the accuracy and completeness of this report. f there are omissions or errors, please notify oira houaf in the Foundation Office at mchouaf dwight.edu or 6 6- 00-0313. hotography by David Dean atthew Gilbertson Stomping Ground i e Sheehan Dwight School staff Printing by SPC PRINT INTEGRATED, orth Springfield, T 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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All-Alumni
Reunion
Join Dwight, Franklin, and Anglo-American classmates and faculty for drinks and hors d’oeuvres, courtesy of The Dwight School Foundation!
Saturday, October 19, 2019 4-7 pm Cocktail Party Dwight School 18 West 89th Street New York City Join us for pick-up games during the cocktail party in the Large Gym Help us plan reunion, become a class rep, or learn how to get involved by contacting Shannon Cassell, Director of Alumni Relations and Events, at 646.898.0313 or scassell@dwight.edu.
Our little Lions from the Class of 2031 were proud to graduate from Kindergarten and excited to roar into “Big Dwight� this fall!