Oak Leaves - Winter/Spring 2025

ABINGTON FRIENDS SCHOOL

575 Washington Lane Jenkintown, PA 19046

215.576.3950 abingtonfriends.net

Oak Leaves

IN THIS ISSUE A profile of Head of School Nicole Hood A Scrapbook of Photos Class Notes

ABINGTON FRIENDS SCHOOL

Alumni & Alumni Parents

Gather With Us

at Yards Brewing Company Join us for an evening of great company and AFS pride at an Alumni Gathering at Yards Brewing Company! Catch up with classmates and parents of alumni and meet our new Head of School, Nicole Hood.

Wednesday, May 28, 2025 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

What Art Means

A WALK THROUGH THE COLLECTIONS WITH DR. NICOLE HOOD

500 Spring Garden St. Philadelphia, PA 19123

Let’s toast to old friends, new connections and the AFS spirit that brings us all together.

RSVP today at www.abingtonfriends.net/yards

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BONUS: We invite you to drop by at 6 p.m. for a private brewery tour!

WINTER 2025

Reconnect and Celebrate!

AFS Alumni Weekend April 25-26, 2025

“Education

takes courage.”

- Dr. Nicole Hood

Come home to Abington Friends School for a weekend filled with meaningful connection and plenty of fun!

Reconnect with fellow alumni, faculty and friends over campus tours, trivia and shared traditions.

Celebrate at a festive family cookout, outdoor games and a Meeting for Worship.

AFS Community Trivia Night Friday, April 25, 2025

Alumni Family Day Saturday, April 26, 2025

Alumni, parents and community members are invited to join us for the third annual AFS Community Trivia Night. Spend a night out at AFS with food, friends and trivia.

Attendees must be 21 and over.

Join us for meeting for worship, campus tours, family-friendly outdoor activities and a delicious cook-out! No matter what you choose, we hope Saturday will be a fun day that strengthens bonds, sparks memories and reminds us why AFS will always feel like home.

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LETTER FROM THE HEAD OF SCHO OL

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t the heart of an Abington Friends School education is a powerful invitation: to nurture the Light within ourselves and others. This invitation is one that guides our students long after they leave our classrooms — it shapes lives of meaning, purpose and contribution to the world.

In my opening remarks as Head of School this fall, I shared the story of Beverly Johnson née Floyd ’66, a Black AFS alumna who walked the halls of AFS threequarters of a century ago. She arrived at AFS through the support of the American Friends Service Committee, leaving her home in the South to pursue an education in a place where she had no guarantee of belonging.

It was an act of profound courage — to step into the unknown to claim space where there was no assurance it would be freely given. Yet this decision, to move toward the future with determination, would shape the rest of her life. Her story is one of perseverance, of the true strength it takes to pursue an education. To better oneself. To learn.

Education takes courage. In this issue, we see it in the students and alumni who take their learning beyond the classroom, stepping into the professional world with curiosity and conviction. We support it by nurturing our students in both intellect and spirit, learning to navigate challenge, uncertainty and growth with resilience and strength. We model it in the power of paying close attention — to an image, to an idea, to a calling — and how that attention can shape a life.

At AFS, we are not simply preparing students for a future profession. We are preparing them to meet the world with the strength of their convictions — to listen deeply, to question with authenticity and curiosity and to pursue what is right even when the path is uncertain. This is the treasure of an AFS education. And it is one that I am honored to steward alongside all of you.

With gratitude,

NICOLE HOOD HEAD OF SCHOOL

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COVER STORY

Scrapbook

Nicole G. Hood, Head of School Devin Schlickmann, Assistant Head of School for Institutional Advancement and Enrollment Management Jay Kadash, Director of Marketing and Communications Matthew MacNaughton, Associate Director of Marketing and Communications; Editor of Oak Leaves Cara Palladino, Director of Annual Giving Michelle Lofton, Director of Family and Alumni Engagement Leapfrog Group, Publication Design Oak Leaves is a publication of the AFS Communications and Development Offices.

Abington Friends School main switchboard: 215.886.4350 For more photos and news, visit us online at abingtonfriends.net

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O N T H E C OV E R Photography by Jeff Fusco The sculpture behind Nicole Hood, Bird in Hand by sculptor Dale Rogers, and the surrounding installation were gifts from the Keller family, Stefan, Donna and Ruby (’23) in honor of retiring art teacher Megan Hollinger.

P H OTO G R A P H Y Photography by: John Flak P’24 P’27, Mason Fullerton ’25, Matthew MacNaughton ’11, Nimo Ren ’25, Ryan Samson ’07, Maria Young S P EC I A L T H A N KS Bill Viola The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

30 Learning to Lean In

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An interview with New Director of Student Support and Wellbeing Michael Cassano

Network Effects Following Passions from the Classroom to the Professional World

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LETTER FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

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MILESTONES

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CLASS NOTES

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IN MEMORIAM

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E N D N O T E by John Rison

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O A K L E AV E S M I L E S T O N E S

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OUR 10TH HEAD OF SCHOOL IN THE MODERN ERA

On September 6, our new Head of School Nicole Hood was formally inducted into the Abington Friends School community during Convocation.

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AFS LEGENDS RETIREMENT

Last year, we honored three retiring faculty members who had collectively contributed more than 70 years of teaching at AFS: (bottom left to right) Jordan Burkey, Margaret Guerra and Karolye Eldridge.

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ADENA DERSHOWITZ NAMED DIRECTOR OF THE FOURTH CENTURY CENTER

We are delighted to announce that Adena Dershowitz was named the Director of the Fourth Century Center at Abington Friends School, where she leads our institution in supporting a full range of faculty learning, study and innovative initiatives.

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ABINGTON FRIENDS SCHOOL

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From the 2023-2024 School Year Arbor Day – “Although seniors will miss all of the connections and traditions at AFS, we know that student life will continue to thrive under your leadership.

We anticipate you growing into even more confident leaders as you continue to care for the community and support causes that you’re passionate about.

The upcoming year and your responsibilities may seem daunting, but we have full confidence that you will shine in all that you do, and that you will lead this community with grace and kindness in the year to come.” – Sasha van Steenburgh ’24

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Our amazing Class of 2028 spent the year preparing for EGIS by diving DEEP into a topic that set their brains on fire (in a good way). From building computers and designing a soccer jersey to composing poetry and learning to rock out on the guitar, our students explored everything under the sun — and beyond!

The annual AFS Science Festival brought together students from our youngest through our graduating seniors in a vibrant exploration of the natural world.

Direct experience has always been prized in Friends education as the most powerful teacher and richly designed experiential learning aligns beautifully with the empirical nature of Quaker faith and practice.

“The Lower School programs are always inspired by ideas and collaborations between me and the fourth grade,” explains Keisha Hirlinger. “This year, the children wanted to include a commentary on social media.” In the 1st-4th grade production, “The Reel: Saving the Day IRL”, four friends must reconnect after drifting apart due to the isolating impact of social media on their lives. Through clever sound and video montages, elaborate dances and beautiful songs, the students delivered a truly joyful and uplifting message for the end of the year.

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The Upper School music program enjoyed its most ambitious year in some time — one performance even involved a choreographed performance by the Intro to Dance students.

Nothing beats a live demonstration! Kindergarten teacher Raji Malik loves teaching his unit on the science of balloons. Enter local hot air balloon pilot Jason Fischer, who brought his enormous, hand-made, tie-dye hot air balloon to campus for an exciting live demonstration. Students from early childhood through twelfth grade gathered on Nourie Green, their heads lifting higher and higher as they watched the once-flat balloon gradually inflate, rising majestically to stand tall at the top of the hill.

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A Milestone for Kicks for Cancer – Started over a decade ago by AFS students Christina Furlong ’11, Ellen Carney ’11 and Kelly McGlynn ’11, Kicks for Cancer is an annual, student-run indoor soccer tournament and fundraiser hosted in the springtime. This year, the event was able to raise more than $15,000 for melanoma research, all being donated to Fox Chase Cancer Center. Scan to read more about it in The Blue and White, the AFS Student Newspaper.

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Congratulations to the 327th graduating class “ We love the testimonies for the mysteries they carry.

They are not as simple as they appear. But they are not the central idea of Quakerism. There is a central tenet of Quakerism that we don’t talk as much about, but is the core of Quakerism itself — and that is, We are always in the presence of the sacred.”

– Rich Nourie, former Head of School “ The fact that you’re all sitting here together, as a unified class, is a testament to that need for human connection and friendships. If I may leave you with a few parting words of advice, it is to be open to new opportunities, spaces and geographies… to people, whether they challenge you or not, because you never know who can impact your life or who’s life your impacting simply by sharing a moment or space with them.” – Jasmin Velez ’11, Commencement Keynote Speaker “ What people might not understand is that — this is rare. Really, really rare. Look around the grove. There is no one culture, race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, socio economic status, ability, anything. This is the AFS experience. We gain from each other. This school isn’t a 100 meter dash, it’s a relay, and we run faster when our team needs us to.” – Issa Rabb ’24 “ Don’t be afraid to make life uncomfortable. Live in discomfort and use it to your advantage. Change is hard. But if we are willing rather than reluctant to the idea, we can benefit from new experiences and use them for growth.” – Madeleine Theobald ’24

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ABINGTON FRIENDS SCHOOL

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ABINGTON FRIENDS SCHOOL

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What does Black excellence in education look like?

At this year’s Black Excellence Night, Keynote Speaker Dr. Imani Perry P’24 reflected upon the nature of excellence, and the complex and changing landscape of Black excellence, especially in teaching and learning. “I think [speaking about Black excellence] is particularly beautiful in an era with a history behind it of telling Black people so often that we are the very opposite of excellent.”

“Glory is a rare thing,” Dr. Perry reminds us. “The hashtag ‘#blackexcellence’ is often associated with glory but glory is rare in life, even for people who we know were undeniably glorious historically.”

“But I want to close with where I get it from, and that’s from my grandmother, my beacon of moral excellence. She was a woman who cleaned people’s kitchens. She didn’t go to college. She didn’t write books. But she made me grits and eggs and salmon croquets, and she held me when I cried, and most of all she taught me the principles that lie at the heart of everything I aspire to do — resilience, resourcefulness, love and strength.”

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A Partial Eclipse of the Heart During the solar eclipse of April 8, 2024, the campus transformed into a miniobservatory as students across all grades turned their (protected) eyes to the sky for an awe-inspiring, cosmological phenomenon. Equipped with telescopes, eclipse glasses and cameras obscura, we watched the Earth’s moon as it crossed between us and the sun, prompting questions and sparking curiosity about our universe.

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ABINGTON FRIENDS SCHOOL

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A whirlwind tour of theatrical locales The AFS Theatre Program began their year in the land of Oz with an inspired and joyful production of The Wiz. Middle School then took audiences to a fused Verona-Elsinore with their Hamlet and Romeo & Juliet: The Remix. Finally, the Yellow Brick Road became a dirt road that led to turn-of-the-20th-century Russia, where the Prozorov sisters’ boring country lives became suddenly complicated in Three Sisters.

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ExTerm Upper School students’ ExTerm is an innovative crossdisciplinary array of experiences that replace the traditional final exam structure. Designed by our faculty, these week-long programs use field trips, outside speakers and collaborative workshops to help students consider ideas from different perspectives.

Global Travel During ExTerm, students also set forth on AFS Global Travel adventures to Guatemala, Montreal and the Adirondacks.

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ABINGTON FRIENDS SCHOOL

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ABINGTON FRIENDS SCHOOL

Athletics

Coach C. Joins the Montgomery County Coaches Hall of Fame Last Fall, Steve “Coach C” Chadwin was inducted into the Montgomery County Coaches Hall of Fame for his decades-long commitment to coaching and leadership. In his 40 years at AFS, Coach C notched a record of 649-305, including 16 Friends School League Championships and 12 seasons of 20 or more wins.

“Real success is a by-product of working hard together and giving everything you’ve got to give to accomplish a team goal,” reflects Steve. “Whether it is success in relationships, success in overcoming obstacles together or success in knowing who you are in the grander scheme of things.”

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If there’s one thing our Roos have in abundance, it’s school spirit!

The floors rumbled as Roos from our three divisions rallied in the Berman Athletics Center on a cold night in January for Winter Spirit Night featuring family games, halftime contests and three back-toback basketball games with our Boys and Girls Varsity and JV teams.

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What Art A WALK THROUGH

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THE COLLECTIONS WITH DR. NICOLE HOOD

s a longtime teacher, leader in independent schools and art historian, Nicole Hood was excited to become the 10th Head of School at Abington Friends School in the modern era. Her journey began with frequent family visits to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts as a young girl that sparked a lifelong fascination with art and its stories — the ability to ignite curiosity, challenge perceptions and inspire meaningful connections. As her story intersects with AFS, she is ready to watch a new generation of students discover their own sparks of wonder.

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Credit: VMFA Photo Archives Virginia Museum of Fine Arts ©

academia, she began to feel a tug in a different direction. “I realized that while I loved teaching, the research and publishing side of academia wasn’t where my heart was,” she reflects.

Balancing the demands of a growing family with the rigid expectations of a tenure-track role also posed challenges. “I wanted more control over where I was going to be and how I could shape my career, especially with two young children.”

EXHIBIT 1. Coffin of Tjeby THE VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS’ (VMFA) COLLECTIONS SPAN CENTURIES, from American classics like “Washington as Farmer at Mount Vernon” to European masterpieces like Vincent van Gogh’s “Daisies, Arles.” It is no wonder that so many young artists and lovers of the arts can trace their interest back to a moment in a museum, seeing a particular piece of artwork and being mesmerized by the colors, the light, the shapes and movements. Dr. Nicole Hood can also remember those formative pieces that would kick off a career of teaching and studying art history, thirty years that would take her from Richmond to Ann Arbor, D.C. to Atlanta, Chicago to Baltimore, and finally arrive in Jenkintown, PA, as the Head of School at Abington Friends School. It all began in the VMFA. “The VMFA is full of amazing works,” explains Nicole. “But there is one in particular that kids get super excited about: the Egyptian mummy.”

The mummy Tjeby was brought to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in the mid20th century. Originally, visitors would walk down a long corridor lined with Egyptian artwork into a reconstructed tomb, where they could look down into the coffin to see Tjeby.

To many, including the museum director at the time, the display felt inappropriate, perhaps owing to its theatricality.

As an adult, Nicole shares those mixed feelings about Tjeby. He is not an art piece, but an educational one, focusing on ancient Egyptian funerary rites. There is plenty of artistry involved in the exhibit — the outside of the coffin is delicately painted with wedjat eyes, representing the eyes of Horus. Importantly, Tjeby is facing the same direction on which the eyes are painted, allowing him to look “through” them.

When Nicole arrived at the University of Virginia for college, she took courses in art history and historical preservation, but did not major in what she considered only an interest.

For the time being, she would prioritize a more stable career — bank management. “I just wanted to live on my own, have a car and start my life!” she exclaimed with a laugh. But life in corporate finance was not the same as life in the arts, no matter how much she wanted it to be. Inevitably, she pursued and received her doctorate in Art History from the University of Michigan. She taught classes in African Art, Western and non-Western, African American art and more at the collegiate level at Spelman University and Howard University.

She landed a tenure-track position at Georgia State University. A banker no more — Nicole had returned to what she loved.

Now a Ph.D., Nicole’s academic path seemed set as she climbed the ranks of higher education, teaching and researching subjects she loved. Yet, amid her accomplishments in

This shift in focus led Nicole to the world of independent schools, where she discovered a new passion for nurturing young minds and fostering a community of learners. Her experiences in art history — analyzing, interpreting and connecting deeply with objects and ideas — translated seamlessly into her approach as an educator and leader. “Art teaches us to look closely, to ask questions, and to find meaning in what we see,” she explains.

“That’s what I strive to encourage in my students and colleagues — an ongoing process of discovery.”

Now, as the Head of School at Abington Friends School, Nicole brings this perspective full circle, using her background in art to shape a dynamic and thoughtful educational environment. From the carefully lit corners of the VMFA to the vibrant halls of AFS, her journey stands as a testament to the transformative power of curiosity and the lifelong value of learning. While she acknowledges the ethical complexities of displaying human remains like Tjeby’s in an art museum, Nicole sees these challenges as opportunities to deepen understanding and foster critical thinking. “Art and artifacts should help us grapple with history — not just admire it,” she says. For her, Tjeby’s exhibit remains a symbol of what sparked her own curiosity: the ability of art and education to pose important questions, inspire discovery and illuminate our shared humanity.

Credit: VMFA Photo Archives Virginia Museum of Fine Arts ©

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EXHIBIT 2. Ocean Without a Shore

AS HEAD OF SCHOOL AT ABINGTON FRIENDS SCHOOL, Nicole Hood finds herself in a role that harmonizes her love for art with her dedication to fostering education. For her, art and teaching have always shared a quiet but profound power: both have the capacity to move us, to transform how we see ourselves and the world around us. “I fell in love with the intellectual process of ‘reading’ an image,” she explains. “I think about what it says about the moment in time when it was created, the artist and their relationship with the patron. Why does that artwork exist, and why does it look the way it does?”

This idea was brought into sharp focus during a teaching conference in Philadelphia in the mid-2010s. Nicole and a colleague, both seasoned educators, decided to visit the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts during a break between sessions. They expected to find familiar works — portraits by Gilbert Stuart, depictions of history by Benjamin West, the kinds of paintings often used to illustrate key moments in American studies.

Instead, they found themselves standing in a dimly lit space, immersed in an unexpected encounter with a video art installation: Ocean Without a Shore by Bill Viola.

The faint sound of water trickling drew them closer. Nicole describes the moment vividly: “You walked into this space, and it felt kind of like a chapel — sort of like our meetinghouse. There was this sound of waves, coming in and going

Credit (all images on page): Bill Viola

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out, and larger-than-life screens all around. On the screens, waterfalls were pouring down, just constantly moving. Then human figures would emerge from one side of the water. They didn’t say a word. They’d gesture, stand there, look around — and then, slowly, the water would come back over them, and they’d disappear.”

She pauses, as if still searching for the right words to convey the experience. “I’m not doing it justice, but it was the most profoundly moving work of art. The figures represented people from all walks of life — different races, different sizes, different ages. And you just intuitively knew this was about the nature of life: how we emerge, how we exist for a moment and how eventually our time ends.”

Nicole and her colleague, seasoned AP teachers with years of rigorous curriculum under their belts, stood in silence, captivated. It wasn’t what they expected, but it was exactly what they needed.

“We just stood there, taking it in,” she remembers.

“I say this not because I think I can do it justice through words, but because it says something so important: that art is moving. It moves us.”

The experience stayed with Nicole long after she left the gallery, shaping how she thinks about the role of both art and teaching. “You never know what will resonate, what will stick with someone and change the way they see the world,” she reflects. For her, this is the gift that both art and education offer: the chance to leave an imprint, often subtle, but lasting.

“ ART TEACHES US TO LOOK CLOSELY, TO ASK QUESTIONS, AND TO FIND MEANING IN WHAT WE SEE.” – Dr. Nicole Hood

mission-driven schooling. She did not anticipate that her daughter’s paths in life would mirror her own, but she is elated that they are finding their spark.

EXHIBIT 3. Fabergé Eggs “BY A QUIRK OF INTERNATIONAL HISTORY, the VMFA has the largest collection of Romanov Fabergé eggs outside of Russia.”

As a young girl pressing her nose to the glass, she found herself captivated by these intricate treasures. Each egg, no larger than its natural counterpart, is adorned with gold, silver and precious gems — diamonds, emeralds and sapphires — that shimmer in the museum’s careful lighting. Inside many are even greater surprises: tiny palace dioramas, miniature animals carved from jewels and other delicate wonders. “Those eggs were mesmerizing to me,” Nicole says. “I wanted to know everything about them.”

Even after shifting away from the research track of higher education into teaching in secondary education, art never lost their allure. (“I joke with people that I trained 10 years for a career that I was in for like four,” Nicole adds with a smirk.) Her fascination with the Fabergé eggs — the intricate work of Peter Carl Fabergé and his artisans — remained vivid. These jewelencrusted masterpieces, created as gifts for the Russian royal family, are now considered priceless, with only about 50 remaining. And so much intentionality! The way a single object, carefully crafted and thoughtfully presented, can hold layers of meaning that resonate across generations. They remind her of the small moments in teaching and leadership that can have an outsized impact: a conversation, a

thoughtful gesture or the way a curriculum is designed to foster wonder. Education, like art, is built on a foundation of careful choices that create space for transformation.

“I took art classes when I was there as a kid,” she recalls of her time at the VMFA. “Pottery, weekend workshops — there was always something to learn about, always something new to see.” There is so much wonder in museums, she reflects, that it’s impossible to capture all in one day. Nevertheless, she hopes one day to accompany Upper School AP Art History students to the Philadelphia Art Museum, second graders to the Natural History Museum, and eighth graders to the National Mall. She wants to see firsthand that same enthusiasm: students delving deeper, asking questions and discovering the stories behind the world around them. Whether it’s a meticulously designed egg, a life-changing installation or even a mummy, she wants to help students find what sparks their life’s journeys.

In raising her daughters as well as in leading AFS, Nicole sees herself as part curator and part creator, guiding students on their own journeys of discovery. Her role isn’t just administrative; it’s an act of nurturing, of helping students uncover their own potential in the way art once revealed hers. Art and teaching both seek to move, inspire and show the world in ways words alone cannot.

Guiding students through these artistic journeys, she finds fulfillment in knowing she is part of their discoveries — an artist herself, shaping minds one canvas at a time.

Credit: Shutterstock

Her family shares her passion for learning and discovery. Her younger daughter, already a committed art historian, has become her “favorite intellectual partner,” diving deeply into art and film studies with the same fervor Nicole once did. Her elder daughter, drawn to independent school development, now supports educational athletics, blending her interests in education and sport with a firm belief in

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A Historian’s Work Is Never Done WE ASKED NICOLE TO ANNOTATE A WORK THAT IS MEANINGFUL TO HER TO ILLUSTRATE SOME OF THE IDEALS SHE HOPES TO EMBODY AS HEAD OF SCHOOL.

A.

D.

B.

E.

Johannes Vermeer’s “Woman Holding a Balance” contrasts earthly and divine judgment. The woman at the painting’s center weighs precious possessions (pearls, jewels and gold) with a painting of the biblical “Last Judgment” in the background. As a viewer, I’m left contemplating the influence of a divine presence on the woman’s actions, on her own judgment.

The light streaming through the window at the right, characteristic of Vermeer’s paintings, seems an apt metaphor for an illuminated justice — both earthly and divine — that reveals the truth of both. I love this idea as I enter the AFS community seeking revelatory Light in all that I do. This is a school in which we are all asked to see the Light in those around us.

C.

The painting is a quiet one, also typical of Vermeer. I often enjoy imagining and describing the sounds suggested by works of art — it’s something that I’ve frequently asked students to do in art history class. This is an everyday moment, but one that feels full of significance. The silence and serenity are reinforced by the equilibrium in the scales she holds in balance. As a leader, especially in a Quaker school, I hope to tap into the power of silence to find both serenity and equilibrium.

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Most people do not realize it, but this painting is quite small — not much bigger than a sheet of legal sized paper. And Vermeer is a master of minute details. The viewer must be very close to the painting to take it all in.

School leadership depends greatly on this kind of proximity. As a leader, I strive to be as close as possible to our community — to understand and appreciate the small details in their lives.

School leadership is, fundamentally, about keeping the different constituencies of a school community in balance; these include students, faculty and staff, families, school committee members, even alumni. Each group has different needs and specific expectations of the school experience, and the Head of School’s job is to keep those sometimes divergent needs and expectations in balance.

A healthy school community is one where each group serves a specific and essential role in maintaining that balance.

F.

At the risk of being overly obvious, this painting focuses on a woman as its subject.

Her work, her effort, her hand is at the literal center of the image, and she herself is fully absorbed in the effort of creating balance. When I think about my work and about myself as the first woman to serve as Head of School at AFS, I expect to fully immerse myself in this labor. And I feel privileged to spend my days completely absorbed in my service to the school.

EXHIBIT 4. Woman Holding a Balance Credit: Getty Images

B. A.

E.

C.

D. F.

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Effect Following Passions from the Classroom to the Professional World Adena Dershowitz, Director of the Fourth Century Center and Experiential Learning at AFS, likes to say that Experiential Learning is about bringing the world to AFS, and bringing AFS to the world. “Students get to immerse

NETWORK EFFECTS (plural noun): a phenomenon whereby a product or service gains additional value as more people use it.

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themselves in new topics, learn from experts and follow their interests wherever they take them,” says Adena. “The contacts they meet transform into mentorships, internships, even future jobs. And the beautiful thing is, there are so many AFS alumni, parents, friends and colleagues, that the sky's really the limit.

If we don’t already have a program, we find one. If we can’t find one, we make one.”

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These three stories highlight how AFS fosters curiosity, confidence and real-world readiness, helping students forge connections that extend well beyond the school walls.

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SEARCHING FOR THE MISSING INGREDIENT Karishma Levy learns to embrace the chaos of the kitchen.

Karishma Levy ’24 was five years old when her mother taught her the three foundational cooking techniques: how to dice and caramelize an onion; how to bake banana bread; and how to assemble brownies from a box. Those lessons lit a fire in her heart — a stove-top fire that has taken her straight to where she is today: the Culinary Institute of America.

“I made every meal I could for my family,” Karishma recalls.

“Whenever there was a deal, my mom would get those meal-prep boxes for me to practice with. That taught me how to use the whites and greens of scallions, how to cook meat to certain temperatures.

Of course, my parents wanted me to cook for fun, but to be a lawyer, doctor, vet, something where you can make money. And that made sense for a time. But I did an internship with a lawyer, and I thought, This is interesting, but I could not do this the rest of my life.

Karishma knew that if she wanted to pursue cooking professionally, she had to take it more seriously. She improved on her knife skills, challenged her palate and embraced new cuisines. She learned she was not interested in baking so much as cooking, moving away from the banana bread and toward the caramelized onions. “As a junior, I competed in the Walnut Hill College Culinary Competition for high schoolers,” she explains — because what’s evidence of greater seriousness than competition? “They told us, ‘julienne a carrot!’

And I didn't know how to do that, but I sure tried.”

There is a joyful spontaneity to the way that Karishma speaks that matches the vigor and curiosity with which she approaches cooking.

Even if she has never done something before, she is not afraid to try. Asides weave in and out of stories as if she is grabbing bottles from the spice cabinet: a pinch of reminiscing, a note of what she loves about her family, a dash of her passion for theater.

Karishma was amazed to see she had even more opportunities for cooking at AFS in the form of an experiential learning program offered that year — ChefEx. As part of Upper School’s Career Exploration Programs (or “ExPrograms”), students spend three to four hours a week during a semester meeting with professionals in a given field. ChefEx in

particular was aimed at students interested in the culinary arts: The group learned about the business of catering, heard a guest lecture (and got to work with) a chocolatier and toured Reading Terminal Market, where two of the restaurants are run by AFS alums — Fox and Friends (Rebecca Foxman ’07) and Saami Somi (Michael ’04 and Donna Kolodesh ’11). The connection with Saami Somi and their Georgian fusion cuisine made her senior Capstone project possible — wherein seniors get to intern with a mentor to learn more about a particular interest, professional or otherwise. For Karishma, the decision was a no-brainer.

“The people at Saami Somi are the best,” says Karishma. “They let me learn the whole kitchen — front and back. I took orders and kneaded bread. I made a lot of dumplings, sliced a lot of eggplants.

I made like 4,000 grams of adjika sauce — and no, I won’t give away the secret ingredients.” After her capstone, they offered her a job during the summer before college.

Other opportunities arose. Karishma had been involved in the theater program at AFS as long as she’s been here, alternating as an actor and a crew member. On the acting side, she is passionate about improvisation, responding to a scene, a situation, her fellow actors in the moment.

Most recently, she was Assistant Director for the fall production of The Wiz, where she enjoyed executing on a vision for the stage.

Theatre also provided the opportunity for her first big catering event.

“I catered for our Cappies night here,” she explains, referring to the regional high school theatre awards program. “There are not many situations where you can cook for 50 people,” she mentions. “Since then, I’ve been catering for different events from my own kitchen.”

What is so fun about Karishma is this desire to pick-up-and-go with any ingredients. It is not enough to know the culinary vocabulary: She craves fluency. She wants to synthesize and process a meal using leftover Chinese take-out, a carton of blueberries and the spices in the cabinet, Chopped-style. This embrace of improvisation — whether in acting, directing or cooking — is something that Karishma takes very seriously.

Step back, assess, ask, “what’s missing?” “As someone with allergies, it’s very interesting. Like you can’t eat pizza dough, so can you make it with cassava flour? Will it taste the same? Will it crumble?”

“My dream is to be a private chef,” Karishma says. “I want to get enough knowledge to just whip up anything that people want, put my flair on it.”

Maybe she can combine it all together: A private chef for a theater company on tour? After all, everybody needs to eat.

25

FROM ZERO TO ONE

2

Matt Balick and Ross Shanken on Building Something New

By the time he was in Middle School, Matt Balick ’13 had fully internalized the logic and art of the spreadsheet, influenced in part by a formative love of Excel instilled by his father. For his dad, spreadsheets were not just a tool — they were a way of life.

Their design can transform raw data into a polished, intuitive tool for exploration and decision-making, every formula thoughtfully chosen to simplify calculations or automate processes, bringing a seamless flow to complex data. Colors, borders and layouts are carefully selected, not just for visual appeal, but to create a clear path for users to follow, highlighting what’s important and grouping related information. Larger amounts of data required more complicated yet clearer documentation. Life, he was sure, was just a series of spreadsheets.

Spreadsheets are the perfect tool for someone like Matt, who would eventually find his way into working for an asset management firm using degrees in accounting and finance — managing complex portfolios of stocks, bonds, real estate and more that needed unique care. His boss at the time encouraged his exploration: “You have a talent for picking this stuff up, but stay on the business side. Build models, pursue efficiencies, learn automation. You’ll be the most popular tech guy on every high-performing team.” Sure enough, within a few years, Matt was their head of analytics — the very tech-guy on the business-side.

By all accounts, he was thriving. So why was he itching to leave?

“I didn’t know it at the time,” Matt explained, “but I was really looking to make something.” It’s the question all entrepreneurs face — everything seems fine, so why does it feel like something is wrong? And when the realization dawns, it’s not an easy one to process. “I was 29. I had a family, a kid. I was trying to figure all of this out by myself, and it felt overwhelming. I didn’t think I was ready for it.”

There is a kind of magic that entrepreneurs, successful and otherwise, describe about networking. Connections spring out of the woodwork where you least expect it. A second cousin, a friend of your college roommate, a friend you rode the bus with in fifth grade. Matt had been speaking with his mother, Cindy Balick, about some of these work-related frustrations. As it turns out, she had worked with someone on the AFS School Committee who had some expertise in building something new who might be able to help. Enter Ross Shanken, an entrepreneur who had gone through it all already, having built three businesses, sold them all, and was now waiting for the next big step.

“When I met Matt, I was consulting as a way to keep busy,” Ross recounts. “But I was also starting to see patterns in the challenges many of them were facing. Then I met Matt, and he was explaining his interests, how he had the drive to pursue a new business but didn’t quite feel ready for it yet. And I wanted to know: Why not?

And the questions Matt was asking about himself, about his ideas,

26 oak leaves winter 2025

about his process were the same ones I kept hearing about from others—and the same ones I had asked 20 years ago,” says Ross.

“The pieces started to fall into place.”

The pair recognized a unique opportunity to launch something that would be able to help entrepreneurs start their business with these networks of support. Leveraging Ross’s expertise and Matt’s technical background, it seemed obvious that there was value to be found.

Along with other partners, the pair began to build a tech platform that combines expertise, methodology, technology and capital — four key elements critical for entrepreneurial success. Even the name of the business, Vojomo, draws on these deeply self-referential themes.

VOJO is a word borrowed from Esperanto that means “path” or “way.” And MO similarly comes from “motus” — capturing motion, movement and motivation. Motion on the path. Every project has to start somewhere, and sometimes it’s not clear where you will end up.

In 1887, Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof abandoned a career in medicine to develop Esperanto,

a constructed language intended to serve as a lingua franca for the world. An ophthalmologist by training, Ludwik was nonetheless captivated by a grand vision of a world without barriers — religious, national or linguistic. Esperanto has become the most popular “auxiliary” constructed language in the world. Although it has not caught on the way he intended, Esperanto continues to be spoken to this day by over 2 million people across the world, a testament to the strange and alluring power of creating something brand new in service of a grand vision. Like Esperanto, there was no guarantee that the new language would catch on, but Ludwik still saw his goal as noble and worth pursuing — even if it meant foregoing his current career to do so.

“Every day, Matt is helping to build technology to help augment the work that we’re doing so we can help more people,” explains Ross. “We’re still tweaking the technology, but the primary purpose is to take things off our plates to be constantly with the entrepreneurs, and to be able to move around as needed.”

Six months down their own path, Matt and Ross have already come a long way on their journey. They have seen that despite the diversity of their clients — from healthcare companies to call centers — many face similar challenges. Vojomo’s methodology provides a structured approach to address their issues, improving the likelihood of success.

Looking ahead, Vojomo aims to expand its offerings, including potentially creating a fund to support promising startups. They plan to refine their methodology, build a robust corporate structure and develop a comprehensive marketing strategy. Their ultimate vision is to create a world where the entrepreneurial journey is systematic, efficient and supported by experienced professionals. They believe that with the right support, entrepreneurs will have the greatest probability of achieving their peak outcomes.

There is a kind of magic that entrepreneurs, successful and otherwise, describe about

NETWORKING.

CONNECTIONS spring out of the woodwork where you least expect it.

“In my opinion, the hardest thing is to unite a team around what you are trying to build,” says Ross. “You would think you can just say our vision is this, our mission is that, and be aligned, but it’s not that easy. It’s so hard to be truly connected so that every day you’re working toward a common end.”

Alignment comes in many forms. Matt and Ross had some interesting connections. They had both attended school at the Wissahickon School District some 25 years apart.

Although he did not attend AFS himself, Ross and his wife Lori have always loved Friends education, sending their three children to Gwynedd Friends School, Northern Virginia Friends School, and finally Abington Friends School. And when Matt graduated from AFS in 2013, his first grade page was Ross’s son, Jared Shanken ’24.

“I always tell my mom, AFS was the greatest gift she ever gave me,” Matt reflects. “I’m still best friends with my best friend at AFS. I married my girlfriend who I met at AFS — and we have a dog and a child together. I first met Ross, completely unknown to me, at AFS. Years later, I’m working with him on a project that I believe in with all my heart. AFS has brought me so much. It’s pretty incredible how two years at this school completely altered the trajectory of my life.”

“There’s a narrative about the entrepreneur that it’s lonely and hard, and that’s what it’s supposed to be,” Ross explains. “People think if it’s not hard, something’s wrong.

And maybe there is truth to that. After all, most start-ups fail, and sometimes you don’t know why. But I also think a lot about what I’ve learned at AFS about leadership, just being a parent and on the school committee, about how we think about that world and what is possible in it. We have to make the world we want to live in. Being an entrepreneur gives you that opportunity to be a change agent — and hopefully, Vojomo can connect more people with the resources to do just that.”

Ross Shanken (left) and Matt Balick 27

3

left to right:

DIVING INTO THE DEEP END Three AFS students reflect on how their EGIS projects gave them a new outlook.

Ask any “lifer” or “half-lifer” alum about their Eighth Grade Independent Study (or EGIS) project. Inevitably, their eyes will light up as they begin to recount the magical learning experience of how they learned to sew a dress; drafted a short story; picked up a new instrument; or prepared a five-course dinner.

But wait — back up a moment. What is an EGIS project?

“EGIS is in many ways the culmination of Middle School,” explains Erin Timmer, eighth grade social studies teacher and long-time EGIS champion. Every year, eighth graders pick a topic that interests them, a topic that they do not learn about in school. Students are matched with a mentor, who helps them to learn more about the topic, and are expected to produce a final product of some kind — typically a performance, an object, something that demonstrates the results.

“It helps to introduce and solidify strong research skills to prepare them for Upper School,” Erin adds. “But importantly, it gives them something that they don’t get a lot—the opportunity to do something that they want to do. This might be the first time they experience something they will pursue for the rest of their lives.”

Getting to the First Draft

Everyone starts the EGIS process in a different place. E’vah Mitchell Ross’s ’28 path to an EGIS project was winding. “I was always a STEM kid,” she explains. “I was in robotics, I was in mathletes. I thought I would probably do something along those lines.” But at the end of seventh grade, she had been inspired by an EGIS project she saw made by an older Middle Schooler. “Madison Younger [’29] did her project in criminology, and I was so amazed by everything about it — the topic, the research, even the organization of her poster board!

I’m a huge psychology buff, so I thought, I want to do something with criminology, too!” E’vah excitedly told her advisor Sunshine O’Donnell about her interest, and she was surprised to get push back.

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E'vah Mitchell Ross, Aila Carvalho and Nalani James

“She told me, ‘You know, I still have your poem.’” Sunshine was referring to a poem that E’vah had written during a visit day — when she was still thinking about attending AFS. Sunshine had led a group of prospective students in a poetry exercise, and E’vah had written a poem about her ambivalence, trying to put into words her feelings.

E’vah remembers, “She told me, yes, Madison’s project was amazing.

But that was Madison’s project. What about your project?” Within a week E’vah switched gears, now leaning into poetry.

This kind of change is normal for Erin. “It’s bound to happen to three or four students every year,” Erin explains. “Kids come in looking at one thing, and then it changes. Sometimes it’s a small change — sometimes it’s an entire project shift. And those tend to be the most fun projects.”

“At first, I was collecting poems and writing a daily journal,” explains E’vah. “It was just to build confidence in my writing. But I started writing more and more, and it really helped me process a lot of the feelings I was having at the time.”

As her end project, she created Enigma — a poetry book, 113 pages, 13 sections. The collection was heavily inspired not only by poets and writers like Kwame Alexander, but also by musicians. E’vah included playlists for each section, so that they all have their own sound.

“The cover and interior are all mine.,” E’vah says.

The front cover is dotted with doodles that E’vah had designed to serve as motifs throughout the book. “There’s one of New York, which is in a bunch of my poems. The campfire appears everywhere. And the math test has the quadratic formula — an equation that can produce two answers for unsolvable problems.”

“Being vulnerable is hard,” she adds. “Sharing your work is hard. But it’s so worth it. Thanks Sunshine—you were right.”

Coloring Outside the Lines

EGIS begins with some big questions to try to guide students into their projects — questions that Nalani James ’29 found helpful to focus on what her project should be. Nalani was open to different topics and wanted to see what would grab her. “My dad is a therapist, so we talk a lot about mental health at home,” she explains. “We talk a lot about the need to be open with your feelings, to be able to communicate. And I know that’s something that young kids especially struggle with. I really wanted to learn how kids can improve their mental health.”

Through her research, she stumbled upon something that seemed like the perfect fit: creating a coloring book.

“I feel like a lot of times for kids it’s a lot easier to draw or color their feelings than to explain them,” Nalani says. “When you’re younger, the vocabulary just isn’t there. Plus, it’s something that kids have fun with.”

Nalani’s coloring book, titled Colors of Healing, included prompts for each day of the week themed around a different way of interrogating one’s emotions. For example, Mondays drew on some of the research she had done on the psychology of color to help kids draw inferences from what they’re feeling to how to express it. “Different colors tend to represent or give off different emotions,” explains Nalani. “Colors and lighting can impact mood and behavior. Really dark things, monocolor, they can all point in a direction. So you ask kids to color their feelings, and it can help to point them in the right direction.”

Erin thinks of teaching research during EGIS as a bit of a Trojan horse — smuggling research skills into a project in which kids are already invested. “Students, and everyone really, naturally want to learn more about things they are interested in,” says Erin. “So we as teachers can easily tell students, hey, if you want to learn more about, say, being a journalist, let’s find some sources for that.”

Another source of research is students’ mentors. During EGIS, each student is paired with a mentor or mentors — adults whose work or hobbies align with their project — to help them navigate the learning process. “I worked with the therapist Emily Atwell and an artist, Brian Bones,” explains Nalani. “I got to meet with them over Zoom and just getting their feedback was really helpful. Emily was really helping me get the mental health side of it and find ways to be creative, but also to encourage the mental health side. And Brian gave me a lot of advice about how to translate the images in the coloring book to capture the themes.”

Stitching It All Together

For students like Aila Carvalho ’29, selecting an EGIS topic starts in the summer before eighth grade. “The seventh grade teachers will tell you at the end of the year, think about what you’re going to do over the summer,” Aila shared. “I knew I wanted to learn something about medicine.”

“I’m around health professionals a lot. My mom, aunt and uncle all work in health-related fields.” But she still wants to carve her own path — literally. “Right now, I really want to be some kind of surgeon,” Aila explains, though she couldn’t exactly pick surgery for my EGIS

project. “I would have to learn how to do heart surgery. I can’t do that, obviously. But I could do something related.”

This is an important part of EGIS that Erin emphasizes.

“You can’t just learn about something,” Erin says. “You have to learn to do something.

There should be a product — whether that’s something you make, something you perform or something you do.”

So what did Aila do? “I learned how to suture.” Suturing is the practice of stitching together tissues, usually skin, muscle, or other soft tissues, to aid in healing after injury or surgery. While it isn’t surgery, it’s highly-related — surgeons are masters of the suture — and a fundamental medical skill used in a wide variety of settings.

“I spent an afternoon shadowing Dr. Lindsay Goodstein, who was so amazing to hang out with and learn from. We talked to patients, performed a bunch of exams. Then we spent a lot of time in her office practicing how to suture.”

Aila practiced two types of stitches: the single interrupted stitch and the running stitch. These techniques, varying in materials and thickness, are essential skills in the medical field, depending on the type and location of the wound.

While science is a clear favorite, Aila values all subjects, recognizing their role in holistic development. “I’ve always liked science — and it never really felt like it aligned with my career goals, but I like English, social studies,” she said. But watching Dr. Goodstein interact with patients, Aila saw the importance of communication skills, which are often honed through subjects like English and social studies. “It helps to keep them calmer. So practicing those skills seems important!”

Diving Into the Deep End

EGIS projects offer a rare opportunity for students to dive into topics they’re passionate about, often pushing them to reconsider their assumptions, confront challenges and develop resilience — all while instilling a sense of ownership over their learning.

In all her years helping to steward EGIS, Erin still finds it delightful to watch students realize at the end of the project just how much they had learned. “You can see the students line up at these gorgeous poster boards, maybe a little nervous,” explains Erin. “And then parents and teachers start to ask them questions, they realize: Hey, I know how to answer that. I know a lot about this, actually!”

These EGIS projects are more than the sum of their parts; they’re stepping stones to future aspirations, whether in the arts, health or any field that lies ahead. Each stitch in a suture, each page of poetry, each colored illustration represents a building block, giving students confidence to follow their passions beyond Middle School.

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QA &

LEARNING TO LEAN IN

An interview with New Director of Student Support and Wellbeing Michael Cassano

T

his year, we welcome Michael Cassano into the role of Director of Student Support and Wellbeing as part of the Fourth Century Center at AFS. Michael has been a presence as a consulting psychologist and as a parent for almost a decade. A pediatric psychologist with clinical and research experience, now Mike looks forward to working in the divisions to help cultivate resilience, independence and resourcefulness in our student body.

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What is your AFS story?

The first time I stepped on campus, it was for a student support team meeting. A Middle School student in my private practice was anxious about an overnight field trip, and I wanted to strategize ways to help them embrace the challenge with the school. During the meeting, I immediately felt the dedication to student wellbeing radiating from this campus. Mary Eno, then the consulting psychologist, and I were focusing so concretely on this child — and not just their immediate feelings, but on what’s best for their growth, their wellbeing, who they wanted to be in life. It was one of those moments where time slowed and everything suddenly made sense. This is how you do this.

At the time, my son was going through a rough stretch at daycare, and we didn’t know how to solve it. But in my heart, I thought, “Well I know exactly what we’re gonna do.”

I knew exactly where I wanted to raise my kid, and it was in this community. And then when Mary retired the next year, I applied for and stepped into her role.

Were you surprised to see yourself go from clinical practice to working in a school?

Not at all! I did most of my doctoral and postdoctoral training at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, working on grant-funded studies examining new initiatives emphasizing parent-school connection to treating conditions like attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder and other learning issues.

A lot of my research focused on how parenting influences kids’ ability to regulate emotion. At Widener University, I designed and ran training clinics where we would provide free therapy to residents of Chester; I learned a lot about program development. Even going back to undergrad and earlier, I wanted to be a high school chemistry teacher!

What is the job of the director of student support and wellbeing?

There are two halves to my answer. One half is: Kids struggle for a lot of different reasons. And my role is positioning myself to help by preventing issues, intervening when necessary or finding resources. Responding to needs as they arise, and rallying around student challenge and hardship.

The other half is about positive psychology. Can we do better than “there isn’t a problem right now.” AFS is a place where you learn about who you are, what values you want to live your life by, how do you do that with intentionality and purpose? When people hear about student wellbeing in the context of school, it’s usually about coping skills. It should be that, too. But those skills are never things we master, they’re muscles that grow stronger with use. I’m thinking about things like social emotional learning and building curricular threads that run all the way from Lower and Middle School through graduation. I think its critical that we create places for our community to learn about topics like anxiety, like independence, like social media and technology.

What are some of those ideas that you are excited to tackle?

I’m excited to look at the social emotional learning curriculum. A lot of my professional experience is in working with students who struggle with executive functioning and there’s a lot of lessons to be learned from that. Research suggests that kids who are more familiar with emotional language tend to show better emotion regulation in early childhood and beyond. It helps to know how to speak to your direct emotional experience when all the identity development work begins in Middle School.

“ Executive functioning skills help us plan, focus, remember instructions and manage multiple tasks in our academic, professional and personal lives. Time management, self-control, flexibility and prioritization all play important parts in helping us organize our thoughts, make decisions, control our impulses and stay on track, even when things get challenging.”

That common language seems important.

Culturally, we have some trouble with definitions. Anxiety, for example — is it harmful?

Important? How do we all get on the same page?

In a clinical setting, a lot of the early phase of any evidencebased treatment is a graduate-level crash course on all of these terms. That’s always valuable, because it helps families understand it and think about these terms in a more neurologically accurate way. But it also busts myths. In the anxiety example, you might start with: Is anxiety good or bad? Well, the answer is, it depends on the circumstances.

And this is where my background helps me to navigate some of these problems together with teachers, with students, with parents — to provide a common framework around all these shared questions. When should we push into discomfort?

When should we lean into a challenge? Just because we have anxiety doesn’t mean we don’t push. Sometimes it means we actually need to. We just have to figure out when and how.

You work at AFS, but you’re also an AFS parent.

Does that give you any unique vantage point into student wellbeing?

It does let me see firsthand what kind of education we provide here. We’re a “work hard, play hard” family — and capitalize play. That is sacred time. My kids and I love to explore the woods nearby and national parks, hiking, climbing and running. And really, that’s my motto. Let’s not overcomplicate it. We want to have meaningful work to do and make personal connections with one another. So on the weekend we’re silly and playful. And during the week, we get to work, put our heads together and feel grateful for being a part of the AFS community!

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CLASS NOTES 1969

NANCY “BART” BARTO HEMMERICH ’69 Early May I drove up to South Bristol, ME, to check out Laura Conkey’s ’69 new digs. She has a cozy home on a little peninsula along the Damariscotta River, surrounded by birds she loves observing. Late June my husband and I embarked on a 540-mile bike tour of Bavaria’s Romantic Road, continuing south into Switzerland, up over a high pass and ending in Switzerland near Italy. We lucked out with the weather which enabled us to enjoy all the gorgeous scenery and super cute old towns. Late August I managed to meet up with Robin Becker ’69 who was about to embark on a trip to France to study French.

LAURA CONKEY ’69 And my big news this year is that I will be a grandmother! My daughter is due in late May, and I’ll give more information when he shows up.

Otherwise I am doing well here in midcoast Maine, involved with a local land trust and enjoying walks in the woods and the estuary, with lots of bird watching.

1970

MEGAN STAFFEL ’70 Though I was never fond of Mary Helen Bickley, I believe she gave us a good foundation in the craft of writing, one which served me well as I moved away from research papers to explore the wilder landscape of fiction. In October 2024, my third novel, sixth book of fiction will be published. It's called The Causative Factor.

1972

TERRY DUNKLEBERGER ’72 u Kathy Lanning Saporito ’72 and I attended the Rolling Stones concert at Lincoln Financial Field on June 11. It was a 70th birthday celebration for me!

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1974

Members of the Class of 1974 recently returned to campus for their 50-year reunion. Among the last few graduating classes for whom AFS was an all-girls school, the alumni were excited to see the vast changes on campus and to share memories of their time here.

Head of School Rich Nourie welcomed the group and led them on a tour of the school’s newest facilities, including the Muller Auditorium, Berman Athletics Center, Faulkner Library and the Lower School playground. Fun fact: When they were in Lower School, their classes were held in the short stable building near our Meetinghouse!

JILL BERGER ’74 I remember that transitioning into Upper School at AFS was challenging, but I found peace and solace in the classroom of then-art teacher Grace Duer. Grace was a fantastic teacher. Looking back, she remains at the heart of all that I’ve accomplished — my passion for arts and my career in advertising and event planning.

1976

2007

LEEANNE REBIC HAY ’76 I was honored to be selected and present a TEDxTalk at the Villanova University TEDx conference in March. My topic “Spit Happens: How I lost identity and gained empathy from a DNA test” (available on YouTube) was based on my book NPE* A STORY GUIDE FOR UNEXPECTED DNA DISCOVERIES. The talk focused on the actual definition of empathy and how it is a connective span from encountering a trauma to finding resilience.

JULIA HOYLE ’07 A year after purchasing our vineyard, Lahoma Vineyards, overlooking Seneca Lake, Kelby Russell and I are releasing the first vintage of wines under the Apollo's Praise label. Our wines will be available through our Wine & Glee Club and select stores in NY, NJ, PA, IL, CA and the DC Metro area. If you are abroad, small amounts will be making their way to the UK and Sweden as well, so keep an eye out. As always, feel free to reach out if you are in the Finger Lakes area!

1979

2011

KEITH GLADDEN ’79 It has been just over a year since the passing of my classmate and dear friend, Jon Rubin. Jon and I had stayed in touch ever since our first meeting in the halls of AFS for the start of the 1976-77 school year. We had emailed, and visited and called each other throughout the years. Jon and his family welcomed me into their home and into their lives.

PAYNE VERMILLION (MCMILLAN) ’11 Payne Vermillion (McMillan) ’11 and Quinn Vermillion were married in Lancaster, PA, April 6, 2024.

All of this was possible due to the acceptance and camaraderie fostered by the staff and the students of AFS. Attending AFS and having Jon as a friend have been two of the most impactful events of my life. I deeply miss you, my friend.

1990

RACHEL DAVID ’90 I am writing from Pendle Hill where I am finishing a 10-week residency program, called Spring Term.

2003

JESSICA ROSENBERG ’03 u I’m so honored to share that a book I co-authored was released March 2024. For Times Such as These: A Radical’s Guide to the Jewish Year is an introduction to Jewish seasons and holidays, offering spiritual practices and holiday rituals rooted in movements for racial justice, decolonization, feminism and queer and trans liberation.

Buy the book and find events here: www.fortimessuchasthesebook.com/

L-R: Marc London ’11, Daniel Schiano ’11, Payne Vermillion ’11, Quinn Vermillion, Harry Mazariego (Russell) ’11, Susanna Meyer ’11

2013

ALEXANDRA (NUZHDIN) HERSSENS ’13 u I just got married in New York City to Alec Herssens. We are both thrilled and grateful to embark on this new journey together. As I reflect on my time at AFS, I am reminded of the friendships and connections that have been such an important part of my life. It feels only right to share this special milestone with all of you who have shared in my journey and a huge thank you to Sophia Got.

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2015

BEN FORMAN ’15 The holistic values and perspectives AFS instilled in me have followed me throughout my personal and professional life so far. After graduating AFS, I was part of the first graduating class of Community, Youth, and Education majors at Clark University ’19, which further pushed me towards a career that promotes social and environmental equity. Now, I work for the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, a non-profit dedicated to decarbonizing the built environment with an emphasis on bringing renewable energy solutions to disadvantaged communities.

I believe it is the support, growth and education I experienced at AFS that has shaped this path I am grateful to be on.

2017

DOUG WATFORD ’17 Some members of the 320th graduating class recently got together to celebrate the April 8th solar eclipse. This trip has been many years in the making and finally came to fruition. This informal reunion weekend consisted of good food, plenty of laughs and recalling many of our favorite AFS memories. We experienced the total solar eclipse from Wapakoneta, Ohio, at the Armstrong Air and Space Museum. A big thanks to Jordan Burkey for sparking our interest in astronomy, and we can’t wait to see where the next solar eclipse takes us!

L-R: Isaiah McNair ’17, Will Durbin ’17, Dariush Sosnowski ’17, Lou Platt ’17, Doug Watford ’17, and Noah Rosenfeld ’17

2019

BEHIND-THE-SCENES AT KIMBERLY AKIMBO A group of students took a trip to New York to receive a set tour of the Broadway production of Kimberly Akimbo. In addition to meeting many of the actors and technicians, students and faculty met with alumna Kate Wellhofer ’16, who was the assistant stage manager for the musical. She began her stage managing journey while she was a ninth grader at AFS.

34 oak leaves winter 2025

TRENT MILLER ’19 I’m currently in my first year of my MFA in narrative film directing at UCLA. I’ve had the opportunity to meet and work with filmmakers from all across the world who have shared their unique experiences and perspectives that have broadened mine. We are in the middle of our spring quarter and I am prepping to direct my first narrative short film here.

Could not be more excited!

2020

FRANKIE NAPOLI ’20 Frankie Napoli ’20 as part of Temple University’s team earned a gold medal and four additional awards (including Gardening for the Greater Good Award) at the 2024 Philadelphia Flower Show. Frankie cultivated the trees and plants used in the exhibit. He also helped design and install the “natural garden” at the front of the exhibit, the watershed and part of the community garden.

IN MEMORIAM JANE GREENSMITH LOWE ’48 Jane Greensmith Lowe, 93, passed away on March 18, 2024, after a short illness at her Montpelier, VT, home surrounded by members of her family. Born in Philadelphia on Sept. 27, 1930, to Mary (Mellon) and James Henry Greensmith, Jane attended and graduated from Abington Friends School, where a fond memory was playing field hockey against Grace Kelly (who was to become Princess Grace of Monaco). Jane attended Syracuse University, where she met and married William B. Lowe of Longmeadow, MA, in 1950. Immediately after graduation in 1952, they moved to Montpelier where they raised seven children and were both to remain until their passing.

DAGMAR STRANDBERG HAMILTON ’50 Professor. Lawyer. Friend. Dag was born in Philadelphia on Jan. 10, 1932, to Eric Strandberg and Anna Sjostrom Strandberg. She attended Abington Friends School, then Swarthmore College. She received her JD at American University in Washington, D.C., in 1961, and worked on poll tax cases across the American South as an attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the US Justice Department.

As a professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, she was known for holding her students to a high standard and for lacing her public policy classes with real-world anecdotes. She was passionately supportive of her students, writing long and thorough recommendations and fiercely advocating for them if needed. She also mentored many younger faculty members and was committed to adding more women to the faculty.

NEAL ROBIN GOREN ’75 Neal Robin Goren, born on March 3, 1957, in Philadelphia, died peacefully in the early morning of Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, at his home in Houston, TX, surrounded by his loving wife, Kerry Lewis Goren, and devoted children, daughter, Kyra Goren, and son, Chasen Goren. Neal is the son of the late Dora and Herman Goren of Philadelphia.

CARON OLIVIERI (LUKENS) ’78 From Faye S. Olivieri P’78 Caron passed away on Feb. 1, 2024. She was born in Philadelphia; spent most of her adult years in Delaware and died in King of Prussia at the Arden Courts Memory Care Center. After graduating from AFS, Caron attended Harcum College. She was married and had three children and two grandchildren. Caron had a variety of careers, but her real passion was family and community service. She was awarded “Volunteer of the Year” from Harcum College.

Caron died of a rare disease caused by a mutation of the VCP gene which can lead to FrontoTemporal Dementia. After 11 years of decline, she can finally rest in peace.

MICHAEL MORRIS ’88 Michael passed away on March 12, 2024, the beloved husband of Janine Morris and father of Ethan and Owen.

A fierce advocate for and member of the Boy Scouts of America, Michael was committed to making the world a better place, one den at a time. May his memory be a blessing to his family and friends.

JACK PLATT P’17 Jack Platt peacefully passed away on March 9, 2024.

He was the devoted husband of Andrea (née Feldman) and the cherished father of Kevin, Cameron and Louis.

Jack dedicated 50 years to his career as a CPA, proudly establishing his own firm in 1980. He lived life to the fullest, finding immense joy with his sons, his unwavering support for the Phillies, and his commitment to the Arava Institute. Jack was known for his wisdom and humility, and he will be fondly remembered by all who knew him.

FRANCIS ANTHONY “FRANK” ROHLFING JR. Francis Anthony “Frank” Rohlfing Jr., 67, of Norristown passed away on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, at his home.

Born on Jan. 23, 1957, in Drexel Hill, he was the son of Frank A. Rohlfing Sr. and Kay (Klauder) Rohlfing. Frank enjoyed watching and attending Phillies games, piecing together puzzles and winning competitive card games.

But most of all, Frank cherished the time he was able to spend with his family. Frank is survived by his loving sister, Mary Kay Napoli P’20; brother-in-law, Rob Napoli; niece, Kat Napoli; and nephews, R.J. Napoli and Frankie Napoli ’20.

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END NOTE The Joy of Breaking Things

BY JOHN RISON As Chief Technology Officer at Abington Friends School, I’m fortunate to witness moments of curiosity and ingenuity almost every day. It’s a role that allows me to introduce students to technologies they may one day use to change the world — or, at the very least, to discover more about themselves. And I genuinely enjoy playing and experimenting with new technology, to see how it emerges from nowhere to dominate our conversations and classrooms — even if it doesn’t always proceed as planned.

Take this story, for example. One day, one of our students approached me with a request: He wanted to borrow one of the school’s drones. His fascination with drones was evident — not just in his words but in the way his hands mimicked the flight path of one, carving invisible loops and dives through the air as he described what he hoped to try.

There was something so earnest in his curiosity that I couldn’t refuse, not that I ever would — that’s what they’re here for, after all. I handed him one of our models, giving him a quick rundown of how to use it safely. He nodded intently, gripping the controller with an eager determination and darted out of my office, already lost in his plans.

For the next week, the hum of daily tasks pushed the interaction to the back of my mind. But then he came back, his steps slower, his shoulders slumped. He lingered by the door,

36 oak leaves winter 2025

clutching a plastic bag that hung awkwardly in his hand. He placed the bag on my desk with care, as though its contents were fragile. Inside were the mangled remains of the drone.

Its propellers were bent, its frame cracked. The damage told a story of its own. A steep dive. A sharp impact. Maybe a tumble through unforgiving branches.

He stood there, his face flushed with embarrassment as he started to explain. Looking at the shattered pieces, I could tell why he was embarrassed. Surely this drone cost something and had to be replaced. His eyes asked: Aren’t you angry? But anger was nowhere near my emotions. The wreckage on my desk wasn’t just a mistake; it was evidence of a willingness to take risks. This was the result of experimentation, of curiosity, of a young mind testing boundaries to understand not just what the drone could do, but what he could do with it.

This was exactly what we hope for as educators — not perfection, but discovery. The drone hadn’t just been flown; it had been tested. The pieces of that drone represented a moment of genuine learning, the kind that doesn’t always fit neatly into lesson plans. After reassuring him that accidents happen, I started looking up replacement parts for the drone.

(Turns out, drones are hard to rebuild!) But in truth, nothing about this moment needed fixing. Sometimes, breaking things is exactly how we learn to build something better.