A-Z Files 2023

A-ZFILES

A-ZFILES

2023

Selected Works for the Allen-Stevenson Archives

FILES

The Allen-Stevenson School

132 E 78th Street

New York, NY

The A-Z Files is founded in memory of Zach Levy (1985-2011), Class of 2000. All those who knew Zach came away smiling. He was warm, charismatic, and fiercely witty. He had a big heart and is remembered well for his generosity. Between his lifelong passion for writing and love of kids, he’d be happy to see this publication born in his honor. We all miss him very much.

Dedicated to David Kersey h’98 1943-2023

In May, the magic month of May, When all the buds were springing, Into my heart the burning Bright arrow of love came winging. In May, the magic month of May, When all the birds were singing, I told her of my yearning, My longing and heart-wringing.

-Im wunderschӧnen Monat Mai by Robert Schumann (Dichterliebe No. 1, 1823)

EDITORS

Kerim Eken ‘00

Jonathan Klebanoff ‘00

DESIGN

Caitlin Mulcahy Eken

A-S ADVISORS

Benjamin Neulander

Jennifer Ziplow ALUMNI

DIRECTOR

SELECTION COMMITTEE

Adam Levy ‘97

Michael Levy

Jonathan Klebanoff ‘00

Pizza

Mickey Peck ‘25

Helen Levy

Kerim Eken ‘00

Peter Haarmann

A Filigree Unicorn, AI

Finley Baker ‘25

DEDICATION FILM STILL

David Kersey - The Master Gardener

Louisa Wells

Copyright 2023 © The Allen-Stevenson School

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword Jaison Spain ‘97 pg 12

Skyline John Mermel ‘23 pg 15

David White Kersey Christine Schutt P‘94, ‘96 pg 17

The Master Gardener Louisa Wells pg 19

Life With a Blindfold Charlie Sossen ‘23 pg 22

Beach Adam Moriarty ‘23 pg 24

Sky Andreas Loucopoulos ‘23 pg 26

It Doesn’t Make Sense Andreas Loucopoulos ‘23 pg 27

King Louis’ Last Hour Connor Searcy ‘23 pg 28

Key Lime Harrison Smith ‘25 pg 30

My Twelfth Birthday Connor Searcy ‘23 pg 32

The Rocks of Meteora Atri Midha ‘24 pg 33

Personal Narrative Matthew Chung ‘24 pg 34

Island William Bugbee ‘24 pg 36

Untitled Oliver Rivlin ‘23 pg 38

The Climber Oliver Rivlin ‘23 pg 39

Guitar Jack Rosenthal ‘26 pg 41

Pizza Mickey Peck ‘25 pg 42

TED Talk Charles Sossen ‘23 pg 44

Straw Hat Silas Rivlin ‘23 pg 46

TABLE OF CONTENTS

What The Money Said to the Man Leo Zarabi ’24 pg 48

Trout Photography Henry Goodman ‘24 pg 49

The Fall John Mermel ’23 pg 50

Trout Painting Henry Goodman ‘24 pg 51

Taco Greydon Visceglia ‘25 pg 52

Untitled Oliver Rivlin ‘23 pg 54

2023 Upper Division Winning Speech Leo Zarabi ‘24 pg 55

Untitled Andreas Loucopoulos ‘23 pg 58

Founder’s Day Speech Kerim Eken ‘00 pg 59

Earthquare - Turkey 2023 Devin Oktar Yalkin ‘97 pg 66

Arcade Ceiling Gregory Stone ‘19 pg 72

Convergence Gregory Stone ‘19 pg 74

Acknowledgements pg 76

Donors pg 77

FOREWORD

Jaison Spain ‘97

Inever considered myself a “writer,” even as a musical artist, writing or co-writing songs to perform in front

of packed clubs and bars around 2006. I would always write about my personal emotions and, hopefully, one person would be able to understand and relate. It certainly helped my soul putting my thoughts on paper and then to melodies, but my words were for me, even when others were listening. I suppose my lack of confidence in the art of writing came from being around such prolific writers. Were my words even good enough? During my performing days, I encountered so many M.C.s, Poets, Wordsmiths, and other experts who put pen to paper. And then to perform such art to music! It’s intimidating but truly an amazing experience!

The fact of the matter is you must write. Learn how to put the correct combination of words into a sentence in order to get your point across. Learn how to put your emotions on paper. And that will be difficult. However, this is certainly something that you can learn at a young age. Everything you write

won’t be award-winning, but the more you practice, the better writer you will be.

This experience is what the A-Z Files is all about. Putting yourself out there. It’s amazing to read so many thought- provoking entries -- entries of all sorts.

The A-Z Files was created in memory of A-S alum Zach Levy. I knew Zach for a short time while his older brother Adam was my classmate. As A-S kids, we would go to each other’s apartments after school to play video games or go skating (in-line) in Central Park. We were all in the A-S Chorus together and would perform at the White House during Chorus trips or grace the stage in our annual Gilbert and Sullivan musicals. Zach always had a smile on his face and was one of the more popular students in his grade: a scholar, a gentleman, and absolutely a leader.

It occurred to me as I thought about all these experiences and Zach, this is what being a graduate of the Allen-Stevenson School consists of. There are in fact, nine words that coincide with how my fellow alums walk through life ever since we walked out of A-S and into the world. Generous, Studious, Thoughtful, Responsible, Respectful, Enthusiastic, Determined, Creative, and Good.

One of the things I’ve always loved about Allen-Stevenson was having so many different

groups to be a part of. It was overwhelming! My classmates and I created (and won first prize) a Science Project about Prime colors and how to blend light focused on different sides of a Styrofoam ball, I performed as a member of the Chorus with Henry Mancini and Big Bird at the tree lighting at Lincoln Center, I played the “Stars and Stripes Forever” piccolo solo with the A-S Philharmonia at Yale University, I was chosen by my 6th grade peers to recite the class speech for parents and friends at A-S Closing Exercises, and I caught a line drive in center field and threw the runner out at 2nd base. And those were just a few highlights! Being a student at Allen-Stevenson molds one to be as wellrounded as one can be. Many ways to be an A-S boy, indeed!

So, to my fellow unicorns, always put your best foot forward. Try anything and everything at least once. You never know, you might like it. Try and succeed. But first, try and fail. Put beauty into the world. Learn something new every day. Be your best self. And last but not least, write, write, write, a lot! Fortiter et Recte and Stick Em’ Corns!

Jaison Spain ‘97 - After graduating from the Conservatory of Music at SUNY-Purchase with a Bachelor’s in Studio Composition with a focus in Voice in 2005, Jaison Spain toured the country, sharing the stage with some well-known musical artists such as Talib Kweli and Idle Warship, KRS-One, Keith Murray, Action Bronson, and Kendrick Lamar. Jaison returned to A-S in 2008 and joined the Athletic and Music Departments. 16 years later, he is the General Manager of Performance Spaces, assists with the Choruses and annual Gilbert & Sullivan musical, co-facilitates the Boys of Color @ A-S Affinity group (BOCAS), is the Art/Woodshop Assistant, and assists Alumni Relations.

Skyline

John Mermel ‘23

DAVID WHITE KERSEY

Christine Schutt P‘94, ‘96

David Kersey first came to Maine with his mother, Margaret, on a visit to a Wellesley classmate of hers, 1985. There is a family-famous photo of a smiling David, quite handsome, in a boat on his way to Haskell Island. He wanted to show me what he considered a powerful state in terms of landscape and light, so that for part of the first summer we knew each other, 1991, we rented a red cabin in Down East Maine. August, 1991, Deer Isle. Without a date affixed to an event, the years run through my fingers like sand.

The red cabin was on the edge of the woods in a meadow of high grasses and shrubby plants either bedewed and sparkly in the early hours or hidden in a fog, a fog that some days never lifted. Summers can be wet in Maine but sunny high pressure days bring skies so blue it hurts to look for too long, though we did. We looked and looked into that brightness to catch sight of the ospreys high overhead making their sweet call. For ten years we rented in Deer Isle and in March of 2001 we bought a nineteenth century clapboard house that came with the name Larkspur Cottage. In June of that same year David began his perennial garden.

And what a garden he built, working all summer all day that in the early aughts began at five. He couldn’t sleep or think of much else. At night he read the summer’s garden catalogues, wore them out the way he did a paperback. He worked himself into an exhausted tearful state, endlessly making trips to the Surrey garden nursery. David Kersey! Ragged garden pants, tee-shirts, holey sweaters, Red Sox cap or old fedora, in such clothes he blithely grocery shopped or stalked the hardware store. He was regarded as an unusually eccentric summer person, a likeable man of few words, a gardener, a master gardener, an artist. On July 12, 2011, the garden was on the Blue Hill Garden Club’s garden tour. From The Castine Patriot: “. . .buzz was being given the garden at Larkspur Cottage. . . with no lawn, the garden is all terraces on a steep hillside. Tour-goers were intrigued by the garden’s design and variety.” Brick-lined peastone paths, granite steps, fieldstone shelves on the hillside. By the end of every summer David would have worked himself into an exhausted, tearful state though he knew the garden was better for his constant attentions. Then he turned his attentions so abruptly, so fully immersing himself in the new school year, as to astonish those of us who had watched him at his summer labors. What a trick! He was ready to work another kind of magic. He was thinking Shakespeare. He had ideas.

Christine Schutt is the author of six works of fiction. Her most recent novel, Pure Hollywood, is now available in paperback. More importantly, she is a past parent to Nicholas Schutt ‘94 and Will Schutt ‘96 as well as wife to David Kersey h’98

LIFE WITH A BLINDFOLD

Charlie Sossen ‘23

Darkness. This is all I see. There are no shadowsnot the sight when you force your eyes shut or turn off the lights - just nothing. The darkness is still, until the descent begins. Air rushes through my hair as I fall into the abyss of darkness. Suddenly, I hit something like a bag of bricks. Surprisingly, my body is not hurt from the impact and I stand up; finally I am able to see a lone hallway. This hallway has no turns, just a long straight-away with doors on each side and an ending point just beyond my line of sight. I wonder what is there?

I open the first door and nostalgia kicks in - it is my first birthday. I continue around the room; exactly as I remember it. My family and closest friends are there to celebrate. This is a great memory, but one small detail catches my eye. I see myself - with a blindfold on. I’m puzzled. Everything else is as I remember it - except this. I double-take to make sure my eyes were not playing tricks on me, and I softly close the door and walk across the hall.

The next room was years later, my first day at kindergarten; and I realize that these rooms are different memories of my life. This time I skip past all of the minute details of the room and focus on myself - I get frantic. Running between rooms and slamming each door, I grab my face to make sure that

there is nothing on it; but each room is the samethe blindfold. Sprinting through all of the memories, the only thing that I am able to see is the blindfold which occupies all of my attention. Finally, I arrive at the end of the hallway. There is nothing special about it as I would have previously believed - just a plain door, the same as the rest. I twist the cold, shiny handle and enter the final room. All that is in this enormous room is one weirdly shaped silver mirror. I walk up to the mirror skeptical of what lies in it - and once again, all that I see is the blindfold.

Beach

Adam Moriarty ‘23

Sky Andreas Loucopoulos ‘23

IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE

Andreas Loucopoulos ‘23

The chants and screaming frightened me. I didn’t understand why they were chanting and yelling at each other. This made me scared which made my ears hurt and when I got scared I started to think of numbers and math but I still couldn’t understand why everyone would choose to watch something that makes them so angry. It doesn’t make sense. And after a while I realized how fast people change from angry to happy which made me even more confused and I didn’t like this. It doesn’t make sense.

33,128--I counted-- people around me were wearing red and yellow on a shirt which also had a number on it so I couldn’t decide whether it was a good or bad day and this got me even more scared and when I can’t decide if it’s a good or bad day, I can’t think of anything which made me frightened and confused. It doesn’t make sense.

*This poem is from the perspective of Christopher Boon, a boy with autism, from the novel ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the night-time.’

KING LOUIS’ LAST HOUR

Connor Searcy ‘23

The people who used to be my soldiers have my arms tied behind my back. I stare into the crowd, locking eyes with some, looking for any sort of remorse in their eyes. No. All I see in them is hatred. Why would I expect anything else? I led this country to anarchy, but the crimes they convict me of are ones I did not commit. There is only one truth. They hated me as a leader, but I never broke the law, not once. I was thrown into a situation I was not prepared for, and my naivety was what made me their biggest enemy. I know it’s true. My execution was a unanimous vote.

I think of Louis XVII, sitting high and mighty on the throne. I wish he knew how they will tear him apart. I wish he knew that his new responsibilities don’t free anyone. He will never have a breath of fresh air. Maybe this is for the best. My death will liberate me for the first time in a long time but still, I cannot fathom the thought of dying. All my life, I have looked around and seen death by violence and by disease. I always thought I was better than all of them, and God would protect me from the invisible evil that controls our world. No. All of us are the same, are we not? The past few years have taught me that misfortunate doesn’t

discriminate between kings and peasants. I plead for life, hoping that the people will hear my story. “My people, all I ever wanted was to lead us to the pinnacle of Europe! I never meant for this to happen! My people, I die innocent!”

So this is how the great King Louis will fall. This is where it ends. Death stares me in my eyes. My executioner fastens me to the guillotine. Right before the blade drops to seal my demise, a thought crosses my mind. When I’m gone, will the French People -- my people -- learn to love me again? My final cry for help, my final plea, is drowned out by the cheers of the people I used to rule.

Key Lime

Harrison Smith ‘25

MY TWELFTH BIRTHDAY

Connor Searcy ‘23

I turned twelve, but Mama only got me 11 candles. I turned twelve, but a big silver balloon had the number 11 imprinted on it in big bold letters. I turned twelve, but my friends only counted up to 11. I turned twelve, but I was still 11. At least that’s what Mama said. “Mi amor, todavía tienes 11 años.” Why? Why would she lie? What was so scary about turning 12? I had been looking forward to it my entire life. The age where I could become a man, “el hombre del casa.” But seemingly that day will never come. What would be waiting for me on the other side?

The next day, a big dust cloud moved throughout town at a steady pace. Every few houses, a team of soldiers with assault rifles bigger than their bodies would jump out of the big dust cloud and they would pound on the casas de carton. When they came out, they had boys with them, crying for their mamas and screaming in terror. I waited for the moment that a team of soldiers would jump out of the dust cloud, looking for me. But that time never came. They took Miguelito, they took Alberto, and they took just about everyone in my class. But they didn’t take me. They didn’t know. They didn’t know that I was twelve years old.

The Rocks of Meteora Atri Midha ‘24

PERSONAL NARRATIVE

Matthew Chung ‘24

“Well first of all, I love Korean food,” Mrs. Kresberg said.

What?

Just these few words made my jaw drop. I have always hated the way my eyes fold in the corners. My round cheeks, and flat nose. The first day of 5th grade had not long ago started and I already started to dread the fact that once again, I had to eat the slimy, sticky white rice for dinner. Why can’t I eat pasta like everyone else? As one of the only Korean students in school, I always knew I was different and on my own.

“I love Korean food so much, I started making my own kimchi!” she proudly exclaimed. “I also really love going to Korea, and adopted my two children there. Oh and I love KPOP so much! And how could I forget to talk about KDRAMAS…”. I had been left astonished. How can someone actually enjoy anything about Korean culture, at all?

One day, when I was 4 years old I remember simply bringing in lunch at Pre-school. But this wasn’t an “ordinary” lunch. I had brought a Korean dish called kimbap. All day I had

been looking forward to it; until the second I opened my lunch box and the mountain of questions came crashing down on me. “Is that sushi? Why didn’t you eat pizza? “Ew what is that?”

Ever since then, I had known not to ever show people my meals. Whenever someone came over, I begged my mom to make pasta or another American dish so everyone would see me as just another “normal” kid.

Out of curiosity, I entered the conversation, telling her that I am Korean and knew what she was talking about. My stomach twisted. Would the hawks around the room dart towards me? I sat in anxiety and awkwardness, however nothing had happened, except for my teacher bursting with excitement.

“What is your favorite thing about Korea?” She ecstatically asked. Slowly, coming out of my shell, I respond, “I really like the food.”

Mrs. Kresberg once again started to rave on, all while a revolutionary thought - one that I had never thought before - had snuck its way into my mind. “Did I really hate Korean food, or was the bitter taste of loneliness making my tongue sit dead in my mouth?” Suddenly, I started to crave rice.

Island

William Bugbee ‘24

Untitled Oliver Rivlin ‘23

THE CLIMBER

Oliver Rivlin ‘23

Chk. Chk. Chk. it is a cold day -30 celsius. 7500 meters up where nobody else is. Chk. Chk. Chk. a feat that has never been broken. A feat that nobody has ever even accomplished. Climbing the east face of K2 and getting to the peak. Chk. Chk. Chk. A solo climber at his wits end breaking through all odds. He is barely conscious. He is basically frozen. Yet he survives and keeps going.

All of a sudden from a distance the man sees a blizzard coming his way. His mind is racing. He doesn’t know what to do. Does he get to the peak or does he climb down. The sound of his pick hitting the ice stops. He starts to think. He is thinking about why he’s doing this. He’s thinking about what if he never watched that one movie that had K2 in it. How would’ve his life ended up? He is starting to go down. Then out of nowhere he starts racing to the top. Even if there is to be an avalanche even if the blizzard caught up to him that won’t stop him from getting to the top. Chk. Chk. Chk.

He needs to travel 500 meters in 2 hours or else it will be dark, extremely cold and there might be another blizzard. Then the worst thing imaginable happens. An avalanche. He puts his pick into the ice. And holds his

ground as the avalanche falls on to him. He thinks about his friends who have died on his journey to reach this peak. Against everything he somehow manages to hold his ground during the avalanche. He just keeps going. Chk. Chk. Chk. Then the blizzard catches up. It is even colder. It gets to around -50 celsius. He keeps going anyway. He’s miraculously traveled 150 meters in only 30 minutes. He keeps going through the blizzard. Chk. Chk. Chk. In an uncanny way he is going faster and faster.

The oxygen tank breaks. He’s worried. He starts to think about what could happen, but he doesn’t have time to think. He keeps going. Chk. Chk. Chk. There it is the Peak. He is above the world now.

Jack Rosenthal ‘26

Pizza

Mickey Peck ‘25

TED TALK

Charles Sossen ‘23

¿Cuál es tu experiencia favorita durante un descanso?

Según los expertos y mi propia experiencia, para ser feliz necesitas viajar. ¿Sabías que, las personas que viajan tienen 7% más felicidad que las personas que no viajan? Aprender de otros países y conocer personas diferentes te ayuda aprender sobre el mundo. Este te da la felicidad.

Aprender una perspectiva nueva es muy importante para la felicidad porque si sabes sobre el mundo tienes más que apreciar en tu vida. Aprender un idioma no es solo aprender el idioma, es conectar con otras personas y aprender sobre su vida. Por ejemplo, cuando fuí a México, Español me ayudó comunicar a las personas allí y por eso, aprendí sobre ellos e impresioné a mis padres. Para resumir, aprender un idioma te ayuda a conectar con otras personas y eso te da perspectiva en el mundo.

Además, conociendo personas diferentes y conectando con ellos me da júbilo porque la conexión con otros humanos es especial. Según un artículo de CNN, viajar es muy especial porque las conexiones que haces en el viaje es una oportunidad de ver la vida de las personas muy diferente para tí. Concretamente,

mi experiencia favorita en el país diferente es cuando fuí al Italia y visité a mi abuela. Me encanta esta experiencia porque este viaje le hace sentir como ella es en un sueño porque siempre quiere estar “juntos”. En pocas palabras, este viaje me permitó ver la vida de mi abuela más diferente que vi antes. Por eso este me da más perspectiva sobre su vida y me ayudó aprender sobre mi vida en el proceso.

Asi qué ¡Viaja alrededor del mundo! ¡Intenta cosas nuevas! ¡Conoce y conecta a las personas nuevas! Y ¡Aprende idiomas diferentes! porque el perspectivo de conocimiento que tienes de viajar y aprendiendo te da la felicidad en tu vida.

What is your favorite experience during a break?

According to experts and my own experience, to be happy you need to travel. Did you know that people who travel are 7% more happy than people who don’t travel? Learning about other countries and meeting different people helps you learn about the world. This gives you happiness.

Learning a new perspective is very important for happiness because if you know about the world you have more to appreciate in your life. Learning a language is not just learning the language, it is connecting with other people and learning about their lives. For example,

Straw Hat

Silas Rivlin ‘23

when I went to Mexico, Spanish helped me communicate with the people there and because of that, I learned about them and impressed my parents. To summarize, learning a language helps you connect with other people and that gives you perspective on the world. Furthermore, meeting different people and connecting with them gives me joy because connecting with other humans is special. According to a CNN article, traveling is very special because the connections you make on the trip are an opportunity to see people’s lives that are very different to you. Specifically, my favorite experience in a different country is when I went to Italy and visited my grandmother. I love this experience because this trip makes her feel like she is in a dream because she always wants to be “together.” Simply put, this trip allowed me to see my grandmother’s life more differently than I ever saw before. So this one gives me more perspective on his life and it helped me learn about my life in the process.

So travel around the world! Try new things! Meet and connect with new people! And learn different languages! because the perspective of knowledge you have from traveling and learning gives you happiness in your life.

WHAT THE MONEY SAID TO THE MAN

Leo Zarabi ’24

Oh my, Oh my How I am the reason The motive for life The reason to continue.

You made me But now I make you. They say I don’t buy happiness. Then why do you want me?

You provide and provide For what? You need me But why?

Without me, you are nothing. No goal, no point. You strip me of all I have Like what the wind does to the trees in winter

You take and take Work and work, Steal, kill, manipulate and hurt Your love for me is the root of all evil.

Trout Photograph Henry Goodman ‘24

THE FALL

John Mermel ’23

I carve the top quarter mile of the trail, a small coat of snow hiding imperfections. The trail gets steeper and Waterfall gets closer. and I flatten out my skis, ready for the 15 foot drop I believe is coming and have done dozens of times before. What I don’t see is the freshly built jump at the lip. I hit it blind and shoot up ten feet. When I look down, I learn what my situation is. I’ve passed the landing for the cliff, and the ground is 30 feet below me. I land, and my right ski instantly ejects. It’s then I realize my left leg is broken.

Trout Painting

Henry Goodman ‘24

Taco Greydon Visceglia ‘25

Untitled Oliver Rivlin ‘23

2023 UPPER DIVISION WINNING SPEECH

Leo Zarabi ‘24

Dear listeners, I’m Leo Zarabi, and I’m here to talk about one of America’s most pressing issues–gun violence. The devastating impact of shootings is felt nationwide, with countless innocent lives lost daily. I am starting to feel sick and tired of our country’s and its citizens’ inaction against this problem. it’s time we must come together to address it. This subject is personal to me. A gun murdered my uncle at the hands of someone who was mentally ill and should not have had a gun. I can surely paint a picture using stats and facts which demonstrate how dire the situation currently is in America: Only in 2021 alone, there has been a shocking number: Gun Violence Archive reports indicate 43,599 incidents occurred, resulting in tragic losses spreading over 22,772 deaths and further injuring over other thousands. In addition, during the 150 days of 2023, there have been over 200 mass shootings alone.

Although we must address mental health concerns, it’s essential to recognize that addressing gun violence requires looking beyond these concerns, as several other factors contribute to the problem. Among these factors lies America’s lax laws around purchasing firearms — leading to mass shootings and homicides

across multiple states. It’s alarming how purchasing guns is easier for many Americans than obtaining their driver’s licenses. Addressing such oversights in regulations could save countless lives from preventable tragedies. Additionally, the rapid increase of illegal guns on our streets exacerbates the problem, making it more difficult for law enforcement to keep our communities safe.

Gun violence is undeniable. We cannot ignore the heart-wrenching stories of families torn apart by senseless gun violence, as it is only through empathy that we can truly address the problem.

Acknowledgment is not enough; we need action. We are all bystanders, waiting, watching, and wondering what will be next. Together, we must demand sensible gun legislation, invest in mental health resources, and tackle the root causes of violence.

To those who argue that gun ownership is a fundamental right protected by the Second Amendment, I ask that you consider the responsibility that comes with that right. Just as we have laws to regulate the ownership and use of cars, we must have laws to regulate the ownership and use of guns. It is not about taking away your rights but ensuring they are exercised safely and responsibly.

To those who argue that gun control will not solve the problem, I ask that you consider the evidence. Countries with stricter gun laws have significantly lower rates of gun violence.

Australia implemented strict gun laws in response to a mass shooting in 1996, and since then, they have not had a single mass shooting.

In conclusion, the issue of gun violence is complex and emotional, but we cannot allow ourselves to be paralyzed by fear or apathy. We must come together as a society and demand change. We must hold our leaders accountable and demand sensible gun legislation. We must invest in mental health resources and address the root causes of violence in our communities. We owe it to ourselves and the thousands, no, tens of thousands that have died in the past year. We have an opportunity, a chance, a shot to end it once and for all. Thank you.

Untitled Andreas Loucopoulos ‘23

FOUNDER’S DAY SPEECH

October 7, 2022

Kerim Eken ‘00

Good morning Gentlemen. I want to start by thanking Mr. Lyon for asking me to speak here today. I just had the pleasure of meeting with him for the first time and I am excited about the energy he is bringing to the school.

I, like you, haven’t known any other headmaster at 78th st. - I started in kindergarten at AllenStevenson. It was September 1990, which was the same time Mr. Trower started his tenure here. He was at the helm of this ship for 32 years, so as we start a new chapter in the school’s history, I want to personally thank Mr. Trower for steering this institution through numerous milestones that changed the world, the city, and the school house that we live in. I also want to thank him for being my first publisher since he chose my artwork for the school’s Christmas card in 1996. My proud mother still has the original piece and a stack of the cards stashed away.

I want to continue by thanking all the faculty, staff, parents, and students - past and present - that have made and continue to make this school the special and unique place that it is on a daily basis.

From my experience, these confines are a safe space that gives all that walk through its halls the opportunities and tools to explore and grow as an individual discovering who they are. I know

that I gained my fundamental love of learning, enthusiasm for invention, and steadfast loyalty from Allen-Stevenson. I spent 9 years of my life here, followed by 4 years of highschool, 4 years of college, then 3 years of graduate school, and now I find myself back at school again. No, not specifically here today, but as a professor of architecture.

As you can see, I have been in school for most of my life, but nowhere more than AllenStevenson.

After spending almost a decade of my life here I still use the skills I developed to pursue my passions in life. I still try to old the three A’s into my daily routine and the older I get the more I understand the importance of continually balancing academics, arts, and athletics, which all serve me well as a father, architect, and citizen.

Trips to the ice studio on Lexington started in 1st grade - not only did those sessions expose me to ice skating but it gave me self confidence and the skills to play hockey. That would lead me to Mr. Amplo, who allowed me to grow as a leader. I would become the varsity goalie for the Unicorns - on the ice I discovered how to manage other positions in front of me and how to react under pressure to critical path actions. Most importantly I learned to trust my teammates and support them as best I could, knowing that setbacks throughout a game or season were not failures but opportunities to reflect, develop and carry on.

In shop class with Mr. Wilder we learned to use our hands. The art of craft started early on, I remember one of our first projects was making a puzzle. Gluing an image onto a thin sheet of balsa wood then adhering trace paper that outlined paths for us to cut out the pieces with a jigsaw. That simple lesson of figuring out how the pieces joined together was a foundation we built upon. A couple years later I made a lamp and then a chair. My lamp was a life size Grateful Dead Bear, clearly influenced by my older sister. My chair was titled the Turkish throne - it aptly had an ottoman that folded out for extra leg support. This was my introduction to lighting and furniture design, which I still rely on today.

Like many, Mr Kersey left a lasting imprint on me. Not only did he expose me to importance and understanding of history, which I frequently reference for precedent in my work. But he gave me my first commission as a set designer - he used my Greek temple front artwork as the backdrop for our 7th grade play with Nightingale - Julius Caesar. Looking back I Don’t believe I drew the proportions of the ionic order properly - I didn’t have a huge role in the show, so Mr. Kersey cast me for two parts. Some might say the more significant character was the soothsayer who warned Caesar himself to, “beware the ides of March.”

But, for me, the more important role was the part of Lucius. For those not familiar with Shakespear’s historical Narrative, the story-

line revolves around the plotting and murdering of Julius Ceasar and the subsequent aftermath. Brutus is one of the senators that conceives of and leads the assisination - Lucius in this story is Brutus’ most devoted aid. Not only is he Brutus’ servant, but he is also his master’s loyal guard and trusted confidant. In our acclaimed 1998 rendition, Brutus was portrayed by my best friend Zachary Levy. I met Zach as a kindergartener at A-S and we were fast friends. Not only were we close during our time here but remained best friends after we left even though we went to different high schools, colleges, and went onto different careers. He pursued creative writing and I found architecture. You may say we went down different paths but we never strayed too far apart from one another. He is actually the reason I am here in front of you today. There was a period after leaving AS that I didn’t return here for a while, even though I continued to surround myself with my grade school peers - but Zach brought me back, perhaps not under the most ideal conditions.

After moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in screenwriting, Zach passed away in 2011. Zach was extremely gifted at everything he did, from a young age he excelled at the three A’s, but he never acted like he was better than anyone, even when he beat me in the oval run year after year after year. He always thought it was more fun to collectively accomplish goals, which made him a natural

born leader. His attitude and outlook made him so magnetic and the reason why everyone wanted to be his best friend. I feel lucky to have been one of those people that got caught in his orbit, even if he would sometimes lead us into good trouble.

As mentioned, I gained a lot of skills at Allen-Stevenson, but the written word has never been one of my fortes. Zach on the other hand, was a naturally gifted writer. Mr. Haarmann helped him sharpen his craft, curiosity, and control of the English language as he introduced us to creative writing in 6th grade.

After we lost Zach, a group of us wanted to honor him and naturally, since our relationship began and blossomed at Allen-Stevenson, we approached the school about establishing an award in his honor. The school has many awards that individually recognize the achievements of exceptional students here, so Mr. Kersey had a better idea, he suggested not only acknowledging a singular talent but what better way to showcase Zach’s big inclusive heart then by archiving all the amazing creative work the boys produce each year in a bounded collection, which is how we established the A-Z FIles. Most folks might think the A-Z files is a pun connecting the school’s Monogram with the alphabet, but in actuality, the Z is in remembrance of Zach. Zach never saw the publication, but he would have loved it since it is an open ended outlet that recognizes brilliance across the board. With the AZ FIles we have been able to archive

forms of self expression. It has evolved into something way bigger than the literary journal we initially conceived of. We are currently publishing our 10th edition, so please stay tuned for the newest anthology. The last decade of work has seen submissions from students, alumni, parents and faculty, and has included Photography, Illustrations, Forgein language Poems, Movies, Video Games, Mystery stories, and even sheet music to an original string quartet to name a few examples.

We could never have imagined the variety of impeccable work that would find its way into the A-Z Files. Thank you to everyone who has contributed their time and talent into making the A-Z Files part of the school’s ongoing story. Special shout-out to Mr. Haarmann whose tireless efforts helped shape it into what it has become. Even though he is no longer teaching at Allen-Stevenson, he continues to review the submissions and edits the journal with us.

Annual rituals are ways to revisit traditions - they give us time to stop, reflect, and be thankful as we continue to move forward. Founders Day is one of those great traditions at the school and I feel honored to take part in this year’s iteration. I am humbled to share my story with all of you and can’t wait to see

the amazing work all of you continue to produce for the A-Z Files. Finally, a gracious thanks to Allen-Stevenson - not only does the school allow me the opportunity to remember all the great times I had here, but it continues to provide new memorieûs in this community with my dear friend Zach by my side.

Thank you.

Kerim Eken, class of ‘00, is the co-founding architectural principal of the firm, Eken Design, an architecture and design studio. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Kean University and Pratt Institutehe attributes his love of learning to his time at Allen-Steveson. He currently lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two daughters.

Devin Yalkin ‘97 - A New Yorker currently based in Los Angeles, he is known for his cinematic black and white photography that transforms everyday moments into the sublime with a fine-art take on his documentary background.

Arcade Ceiling

Gregory Stone ‘19

Convergence Gregory Stone ‘19

Gregory Stone ’19 graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall and is now attending the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Besides his interest in the environment, Gregory continues to foster his passions for singing, writing, theater, and geography which he developed at A-S.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This year’s edition has a slightly somber toneit celebrates the life of a man who exemplified what it meant to be a scholar, a thespian, an athlete and most importantly a gentleman - everything it means to be a product of Allen-Stevenson.

The loss of Mr. Kersey will leave an irreplaceable void at the school that he filled with his exalted presence for over 50 years. We consider ourselves fortunate to have known him, as he guided multiple generations of boys on their journey to manhood.

After we lost our dear friend Zach Levy ‘00 in 2011 we approached Mr. Kersey about honoring his legacy at AllenStevenson. After we proposed starting an award in his name he suggested doing something that would acknowledge the talent at the school in a more impactful way that recognizes the collective instead of the few. We will never forget the meeting where he suggested producing a literary journal - it was the perfect confluence of the characteristics that distilled our dear friend. Not only did Zach discover his passion for writing at AllenStevenson but it was there he cemented his gregarious, vibrant, and considerate persona. Mr. Kersey was keenly aware of Zach’s development during his time as AS.

That’s how the A-Z Files took shape and we will forever be grateful for that. Thanks to Mr. Kersey we have a way to always remember Zach, and now the lion himself, each time we pick up a new edition.

DONORS

Zachary P. Levy ‘00 Memorial Fund

NOBEL SOCIETY

Michael & Helen Levy, Lawrence D. Hite, Richard & Denise Mulcahy

PULITZER CIRCLE

Zeynep Eken, Helen & Howard Freedman

PEN/FAULKNER FELLOW

Arielle & Cliff Bayer, Ayse & Necdet Bezmen, Meredith & Mason Thalheimer , Joan & Charles Blanksteen, Caitlin & Kerim Eken ‘00, Nermin Esen, Izzie Lerer, The Ken Pollak Family, Fran Lippa & Rick Rohn, Beth & Bob Sheehan, Allegra & Will Sheehan

MAN BOOKER BOARD

Josh Aghravi, Dan Friedman & Michelle Andelman, Anonymous, Virginia Volante Appel, Paul Arnhold, Berin Bezmen, Jonathan Blanksteen ‘00, Jamie & Aaron Books, Lauren & Ryan Borg, Joshua Chaffee, Anne Chellas, Ian M. Dana ‘97, Matthew Dresher, Jess Eisen, Allison Feldman, Ginevra Figg, Micheal Friedman & Lauren Fedorko, Alex Friedman, Alex Funk ‘00, Lara & Adam Gillman, Jordan Gillman, Paul

& Renee Haas, Steven Handwerker ‘03, Scott Handwerker ‘00, Debbie Cooper & Kevin Handwerker, Tim Howell, Dana, Jeff & Matt Hynick, Lauren Wood & Conor Izzett, Tim Kirby ‘00, Jon Klebanoff ‘00 & Maya Deshmukh, Susan Hirschhorn & Arthur Klebanoff, Brian Lamb, Ethan Levy, Adam Levy ‘97, Erin Levy, Jacqui & Ron Liberman, Jamie Magid ‘91, John Murray, Katie Robin, John Rosen, Rachel Rosenberg, Emily Rudman, Benjy Sarlin ‘00, Matthew Scharfstein ‘00, Kate Schlosstein, Megan & Midhat Serbagi ‘97, Dillon K. Springer ‘00, Joshua Steinberg, Christopher Stone, Deborah Forte & Peter Stone, Nicholas Tapert ‘00, Cameron Tung, Kevin VanLandingham, Melissa Wilner, Rachel & Jared Zolna

NEWBURY CLUB

Anonymous, Anonymous, Jessica Barrett, Jamie Bass, John Benedetto, Talin Bezmen, Lauren Appel & Karyn Brownson, Jordan Cerf, Katy Cheng, Tim Clinton, Susan Crile, Amy D’Annunzio, Serra Eken, Amanda & Zach Fox, Lauren Freedman, Louise & Howie Freilich, Elaine & Arthur Friedman, Claire Friedman, Mike Fung, Lindsey Goodman, Lauren & Brian Koffler, Ben Krauss, Abby Leber,

Josh Levy, McFly Levy, Ben Lewis, Sam Lichtenburg-Scanlan, Tal Madanes, Lisa Ray, Alex Rosario ‘00, Sarah RuelBergeron, Hadley Springer, Samantha Steinberg, Carter Stone, Damian VanCamp ‘00, Jas Wagstaff, Jeff Warren, Melissa & Jared Weil, Jay Woodworth & Frances Fox, Jessica Zanan

SUPPORTERS

Jonathan Aghravi, Beth Appel, Guillermo Artiles, Caitlin & Eric Bitzegaio, Ari Bornstein,David Braily, Jay Caretsky, Ben Carron Greg Cayne, Brook Cohen, Sarah Claspell, Leila Cohan-Miccio, Matt Cutler, Andrew L. Daidone, Ashley Eisenstadt, Matt Elkin ‘99, Adam Fields, Jack Germain, Pete Haarmann, Alex Ingram ‘03, Derek Jacobs, Tommy Kahn, Brian Kennedy, Alex Klein, Prescott Loveland, Andrea Lusso Matt Moskovciak, Jack Pesin ‘97, Josephine Porco, Janna Raskopf, Mike Schutzer, Becca Skolnick, Laurence Smith ‘00, Ashley Springer ‘97, Maria Sternfeld, Gilmar Valencia, Paul Welsh, Alex Whitman

THE ALLEN-STEVENSON SCHOOL