BB&N Bulletin Spring 2015

Spring 2015

bulletin BB&N GOES TO WASHINGTON

Amy Rofman ’93 (above) and Emily Ross ’02 make their mark in the nation’s capital

Inside this issue:

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Siblings Morgan Faust ’96 and Max Isaacson ’02 blaze a creative trail into filmmaking

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Seniors pilot BB&N into a new era of learning through the Global Online Academy

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Former faculty profile: faculty emeritus Armen Dedekian

Events Calendar 2015

April

Saturday, May 2 BB&N Circus Lower School Campus Friday, May 8 – Sunday, May 10 Strawberry Night/Reunion Weekend BB&N Upper School Gerry’s Landing Road, Cambridge See www.bbns.org/strawberry for more details.

For a complete listing of School events including athletic games, performances, and exhibitions on campus, please visit the events calendar at: www.bbns.org/calendar.

NOTE TO PARENTS OF ALUMNI/AE: If this Bulletin was sent to your daughter or son and they have updated contact information, please send us their new address and email. Thank you!

Please send updates to: alumni_programs@bbns.org or Alumni/ae Programs Buckingham Browne & Nichols School 80 Gerry’s Landing Road Cambridge, MA 02138

Spring 2015

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Tuesday, April 14 BB&N in New York City The Terrace Club Rockefeller Center 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Letter From the Head 2 Head of School Rebecca T. Upham on snow, grit, and transformation

Community News 4 Winter Sports Wrap-Up; Middle School Girls’ Math Collaboration; Upper School Musical; Spotlight on the Arts; and more

Amy Rofman ’93 and Emily Ross ’05 make their mark in the nation’s capital

Morgan Faust ’96 and Max Isaacson ’02 Siblings blaze a creative trail into television and filmmaking

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Global Online Academy

Communications Assistant Bridget Malachowski, Editor

Contributing Editors Sherwood C. Haskins Jr. Janet Rosen

Seniors pilot BB&N into a new era of global learning

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Associate Director of Communications Andrew Fletcher, Senior Editor

Contributing Writers Joe Clifford Peter DeMarco Andrew Fletcher Molly Jackel Sharon Krauss Rachel Loughran Bridget Malachowski Andrea Martinez Natalie Ralston Janet Rosen Roger Stacey Audrey Wallace

Features 14 BB&N Goes to Washington 21

Director of Communications Joe Clifford, Editor

Former Faculty Profile: Armen Dedekian

Alumni/ae News & Notes Andrea Martinez Lizzie Jameson Natalie Ralston Tracy Rosette Katie Small

Advancing Our Mission 30 Past Parent Book Club; Profile of Daryl McLean ’03; Checking in with 5th Reunion Co-Chairs

Alumni/ae News & Notes 41 BB&N in Los Angeles 43 BB&N in San Francisco 47 Alumni/ae Winter Games 51 BB&N in Washington, D.C. 58 Milestones

Design & Production Nanci Booth www.nancibooth.com 781-301-1733 Photography/Artwork/Design Andrew Fletcher Gustav Freedman Brian Galford Evy Mages Eric Nordberg ’88 Caity Sprague Joshua Touster Vaughn Winchell

Board of Trustees, 2014-2015 Officers Bracebridge H. Young, Jr., Chair Shelly Nemirovsky, Vice Chair/Secretary Charles A. Brizius, Vice Chair David Randolph Peeler, Vice Chair/ Treasurer Members J. Stuart Ablon ’88 Leslie Ahlstrand ’08 Beth Myers Azano ’95 Jeffrey Barber James T. Berylson ’00 Joseph Chung Gregory Clark Thomas Dingman Diala Ezzeddine Katie Gayman Mary Beth Gordon Jason P. Hafler ’00 Bob Higgins James P. Honan Ken Lang Philip H. Loughlin Erica Gervais Pappendick Janet M. Storella ’74 Jocelyn Sand Clay Stites David J. Thompson ’85 Frederica C. Turner ’91 David Williams ’78 Associate Trustee Agnes Bundy Scanlan Head of School Rebecca T. Upham Front Cover:

The State Department’s Amy Rofman ’93 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Evy Mages) Correspondence may be sent to: Office of Alumni/ae Programs (alumni_programs@bbns.org or 617-800-2721) or the Office of Communications (communications@bbns.org or 617-800-2403), 80 Gerry’s Landing Road Cambridge, MA 02138-5512

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT

www.bbns.org

A Letter from Head of School Rebecca T. Upham Among the myriad factors that contribute to the success of BB&N’s educational mission, none is more important than how we nurture and sustain the robust habitat of our learning communities on all three campuses.

brought to our attention the omission of Israel on the map, we did not sufficiently correct the error for the remaining two days that the work remained on display. Clearly, because the students’ map was in essence a de facto map of the Middle East and the surrounding region, combined with the fact that 20 percent of Israel’s population is, in fact, Arabic-speaking, it is categorically true that Israel needed to be recognized.

For our teachers, fostering the sort of learning environment that we believe in requires skillful, meticulous attention to balancing challenge and support, risk-taking and reassurance, independence and guidance.

Messy, awkward, complicated. In our learning communities, however, we are steadfast in seeing these moments not as stigmas, but as opportunities. Simply erasing a blackboard isn’t a solution. Neither is pointing fingers. Talking, sharing ideas, debating, respecting each other’s viewpoints and perspectives, and asking for help when you need it is how real learning and understanding happens. And the process takes time.

It’s no accident that our School’s statement of values treads frequently on that landscape. Take, for example, the tenet which reads, “We value a vibrant, healthy, and safe community where engagement and risk-taking promote lifelong learning.”

As educators at BB&N, one of the dynamics we discuss is how we best allow “vibrant” to flourish. In many cases, what that question boils down to is how do we make sure that our learning communities are places where mistakes can be made safely, where error is not cause for fear, shame, or embarrassment. Vibrant and engaged learning has its messy, awkward, complicated moments for sure. The magic comes in helping students turn these moments into a springboard for growth and learning.

We jumped back into that process when school resumed after Spring break. We’ve asked our Jewish Cultural Club to help us out on this and have dedicated a week of the blackboard wall to them so that they could post an educational display featuring Israel for our Upper School community. The club members received help and advice on this issue from The David Project, an organization which helps students engage in these discussions and interactions in thoughtful, non-confrontational ways.

Messy, awkward, complicated. But also constructive, enlightening, and even inspiring. Sounds a lot like life, doesn’t it?

A quintessential example of this has been taking place at our Upper School these past few weeks. A week or so before March break, students in an Arabic class were given an assignment to use the second floor foyer’s public “blackboard” wall to portray the Arab world as they understood it. A major component of what they produced was a hand-drawn map that included many Arabic-speaking countries and states in the Middle East and North Africa. Palestine was one of the geographic regions that was depicted and named on the map. Israel was not labeled anywhere on the map.

I am 100 percent certain that the students’ work was absent of political motive; it was not a commentary on sovereignty or legitimacy. It was, rather, an inadvertent error of omission. But in this hyper-charged environment of Middle East politics and the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe and around the world, that omission carried unintended messages. We grown-ups also made some unintended mistakes. When concerned students and parents 2

The day before students went on break, I overheard a group of Upper School students sitting in a circle around a coffee table outside the English Department office. As I walked by, I heard one of the group say emphatically, “I’m going to be the one to change society, just you wait.”

That line brought a huge smile to my face. I’m so proud of the way our students do in fact change the world and society when they enter into our alumni/ae ranks. (See the articles about Amy Rofman ’93 and Emily Ross ’02 on page 14 for two excellent examples.) And I’m equally proud of the way that our students find their voice here, and the role that BB&N’s teachers, peers, and parents play in sustaining the vibrant, healthy, and safe learning communities that help make it possible.

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Class Notes

As we transitioned from a historically snowy winter into March break, and now back from it, a common thread is the energy crackling around all of our campuses, the likes of which, if harnessed, would have the region’s persistent snow melted in a snap.

into the home base for our Middle School program during the Fall 2015 semester. It’s a “back to the future” transformation for 46 Belmont, which was built as a school and spent most of its life in just that role. (You can keep track of the renovation project’s progress at www.bbns.org/ms-construction.)

Globalism, and how best to integrate it throughout our program, is certainly much on our minds. And indeed, as the first half of my letter illustrates, it is rarely far from the surface of the way we learn and interact with each other. This year marked the start of Upper School students being able to participate in Global Online Academy coursework. (See page 24 for an article about the experiences of our five student “test pilots” this fall.) And on the planning side, two globally-focused task forces were launched last month. The first, chaired by Upper School faculty member Karina Baum, will evaluate the global competencies that will best prepare our students for success as lifelong learners and as ethical, engaged citizens of the world. The second, chaired by Brett Fuhrman, chief operations and financial officer, will explore what sort of global “footprint,” if any, BB&N might consider pursuing.

I can’t wait for June 8th when we will put shovels in the ground—not just because it is the harbinger of great things to come but also because it marks with that warmer climates are finally here to stay.

I, for one, am happy for the daffodils.

On March 30th, BB&N welcomed a pair of visitors as part of Teach With Africa’s Educator Exchange Program. Two young South African teachers, Asanda Sigigaba and Odwa Sivunga, are in the midst of three weeks that they will spend with us to observe our teaching practices and share their own. As many of our students and alumni/ae can attest, however, the real heart of exchange programs such as these are the opportunities they provide peers—in this case, teaching colleagues—to celebrate their values, connect culturally, find their voices, and break down barriers.

Active preparation work and excited anticipation are the order of the day at our Middle School campus, where exciting progress is taking place in respect to the forthcoming transformative renovation of the core buildings. January’s arrival this year brought with it remarkable news. I am incredibly pleased to report that the grace, energy, and generosity of so many members of the BB&N community allowed us to surpass the ambitious $8.15 million goal necessary to fund the project. What a great success!

These donors and volunteers recognized the dramatic impact this renovation will have on the experience of generations of Middle Schoolers and their sustained, herculean efforts reflected that brilliantly. I thank you profoundly.

March break also gave the project team an opportune two weeks to perform essential preparatory infrastructure work at 80 Sparks Street. Simultaneously, the advance work continues on many fronts for the metamorphosis of our 46 Belmont Street facility 3

Family Science Saturday Turns Students into Creators This winter’s Family Science Saturday centered around inventing and tinkering in order to solve problems, learn how things work, and create.

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Beginners through sixth grade students were able to visit seven stations and try various challenges. The stations were staffed by the Lower School technology department and science faculty, as well as four Upper School students—Sophia Scanlan ’18, Tali Sorets ’16, Claudia Inglessis ’18, and Ethan O’Reilly ’16. Parents were asked to let their children take the lead, rather than jumping in to help make a project work better.

The Lower School students had a chance to use Makey Makeys (self-described “invention kits”) to transform fruits and vegetables into computer keyboards or to play music by tapping on Play-Doh. They also created structures with marshmallows and spaghetti, and one structure was even strong enough to support a block! Other great activities included building cardboard structures, electric greeting cards, wind-up cars, and bristlebots.

PICTURED [ 1 & 2 [ Rajeev Shah and his son Arjun ’25 build bristlebots

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alongside Mia Andreoli ’28 and her mother Denise Gee.

Students Channel their Inner Scorsese with Short Films Middle School students spent the winter learning the history and ins and outs of filmmaking when they donned writer, actor, and director hats as part of drama teacher Christa Crewdson’s film class.

“We begin the semester by reviewing previous student films and then move onto camera shot technique and point of view,” explains Crewdson. “We then spend two weeks writing a screenplay. Once I approve the screenplay, the students film for two months and then finally edit.”

The results are incredible, fun, short films on all manner of topics. Beyond the thrill of seeing the finished products, the process leads to all sorts of discoveries about narrative arc, technique, film history, and perhaps most notably, collaboration.

“The hardest part about making my film was trying to get everyone to agree on an idea; my group’s members all had excellent ideas, but at first we couldn’t figure out how to compromise,” says Siddharth Simon ’19. “This class made my group work hard, but it was more fun than stressful. I learned how to make a good film, as well as how to collaborate in a project where everyone has a different vision.”

Ava Fascetti ’19 was surprised at the myriad skills that the class forced her to grapple with.

“I feel differently about movies now than I did at the beginning of the semester,” says Fascetti. “Making a film requires innovation, patience, dedication, and teamwork. Thinking of an idea to start off with is very difficult, and sticking to it, more importantly, is a key aspect. Since we made movies in groups, there was a lot of teamwork and patience with your peers involved. Overall, filmmaking is not only a fun class but an important one that teaches essential life skills.”

The class culminated in a movie night in late January at which audiences were delighted and impressed with the final films. Now in her fourth year of running the filmmaking class, Crewdson has seen it evolve into a student favorite and one which yields unexpected lessons for everyone involved. (See some trailers at www.bbns.org/film-night) 4

Community News Upper School Musical Damn Yankees Delights Audiences Few things signify the coming of spring like the start of the baseball season, and apropos to that sentiment, BB&N’s Upper School thespians brought down the house with their late-winter performance of Damn Yankees.

The musical comedy (with book and music by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, and Richard Adler and Jerry Ross respectively) is a modernday interpretation of the Faust legend, taking place in 1950s Washington, D.C. The play turns on a sports fan (played by Alex Medzorian ’15) who makes a deal with the devil to provide his favorite but pathetic team, the Washington Senators, with a young slugger to help them beat the mighty Yankees.

Laughs and fantastic music abounded as the drama played, out, and under the direction of theater teacher Mark Lindberg, the Barrows Family Master Teacher Chair, students clearly hit a home run.

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[ 1 [ Alex Medzorian ’15, Tynan Friend ’15, Daniel Strodel ’16, and Charlotte Foote ’17 [ 2 [ Daniel Strodel ’16 and Zachary Horwitz ’16 [ 3 [ A rousing musical number from the performance [ 4 [ James Lindberg ’15 and Katherine Massie ’16 [ 5 [ Chloe Tinagero ’15 and Sofia Sulikowski ’17 5

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PICTURED [ 1 [ Nicholas Jacobs ’15, left, and Soren McLeod ’16, push the ball up-court. [ 2 [ Maeve McNamara ’15 leads a fast break. [ 3 [ Natalie Madden ’17 plays a shot in the corner. [ 4 [ Kate Piacenza ’17 works the puck up the ice. [ 5 [ Co-captain Hyuk-Joo Hwang ’15, right, scores a point with his foil. [ 6 [ Sebastien Ridore ’15, top, brings an opponent to the mat. [ 7 [ Michael Harris ’15, right, battles an opponent for the puck.

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Community News Sports Wrap-Up Boys Basketball (Record: 14-11)

Boys Squash (Record: 1-9)

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This team’s back-to-back winning seasons of a combined 33 victories is the most of any boys’ basketball teams in the past 20 years.

Highlights of the season included an upset victory over defending Class A New England champions, Phillips Exeter Academy, and a late-season surge to win eight of their final ten games.

Cup Winners: Koby Antwi ’15, Nick Jacobs ’15 All League: Koby Antwi ’15, Ben Crawford ’15 Honorable Mention: Nick Jacobs ’15, Andrew Taliaferro ’16

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In just their second year as an official program in the most difficult squash conference in the country, this squad fought hard every match, finally earning their first team victory against St. Sebastian’s.

At the New Englands, the boys were placed in the C division and were able to win their division in the tournament, assuring their spot in the B division next year.

Cup Winner: Alec Gustafson ’15 Honorable Mention: Deven Kanwal ’19

Girls Squash (Record: 2-8) Girls Hockey (Record: 14-13-2) •

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In compiling a third consecutive season with a winning record, this year’s campaign could be considered one of the most successful seasons in BB&N girls hockey history.

Highlights from the season included a 3-2 win over Division II New England champs Rivers, and a 3-3 tie against St. Paul’s, who won the Division I New England Title.

Cup Winners: Bradley Fusco ’15, Cara Najjar ’15 All League: Bradley Fusco ’15, Cara Najjar ’15 Honorable Mention: Jackie Diffley ’15, Shannon Griffin ’17

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Also in just their second year as an official program in the most difficult squash conference in the country, the girls squash team won their final two matches of the regular season to record their first victories as a team.

At the New Englands, the girls were in the B division and placed sixth, ahead of multiple other divisional opponents.

The tournament featured strong performances from Ellie Gozigian ’17 and Natalie Madden ’17, who finished first and second respectively in their divisions.

Cup Winner: Grace Lavoie ’15 All League: Ellie Gozigian ’17

Girls Basketball (Record: 12-13) •

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Despite a season of transition featuring a new coach, and the graduation of five players from the previous season, this team fought hard every game and pulled off a five-game winning streak that included victories over Exeter at home and Pingree at the TD Garden.

Maeve McNamara ’15 was selected to play in the NEPSAC Class A All-Star Game.

Cup Winners: Sophie DiPetrillo ’15 Maeve McNamara ’15 All League: Maeve McNamara ’15 Honorable Mention: Annie Barrett ’16, Sophie DiPetrillo ’15, Kayla Kaloostian ’18

Fencing (Record: 8-10) • •

Cup Winners: Darrith Phan ’15, Sophie Sadovnikoff ’15

Wrestling (Record: 2-15) •

Boys Hockey (Record: 9-18-1) •

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Fielding the youngest roster in the league, this team took some licks but grew stronger with every game and looks poised for a strong season next year.

Highlights included defeating a talented Groton team 2-1, and completing a 6-2 run over the holiday-break schedule.

This fearless team finished an impressive fourth at the end-ofyear State Championships.

With a strong foundation of fencers, next year looks bright for BB&N fencing.

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Containing a roster of 20 students, a third of whom had never wrestled before, this squad showed tremendous improvement over the course of the year. By the end of the year at the Northern New England Invitational, the team placed 10th out of 17.

At the Graves-Kelsey Championship, Sebastien Ridore ’15 placed 5th, and Sasha Frank ’16 placed 4th, which earned the latter a place in the Prep New England Tournament.

Cup Winner: Sebastien Ridore ’15 Honorable Mention: Sasha Frank ’16, Sebastien Ridore ’15

Cup Winners: Jack Clark ’15, Dan Lehman ’15 All League: Dan Metzdorf ’15 Honorable Mention: Mike Harris ’15, Fuller Winton ’15 7

Students Celebrate F. Scott Fitzgerald in Gatsby Style Students in Upper School English teacher Susie Bonsey’s English 10 class lit up Renaissance Hall with a roaring ’20s Great Gatsby party this winter. Devised as a celebration of their study of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famous novel of the same name, the party was a culmination not only of their reading of the book, but also their exploration of the era it describes.

“The students studied period art, history, music, dancing, sports, entertainment, cuisine, and fashion of the Roaring ’20s—and one group studied prohibition specifically,” says Bonsey. “Although the 1920s can seem like a very distant era for our students, there are a lot of parallels to what we see happening in current society. Issues with wealth distribution, technological innovation, gender politics, racial tension, morality, and the plausibility of achieving the ‘American Dream’ linger beneath the surface of this novel and are still very relevant today.”

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[ 1 [ Upper School English teacher Susie Bonsey, Kian Golshan ’17, Catie Blair ’17, and Julie Peng ’ 17 share some sparkling cider at the Great Gatsby party. [ 2 [ Students perform the Charleston.

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Community News BB&N Community Celebrates MLK Day with Luncheon Gathering at the Upper School, the BB&N community came together at the School’s MLK luncheon to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. Now in its 31st year, the annual event features music, speakers, and a union of voices to honor Dr. King’s legacy and work.

After opening remarks by Head of School Rebecca T. Upham and event organizer and Director of Multicultural Programs Lewis Bryant, guests were treated to musical performances by Tolieth Marks and Austin Marks of the Pentecostal Tabernacle.

Student speakers for the luncheon were Cierra Robson ’15 and Nicholas Bator ’15, and the keynote address was given by esteemed Stanford Professor and Vice Provost Harry Elam Jr., who is a Dorchester native and longtime friend of Mr. Bryant’s.

1 PICTURED [ 1 [ Student speakers Cierra Robson ’15 and Nicholas Bator ’15 [ 2 [ Keynote speaker Harry Elam Jr. [ 3 [ Guests caught up in the spirit of the day

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BB&N Basketball Hits the Parquet for Charity Listening to pre-game introductions over the loudspeaker and watching life-sized replays on the Jumbotron with wide-eyed excitement, BB&N students partook in a special day of charity basketball at the TD Garden this Martin Luther King Jr. day Squaring off respectively against the Pingree School and Belmont Hill School, BB&N’s Girls and Boys Varsity teams relished the opportunity to play on the same parquet floor as Boston Celtics legends such as Larry Bird, Bill Russell, and Paul Pierce.

The lady Knights managed to pull out a 52-40 win over Pingree while the boys fell 56-40 to Belmont Hill. But the true winner of the event was The Arc of Massachusetts, a non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.

Annie Barrett ’16 brings the ball across half court on the famous Garden parquet floor.

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Students Embark on Treasure Hunt at 4th Annual Girls’ Math Collaboration The 25 BB&N seventh and eighth grade girls gathered in the Middle School Anne Elliott Smith math room could be doing any number of things on this Wednesday afternoon in March: playing sports, checking Facebook, relaxing, or doing homework. But incredibly, or perhaps not so incredibly, they have chosen to spend the afternoon doing, of all things, math!

problems which must be solved to help decipher a secret message. This message in turn will provide clues to revealing the combination lock on a stolid looking treasure chest that sits on a stool at the front of the room.

Fan, a former assistant professor at Harvard University and highly accomplished mathematician, is the founder of Girls’ Angle, an organization that might best be described as a highly organized math club for girls all over the Boston area.

Through years of private tutoring, Fan noticed a void in the world of mathematics for interested girls, and in 2007 founded the organization as a way to provide a comprehensive approach to math education and a fun way for students to engage in mathematics at all levels.

The students are participating in the School’s fourth annual Girls’ Math Collaboration, an interactive math odyssey which, if completed correctly, will unlock a literal treasure chest of goodies to them.

“My goal is to turn girls into the heroes of their own story,” says Fan, who particularly enjoys facilitating special events such as this one at BB&N. Each event carries its own narrative, which is revealed as the students work through the problems to unlock the treasure.

“This one is called Fermat’s Last Laugh,” says Fan, who seems to bounce ever so slightly with earnest excitement when sharing his passion for math. “It’s based on a famous theorem called Fermat’s Last Theorem.”

The “event” as program creator Ken Fan calls it, is comprised of 35 to 40 math

The focus of the event is on teamwork, collaboration, and making math exciting.

“It is an optional, extracurricular activity,” says Middle School math chair Richard Chang.

“But we are the kind of school where 25 girls actually want to show up and do math for two hours; it’s a wonderful thing.”

Not every problem needs to be solved to decipher the combination to the treasure, and there are multiple ways to arrive at the final solution. It’s all part of the fun, challenge, and beauty of the event.

“Things can get very tense and emotional… students really immerse themselves in it.

But they have so much fun,” Fan says.

“What amazes me is that the kids build up so much momentum and confidence that they can often solve much more complicated problems than their math level should technically allow…and certainly they surprise themselves with how much they accomplish.”

As the girls huddle in groups, poring over the problems, there is palpable energy.

One group is working on a special set of problems that if solved will allow access to ask Fan questions about the remaining problems. “Yes, we got this one!” rings a cry from one table, as high-fives are exchanged.

There is also the occasional sound of groans at a dead-end reached on a problem set, but the chatter of excited discussion soon prevails. A table of food supplies nourishment for the proceedings, and as the smiles and laughter attest to, math never felt more fun.

BB&N was the first school that Fan ever conducted an onsite event with four years ago when math teacher Randi Currier

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Class Notes approached him about the idea based on a great experience her daughter had at one of Fan’s events.

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“The first year we did this, it was a big success,” says Currier. “That year we had 10 girls take part; now four years later, we have 25 girls here.”

[ 1 [ Ken Fan leads students through a problem during the Girls’ Math Collaboration. [ 2 [ Grace Vincent ’20 and Amy Khoshbin ’20 celebrate with a high-five. [ 3 [ Tessa Haining ’19, Talia Belz ’19, Laila Shadid ’19, and Reina Matsumoto ’19 work on a problem set. [ 4 [ Emma Harden ’20 and Simra Sonmez-Erbil ’20 get into the swing of the event. [ 5 [ Part of the “secret message” being decoded.

The benefits of the event go beyond one afternoon of learning, as Chang notes: “In the past we’ve had students who were timid and underperforming in math who attended the event and grew emboldened through the experience. I recall one student who was quiet and underperforming in class, but when she got into the flow of Ken’s event, she turned into a different person. We were all saying, ‘Who is this student?!’

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“This activity is an example of actually doing something to fight the prevailing stereotypes about girls and math. Events like this make a difference,” says Chang.

Two hours later, a cry of joy goes up around the room as the combination lock is finally solved and opened. Candy, little gift cards, and trinkets are the physical rewards, but the real treasure is found in the smiles of the girls as they congratulate each other on a challenging journey completed.

Ken Fan’s work at BB&N, including programs like the 4th annual Girls’ Math Collaboration, is funded in part by the Lee Ginsburg Herbst and Arthur L. Herbst Math Fund.

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Alumni/ae Spotlight on the Arts Film • Video • Theater • Photography • Books • Ceramics • Music • Design • Sculpture • Drawing • Painting • Architecture

Geoffrey Stiles ‘75, Artist In the tradition of many 19th century itinerant artists, Geoffrey R. Stiles has traveled through Maryland, Massachusetts, and Maine, knocking on doors with his portfolio in hand. In this way he was commissioned by nearly 500 clients to render portraits of their houses, estates, farms and businesses.

“The first pen and ink drawing I made was of an imaginary house, something drawn from freshman impressions of Cambridge, Massachusetts architecture. The drawing got honorable mention in The Boston Globe Art Awards. It wasn’t until years later that I actually considered making a living at my art, as I made house portraits, door to door. Prep school kids were not to consider careers as artists; it was to be a whitecollar job only. Starting at $350, my prices rose to where one client, a dental surgeon said I wasn’t asking enough, at $2,500.

Yet a typical architectural rendering from a design firm would be upwards of $3,500.

“A member of my family once joked that I was ‘casing the joint’ when I went selling door to door, but in truth I had to discern what kind of house it was. The type of neighborhood was the best indicator, but also the curtains in the windows. Did they really care about their home (and have a discretionary income of $60,000 or more)?

“Once I saw a house that looked right from a distance, I would go up and ring the doorbell.

One particular experience wasn’t in a good neighborhood and off a busy road. Getting closer, I saw the house was a mess, but I knocked on the door anyway. This turned out to be a big mistake. The man that answered said to me, ‘Wait a minute while I get my gun.’ I left quickly. This job required a good amount of humility for me to place bread on the table. Everything it seemed was against my doing this business, from my parents to my church to circumstances. At another house I recall introducing myself as an artist and being referred to as a con artist.”

In recent years, he has found that it is no longer feasible to sell in this way and never 12

was comfortable with it anyway. Now his web page does the traveling for him. The quality of Geoff’s pen and inks made his printer in Portland, Maine noteworthy for the folding cards and envelopes of his artwork. Print Mail of Maine won first prize three years consecutively for cards made from his work.

He now produces these cards for himself, along with etchings pulled off his own press: The Old Landmarks.

Geoff graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Fine Art and also studied painting and portraiture under Paul Ingbretson, a Boston school painter.

Although he has lived in several states along the East Coast, his heart has always been in New England. He now makes his home and studio in the foothills of western Maine in a timberframe house that he and his family built themselves on the side of Rattlesnake Mountain. They grow their own vegetables and raise dairy goats, chickens, and of course a couple of dogs to make farm life complete.

Geoff’s work is endowed, he hopes, with the same sense of place he feels so strongly about wherever he goes. He loves “the lay of the land” that the stoic New England farmer had a sense of. In his wanderings he’ll be struck by what can be a very ordinary place. “I think it is the light in a place, which delights and transports me into the joy of heavenly realms. And of course clouds can have great glory.” www.etsy.com/shop/GeoffreyRStilesArt Jonathan Mirin ’90, Playwright/Actor “Like many ‘theatre-types’ who have made theatre or film what they do as adults, I am indebted to mentors and teachers at BB&N. There was a theatre teacher at the Middle School named Robin Miller who cast me as John the Baptist in Godspell but then somehow I got the idea that theatre was not for me (as I dyed my hair white and spent a good deal of time in the pit in Harvard Square) until junior year when German teacher Nick Lasoff cast me as Artie Shaughnessy in The House of Blue Leaves

by John Guare (Six Degrees of Separation, etc.). The lead in a sophisticated, hilarious

farce was well beyond my capacity without some ‘special help.’ Luckily, Mark Lindberg had played Artie as a grad student at Brown. After 20 minutes of following him around the stage, unconnected to any class or rehearsal, I had imbibed enough of Artie to make the experience of the whole production a formative one. I met Mr. Guare in New York later on and told him the story.

He said, ‘Sorry to ruin your life.’ I took drama with Mark the next year and was in his productions. During a dress rehearsal of Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, I had a backstage epiphany, suddenly feeling that the sum of what all these teenagers and a few adults were running around doing was greater than its parts. It was nice to have this glimmer of collective endeavors’ potential at an early age. Mark let me direct Neil Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs as my Senior Project and this also planted seeds for what my wife Godeliève Richard and I do now—make new plays and tour them.

Godeliève is a Swiss dancer/choreographer/ visual artist whom I’ve dragged into the theatre business.

“I love the plasticity of the medium.

You can literally do it anywhere to help anyone with almost anything. In addition to theatres and festivals, our work has brought us to business schools and pre-schools, health centers, corporate conferences, farmers’ markets, TV studios, the street, etc. In 2004 we founded Piti Theatre Company as a vehicle to take my autobiographical one-man show about misadventures in the late ’90s stock market juxtaposed with traveling overland to India in search of spiritual wisdom to the New York Fringe Festival. Piti is an ancient Indian (Pali) word meaning ‘joy’ or ‘rapture.’ We like to make lemonade out of lemons. I had a terrible time with Crohn’s disease in the ’90s and we created a comedic solo performance about growing up with Crohn’s called 28 FEET. Then came To Bee or Not to Bee, a show for family audiences and elementary schools about honeybee disappearance which is now being leveraged into ‘Bee Weeks’ and ‘Bee Friendly Certification’ by towns and organizations around our region. We hope it catches on!

To Bee was the first play we translated into French and now we’re based half the year in Switzerland—much to the happiness of our five-year-old’s Swiss grandparents. Godeliève became electro-hypersensitive in 2010 and we premiered Innocenzo this March at our annual SYRUP: One Sweet Performing Arts Festival in Shelburne Falls, MA. Innocenzo blends humor, live music, and magic to tell the story of a clown who falls sick.

After visiting many doctors and healers, he finally realizes the cause of his illness is electromagnetic pollution and begins to heal.

“I had other good teachers later on at Swarthmore College, The Neighborhood Playhouse, privately in New York, at Boston University’s graduate playwriting program and at various Vipassana Meditation Centers (as Chekhov wrote: ‘If you want to work on your art, work on your life.’). But as someone has probably said, ‘you’re only a teenager once,’ and I was lucky to run into some creative people who cared at BB&N— as well as a brilliantly supportive audience member with a distinctive laugh named Dan Farber.

Learn more about Jonathan and the Piti Theatre Company at www.ptco.org

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3

5

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PICTURED [ 1, 2, 3 [ Samples of artwork by Geoffrey Stiles ’75 [ 4 [ Jonathan Mirin ’90 and his wife Godeliève Richard perform in Elmer and the Elder Tree [ 5 [ Mirin and Richard [ 6 [ Mirin as the clown in Innocenzo 13

BB&N GOES TO WASHINGTON

By Peter DeMarco

14

The roll call of BB&N alumni/ae who have chosen to work in government is long and impressive. Spanning all three branches of government and a broad spectrum of roles and duties, an encapsulation of them all would fill more pages than a Pentagon expense report. Highlighted in the following pages are a few of the many alumni/ae whose daily lives bring them in contact with the interesting and important duty of helping to run a country.

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Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren and Emily Ross ’02

Emily Ross ’02: Keeping the Senator on Time and on Track The to-do list of a U.S. Senator never ends. There are policies to be crafted, votes to be cast, speeches to be given. Press interviews, television appearances, meetings with staff, meetings with party leaders, meetings with opposing party leaders, ribbon cuttings, and sit-downs with home-state voters over everything from pipelines to pensions.

Throw in an occasional state gala, diplomatic envoy to a foreign land, marathon filibuster, and presidential photo shoot, and one would be hard pressed to keep a Senator’s agenda straight.

Unless, of course, you are Emily Ross ’02. As the official Director of Scheduling for Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, Ross’ job is to make sure all those meetings, press ops, and speeches go off according to plan.

She makes sure the Senator arrives and leaves on time; makes sure the Senator is in her Senate seat when roll calls are taken; and makes sure the Senator stops to eat lunch.

“The budget Vote-a-rama that we had in 2013 was crazy,” Ross says, referring to a marathon session that included 43 consecutive votes. “It was a big budget...and it all got backed up until the end, so we were voting every ten minutes on a different amendment to the budget until about 3 a.m. The policy staff was trying to figure out which amendments were going to be offered next, and what was actually in the amendments, while I was trying to make sure we were all still running on time.

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“It was pretty hectic.”

Coffee, take-out food, and the importance of the task at hand helped Ross and the rest of Senator Warren’s staff make it to the end.

“But also, we don’t do that every night,” Ross says. “Working on the Hill, you can’t be fazed too easily. If you’re up until 3 a.m. one morning, I think we’ll all be okay.”

That sense of grounded-ness, of taking things in stride, seems to go part in parcel with Ross. She is, on one hand, diligent and dedicated to her position—and in constant contact with Senator Warren. At the same time, Ross says she makes it home most nights for dinner with her husband Ryan, has weekends off, takes vacations, and sees friends and family regularly.

She maintains a good work-life balance—as strong a testament as any to her organizational skills.

“We try to set the next day’s schedule by the end of the work day and send it out at night,” Ross says. “There might be some revisions in the morning I might have to change, but for the most part I’d say that, barring anything unforeseen, the schedule is as we set it.”

But when the unforeseen does occur, Ross’ job, arguably, becomes even more important.

When bombs went off at the 2013 Boston Marathon, Ross had to scrap Warren’s schedule and refocus on what to do back home. When a surprise vote is called on the Senate floor, Warren might have just minutes to stop what she’s doing and make her way to Capitol Hill.

Amy Rofman Ross ’93

When the Senator has competing priorities, it can fall to Ross to decide which ones rise to the fore, and which ones get pushed to next week. (“Calm under pressure,” is how Chief of Staff Mindy Myers describes her.) To make the right decisions, Ross makes it her business to know what every other member of Warren’s staff is working on, every day.

But from her viewpoint, that’s far from being a chore.

“As director of scheduling, you know a little bit about everything. It’s one of the best parts of the job,” she says.

“You know what our press queries are, and what the Senator is doing on legislative issues, and what her priorities are in her committees, and what the Senator’s priorities are for Massachusetts. It all kind of runs through you in a way.”

Ross says she was destined for politics since she was eight years old, when then-presidential candidate Bill Clinton responded to a letter she wrote him.

“I went, ‘Mom! Mom! So you think he actually signed it?’”

Ross remembers. “After that, I was just really kind of hooked.”

Ross interned with the National Organization for Women while at BB&N, and was co-president of the Women’s Issues Group at the Upper School. As part of her Senior Project, she volunteered in U.S. Representative Michael Capuano’s district office.

While at Columbia University, she interned on a gubernatorial campaign and on John Kerry’s presidential primary campaign.

She got her first paid job in politics at 22, knocking on doors and shepherding volunteers as a field organizer for the Washington State Democratic party.

Other jobs in D.C., including one as a deputy Congressional

scheduler, followed before she joined Warren’s staff in January 2013.

“I care deeply about the work I do. I care deeply about the work the senator does at effecting change,” says Ross, who grew up in Weston. “There are the major accomplishments like getting a bill passed, but there are certainly the small things, too, that happen every day that make you say, ‘We had a good day today.’ It could be, we had some really great meetings. Or it could be that the senator was able to ask some really great questions in a hearing.”

Or, better still, having a day where everything goes according to schedule. Y •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Amy Rofman ’93: Raising a Stop Sign to Human Trafficking The crimes of human trafficking—forcing people to be drug mules, prostitutes, or domestic servants—thrive best under a cloak of secrecy. When authorities don’t suspect anything, or are embarrassed to admit their country has such problems, perpetrators widen their reach. With nowhere to turn for help, victims remain silent, and the abuses stay hidden.

Amy Rofman ’93 learned this eight years ago when she joined the U.S. Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. Her office’s main objective—and Rofman’s personal mission—has been to yank back that cloak as far as possible.

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Sometimes that has meant investigating brothels and sweatshops in third-world countries to report directly on human-rights violations. Sometimes, it’s meant negotiating with international lawyers to write statutes that, for the first time, make such crimes illegal in foreign lands.

Or Rofman’s office turns to diplomacy, meeting with heads of state to convince them that such crimes cannot be culturally acceptable in 2015, even if they were condoned in the past.

Rofman’s role in all of this? Well, she does it all.

“Amy is one of those rare people who is as comfortable with an eight-year-old Haitian child who was enslaved as a domestic servant as she is with a justice minister or a head of state,” says Luis CdeBaca, former Ambassador to the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. “Amy brings out the best in the folks she’s working with, whoever they are.”

According to the State Department, more than 20 million people in some 200 countries are ensnared in human trafficking. Victims include children sold into slavery in the Middle East, men and women toiling in Far-East sweatshops, and cases of abuse here in the United States. Trafficking is any type of forced labor or forced prostitution, and does not necessarily require the transporting of people against their will.

The United States leads the world in combating the problem, CdeBaca says.

And during his five-year tenure as the trafficking department’s director, which ended this winter, there was no one he relied on more than Rofman, he said.

Rofman is modest about her professional achievements. But the progress the United States has made in exposing the problem is undeniable, she says.

“In the beginning of my career, several countries were saying, ‘This is not a problem in our country.’ But now, almost all of them admit it’s a problem, and are taking steps to protect victims and prosecute traffickers,” she says.

“I recently visited a shelter for child slaves in Haiti, and it’s shattering in many ways. But also I saw incredible courage and resilience from these children, and that fuels my desire to work on initiatives that help real people.”

Rofman’s interest in foreign affairs began at BB&N, where she studied Russian and traveled to the former Soviet Union as part of a Glasnost-inspired exchange program between BB&N and a Moscow high school.

When a country refused to admit it had a human trafficking problem—out of fear that doing so could hurt tourism, for instance—Rofman was the choice to open that important, first dialogue.

When a country refused to admit it had a trafficking problem—out of fear that doing so could hurt tourism, for instance— Rofman was his choice to open that important, first dialogue. In Haiti, she led efforts to establish a law that, for the first time, outlawed slavery.

Bahamian authorities had no experience prosecuting trafficking cases, so Rofman got the Miami U.S. Attorney’s Office to start mentoring them. In March 2014, the Bahamas convicted its first sex trafficker.

“All of those things are directly a response to the perseverance that Amy has brought to the table, in not taking no for an answer,” CdeBaca says. “When she comes upon a roadblock, she doesn’t take up her marbles and go home, or get too stressed.

She just finds another way in.

“Eventually, the people who had been opposed in the first place will come around, and will value the change more because it wasn’t imposed on them. They’ll value it because Amy helped bring them together in a shared commitment.”

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That experience abroad was the turning point in her life. For college she chose Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, where she studied abroad in the Czech Republic.

Ukraine was her next stop, as a Peace Corps volunteer. Then came graduate school, and finally the State Department, where Rofman got “her dream job” working with the Russian Affairs Office.

“I definitely have a BB&N story directly linking me to where I am today,” Rofman says. “The positive work I’m doing can directly be traced back to the choice I made when I was 13 to take Russian. I was fortunate that BB&N was one of the only high schools in the country to offer it.”

Armen Dedekian and George Deptula, her Russian teachers at BB&N, deserve credit for inspiring her, she says.

Rofman’s first encounter with human trafficking came in Ukraine, where she saw people being lured into indentured servitude. At the State Department, she became directly involved in trafficking cases involving Russia. When the opportunity arose in 2007 to fight trafficking full time, Rofman took it.

She has visited 20 countries to address trafficking, meeting both victims and heroes in the fight. (A favorite pen, which Rofman keeps on her desk and uses every day, is from a Guyanan woman who risked her life to expose sex trafficking in gold mines.) This spring, Rofman was given a new challenge: combating sex and labor trafficking here in the U.S. “No place is immune to this. It’s happening even in the Boston area, or in Washington, D.C., right near my house,” Rofman says.

“But my job has given me faith that if you keep working on a problem, and you have good partners, you can make positive change. If you work hard and keep at it and keep focus, you can make a difference in the world.” Y

Alexander 9HUVKERZ ¡ NATO Deputy Secretary General

Tamara $VKIRUG ¡ Tax Court Circuit Judge

Alumni/ae in Washington In addition to the two alumnae profiled in this story, BB&N’s alumni/ae database lists more than 130 graduates who work for the U.S. government. Below are just a few other notable alumni/ae for whom Washington d.c., is a base of operations.

$OH[DQGUD =DPHFQLN ¡ Mexico and Central America Program Manager for the U.S. Forest Service, International Programs

Joe .HQQHG\ ,,, ¡ Massachusetts Congressman

-DPLH %DNHU ¡ Chief Judge to the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces 19

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20

FAUST ’96

ISAACSON ’02

by Peter DeMarco

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21

The sign read, “Brothers Gonna Talk it Out, Conference Room 16 AB, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.” The moment Morgan Faust saw it, she had to call Max.

Faust and Isaacson will be writing comedy scripts for television by summer’s end.

“Look at this! This panel is just about brothers—how ridiculous!” she told her younger sibling, back in New York.

Says Morgan: “We both worked by ourselves for a while. I think that helps us appreciate just how much having a partner you can trust means. It really makes such a big difference in tangible ways, and intangible ways.”

Dartmouth, at the end of the 1990s, investment banking seemed like a good choice. I interviewed with a friend of the family just trying to figure out where I should be looking. He got a phone call about half an hour into the conversation from the producer of a TV show called Dr. Katz, which was made by the people who now make Bob’s Burgers [on Fox]. I said, “Oh my God, Loren Bouchard! I can’t believe you know the guy who makes Dr. Katz.” And lucky for me this guy said, “Morgan, you’re more excited about that call than anything else we’ve talked about, so let me call him back and see if you can get an interview there.” He did, and I got an internship with the show.

The Bulletin recently caught up with Faust and Isaacson to talk about their partnership, love of monster movies, and dream of making it big in Hollywood.

MAX: Once Morgan started working for Loren Bouchard, I was like, that’s great.

That’s what I want to do, too. So I applied to film schools.

In that first home movie, Max played a weatherman, and Morgan, you directed.

So be honest, Morgan: Was he a difficult star to work with?

Tell me more about the No Problem series on Funny or Die. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re making fun of the sitcom Friends.

The panel, part of the South by Southwest film festival, featured four pairs of brothers sharing tales of working together in the film industry. But what about brothers AND sisters working in the film industry, Morgan asked? What about the two of them?

Faust ’96, a director and editor for more than 10 years, and Max Isaacson ’02, a New York University film-school graduate and set designer/editor, had carved out separate careers in the entertainment business. But filmmaking was always a family business to them.

Max helped Morgan produce short films; she helped edit the music videos he directed. When Sibling A needed someone’s advice on a script, Sibling B was there to listen.

It had been that way since Max was three and Morgan was eight, and they shot their first home movie—a weather report— together in their family living room.

So, in that phone call back to her brother, Faust suggested an idea that was long in the making.

“I said to him, ‘We should work together.

We already do in many ways, so why not make it official?” she recalls.

Isaacson agreed, and within a few months, they relocated to Los Angeles, founding “BroSis Pictures” in the garage-turnedoffice of their new home.

“We’ve got a different project that we’re planning on directing basically every month for the next three to four months,” Max says. “We make better stuff, on a more regular basis, now than we ever have. And it’s only ramping up.”

MORGAN: No, he was a very willing and eager participant. We went home this Christmas, and starting around 1984 and up through 1989 there are a dozen VHS tapes of our movies.

MAX: They’re mostly of Morgan casting a spell on me and trying to sacrifice me to the gods, or something along those lines.

Did you both watch a lot of TV or movies growing up?

TOGETHER: Yes. MAX: I would get home from school at 3:30 or 4 and I would spend the next four or five hours watching television before I did much of anything.

And your parents were OK with that?

MAX: They didn’t stop me. I don’t know how great they felt about it, but I was dedicated to the idea.

MORGAN: We both did well in school, so I think it made it easier to get away with certain things…. Definitely our mom introduced us to movies. We started watching Woody Allen when we were very young.

The siblings’ irreverent, kinetic, and quirky directing style has been winning fans since. They’ve scored a hit with their absurd web series No Problem, which has been renewed for a second season on Will Ferrell’s popular comedy website, Funny or Die. They’re in negotiations to direct their first, feature-length action flick, which—spoiler alert!—has a BB&N tie-in.

MAX: I think I saw Lawrence of Arabia at like eight or nine, and I loved it. Uncle Marty showed us all the violent stuff. My favorite movie at age five or six was Aliens.

The scene where they ripped that robot in half? That was a big-deal moment for me.

Their puppet-filled, “nerd hip-hop” music videos have a core following, and with luck,

MORGAN: I stayed with theater all through high school and college. When I was at

22

When did each of you know this was something you wanted as a career?

MORGAN: Max and his friend Mike, the two guys in it, were having a good, filmstudent conversation about the nature of story writing and the inherent Western need for a central conflict in stories. So they decided: let’s just make something that doesn’t have any conflict. Every single problem that arises is resolved immediately.

MAX: That was the idea—to see how far we could get with doing a show that had borderline no plot. It became its own thing, which is this kind of very sweet, funny, cute take on sitcom worlds.

Did you expect it would be that successful?

Funny or Die has an estimated four million followers a month.

MORGAN: We had really no expectations.

It was a personal project that we had a great time doing with our friends that probably cost $3,000 between the four of us. Then a friend of ours said, “Let me put this in front of the guys at Funny or Die,” and we were like, “OK, sure, that’s nice.”

They got back to us immediately and said, “We would love to roll this out.”

MAX: They’ve been hilariously supportive and nice for a show that, by all means, shouldn’t exist.

Who are your filmmaking heroes?

MORGAN: The Coen Brothers, for sure.

They’re just so masterful at combining amazing, surprising stories with really memorable visual concepts. Sometimes our inspirations vary project to project.

We recently just finished a teen-age adventure monster romp….

MAX: So, there was a lot of talk about

alien monster movies, but also a ton of talk about John Hughes, and the way in which the post-modern teen is handled in comedy. We talked a lot about Superbad.

That movie handles its kids so well.

1

Ever thought about shooting a movie at BB&N? MAX: This movie that’s about a bunch of teenage kids running around their town being chased by an alien—a huge sequence of it takes place in a school for which, I’m not going to lie to you, we sort of ripped off some of the geography at the BB&N Upper School.

MORGAN: We had to set it at a high school. Well, what high school do we really know?

MAX: Here’s a good question: How many BB&N teachers’ names have we used in our films?

2

MORGAN: Definitely Mr. [Dan] Farber has made it. He was a university professor who was a finalist for the MacArthur. Our description of him was, “From his beard, you can tell he’s a genius.”

MAX: Ms. [Candida] Monteith has made it.

She teaches health in our new movie.

MORGAN: Mr. [Bob] Porter was a history teacher in a script I wrote about a girl who doesn’t realize she’s a robot. He was a very nice, friendly teacher. He was very like Mr. Porter.

3

4

All this drive to keep creating—do you owe some of it to your parents, or BB&N? MAX: Our mom, Consuelo, is a painter and used to make films. My dad and Morgan’s step-dad, John, is an incredibly supportive guy. We’d be hard-pressed to survive at all if both of our parents weren’t very supportive of what we are doing.

MORGAN: What BB&N did for me was encourage my curiosity. Also, a BB&N Friday night with friends was like a writer’s room because you were trying out your ideas. You were going to be teased, or going to be supported, and it was all going to happen quickly and you had to think on your feet.

MAX: Mark Lindberg was the best drama teacher that I could have ever imagined.

He just did great stuff.

If you could remake that first home movie, with Max as the weatherman, how would you shoot it differently?

MORGAN: I’m pretty sure my mom was the cameraman...

5 MAX: We’d definitely fire her!

MORGAN: [Laughs] No. I think we got away with a lot of adorableness and enthusiasm. I think that we’d have to infuse it with a little more visual storytelling.

MAX: I would say we would go back and get that camera on a dolly, get a narrative, get a real, three-act structure. Maybe recast that three year old. Get a five year old playing three, so you can have someone with a little more range. Y

[ 1, 2, 3, 4 [ Still shots from various projects the siblings have worked on | 5 | Faust and Isaacson displaying a predilection for the dramatic at an early age

23

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Cierra and her classmates from such places as California, England, and China grappled with this case study in a Medical Problem Solving class offered

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according to Hudson, “while acquiring skills that will help them succeed in college and beyond: how to collaborate across distance and culture, how to leverage the internet to pursue deep and meaningful learning, and how to share their work and ideas with a larger audience.�

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and desire to delve deeper into the subject than she could at BB&N, Jaya Aiyer ’15 chose to take H Human Rights and Genocide to satisfy her need to know more about some of the world’s more disturbing events. “At BB&N we have a lot of opportunities to study VSHFLÂżF VXEMHFWV EXW OHDUQLQJ D KLVWRU\ this VSHFLÂżF LV VR UDUH , JRW WR OHDUQ DOO these amazing pieces of history that are dark and heart-breaking in some cases,â€? Jaya said, “but they’re the things that fascinate me the most: the motives behind people wanting to destroy an entire culture, the reasons that people go against each other, and how colonial empires got very established civilizations to hate each other.â€?

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12

Time Zones

who said, “You get to be active in the class when you want to.â€? He’s a fan of the asynchronous online discussion, which, he said, allows him more time than a 45-minute class to fully consider his, as well as his classmates’, views on a VXEMHFW ,Q DGGLWLRQ WR GLVFXVVLQJ topics by posting their comments and responses to one another, GOA students also talk in whole-class or small-group Skype sessions and collaborate on Google docs. $ GHÂżQLQJ HOHPHQW RI WKH *2$ H[SHULHQFH RI FRXUVH LV WKDW opportunity to connect with students around the world. A discussion about the Second Amendment and gun laws with a student from 7H[DV IRU LQVWDQFH KHOSHG $GRQ realize that “our opinions, to some H[WHQW DUH D IXQFWLRQ RI WKH GLIIHUHQW communities in which we have grown up, surrounded by different popular SHUVSHFWLYHV , DSSUHFLDWHG WKRVH opposing arguments and debates.â€?

Logistics pose some challenges for real-time communication, but even that awareness is eye-opening.

26

“There’s a single sweet spot,â€? said Adon, “when it’s early enough in the morning for me and late enough in the afternoon for Hong Kong, so that was able to work just swell.â€? Jaya found that “even if you don’t see their faces, you can hear their ideas through working on the same document or emailing.â€? Cierra became particularly close to a group she worked with on one case and now chats with them on Facebook. While VKH WRR HQMR\HG WKH Ă€H[LELOLW\ DIIRUGHG by attending class from home on a 6XQGD\ IRU H[DPSOH VKH GLVFRYHUHG its potentially embarrassing downside. Âł:KHQ ZH KDYH 6N\SHV , SXW RQ D QLFH shirt and my pajama bottoms. One time , VWRRG XS DQG , ZDV ZHDULQJ FKHHWDK SULQW SDMDPD ERWWRPV DQG , ZDV OLNH Âľ2K QR , QHHG WR VLW EDFN GRZQ² 12: ϫ %XW &LHUUD IRXQG WKDW WKH EHQHÂżWV RI becoming technologically savvy far RXWZHLJKHG WKRVH GDQJHUV Âł,ÂśYH KDG to interact with a lot of different people through a screen, which can sometimes EH UHDOO\ GLIÂżFXOW , NQRZ WKDW FROOHJHV are using online courses, and a lot of business is done that way, so my

familiarity should help me.�

-XVW DV VLJQLÂżFDQWO\ WKH VWXGHQWV UHDOL]HG their efforts have rewarded them with valuable life skills. Adon noticed that he was becoming even more responsible and independent. “There’s no one to say, ‘Hey—you’ve got to do this assignment ULJKW QRZ Âś 6R , KDG WR GHSHQG RQ P\VHOI WR NQRZ ZKHQ , QHHGHG WR GR VRPHWKLQJ ,WÂśV UHZDUGLQJ WR NQRZ , FDQ GR WKDW ´ &LHUUD LGHQWLÂżHG VHOI PRWLYDWLRQ RUJDQL]DWLRQ DQG time management as skills necessary to her success in the online course.

Not surprisingly, those skills dovetail with qualities—enthusiasm, resiliency, diligence—sought in students applying to take a GOA course. As BB&N’s site director, history teacher Lizanne Moynihan registers students and RYHUVHHV WKHLU *2$ H[SHULHQFHV ,Q WKLV ÂżUVW \HDU RQO\ VHQLRUV FDQ DSSO\ WR WDNH D *2$ FRXUVH DQG RQO\ DV D VL[WK FODVV and they must be enrolled simultaneously in a history or science course here. “The GOA class is meant to complement what they’re already doing here, which will always take precedence,â€? says 0R\QLKDQ Âł,WÂśV ORYHO\ IRU PH WR VHH VRPH

GOA MEMBER SCHOOLS Head-Royce School | Oakland, CA

Leadership Academy | 1 African Northcliff, ZA (South Africa) Albuquerque Academy | Albuquerque, NM School Foundation 2 American Of Monterrey (Asfm) | 6DQWD &DWDULQD 0H[LFR

3

The American School in Japan | Tokyo, Japan The Bishop’s School | La Jolla, CA

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The Blake School | Minneapolis, MN Branson School | Ross, CA 8

Brunswick School | Greenwich, CT Buckingham Browne & Nichols School | Cambridge, MA Catlin Gabel School | Portland, OR Christ Church Episcopal School | Greenville, SC

As Cierra and Jaya moved on to second GOA courses starting in late January, WKH\ ZHUH MRLQHG E\ ¿YH RWKHU VHQLRUV LQ such courses as Advocacy and Gender 6WXGLHV ,I WKH SLORW JURXSœV H[SHULHQFH is any guide, the students’ views of the world around them, as well as of themselves, should prove enlightening.

Christina Stellwagen ’15, a BB&N lifer, was eager to start her class in Bioethics with students from as far away DV -RUGDQ DQG -DSDQ Âł,Q &DPEULGJH Massachusetts, people tend to have WKH VDPH OLEHUDO RXWORRN , ORYH WKLV FRPPXQLW\ EXW ,ÂśP VXSHU H[FLWHG WR have the opportunity to go outside of it,â€? she says. Fascinated by the subject matter, Christina anticipates that it will promote “some clash of opinions, which ZLOO EH UHDOO\ LQWHUHVWLQJ ,ÂśOO JHW WR VHH other viewpoints and maybe become more empathetic along the way— it’ll be cool.â€? E

Hong Kong International School | Hong Kong, China

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International School Of Beijing | 6KXQ\L 'LVWULFW %HLMLQJ Isidore Newman School | New Orleans, LA

8 Jakarta International School | -DNDUWD ,QGRQHVLD

Kent Denver School | Englewood, CO

9 King’s Academy |

Madaba-Manja, Jordan Kingswood Oxford School | West Hartford, CT Lakeside School | Seattle, WA Latin School Of Chicago | &KLFDJR ,/ The Lovett School | Atlanta, GA

Columbus Academy | Gahanna, OH

Mary Institute & Saint Louis Country Day School | St Louis, MO

Cranbrook Schools | %ORRPÂżHOG +LOOV 0,

The Meadows School | /DV 9HJDV 19

The Dalton School | New York, NY

Menlo School | Atherton, CA

Durham Academy | 'XUKDP 1&

seniors with an interest and a passion and a will to go beyond BB&N have the chance to immerse themselves l ike this.�

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Episcopal Academy | Newtown Square, PA Episcopal High School | $OH[DQGULD 9$

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Eton College | Windsor, England

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Frankfurt International School | Oberursel, Germany Germantown Friends School | Philadelphia, PA Gilman School | Baltimore, MA Greenhill School | Addison, TX Greens Farms Academy | Westport, CT Greenwich Academy | Greenwich, CT Hamden Hall Country Day School | Hamden, CT Harker School | San Jose, CA Hawken School | Gates Mills, OH

Metairie Park Country Day School | Metairie, LA Noble and Greenough School | 'HGKDP 0$ Park Tudor School | ,QGLDQDSROLV ,1 The Pembroke Hill School | Kansas City, MO Polytechnic School | Pasadena, CA Punahou School | +RQROXOX +, Sidwell Friends School | :DVKLQJWRQ '& St. Andrew’s School | 0LGGOHWRZQ '( St. Christopher’s School | 5LFKPRQG 9$ St. Mark’s School of Texas | 'DOODV 7; The Taft School | Watertown, CT The Westminster Schools | Atlanta, GA Windward School | Los Angeles, CA 27

F O R M E R FAC U LT Y P R O F I L E

Although Armen Dedekian retired from teaching in 2008, he still knows his way around BB&N. “Let’s meet at 46 Belmont Street [BB&N’s business and external affairs offices],” he says in response to the Bulletin’s request for an interview.

Armen still coaches BB&N tennis and in 2009 became an assistant to Head of School Rebecca T. Upham for faculty hiring “because Rebecca thought I knew the School.” Originally a two-year appointment, it was extended, reducing the screening burden on department chairs, who are inundated with resumes. “My legacy was to put the process—which previously produced numerous boxes of papers that by law had to be kept for three years—online,” he says.

A “highlight of last year was a Development Office trip to San Francisco. It was great to see some of my former students,” he says, naming several and giving accounts of their lives since BB&N. Upham observes, “I had long been aware of the extraordinary influence that Armen had on his BB&N students, their high regard for him, and his commitment to teaching. I was also well aware of Armen’s intellect, his generous smile, and his great sense of humor. The opportunity to travel with Armen allowed me to see his prodigious memory of people and details in action—and to see first-hand the interest, care, and pride he has in the adults who once sat in his class. He follows them through life with great admiration.”

“I loved teaching and looked forward to every single day, even when I was not feeling well,” Armen says. “Having students who appreciated my sense of humor and those who made progress in tennis was rewarding. George Deptula, who started BB&N’s Russian program in the 1950s, said it took about three years to come into one’s self as a teacher. About my fifth, I could separate the student from the person, and the students realized I was treating them as individuals. If I had let performance be the guide, I would have been miserable.

“My tennis team’s first season was 1 in 15. We beat only St. Sebastian’s, but I said to them, ‘If you have become a better tennis player, we’ve had a winning season.’ I never said they were losers. Later on, we won the championship. Winning or losing, for 25 years they felt good about themselves. Being competitive myself, I don’t know where I got that, but I saw them as individuals.

“There was pressure at BB&N but less in Russian, because students always knew they could make it up. Deptula advocated a continuous assessment approach, like learning to play a musical instrument, allowing them to redo assignments and tests and assessing them where they ended up. It really made sense. We were fortunate that we were allowed to do this. But kids who got Bs at BB&N got Bs in college, and our kids always did extremely well in national competitions, so it wasn’t grade inflation. [Head of School Peter] Gunness said, ‘I don’t know what you guys are doing, but I never get any complaints.’”

The interview is interrupted twice by calls from Svetlana, an ethnic Armenian from Uzbekistan now a librarian at Bunker Hill Community College, whom Armen married in 1996. An electrician is supposed to do some work in their house in Arlington, which they have renovated, and they converse in Russian. The couple recently purchased and redid another multi-family house nearby. “For income in retirement,” he explains.

In 2013, Armen, Upham, former Russian teacher Willa (Chamberlain) Bodman, and seven alums and spouses traveled to Russia to commemorate the 25th anniversary of BB&N’s exchange program with School 1232 in Moscow, an exchange that, as the Bulletin has previously reported, Armen was instrumental in securing. Upham recalls how “everyone there knows Armen. Walking the halls with him is a bit like being with a rock star: teachers poke their heads out of rooms asking him to join their classes. On the evening of the great celebration, Armen and his efforts were not only praised from the stage but were the subject of multiple toasts at dinner.”

28

BB&N to the Bone: Armen Dedekian b y R o g e r F. S t a c e y , F a c u l t y E m e r i t u s

Dedekian through the years

“I imagined retirement as having time to do so many things, but I have less time now,” Armen observes. “I volunteer at The Museum of the Modern Renaissance. My friends Nicholas Shaplyko and Ekaterina Sorokina, who came from Russia, took entry-level jobs, and made some money in real estate, have transformed a former Masonic lodge into what they call a ‘temple of art,’ a place where the muses come alive.

“At BB&N I was into making videos of my students doing skits and on trips. I remember how, during Senior Night once, a student in a Groucho Marx nose and moustache ran around all night with a video camera being me. On Back to School night, I would video the students presenting information about the class. Parents could see who else was in the class and see them speaking Russian. Now I have created a channel for the museum on YouTube and I videotape the events.

“The whole building is a canvas for the founders’ art and is mostly used for quite serious concerts—opera, classical music, and so on. I am program coordinator, do communications, and act as master of ceremonies. Svetlana and I buy the flowers. Thank God for Trader Joe’s! The work keeps me in contact with accomplished, gifted people. A lot of people come to hear my cuckoo humor and commentary, which I developed writing comments at BB&N. I am generous by nature, and they deserve the kudos.” Armen’s material generosity extends to friends in Moscow and distant relatives in Armenia, whom the family found after moving to Soviet Armenia (for what was originally meant to be a few years) when he was four years old. “The disintegration of Soviet Union has really hurt a lot of people,” he explains.

“Like American Jews with Israel,” Armen continues, “many American Armenians wanted to help Armenia. My mother, who was three when her family emigrated to the U.S. from Egypt, won a full scholarship to Bryn Mawr but was sent by her family to work in a shoe factory, where she ended up organizing a trade union. She was a progressive. In 1947, 150 such American Armenians moved to Soviet Armenia. Soon after our arrival, the government of the Soviet Union took my father’s clothing factory, which he had brought there as a gift to the State, and, in a Kafkaesque move, made him an inspector there. But they did not know how to run it.

“My grandfather came to Watertown before the 1915 Turkish genocide of a million-and-a-half Armenians. American foreign policy pains me at times,” Dedekian says, with unusual vehemence born of a long family history. “I am disappointed in Kerry’s, Clinton’s, and Obama’s about face on the genocide. And I would also say to the Turks and all those Arab countries where women are suppressed and forced to wear the hijab, ‘undress your women or the world will never change.’

“You know, there is usually a disjunction in retirement. I have had several retirements, but I’ve never really left BB&N. My whole life has been intertwined with BB&N. A psychologist might want to say that I never cut the cord as other faculty members have.

But despite some abrupt turns, my whole life is of a piece with what went before.”E 29

Advancing Our Mission

Reading for Fun, Friendship, and Financial Aid Huck Finn, King Lear, Homestead, Madame Bovary, Bel Canto.... Do you remember reading these books and preparing for intense discussions about them in a BB&N English classroom? Members of BB&N’s Past Parent Book Club have tackled these and 120 other books, discussing and analyzing themes, social issues, and characters, with members of the BB&N faculty over the past 16 years.

At the 1999 BB&N Auction, an event organized to raise money for the BB&N financial aid program, 14 bidders won the opportunity to participate in a year-long book club led by BB&N faculty members. With the common bond of being a BB&N parent, each member of this newly formed book club brought a different background and perspective to the conversation.

When the auction planning committee approached now-retired English teacher Roger Stacey to host a book club, he enthusiastically said yes and expanded the idea to involve multiple faculty members who would each lead a monthly book discussion. This successful format has been replicated over the ensuing years, forging deep friendships, sparking intellectual discussions, and becoming the glue keeping these members of the BB&N community—many of whom no longer have a daily presence on the campuses—together.

Members have experienced more than themed dinners, outings to plays, and thoughtprovoking books. There is also a wonderful sharing of advice and support as members experience the many joyful and challenging moments that life presents.

“I have led a session each year since the start. I always look forward to it. All the women are so bright and so well read and so eager to discuss the book.

Leading a discussion with them is really a pleasure.

I love hearing their views.

“I really like that this is a way I, too, can make a major contribution to financial aid at BB&N. I think all the faculty who lead sessions feel this.

Initially, Upper School English teachers led a discussion on a book being taught in their classroom. Members and Roger Stacey chuckled as they recalled a passionate debate around A Clockwork Orange. After a number of Shakespeare plays, Greek tragedies, and other curriculum selections, the books are now chosen by the faculty for their appeal and substantive content. Stacey said it was easy to recruit faculty to lead a book club discussion. “It is stimulating to be with serious minded adults talking about literature, and it has been really enjoyable for retired faculty members to stay connected with the BB&N community.”

Feeling strongly about the need to raise funds for financial aid, the club decided that each member’s annual dues would be contributed to the BB&N Financial Aid Program.

Their annual gifts and reading have continued for 16 years, and more than $134,950 has been given to the School during this time. Through their generosity, many students have benefited from receiving financial aid support through the Past Parent Financial Aid Fund, including Daryl McLean ‘03. (See facing page).

BB&N is truly grateful to this special group of women, and to the many faculty members, who have and continue to empower this book club to affect the lives of so many.

“We are donating our time, our expertise, and our teaching experience to a good cause.”

PARRISH DOBSON UPPER SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHY TEACHER Past parent book club members at a recent meeting with Parrish Dobson

30

Book Club Fast Facts:

Daryl McLean ’03: The Impact of Financial Aid

Total raised through book club donations:

“The impact of giving is real. I would not be where I am today without the generosity of others, some whom I know and many that I don’t.

$134,950 Total number of books discussed:

125 Years together:

16 years Students supported:

16 grants awarded to support student tuition First book read: The Woman Warrior: Memories of a Girlhood Among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston. Discussion led by Abby Laber.

Recently read: Opposite of Loneliness, Marina Keegan ’08 with Beth McNamara and Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo with Al Rossiter Faculty Participants:

19 to date Ariel Balter • Willa Chamberlain • Parrish Dobson • Ward Ghory • Linda Kaufman • Sharon Krauss • Abby Laber • Bill Manning • Beth McNamara (current faculty coordinator) • Morgan Mead • Joel Monell • Veda Robinson • Al Rossiter • Roger Stacey (originator of the multi-faculty concept and past faculty coordinator) • Brian Staveley • Carol Strasburger • Tom Ware • Linda Whitlock • Wes Williams Current members of the book club: Linda Beavers • Ruth Cole • Francine Crawford • Betsy Epstein • Caryl Goodman • Fleet Hill • Nancy Kukura • Heidi Lehner • Monica Lehner • Eileen Logan • Rebecca Niloff • Barbara Roberts • Christine Slywotzky • Hilary Wodlinger Past members: Lynne Beasley • Lynn Kargman • Mary Jane Walsh-Ellis • Nancy Haydu • Arlyn Schneider

“My mom always wanted the best for me. She worked several jobs and enrolled me in opportunities to inspire and challenge me to learn. Through the METCO program, I was bussed each day to Bedford for elementary school. I was then accepted to the Nativity Preparatory School, now in Jamaica Plain, where the middle school rigorously prepared me for BB&N. Entering BB&N in the 9th grade, I was so happy to become a Knight. From the start, I took advantage of all the opportunities I could, playing basketball and soccer, and being a leader in the Multicultural Students Alliance. In my junior year, I was fortunate to travel to Italy with assistance from the financial aid program. I even had the opportunity to volunteer with Kathy Gruning and Craig Andrade in the Athletic Training Department.

“If it were not for the generosity of the Past Parent Book Club and other donors to the financial aid program, I would not have benefited from all the great opportunities that BB&N provided. I also wouldn’t have mentors like Lewis Bryant, Bob Edbrooke, or my former advisor Althea Cranston. Going to BB&N gave me the opportunity to grow and learn what I could be capable of.

“After attending Bowdoin College and working in the finance industry for several years, I recently switched industries to focus on urban community development and now work at LISC, Local Initiatives Support Corporation. I hope that through my work and my volunteer efforts, I will be able to help others as I am truly thankful for all that I have generously received. After all, I’m proof that the impact of giving is real.”

BB&N Financial Aid Facts 2014-15 $7.4 million granted in financial aid tuition and supplemental support

23% of BB&N students receive financial aid

$29,730 is the average grant Numerous named endowment and spendable funds have been created by generous alumni/ae and parents to support BB&N’s financial aid program.

For more information about establishing a named financial aid fund, contact Janet Rosen in the Office of External Affairs at 617-800-2729 or jrosen@bbns.org.

31

Advancing Our Mission

Catching up with the 5th Reunion Co-Chairs: Tanzila Ahad ’10, Sarah Valentina Diaz ’10, and Lyndia Personnat ’10 Sarah Valentina Diaz ’10: Why I love BB&N: I came in as a new student in 9th grade and was pleasantly surprised to be welcomed in as a lifer. I love BB&N because of the overwhelming sense of community and how hard the School works to create that feeling. From Bivouac to after school dinners, Eid and Hispanic Heritage Month, to the legendary Black History Month Breakfast and team dinners, BB&N brought us together. BB&N exposed me to opportunities I could not even imagine and for that, I am forever grateful.

Lyndia Personnat ’10: Why I love BB&N: BB&N provided a nurturing environment that allowed me to flourish. I was able to make lifelong friends and gain outstanding mentors that have been integral in helping me become the person that I am today. I entered BB&N as a timid 7th grader and left as a confident young woman. Although it’s been five years since graduation, the knowledge that I’ve gained, the friendships that I’ve formed, and the connections that I’ve made while at BB&N have stayed with me long after leaving the Upper School.

Sarah Valentina Diaz ’10: Why I am excited to be a Reunion Chair: I’ve never been to a reunion, but I love multiples of five (they seem well rounded) so I’m totally pumped for our 5th!

I love my co-chairs and am excited to see how everyone in our class is doing and where everyone hopes to go. It is an interesting time in our lives and careers. The last time many of us saw each other, we had just ended one chapter and here we will be again, meeting up as a new one has just begun!

Tanzila Ahad ’10: My favorite BB&N memory: I had two favorites: Bivouac and Senior Spring Project. I was never an outdoors person and was nervous about being out in the woods without any electronic/mobile devices for almost two weeks. Bivouac drew me out of my comfort zone but some great friendships blossomed. It was not until the end of the trip where I realized how much I loved the experience and how great it is to get out of your comfort zone and try new things!

Senior Spring Project was a great way to end my BB&N journey, feeling as if I had independence and control of my own schedule. In a sense, it was foreshadowing what my days would be like in college! It was fun building my own schedule, which consisted of a few classes, volunteering and interning. It was an enjoyably unique experience and I’m glad BB&N built this into their curriculum for graduating seniors.

Lyndia Personnat ’10: Why I hope you’ll join me at Strawberry Night/ Reunion Weekend this year Social media has made it a lot easier for us to keep up with each other’s lives, but nothing can replace reconnecting with classmates in person. Remember those superlatives from senior year? It’s time for much needed updates. Are the class comedians still funny? Will the “life of the parties” #turnup for Strawberry Night? Class of 2010, our 5th reunion will be a great opportunity for us to come back to BB&N to eat strawberries and have a drink (or two) while catching up with old classmates. Let’s create some more memories together at this year’s Reunion Weekend!

32

B&N’s Class of 2010 at their graduation

Save the Date for The 1974 Leadership Society Reunion Weekend Reception All alumni/ae members of The 1974 Leadership Society are invited to a reception hosted by Head of School Rebecca T. Upham at her home on Friday, May 8, 2015.

Invitations to The 1974 Leadership Society Reception will be mailed to members in early April.

The Society recognizes the leadership of donors who contribute $2,500 or more, as well as young alumni/ae leadership donors.

For more information, please contact Audrey Wallace, Assistant Director of The BB&N Fund, at 617-800-2737 or awallace@bbns.org.

The 1974 Leadership Society Gift Levels Renaissance Associates: $100,000 and above Cantabrigian Associates: $50,000 - $99,999 Comitas Associates: $25,000 - $49,999 Litterae Associates: $10,000 - $24,999 Honestas Associates: $5,000 - $9,999 Founders: $2,500 - $4,999 Young Alumni/ae Leadership Society 20th Reunion: $1,000 15th Reunion - 19th Year Out: $500 10th Reunion - 14th Year Out: $250 5th Reunion - 9th Year Out: $100 College Years: $50

1

2

3

PICTURED [ 1 [ Nick Taylor ’08, Judy Williams, and David Williams ’78 [ 2 [ Nikhil Pereria-Kamath ’06, Katie Donelan ’04, and Andrew Avorn ’04 [ 3 [ Cynthia Chace ’70, Nancy Morse Torti ’60, and Karen Kalina ’81 33

6 T hings About BB&N:

Campus Menagerie

...

[ TWO ] Luna (2 years old) Luna is the Lower School’s resident guinea pig who may appear a bit skittish at first encounter, but true admirers know as a personable and adorable rodent. Her favorite part of BB&N is her swanky blue and gold cage, kindly purchased by the Datel family, complete with a hammock and loft space.

....

...

[ FOUR ] Sandy (12 years old) The elder statesman of BB&N’s menagerie is a 12-yearold leopard gecko named Sandy. He was donated to Lower School science teacher Carol Fine by Brian Leland, Class of 2012. Sandy’s favorite part of BB&N is tied directly to his appetite—when fresh crickets are purchased.

But please don’t mention the annual spring chick hatching project; Sandy gets no attention when the chicks are around!

....

[ ONE ] Leo (9 years old) This familiar face is often seen accompanying Head of School Rebecca T. Upham from campus to campus. A golden retriever rescue dog of sweet comportment, Leo loves the students at BB&N and becomes decidedly dejected on the rare days when Upham has to leave him at home. His curiosity often leads Leo to the far reaches and tucked-away corners of BB&N.

[ THREE ] Teddy (7 years old) Teddy, the pet of Assistant Director of Athletics Kathy Newell, has been a mainstay in the Nicholas Athletic Center year-round (including summer camp) for over six years. This Shetland sheep dog is a fan favorite among students and lists Athletics Associate Peter Fiore’s lunch as his favorite thing about BB&N.

....

[ FIVE ] Penny (3 years old) Students and visitors to the Middle School are always greeted warmly when Assistant to the Director Elaine McGovern’s pet dog is in the office. Penny, a miniature golden doodle, relishes her special days at the Middle School and lists playing with students as her raison d’etre.

[ SIX ] Tortuguita (age unknown) Tortuguita the box turtle was gifted to the Lower School science department in 2012 by Upper School history chair Gustavo Carrera.

Tortuguita was constantly being terrorized by Carrera’s cats and much prefers curious students to curious felines.

Tortuguita’s favorite things about BB&N, besides lack of cats, are the garden beds, fresh greens, and leftover lettuce she gets from the cafeteria.

....

MARK SATTERFIELD ’73: Giving Back to a School That Believed in Him

When Mark Satterfield ‘73 arrived at Browne & Nichols in ninth grade from the Lincoln Public Schools, he says, “I really was the definition of ‘average.’ Okay— not great student. Moderately coordinated athletically. A bit on the shy side.” However, in reflecting back now on his high school years, he credits B&N with providing him with both encouragement and a variety of opportunities to try new things. “One of the great things about the B&N experience was that you were encouraged, and even in some cases, required, to try new things. Had I gone to the public high school, I’m sure I would have been too shy to try out for plays or pursue athletics. As a result of this encouragement, I graduated with a wealth of experiences that have served me well over my career.”

Chief among these was an interest in English and writing. “I was fortunate to have a series of teachers who made writing a fun and creative experience. As a result I became quite comfortable putting pen to paper and to date have written eight books, a few of which have become best sellers.”

After attending college at Washington University in St. Louis and majoring in English, Mark’s initial career began in consumer package goods with PepsiCo and Kraft Foods, before starting his own marketing and advertising agency in the early 1990s. “Leaving the comfort of a large corporation to pursue an entrepreneurial dream requires a fair amount of belief in oneself. Looking back, a large part of that selfconfidence is directly attributable to the mentoring and support I received while at B&N.” On a visit to BB&N last fall, Mark and his wife Marian reflected on their recent decision to include the School in their estate plans, thus joining The Almy Society along with others who have done the same. In thinking about their philanthropic priorities and the legacy they wanted to leave, they agreed that BB&N made a lot of sense. As Mark noted, “For me, B&N was life changing. I entered as a 9th grade student without a lot of belief in myself and left with both lifelong friends and a level of maturity I doubt I would have gained elsewhere.”

A large part of Mark and Marian’s decision to support the School came from a conversation with one of his fellow classmates, John Fitzpatrick. “John commented a while back about the scholarship he received in order to attend B&N, the positive impact the school had on his life, and how that motivated him to give back to the school. I was moved by John’s comments and thought that it would be wonderful if Marian and I could provide a legacy that would enable some deserving individuals from future generations to benefit from the BB&N experience.”

Non-Profit Org. US Postage PAID Worcester, MA Permit No. 2

Buckingham Browne & Nichols School 80 Gerry’s Landing Road Cambridge, MA 02138-5512 www.bbns.org

2015

Strawberry Night/ Reunion Weekend Friday, May 8 — Sunday, May 10 Save the date to join classmates and friends to celebrate the BB&N community of today at Strawberry Night and Reunion Weekend!