Ulmer & Berne LLP recently announced that Michael D. Switzer was recognized by Illinois Super Lawyers for 2014. Illinois Super Lawyers showcases outstanding attorneys in the state who are recognized by their peers for professional accomplishments. Michael focuses his practice on supporting his clients’ business efforts through intellectual property counseling, licensing and litigation. David Markenson recently accepted a position at Sky Ridge Medical Center located in Denver, Colo. as chief medical officer. David recently was employed at Westchester Medical Center as VP.
1991 CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Karen Valyou Zador 313 Stonehurst Parkway St. Augustine, Fla. 32092 k.zador@icloud.com Andrew Collins writes, “I run a large private aviation company called Sentient Jet, based in Boston, Mass. I am married to Kristen Collins and we have a lovely daughter, Rory, (8 years old) and a rambunctious son, Kiernan (6 years old). After Union I worked within the technology world and then headed to MIT/Sloan for my MBA. I live in Needham, Mass. with my family and would love to hear from anybody from Union!”
held on Jan. 31, 2014 on Ford Island in the middle of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. Michael was commissioned in 1992 through the Officer Candidate School in Newport, R.I., and obtained a M.S. in civil engineering from the University of California, Berkley. During a career spanning 22 years, he has completed assignments as a civil engineer with the U.S. Navy Seabees and Naval Facilities Engineering Command throughout the world. His command tours include Underwater Construction Team ONE in Little Creek, Va., and Naval Mobile Construction Battalion ONE out of Gulfport, Miss., which included multiple deployments in support of Operation Iraqi and Enduring Freedom.
1993 CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Jill Bernstein 170 E. 83rd St., #3K New York, N.Y. 10028 jilldbernstein@yahoo.com
1992 CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Stephanie Fray Apartment 7 D 10 West End Avenue New York, N.Y. 10023-7828 sfray1@gmail.com Michael Saum was recently promoted to captain in the U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps. The ceremony was
Nath and Zoey, children of Nate Fitch ’93, complete a Nott Run during a recent campus visit with their dad.
Sara Dingledy ’94 works with tenth-graders Samiria Bertsche and Robert Reyes
O N T H E F R O N T L I N E S O F E D U C AT I O N
F
rom federal policies to layoffs, education is a contentious issue these days. As a teacher, administrator and founder of schools, Sara Dingledy ’94 is on the front lines of it all. New York City, where she works, has been closing large schools with unsatisfactory performance. In their place, the Department of Education is opening smaller institutions. “The idea is that smaller, more personalized schools graduate more students,” said Dingledy, principal of Westchester Square Academy (Bronx). “But I don’t think size inevitably predicts success.” “So much depends on excellent teachers, leadership consistency and other resources,” she continued. “What would make the biggest difference, to me, is thinking of school not as a place, but as an idea, a methodology of doing things.” And this is exactly how Dingledy operates Westchester Square Academy, a small public high school she founded in fall 2012. “The newer schools, regardless of size, embody this paradigm shift. They’re looking at community needs and considering how to educate based on those needs,” Dingledy said. “At WSA, our mission is to develop confident leaders, writers and speakers who are connected to the community.” WSA offers a liberal arts curriculum with elected science, art and humanities courses. It has 260 ninth and tenth graders, but will grow to about 600 when the eleventh and twelfth grades are added. Half of WSA students are admitted by lottery, half by application. Applications and interest have been rising so far. It’s a good step toward building a thriving school, something Dingledy has done before as assistant head master of The Brooklyn Latin School between 2008 and 2012. In April 2013, U.S. News & World Report named the small, specialized institution the No. 1 public high school in New York State. Dingledy hopes WSA will reach similar heights. “We’re off to a good start,” she said, “but like all schools, we face big challenges.” For more about Dingledy and Westchester Square Academy visit www.union.edu/magazine or www.westchestersquare.org Spring 2014 UNION COLLEGE
| 41