COMPLUVIUM
& REPORT OF GIVING WINTER 2022
2021-2022 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Executive Committee Alyse d’Amico, Chair Megan Popp, Vice Chair Claire Bigley, Clerk Tonya May, Treasurer Marshall W. Carter, Head of School Jaleesa Anselm Mary O’Neill Trustees Mia Bullock, Faculty Trustee Liz Caffrey, Faculty Trustee Anne DiGiovanni Edson Elie Steven Gilman Erin Graves, PTA Vice-President Sarah Hugenberger Julia Y. H. Li Margot Phelps Rebecca Rogers, PTA President Priscilla Wiltshire-Bland Amanda Yip
2021-2022 LEADERSHIP TEAM Marshall W. Carter Head of School Francis Cash Director of Finance and Operations Renée Curtin Director of Advancement Simone Miles Esteves Director of Equity and Curriculum Kathy Hanson Director of Learning and Instruction Merry Murray Meade Senior Teacher Advisor Mason Sand Director of Enrollment Management
DEAR ATRIUM COMMUNITY,
As this Compluvium arrives, we’re breathing easier and working diligently to deepen our mission of inclusive and joyful excellence at Atrium. Through such demanding years, we have thrived: adversity has spurred even greater creativity, perseverance and flexibility among our amazing teachers. Small but mighty, we are! Even as Covid moves (hopefully!) towards an endemic state, it’s unwise to declare “the end” of this era. Surely, we will preserve many of Atrium’s hard-earned pandemic innovations in learning. Hearteningly, we look forward to restoring cherished habits we’ve very nearly forgotten! Soon, Atrium students will join together to revive the happy thrum of all-school assemblies. We will warmly applaud our students’ vibrant curricular culminations, astute and heartfelt social justice presentations, and endearing miniperformances. The ever-present vigilance with which we’ve kept Covid in check will soften a bit, at last. As Head of School and Board Chair, we are so grateful for the Atrium community’s unflagging care for everyone’s health and wellbeing. This allowed school to be open all of last year, and this year too. Our students will remember this time not for what it wasn’t, but for what it joyfully was. However formidable a task it has been to keep Atrium fully in-person from 2020 to 2022, that is not the community’s only accomplishment. We’ve taken substantial long-range steps to propel our Strategic Plan. • We’ve deeply re-affirmed our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) through a professional climate study. The insights we received from the Glasgow Group continue to be valued tools in advancing our DEIJ work, and inform the continuous development of a culturally-responsive curriculum within a culture of belonging. • This year, Atrium created the new role of Director of Equity and Curriculum, and we’re thrilled to have Simone Miles Esteves leading and collaborating to focus our schoolwide DEIJ efforts.
• This winter, the leadership of the school and the Board endorsed and began implementing enhanced faculty compensation, to attract and retain an excellent and increasingly diverse faculty and staff. We’ve made it more accessible, too, for faculty and staff to enroll their own children at Atrium. • Teaching and learning here continues to be beautiful, complex, and fueled by the passions of teachers and students alike. This Compluvium’s article on the use of vivid models in the classroom wonderfully illustrates how original, progressive pedagogy thrives here. Supporters of Atrium have risen to the moment during the pandemic. We are incredibly grateful for the way the Atrium community continues to provide crucial and generous philanthropy. Last year, we far exceeded our Atrium Fund annual goal with gifts from more than 250 current parents, grandparents, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends. Significant, long-term, major gifts received in 2021 support key initiatives, and pave the way for a future endowment, a crucial step towards an Atrium that is forever financially sustainable and therefore, perpetually here for children–just as Ginny Kahn wished. Atrium School fosters intellectual curiosity, selfconfidence, and empathy so that young people may flourish as individuals and within community. As a school, we are eager to model the hard work of challenging our own institutional assumptions, and strive to do—and be—ever better. Warmly,
Marshall Carter Head of School
Alyse d’Amico P’23, ’26 Board Chair
MISSION Atrium School’s PreK–Grade 8 progressive education encourages academic curiosity, creativity, and exploration while fostering each child’s intellectual growth and promoting Excellence with Joy. Our students develop confidence in themselves and respect for others within a joyful, vibrant community of nurturing teachers, engaged parents, and enriching partnerships. Winter 2022 | Compluvium | 1
Prioritizing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice
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rom our founding, Atrium School has been a school where children are nurtured, valued, and challenged – nurtured as individual learners, valued as important members of an increasingly more diverse community, and challenged to contribute their unique talents from a foundation of academic excellence and joyful vibrant community. Today as we build on our remarkable legacy, we look forward to what our students need for their futures. The Board has made diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice (DEIJ) a top priority. Toward that goal, Atrium is committed to the values and work of DEIJ within every aspect of school life. We know that a thriving community is one that is diverse, embracing the richness of varying perspectives and leaning into the dialog that comes with difference. We have the responsibility to prepare our students for the world in which they live today as well as our hopes for the future. The Board, Marshall, and the senior administrative team are embracing this moment in our school’s story to live up to this commitment. The school recognizes that to make change, data—both quantitative and qualitative—matters. Data uncovers hidden truths and holds us accountable to our principles. To that end, in the spring of 2021 Atrium School engaged The Glasgow Group to complete a comprehensive climate study to identify and articulate priorities for our justice and equity work going forward. The climate study is an incredibly useful tool; broadly inclusive in its information-gathering and analy-
sis, the process itself created an atmosphere of respect and transparency, building trust and open discussion. The data from the study identified what is most pressing, and whose needs must be prioritized in our school. As one voice in this vital process said, “You can’t do the work unless you know what work needs doing!” Additionally last spring Atrium established a new senior administrative position, Director of Equity and Curriculum, and immediately began a comprehensive search for this role. The role of Director of Equity and Curriculum guides the DEIJ
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goals and objectives with a school-wide focus on curriculum and community. We were thrilled to welcome Simone Miles Esteves to Atrium last summer in this new position. Over the coming year under the leadership and direction of Simone, with support of the Board, the Diversity Committee, and community we will begin to unpack the work ahead. Our first steps are to Understand; Assess; Structure. SIMONE MILES ESTEVES joined Atrium School this year as Director of Equity and Curriculum. She studied at UMass Boston and Harvard Graduate School of Education. She began her school career as history teacher and Dean of Family Support at Boston Preparatory Charter School. Following a stint at UP Academy as Teacher Leader and Assistant Dean of Students, Simone spent eight years at Buckingham Browne & Nichols School in varied leadership and teaching roles, including Middle School leader on BB&N’s Pre-K to 12 Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Global Education team. Simone is the founder of AFFIRM, a growing network of Black and Latinx students and their mentors & elders. Simone brings much more to Atrium than just her professional perspectives and expertise. A lifelong resident of Dorchester and Roxbury, she comes from an intergenerational, multicultural family of educators. In addition to being consistently active in Boston’s electoral process, she is a new but passionate community gardener who also leads a regular karaoke night in Roxbury and is a supporter of Boston’s own Black Trivia. As it relates to her karaoke performances Simone adds, “Just because I can’t sing doesn’t mean I won’t sing…and loudly too!” During her interview process Simone wrote, “I am thrilled to be joining Atrium as the Director of Equity and Curriculum. I’m excited to join a community that lives by the motto ‘Excellence with Joy’! My conversations with adults and students in the community left me quite intrigued with the experiences people are having within the school each day. When I later toured campus, I experienced excellence with joy taking in the student work on the walls and the countless windows and mirrors in the books found in every corner of the school. And it was heartwarming to encounter giraffes at various turns in the building!”
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UNDERSTAND Success in supporting DEIJ work requires a common understanding and clarity about the meaning of the terms we use, which are essential to the direction, guidance and accountability of our work. The demand for clarity was a theme that permeated the strategic planning process as well as the climate study. EFFORTS IN PROGRESS: • Fall Board and Faculty book club/community read – The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together, Heather McGhee • Community Workshops to Co-create Essential Understanding of the terms Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice. • Spring, Board and Faculty book club/community read 2 - Think Again, Adam Grant
ASSESS
To achieve an inclusive community, we must assess our
current habits. This includes all aspects of school life that impact culture, policies, and practices. We must equip members of the community with the language and skills necessary to ensure the lived experience of each member of our community is positive and affirming. EFFORTS IN PROGRESS: • Our 10-year accreditation process with AISNE, which begins this year, is well timed as it prompts us to revisit our Mission, Vision, & DEIJ statements. Establishing essential understandings will create a framework within which we can assess and update these statements.
STRUCTURE Ensure that Atrium has the resources, financial and human, needed to support the work of DEIJ and the full strategic plan. EFFORTS IN PROGRESS: • Continued professional development opportunities including SEED training to enhance leadership skills, cultural competencies, and introspection at the individual level. • Rethinking how we restructure this work at Atrium. • Fundraising in support of the strategic plan and specific DEIJ initiatives. ■
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Advancing Our Strategic Vision Every Day
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t the heart of the Atrium experience is excellence with joy in academic programs and the relationships that support and inspire each individual child as a learner. We excel at providing learners with a strong foundation that prepares them for future challenges by fostering strong relationships that inspire them to pursue areas of interest and passion. The journey from who a student is when they enter Atrium to who they will become tomorrow is one that must be mapped out thoughtfully – not toward one predetermined outcome, but in a way that allows natural development to emerge.
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This is the approach Atrium has taken over the years and one that we continue to value as we look to the future of our school. We value each individual and seek to create a dynamic, and challenging program in a supportive community where each student is committed to achieving personal excellence. What does it look like to our students and family when we talk about delivering an interconnected, distinctive, and innovative program and strengthening and aligning curriculum? Laura and Liz presented a great example of this in the context of our math and science curricula at this past fall’s Making Meaning from Models program for parents.
Making Meaning from Models
Scientific and Mathematical Modeling Across the Grades
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ith our ever increasing access to information, understanding the data that surrounds us has become an even more critical challenge. In order to make sense of their world, students at Atrium grow their critical and flexible thinking skills through the persistent pursuit of wondering. One way to ask, answer, and find solutions to questions is by making models. Models, in the mathematical and scientific sense of the word, are simplified representations of a complex phenomenon or system that help to explain or make predictions from data. Have you ever checked the weather before heading out the door, or consulted a statistical graph in the news? We all use different types of models every day. Inside our classrooms, the practice of modeling is central to the disciplines of math and science. The intricate and exciting process by which students create and utilize models helps them to better understand data and to apply their knowledge in relevant and integrative ways. Through the use of
diagrams, charts, tables, graphics, replicas, images, computer simulations, and more, students learn to explain, test, and predict potential outcomes. Each fall, Atrium hosts a Community Forum spotlighting the innovative teaching practices and deeper learning that takes place at our school. During November’s event, Middle School science teacher Laura Page explained how Atrium students make meaning from models across all grades. As students’ cognitive abilities grow, so does the practice of modeling, with increasing complexity or abstraction. In order to incorporate their deeper understanding of the scientific and mathematical disciplines, students are constantly revising and evaluating models. Here are just a few of the ways models are used at Atrium to drive problem-solving and innovation in learning:
Just a Drop Dollops of shaving cream represent clouds in the kindergarten experiment, “Clouds in a Cup.” Students use physical models to predict and observe how many droplets of blue “rainwater” it would take the cloud to precipitate. Later, a cloud-in-a-bag model helps the class to test ideas about how clouds form. By leaving a ziploc bag on a sunny window for 24 hours, students observe that they can create condensation. Our young scientists practice manipulating the variables of models to create different outcomes, extending their knowledge about the water cycle.
What happens when a cloud reaches its saturation point?
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Muscles and Movement To learn about the musculoskeletal system, Grade 2 uses functional models of fingers, arms, and knees to investigate motions, injuries, and medical braces. First, students build interactive finger models out of paper and yarn. Pulling the yarn in the model helps them to imitate the interactions between tendons, muscles, ligaments, and bones. Next, students follow the engineering design process (Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, Improve) to design and create their own knee braces for models of injured knees. The second graders build their conceptual model by asking and testing questions. What happens if someone hyper extends their finger? How does a brace help a knee or finger that is healing?
How does a healthy knee move?
Filling the Classroom In culmination of their area and volume unit, Grade 5 students construct unit cubes to help visualize what a cubic meter of air looks like. Using their model, students make estimates of how many cubes would fill the volume of the classroom. A combination of mathematical modeling and measurement, along with their knowledge of how to find the volume of rectangular prisms, allows students to compare the actual and theoretical volume of the classroom. Modeling pushes students to design innovative methods to predict, calculate, and test the sectional and total space inside the room, as they collaborate to solve this mathematical mystery as a class.
How much air will fit in a classroom?
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Watershed Learning Beginning with a demonstrative model using soil, rocks, and a plastic sheet, Grade 6 students gather information about urban watersheds in order to better understand their local area. After studying previous research surrounding Atrium’s school design and runoff, students use Model My Watershed, a powerful online tool that lets scientists model the effect of infrastructure changes on water quality, to test their hypotheses and analyze the resulting data. Ultimately, they are able to apply their understanding of this complex issue to persuasive, datasupported letters advocating for various green water infrastructure improvements to Atrium’s leadership. Models, both physical and virtual, guide students’ learning
How can we improve the water infrastructure on Atrium’s campus?
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odels help students to communicate comprehension and distill data. When the subject of study is, as Laura tells the students, “too big or too small or too far away or too distant in time or too complicated or too dangerous or too expensive,” models use distillations and assumptions that allow students to analyze the world around them and make abstract ideas concrete. In this way, learning with models builds on the Atrium student’s four interconnected capacities. By giving students a means to explore, express, and share their conceptual understanding, like the kindergarten cloud experiments, modeling amplifies students’ voices and grows confidence in their academic identities. In Grade 2’s musculoskeletal unit, models support students in leading with empathy and inclusivity by providing exposure to circumstances they might not otherwise experience and insight into the similarities and differences between us all.
in this engaging exploration of land use, water flow, and sustainable solutions in their own backyard.
Models push students to innovate and solve increasingly intricate problems in the Grade 5 volume exploration. And applied to our physical world, models build a greater sense of impact and global responsibility as in the Middle School’s urban watershed project. As Head of School Marshall Carter said in our Community Forum, “Just as we as a school made a model of our growth and now we’re fulfilling it, so too do our students.” While our school pursues the goals and vision mapped out in the Strategic Plan, our students utilize models to help drive their curiosity, strengthen academic expertise, and bolster playfulness, persistence, and adaptability in learning. From PreK to Middle School and on through their next schools and careers, Atrium students develop excellence in their depth of understanding through the joyful process of scientific and mathematical modeling. ■
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Recalling the Joy of Learning With lives marked by a joy of learning, deep friendships, and a lasting connection to each other and their first alma mater, Atrium alumni are the bridge between our vibrant past and our exciting future. Cara ’93, Chris ’94, and Gretchen ‘96 have taken the leadership skills and values they developed at Atrium and are using them to make an impact in the world today.
Cara Furman ’93
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hat does it mean to teach for human dignity? This question has guided my work and research as an early childhood and elementary professor and former elementary school teacher at a progressive public school. It is the keystone of my recent book with Cecelia Traugh, Descriptive Inquiry in Teacher Practice: Cultivating Practical Wisdom to Create Democratic Schools. First educational experiences lay the foundation for the ways we orient towards the world. I attended Atrium School from kindergarten until I graduated in 6th grade. The experience was transformative and foundational – solidifying daily my commitment to human dignity and enabling me to experience what an education committed to this ethos should look like. I have countless stories to tell of Atrium but will share two from kindergarten that exemplify my experience. First, I am at a gathering before the school year at a local beach. I can
see the sand beneath me, feel a cup in my hands as I dig, and I have a sense of being alone – not knowing anyone yet. I am not frightened but a little uncomfortable. Another child joins me. Later that year, once I knew my peers, I tried to figure out who that first friend was but was unsure. What I do remember is their kindness in joining me and that they were fun to play with. The second memory I will tell in more detail. I am showing a student teacher a cough drop. I have a cold. My teacher comes up to me and says, “No candy in school.” I am normally a shy child and a rule-follower, but I respond, “It’s not a candy. It’s a cough drop for my sore throat.” “Well,” she rejoins, “you shouldn’t show it to other kids.” “I didn’t. I showed it to the student teacher.” Later at recess the day is dreary, and I swing alone. I see my teacher approaching, her gray raincoat billowing. My stomach sinks. I do not want to talk with her. “I’m sorry, Cara,” she says, “I was wrong.” What did it mean to be a child at Atrium concerned with safety and how the world works, a child figuring out her social place, a child trying to make sense? What did it mean to be both reprimanded and apologized to and to grow up with that memory firmly etched – to grow up by extension believing that when I speak out, others should listen? What kind of teacher facilitated these moments? What kind of school supported us both? Environments have the capacity to sustain, shape, and bring forth certain features. I am lucky to have been a child making a friend at the beach. I am ever grateful for a teacher who I could speak up to, who encouraged that truth telling. In reflecting on the environment that facilitated these memories, I take forth a firm commitment to: 1) A rich, holistic, and complex curriculum that enables children to learn from environments. In a third-grade yearlong study of the ocean not only did we return frequently to the beach but also the teachers brought the beach to us, including a classroom fish tank and sandbox;
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2) Constantly asking the purpose behind actions with a focus on helping children make meaning of the world around them; 3) Loving responsibility to the individual child even when that child is challenging the teacher. Progressive education has long oriented around the first two commitments, famous for its rich and meaningful curriculum. It is the third commitment which I find the most challenging to enact and the most important. Namely, how did my teacher know to join me on the playground that day, offering a humble apology? What in me, in the moment, in her, made her see this as necessary and guide her words? One interpretation is that she was a teacher who frequently apologized to children. I think there is more to it than that. I find a clue in an artifact – a descriptive narrative report from kindergarten in which my teacher has written something to the effect of, “Cara is a quiet child but when she speaks up, people listen.” I do not know if this comment was written before or after the cough drop incident. What I do know is that this was a teacher who knew that if I had spoken up it mattered, and this knowing may have encouraged her to reconsider the incident and apologize. Many years later, I went to graduate school committed to social justice and the value of progressive methods. There I was introduced to a practice and philosophy referred to as Descriptive Inquiry that proved pivotal in helping me realize this vision. As described in my recent book, Descriptive Inquiry is a way of studying teaching, students, and student work. Through a series of exercises referred to as processes, the practitioner works with colleagues to draw on description to illuminate questions of practice. The guiding ethos, as phrased by one of the founding thinkers, Patricia Carini, is using the processes to better attend to children with care.
Atrium populated my childhood with rich memories, helped me to develop lifelong friends, and gave me a vision for school that has carried me. When I envision my ideal teacher, I think of someone who helps the child grow into themselves, to learn how to navigate the world but stay true to their own compass. I remain the person interested in learning about my world, the child navigating the sand and water, and the social scene, the person who continues to speak truths to power even though I find it stressful.
“When I first learned about descriptive inquiry, I felt myself in deeply familiar territory in this commitment to care, description as a way of knowing, and the focus on questions.” What does it mean to teach for human dignity? The key is found in the small moments – those daily decisions we, teachers, make as stressed adults to better respond to the students in our care. Human dignity is taking the time to walk across the playground, to find a frustrated and hurt child on the swings, and to pause with that child, to say, I heard you, and I’m sorry I misspoke. Thank you, Atrium, and thank you Judy Higbea.
When I first learned about Descriptive Inquiry, I felt myself in deeply familiar territory in this commitment to care, description as a way of knowing, and the focus on questions. I do not know if my own teachers studied Descriptive Inquiry. That said, I recently learned that some Atrium teachers at that time did – the ethos of Descriptive Inquiry was in the air so to speak.
Cara Furman ‘93 with her children. Winter 2022 | Compluvium | 11
Chris Kelliher ’94
greater social impact and stronger sense of purpose. This led me to pursue a secondary career in academia, where I was afforded the opportunity to teach at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business.
“Atrium inspired me to want to have a greater social impact and stronger sense of purpose.”
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always say I was my best self at Atrium School. When I look back on my time there, I remember the strong friendships and my comfort level with exploring and questioning as part of the learning process. I developed a deep passion for learning that has continued into my adult life. When it came time to decide where my first grader, Sloane, would attend, Atrium was the obvious choice. I am excited she will experience the thoughtful and unique educational experience that I did. From an early age, I was always interested in math, logic, and solving problems. Atrium cultivated this side of me, equipping me not only with the skills to tackle these problems, but with a creative mindset and willingness to try different things. I learned that failure is simply a suggestion to try something another way. This agile mindset enabled me to ultimately flourish even as the problems became more challenging. When I was introduced to the field of finance and financial markets, I was immediately fascinated with the dynamic and quantitative nature of markets. In quant finance, I uncovered a place where I could apply my passion for math alongside a creative and project-based approach to my work. I recognize these as pillars of the foundation that I built at Atrium. My journey in quant finance has taken me on many stops, from graduate study at New York University, to a career beginning in the hedge fund world and ultimately leading me to a Quantitative Research role at Fidelity Investments. A third pillar of the foundation that Atrium instilled in me is the importance of community and a sense of responsibility to that community. In quantitative finance I had ignited a passion that underpinned my career, but the principles that I had learned at the Atrium inspired me to want to have a 12 | Compluvium | Winter 2022
Now on the other end of the spectrum, as a Professor in the Mathematical Finance program, I view Atrium with an even deeper appreciation and in turn have attempted to infuse much of Atrium’s learning philosophy into my curriculum. This means employing a project-based mindset that permeates all aspects of my courses, where students are asked and empowered to conduct independent research and answer open ended questions, requiring them to own all of their decisions along the way. I have enjoyed teaching with this methodology. This past year, in an attempt to make quantitative finance more accessible to fellow aspiring quants and to broaden my impact in the industry, I authored an introductory textbook designed to provide an intuitive, hands-on introduction to the fundamentals of quant finance. I am truly grateful to have had the opportunity to attend Atrium, and for the foundation that it laid for me, which I have built upon over the years. I am even more grateful to be able to provide this same opportunity to my daughter.
Fifth Grade Class Picture, 1993
Gretchen Solomon, ’96
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his past summer, while the country and the world erupted in demonstrations for racial justice, I came to realize that not everyone received the same eye-opening, justice-oriented education as I did. I graduated from Atrium School in 1996, but the things I learned there have shaped me and stayed with me in profound ways. While I have always attributed my love for learning to my time at Atrium School, recently I have begun to think of Atrium’s influence as moral as well as intellectual. While many people I know were learning of racial injustice and police brutality for the first time in 2020, I was remembering my time in fifth grade watching the “Eyes on the Prize” documentary series. This was not just a video we watched to cover the subject of the Civil Rights Era. These videos and the ensuing discussions deepened and broadened my perspective, and were intertwined with many other learning experiences. As a class, we read and acted out stories by authors of color and we took pottery classes from a Pueblo ceramic artist. These and other curricular choices sent me on the path of pursuing justice.
science but never lost sight of opportunities for direct service. My first job out of college was as a community organizer in Chicago, where I worked with tenants of subsidized housing facing homelessness. I worked with undocumented immigrants teaching English lessons and connecting them with legal services to reclaim stolen wages. Eventually, I switched paths from community organizing to teaching because I believed, and still believe, that my impact would be greater. As a teacher, my passion for social justice remains front and center. I try to give my students the same exposure I had at Atrium – exposure to other cultures and experiences, and exposure to their own power and potential as change-makers. I didn’t just learn about injustice or what is right and wrong, I learned that I have a voice, I have power, and I have the ability to change the world. Today, I am a mother, I am a teacher, and I consider myself an activist as well. I act not just through my teaching and my students or through my child who I am raising to be curious and motivated to improve the world around her, but through my own actions. Atrium has been a guide in my pursuit of both knowledge and justice. Attending Atrium School was a formative experience and I will be eternally grateful to my parents for their wisdom in choosing it for me. I will carry my moral compass that Atrium nourished within me wherever I go. ■
“I have begun to think of Atrium’s influence as moral as well as intellectual.” After Atrium, I took on a leadership position in my high school youth group organizing volunteer opportunities for my peers at other schools. I interned for a gubernatorial campaign and in a US Representative’s office, hoping to make a difference not just in direct service, but through political action. Twice as a teenager – first in high school and then again in college – I took advantage of an opportunity to travel to Ghana. I visited slave castles and again was reminded of what I had learned at Atrium and what those slave castles led to. In college, I continued to pursue political action with a major in political
Children’s Journal, 1992-1993 Winter 2022 | Compluvium | 13
Congratulations Class of 2021! “STRIVE FOR CHANGE FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THE WORLD WITH AN OPEN HEART AND MIND.” —LILA BHIDE ‘06 & JAYA AIYER ‘09
THANK YOU, ATRIUM, for everything you have given and taught me the last 10 years of my life. Atrium has been my second home for a very long time. Thank you, Atrium, for being the most welcoming and supportive community I could ask for. And thank you for teaching me that joy and learning should go hand in hand. Thank you to all my teachers for always encouraging me to do my best and for being so caring and passionate.
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Molly ’21
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ur newest alumni, the class of 2021, have completed their Atrium educational journey. Socially distanced, the Atrium Class of 2021 graduation celebrations were a joyful reflection of the time students have spent at the school. Faculty and students created a “corridor of cheer” as graduates processed out from the middle school up the ramp and into the A Space. The sounds of cheers from families and friends filled the A Space once again as graduates walked across the stage to receive their diplomas.
THANK YOU, ATRIUM, for supporting me in who I am. Thank you for letting me show my creativity and embrace it. This community has taught me how to become a better person to myself and
The graduation ceremony was as much back to “normal” as others. Without Atrium, I wouldn’t be myself guidelines would allow. Graduates shared their words of and who I truly want to be. gratitude, and remarks from Marshall were in person while Calvin ’21 graduation speakers, sisters Lila Bhide ’06 and Jaya Aiyer ’09, joined us virtually to share their remarks on carrying Atrium values and lessons forward in life. And of course, there was music—Beatrice and Miranda ’16 returned to Atrium to lead the music for this special day. From everyone at Atrium School, we wish the Class of 2021 the best as they continue to develop as young adults who will make a positive impact in the communities where they study, live, and work in the years to come. ■
THANK YOU, ATRIUM, for these last two amazing years. I’ve learned so much more about myself as a learner from you, and I’ve been able to finally feel confident in my own work and learning. You’ve given me many opportunities for exploration and for some just very fun times. I will always remember these two years to take everything I’ve learned with me to high school and beyond. Thank you. Hannah ’21
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Financial Overview
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t is no secret that fiscal year 2021 was a year like no other when it comes to budget management. Through proactive, thoughtful fiscal planning and management we navigated an unprecedented year of challenges. We are pleased to report that Atrium School’s financial position continues to remain strong.
INCOME
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Tuition & Fees Capital Gifts Other Income Atrium Fund Other Programs Restricted Support Unrestricted Other
EXPENSES
Instructional Program Finanical Aid Administration Benefits/Fees General Operations Non-Operating Professional Development
Report of Giving FISCAL YEAR 2021
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HANK YOU – on behalf of the students, faculty and staff of Atrium School.
Over the course of the school’s history Atrium leadership has always looked with fresh eyes at the way it can meet challenges and opportunities while staying true to its mission. This forward thinking has enabled the school to thrive and grow, even during hardships. This past year was another example of our ability to be simultaneously resilient and ambitious. As the pandemic continued into the second year and our community and country grappled with social justice issues, Atrium continued to forge forward. Our primary goal for the 2020-2021 school year was to maintain the health and safety of our community members while continuing to expand and deliver our exceptional educational program. The pandemic certainly slowed down the world and required us to re-align strategic objectives; your support allowed us to respond and thrive. In addition to supporting wellness and day-to-day learning, we continued to advance curriculum development; take the initial steps necessary to advance a school culture of diversity, equity, and true belonging; and invest in faculty growth, evaluation, and compensation.
we set out to secure the financial resources necessary. We extend a warm and humble thank you to the early donors of these efforts. Through the end of the 2021 fiscal year, the school received a total of $614,416 in gifts and pledges toward strategic plan initiatives. We continue the further integration of strategic plan initiatives across all areas of the school including a long-term financial sustainability plan. We are happy to report that, in addition to gifts to longterm projects, the Atrium Fund continued to grow to $276,264, surpassing our goal of $190,000 in support of the 2021 fiscal year budget. This tremendous spirit of generosity reflects the lasting values, traditions, and foundation of the Atrium experience which we cherish, and it speaks volumes to the loyalty and generosity of our community. Thank you; your continued support for the shared vision and values of Atrium School made an invaluable impact during a challenging and pivotal year in our school’s growth. With warm regards,
Renée Curtin Director of Advancement
To accomplish this long-range vision of an educationally evolving and increasingly equitable and diverse school,
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Volunteer Leadership
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he 2020-2021 school year was the second of two unprecedented years which offered a collection of reflections, discoveries, and renewed commitments to our faculty and staff, students, and community. We are deeply grateful to our Board of Trustees who, working together with the administration, guided the school to a safe and successful year of in-person and remote learning. We are forever grateful for everything you did for our community.
2020–2021 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Executive Committee Mary O’Neill, Chair Joanne Oyer, Vice Chair Jaleesa Anselm Claire Bigley, Clerk Cathy Fazio Tonya May, Treasurer Sarah Patrick Marshall Carter, Head of School
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Atrium Board Liz Caffrey Alyse d’Amico Anne DiGiovanni Edson Elie Steve Gilman Linda Hoyt Sarah Hugenberger, PTA President
Julia Y. H. Li Liz Perekrests Margot Phelps Megan Popp Rebecca Rogers, PTA Vice President
P
arent volunteers are an irreplaceable part of the school community. The collective effort of our parent groups helps strengthen student programs and build community. We are deeply grateful for the many ways volunteers supported Atrium in a time like none other. This was a year with many changes to our traditions and community supported events. Throughout the year you worked to keep Atrium’s spirit vibrant. Your presence was deeply felt in the generous and thoughtful ways you supported faculty, staff and the community.
PTA OFFICERS
PIZZA LUNCH
CLASS PARENTS
Sarah Hugenberger, President Rebecca Rogers, Vice President Laura Weinstein, Clerk Seth Mangum, Treasurer
Nathan Hugenberger Marc Tanner Angela Gunn Morgan Bigley
Pre-K
Kindergarten Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8
Edson & Elocine Elie Rebecka Evans Dawn Dunleavey Jenni Won Erin Graves Leslie Strang & Alicia Horwitz Yulia Dumov Jeff Hollar Linda C. Hoyt and Alex Marthews Nance Aronoff and Aimee Horowitz
In addition to those listed here, we wish to acknowledge the efforts of all volunteers. We greatly appreciate the contributions you make to strengthen our school community.
INTERNSHIP: WILDER PERKINS ’16
W
e would like to thank and acknowledge Wilder Perkins ’16 for his incredible
dedication and as an intern at Atrium School for the 2020–2021 school year. Wilder brought a wide range of skills to assist with projects across all areas of the school. From helping to coordinate projects in classrooms (virtually), behind the scenes management of Zoom events, and creating videos for assemblies and other uses – he was instrumental in the success of many projects throughout the year. We are grateful to his commitment to Atrium and wish him well as he further pursues his educational journey at Boston University.
Winter 2022 | Compluvium | 19
Multi-Year Giving
T
hese donors have made a steadfast commitment to Atrium by giving for 10 or more years. Their long-time generosity and connection with Atrium exemplify the meaning of community in support of our mission. THANK YOU
25+ YEARS
15+ YEARS
10+ YEARS
Catherine and Paul Buttenwieser Judith Katz and Dean Solomon Barbara Payne and Roger Tobin Brett Robbins
Anonymous (3) Stephanie Avelino and Paulo Avelino Alves Emma Drummond Becker ‘89 Susan Diller Marianne and Jose Estrela Carolyn Fine and Jeremiah Friedman Carol and Harold Forbes Shoshana Friedman ‘95 Sandra Glucksmann and Charles Haverty Richard and Priscilla Hunt Annalee Johnson Susan Keane and John Adams Sumana and Gopinath Mallya Talin Megherian and Todd Bartel Anne Nash Trisha O’Connell and John Damroth Laura Paul and Paul Messier Lia and William Poorvu Nancy Reed and Sharon Rich Ulrike and Peter Rettig Jessie and Eric Von Hippel Jennifer White Betsey and Deborah Wollheim-Martinez
Anonymous (3) Lori and Ronald Adjami Beatrice Affron and Larry Scripp Peter Agoos and Diane Fiedler Lorrie Anderson and Conant Brewer Marilyn Arnold and Michael Sussman Emily Barclay and John Hawes Nada Barry Roland Barth and Barbara Bauman Adam Bass Ingrid Bassett and Robert Morris The Berlin/Liebman Family Bruce Bishop Theresa and Robert Bradford William and Taiyo Brinkley, Jr. Steven Broadstone Jananne Cannon Jean Carney John Coan Janet Collett Maura and Dennis Colling Marianne and E. Michael Collins Irene and Meyer Diller Margery Dimond Beverly Edgehill and Robert Awkward Carlyn and Soren Ekstrom Brenda and Monroe Engel Can and Susannah Erbil Catherine Fazio and Scott Stern Genevieve Fisher and Vincent Stanton Patricia Geller Devorah Goldstein and Will Durfee Wendy and Edward Gulley Connie and Dewitt Henry Monique and Michael Hickey Michal and Ron Hirsch Robert and Carla Horwitz Mark Howland Debby Hunter Mills and Graeme Mills Jane and Randall Imai Tara and Peter Keppler Alexis and Najib Khalil Anna Kontos and Michael Seegers Roberta Lamb Sonia Landes and David Landes Edmund Lang ‘95
20+ YEARS Anonymous Beth Barth Nina Barwell and Kent Werth Judith L. Berman Richard Coursen Lisa Dames and Barry Wilensky Jill Lazarus Eurich and Donald Eurich Jill Ferraresso and Linda Echt Judith Hall and Frederick Gordon Susan Jacoby and Ilene Cohen Susan Johnson Ginny Kahn* Ilene Lang Rebecca and Richard Lubens Diana MacPhail Roxanne and Donald Mayer Merry Murray Meade Nancy Clark McGrath and John McGrath Ashley and Said Nazemi Liz and Andrew Perekrests Sandra Resnick and John Field Diana Stewart G. Elizabeth Wylde and Lance Drane
20 | Compluvium | Winter 2022
Carol Lazarus Kelley and Orlando Leyba Julia Li and Victor Teixeira James Manges Barbara Marriott and James Van Donsel Yefkin Megherian Deborah and Tim Moore Betty Morningstar and Jeanette Kruger Andrew Morrison Silvia and Shawn Nerssessian Jacqueline and Michael O’Brien Barbara O’Neil Mary O’Neill and Angela Gunn Mark Ostow Joanne and Timothy Oyer Edith Perkins Sarah and William Perkins Margaret Powell and Peter Thorlichen Deepak and Samvedam Randles Nixie Raymond and James Terry Brennan Robbins ‘04 Kelsey Robbins ‘00 Rebecca Rogers and Marc Tanner Joyce Rosen-Friedman and Lev Friedman Jeanne Segal and Richard Williams Carol Seitchik and Alan Feldman Elizabeth Seitz and Jorge Abellas-Martin Olga Smulders-Meyer and Marc Meyer Doreen and Albert Stevens Consuelo Tagiuri Diana Tatz and Steve Spodaryk Ann and Michael Taylor Sarah Tom Susan Wadsworth Laura Wainwright and Whit Griswold Bonnie Waltch and Paul Rocklin Pam and Allen Weiss Carol Ann Wilson Tracy Winn and Joseph Rigali Barbara Wolf and Robert Kegan
HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2020–2021 PHILANTHROPY TOTAL GIVING $893,808
ATRIUM FUND
267 Donors 65 First Time Donors 124 Sustaining Donors 103 Increased Gifts 29 Grandparent Gifts 60 Alumni Gifts
PARTICIPATION 100% Board 93% Faculty & Staff 83% Current Parent
VIRTUAL COMMUNITY EVENTS
SAFE COMMUNITY
Strategic Initiatives Updates
PPE Purchases
Admission Tours & Interviews
Air Purifiers
Sweet Treats Get to know the Community
Social Emotional Wellness
Beer Tasting & Donor Thank You
Staffing Up to meet the need of safe distancing in classrooms
SMORE’s Night
Winter 2022 | Compluvium | 21
Atrium Fund 2021
E
ach year the community comes together to support our students and faculty by giving to the Atrium Fund. Atrium relies on a committed group of volunteers to reach-out to members of our community for their support of the Atrium Fund. These volunteers write letters, craft hundreds of thank you notes, make phone calls, and assist with the planning to help raise the funds necessary to support our program. We are deeply grateful for their hard work, leadership, and gifts of time to the school.
ATRIUM FUND CO-CHAIRS
ALUMNI PARENT CO-CHAIRS
ALUMNI
Alyse d’Amico & Chris Goff P’23, ‘26
Catherine Fazio & Scott Stern AP’18, ‘20
Emma Drummond Becker ‘89
ATRIUM FUND DONORS
$276,149 T
hank you on behalf of all of us at Atrium School! The generosity displayed by so many of our parents, alumni, grandparents, parents
TOTAL GIVING TO THE ATRIUM FUND
Anonymous (10)* Lori and Ronald Adjami* Beatrice Affron and Larry Scripp* Geeta and Kamesh R. Aiyer* Jaya Aiyer ‘09 Suhair Al-Mosully Lorrie Anderson and Conant Brewer* Jaleesa Anselm* John Appleton Thomas and Monique Appleton Nance Aronoff* Belinda Augustin Lee and Kate Auspitz* Judith Austen and Toby Huff* Stephanie Avelino and Paulo Avelino Alves* Robert Awkward ‘04 Victoria Awkward ‘08 Sharon and Russell Baker Emily Barclay and John Hawes* Beth Barth* Nina Barwell and Kent Werth* Adam Bass* 22 | Compluvium | Winter 2022
of alumni, faculty and staff, and friends is a testament to the incredible passion and commitment of this community to drive Atrium forward. We are pleased to recognize the support of our donors during the 2020 -2021 fiscal year. Your support makes everything we do at Atrium possible.
Ingrid Bassett and Robert Morris* Emma Drummond Becker ‘89* Becky Benett ‘04 Danny Benett ‘08 Gordon Benett* Judith L. Berman* Lila Bhide ‘06 Claire and Morgan Bigley* David Bigley and Alix P. White Sam Bloch Gabriella Blum Toshiba Bodden Terri and Robert Bradford* Lara Buchanan* Mia Bullock Angella Burns Melissa Burns* Katie and Paul Buttenweiser* Jill Butterfield Liz Caffrey and Derek Faulkner* Jananne Cannon* Ted (‘89) and Ariel Cannon Paul Capobianco and Karen Lindsay*
James B. Caragianes ‘89 Jean Carney* Marshall W. Carter Missy and Marsh Carter Francis Cash and Eileen Callahan Alison Cashin and Shaun Provencher Rose Catino Anna Chukur and Petro Rudy Anna Churchill and Brian Curtis* Mariah (‘00) and James Collins* Marianne and Michael Collins* Amanda Drummond Conley ‘92 Richard Coursen* Kelly Cramer Mr. and Mrs. Carl Croce Renée and Bill Curtin* Cecily Curtis ‘19 Katie Dadagian* Lisa Dames and Barry Wilensky* Alyse d’Amico and Chris Goff* Mary Lou and Dan Denison* The DiGiovanni Family Irene Diller*
Mame Donahue ‘89 Bob Dowling* William Droste ‘93 Mimi and Tucker Drummond Leslie Eckel and Tim Doherty Isabella and Tim Ehrlich Elocine and Edson Elie Can and Susannah Erbil Talya M. Erbil ‘19 Marianne and Jose Estrela* Jill Lazarus Eurich and Donald Eurich Rebecka and David Evans Meredith Faggen and Claudine Riley Tamara and Edward Faggen Carol and Barry Faulkner The Feldman Family* Danielle Feman and Joshua Hodge Edith and Stephen Feman Jill Ferraresso and Linda Echt* Virginia Floyd ‘20 Diane Foster Shoshana Friedman ‘95* Alyssa Fucci Scott Furlong and Nonie Lesaux The Gakidis Family* Dorothy and Steven Gilman* Maya Khalil ‘19 Tom and Mary Jane Goff Devorah Goldstein* Erin Graves and Brian Carey Ned and Wendy Gulley* Sam Gulley ‘17 Charlotte Gunn-O’Neill ‘20 Sol Gutierrez-Lara ‘17 Allie Haley and Tim Hill Kathy Hanson Reem Hawary and Talal Alotaibi Julia Hawes ‘95 Brice and Karen Hennelly Ruth Henry ‘89 Aidan Hickey ‘16 Brennan Hickey ‘18 Monique and Michael Hickey* Robert and Nicole Hilgraf* Michal and Ron Hirsch* Claudia and Ephraim Hochberg Jeff Hollar and Sarah Ryan Ann-Ellen Hornidge and Ned Murphy* Alicia Horwitz* Robert and Carla Horwitz* David and Linda Hoyt* Isaac Hugenberger ‘20
Nathan and Sarah Hugenberger* Susan Jacoby and Ilene Cohen* Annalee Johnson* Ben Johnson ‘89 Susan Johnson* Tracey and Jeffrey Johnson Warren and Michelle Kalkhof Judith Katz and Dean Solomon* Susan Keane and John Adams* Rachel and Michael Kesselman* The Khalils* Charles James Koch Anna Kontos and Mike Seegers* Mr. and Mrs. Edmund Lang ‘95* Ilene Lang* Penelope Lang ‘92 Sarah Lang ‘89* Fam. Gutiérrez-Lara* Carol Lazarus & Paul Donovan* Kelley and Orlando Leyba* Julia Yan Hui Li and Victor Teixeira*
Geoffrey Mayer ‘04 Roxanne and Donald Mayer* Monica and Jack McDonnell* John Michael McGrath ‘01 Mary C. McGrath ‘03* Nancy Clark McGrath and John McGrath* Bonnie and Josh McGuire Claire and Jim McGuire Talin Megherian and Todd Bartel* Carrie and Michael Mermelstein Scott Metcalfe and Emily Walhout Deborah Mitchell and Benjamin Auspitz* Paula and Allen Mitchell Madeline Moran Magdalene Moran and Jayhong Chong Anne F. Morris* Anne Morriss* Emily and Andrew Musgrave Ashley and Said Nazemi* David Nazemi ‘11 Katherine Nazemi ‘07
Todd Lienhard* Jennifer Litman and TJ Roskelley Christine Lynch and Andrew Bott Diana MacPhail* Audrey Markowitz and Isaac Rabinovitz Barbara Marriott and Jim Van Donsel* Gayle Marrow Sydney Mason-Barrett* Guida Estrela Mattison ‘03* Robert May* Tonya May* Cameron Mayer ‘08
Jay Negro and Carrie Finison Silvia and Shawn Nerssessian* Max Newman ‘05 Juliana Norcross ‘01 Zoe Norcross ‘02 Trisha O’Connell and John Damroth* Mary O’Neill and Angela Gunn* Joanne and Timothy Oyer* Laura Page* Alysia Parkes and Kaj Telenar Barbara Payne and Roger Tobin* The Pearse Family Winter 2022 | Compluvium | 23
Patricia Pepper Lea Perekrests ‘03 Liz and Andrew Perekrests* Joan Perera* Edith Perkins* Fitch Perkins ‘18 Wilder Perkins ‘16 Will and Sarah Perkins* John Petrowsky Margot and Chris Phelps* Allen Poma Lisa Poma and Milo Locherer Lia and William Poorvu* Ben and Megan Popp* Amber Porter and Ramsey Tantawi Elizabeth and Brent Radcliffe Mackenzie Raycroft ‘09 Nancy Reed and Sharon Rich* Susan Reed Patrick Rettig ‘90* Brennan N. Robbins ‘04*
24 | Compluvium | Winter 2022
Brett Robbins* Kelsey L. Robbins ‘00* Dennis and Anne Rogers* Rebecca Rogers and Marc Tanner* Jeremy and Aviva Rothman-Shore The Sand Family Neil Schiavo Christian Schlubach Kathleen Schmatz Julia Schroeder Miranda Scripp ‘17 Theodore Seegers ‘20 Elizabeth Seitz and Jorge Abellas-Martin* Justin Sheehy and Shannon Poe-Kennedy Lisa and Dong Shen Sarah Shields ‘89* The Shields Conron Family* Beata and Loren Shih Jamie Siglar and John O’Neil*
Rebecca Simmons and Brendan Russell Kristin Skelton Laura and Tarik Soliman Jennie Staples* Ethan Stern ‘18 Isaac Stern ‘20 Scott Stern and Catherine Fazio* Jenny and Daniel Stodolsky Mina Stone ‘94 Lesley Strang* Paul and Mary Strang Ariana Thomas Megan Thomas and Duncan Coakley Sarah Tom* Isabella Trebes Catherine Tucker and Alex Marthews Elizabeth Van Cleef and Peter Quinn Amelia Van Donsel ‘10 Sarah Van Donsel ‘11 Jennifer and Nicholas Veneris Analia Verolo and Gabriel Bremer
Ruth Villalovos* Brenda and Allan Walkey The Walsh Alvarado Family* Bonnie Waltch and Paul Rocklin* Edie and Jerry Weinstein Laura Weinstein and Keren Goldenberg Emma Weiss ‘19 Pam and Allen Weiss* Mary Weitzel and David Halfpenny Constance V. R. White Jennifer White* Carol Ann Wilson* Henry Wilson ‘19 Priscilla Wiltshire-Bland and Jamel Bland Jennifer Won and August Schlubach Andrew Wray ‘93 Nicholas Yan Family
MATCHING GIFTS Ameriprise Financial Apple Google Harmonix Music Systems Takeda The Barnes Group Foundation The Baupost Group The Vertex Foundation
GIFTS IN HONOR OF Jacob and Daniel Auspitz Becky Benett Danny Benett Adele and Violet Bigley Sam Bloch Renée Curtin Susan Diller Jill, Noah and Eva Ferraresso Alani Lepke Camilo Gutierrez-Lara
Connie Henry Avery and Corinne Mangum Maggie May Sam McGuire Mary O’Neill Anna Payne-Tobin Jost and Tad Payne-Tobin Solange and Sebastian Riley-Faggen Power Walker Noa Weinstein The beautiful and caring staff of Atrium!
GIFTS IN MEMORY OF Masi Denison Felipe DiMare Estrela Ginny Kahn Elizabeth Chase Lienhard Cheryl Nicholas Mairi Staples Henry H. Van Cleef, Jr. Elizabeth Weitzel
Winter 2022 | Compluvium | 25
$50,924 GIVING DAY TOTAL RAISED
26 | Compluvium | Winter 2022
Giving Day
On February 23, 2021, Atrium hosted our first ever Giving Day. On that day we raised $50,924 toward the Atrium Fund, meeting and exceeding all challenges and goals. Thank you to the many alumni, alumni parents, families, teachers, grandparents, and friends who joined in the fun and supported Atrium on this day
Anonymous Beatrice Affron and Larry Scripp Jaya Aiyer ‘09 The Appletons Nance Aronoff Belinda Augustin Robert Awkward ‘04 Victoria Awkward ‘08 Adam Bass Ingrid Bassett and Robert Morris Gordon Benett Becky Benett ‘04 Danny Benett ‘08 Lila Bhide ‘06 Claire and Morgan Bigley Sam Bloch Toshiba Bodden Lara Buchanan Mia Bullock Melissa Burns and Steve Nadis Ted (‘89) and Ariel Cannon James B. Caragianes ‘89 Jean Carney Marshall W. Carter Francis Cash and Eileen Callahan Alison Cashin and Shaun Provencher Anna Chukur and Petro Rudy Mariah ‘00 and James Collins Kelly Cramer Cecily Curtis ‘19 The Dadagian Family The DiGiovanni Family Mame Donahue ‘89 Robert Dowling Emma Drummond Becker ‘89 Amanda Drummond Conley ‘92 Linda Echt and Jill Ferraresso Isabella and Tim Ehrlich Rebecka and David Evans Meredith Faggen and Claudine Riley The Feldman Family Danielle Feman and Joshua Hodge Virginia Floyd ‘20 Diane Foster Shoshana Friedman ‘95 Alyssa Fucci
Scott Furlong and Nonie Lesaux The Gakidis Family Erin Graves and Brian Carey Sam Griswold ‘97 Ned and Wendy Gulley Charlotte Gunn-O’Neill ‘20 Sam Gulley ‘17 Sol Gutierrez-Lara ‘17 Allie Haley and Tim Hill Kathy Hanson Reem Hawary and Talal Alotaibi Julia Hawes ‘95 Ruth Henry ‘89 Monique and Michael Hickey Aidan Hickey ‘16 Brennan Hickey ‘18 Robert and Nicole Hilgraf Isaac Hugenberger ‘20 The Hugenbergers Ben Johnson ‘89 Tracey and Jeffrey Johnson Maya Khalil ‘19 Ilene Lang Sarah Lang ‘89 Mr. and Mrs. Edmund Lang ‘95 Penelope Lang ‘92 Fam. Gutierrez-Lara Christine Lynch and Andrew Bott Can and Susannah Erbil Talya M. Erbil ‘19 Audrey Markowitz Gayle Marrow Sydney Mason-Barrett Guida Mattison ‘03 Cameron Mayer ‘08 Geoffrey Mayer ‘04 Roxanne and Donald Mayer The McDonnell Tovar Family John Michael McGrath ‘01 Mary McGrath ‘03 Bonnie and Josh McGuire Carrie and Michael Mermelstein Anne Morriss David Nazemi ‘11 Katherine Nazemi ‘07 Max Newman ‘05 Juliana Norcross ‘01 Zoe Norcross ‘02
Alysia Parkes and Kaj Telenar Liz and Andrew Perekrests Lea Perekrests ‘03 Will and Sarah Perkins Fitch Perkins ‘18 Wilder Perkins ‘16 Chris and Margot Phelps Lisa Poma and Milo Locherer Allen Poma Elizabeth and Brent Radcliffe Mackenzie Raycroft ‘09 Patrick Rettig ‘90 Kelsey L. Robbins ‘00 Brennan N. Robbins ‘04 Sarah Ryan and Jeff Hollar Miranda Scripp ‘17 Theodore Seegers ‘20 Sarah Shields ‘89 Beata and Loren Shih Rebecca Simmons and Brendan Russell Katja Spongberg and Bradley Pearse Ethan Stern ‘18 Isaac Stern ‘20 Mina Stone ‘94 Ariana Thomas Megan Thomas and Duncan Coakley Catherine Tucker and Alex Marthews Amelia Van Donsel ‘10 Sarah Van Donsel ‘11 Analia Verolo and Gabriel Bremer The Walsh/Alvarado Family Laura Weinstein and Keren Goldenberg Emma Weiss ‘19 Pam and Allen Weiss Carol Ann Wilson Henry Wilson ‘19 Priscilla Wiltshire-Bland and Jamel Bland Jennifer Won and August Schlubach Andrew Wray ‘93
Winter 2022 | Compluvium | 27
Strategic Initiatives
T
he Board of Trustees has developed a set of multi-year Strategic Initiatives to expand our capacity to educate our students. The initiatives span four fundamental areas – Faculty Excellence and Program Growth; Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice; Communications and Institutional Visibility; and Financial Sustainability and Philanthropy. Each has multiple facets and initiatives. Atrium has begun fundraising efforts in support of these objectives. We are grateful to the leadership of the board and the guidance of the committee as we embark on this effort, and to our donors for your early support.
LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE
GIFTS IN MEMORY OF VIRGINIA L. KAHN (UNRESTRICTED)
Anne DiGiovanni AP’21 Steve Gilman GP’19, ‘27 Tonya May P‘22
Susan Diller* Dan and Kathy Kahn* Merry Murray Meade* Barbara Payne and Roger Tobin* Christiana Von Hippel ‘03* Eric Von Hippel ‘07* Jessie and Eric Von Hippel*
$614,416 TOTAL GIVING GIFTS AND PLEDGES
GIFTS IN HONOR OF Anna Payne-Tobin Jost Tad Payne-Tobin
UNDESIGNATED GIFTS
Ingrid Bassett and Robert Morris* Liz Caffrey and Derek Faulkner* Marshall W. Carter The DiGiovanni Family Dorothy and Steve Gilman* Nathan and Sarah Hugenberger* Ilene Lang* Chris and Margot Phelps* Ben and Megan Popp* Mary Weitzel and David Halfpenny Google
GIFTS IN MEMORY OF Elizabeth Weitzel
DESIGNATED GIFTS
Anonymous (3) Ingrid Bassett and Robert Morris*
Restricted Giving ATRIUM FUND – RESTRICTED (LIBRARY) Sam Griswold ‘97 Barbara O’Neil Laura Wainwright and Whit Griswold
CLASS OF 2021 GIFT
Anonymous Nance Aronoff Ingrid Bassett and Robert Morris Kristin Botnen and Winston Chen The DiGiovanni Family
The Gutierrez-Lara Family Jennifer Litman and TJ Roskelley Bonnie and Josh McGuire Julie and David Sopp Megan Thomas and Duncan Coakley Mary Weitzel and David Halfpenny
* indicates a Sustaining Donor with 5 or more years of giving
28 | Compluvium | Winter 2022
T
he Atrium School Report of Giving is published by the Office of Advancement. Listings in the report reflect gifts to Atrium School during the fiscal year July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy. Please accept our apologies if an error or omission has occurred and kindly notify the Advancement Office at 617.923.4156, x115.
EDITORS
DESIGN
Julia Schroeder, Middle School ELA Teacher
PHOTOGRAPHY
Renée Curtin, Director of Advancement Katie Dadigian, Associate Director of Advancement Molly St. Clair, Communications and Admissions Associate
blazar design studio Atrium School Joe Murphy Photography Winter 2022 | Compluvium | 29
ATRIUM SCHOOL | 69 GROVE STREET, WATERTOWN, MA 02472 | 617-923-4156 | ATRIUM.ORG