Bancroft Bulletin Spring/Summer 2013

BANCROFT Spring/Summer 2013

Ting Li ’99: Catching Up with Madame Puccio, Connecting with Today’s Students

Bulletin

US students say good-bye to history teacher Dennis Trocchio who retired in June after 35 years.

Third grade deconstructs a piano to discover how it works.

2013 Carpe Diem recipient Gail LeBlanc takes advantage of the good weather to hold math class outdoors.

The Capitol Rotunda is one of many sites visited by MS students during spring break.

Contents

BANCROFT Bulletin |

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BancrofT School

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14 Science Highlights

Julie O’Malley Associate Director of Communications co-editor

Lydia Barter Development Associate

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Contributing Photography Russ Campbell, Tammy Woodard Cover Photo: Front: Ting Li ’99 and Nicky Puccio

Abby Cohen ’93 checks in with Ting Li ’99, Bancroft’s original international student

Three students take major awards for project-based research at state and international science fairs

16 Alumni

Design Linda Dagnello Contributing Writers Abby Cohen ’93, Kathleen Wood

Good-bye Mr. Jones…Challenging students…Introducing Vision 2016…and more

10 Alumni Profile

Lynn St. Germain Director of Alumni Relations co-editor

Laurie Bowater Director of Development

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Bancroft Bulletin is published biannually and is mailed to alumni, parents and friends. In our efforts to live “green” we are now mailing one issue per address. If you would like your own issue, have any address updates, or want to submit story ideas and/or photographs, please contact us at: alumni@bancroftschool.org.

Advancement Team Susan Cranford Director of Admission and Institutional Advancement

5 News Features

8 Commencement 2013

110 Shore Drive Worcester, MA 01605 508.853.2640 www.bancroftschool.org Headmaster Scott R. Reisinger

Spring/Summer 2013

Council News…Class Notes…

Reunion 2013…Spotlight: James Peret ’94…In Memoriam

Dear Bancroft Friends: The 2012-13 academic year came to a close with the graduation of 52 truly remarkable young men and women who will go forth into this world to make it a better place. Theirs has been a journey characterized by excellence and service to others.

In my meetings with our seniors this past year, I was continually impressed with how they embody Bancroft’s mission—a mission that has guided the School for 113 years here in Worcester.

I can think of few times during my fourteen-year tenure when so much has been accomplished in a single year. The proffering of Vision 2016 to the entire community this past January has energized our School to focus on new opportunities, programs, and future growth and development. This was the year the Hope Graham Program for students with language-based learning differences became a reality. With a group of lower school-aged students set to enter the program in the fall, Bancroft once again will be at the cutting edge of addressing individualized learning as we take our place among the best programs in the country. This was also the year that introduced a full-fledged international program that successfully enrolled eight students from China, bringing added meaning to our commitment to global education.

Not to be forgotten, all sixth through twelfth graders used iPads, as this promising educational tool was embraced by students, faculty, and parents in our Middle and Upper Schools.

But there was so much more. From successes at the regional, state, and international science competitions, to robotics, athletics, and the arts, Bancroft students and faculty allowed no boundaries to limit their achievement.

And was anyone really surprised when Bancroft was recently cited by the Washington Post as among the most challenging private school academic programs in the United States?

I hope you will read with delight the stories that follow. As always, we look forward to your suggestions, comments, and reactions as we go forward into the 2013-14 school year.

Yours,

Scott R. Reisinger Headmaster

News

Features

Setting Sail and Setting an Example

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BY KATHLEEN WOOD

ne of the hallmarks of Roger Jones’s leadership is encouraging students to follow their passion. While Roger may be stepping aside after 12 years as the Head of Bancroft’s Middle School, his work will be carried forward, having instilled in students the courage to pursue their dreams. For Roger and his wife Chrisy, it is an ideal they are embracing to the fullest. This September, as Bancroft students and faculty head back to class, and Trevor O’Driscoll takes the helm of the Middle School, Roger and Chrisy will embark on a two-year adventure at sea aboard their 45foot sailboat—Sanderling.

Their trip begins just after Labor Day, departing from Jamestown, Rhode Island. They are still finalizing their route but expect to sail first to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, then south to the Chesapeake Bay, and being mindful of the hurricane season, into the Intracoastal Waterway, a 1,090-mile channel extending from Virginia to Florida, setting a course for Fort Lauderdale.

Dry land beckons in December, when they will leave their boat in Florida and travel to Rhode Island and Philadelphia for the holidays. They also plan to attend every Penn Quaker squash game to cheer on their daughter Courtney ’10, who plays for the University of Pennsylvania team. In March, they will return to Florida and set out for the Bahamas.

Roger and Chrisy will take a second break in May 2014, attending Courtney’s college graduation and visiting family before they embark on the second part of their adventure and head for the Caribbean.

As with following any dream, the reality of hard work, planning, and attention to detail are crucial.

Roger and Chrisy Jones leave us with a lesson in following your dreams.

Roger and Chrisy have sold their home in Massachusetts and are establishing a base in Rhode Island.

Furniture is being sold or distributed between storage and family. The summer will be spent preparing their boat and gathering supplies essential to their trip.

Sanderling is a singled-masted, 45-foot Island Packet.

The sleek and elegant craft boasts a full-length keel, instrumental in providing stability in choppy ocean waters. Amenities include a 74-hp diesel engine, solar panels to generate electricity to the battery bank, and a sophisticated onboard GPS-based navigation system. The Joneses have packed their bikes for easy transportation while in port.

Roger notes that the most important factor on such a trip is closely monitoring and being respectful of the weather. Rapidly changing weather conditions can change a pleasant day of cruising into a harrowing journey. They will use a sophisticated, single-sideband, long-range communication system, providing weather updates and changes in pressure gradients.

While this trip may seem like a once-in-a-lifetime experience, it is a repeat journey of sorts for the Jones family. About 14 years ago—just before Roger joined the Bancroft community—Roger and Chrisy and their two children Eric ’07 and Courtney spent a year sailing Sanderling on a similar course. This time their children will join them only for short visits. “It will be interesting doing this trip without the children; the kids were magnets of sorts for meeting new people last time,” noted Chrisy.

Sailing gear will include their iPads and a computer, but Roger and Chrisy are undecided about setting up a Facebook page or blogging about their experience. They may instead use the time to take a break from social media demands. Both, however, are looking forward to meeting new friends. “You are not alone out on the water; you are always part of a community,” adds Roger.

The Bancroft community will miss Roger and Chrisy Jones, but their actions continue to teach a tremendous lesson about living life to the fullest. We wish them Fair Winds and Following Seas as they set sail on their new adventure.

Kathleen Wood is a freelance writer and mother of Bancroft Middle Schooler Max Sulik ’19.

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News Features

Ensuring Challenge for Every Student

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tudents choose Bancroft because they love to learn.

“Bancroft students have a hunger for learning,” says Lower School Head Jyoti Datta, “and it is our job to provide them with both the challenge and support they deserve.”

This year Datta did just that when she and the 5th grade teachers recognized a group of students who displayed a desire to know more and to learn more in math. “These students showed an intuitive mathematical sense,” says Datta, “and we wanted to provide them with the experience of delving deeper into the subject matter.”

Datta connected with WPI Mathematics Professor John Goulet, who recommended graduate student Kimberly Chinkidjakarn to work with the 5th graders. “When she was a student, Kim similarly desired math challenge in lower and middle school. She could really relate to how these students felt about math and created a learning environment that was energizing and stretched their thinking. She took these children at the cusp of middle school and pushed them to a higher level,” says Datta. The 5th graders loved “Ms. Kim,” who worked with them on a variety of mathematical concepts. She emphasized conceptual thinking, the dissection of mathematical word problems, and working both in small groups and individually—important skills to develop as they enter sixth grade.

When students reach Middle School at Bancroft, they see many teachers each day and math classes are leveled, with advanced classes for those who need a greater challenge. MS faculty meets monthly to discuss students’ social, emotional, and academic progress, ensuring that all students are receiving the right combination of challenge and support.

“There are a lot of perspectives in one room,” says MS Head Roger Jones. “That’s important, because it’s not unusual for a student to be ‘crushing it’ in one class, but need more support in another.” The team meetings give faculty a unique opportunity to compare notes, share ideas, and make sure each student is challenged, where and when they need it.

In some cases, the Middle School has coordinated schedules with the Upper School to enable an especially high-achieving student to take a high school-level course.

“When students know they can work at an advanced level if they’re up to it,” says Jones, “when they can come in with an expectation of learning—that makes class fun.”

Lower School Moves to the Music

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dding dance to the Lower School Physical Education curriculum made sense to PE teachers Jane Gerhardt, Carol Ryan, and Mark O’Brien.

Dance can be a great way for students to work on fitness, flexibility, coordination, and stress management, and with the proliferation of dance-based reality shows, it has become very popular with the students.

Carol Ryan explains that the teachers used their iPads to create lesson plans, instructions, and music. In the spring, they taught each class a specific choreographed dance, and practiced it as the regular PE warm-up. The teachers thought, “If the students are going to learn a dance, then they should also perform it!” Thus they created the first-ever Lower School Dance Assembly in April. In front of a delighted group of fellow students, faculty, and parents, each class from Pre-K through Grade 5 performed their group dance. This high-energy assembly was a huge success, and seems destined to become an annual event.

Preparing Students for The Next Hot Industry: Robotics

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xperts say robotics is reaching the tipping point where it will soon become solidly mainstream in homes and businesses (think computers 25 years ago). Worcester is already a hub for this burgeoning field—Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is a national leader in collegiate-level robotics education— and WPI mentors work closely with Bancroft’s Upper School VEX Robotics Teams. (VEX is a robotics design system for students, and the sponsor of regional, national, and international tournaments.)

In the two years since they launched, our VEX Robotics teams have earned regional and national

accolades, and their faculty mentor Elisa Heinricher was named 2012-2013 VEX Robotics Teacher of the Year for New England. And beginning in September 2013, Bancroft will introduce Robotics Engineering and Programming as part of the computer science curriculum—a move that fits right in with our focus on project-based learning and provides a platform to enrich and enhance science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses.

“We’ll be utilizing the VEX design system in class,” Heinricher explains. “One of its biggest benefits is that it allows educators to easily customize projects to meet the level of students’ abilities, which offers exciting options for non-traditional learners.” The course will introduce students to the basics of robotics safety, project planning and management, design, modeling, engineering, building, programming, and control of robotic systems.

Bancroft’s VEX Robotics teams will also continue with competitions. “This past year we had two teams competing at the high school level, and we will be adding another team in 2013-14,” says Heinricher. “At competitions each team is required to appear before a panel of judges and talk about their design and strategies, and here is where our students shine. They are more than articulate, speaking clearly about something they are passionate about.”

A robotics project provides an open-ended challenge that has no single, textbook answer. It encourages teamwork, leadership, and problem solving among groups—essential skills for almost every field in this global economy, but especially so for the “next hot industry.”

Alumni Gatherings Introduce “Vision 2016”

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hroughout the year, Bancroft offered a variety of special locations for alumni to reconnect with friends and to learn about Vision 2016, the School’s strategic plan for the future. In April, Bancroft parents Brian and June Carroll hosted over 50 alumni and guests at the United States Presidential Museum in Worcester. The Museum, the Carroll family’s private collection, is a unique, respected and beautifully displayed treasure of significant historical letters, paintings, and documents of U.S. Presidents, Vice Presidents, and founding fathers.

The nine galleries featuring portraits of such visionaries provided a proper setting for Board President Kevan Gibson and Headmaster Scott Reisinger to present Vision 2016.

Also in April, Betsy Heald joined a small group of alumni for lunch in the Heald Room at the Heritage Museum and Gardens in Sandwich.

Headmaster Reisinger presented the Vision and answered questions about the goals for the School’s future. The Alumni Council meeting kicked-off the fall gatherings, followed by events at the Penn Club in New York City sponsored by Will Ebert ’99, and at the Pew Charitable Trust in June and Brian Carroll and Board President Kevan Gibson at the Washington, DC, where Peter Janhunen ’85 was host.

U.S. Presidential Museum.

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112th Commencement

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and

June 2013

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Perseverance, Personality, and Post-it® Notes While learning a new language and culture, Ting Li ’99 unknowingly planted the seeds for Bancroft’s International Student Program

BY ABBY D. COHEN ’93

Ting Li spoke almost no English and had little experience in American culture when she enrolled 10

in Bancroft’s Upper School in 1995. But thanks to her tenacious spirit and passion for learning, she surmounted the obstacles, excelled at Bancroft, and went on to earn degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard.

Today,Ting is a successful retail architect — and a role model for Bancroft’s students. Fellow alumna Abby Cohen ’93 recently sat down with Ting to talk about her journey.

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hen Ting Li and I met for lunch in midtown Manhattan, we soon discovered we had something in common: We were both public-school exiles who had applied to Bancroft’s Upper School in the middle of a school year, hoping for a more meaningful, inspiring, and rigorous educational experience than we’d found in our local high schools. We both found that and so much more in the time we spent on Shore Drive.

Ting remembers vividly taking the admission tests: The math? No problem. Her scores were off the charts.

Even 18 years later, she’s sure of it. “The English,” she laughs, “well, that was a different story! I think I was able to guess the answers to maybe 20% of the questions.”

Her lopsided scores might have puzzled an admissions committee less sensitive and informed than Bancroft’s.

They knew that Ting had been in the United States for all of five months when she took those tests, and her English was rudimentary, at best. “I had command of a few phrases,” she recalls, “but I didn’t have the fluency to read a newspaper, a novel, or a textbook, or even to carry on a conversation.” She thanks the Apelian family, Diran and Seta, and their daughters Teni ’95 and Lara ’96, for encouraging her to apply to Bancroft.

Unbeknownst to anyone at the time, in choosing to enroll at Bancroft, Ting was blazing a trail that would eventually lead to a new generation of international students at Bancroft. In the fall of 2013, Bancroft’s Upper School will have 12 students from China who, like Ting, know that Bancroft will provide them with

both exceptional classroom learning experiences and extracurricular opportunities for cultural, athletic, and social development. Most of these students have completed their first year at Bancroft and have become an integral part of the community. The students have joined clubs, sports teams, been elected to student government, and performed in the spring musical. The School has created support systems and designed resources for them, including modified schedules and consistent instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL).

This past December, Ting visited Bancroft to speak to the Chinese students, who had only been here a few months at that time. Delighted to speak to someone who had walked in their shoes, the students appreciated her insights into American independent school life and found her to be a powerful role model. Ting gave those students her cell phone number and encouraged them to contact her if they needed anything from a sympathetic ear to a quick summary of Jane Eyre.

Although her first weeks at Bancroft were a blur, the few details that stand out are telling, both about the school and about Ting. Her schedule was carefully crafted to ensure that there would be times during her day when she felt completely secure and maybe even confident in her new environment. Initially, she took two math classes, Mr. Trocchio’s world history class, and a class in the art department. But there is no getting around the requirement that all Bancroft students take four years of English in Upper School.

Ting (front row, 3rd from right) visits the students in the Upper School Mandarin class taught by Fanfei Kong (far right).

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1999 tes a m s s a l C 12

She recalled her first day in Barbara Groves’ literature class, when she was handed a copy of The Merchant of Venice, one of Shakespeare’s “problem plays.”

Neither tragedy, nor comedy, nor history, the play has stymied generations of native English speakers, never mind a student with just “a few phrases” of English.

Ting doesn’t really remember how, but she muddled through. “I suspect that Sara Yood and Will Ebert [thenclassmates who remain close friends] must have taken it upon themselves to explain enough of the plot and a few significant quotations to get me through the play.”

As Ting and I continued to talk, I sensed that she was understating the tremendous effort it took her to do the work for all of her classes. She and I are both glad to know that today’s international students are better equipped to face the rigors of upper-level English courses.

In addition to the academic hurdles Ting had to face, there was also a new and daunting social scene to master. Members of the community were quick to welcome Ting, though language and cultural differences couldn’t immediately be eased by friendship alone. Classmate Naomi Sleeper invited Ting to her first-ever sleepover party, and “Mathletes” Kurt Hagstrom, Sam Epstein, and Jesse Palma were eager to add Ting and her amazing mathematical abilities to their algebraic arsenal. Ting also joined the US drama club Powder & Wig, and became

part of the proud tradition of Bancroft actors who have peopled the streets of River City, Iowa, in The Music Man, performed as members of the theatre troupe in Pippin, and basked in the warm sun of the French Antilles in Once on This Island.

As Ting’s extracurricular life took shape, the challenges she faced over the course of a school day remained fairly significant. The Internet was in its infancy, and there was no readily accessible online translator to ease the process. Ting had to look up each and every word in her paperback Chinese-English dictionary. She shared her strategy for reading through an assignment in a history or science textbook: “For every English word I didn’t know, I stuck a Post-it note with the Chinese translation in the margin of the book. By the end of the year, my textbook was twice as thick as anyone else’s because every chapter had layers and layers of Post-it vocabulary words.”

Bancroft international students Iris Li ’16 (stage manager) and Linda Wu ’14 (cast member) participate in the spring musical Guys and Dolls.

Like many Upper School students before and since, Ting found a mentor in French teacher Nicky Puccio. When she needed a respite from the spirited chatter of the Upper School hallways, Ting found her way to Madame Puccio’s classroom.

This legendary space, which has surely occupied a number of different rooms at 110 Shore Drive over the years, is as much a Bancroft tradition for those of us who were in Upper School in the ’90s, ’00s, and ’10s as Mountain Day, the Halloween Parade, or class competitions. Madame Puccio’s classroom doesn’t quite offer the casual freedom of today’s “Hub,” it doesn’t require the seriousness of purpose necessary for the library, and it’s not quite as complete an escape as the nurse’s office. Instead, Madame Puccio’s classroom is a place where students can be their authentic selves. Need a safe place to vent about an insane homework load? Madame’s office. Want to share an opinion about the morning’s assembly speaker? Madame’s office. Eager to celebrate a test grade or an invitation to the prom? Madame’s office.

Half the time it’s not even necessary to tell all of these things directly to Madame Puccio. What I remember most is that she would sit in the corner of her room at her desk, ostensibly grading papers or marking tests, and a group of us would sit around the table in the center of the room talking freely, but feeling safe in the presence of an adult who we knew was listening to and noting every word.

Initially, Ting didn’t need conversation, but she did need peace, and Madame’s office was where she could find it. “I wasn’t even one of Madame Puccio’s students,” she says, “but I would go sit in her room, quietly restoring my sense of self, getting ready to go back out into the maelstrom.” Ting found herself developing a real and meaningful connection with Madame Puccio, and they remain good friends.

Ting with teacher Nicky Puccio and fellow alumni Anthony Selvitella ’97 and Zachary Bamberg ’04 at the New York City alumni gathering in December.

When asked about her transition from Bancroft to the University of Pennsylvania, Ting sounded like countless other Bancroft alumni. “The transition was smooth. The Post-it notes were a thing of the past. I was well prepared to study at an Ivy League school.” One of four Bancroft students from her class attending Penn, Ting studied French, art history, and architecture. After

her years in Philadelphia, she pursued a graduate degree in architecture from Harvard University—a course of study that eventually led to her current role in retail architecture. As a Store Design Project Manager, Ting designs interior and exterior spaces for upscale retailer Barneys New York. Her ability to speak flawless Chinese is a tremendous asset in her job, which requires her to travel to Asia four or five times a year to oversee the manufacture of the various materials that go into relocating, renovating, and opening a Barneys store. Ting is responsible for everything from the type of paint used on the doors to the depth and width of the shelves on which merchandise is displayed.

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Ting connects with Bancroft’s international students during her recent visit to campus.

Eventually, Ting would like to shift her focus from the client side of architecture to the design side, to be more involved in what she calls the “pure essence” of architecture. For now, however, she enjoys being surrounded by beautiful things, the creativity of fashion, and the energy of what she says is a very “young” profession.

And while she is happy to be living in the big city, Ting is excited to have a reason to travel back and forth to Worcester in the coming years: her young cousin Zhuo Yun Li will join the Class of 2017 at Bancroft this fall. With good English skills, international cell phones, iPads equipped with translators and Skype, and a solid support system comprised of host families, sponsors from EduBoston (the organization that coordinates the international student program), Bancroft’s native-speaking Mandarin teacher Fanfei Kong—and Ting’s phone number —today’s international students will have a very different journey from the one Ting Li embarked upon nearly two decades ago.

Abby D. Cohen ’93 is a Middle and Upper School English teacher at The Spence School in New York City. Her favorite Bancroft School memories are of Mrs. Rasnick’s AP US History course and of playing lacrosse on Bancroft’s first-ever girls’ team.

Nicholas Cyganski ‘13 presents his MSSEF Grand Prize-winning project at MIT.

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US Students Take Major Science Fair Prizes

BY Julie O’Malley

Bancroft’s Nicholas Cyganski won the Grand Prize at this year’s Massachusetts State Science & Engineering Fair (MSSEF), while classmates Zohaib Moonis and Emory Payne excelled at the Intel International Fair and won a special award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

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hen the Upper School science department added a new project-based course called Research and Scientific Inquiry to the curriculum, among the first to sign up were Nick Cyganski ’13, Zohaib Moonis ’13, and Emory Payne ’14. Nick did a research project titled “Optical Spectral Analysis of Oscillating Granular Media,” while Zohaib and Emory teamed up to study the “Effect of Ethanol on Beta Cell Development in Zebrafish: Linking Fetal Alcohol Syndrome to Type 1 Diabetes.” The students’ incredible successes presenting their research at Regional, State, and International Science and Engineering Fairs went far beyond expectations.

Next, the pair moved on to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), held May 12-17, 2013, in Phoenix, Arizona. There, Zohaib and Emory won a 4th Place Award ($500) in their division, as well as a special Addiction Science Award ($1,500) from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a branch of the NIH. In August, they will present their work at the NIH in Washington, DC.

“they never gave up; never settled for less than their best work”

Teacher MaryAnn DeMaria, who was a finalist for the 2011 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, is very proud of her students. “Bancroft competes in a region that is especially strong. Among others, we’re up against the Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School in Marlboro and the Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI,” she explains. “The boys were competing among the best of the best, so I really pushed them. I might not have been their favorite person at times, but they never gave up; never settled for less than their best work. They did great research and had great hypotheses, but their perseverance was the key to their success.”

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Zohaib Moonis ‘13 and Emory Payne ‘14 display their Addiction Science Awards from NIDA at the Intel ISEF in Phoenix.

The first opportunity to share their work came on April 30, at the Worcester Regional Science & Engineering Fair at WPI. Zohaib and Emory presented their findings and won the highest 2nd Place Award and a $250 cash prize. This award made them eligible to compete at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).

Nick had to miss the regional fair because his robotics team was competing in the VEX Robotics National Tournament the same weekend. Missing the regionals also meant he would not be eligible to go to ISEF.

Undaunted, Nick presented his project for the first time in early May at the Massachusetts State Science and Engineering Fair (MSSEF) held at MIT—and won the top prize in the state, the coveted Grand Prize Genzyme Science Award! This award includes a $10,000 prize for Nick, $10,000 for Bancroft’s science department, and $5,000 for the teacher (MaryAnn DeMaria) for professional development. Also at MSSEF, Zohaib and Emory won a 1st Place Award and a $1,000 cash prize.

Bancroft students Jackson Fulk-Logon ’14 (who received an Honorable Mention) and Riley Smith ’13 participated in the Worcester Regional Science Fair, along with Emory and Zohaib.

Nick will attend WPI in the fall, and Zohaib will head to New York University. Emory, who will be a senior at Bancroft this fall, says this experience has convinced him to go into biology or pre-med.

Alumni Council members honor Jim Condon ’83 at 2013 Reunion Dinner. Left to right: Ben Dobson ’97, Jim, Louisa Gebelein Jones ’74, and incoming President Kerri Aleksiewicz Melley ’90.

A Decade of Leadership is Honored as Alumni Council Announces Exciting Changes 16

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n 2003, as the newly elected President of Bancroft’s Alumni Council, Jim Condon ’83 welcomed 52 members of the Class of 2003 into Bancroft’s Alumni Association at their Senior Dinner. In May 2013, at the 31st Annual Alumni Awards and Reunion dinner some of these same students, now alumni celebrating their 10-year Reunion, were on hand as Jim was honored for his years of dedication to the Council and handed over the role to incoming President Kerri Aleksiewicz Melley ’90.

During his decade as President, Jim has been a tireless volunteer for Bancroft. He has welcomed 564 new alumni into the Association at the annual Senior Dinner, worked with alumni, parents, and friends of the School to help raise over $3.4 million for the Annual Fund, attended countless meetings and helped create an alumni presence on campus and at events.

Luckily for Bancroft, Jim’s dedication and involvement will continue as he formally accepts the School’s invitation to join the Board of Trustees. He will remain active in the Council, and as his Class Agent, and of course as a parent to two Bancroft students.

Over the past year, guided by Jim’s leadership, the Alumni Council has undergone some exciting changes. Their mission—to keep alumni involved and in touch with Bancroft and to foster connections among alumni, students, and faculty—remains constant. Recent enhancements to the Alumni Council, the representative body of the Alumni Association, have been developed to meet the needs of alumni in the decades to come. The Alumni Council President, together with a newly formed Executive Committee, will lead five new standing committees designed to support the mission:

1. Annual Fund Committee: Jim Condon ’83, Chair;

2. Awards Committee: Kerri Aleksiewicz Melley ’90, Chair;

3. Connection & Engagement Committee: Eliza Michie Laurent ’01 & Louisa Gebelein Jones ’74, Co-Chairs;

4. Communications Committee: Ben Dobson ’97, Chair; and

5. Events Committee: Louisa Gebelein Jones ’74, Chair.

Each of these committees is in the process of recruiting members, and we invite your participation and input.

This is a great time to get involved as the new committees begin to implement their ideas.

If you are interested in learning more, or joining the Alumni Council, please contact: Kerri Aleksiewicz Melley ’90 at: kamelley@hotmail.com or Lynn St. Germain, Director of Alumni Relations at: alumni@bancroftschool.org

Class Notes Class

Notes

Connections Like us on: Facebook.com/bancroftschoolalumni Join our professional network on Linkedin: Bancroft School Alumni Group Update your Contact Info: send updates to alumni@bancroftschool.org

Save the Date Alumni Council Kick-Off Homecoming Weekend Saturday, September 28, 2013 Join us for breakfast and hear what’s new at Bancroft from Headmaster Scott Reisinger, and Advancement Director Sue Cranford. Learn how you can be involved from Alumni Council President Kerri Aleksiewicz Melley ’90, and more.

Then stay and enjoy the athletic games and Homecoming Festivities Look for details coming soon at bancroftschool.org/alumni

Keep in Touch Submit Class Notes Class Notes and photos may be sent to your Class Secretary or directly to Bancroft at alumni@bancroftschool.org.

In our attempts to limit paper, we will request Class Notes by e-mail for the classes of 1950 to the present.

Deadlines for Fall/Winter Issue October 15, 2013

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Reunion Weekend 2013

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REUNION

Alumni Spotlight James Peret ’94, Engineer, Inventor, Entrepreneur Converting used fryer oil to clean energy in one simple step

Alumni Mary Coe Lynch ’32

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hen he headed off to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for college, Bancroft grad James Peret ’94 knew he wanted an engineering degree. And he knew he’d always liked to figure out how things worked.

But beyond that, he had little idea what he wanted to “be.” He certainly didn’t anticipate that he’d come up with an idea for a machine that would win a Popular Science Invention of the Year Award (2009), and allow restaurants to simply convert their waste oil into clean fuel they could use to generate their own power. But that’s what happened.

Peret is now President and CEO of Owl Power Company, the manufacturer of Vegawatt™ Systems. The Vegawatt is a stand-alone unit that sits behind restaurants. For each gallon of waste oil deposited, the Vegawatt generates four dollars’ worth of electricity and hot water, creating energy which goes straight back into the restaurant, saving thousands of dollars a month.

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In Memoriam

Peret, who lives in central Massachusetts with his wife Rochelle and his sons Toby Max, recently spoke to Bancroft students while presenting at the Upper Schoolsponsored Earth Day Environmental Fair.

with and

James Peret at Bancroft with teacher Brian Kondek on Earth Day.

Were you already into science and technology at Bancroft?

Not really. I definitely remember liking Mr. Kondek’s and Mrs. Pearson’s [US science] classes, but I was, and still am, interested in everything. I’ve never had a single focus. I was always exploring the opportunities. I liked acting—I had parts in Fiddler on the Roof, Johnny Tremain and others—and I was on the debate team and the lacrosse team. Looking back, I definitely see the value in that kind of broad-based education. My acting experience was a big help when presenting plans to investors. You never know which experiences will be valuable later in your life.

What advice would you give to students?

A broad-based education is really important. You can’t just focus on one subject in a vacuum. Even in a science or engineering role, you’ll have to be able to communicate the value of your ideas to non-scientists—investors, advocates and customers. Strive to be well-rounded. Writing, public speaking, art appreciation; these all come into play. And seek out mentors to help build your business knowledge.

When did the idea for Vegawatt emerge?

I got interested in the biodiesel movement around 2007, but the more I learned, the more I saw that the process of storing, collecting, transporting, and converting the oil to biodiesel was costly, inefficient, timeconsuming, and not all that green. I realized it was easier and more cost effective to convert an engine to run on vegetable oil than it was to convert the oil into biodiesel. I searched around, and was really surprised to find that no one else had pursued the idea. It seemed so obvious. After a lot of analysis, I left my day job and took a leap of faith that I could take this kernel of an idea and develop it into a valuable product.

Peret has several international patents pending on the Vegawatt technology. He placed the first Vegawatt unit at a restaurant in Dedham, MA, in 2008 and since then has placed 24 Vegawatt units at restaurants, supermarkets and universities with more orders coming. Colleges and universities—especially those that teach environmental engineering, are very interested. And Peret has been fielding calls from the snack food industry—major users of vegetable oil—as word of his invention spreads. Vegawatt is generating a bright future.

June 6, 2013, Charlottesville, VA at 97 Mrs. Lynch attended Bancroft until grade 9 and graduated from Ethel Walker School in CT. She attended Radcliffe College and then was a cum laude graduate of Columbia University in 1957 where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She went on to receive a MA with honors from Teachers College at Columbia and later taught at the Julian Curtiss School at Greenwich Academy in Greenwich CT. Mrs. Lynch was an exceptional golfer, winning many local championships, loved horses and breeding collie dogs. She was a direct descendant of John Alden and was a member of the Society of Mayflower Descendants. She was predeceased by her siblings Jefferson Coe ’30, and Sallie Coe Knowlton ’36 and her husband Robert Lynch. She is survived by her two sons and their families.

John Jeppson II ’34

February 10, 2013, Brookfield, MA at 96 Mr. Jeppson graduated from Bancroft’s grade 8 and then from Deerfield Academy.

He went on to Amherst College and Harvard Business School, graduating in 1940. He ran track at Amherst and competed in the Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden and was a contender for the next Olympic games, which were canceled due to the outbreak of WWII, for which he served in the US Navy. In 1945 he retired from the Navy as a Lieutenant Commander and returned to Worcester to continue his father and grandfather’s work at Norton Company.

He was president and CEO of Norton Company, retiring in 1985 when he became honorary chairman of the board and director.

He also served as chairman of Guaranty Bank. At the age of 90, he published his own book Making Hay. He was actively engaged and supportive of many civic organizations in the Worcester community throughout his entire life, including Bancroft School where he served as the Class Secretary for many years. He was the 1986 recipient of the Esther Forbes ’07 Award for Distinguished Professional Achievement. He leaves his wife of 66 years, Marianne, his sister, Betty Jeppson Green ‘43, his three surviving children, John Jeppson III, Eric Jeppson ’69, and Ingrid Jeppson Mach ’72 and their families. A daughter Muffy predeceased him. He also leaves 9 grandchildren, including Samuel ’03 and Pamela ’06 and six great-grandchildren.

VISIT BANCROFT’S WEBSITE: www.bancroftschool.org

Anne Michie Sherman ’39

April 14, 2013, Madison, CT, at 91 Mrs. Sherman graduated from Bancroft’s grade 8, and then Concord Academy and Bennington College. A resident of Madison, CT since 1960, she was a member of the Madison Beach Club, Madison Winter Club, the Garden Club of Madison, and active in Junior League for many years. She leaves two nephews, Henry Michie ’72 and Thomas Michie ’74 and a great niece Eliza Michie Laurent ’01. She was predeceased by her siblings Forbes Michie ’32 and Jean Michie Crafts ’31.

Carolyn Sigourney Holtz ’41

December 13, 2012, Portland, OR at 89 Mrs. Holtz graduated from Bancroft in 1941 and then went on to study art at Colby Junior College in New London, NH. She married Merriman Holtz in 1955 and raised their three children in Portland, Oregon.

Mrs. Holtz shared her love of art and enjoyed sketching and painting landscapes of community life near home and during trips to quiet places in France. Throughout her life she continued drawing, and speaking French, both as a teacher and student. She leaves her husband, 3 children and 4 grandchildren.

She also leaves her brother Andrew Sigourney ’50, sister Suzanne Sigourney ’38 and was predeceased by her sister Katherine Sigourney Shaver ’43.

Lemuel A. W. Manchester ’44

January 26, 2013, Windsor, CT at 86 Mr. Manchester attended Bancroft School, graduating from grade 8. He then went on to Worcester Academy and the University of Hartford. He worked as a draftsman and mechanical engineer for Pratt-Whitney, Combustion Engineering/ABB, and Hamilton Standard where he was part of the team that designed the backpack breathing apparatus for man’s first walk on the moon.

His mother, Emily Burling Waite, was a Bancroft teacher and accomplished artist, which inspired his life-long love of art, art museums and art restoration. He was a dedicated Bancroft Class Secretary for many years. Mr. Manchester is survived by his fiancée Nancy Ferguson and a sister.

Stanley Porter ’45

December 22, 2012, Worcester, MA at 86 Mr. Porter graduated from Bancroft’s eighth grade and then Deerfield Academy.

His high school education was interrupted by WW II at age 18 to serve in the 90th Infantry Division of the Third US Army under General George S. Patton.

He achieved the rank of

Sergeant and was awarded a Purple Heart.

Returning to his education, he earned a B.S. from Springfield College. He was a long-time member and former deacon of the United Congregational Church in Worcester. His professional career included teaching history and physical education at Bancroft from 1952 to 1956. He was married to Rosamond for 46 years, who predeceased him. He leaves four children, six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Ann Webster Clemons ’54

February 21, 2013, Melbourne, FL at 76 Mrs. Clemons attended Bancroft and moved to Maine and then Texas where she graduated from high school and Stephens College in Missouri. Eventually she moved back to New England with her family, met and married Eliot Goodwin Clemons, and soon moved to Bow, NH to raise their three children. Her interests were golf and tennis.

She was predeceased by her husband and leaves 3 children, 3 grandchildren and a great-grandchild.

Harriet Cohen Tarkiainen ’61

May 20, 2013, Ocean Ridge, FL at 69 Mrs. Tarkiainen graduated from Bancroft and then from Smith College where she majored in Art History and studied in Florence, Italy. She earned her Masters degree from Assumption College and began teaching, a profession she loved, at Wachusett Regional High School. She married David Tarkiainen in 1985, also a teacher, and they retired to Florida together, and both taught part-time at local junior colleges. She was a life-long member of Beth Israel Synagogue and active with Smith College alumnae. Her husband predeceased her in 2003, and she leaves her son, daughter, stepson and their families.

Priscilla Coes Bean ’65

February 8, 2013, Grand Isle, VT at 65 Mrs. Coes attended Bancroft in grade 7 and continued through grade 11 before graduating from Oxford Hills High School in Maine. She married Robert Bean and together they raised their family in Vermont. She had a long career in retail management as a clothing buyer and store manager for both The Alpine Shop and Climb High. She was an artist and enjoyed sailing and golf. She is survived by her husband and children and their families, as well as her sister Martha Coes Thayer ’58 and brother Loring Coes III ’67.

Carol Gold Calo ’67, PhD

February 9, 2013, Sharon, MA at 63 Dr. Calo attended Bancroft from 1964 until graduating in 1967. She attended Boston University where she earned her Ph.D. in

Art History and Tufts University where she earned an M.A.T. She was a professor in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts at Stonehill College for 22 years and was Chairman of the Department for over 20 years. She created the Fine Arts Department at Stonehill and “brought vision, imagination and tenacity to hiring a creative and motivated faculty.” Dr. Calo was also passionate about public art, and was able to build partnerships beyond the campus. She is survived by her husband, Andrew Calo, her 2 sons and her sister.

Extended Community Nathan Greenberg

February 12, 2013, Palm Beach, FL at 93 Former Bancroft parent and grandparent, Mr. Greenberg co-founded Greenberg, Rosenblatt, Kull & Bitsoli, P.C. He supported many community organizations throughout Worcester, including Bancroft School where he established Greenberg Family Scholarship in memory of his wife Mimi who died in 1973. This fund has assisted qualified students with tuition at Bancroft.

He is survived by his wife Barbara, daughter Ruthanne Greenberg Miller ’73 and son Henry Greenberg and their families; 11 grandchildren, including Samantha B. Greenberg ’13.

John M. Nelson

January 21, 2013, Winter Park, FL at 81 Former Bancroft parent and grandparent, Mr. Nelson worked tirelessly and gave generously of his time and resources to lead many of Worcester’s educational, social and cultural organizations. In 2002, he was awarded Bancroft’s Robert W. Stoddard ’23 Award for Outstanding Community Service. Mr. Nelson joined Norton Company as a sales trainee after graduate school, and rose through the ranks to become chairman. After leaving Norton, he was appointed chairman and chief executive of Wyman-Gordon. He stepped down as chief executive in 1994, but remained as chairman until 1997. He leaves his wife Linda, son Christopher Nelson ’85, two step-daughters and their families including 6 grandchildren.

Louise Anderson

February 8, 2013, Barefoot Bay, FL at 75 Mrs. Anderson, know affectionately as “Lulu” around Bancroft’s campus, worked in the Development Office from 1988 until she retired in 1995. She is survived by her husband of 56 years, Donald, and 3 sons, 6 grandchilden, and a great-granddaughter.

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Bancroft athletic teams raised $3,276 for The One Fund to support victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.