THE ALLEN-STEVENSON SCHOOL
SPRING 2013
LAMPLIGHTER
THE ALLEN-STEVENSON SCHOOL
LEADERSHIP 2012-2013 BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Ronald S. Rolfe ‘60, President Thomas H. Lister, Vice President and Treasurer Joshua Harris, Vice President and Assistant Treasurer Lisa Pagliaro Selz, Secretary David R. Trower h’95, Headmaster Dana B. Cowin Alexander G. Gellert ‘79 Mark I. Greene Peter B. Kellner ‘84 Michael S. Klein David H. Koch Daniel Lascano Paul A. Leff Pablo G. Legorreta Amanda D. Lister* Dang T. Phan Amy L. Robbins Alexander Roepers Suellyn Preston Scull Daniel H. Stern Alexandra Wallace Simon D. Wasserberger ‘85* Leonard A. Wilf Shiuan Wu * member ex officio
TRUSTEES EMERITI Mildred J. Berendsen Marian R. Bicks Jane Phillips Donaldson Richard N. Foster D. Ross Hamilton Susan B. Hirschhorn Karen T. Hughes John R. Hupper ‘40 E. William Judson Robert J. Katz George A. Kellner Robert Liberman ‘58 Peter deF. Millard Richard C. Perry ‘70 Joe L. Roby Andrew P. Steffan
ALUMNI COUNCIL
Simon D. Wasserberger ’85, President James A. Magid ’91, Vice President Colin McCabe ’90, Vice President Christopher Persley ’88, Vice President
Ian Adler ’87 Theodore D. Agbi ’10 Charles W. Allen ’91 Basil L. Anderson ’08 Andrew R. Arias ’92 Zach T. Axelrod ’95 Neil E. Bader ’79 Jackson Baker ’13 Anthony P. Bonan ’93 Pierre A. Bonan ’89 Robert B. Buehler ’78 Robert D. Burge ’76* Alfred P. Burger ’87 Andrew A. Burger ’59 John T. Carr III ’76 Erik A. Cliette ’81 Brooke B. Connell ’86 Adam J. P. Donaldson ’05 Maurice F. Edelson ’78 Jason M. Farkas ’97 Michael Feinberg ’84 R. Vanneman Furniss ’91 Alexander G. Gellert ’79 Harlan E. Goldberg ’90 Evan R. Goldfischer ’81 Christopher S. Goodman ’86 Michael H. Grady ’91 Christopher J. Hallows ’87 Christopher W. Hamilton ’96 Schuyler Havens ’88 Michael W. Hedges Jr. ’77 John C. Henry Jr. ’84 Cannon Lyell Hersey ’92 John B. Hersey ’09 David W. Herzberg ’89 David R. Hirschfeld ’99 Patrick D. R. Horan ’85 Tristan Howard ’96 C. Andrew Hughes ’98 Alex A. Ingram ’03 Andrew A. Janko ’95 Jasper H. Jarecki ’12 Clinton V. P. Johnson ’79 Timothy Johnson ’04 Stephen H. Judson ’76 William H. Judson ’78 A. Reed Katz ’03 Cameron A. Koffman ’12 Kenneth LaFreniere ’90 Dean I. Landis ’78* Teddy Landis ’13 Ethan A. Leff ’11 Hale Macdonald ’13 Paul J. Mancuso ’03 Timothy C. McCabe ’94 Kenneth J. McCauley ’93 Alex Melnitzky ’02 Liam R. Millhiser ’96 Ross R. Millhiser IV ’94 Max Morris ’13 Richard C. Perry ’70* Vincent Peterson ’74
Philip N. Pilmar ’01 Roger Raines ’80 Harlan Reinhardt ’83 Marc N. Rice ’84 Ronald S. Rolfe ’60* Eric Rosas ’06 Berton Rose ’97 John Rose ’90 Louis Rose ’86* Henry J. Rosenwach ’04 Eric E. Rothstein ’81* Dean E. Sanborn ’61 Alessandro M. Santoro ’07 Bradley Saveth ’04 Matthew Schnitzer ’13 Randolph R. A. Schrade ’76 Yoshiki Shimada ’75 Alexander B. Shipper ’02 Denton A. Smith ’94 Wesley Stanton ’92 Jake Taub ’12 Khalid A. Taylor ’10 Michael Tiedemann ’86 Andrew W. Vogelstein ’81 Noel E. Volpe ’85 Alexander von Furstenberg ’85 Mark Wasserberger ’82 Matthew Wayland ’13 Michael Weiss ’02 Dewey S. Wigod ’77 Hans L. Wydler ’81 Clifton G. York ’78 Andrew E. Zimmerman ’00 Thomas Zipser ’99 *president emeritus
PARENTS ASSOCIATION
Amanda Lister, President Heather Khazaneh, Vice President Vivian Queen, Treasurer Paula Simmons, Corresponding Secretary Samantha Marvin, Communications Secretary Linda Barnett, Advisory Constance Cornish, Advisory Suzanne Freind, Advisory Cristina Roig Morris, Advisory Alix O’Mara, Advisory Lisa Pagliaro Selz, Advisory Shiuan Wu, Advisory
ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM
David R. Trower h’95, Headmaster Susan Etess, Lower School Head Kimberly Kyte, Middle School Head Neal Kamsler, Upper School Head Richard Alifano, Director, P.E. and Athletics Winnie Barnes, Coordinator for Learning and Planning Casper Caldarola, Director of Communications; Co-director Community Life + Diversity Michelle Demko, Music Department Head Ronnie R. Jankoff, Director of Admissions Glenn Lieberman, Director of Technology Anne Russo Meyer, Director of Learning Resources Mary Richter, Director of Development C. Harris Stein, Business Manager
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THE ALLEN-STEVENSON SCHOOL MAGAzINE SPRING 2013
Table of Contents Director of Communications CASPER CALDAROLA
Associate Director of Communications
SARAH WOODS
Contributing Writers
JOANNE CIUCCIO JUDI COHEN BILLy DRANSFIELD LINDSEy FURNARy ANTHONy kAPP SARAH kRESBERG AMANDA LISTER CAROL MAHIDA ROBERT McCALLUM JEAN McCAULEy ANNE MEyER SUE MOON HARUkA MORI SAMARA SPIELBERG DAVID R. TROWER H’95
Editors
JEAN McCAULEy MARy RICHTER
Photographers
NANCy MITCHELL AL PEREIRA LISA MELONI RAGUSA SAMARA SPIELBERG
Headmaster’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Around A-S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 In and Out of the Classroom Ice Skating
International Festival The Mikado
Spring Benefit Team Sports
Cover Story: Resources at Allen-Stevenson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Stop. Collaborate. Listen.
Beyond the Four Walls of the Tisch Library Media Center Alligator Soup
MakerBots Redesign Learning and Spark Imagination Rising Up to Make a Change Affinity Groups
Parent Education
Alumni Networking Events
Alumni Events and News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Did You Know? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Cover photo of some of the boys who traveled to Costa Rica, taken by Samara Spielberg. Please read the story on page 5. The Allen-Stevenson School admits students of any race, color, religion, nationality, or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, or sexual orientation in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, employment policies, financial aid program, or any other programs administered by the School.
The Lamplighter is published biannually by The Allen-Stevenson School and is sent free-of-charge to alumni, parents, and other friends of the School.
Printed on paper containing 20% post-consumer recycled content.
HEADMASTER’S Message At some point I plan to write an article in which I explain why I believe that my experience driving a New York City taxi was one of the most useful experiences I have ever had as preparation for being a Headmaster. This surprises most people, including me! Of course, when I was driving a taxi, I had no clue where my professional career might lead. Nevertheless, today I often am aware that moments in that cab developed valuable skills I still use today—especially confidence, knowledge, enthusiasm, resilience, and respect for all. This issue of our Lamplighter is filled with articles about such opportunities. These experiences educate beyond the classroom and outside the formal curriculum. They add value to what a student learns in the classroom. Boys don’t necessarily grasp quite what they are learning in the moment. However, if they’re lucky, these opportunities inspire and engage them as active learners. Often they give a broader context or a vital reason for more formal learning. Today there is much consideration of skills our students will need in their adult lives. At the very least, I hope that Allen-Stevenson will enhance in its boys the traits of Curiosity and Confidence. I have been reading a fascinating book called Raising Global IQ: Preparing Our Students for a Shrinking Planet by Professor Carl F. Hobert. Using more C’s, Hobert identifies the elements of Global IQ as follows: • • • • •
Whether the boys learn to be creative cooks, comprehend a new digital language, travel to another country to immerse themselves in a different culture, or learn to be compassionate with students from diverse backgrounds, I believe that such skills and traits are insights that grow from reflection about experience. An elementary school like Allen-Stevenson can lay the foundation for such learning by offering a variety of robust, vigorous experiences where such skills and traits can be developed and practiced. Allen-Stevenson’s Mission Statement speaks to many of these themes. However, I like its conclusion best, because it sums up what we’re trying to do after all. It states, “Ultimately, we encourage boys to move through life strongly and rightly—with confidence, knowledge, enthusiasm, resilience, and respect for all.” That statement is another way of evoking all those C’s and also gives you a peek into some of the skills I learned driving a taxi that prepared me to be Headmaster. Thanks to all who have prepared the wonderful articles in this Lamplighter. Please enjoy this special issue. Fortiter et Recte!
Communication (in other languages) Comprehension (of other languages and cultures) Compromise (in conflicts created by difficulties in communication and comprehension) Compassion (service to others) Creativity (pursuing a new architecture of educational transformation)
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around A-S ORNITHOLOGIST JOHN FITzPATRICk SPEAkS TO FIFTH GRADE "What’s cool about birds?" Mr. Fitzpatrick asked the boys at an Assembly on Wednesday, January 30. All hands went up and answers were immediately forthcoming. "They have sharp claws." "They can fly." "They can see in UV." "They have feathers." "Their bones are hollow."
Alex Exposito and Miles Krieger ’21 create a water filter
FIRST GRADE WATER CONSERVATION STUDy First grade boys have been studying water conservation with Jennifer Vermont-Davis, Lower School Science Teacher, and Alex Exposito, Art Teacher. As part of the study, each boy kept a diary for an entire day, tracking how many gallons of water his entire household used. The different uses included: flushing the toilet, taking showers, taking baths, running the dishwasher, washing hands, brushing teeth, and using the washing machine. The class compiled its results and established which was the biggest water-hogging activity. The boys went on to design posters with tips on how to conserve water by showing ways to reduce the amount of water used for each activity. Continuing on with the study, the boys looked at the many ways to make water clean enough to drink, discussing methods to do this such as treating water with chemicals, boiling water, or filtering water. The boys then explored filter materials and designed water filters to see what made their water cleaner. Using three different filter materials, a screen, cotton, and sand and gravel, the boys worked with a partner and designed and built different pipes (tubing) made from corrugated cardboard lined with plastic. The boys observed and compared the performances of the filter materials used to filter their "contaminated" water. Three criteria were used for judging the water filters: 1) how well the filter removed floating particles from the contaminated water; 2) how well the filter removed color contamination from the water; and 3) how quickly the water moved through the filter. Testing the structure of the tubing was also part of the experiment. The testing process was very exciting! Some boys had success with their filters, witnessing the water running clear as it exited the pipe. (Even slightly cloudy water was considered a success!) Unfortunately, several pipes sprang leaks during testing, due to faulty construction, which provided yet another great learning opportunity. 4
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Passing around the foot of a pelican, which interestingly has four webbed toes, unlike most birds, which have three webbed toes with one toe separate, Mr. John Fitzpatrick of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology began to share what his work as an ornithologist entails. At his Lab, scientists study birds to: help learn more about nature, gauge environmental change, better understand global annual cycles, and learn about Nature's Voice. Mr. Fitzpatrick talked about the extinction of a huge number of bird species globally. By studying what happened to cause these birds to disappear scientists can begin to make suggestions for changes around the world. For example, on Maui in Hawaii a particular area of land ideal for bird habitation was turned into a Reserve to help to create a safe place for birds to settle. He then asked the boys to describe their image of a scientist. "Lab John Fitzpatrick describes bird features coats, test tubes, and smart" were some of the answers. Not surprisingly, the boys were fascinated when Mr. Fitzpatrick showed a video clip of some scientists studying the Birds of Paradise in New Guinea out in the wild exploring the birds’ natural habitat and behavior. These were not scientists in lab coats in a research lab pouring over petri dishes and test tubes as many boys imagined. Mr. Fitzpatrick described the research he has been conducting on the Florida Scrub Jay over many years. This bird is going extinct and by studying it in its natural environment, Mr. Fitzpatrick has discovered that fire cycles are very important to the bird's continued existence. When forest fires are allowed to burn naturally and the land to recover on its own, something happens that creates a more suitable environment in which the Scrub Jay can survive.
In and out of the classroom A TRIP TO COSTA RICA
On March 16, fifteen Allen-Stevenson eighth and ninth graders, along with four chaperones, set off to Costa Rica for a week-long Spanish immersion, service learning trip. This is the first time such an experience has been organized for Allen-Stevenson students. For the first five days, the boys lived with host families in La Heredia, a suburb outside of San José, and each day traveled to La Carpio to work with Gail Nystrom and the Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation. La Carpio is home to 34,000 Nicaraguan immigrants who fled a violent revolution in search of a safe place to raise their families. In addition to the community service, the group visited a coffee plantation, used their Spanish and bargaining skills in a market in San José, took a cooking class where they learned to make patacones, and went on a walking tour of La Heredia. On the final two days of the trip, they headed to La Fortuna, home to the Arenal Volcano, where they stayed in a resort and relaxed in natural hot springs. As a thrilling end to the trip, they zip-lined through the rainforest above breathtaking gorges and cascading waterfalls.
The energy was palpable as it buzzed through the air. It
was the second day of our journey to Costa Rica and the
boys had just spent the first night with their host families.
Screams across the bus could be heard, “My señora is awesome!” “My host sister took us shopping yesterday!” “Look at this feast we had last night!” This is what language
learning is about: connections, stepping outside your comfort zone, and experiencing different cultures.
The first day of service learning in La Carpio was one of those
life-changing moments. At first the boys, as well as the chaper-
The entire group
Alex Mercurio ’14 with one of the children
ones, were in complete shock. Our senses were overwhelmed like never before. Between the smells, the muddy water and garbage running down the streets, seeing little children wandering on their own, and the hot sun, we were stunned. Stunned into silence. But as we entered one of the day care centers where we would be volunteering, everything changed. We were amazed to find ourselves surrounded by happy, energetic children. Maybe they didn’t have clean clothing or hadn’t eaten a proper meal in days, but they were immeasurably happy. We immediately let our guards down.
Throughout our service week, we collaborated on many projects to help fulfill the Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation’s strategy for La Carpio: La Carpio
Green, La Carpio Healthy and La Carpio Happy. We made bottle gardens to bring some plant life into the neighborhood, we taught the children to germinate
seeds, we painted houses that were covered in soot from a fire, and we painted murals to brighten up the drab surroundings. We cemented a floor in a home so the dust from the dirt floors would no longer be a health concern. We helped pave an entire cement road in the hot sun. On the last day in La Carpio, we
cooked and served lunch to the kids, divided and distributed donations in the school, and went door-to-door handing out hygiene kits. No matter what project we decided to do, we put our hearts into it.
Every day that we returned to La Carpio, we felt more connected to the people and the community, but most of all the children. We were thrilled to invite 38 four-year-old children to the zoo. It was their first time ever leaving La Carpio. Upon seeing an iguana, one child screamed with amazement, “¡Es un
dinosaurio!” An Allen-Stevenson boy took him by the hand and brought him over to the plaque describing the iguana. Behind him, another boy skipped along
with two children singing zip-a-dee-doo-daa. Next to them, another boy bent down to tie a child’s shoe and another pretended to be a monkey as the children
giggled with happiness. Then they reached a big open lawn and everyone, Allen-Stevenson boys and La Carpio children alike, sprinted at full speed with excitement in their eyes. The boys, without any help from the chaperones, rallied the children, sat them in a circle and taught them “pato, pato, ganso (duck, duck, goose).” Fatima, one of the women that fled Nicaragua to La Carpio, clutched her hands to her heart and with an elated smile said, “This is the best group of volunteers we’ve ever had. They connect with the children because they are still children. What a special day…for all of us.” We couldn’t agree more. L
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Ice Skating The second time was the charm for the
annual Parents Association Ice Skating Party, which took place on Tuesday, February 12.
The event, which was rescheduled from late
January due to bad weather, was a big hit
with the boys, their adult companions and
A-S faculty! With a starry night and fresh air, over 472 attendees came out to skate, eat
and socialize. Two raffles were held in con-
nection with the event - Charlie DeMarco ’21 won the early bird raffle - a gift card to
Modell's. At the event, Eric Bader '82 (parent of Theo Bader '21) won the mini i-Pad!
New this year, skating coaches were on hand to assist first time skaters.
Many parents donated towards our
delicious catered desserts ranging from brownies to donuts, which
made the party all the sweeter.
Each grade was given a chance to
skate together to a dedicated song.
The kindergarten class skated to
"Gummy Bear." The first and sec-
ond graders skated to "Moves Like
Jagger." The third and fourth
graders skated to "Gangnam Style." The fifth through ninth
graders skated to "Don't
Stop the Party," and the
hockey team skated to "We
Will Rock You."
Thanks to our chairs, Karine Boorady, Marianne
Hegenbart, and Cynthia Wasserberger, and our
wonderful community for making it such a great night!
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International Festival Allen-Stevenson welcomed over 725 parents and children at the Parents
Association's 2013 International Festival. Upon entering the building, the children
grabbed their passports and visited more than 25 countries. They dug for treasure
in Israel, learned about Vikings in Norway,
created Carnevale masks in Italy, played
soccer in Brazil, designed Olympic medals in Greece, shook it Gangnam style in
Korea, built pyramids in Egypt, received
henna tattoos in India, grooved to Reggae in Jamaica, and even made their own ID tags.
There was also an abundance of entertainment in the Assembly Hall - the Argentine
Tango, Chinese Lion Dance, Japanese Soh Daiko Drums and Mexican Dance were
performed in front of an enthusiastic audience. And if all that entertainment whet
their appetite, the Dining Room was filled with foods from many different countries
and no one went home hungry.
“While the International Festival is
designed to showcase the wonderful cul-
tural diversity of the Allen-Stevenson community, it also brings out the best of our
community in terms of its generosity, cre-
ativity and sense of fun,” Amanda Lister, PA President.
Under the incredible leadership of event
chairs Amy Gould, Kelly Hensley, Kim
Many and Catherine Smith, 100 volunteers
– some of whom were Upper School boys -
made the 2013 International Festival a very memorable event.
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around A-S Boys from the Fifth through the Ninth Grades
performed Gilbert & Sullivan’s hugely popular The Mikado at Allen-Stevenson. From the
chorus of schoolgirls and the “gentlemen of
Japan” to Mr. Duncan as a splendid Mikado, the acting and singing in the show were
superb. The three little maids, consisting of Trevor Jensen, Harrison Ringel and Richard
Hausman, giggled their way into our hearts. Gabo Perez as Ko-Ko plotted and schemed artfully with Nanki-Poo, played by Erik
Rosenblum. Bravely stepping in at the last
minute for two of the leads, Pablo Legorreta as Pooh-Bah and Alexander Gellert as Pish-
Tush ensured that the show went on. Katisha, played by Andrew Gellert, looked ferocious.
A big and rewarding undertaking, the boys
did a wonderful job and great fun was had by all. Thank you to the many who helped to make it such an entertaining production.
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The Mikado
Spring Benefit Overlooking the glorious
New York skyline from
the Mandarin Oriental,
the Allen-Stevenson community gathered on
Monday, April 8, for its
“A-S Taste of Italy” Spring Benefit. Thank you to the over 500 members of the Allen-Stevenson community who supported and came out for the event. This food lover’s dream was curated by parent
and Editor-in-Chief at Food & Wine, Dana Cowin, who invited some
of New York’s top Italian chefs to share a sampling of a few of their
Event Chairs Kate Peck, Roxanne Palin and Mindy Feinberg
amazing creations.
Tasting stations included: Al Fiori - Chef PJ Calapa; Bottega del Vino
and Serafina Wine Tasting Bar; Bridgewater Chocolate; City Crab and Seafood Company – Chef Michael Siry; Corsino – Chef Jason Denton; Eataly – Chef Mario Batali; The Four Seasons Restaurant – Julian Niccolini; GROM Gelato; Il Ristorante Rosi – Chef Cesare Casella;
Locanda Verde – Chef della Cucina Ron Rosselli; The Meatball Shop – Chef Daniel Holzman; Serafina Restaurant – Vittorio Assaf; Sfoglia – Chef John Carr; and Sullivan Street Bakery – Chef Jim Lahey.
Chris Gillespie
Special thanks to all of our Benefit volunteers, especially event
chairs Mindy Feinberg, Roxanne Palin and Kate Peck, PA President Amanda Lister, and Scholarship Fund Chairs Julie and Larry
Bernstein. Thank you to the Wine Grab Chairs, Elizabeth Fallon,
Fredda Goldberg and Kate Forge Krieger, the Coaster Grab Chairs,
Ellen Cohen and Nina Shapiro, and Volunteer Chair Patricia Gillespie. Entertainment provided by current A-S dad Chris Gillespie and his
Trio, straight from Bemelmans Bar at the Carlyle Hotel, was equally
appreciated and created the perfect mood in this spectacular setting. The event raised over $400,000 and the proceeds will benefit the
Francis Bellows Allen Scholarship Fund that provides approximately $1.8 million in scholarship aid to over 60 students annually.
Leslie Blauner and Dana Cowin
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around A-S FALL AND WINTER UPPER SCHOOL TEAM UPDATE
VARSITY SOCCER
VARSITy SOCCER Hurricane Sandy cut the season short, and the team posted a record of 5-1-1. This was a very talented team. The team started league play with a hard fought battle against St. Bernard’s. League wins over Dalton and Trinity and a 1-1 tie with Buckley put them in contention for a league championship. The team finished their non-league schedule with wins over Fieldston, Riverdale, and Green Vale. We had a strong group of talented soccer players this season, and we are fortunate to return six starters for next year’s squad. JV VARSITY SOCCER
JV SOCCER The team demonstrated a great attitude and the ability to work together as a team on the field. They learned how to develop and organize plays and practiced ball control and ball skills. Every student participated and contributed to a great environment in every practice. Engagement and fair play are important principles for all of the JV Soccer players, and this team made the Allen-Stevenson School proud in every moment. The team had victories against Dalton 4-1 and Green Vale 4-1. VARSITY FOOTBALL
VARSITy FOOTBALL This year’s team was different from years past. The team had only thirteen players and had to play games with 8 vs. 8. Despite the numbers the team had a great season. Boys played with a lot of enthusiasm and heart and enjoyed competing in games. The team played strong games against Fieldston, Dalton, and Green Vale. During those games the team played with a lot of courage, and they never gave up.
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Team Sports 2012-13
VARSITY BASKETBALL
VARSITy BASkETBALL Varsity Basketball had a very fine season. We had a great win over Long Island Lutheran early on. It was the consummate team effort with excellent play from several of our players. The season moved on, and we improved as individuals and as a team. Our eighth grade group did a really fine job leading the way in many games. Their supporting cast of seventh graders also did their part in creating our success. However, our leader on the court was our lone ninth grader. Thomas Goldhagen ’13 was a force to be reckoned with on the boards. His rebounding and hustle kept us in many games this season.
JV GOLD BASKETBALL
JV GOLD BASkETBALL This team was very talented, and the players developed their skills very nicely. After a devastating loss to Collegiate, the team realized that it had to make more of practice. The boys listened better and worked harder to maximize their potential. By the season's end, the boys were playing tenacious D and sharing the ball. They ran the offense, became better decision makers, executed well, finished plays, and recorded some great wins.
JV BLUE BASKETBALL
JV BLUE BASkETBALL The JV Blue Basketball Team had a great season. The boys developed their skills and worked hard during each practice. The boys executed plays well, played strong defense, and improved each day. Each game was very competitive, and the team played well together. The result was a team that was excited to come to practice, played hard during games, developed their skills, and had fun.
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6TH GRADE FOOTBALL The team had a wonderful season. It was unfortunate that they were only able to play one game due to the weather. Weather also played a factor by limiting the number of practices. However, when we practiced the boys worked hard and made terrific progress with their technique and understanding of the game. In our only game against Green Vale the boys played well, winning 6-0. We look forward to the boys continuing to play football again next year on our varsity team. 6TH GRADE SOCCER This year's program challenged the boys to become better soccer players through teamwork, responsibility, and dedication. They showed great sportsmanship and perseverance in tough situations. Although we did not have a winning season, we truly believe the boys have become better soccer players, but more importantly, better team players. 6TH GRADE BASkETBALL The program was comprised of 24 boys. The boys were split into two teams, Blue and Gold, to play throughout the season. The Blue team won both of its games against St. Bernard's. Playing at home, A-S Blue had an incredible one point victory at the buzzer beating St. Bernard's 15-14. The Gold team started the season playing in a tournament at St. Bernard's. The Gold team went undefeated in the tournament, beating St. Bernard's (twice), The School at Columbia, and Buckley. Our most exciting game at the tournament was when Hoppy M. took a corner shot at the buzzer to grant A-S victory over Buckley by one point. 5TH AND 6TH GRADE WRESTLING The team had a very successful season. The boys learned technique, as well as the fundamentals of wrestling. The boys developed a passion for the sport and appreciated the hard work it takes to step onto the mat and compete. The team competed in an in-house wrestling tournament, having the chance to put its skills to the test. The match was very successful and gave the boys the opportunity to learn about scoring, match procedure, and teamwork.
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VARSITy HOCkEy The team finished the year with a record of two wins, seven losses and a tie. While we lost seven games, five of those losses were by two goals or less and, with the exception of two games, we were in every game. As a young team, we struggled like most young teams with our consistency and maturity. We look forward to next season with our returning and new players.
VARSITy WRESTLING The team's motto was "Steel Sharpens Steel." The team used this motto to help motivate and encourage each wrestler to do his very best. This year the team had ten brand new wrestlers and knew that it had its work cut out for it. Each match was a challenge that had wins and losses. The King of the Ring match was the team’s biggest success. The team was now competing at a high level and each wrestler was getting better and better. The most important lesson taught this season was, "Your will determines your success." The boys did just that, and we look forward to having them back on the team next year.
VARSITY HOCKEY
VARSITY WRESTLING
Team Sports 2012-13
VARSITY BASEBALL
VARSITY LACROSSE
JV BASEBALL
VARSITY TRACK
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resources at allen-steVenson There are two ways of being creative. One can sing and dance. Or one can create an environment in which singers and dancers flourish. ~ William G. Bennis
Allen-Stevenson enhances and enriches its community of students, faculty, parents, and
alumni by creating an environment in which each can learn and flourish. Offering classes, activi-
ties and events that teach and engage is just the beginning; continuing these conversations and
sparking curiosity is how we inspire additional thinking and learning. On the next several pages,
there are a few examples of the breadth of the offerings. For additional examples, please visit
our website and read the News Stories that are posted throughout the year.
Beyond the Four Walls oF the tisch liBrary Media center Beyond the four walls of the A-S library is its virtual collection, filled with all the resources
that an A-S boy might need. Let’s take a look at it through the eyes of a seventh grade boy. Our fictional boy, let’s call him Steven, wakes up with a start, realizing that his research project on World War II is due today and he has not completed his bibliography. He logs into
Noodletools, a bibliography creation tool provided by the A-S Library and notices that Ms.
Storch, his librarian, has commented on one of his citations. He makes a change to that citation, adds one final source and generates a perfectly formatted printed bibliography to
attach to his paper. While he is online, he remembers that his friend recommended the
book Maze Runner to him. Curious to see if the A-S Library has the book, he visits the library catalog. He sees that we have it but that it is checked out, so Steven logs into his library account and puts a hold on the book so that he will get it next.
Riding the subway to school from Brooklyn, Steven passes the time listening to The House of the Scorpion, an audio book that he downloaded onto his iPod from the library’s digital audio collection via an app called Catalist.
continued on next page
The library’s electronic offerings are not just for the older boys. Pebble Go is perfect for boys in Grades K2. The simple text has a read aloud option, and short video clips and educational games reinforce the information. Another popular database for boys up through fifth grade is BrainPOP, which provides animated educational videos and quizzes in both English and Spanish. Additionally, both Britannica and World Book have sections for young students with bright, easy-to-use interfaces.
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stop. collaBorate. listen. The Learning Resource Center is not only a resource for students. It is a place where teachers can explore ideas and learn about
new teaching methods, as well as collaborate on new teaching methods and pedagogy.
If you ask my daughter what “collaboration” is all about, she
wouldn’t miss a beat before breaking into Vanilla Ice’s iconic early 90s rap, Ice Ice Baby. In the interest of full-disclosure, I wasn’t
even sure who Vanilla Ice was when I broached the topic of collab-
oration with my 20-something daughter, but she enlightened me
that the opening lyrics to his only famous song are “stop, collabo-
Searching for books on the Library iPad
In history class, Steven is starting to learn about the American
Civil Rights era. Before he can select a topic for his presentation he needs to read some background information, so he immedi-
ately goes to the E-Reference section on the A-S Library webpage.
He pulls up articles from both Encyclopeadia Britannica and World Book. While he is reading the Britannica article he notices a link called The Web’s Best Sites. Although Steven’s librarians have taught him how to evaluate a website, he knows that finding
authoritative websites can be time consuming and he is pleased
to have found some good options so easily. He clicks through and finds some fascinating information, including primary source art-
work, from the National Museum of American History.
At the end of the day, Steven drops into the library to check out a book to read for pleasure. Entering the Tisch Library Media
Center he sees a poster promoting the latest book in James
Patterson’s Maximum Ride series. Because this is a high demand book, the print copies are already checked out. Steven happily
borrows a Kindle with the book pre-loaded, knowing that if he finishes quickly he can read some of the other books that the librarians have downloaded onto the Kindle. To add some variety he checks out a recent issue of ESPN before he leaves.
Back at home, Steven launches into his new research project. He goes back to the E-Reference collection to see what he can find on his topic using the Gale’s United States History in Context
database, as well as the New York Times Historical Newspapers database. Using the library’s online catalog he also finds an EBook called The Civil Rights Movement by Jennifer Joline Anderson and he settles down to take notes. Sarah kresberg, Library Director
rate, and listen.”
I was struck by the insightful juxtaposition of words captured in
that lyric. Stop. Collaborate. Listen. This is the unique order of
operations that makes a collaborative learning session impactful.
In a time when distractions abound, it can be a challenge to get a group of people together to really, pause, share, and respond to
each other. But, arguably, this is the process by which some of the best ideas and discoveries come to fruition.
Collaborative learning is an umbrella for a variety of educational approaches that involve joint intellectual effort on the part of a group of learners. In the school setting, collaborative learning
environments include students, teachers or both. Most collabora-
tion involves the exploration or application of material rather than
rote presentation or lecturing. In the field of education collaborative learning is tied together by several very significant assumptions about learners and the learning process:
1. Learning is an active, constructive process 2. Learning depends on rich contexts 3. Learners are diverse
4. Learning is inherently a social activity Although the members of Allen-Stevenson’s Learning Resource
Center (LRC) have met on a weekly basis for years, this year, our
LRC group has been highly intentional about cultivating collaborative environments and making the most of collaborative learning scenarios.
Much of the focus of these sessions has been the topic of execu-
tive functions and their impact on learning for our students. New research on executive functions has expanded definitions and
evolved the way we believe that executive functions impact chil-
dren’s perceptions, emotions, intellectual function and behavior.
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resources at allen-steVenson Stop. Collaborate. Listen. continued from previous page
As a group, we recognized this research but did not have a
individual expertise to build collective know-how.
findings.
given way to insights that will enlighten our inter-
place or a group with whom we could discuss the newest
Armed with a belief in the power of collaborative thinking,
the team in the Learning Resource Center at Allen-Stevenson
sought appropriate partners to discuss and explore executive functions further. We have teamed up with a number of
independent learning specialists around New York City, with
vention strategies and approach as we work
towards becoming better teachers for our students. What’s particularly interesting about this is that
the collaborative dynamic from which the mem-
bers of our LRC staff find themselves growing is
whom we often collaborate on behalf of our students in
emblematic of the collaborative dynamic for which
mer, we collectively agreed to review the new research and
the LRC. Students and faculty at Allen-Stevenson
order to explore and study the new research. This past sumnow, with the school year underway, the group meets on a
Allen-Stevenson’s students and faculty come to
use the LRC as a place to talk through real-world
Eighth graders collaborating for debates
weekly basis to stop, collaborate, and listen. We discuss
problems and explore new ideas. In our school
with each other, and we strategize the best ways to appro-
resource: a place where students and faculty stop,
what we have learned on our own, we share our experiences priately apply our learning to the students with whom we
community, the Learning Center serves as
collaborate, and listen in their efforts to meet a
work.
challenge, overcome a hurdle, or break through a
The group is inherently diverse – composed of Learning
collaborative learning with outside partners, we
consultants and a Behavioral Science PhD student. Since
resource.
of the age of the students that we teach or because of the
Anne Meyer, Director of the Learning Resource
Specialists from Allen-Stevenson as well as outside learning each of us works in slightly different areas – either because subject in which we specialize – each member of the collaborative team brings something unique and interesting to the mix. Through case studies, we are leveraging each other’s
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The time spent putting our heads together has
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barrier. With all members of the LRC engaged in
are strengthening the collective power of our LRC
Center, along with Judi Cohen, Learning Resource
Specialist
allliGator soup
Spy vs. Spy is exciting to boys because they get to explore the world of espi-
Alligator soup, alligator soup,
outfit themselves for their secret roles as spies. They make instruments that
onage and investigation. Rob McCallum has the boys combine art and science to
If I don’t get some I think I’m gonna droop.
allow them to spy around corners; sunglasses that give them views of what’s
But don’t give away my alligator soup.
secret documents. The intrigue continues as the boys study finger printing,
Give away my hockey stick, give away my hoop,
going on behind them; and boxes that have hidden compartments for hiding
~ Dennis Lee
invisible writing, and other spying activities.
Alligator Pie, Toronto, Macmillan, 1974.
Dazzling Sciences is broken down into three classes: Dazzling Discoveries, one
for kindergartners and one for first and second graders, and Dazzling Machines
Tracking clues as a spy, hammering wings onto a wooden
for third and fourth graders. All are interactive, hands-on programs.
in town…can all be found at School, after school.
gravity, and other science-related activities from their everyday lives. First and
Allen-Stevenson’s after school program, Alligator Soup, is an
fossils, speed and impact, and other scientific principles. Third and fourth
want to participate in its many activities; parents want their
how things work. They build mechanical, electrical, and robotic creations while
plane, scoring a goal, and cooking some of the best scones
essential part of community life at the School. Students
sons to be happily and productively engaged after school;
teachers appreciate the opportunity to teach a course they
love to a small group of boys; and the School likes having stu-
Kindergartners experiment with light, magnets, chemical reactions, electricity,
second graders step it up with investigations of wild weather, simple explosions, graders take it up another notch to do what boys love to do best: finding out
learning how to use electrical circuits, switches, gears, motors, sound and light
sensors.
dents and teachers enjoy the classrooms for more of the day. Finding out what happens when food ingredients are measured, poured, Classes are offered in three different sessions each year:
fall, winter, and spring. Many classes appear session after
session, year after year because the boys never tire of them:
woodworking, Karate, tennis, chess, Spy vs. Spy, Dazzling
chopped, and stirred captures boys’ imaginations and appetites. Kindergartners create unusual delights in their Delicious Dishes cooking classes. Using plastic knives, they peel, slice, and chop to make a refreshing and tasty Avocado and Cucumber Salsa. Careful measuring and stirring result in scrumptious Dried
Cherry Scones. The beautiful colors of the salsa and the wonderful smells of
Sciences, soccer, flag football, lacrosse, baseball, and basket- baking scones entice these chefs to taste their creations. ball. Yet, Alligator Soup stays on top of new ideas whether
in the visual or performing arts, technology, or athletic activ- Alligator Soup is a place boys want to be because they can experience activities ities to keep the program fresh and energized. This year, we beyond the school day designed specifically for them. What a treat to particialso added an Extended Day program, which can be attend-
pate in the excitement of creating, of discovering, of teamwork, of friendships,
ed after or instead of Alligator Soup. Boys start their home-
of accomplishments.
late pick up. It has proven to be a great help to working par-
Jean McCauley
work, read, build, create, draw, and play while they await ents, and a place where play dates can happen as well.
Spy class
After School Director
A performace of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
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resources at allen-steVenson MakerBots redesiGn learninG and spark iMaGination Unique newcomers have arrived in the Advanced Computer Lab and with them, a flurry of questions and observations from boys in all divisions:
"What are those things? 3D Printers?”
“Do they use ink?"
"How do they work?"
"What material do they use?"
"So it's kind of like a hot glue gun." "Can I print something?"
"Can we print my design now? Tomorrow??"
"Cool!!!"
While 3D printers are relatively new to mainstream digital fabrica-
tion technology, they are by no means a new type of technology.
Engineers design things for digital fabrication that many could not live without, from mechanical components to prosthetic limbs.
However, 3D printers, like the MakerBot Replicators at A-S, provide
the capability to produce rather than purchase and allow students to “engage in the technical, conceptual, and aesthetic aspects of
Computer design for 3D project
designing” (http://curriculum.makerbot.com/). Need an iPhone
case? Lost the cap for your water bottle? How about the cover for
the battery compartment on your Xbox or remote control? Design
and print! You can now be your own manufacturer! Create, make, recreate! 3D printers make production possible in places without
access to markets, such as remote areas of the world or outer
space.
This revolutionary and disruptive technology (disruptive technology
describes innovation that allows things to be done in new and unexpected ways) will be as common as desktop printing in the not too distant future, but the effects are likely to be more dramatic than
the move from the printing press to desktop printing, since 3D printing can have many different purposes and end results. This technology will evolve as rapidly as home computers and perhaps be as big if not bigger than the Internet. Our first generation MakerBots are
the equivalent of Apple II computers, so we can only imagine their
future capabilities. While our printers use plastic to build objects no larger than a loaf of bread layer by layer, others use different
Using the 3D printer
processes and materials such as plaster, metal, pancake batter, chocolate and even stem cells.
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To successfully use 3D printers, our students must have a basic understand-
Tinkercad team account and given a jumpstart in the basics.
think about the purpose of their inventions and to be creators, not con-
Tinkering Elective can sign up to work on 3D projects during
ing of Tinkercad 3D Design software. We strongly encourage students to
sumers. To paraphrase what one seventh grade student said at the start of our 3D Tinkering Elective, “You don’t want to end up with a lot of junk in your desk drawer. It’s better to print something useful.” The process
involved in designing and printing or “makerbotting” is imperfect, but a per-
Additionally, Upper School students who cannot join the 3D half-time. We are also offering a class in 3D printing during
Alligator Soup on Fridays: Club 3D: Imagineering.
While no one knows exactly where 3D Printing is heading, we
fect analogy for life. Patience and perseverance are required for success,
do know that it is vital to educate our students about this dis-
ing our “Wall of Fail.” This bulletin board celebrates design failures and
ing the processes and systems or simply being exposed to
and only those who take the risk of designing may receive the honor of joinflaws, along with the process of creation. As noted on the wall:
3D print creation is a process of thinking, designing, re-thinking and re-
designing. All of this happens BEFORE a print. Even after preparing a “per-
ruptive technology. With so many possibilities, understand-
some of the basic ideas is essential for our digital natives,
where much of technology is consumed in the form of enter-
tainment, gaming or social media. Here, we literally have and can create tools that can change the world. We start our
fect” 3D Design for printing, you may need to re-design again…and again....
journey in the safest of places: in a lab on the fourth floor of
Our MakerBot Replicators are first generation 3D printers. Like any first
neering and fabricating his imagination into a reality, and
generation technology, they are far from perfect and require patience. We have worked to get to a place where approximately two in five prints are
successful on the first try. We continue to work to increase that success rate. Each failure has brought us closer to an understanding of how this technology works and, therefore, closer to success.
On a higher level, 3D Design and printing is about taking chances and a
healthy detachment from outcomes. We teach this, in part, through the Engineering Design Process where we ask, imagine, plan, create and
improve in fabricating our models and our thinking.
This year, we offered 3D Tinkering as an elective in the Upper School with Ms. Ciuccio and Dr. McCallum. In the first term, students designed inter-
locking blocks and in the second, models of themselves as superheroes. 3D Design projects have been integrated into science curriculum in Grade 6
with Mr. Zufall and Grade 9 with Mr. Herschenhous. Models such as a wind
turbine and hydrofracking tower premiered at the 6th grade environmentally themed science festival. As part of their study of DNA with Mr.
Herschenhous, 9th graders are creating a DNA model of the double helix for the Upper School Science Lab, with each boy responsible for a building block of the molecular structure. Middle and Upper School boys who
express an interest in 3D Design outside of the classroom are invited to our
Allen-Stevenson, where a boy has finally succeeded in engileaves the lab, warm model just off the printer in hand, beaming, inspired and ready to do it again. Joanne Ciuccio
Technology Resource Teacher Resources 3D Design online: Tinkercad: www.tinkercad.com MakerBot’s online community for digital designs: Thingiverse: www.thingiverse.com/ Autodesk 123D Suite of software and apps for 3D design, scanning and more:http://www.123dapp.com/ For more information on MakerBot technology: http://www.makerbot.com/ For additional information about 3D Printing at AllenStevenson, contact Joanne Ciuccio, 5-9 Technology Resource Teacher at jciuccio@allen-stevenson.org.
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resources at allen-steVenson
Upper School Bake Sale
Delivering the supplies to Brooklyn
risinG up to Make a chanGe
As the supply drive pressed on, our Town Centers were bursting with
When Hurricane Sandy struck the tri-state area, Allen-
donated items. The boys captured their sentiments in a heartfelt man-
community could be of assistance to those who were still feel-
hung by the mountain of relief supplies. Words and phrases such as
Stevenson began to consider the most effective way that the ing the implications of the October storm.
ner, writing how they felt about their efforts on roll paper that was
In addition to contemplating the question “The devastation along the Jersey
Shore left me numb for weeks. However, the generosity of time, plies and assistance were in December, goods and spirt, by the A-S Allen-Stevenson began to consider the community was comforting and hidden curriculum in a disaster of this inspiring beyond words.” magnitude and what crucial lessons about
of what the most pressing needs for sup-
compassion, humility and our boys’ ability to harness their individual and collective power to uplift others lay hidden in the devastation. A three-week supply drive
Kimberly Kyte Head of Middle School
“inspired,” “proud” and “I feel like I did something” cap-
tured the tone of these efforts beautifully. As the supplies
accumulated in the Main Hallway, the visual impact of our
work as a community could be fully realized. In the words of a third grader, “That is a LOT of toothpaste!”
When it came to thoughtfully retelling the story of the
storm to the boys, we did not have to look far for people
who could speak from their hearts. For Manhattan Beach native and Allen-Stevenson Spanish Teacher, Samara
Spielberg, describing how the ferocious winds and unrelent-
yielded an enormous volume of cleaning supplies, personal
ing floods irreparably damaged her childhood home illuminated the
directly to the areas where the supplies would be distributed.
reflecting on the experience of being part of Allen-Stevenson’s
itable bake sale, raising over $2,500 in funds that were later
and devastation from having lost so many of the belongings that told
hygiene supplies and baby care items that the boys delivered
The Upper School Student Council orchestrated a highly profdonated to an organization called K.I.D.S. (Kids in Distressed
Situations). Student Government President Thomas Goldhagen said, “It was the first time the A-S Student Government has
been involved in something like this. It felt really good to help make a difference in other people’s lives.” 22
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wrath of the storm for her colleagues and students alike. When
response to Sandy, Spielberg says, “After the initial feeling of defeat the story of my childhood, I was shocked to find myself completely
inspired by the goodness of people. Out of tragedy grew countless
communities of selfless human beings coming together to help. Our
boys had to experience this for themselves. I was overwhelmingly
moved to see our boys personify thoughtfulness and generosity, those
characteristics that we continually aim to instill in them. As a pedagogue, I’ve never been prouder
than seeing our students extend themselves with such munificence. This is the kind of education that every teacher dreams of.”
The reality of the hard hit areas came full circle
for the boys on December 20. Remarkably, of the 414 boys who attend Allen-Stevenson, 106 of
them left the building and were serving the
greater New York community in the culminating
step of both Sandy relief efforts and also various
other service learning endeavors. After an inspiring All School assembly, including the powerful
reading of a poem about Sandy by Lower School boys and moving and articulate speeches given
by Middle and Upper School boys about the outcomes of these efforts, it was time for the boys
to load up the buses with the donations that they
BOCAS Movie Night
had collected and personally deliver them to the
aFFinity space at allen-steVenson: your sentences are punctuated here
reflected on the experience of service learning, it
This year’s NAIS People of Color and Student Diversity
communities who would be using them. As they
became increasingly clear that the most meaning-
Leadership Conference opened with a hearty greeting from
ful aspect of their efforts was seeing with their
conference master of ceremonies, Rodney Glasgow. In an
was no accident that “generous” was the guiding
school students, Glasgow stops and turns his attention to
own eyes the communities that remain in need. It word for our community in December as the boys
cultivated their own understanding of their ability to rise up and help others.
auditorium packed with educators, administrators and high the diverse group of high school students and says: “your
sentences are punctuated here.” What did it mean for the students who were present to hear that? What would it
mean for Allen-Stevenson boys to have a safe place where they can come together to support and empower each
Lindsey Furnary
other? Where when they walk through the door there is an
Third Grade Teacher
implicit understanding of their common experiences as boys of color in this community.
At Allen-Stevenson, our affinity space is designed with the
intention of existing as a community within a community for individuals who share similar experiences, interests and beliefs. In the Middle School, Boys of Color at Allen-
Stevenson (BOCAS) meet every Friday during lunch. Led by Haruka Mori and Sue Moon, there is a core group of boys who attend these meetings regularly. The Upper School
BOCAS group is led by Carol Mahida. BOCAS is a student-
driven group that arose out of their need to come together
to explore, celebrate, and affirm their personal and collective
identities, and deepen their sense of belonging to the AllenStevenson community as people of color. During this time,
boys are empowered to confidently initiate and participate in
Working together
thoughtful dialog on the topic of racial issues.
continued on the following page
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resources at allen-steVenson Affininity Groups continued from previous page The Middle School Exploration of Cultural Heritage
and Origins (ECHO) meets weekly as well. The group
meets under the leadership of Stephen Warner and
Lindsey Furnary. Boys who are interested in the topics
of race, religion, gender and class but who do not con-
sider themselves a person of color attend ECHO. ECHO is also a space for boys to share their cultural traditions. In the Upper School, we recently formed an ECHO group which is led by Steve Cohen and Stephen
Warner. The boys in this group are currently exploring issues of race and class, especially as it relates to their
experiences as adolescent boys at Allen-Stevenson. It
Bill Konigsberg ‘86 started off his day at a meeting with parents
to ask questions in the hope that they are able to look
parent education
A long-term goal that the faculty who facilitate ECHO
It may be that the first time I ever consciously thought about “par-
pating boys will establish their foundation for being an
on curriculum night not to help with math homework saying, “You’ll
is our hope that boys will be able to do this freely and at these complex issues from multiple perspectives.
have established for these groups is that the particianti-racist ally.
ent education” was when my son’s 3rd grade teacher implored us all only confuse them. We don’t do it the same way anymore.” While we may not need to be reintroduced to long division, there is a lot
The affinity work that is being done at Allen-Stevenson
to learn about raising our boys, and it is only amplified by our rapid-
our community. Allen-Stevenson is a school that has a
actively engages in the education of parents, a supporting pillar of
is constantly evolving to reflect the changing nature of tradition of nurturing the specific learning, social and emotional needs of boys. Providing a space where
their sentences about their identity as boys of color
and anti-racists are punctuated is one avenue that we are pursuing to equip them to participate strongly and rightly in the global community.
Lindsey Furnary, Third Grade Teacher Carol Mahida, Seventh Grade Teacher Sue Moon, Fourth Grade Teacher Haruka Mori, Fourth Grade Teacher, Co-Director of Community Life + Diversity
ly changing society, economy and environment. Allen-Stevenson
the education of their sons, and this includes programming sponsored by the Parents Association.
Each year, the PA engages one or more outside speakers. Typically,
one of these speakers comes in conjunction with a faculty’s professional development program. In recent years, these speakers have
included health and sexuality consultant, Judith Steinhart, and childrearing expert, Ron Taffel. This year author Priscilla Gilman spoke
about her personal journey in working through both the literal and
emotional labyrinths of raising a child with special needs, but
reminded us of some of the greater truths in parenting: the need to know your own child, trust your parental insight, and learn how to be an effective advocate for your child when necessary. Last year,
the PA also arranged a screening of The Race to Nowhere and held
breakout sessions to discuss the film and implications of excess
stress on students. In March, the PA sponsored a parents’ discussion with author Bill Konigsberg ’86 before he began his day with the boys in the Middle and Upper Schools where he addressed
issues of being an upstander (as opposed to a bystander) within a
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group and coming to know and reveal his own sexuality, respectively.
This provided interested parents with the opportunity to have an
informed discussion of these important, but potentially confusing topics at home.
The PA also sponsors speakers from within Allen-Stevenson. In
recent years, Winnie Barnes and Ben Neulander introduced us to the new academic schedule, specialists from the Learning Resource
Center de-mystified the standardized testing process and our librarians helped us choose the right book at the right time for our devel-
oping readers. One of the areas of primary focus for the Community
Life + Diversity Group has been to bring together the Allen-Stevenson
community and to allow us to learn from one another in the forum of Parent Chats.
The ever-changing world of technology is an area ripe for ongoing parent education. Historically, the PA sponsored a biannual talk about Internet safety with specialists from Children Online, who
Community Life + Diversity Chat on Race and Our Community
actively research the activity of children online – what they actually,
anonymously report to be doing online. Realizing that parents largely understood the broader threats posed by the Internet to the safety, identity, and reputation of their children, but were often not facile
with the most current mechanisms of social media or how to monitor
them, the PA turned to our in-house experts in the Allen-Stevenson Technology Department. Beginning with their program geared
toward Middle and Upper School parents last year, Adam Shecter,
Glenn Lieberman, Joanne Ciuccio and McCartney Wilkins walked us through some of the finer points of Facebook, texting and online
gaming. We discovered tagging, how to un-tag a picture and how
extensively that might or might not resolve a posting, and what concepts like “delete,” “private” and “forever” mean in the context of
PA meeting on the new schedule
social media. This year’s technology team presentation was geared
toward Lower School parents. In this rapidly changing arena, we are
fortunate to have a resource at Allen-Stevenson that is tuned into the trends in social media and workings of the latest products and applications. Instagram, ubiquitous today, wasn’t even on the agenda 12 months ago.
The agenda for the PA’s parent education program is set by the com-
munity and largely dependent upon the input and feedback received.
A piece of the program is tied into faculty’s professional development and another is devoted to technology. The remainder arises from oftasked questions of faculty and administrators or direct requests and
recommendations. A few of the topics that have been suggested and are being considered for next year include how to avoid athletic
injuries, street smarts and personal safety, understanding school
Community Life + Diversity Chat on the Social & Emotional Well Being of Your Son
finances, and new methods in long division (just kidding). Amanda Lister PA President
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iMaGininG and actinG to chanGe our World In December 2012, I was invited, along with my wife, Dr. Cindy Maguire, to participate in an international art symposium in Istanbul. The invitation came about because of the collaborative work we had been doing with boys at the Allen-Stevenson School and FellBach-Haus, a cultural center in the town of Suhareka, Kosovo. Suhareka found itself in the center of the 1999 Kosovo War sustaining major damage including wide-spread instances of ethnic cleansing. Over 90% of the homes were destroyed and virtually everyone in the community has relatives and close friends who were killed under both known and unknown circumstances. The symposium’s theme focused on art educators working in conflict and post conflict regions. Our presentation had significance for many of the delegates. We focused on the collaboration and also explained our teaching approach. Refki Gallopeni, the Director of Fellbach-Haus, spent time explaining the influence our collaboration had had on his own approach to teaching children in Kosovo. The Turkish delegates were really excited to hear our pedagogy. Too often I think we take it for granted the freedoms we have in the United States and the opportunities for engaging in democratic processes with students. At Allen-Stevenson these processes are an integral part of our everyday pedagogy. We explore and work with contemporary arts and multicultural education literature as a way to inform our practice and to bring more meaning-making into the classroom. The art processes we work with incorporate individual contemplation and expression, which is then linked to broader contemporary social issues through the arts.
Dr. Cindy Maguire with children in Kosovo
The collaboration is now going into its fourth year. Each year we introduce a new theme. In the first year we explored bridge building in the metaphorical sense. We engaged in a series of art-making projects with the idea of fostering what Dolby (2012) calls “informed empathy”—starting with the “near,” our students and ourselves, before moving out to the “far”— the communities at a distance from ourselves. Each student created a self-portrait as a way of introducing themselves to the children in the other cities before moving into creating large collaborative mural paintings depicting the cities where the students live. Participants, including local communities at each site, had the opportunity to learn more about the history, arts and culture of each city or locality, with the aim of fostering what Nussbaum refers to as “narrative imagination” or “the ability to be an intelligent reader of another person’s story,” an ability tied to being a democratic and cultivated world citizen, someone who has the potential for understanding the lives of others. Our second year focused on mapping our identities from our unique localities, and last year we embraced animation with the sixth, seventh and eighth graders participating. The animation had a significant impact on the community in Suhareka with the mayor and many from the community attending the final presentations. The animations were so successful that for 2013 Fell-Bach Haus is hosting an international animation festival. Our sixth grade boys are currently working on their animations towards this end. The Art Department at Allen-Stevenson looks forward to continuing this meaningful collaboration.
The children finishing their work
Robert McCallum Art Teacher
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resources at allen-steVenson
Alumni in Finance Networking Breakfast, October 18, 2012
aluMni council Builds platForM For proFessional netWorkinG Over the past two years, members of the Allen-Stevenson Alumni
Council have hosted a number of breakfasts geared towards strength-
ening networking opportunities between alumni. Alumni Council
President, Simon Wasserberger ’85, led the charge in 2011 by inviting a group of real estate brokers, investors and architects to his office at L&L Holding Company for breakfast and a discussion on the state of
the New York City real estate market. With more than 20 alumni in
attendance, the success of the breakfast sparked the Council to set a
goal of increasing professional networking opportunities among alumni by expanding event offerings and facilitating conversations around meaningful topics in various professional areas.
A survey of all alumni, which was conducted in 2012, bolstered the School’s knowledge of what career paths our alumni have chosen.
There are significant pockets of alumni who have made their careers in finance, law, education, entertainment, medicine, real estate,
advertising, art, and more. Encouraged by this knowledge and inspired by the success of the first real estate breakfast, the Alumni Council set out to offer meaningful opportunities for alumni to take advantage of the Allen-Stevenson network.
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Tom Zipser ’99, Vice President at G.C. Andersen Partners, hosted a breakfast for alumni in finance in October. “The event has been very good at bringing alumni together… it has gone beyond networking to create bonds between
active alumni from different classes,” he said. Larry Glassberg ’93 and John Lipman ’92 helped facilitate a discussion that touched on the impact of the Jobs Act, M&A market trends, and the impact of Cleantech. But beyond
industry talk, the breakfast connected A-S Old Boys that hadn’t previously
interacted around topics of common interest and passion.
Much like Tom, Eric Bader ’82, Founder and CEO of Mobilize, feels that
“regardless of why alumni are choosing to attend, it’s great to see multiple
generations of A-S graduates come together as professional colleagues.”
Eric facilitated the first meeting of A-S alumni in advertising, marketing,
media, digital and ad-tech in November, and is planning a second event this
spring, with the goal of uniting alumni who are interested in connecting with others who work in the same or related parts of the communication busi-
ness.
“We want people to be able to increase their lists of contacts, get exposure
to potential hires and even initiate business partnerships,” says Eric. The
spring meeting of the advertising group will be centered on mobile market-
ing, and Eric hopes future meetings will include speakers, presentations, and the opportunity for alumni to connect with current A-S parents working in
The Finance Networking Breakfast was held at G.C. Andersen Partners
the industry.
Most recently, A-S alumni realtors and architects met for a second time.
About the momentum of these types of events, Simon recalls his motivation
for organizing the group: “The big surprise has been the professional diversity of our alumni body. Part of the fun of being connected to the A-S community is the friendships with people outside my professional world like chefs,
farmers, and musicians. But there’s also great value in the industry-specific
groups. The feedback from the events has been amazing. Older, established professionals have gotten as much out of them as young job seekers.”
Anthony kapp, Director of Alumni Relations ALUMNI IN REAL ESTATE Contact Simon Wasserberger ’85 simon.wasserberger@ll-holding.com Dale Hemmerdinger ‘59 sharing his insights with young real estate professionals on March 1, 2013
ALUMNI IN ADVERTISING, MARkETING & DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS Contact Eric Bader ’82 • eabader@gmail.com ALUMNI IN FINANCE Contact Tom zipser ’99 • tomzippy@gmail.com The Alumni Council seeks alumni volunteers to host events in other
professional areas. To learn more, please contact Anthony Kapp, Director
of Alumni Relations, at akapp@allen-stevenson.org or 212-933-5240.
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English teacher, SUSAN LUkAS, welcomed her third grandson, Nigel Lukas
Phillips, born to her daughter, Carly, on December 20, 2012. This is their first
baby. “Nothing could make me happier,” said Ms. Lukas.
Nigel Lukas Phillips
Kindergarten teacher, JENNIFER McNEIL, and her husband Mark Phillips,
met in church in 2009. They were married on November 17, 2012. Jennifer's
daughter, Naomi, was very to proud serve as Maid of Honor!
Jennifer and Mark Phillips with Naomi
This fall, JESSE MONTERO, Kindergarten teacher, married Anne Lariviere in Brooklyn, NY. They exchanged vows on October 20, 2012, in front of their
family and friends. It was a beautiful day!
Anne Lariviere and Jesse Montero
Chloe Tripeau and Science Teacher, CHAP WARREN, were married on August
11, 2012, at The Coveleigh Club in Rye, NY, on the Long Island Sound. They’ve been together for just over 4 years when they married. Chap remembers, “It was an absolutely gorgeous day and we danced long into the night.”
Chloe Tripeau and Chap Warren
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PLEASE SUPPORT THE ANNUAL FUND AS GENEROUSLY AS YOU CAN BEFORE IT CLOSES ON JUNE 30TH.
< < D< ÂŽ^ < Ă… < < <A < Ă… < < < D< ÂŽ^ < Ă… < < <A < Ă… < possible. We We cannot reach our $2.5 million goal without you. EVERY GIFT MAKES A DIFFERENCE! Thank you in advance advance ffor or your support. Too mak T makee a gift, you can use the enclosed envelope or go to www.allen-stevenson.org and click, give online.
On Saturday, March 9, the Allen-Stevenson community came together to celebrate 130 years of teaching while rekindling friendships and connections with the School. During the day, alumni and their families dropped by for tours, a lively Alumni-Faculty basketball game, and one of the final rehearsals of Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Mikado. Lawrence Huang ’14, Luke Landis ’14 and Stuart Harris ’15 took alumni on tours of the school, and Ms. Vermont-Davis hosted alumni and their kids in the science lab for a chance to meet the animals while David Goldberg ’14 and Sebastian Stern ’14 facilitated a family art project.
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On Saturday evening, Marcel Deans ’91, founding principal at Victory Collegiate High School, emceed a Celebration of Teaching on behalf of the Alumni Association. The event brought together alumni from classes 1952 to 2013, as well as current and former faculty and staff, family and friends in recognition of the contributions teachers have made to the lives of Allen-Stevenson’s Old Boys over the years. One of the highlights of the evening was a video montage made by the Alumni Association and edited by Alex Lasky ’87. The video includes testimonials and stories from
alumni about their favorite teacher or most memorable (or funny) A-S moment. To view the video, visit www.allen-stevenson.org/reunion. Prior to Saturday’s festivities, the Classes of 1973, 1978, 1983, 1993, 1998, 2003 and 2008 celebrated their milestone reunions at private class parties on Friday night. The parties ranged from secluded dinners downtown, to late-night celebrations at Dorrian’s uptown. David kersey h’98 made a stop at each party, much to the delight of his former students, who enjoyed the opportunity to catch up and create a few new A-S memories.
Charlie Domash ’04 and Jamie Magid ’91 enjoy a signature “Kersey” cocktail
The evening’s Emcee, Marcel Deans ’91, with his mother (and current A-S grandparent), Laurine Deans
Chiqui Matthew ’93 with his wife, Amy Sharpe Matthew, and mom, Monica Matthew
Christopher Castagnoli ’73, Logan Fulrath, Jr. ’52, Tom Schiller ’73 and Eric Price ’73
Pamela and James Fitzsimmons ’54
Max Barnhart ’03, AJ Diederich ’03, Matthew Harb ’03, Max Brockman ’03 and Andy Katz ’03 enjoyed Saturday’s festivities after attending a larger class reunion on Friday evening at Dorrian’s in celebration of their 10th reunion
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Mr. Kamsler enjoyed catching up with Andrew Zimmerman ’00 and Mike Faherty ’98 Alex Lasky ’87 with Dane Atkinson ’89 and Nicole Mata
Wes Stanton ’92 with his wife, Natalie
Brothers Steven Handwerker ’03 and Scott Handwerker ’00 Robert Burge ’76 and Andrew Burger ’59
Nick Lamont, Maurice Edelson ’78, Van Furniss ’91, Jamie Magid ’91
Tom Schiller ’73, Mark Seibold ’73, Eric Price ’73, Christopher Castagnoli ’73 and Tom Currier ’73 celebrated their 40th Reunion at dinner on Friday night, before joining the celebration at A-S on Saturday.
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Hasani Figueroa ’10 with his mom, Nicole Adams and sister, Jordan Bembry
Toffer Grant ’88, Christopher Persley ’88 and Jesse Lawrence ’88 celebrated their 25th anniversary of graduation from A-S
James Whitlock ’63 represented his classmates with pride on the 50th anniversary of their graduation from A-S.
Cannon Hersey ’92 and Chiqui Matthew ’93
Steve Wydler ’83, Stewart Fried ’83, Caroline Berry, Matt Gorelik ’83, Harlan Reinhardt ’83, Nick Wuorenheimo ‘83, David Kersey h’98, and Jeff Bernstein ’83 enjoyed the opportunity to reconnect during their 30th reunion.
THANK YOU, TEACHER "Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." - Benjamin Franklin
Seven current faculty and staff were recognized for their years of service, in what will become an annual tradition at the Alumni Reunion of honoring those faculty and staff who reach their 25-year anniversary.
DAVID kERSEy H’98, for 43 years of service Mr. kersey has overseen the intellectual and emotional growth of hundreds and hundreds of students who will forever remember him for his tough love, his love of Massachusetts, his style and his expectations of his students to do their best on the stage, on the field or in the classroom.
ANNE RUSSO MEyER, for 37 years of service Ms. Meyer has worn several different hats at A-S and many students don't even know the role she has played in their lives – she makes sure that each boy is learning at the right pace, that he is supported with all of the tools that he needs, and that his parents understand his learning. JOE FORESTA, for 35 years of service A-S is one of the nation's most energy efficient schools thanks to Mr. Foresta, who made it his mission to learn everything that could be learned about making this new space efficient, beautiful and supportive of its students who he adores. kIMBERLy kyTE, for 32 years of service Ms. kyte’s students have benefited from her tutelage in reading, absorbed her passion of giving back to the world through community service and learned how to make amends with friends. GINNy ROWE, for 29 years of service Ms. Rowe puts her heart and soul into teaching, and every boy who has had her remembers her for her kindness and generosity, qualities that she has passed on to all of her students. MONICA MATTHEW, for 26 years of service Ms. Matthew puts love into everything she does, from creating daily menus for the boys that are healthful and appealing to students and adults to her many flourishes seen throughout the Dining Room. STEPHEN WARNER, for 25 years of service It wouldn't be overstating it to say that Mr. Warner handles conflict resolution every day with A-S’s youngest students, and as a co-head of Community, Life + Diversity for the broader school community, he helps all of us approach life's bigger conflicts with his calm and gracious demeanor. L
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ALUMNI EVENTS CALENDAR Alumni Gathering in Washington, DC Monday, May 13, 6:00pm
Stewart Fried ’83 and Steve Wydler ’83 invite alumni in the area to come together for an opportunity to reconnect with A-S. David Kersey h’98 will be there to give an update on the School.
Alumni Dodgeball Game Thursday, May 23, 6:00pm
All alumni are invited to return to the School to play a spirited game of Dodgeball. Pizza will be served.
Back to 78th Street: A Party for the Class of 2010 Monday, June 10, 6:00pm
Members of the A-S Class of 2010 and their parents are invited back to the School to reconnect with old friends and celebrate their achievements since leaving Allen-Stevenson.
New Alumni Breakfast
Wednesday, June 12, 9:45am
The Alumni Council will welcome graduates from the Classes of 2013 and 2014 as the newest members of the Alumni Association.
Upper School Closing Exercises: Jonathan Bush, Jr. ’84, speaker Wednesday, June 12, 11:00am
Jon Bush, Jr. ’84 will give the keynote address at the 2013 Closing Exercises. Registration is required for all events. To register, or for more information, please visit www.allen-stevenson.org/alumni or contact Anthony kapp, Director of Alumni Relations, at 212-933-5240 or akapp@allen-stevenson.org.
Legacy Admissions
We are delighted to note an increase of interest in Allen-Stevenson among alumni who have sons of school age.
Because of this situation, the School has developed a policy to handle Legacy Status: alumni may request an early admissions decision although Legacy Status does not mean an automatic or guaranteed acceptance.
Alumni who are interested in applying their sons for kindergarten 2014 should call the Admissions Office at 212-606-0884. 34
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alumni 2012-13
A LOOK BACK AT SOME RECENT ALUMNI EVENTS Philadelphia Luncheon with Justin klein ’62
During the Headmaster’s recent trip to Philadelphia for the NAIS conference, he had the opportunity to catch up with some good friends of A-S. Justin Klein ’62 hosted a lovely luncheon at his downtown office on February 27. From left to right: Jonathan and Janine Weller, Headmaster David Trower h’95, Justin Klein ’62 and Ingrid Herrera.
Not pictured: Bill West ’62.
Downtown Soiree kicked Off the New year with A-S
Jamie Magid ’91 and his wife, Danielle Axelrod, were gracious hosts to fifteen young alumni and their guests on January 17. The soiree was an opportunity for Allen-Stevenson’s young alumni to come together to catch up, reminisce, and renew their connection with the School.
young Alumni Day 2012
More than 35 alumni returned to A-S on November 20 for Young Alumni Day. Festivities included pizza with faculty, and a rowdy alumni basketball game in the Gym led by Billy Dransfield, Robert Wiseman, and Frank Peduto.
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alumni news
Please send Alumni News for the Lamplighter to alumni@allen-stevenson.org or call the Development Office at 212-606-0890.
Jack Salomon ’62 Shares Poetry with English Class
Jack Salomon ’62 attended his AllenStevenson 50th reunion last year and enjoyed being at the school so much that he asked if he could come back to teach poetry, one of his passions, to a class at A-S. On Friday, March 9, Peter Haarmann’s English class was the lucky beneficiary of Mr. Salomon’s poetry knowledge. He shared some of the techniques of writing poetry as well as some of his own masterpieces. Peter Haarmann said, “He entertained the boys with his engaging interpretations and with the deep love he has for this form of written expression. His repertoire included a diverse, somewhat eclectic, blend of poems replete with comical accents and varied movements.”
This is a poem Jack wrote for the boys about coming back to visit his alma mater: The Old Boy They said a Boy was coming. They said we must be good. They said we shouldn’t shame the school, and was that understood?!? They said the Boy was elderly, they said he wasn’t thin, But paunchy, gray, and spectacled, with liver-spotted skin. This Boy was once a student here, although it sounds absurd, Before there were computers, before there was Big Bird. “So don’t complain,” they said, “and please just show him some respect, eh? Be strong and upright boys. Remember, fortiter et recte!” We asked, “What kind of boy is this? One of those ancient codgers? The kind who still remembers when New York had Brooklyn Dodgers? And why’s he coming to our class, this Boy on shuffling feet? Can he be found on Facebook? Does he know how to Tweet? “He’s going to read some poetry,” they said, “so don’t just stare. But listen to him read his stuff, and do not twirl your chair. This Boy was once a student here, as you have heard us mention. So be polite or you will find yourself put on detention.” We heard him read from miles away, this man they called Old Boy. The stuff was funny, we admit, and gave us quite some joy. But mostly we just watched him, ‘cause as far as we could see, That strange Old Boy could very well some day be you or me. -- JB Salomon ’62
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1940s
Russel Patterson, Jr. ’43 (patt10019@verizon.net) writes that he still lives in New York City, and spends weekends in Vermont. He travels a lot, is still involved with organized neurosurgery, though at a much reduced intensity, and has retired from practice. He says, “Memories of AllenStevenson are fuzzy but pleasant. Wife, children, and five granddaughters are all alive and well.” Peter Lawson kennedy ’48 (pkennedy@plkennedylaw.com) would like to hear from his classmates in the Class of 1948. He says, “I get to New York City regularly and with nostalgia, find myself walking past East 78th Street. To make matters more nostalgic, a few years ago I remarried, and my bride is a former Buckley teacher. She moved up to Rhode Island where I have been living (always having a presence in NYC) since 1961 when I graduated from Columbia Law School.” Francisco yllescas-ycaza ’49 sends his greetings. Despite the fact that he only spent one year at A-S, he has fond memories of the School and teachers during the difficult post-war period. Sr. Yllescas is a journalist, and currently lives in Guayaquil, Ecuador. He had hoped to visit the School this fall, but was unable to make it.
alumni news 1950s Ted Pearson ’55
(tedpearson64@comcast.net) writes that he and his partner Russell Simbari, MD "took another magnificent trip by foot, car, train, plane, and ship - this time to Rome, Venice, Istanbul, and then various Black Sea ports. Our stay in NYC on the way back to Tucson where we now live was also fun, but all too brief because, sadly, we have lost the use of an apartment in the Big Apple, so if anybody knows a place for rent for a week or month in the summer, please let us know. We are discovering that the years in our early seventies, provided we continue to be blessed with reasonably good health, can really be a very fine time of life -- retired, foot-loose, and hopefully by now wise enough to deal smoothly with many of life's upsets. Hurray!”
1970s
He recalls many fond memories of his time at A-S, including Mr. Landis with his distinctive "Listen Lad…;" Mr. Nichols, who Kirk describes as, "a good man, always a big help to me;" Mr. Pariseau, a very tough and demanding math teacher; and "Mr. Gauger, whose memory and teachings have stayed with me all my life." He credits his advanced status when going out for high school football to his three years playing for A-S.
Portraits of Andy Warhol and Keith Haring.
Peter Sumner Walton Bellamy ’70 (peter@peterbellamy.com) is a portrait photographer who does commercial and commissioned work. He recently had a show at the Henry Gregg Gallery in Brooklyn from September 18 – October 26. The display featured an extraordinary collection of rarely seen, classical portraits of leading figures from New York’s art world, taken from 1981 to 1990.
He says, “I miss A-S and look back warmly on my time there. It was really a first class education, but equally important, I always felt it was a warm supportive, even loving place where the teachers and staff seemed genuinely glad and happy that we were there."
kirk Thompson ’73 (cavidman@yahoo.com) sends his greetings to his classmates from Los Angeles. He moved to LA in 1973 and never returned to New York. He attended USC, and coached five years of high school football after college before starting his own video production company. He has three kids, ages 28, 23 and 20.
Peter Loeb ’75 (peter@lionrockrecovery.com) is the co-founder and president of Lionrock Recovery, an online addiction treatment program. Accredited by the Joint Commission, Lionrock provides treatment by secure videoconference. Offering evening and morning program schedules to accommodate busy lives, Lionrock clients participate in treatment from the privacy of their homes. He writes asking that we all share information about this unique program with our networks, saying “I only dare ask because I lost my sister to opiate addiction two years ago, and I almost lost one of my daughters, who celebrates seven years of sobriety tomorrow. I've joined the fight against alcohol and drug addiction, a killer that affects over 22 million Americans.”
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Andrew credits the fancy part of the company's name to a combination of Mr. Suter's Latin and Mr. Schroeter's literature instruction while at A-S.
Artemis Joukowsky ’77 (artemis@joukowsky.com) premiered his film, Two Who Dared: The Sharp’s War, in schools, churches, synagogues, theaters and other venues from April 7-18, marking Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. The film tells a remarkable story of courage, documenting the lives of Reverend Waitstill Sharp and his wife Martha, as they risked their lives to help feed, shelter, and rescue thousands of refugees during the Holocaust. Artemis visited A-S on April 24 for a screening of his film and a talk with current ninth graders who studied the film for their Facing History projects.
1980s
Stewart Fried ’83 (sfried@ofwlaw.com) has joined Olsson Frank Weeda Law in Washington, DC as a principal. Stewart specializes in litigation, primarily for agricultural interests. He is hosting an A-S alumni gathering at the Watergate in May.
John Henry ’84 (jchenry21@gmail.com) was dressed in full Viking gear as he represented Norway at the Parents Association’s 2013 International Festival on February 23. The event drew more than 725 parents and children who enjoyed entertainment, food and activities that showcased the cultural diversity of the A-S community. See page 7 for more on the International Festival.
Paul Weitz ’80 (silasaxe@aol.com) has a movie out, called Admission. It stars Tina Fey and Paul Rudd, and word on the street is that David kersey h’98 has a small voiceover role to play in the film. You’ll have to watch to find out. Andrew Landis ’82 (andrew@luckydiem.com) recently celebrated the launch of his new company LuckyDiem. The company is a digital marketing platform that marries gaming with rewards and savings. LuckyDiem addresses our culture's infatuation with discounting and how it has eroded brand loyalty and profit margins alike. He says, "LuckyDiem's magic involves changing the consumer's perceived value of an incentive. Crack the code on that and a rather large industry starts to be disrupted. Wish me luck!" 38
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Phillip Utsch ’84 (utschp@gmail.com) and his wife, Leena, welcomed a son, Phoenix Gardner Utsch, on February 7, 2013, weighing in at 8lbs, 9oz with a full head of black hair like his mother. All are doing well. Phillip says, “We are thrilled!”
Oliver kramer ’86 (oliverkramer@aol.com) and his fiancée, Sarita Schueller, welcomed their daughter. Mia Delphine Kramer who was born on November 16, 2012, at 7:44am at Prentice Women's Hospital & Medical Center in Chicago. Mia weighed in at 6lbs, 11oz. Both Sarita and Baby Mia are doing great.
Bill konigsberg ’86 (bkonigsberg@gmail.com) visited A-S on March 14, and spoke to grades 6-9 during Monday Morning Meeting. Bill is a sports writer, the author of young adult books, Out of the Pocket and the soon-to-bereleased Openly Straight, and a writing professor at Arizona State University. His talk at MMM focused on bullying, his feeling different and being treated differently at A-S, and his being gay. Major Christopher Hallows ’87 (hallowschris@hotmail.com) recently returned to Afghanistan for his 12th combat tour. He writes, “This summer the family and I will be moving up to Newport, RI, where I will be attending the Naval Command and Staff College. We are looking forward to being closer to family, friends and A-S!" John kirby ’87 (johnapkirby@gmail.com) directed a film with Robbie Gemmel titled Cape Spin! An American Power Struggle. The film’s New York City premiere was held at Lincoln Center on November 13. Cape Spin! tells the surreal, fascinating, tragicomic story of the battle over America’s most controversial clean energy project.
1990s
Andrew Arias ’92 (11831arias@gmail.com) and his wife Robyn welcomed a baby boy to their family. Caleb Arias was born on November 8, 2012, at NY Hospital-Cornell Medical Center. He weighed 6 lbs and was 18.5 inches long. He's happy and healthy and Robyn is doing great.
David Lonstein ’93 and his wife Jenna have a new company called Little Circus, which specializes in children’s clothing and unique toys and gifts. Little Circus was founded as a company that seeks to find the unexpected -toys, clothing and keepsakes -- from around the world.
the Frank family of restaurants in the East Village, the fashion startup Anthem Wares and more.
With offices in Chelsea, Zac still manages to keep up the artistic pursuits that began at Allen-Stevenson under the tutelage of Mr. O'Halloran, publishing poems, art criticism and book reviews in a variety of local and national publications. He recently produced A-S’s holiday video. Bradley Friedman ’96 (bradley.friedman@skadden.com) and his wife, Danielle, joyfully welcomed a daughter, Theodora Fox Friedman, to the family in November. We extend our heartfelt congratulations!
Will Hamilton ’94 (hamiltonnyc@yahoo.com) and his wife, Heather, recently moved from Kansas City to Boston. On March 26, Chase Thompson Hamilton was born. Will says, “We have been blessed ever since.” The photo above is from a recent trip to a pumpkin patch.
Ted Grozier ’92 (grozier@gmail.com) and his wife, Kate, welcomed their daughter, Matilda Ginns Grozier on October 23, 2012. Matilda was born in Berlin.
Stuart Jankoff ’92 (stuartjankoff@hotmail.com) and his wife Samantha welcomed their son Decker Blaine Jankoff on February 12, 2013.
alumni news
zachary Adam Cohen ’95 (zac@zacdigitalagency.com) runs a boutique digital agency, ZAC Digital, that works with small and emerging businesses to design and develop sophisticated digital platforms. From the design of websites and mobile apps, to social media strategies and the production of creative campaigns, Zac's firm has worked with some of the city's best restaurants, hotels, art galleries, media brands, fashion lines and real estate brokerages. Clients include Thor Equities, Fitzroy Gallery in SoHo,
Will Schutt ’96 (wcschutt@gmail.com) has a new book available on Amazon.com. Westerly is a dazzling collection of poems haunted by familial and historical apparitions. Subtle, discerning, and restrained, the poems in Westerly probe a vast emotional geography. Will is the 2012 recipient of the prestigious Yale Series of Younger Poets award. The voices of some of Italy’s most prominent nineteenth- and twentieth-century poets are included in Schutt’s book, including Giacomo Leopardi, Alda Merini, Eugenio Montale, and Edoardo Sanguineti.
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2000s kerim Eken ’00 (kerimeken@gmail.com) started his new post as a Junior Architect at Robert A.M. Stern Architects in December. Our congratulations to him.
Evan Levey ’97 (elevey@janmgt.com) married Marissa Schaevitz on November 17, at Gotham Hall in New York. Evan is a managing partner in January Management, his family’s investment firm, while Marissa is the special events and fund-raising manager at the Bachmann-Strauss Dystonia & Parkinson Foundation. Our congratulations to them!
David Hirschfeld ’99 (david.hirschfeld@gmail.com) married Rachel Shiffrin in a Las Vegas wedding this past October. Several A-S alumni were there to celebrate. Pictured here: Micah Weiss ’99, Matt keller ’99, David Hirschfeld ’99, David Trager ’99, and Tom zipser ’99; Not pictured: Bali kumar ’99. Michael Idy ’99 (michael.idy@gmail.com) is living full time in Palm Beach and working at UBS Financial's Palm Beach office helping individuals and families with wealth preservation and financial planning. He visits Manhattan and the Hamptons during the summer months.
Andrew Hughes ’98 (c.andrewhughes@gmail.com) was married to Eliza deForest Johnson on December 1, in Hillsboro Beach. The couple met at Yale, where they both received their MBAs. Andrew is an alternative energy financial analyst with Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and he and his new wife reside in San Francisco. Jason kraus ’98 (jasonkraus@mac.com) recently married Leslie Fritz. Jason had two exhibitions this year, one at Jessica Silverman Gallery in San Francisco, and the other at Redling Fine Arts in Los Angeles. Both were reviewed by the LA Times. Our congratulations go out to Jason and Leslie.
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Taylor Watson ’99 (gtaylor.watson@gmail.com) recently left his job as an Information Specialist at Fox News, and started a position underwriting Director and Officer Liability Insurance at AIG in January.
Tom zipser ’99 (tomzippy@gmail.com) recently announced his engagement to Whitney Weiler. They will marry in the fall of 2013.
Benjy Sarlin ’00 (besarlin@gmail.com), a political reporter for Talking Points Memo and co-writer for the site's campaign blog, TPM2012, joined Will Rahn ’02, Deputy Editor of The Daily Caller, at an A-S Monday Morning Meeting in October to talk to the boys about the Presidential election. They discussed the national debt, national security, jobs, and gay marriage and then gave the boys an insider’s look at covering the presidential debates.
Etienne Vazquez ’00 (etienne.j.fazquez@gmail.com) is in the midst of recording, producing and fundraising for his band’s first full-length album. His heavy metal band, So Hideous, aims to realize their greatest achievement: the loudest, most emotionally draining symphony ever recorded.
Matthew Scharfstein ’00 (mscharfstein@gmail.com) married Alexandra Fielder Kardaras on August 5, 2012. The ceremony took place on the rooftop of the Gramercy Park Hotel. Benjy Sarlin ’00 was in attendance.
Damian VanCamp ’00 (damianvancamp@gmail.com) and his band, Blue Kid, released their first full-length album entitled Upright, Love on November 19. They recently opened for famed cabaret singer/songwriter Nellie McKay. The band is led by Lydia Benecky, and the music can be best described as a fusion of pop, rock, funk and cabaret.
Will Rahn, Jr. ’02 (will@dailycaller.com), Deputy Chief at the Daily Caller, has co-authored a book called The Lizard King: The Shocking Inside Account of Obama's True Intergalactic Ambitions By An Anonymous White House Staffer with Daily Caller Senior Editor Jamie Weinstein. This partially fictionalized account of President Obama’s origins, was released as an e-book on October 9, and describes a White House where the reality is more surreal, and comically bizarre, than anything its most fervent enemies have alleged. A. J. Diederich ’03 (andrew.j.diederich@gmail.com) is currently working on the Warner Brothers film, Winter’s Tale, as a construction production assistant. The film stars Russell Crowe, Will Smith and Colin Ferrell, and is expected to be released later this year. Benjamin Joseph ’03 (BenJoseph@FiestaFrog.com), with friends Kyle McShane and Jerry Decelian at Syracuse University, has successfully launched FiestaFrog.com, a website that automatically updates users about parties and what is going on in their area. The team won $5000 from the Raymond Von Dran IDEA Awards, the largest startup funding competition for
alumni news
college and university student entrepreneurs in New York State, and went on to win the 2012 Panasci Business Plan Competition hosted by the Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship in the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University. After successfully sharing this service with Central New York, FiestaFrog is well on its way to taking New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston and Philadelphia by storm. Jules Hamilton ’05 (jules.p.hamilton@gmail.com) is producing a new film titled The Vigilante. Jules graduated from NYU Tisch in 2012, where as a student he produced over two-dozen short films, securing over $100,000 in donations. The Vigilante is a 30-minute near future thriller about an orphan avoiding corrective brain surgery. To learn more about the film, visit www.thevigilantefilm.com.
Will Evangelakos ’08 (wking1000@gmail.com) and Theophilus Agbi ’08 (goldskyghost@yahoo.com) both continue to wrestle in college. This is a photo of them competing in a tournament at Ursinus College, PA. Will and Theo have both coached in the Grapplin' Gorillas Summer Camp.
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Elliot Frank ’08 (elliotfrank5@gmail.com) has been volunteering on Thursdays and Fridays with the A-S Middle School and Varsity Wrestling teams. Elliot wanted to give back something dear to him that A-S gave to him. Faculty member Tony D’Itri says, “he has been a valued part of the coaching staff and brings a wealth of knowledge from his time here at A-S, and his wrestling career at Suffield Academy.”
Jonathan Linen ’10 (jlinen@sps.edu) played the lead role in one of four one-act plays produced by St. Paul's School Theater Program. He played John Wilkes Booth in an adaptation of The Assassins (Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman). The play was directed by a senior as part of a series put on by the 2013 Advanced Directing Class, Look I Made a Hat! A Director's Collaborative.
2010s Alex Bartner ’10 (alexbartner@yahoo.com) was in Columbia Preparatory School's fall production of the comedy You Can't Take It With You by Moss Hart and George Kaufman. He played the character of Paul Sycamore. He also performed in the Senior Theater Project on January 16. It was a night of four hilarious and inspiring one-act plays, involving ordinary people thrown into gripping and extremely comedic situations: a boy that must fill the shoes of a hero, two strangers that finally decide to speak to each other in their therapist’s waiting room, a blind date interrupted by cell-phones, and an audition turned to chaos when an actor realizes the director wants to see real kissing in the audition scene. Most recently, Alex has been cast as the lead, Anon, in his school’s spring production of ANON(YMOUS) written by Naomi Iizuka.
Christian Lange ’10 (johnchristianlange@earthlink.net) performed from November 8-11 in Bat Boy: The Musical (book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming, music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe) at The Hotchkiss School. The musical tells the story of a half-bat, half-boy found living in a cave near the fictional town of Hope Falls, WV.
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khalid Taylor ’10 (khtaylor@packer.edu) was selected to participate in the American High School Honors Performance Series Honors Choir at Carnegie Hall, an annual event for which exceptional high school musicians from all over the globe travel to New York City to participate in a five-day program. The series, which took place in February, included two days of intensive rehearsals with a renowned conductor, and a music seminar with an industry professional, and culminated with a performance at Carnegie Hall. Khalid is currently a senior at Packer, where he sings in the Select Choir and Upper School Chorus, is active in the theater program and the Dance Concert, and is a senior class representative to the Alumni Board. Khalid and Chavannes Milcent, Jr. ’11 (chmilcent@packer.edu) also recently performed in Pullman Car Hiawatha by Thornton Wilder at The Packer Collegiate Institute. Jorge Colmenares ’12 (jecolmenares@nyc.rr.com) was cast in Horace Mann’s production of Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead. He played Rosencrantz in Act 2.
alumni news
Mr. kersey visited The Lawrenceville School On January 14, David kersey h’98 and Anthony Kapp, Director of Alumni Relations, made a trip to The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey to call on seven of Allen-Stevenson's young alums. The visit created a perfect opportunity for the boys to venture off-campus for dinner at The Alchemist & Barrister in Princeton. Over dinner, kyle Rosenberg ’11, Eliott kim ’12, Julian Phillips ’12, Jackson Baker ’13, Ethan Fellows ’13, Nick Silber ’13 and James Stevenson ’13 regaled their visitors with stories of life at Lawrenceville. Each of the boys had a unique story to tell, and by the time the first round of buffalo wings arrived at the table, they had settled into reminiscences of their time in the halls of Allen-Stevenson and their transition to Lawrenceville -- lacrosse and football stories, orchestra tryouts, the blessing of having read Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet while at A-S, and having studied China and Islam with Ms. Sklow. The freshmen spoke of the easy transition they experienced going to boarding school, and the house rules that come with going to school with girls. Kyle, a junior, talked about his upcoming college search up and down the East Coast, while Julian updated the group on the most recent social news on campus. All of the boys displayed a genuine love of Lawrenceville and the experiences they are having there – a testament to the preparation they received on East 78th Street. After dessert, the boys rushed back to campus for what sounded like a busy evening of college counseling meetings, rehearsals and homework.
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DID yOU kNOW? THE LAMPLIGHTER HIGHLIGHTS FACULTy AND STAFF INTERESTS OUTSIDE OF ALLEN-STEVENSON.
CHRISTOPHER ACERBO
On December 12, 2012, Chris Acerbo, Allen-Stevenson's Director of Security, performed Safety Patrol for the Blauner family, Daniel (KB) and Ben (4Mori). The Blauner Family won the Safety Patrol Teacher's Treasure at last year's Scholarship Fund Benefit. Joshua Gilbert, father of Ethan (4Moon), had the good fortune of walking safety patrol that day with Chris Acerbo. Needless to say, there were no incidents to report at the conclusion of their tour of duty.
Chris Acerbo with Joshua Gilbert
CASPER CALDAROLA
For the past three years, Casper Caldarola, Director of Communications, has created and organized a diversity conference at The Dalton School called From Diversity to Community. The goal of the conference is to help independent schools build more inclusive communities, in which all constituencies engage in supporting and valuing diversity. Racial diversity was the focus for the first two years, and this year’s focus is on shaping and sustaining safe schools for LGBTQ members. Each participating school is asked to send a “POD,” which includes two members from each of the following groups: administrators, alums, diversity coordinators, parents, teachers, trustees and students. AllenStevenson has sent a POD each year and the conference has helped create diversity initiatives at School. Author, Wes Moore, speaking at the 2012 conference
BARBARA LAkOTA
Barbara Lakota with John Bellamy, husband Michael, and Namath
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On January 26, 2013, Flute Teacher, Barbara Lakota, and her husband, Michael, attended graduation at Guiding Eyes for the Blind in Yorktown Heights, NY, where their dog, Namath, and Namath's new life partner, John Bellamy (pictured far left) graduated together as a newly formed team. Namath lived with Barbara and Michael from the time he was an 8-week-old puppy for a year and a half, during which time they taught him many basics he would need later in his role as a guide dog. Barbara and Michael then took Namath back to Guiding Eyes, where he spent the next six months in more rigorous, formal training. He was then matched with John and trained three more weeks with him on the campus of Guiding Eyes for the Blind. John lives in Alexandria, VA, has only 1% vision and works at the Pentagon. Namath is John's first guide dog and will accompany him everywhere including John's travels to the Philippines, Korea, and Japan. Often Barbara is asked, "Isn't it hard to give up a puppy you have raised and loved for a year and a half?" The answer she gives is, "Yes, but the joy and pride we feel when our dog goes on to open the world to someone who cannot see makes it all worthwhile." Certainly Namath's graduation with John is proof of that!
SAVE THE DATE: ALUMNI REUNION WEEKEND Each spring, Allen-Stevenson alumni come together to celebrate and reflect on their time at A-S. With individual class parties on Friday evening, and activities for the whole family to enjoy during the day on Saturday, Reunion Weekend is a chance to reconnect, reminisce, and form new memories that will last a lifetime.
FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 2014 – REUNION CLASS PARTIES
Private parties for the Classes of 1964, 1969, 1974, 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999, 2004, and 2009.
SATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2014 – EVENTS FOR ALL ALUMNI OPEN HOUSE, 11:00AM - 2:00PM • Student-led tours • Rehearsals of Gilbert & Sullivan Iolanthe • Alumni/Faculty basketball game • Refreshments ALL-ALUMNI REUNION DINNER/CELEBRATION, 6:00PM – 8:30PM
www.allen-stevenson.org/reunion
Visit the website to find out the name of your Reunion Class Representative. If you are interested in serving on the Reunion Planning Committee, or helping with your Class Party, contact Anthony Kapp at akapp@allen-stevenson.org.
THE ALLEN-STEVENSON SCHOOL
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NEW yORk, Ny 10075-0381
Delivering supplies to Hurricane Sandy victims.