Fall 2011

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Behind Stowe WALNUT HILL SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS

Fall 2011 & Winter 2012

Volume 1 Number 2

My, how tastes (and prices) have changed! No more oxtail, less butter‌ probably as much coffee, but a little more expensive these days.

www.youtube.com/user/wa alnuthillschool | www.facebook.com/wa alnuthill | www.walnuthillartss.org | 508.653.4312

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Behind Stowe WALNUT HILL SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS

The moment you realize you belong.

Fall 2011 & Winter 2012

A lifetime is made up of many moments. Some are transformative.

Volume 1 Number 2

Support the

Walnut Hill Annual Fund.

Give online at giving.walnuthillarts.org or return the enclosed envelope.

on tHe Cover Visual Art student Emily Schulert ’11 works on the mural project (Photo by David Dietz)

4 Marketing CoMMuniCations teaM Michele Levy Chief Marketing Officer Betsy Blazar Molly Clark Marketing Communications Managers DeveLopMent offiCe Bruce smith Chief Development Officer Jennifer tumsuden Director of Annual Giving Jillian kohl Director of Alumni Relations Morgan gould Development Associate paul fleming Database Manager eDitoriaL teaM Defrancis Carbone Design & Production Judy kiviat Editorial Assistant

feAture

Walnut Hill: A Family Tradition 1

12

26

A note from stowe

seen on the hILL

on cAmpus

RIley Watts ’03: Articulating Improvisation in the Ballet Department

Eliot Hall…the Transformation Is Complete!

Rebecca Morgan Frank Discusses Process in the Writing Studio

cLAss notes

3 Young ALumnI

Walnut Hill Celebrates Its Young Alumni

9 remembrAnce

Eric Oddleifson, An Appreciation:

By Stephanie Perrin

16 LeAdershIp

“How Will You Grow?”

18

29 40 perspectIVe

Q&A with Walnut Hill’s Development Team

42 AnnuAL report

AppLAuse © 2011 Walnut Hill School for the Arts. All rights reserved. Published by Walnut Hill School for the Arts, 12 Highland Street, Natick, MA 01760-2199 (tel) 508.653.4312 (fax) 508.653.9593 | Please send change of address to Paul Fleming: pfleming@walnuthillarts.org

Photo credit: Sharyn Peavey ’90

www.youtube.com/user/walnuthillschool | www.facebook.com/walnuthill | www.walnuthillarts.org | 508.653.4312

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Photo by Sharyn Peavey ’90

Investing in an Arts Education For decades, advocates of arts education have argued passionately that in-depth training in the arts leads to higher academic achievement, increased interest in school, and a greater sense of self. It goes without saying that at Walnut Hill School for the Arts, the work our students and faculty engage in daily provides a firm foundation for the core arts disciplines we teach. However, it also instills a broader appreciation for how artists can help society make meaning of the world.

In the early days of his administration, President Barack Obama asked the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities (PCAH) to conduct an in-depth review of the current condition of arts education. This spring, they released a new report that focuses on the value of an arts education and its role in reinvigorating innovation and creativity. It should be no surprise that the report found that in the midst of an educational climate calling for more high-stakes testing and decreasing budgets and resources, quality arts education is on a significant decline in American schools. The report goes on to say that, in contrast, the PCAH “envisions schools in cities and towns across our nation that are alive with the energy of creative thinking and fresh ideas, full of art, music and movement.”

Here at Walnut Hill, we don’t need to work too hard to envision that—we see it every single day. What I have come to appreciate about our mission, and our school, is that this is a place where students spend their days (and often nights and weekends) honing their craft and exploring the artistic and creative process.

Based on what I see in the broader world of education, it is increasingly rare for high school students to have identified a passion and to have found such a rich opportunity to pursue that passion to its fullest.

Walnut Hill has been a leader in arts education for close to three decades.

Driven by the visionary leadership of longtime Head of School Stephanie Perrin, the faculty, staff, and administration built a school that is alive and thriving. Daily, we see a campus filled with young people fully engaged in the learning process. Moreover, our alumni find success working not only as professional artists, but for major companies such as Bose, Raytheon, HBO, PBS, AT&T, and even Major League Baseball. They go on to become teachers, engineers, doctors, lawyers, and entrepreneurs…living proof of what PCAH described as a “growing body of research to support positive educational outcomes associated with arts-rich schools.”

I believe that the work we do at Walnut Hill will not only continue to develop the next generation of great artists, but can also provide a foundation for a brighter future, where creative and artistic agents of change are equipped with the skills and attributes needed to solve the challenging problems facing the world.

Regards,

Antonio Viva Head of School

Fall 2011 & Winter 2012

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We continue to add content and photos to the websites that comprise walnuthillarts.org.

Two of our sites are designed specifically for our alumni: Go more in-depth on the stories in the print edition of Behind Stowe (stowe.walnuthillarts.org). You’ll find links to photos and videos, as well as more up-to-date news about our extraordinarily talented students, alumni, faculty, and staff.

Connect with the School and with each other through Alumni Connections: View the Performance Calendar • Submit a Class Note Tell us where you are on “Once a Walnut” • See photos from campus And much more!

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www.walnuthillarts.org

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LEFT (L to R) Head of School Antonio Viva, Gala Committee Chair

Janet Pattillo, and Young Alumni Award Recipient Jack McCollough ’97 enjoying the VIP reception at Walnut Hill’s first on-campus gala (Photo by Steve Gilbert)

RIGHT (L to R) Director of Ballet Michael Owen, Kate Hutter ’00, and Head of School Antonio Viva at the reception that preceded the New Works performance at Boston Conservatory (Photo by David Dietz) BELOW (L to R) Director of Visual Art Jim Woodside, faculty member

Ken Tighe, and Jack McCollough ’97 (Photo by David Dietz)

walnut Hill Celebrates its Young Alumni Jack McCollough ’97 and Kate Hutter ’00 just two examples of the impact Walnuts have in the world

W

alnut Hill celebrates its young alumni in many ways. One distinct honor is the Young Alumni Award, presented yearly to an alumnus who has graduated within the past 15 years and has already achieved great heights in the short time since his or her Walnut Hill days. The other is the Wendy Wheeler Award, given to an alumnus who has made significant contribution to art and arts education. Current faculty and students are often involved in choosing the award winners, as well as in planning the recognition events.

This past May, two highly successful alumni returned to campus to be recognized for their professional accomplishments. On May 14, 2011, Jack McCollough ’97 received the Young Alumni Achievement Award at Walnut Hill’s 14th annual gala. McCollough is the Co-founder and Designer of the Proenza Schouler fashion label, one of the most highly regarded names to have emerged in the industry in the past 10 years. He spoke with passion and clarity about the ongoing influence of Walnut Hill, especially his teachers Ken Tighe and Jim Woodside, on his work. McCollough also delighted current visual art students with a master class while on campus.

The following weekend, Kate Hutter ’00 received the Wendy Wheeler Award for her contributions to art and arts education. Co-founder and Artistic Director of the L.A. Contemporary Dance Company, Hutter also choreographs for theater productions, commercials, and school concerts, and teaches at the Brockus Project Space in Fall 2011 & Winter 2012

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downtown Los Angeles. Through all of this work and her many collaborations, Kate is focused on developing new ways to bring dance to the public and educate students.

The Walnut Hill Ballet Department took New Works, a program of student choreography, off campus for the first time, and Hutter joined Head of School Antonio Viva and Director of Ballet Michael Owen for a special reception and Q&A prior to the performance. Families, alumni, and Trustees were treated to a frank conversation about the joys and challenges of creating and running one’s own dance company, and heard how the lessons from Walnut Hill continue to inform Hutter’s work today. Like McCollough, Hutter led current students in a challenging and inspiring master class.

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This Page DeAnne Rosenberg ’57 at

her home in Wareham, Massachusetts Below Gail Rosenberg Ludvigson ’60 in her yearbook photo

Walnut Hill: A Family Tradition Three sets of stories, multiple generations, and an enduring mission

By Michele Levy, Bruce Smith, and Jennifer TumSuden

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hen we first began to plan for this issue of Behind Stowe, we knew we wanted a cover story that would focus on our alumni. As we reviewed the alumni database and discussed possible themes, we were delighted to find a number of families for whom Walnut Hill really is a family tradition. Their stories are not only an entertaining reminder of how things change, but a powerful statement of the value and relevance of our mission. Skirt lengths and permissions may vary across the years, but passion, commitment, and a deep sense of community remain as core to the Walnut Hill experience today as they were in the 1930s.

www.walnuthillarts.org

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the rosenberg Sisters: returning to the Hill

What are the traditions you remember best?

Deanne: I was a member of the first Mischords. I loved that. We had dinner in Durgin Park. It was wonderful.

Gail Rosenberg Ludvigson ’60 became re-involved in Walnut Hill’s success by joining the Board of Visitors in the late 1990s. As a professional financial planner, she provided advice to the School on strategies for its plannedgiving program. She soon became a strong advocate for the School and urged her sister, DeAnne Rosenberg ’57, to reconnect as well. DeAnne attended her 50th Reunion and serves today on the Board of Overseers.

What is the most meaningful thing you learned at Walnut Hill?

Deanne: Not to be afraid. I gained an understanding that I think differently than other people, and that’s okay.

I never would have started my business without Walnut Hill. The whole atmosphere fostered courage.

The Pioneering spirit Both DeAnne and Gail were pioneering businesswomen prior to the era of the women’s rights movement. DeAnne started her own consulting business in the mid-1960s, ultimately serving more than 2,000 clients nationally and internationally, including the Canadian government. She was the first woman to address the American Management Association. Her work focused on “managing an organization’s human resources more effectively,” and she conducted workshops on performance feedback, interviewing, motivation, and leadership. She has written three widely praised books based on her experience in the field: A Manager’s Guide to Hiring the Best Person for Every Job, From Rage to Resolution, and the forthcoming Management’s Fatal Flaw: Performance Feedback.

DeAnne also writes a blog at http://fromragetoresolution. wordpress.com.

Gail turned down a voice scholarship to the New England Conservatory because she had developed a passion for math and economics at Walnut Hill that she wanted to pursue, ultimately earning an M.A. in economics from Columbia University. She started her career at the Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, DC, and later joined a brokerage firm as an assistant arbitrageur at a time when women were unwelcome in a professional capacity on Wall Street. Over a period of almost 40 years, Gail progressed in the areas of securities analysis and portfolio management, providing investment services with firms such as Smith Barney and Bear Stearns. Her last position was with JPMorgan Chase.

Gail passed away from a brain tumor in July 2010.

What is the most exciting thing about the school today?

Deanne: The fact that it’s internationally recognized for excellence.

What advice would you have for a Walnut Hill student today?

Deanne: To learn as much as you can every day.

DeAnne has decided to leave her home, a lovely Cape on two acres of beautiful waterfront property in Wareham, as a bequest to Walnut Hill. She bought the house in 1980 and has been living there with her husband, Myron Lewis, since 2001.

You made an astonishingly generous decision to bequeath your home to Walnut Hill. Why? Deanne: I believe in educating the next generation.

I think it’s more important to educate them in the arts.

We lose our culture otherwise. The arts give you such a breadth of experience and you start to see connections.

How were you reengaged with Walnut Hill?

Deanne: My sister told me I should become involved.

I made a gift, and Courtney Greene ’94 (former Director of Alumni Relations) came to see me. I was so welcomed. I was coming home.

BELOW DeAnne and her husband, Myron, and the home they are bequeathing to Walnut Hill

Looking Back and Looking ahead DeAnne met with Bruce Smith at her home in Wareham to talk about Walnut Hill and its impact on both her and her sister. Below are excerpts from that conversation.

What is your fondest memory of Walnut Hill?

Deanne: Walking out on the lawns among the apple trees. They were winesaps, and they’re hard to find now, but they’re still my favorite. Academically, there was intellectual freedom and my teachers always challenged me.

Fall 2011 & Winter 2012

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the Delbridge family: Creative every Single Day When someone says, “I like to be creative every single day,” you wonder what that means. How do they define creativity? And isn’t that a little ambitious? When you meet Sandra Delbridge, you begin to understand that it is indeed possible to infuse every single aspect of your life with creativity, and to inspire that in your children.

Whether she’s creating flower arrangements in her home, consulting on interior design, or serving as a Trustee at Walnut Hill, Sandra brings passion and creativity to every element of her personal and professional lives.

Perhaps that is why Sandra has such a deep commitment to the success of the School, as she recognizes those qualities in its philosophy, its people, and its programs. She sums up the essence and value of Walnut Hill in a compelling way: “Every person who chooses to try an art form is exploring who they are. They open up the possibilities to enrich not just themselves but those who experience their art.”

Sandra discovered Walnut Hill when she enrolled her daughter Jessica in its after-school theater classes.

When Jessica decided to attend the voice recital of a full-time student, Sandra accompanied her daughter.

She came away convinced Walnut Hill would be a terrific fit. As Jessica tells it, “I had been going to the after-school theater program for a while. Someone, it must have been a teacher, suggested that I apply to Walnut Hill. The moment I auditioned, I realized this was where I belonged.”

A graduate of the Class of 2000, Jessica (now Jessica De Kler) illustrates the power of a Walnut Hill education… both in her work as an interior designer and as Director of Development and founding member of Panicked Productions, a New York–based nonprofit organization founded in 2005 with a mission to provide a home where emerging theater artists can develop and share their work.

Sandra’s younger daughter, Alyce ’05, was enrolled at Dana Hall. After watching her older sister flourish at Walnut Hill, Alyce decided that she too wanted to apply, although Sandra was unsure as to what major Alyce would pursue. Once they decided on visual art, Sandra explained to Alyce that she’d need to compile a portfolio (Alyce’s response: “What is that?”). Within weeks however, Alyce compiled a portfolio and brought it to her mother to review. Evidently, the portfolio was met with both her mother’s approval and that of the School! Alyce works at the Society of Arts and Crafts in Boston, where she manages the iconic Craftboston event and supports their mission “to support excellence in crafts by encouraging the creation, collection, and conservation of the work of craft artists, and by educating and promoting public appreciation of fine craftsmanship.”

We chatted with the three women, catching them in Boston, New York, and Cape Cod.

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What’s your fondest memory of Walnut Hill?

Jessica: I used to love being in that theater [the Stephanie Perrin Theater in the Keiter Center for the Performing Arts]. I felt like it was Sandra P’00/’05, Alyce ’05, and Jessica ’00 my home. alyce: After 5pm, I’d get out of visual art class, and most of my classmates would still be in rehearsal. I would walk through the campus and hear the sounds of young artists at work. Even now, when I hear a bit of music on the street, I am instantly transported back to dusk at Walnut Hill. and your favorite tradition?

Jessica: Hands down it’s Candlelight. It’s a magical, beautiful evening. It really illustrates what the School is about: community, creativity, art, and beauty. alyce: I concur. Not only is it visually beautiful, but it is quite literally the passing of the torch. It’s an old tradition, but it translates well to contemporary times.

What are you excited about as the school goes through the strategic planning process?

Jessica: I’m excited about the possibility of expanding some of the offerings, whether that be a film class, a multimedia elective, etc. When I got to college, I realized that my Walnut Hill experience had put me far ahead of other artists. Having classes like film and camera work will allow future graduates to feel similarly prepared.

What’s the lasting legacy of your Walnut Hill education?

Jessica: You grow up quickly at Walnut Hill. You become self-sufficient very quickly. Walnut Hill teaches you how to make an impression, a skill that sets you apart for the rest of your life. alyce: Walnut Hill gave me an appreciation for differences. It was helpful to grow up in a diverse, inclusive environment, and not have college be the first exposure to an environment like that. In addition, sharing the struggle and reward of art really helps you form strong relationships across your differences.

We asked Sandra how she did it: what was her secret for raising such creative and talented daughters? As she explained, “Art was just always in their lives. I did not push it, but there were always craft supplies around the house.

The girls had limited TV and no computer games, and they were encouraged to be creative through the arts, with dress-up clothes, art supplies, and music.”

Clearly it’s a strategy that has been extremely beneficial for the entire family, on both a professional and a personal level. www.walnuthillarts.org

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two Generations of Sisters… a rich History of walnut Hill Nancy “Nan” Connelly Truesdell ’66, sister Amy Connelly ’70, mother Frances “Frankie” Fuller Connelly ’39, and aunt Nathena “Thena” Fuller ’37 all attended Walnut Hill when it served as a college-preparatory school for girls.

Like many Walnut Hill graduates of the day, Nathena, Frankie, and Nan attended Mount Holyoke College. Amy attended the University of Utah. All four women went on to fulfilling professional careers. Nathena worked for Aetna for 38 years (never missing a single day of work!) and Frankie worked at the phone company. Sharing their appreciation for education with the next generation, Nan and Amy both became teachers. Nan has taught preschool in Connecticut for 20 years, and Amy currently teaches English as a Second Language for Western Connecticut Community College.

Nan recently gathered her sister, mother, and aunt to discuss their Walnut Hill experiences. As the interview reminds us, the Walnut Hill School for the Arts of today shares much with the Walnut Hill School of the past.

Although the cloth napkins with silver rings, Lake Louise, and Polar Bear field hockey are long gone, their dormitories (Highland and Westerly) still remain, seniors still compose a class song, and Walnuts still Wassail during the holidays.

Why Walnut Hill? Why did you attend?

Frankie: Thena and I attended Walnut Hill School because our father wanted us to. Family friends (Doris Harmon Leete ’21 and Ruth Harmon Barclay) had both attended.

Nan: Amy and I were in a similar situation. It was our parents’ decision. All of us were having too much fun at the local high school and were sent off to boarding school to learn how to study.

What are some of your favorite memories of Walnut Hill? amy and Nan: The Boars Head Celebration with Morris Dance, tumbling, and swords. (Editor’s note: Swords?

That tradition has not survived the ages!)

Nan: During field hockey practice we would use Manter Hall vocabulary words in calling to teammates—an attempt to learn the vocab without studying.

How did your experiences of Walnut Hill differ through the generations and individually?

Frankie: When we were at Walnut Hill, sports played a significant role in the school experience. Thena and I were Polar Captains, my roommate Mary Ann Avis ’39 was the Tiger Captain. The rivalry was very strong. amy: I entered Walnut Hill in 1968 and had some negative experiences as the School struggled to find its identity in the changing cultural climate.

Nan: There were big physical changes through the years as well. I remember being mentored in the dining room on the main floor of Eliot. Jo-Ann Edinburg [Pinkowitz] ’66 sat next to me at Ms. Gruber’s feared table. Thank goodness she instructed me what to do when! There were also major differences in permissions. Our blue jean skirts had to reach the ground when kneeling. Contrast that with the fact that Mom and Thena had to wear hats when walking to Natick and could not wear lipstick!

How do you feel about Walnut Hill’s decision to become an arts school?

Nan: Mom and Thena took longer to come around than Amy and I, but we all agreed it was a good, wellresearched decision. amy: While so many schools in the area were struggling and the majority just decided to go coed, Walnut Hill studied the situation carefully and came up with what I think was a brilliant solution. They recognized that emphasizing the arts allows each individual to develop his or her talent, in addition to maintaining quality academics.

Nan: At Reunion it’s also been gratifying to visit the arts classes, attend the amazing shows, and hear panels by alums in the arts world.

What is the one piece of advice you would offer current students?

Nan: We all feel our friendships from Walnut Hill are special and enduring. Reunions have been valuable to reconnect and hear about women we barely knew when in school. Our advice is to work at keeping up with friends.

We all need each other. aBOVE Front row: Frankie

and Nathena; back row: Amy and Nan

“In supporting Walnut Hill School for the Arts, I am allowing the expression of beauty, of song and dance, of the written word to flourish for generations to come. Art is the only magical gift I know that makes one smile from the inside out and rarely leaves you disappointed.” —Sandra Delbridge, P’00/’05 Fall 2011 & Winter 2012

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These stories represent a sampling of the families who have had an impact on Walnut Hill through the years. We’d love to collect more of these memories. Let us know your story!

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Visual Art

The Visual Art Department has made a significant contribution to beautifying our shared environment with ambitious and striking murals along the walls of the ATC. The mural project, conceptualized and guided by Ken Tighe, launched in spring 2011 and will continue through the 2011–2012 school year. On a separate note, faculty portraits delighted everyone who attended the All-Department Visual Art show—especially the faculty portrayed in the fabulous portraits!

Photos by David Dietz, Sharyn Peavey ’90, Ken Tighe

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www.walnuthillarts.org

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Photo by David Dietz

Walnut Hill School for the Arts mourns the loss of Eric Oddleifson, a passionate supporter not only of the School, but of arts education more broadly.

eric Oddleifson, an appreciation

by Stephanie Perrin

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ric Oddleifson was a true original, a man of many passions and interests. He was a talented musician, although that was not his profession. He also was deeply committed to arts in the public schools and, increasingly in the past 10 years or so, to school reform. He was a tireless seeker of strategies to improve schools and to make the arts accessible in schools, as he was a great believer in the power of the arts to awaken the imagination and develop discipline in all students.

Eric was a longtime and loyal supporter of Walnut Hill School for the Arts, serving as a Trustee from 1992 to 2004 and as co-chair of the School’s Board of Visitors just last year. He was also co-founder, along with former Head of School Stephanie Perrin, of Arts|Learning, a nonprofit organization housed at Walnut Hill that is dedicated to providing strong, discipline-based arts programming in the public schools. In April 2010, Eric was honored with Walnut Hill’s Wendy Wheeler Award for Excellence in Arts Education Leadership for his tireless devotion to promoting the arts in schools.

As you can see in the autobiography that Eric wrote for Walnut Hill upon the occasion of receiving the Wendy Wheeler award (below), he was a man of imagination, persistence, and fortitude, and he accomplished much in his life in many spheres. What no words can convey is how passionate, engaged, and committed a man he was. He was so full of life that it is hard to imagine him not with us. On the other hand, he did so much for so many that he lives on in them and in the work they do and the lives they lead. He was an extraordinary soul.

Fall 2011 & Winter 2012

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We remember this Trustee and chair of our Board of Visitors in his own frank and entertaining words, excerpted from his informal autobiography, “The Life and Times of Eric Oddleifson (2010)”: Mr. Oddleifson’s instincts are entrepreneurial, which he attributes to his Icelandic heritage and genes. He is a 1956 graduate of Harvard College where (in his opinion) his acceptance had little to do with intellectual capacity, but rather an accident of birth. The year 1935 was the country’s demographic low point for the entire century, so that when 1952 rolled around, no one much was applying (60 percent of applicants were accepted).

His mandatory stint in the Army after college was illustrative of his entrepreneurial spirit, managing to find a berth in the 7th Army Band in Stuttgart, Germany, where he spent the time playing his clarinet at beer fests and driving the autobahn in his Mercedes 220A Cabriolet (financed by his indulgent and long-suffering mother).

Finally facing reality with a wife and two children, the 1963 graduate of Harvard Business School joined the Cambridge-based consulting firm of Arthur D. Little, Inc., which was the perfect learning environment for an independent sort. The professional environment, team approach to problem solving, and skills learned there defined the rest of his business career.

In 1975, following an almost successful attempt at building a new town in Florida under a federal government program, he found a job with B. F. Saul company in Chevy Chase, Maryland, first researching and then implementing a farm investment program in southwest Behind Stowe | 9

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Georgia, where he invested approximately $30 million in directly operated pivot-irrigated farmland and dripirrigated pecan groves.

When Frank Saul sold off the farms in 1980, Mr. Oddleifson decided that timberland investing for institutional investors looked promising, even though the field didn’t even exist. He persuaded Ed Broom, head of institutional investing at the Boston Company, to get into timber investing and to take Oddleifson on as President of the newly formed Boston Company Resource Investments.

The road ahead turned out to be profitable for the young entrepreneur. While never seeking fame and fortune in the usual sense—but only something that would be interesting to do—his path led to his first timber fund in 1985; his acquisition of the timber investment organization Resource Investments International (RII) from its then owner Mutual of New York in 1989; and its sale, with assets under management of $1.2 billion and 40 blue-chip institutional clients, to UBS in 1995.

It was then that Mr. Oddleifson began to develop an aversion to bureaucracy and central authority. While being appointed a Managing Director of UBS—an exalted status sought by many in Zurich—his telephone bills were subject to review by as many as 12 people, and overhead charges approximating $0.5 million arrived from headquarters in Zurich, which at least in his opinion added no value at all to the operation. The message was clear: UBS had no trust in its new Managing Director to act professionally, and believed that it—the bank—was adding the value, rather than the professionals whom Mr. Oddleifson had on his staff.

Nature took its course. Mr. Oddleifson responded to a kind invitation from Jeremy Grantham in late 1996 to establish a timber venture with Grantham, Mayo, Van

Dr. Jennifer Caudle ’95 is living proof that Walnut Hill alumni define success in a myriad of ways…some directly connected to their art, some less so. Dr. Caudle studied cello at Walnut Hill, then went on to Princeton University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in Anthropology. She then studied at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey School of Osteopathic Medicine, where she earned a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Degree.

Dr. Caudle has actively maintained her own connections to Walnut Hill. “As a Trustee, I’m inter-

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Otterloo & Co. (GMO). In forming the partnership, he made it clear to his joint venture partner, Eva Greger (who had joined him in 1985 after graduating from Harvard College), that he had no long-term interest in building another timber investment management organization (TIMO) and that she would be carrying the water. To help create a partnership ethic, he assigned a significant part of his partnership share to highly qualified individuals in order to help build the finest TIMO in the business.

Mr. Oddleifson retired in 2005 from GMO Resource Investments, which now has approximately $3.0 billion under management, 350 clients, both institutional and family offices, and timber properties in New England, the South, and the Pacific Northwest, as well as New Zealand (he was the first to attract timber investors offshore, in 1989), Australia, Chile, Uruguay, and Brazil.

Mr. Oddleifson was Trustee of H&Q Healthcare and H&Q Life Sciences, two publicly traded closed-end funds on the New York Stock Exchange; Senior Advisor to the Corporate Library in Portland, Maine; and Sustainability Consultant to GMO. He believed passionately in the positive impact that arts education has on student growth and development, and served on the board of Arts|Learning in Natick, Massachusetts (which he cofounded in 1999 with Stephanie Perrin, then head of the Walnut Hill School for the Arts), and on the board of From the Top, a nationally syndicated radio program showcasing talented young musicians.

Mr. Oddleifson lived in Cohasset, Massachusetts, with his wife of nearly 50 years, rowed 20 minutes a day on his Concept 2 machine, and played in the Rusty Skippers Band and Hingham Woodwind Quintet. His three children, who lead productive and fulfilling lives, and four grandchildren were his constant joys.

ested in doing more to connect with alums…there are amazing Walnuts all over the world. I’ve been in touch with people doing a wide range of things…it’s a huge potential asset for the School.” Dr. Caudle’s previous volunteer work with the School included the Board of Overseers and Board of Visitors, “Every time I come back I’m really happy, excited, inspired all over again. It’s like being a student again, and it brings me back to a really formative time in my life. Every time I come, I’m reminded of how thankful I am to have gone here. It was such a blessing…and it changed the course of my life.”

www.walnuthillarts.org

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Creative Writing

The Creative Writing program has seen some changes this year (including a change of name!), but the core principles remain. In July, we welcomed new Director Brian Blanchfield. A poet and essayist, (author of Not Even Then, a book of poetry), Blanchfield has taught creative writing and literature at Pratt Institute of Art, Otis College of Art and Design, and the University of Montana. Before teaching, he worked for years on the editorial staffs of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and Salon.com. Read an in-depth interview with Blanchfield at stowe.walnuthillarts.org.

Photos by Tom Kates, Sharyn Peavey ’90

Fall 2011 & Winter 2012

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LEFT Riley Watts ’03 leads

a master class with current ballet students. (Photo by Sharyn Peavey ’90)

riley watts ’03: Articulating improvisation in the ballet Department

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iley Watts’ career in dance has taken him all over the world since graduating from Walnut Hill in 2003. He received his B.F.A. in Dance from the Juilliard School, where he was honored with a Princess Grace Award for Modern Dance in 2006. He went on to dance with Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Bern Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater II, and, since 2010, the Forsythe Company in Frankfurt, Germany. Watts’ passion for Forsythe’s modern ballet–inspired techniques and improvisation was ignited right here on the Hill as a student.

“I saw a piece of William Forsythe’s called In the Middle while at Walnut Hill when I was 17 years old,” shared Watts. “Something clicked in me. I remember the exact moment it happened. I thought: that’s exactly what I want to do…that’s exactly how I want to move.”

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This September, our ballet students were able to dive into the intriguing world of Forsythe’s choreography through powerful master classes given by Watts. All students learned excerpts from Forsythe’s Enemy in the Figure and digested new techniques in improvisation.

Bringing closure to the three days, Watts performed his solo (also from Enemy in the Figure) from his senior year at Juilliard, leaving the ballet majors inspired to push boundaries in their own dance development.

Forsythe’s choreography forces Watts to engage in what he describes as “rapid creativity,” whereby no one performance is the same.

Being a part of the Walnut Hill community provided a solid foundation for the deep exploration required to throw himself into improvisations in rehearsals or in front of an audience.

“It was thrilling being around 249 super-interesting artists my

own age,” reminisced Watts. “There was so much creative stimulus on campus. Walnut Hill was this bubble of beautiful thinking.” Read more at stowe.walnuthillarts.org.

aBOVE Watts (left) with Director of Ballet Michael Owen (Photo by Molly Clark)

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David Kim P’14 recognizes similarities between his work and the work of the School. As Executive Vice President of Finance and Chief Investment Officer, Extended Stay Hotels, Mr. Kim commented that “we are in a unique segment of the hospitality industry, as Walnut Hill is unique among independent schools.” Mr. Kim discovered the School through his son Calvin ’14.

Although he clearly supports his son’s passion for music (“he has to pursue what his heart tells him, not just generic success”), Mr. Kim is also very research-focused. He explained, “I did my due diligence on Walnut Hill. But after I did, I really fell in love with the School, perhaps even more than my son! I see tremendous

potential for Walnut Hill. If I can help move the School even further, it would be a great pleasure for me.”

A seasoned hospitality professional, Mr. Kim has a Master of Management in Hospitality from Cornell. He currently oversees the investment function and the Integrated Analysis Solutions Group (IASG) at Extended Stay Hotels.

Previously, he served as Senior Vice President of Investment Analysis for CNL Hotels & Resorts, where he created the IASG concept, the backbone of more than $4.5 billion in acquisitions and $2.0 billion in dispositions. He has also held leadership positions at InterContinental Hotels Group and Remington Hotel Corporation.

rebecca morgan frank Discusses Process in the writing Studio Creative Writing Department continues to bring inspirational writers to the Hill

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oet Rebecca Morgan Frank visited the Creative Writing Department in April to talk with our students about her process as a writer. She has been a fellow at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and the Writers’ Room of Boston, and a Tennessee Williams scholar at the Sewanee Writers’ Conference.

Frank is a founding editor of the online magazine Memorious, and she teaches writing at Emerson College and in the MassArt low-residency M.F.A. program at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown.

RIGHT Rebecca Morgan Frank (right) leads a master class in the Writing Studio. Shelly Pires ’13 is on the left. (Photo by David Dietz)

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Ballet

Students in the Ballet Department have seen what it means to be successful all along the continuum…from the young dancers at the Community Dance Academy through to our alumni. Dancers from the Community Dance Academy performed with members of the New York City Ballet at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, where they met Walnut Hill alumnus and NYCB company member David Prottas. The first off-campus performance of New Works, at the Boston Conservatory, was the backdrop for the presentation of Walnut Hill’s Young Alumni Award to Kate Hutter ’00, Co-founder and Artistic Director of the L.A. Contemporary Dance Company. Hutter also taught a master class for current ballet students. Read more at stowe.walnuthillarts.org.

Photos by Sharyn Peavey ’90, Liza Voll

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Photos courtesy of New England Conservatory

Music

It was quite an international spring and summer for the Music Department.

The members of the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra joined Conductor Benjamin Zander to tour the Mahler Ninth Symphony in Eastern Europe, performing in Vienna’s Musikverein and Prague’s Dvorak Hall to honor the Mahler Centennial. The Summer Opera Program traveled with Director of Voice Angela Gooch throughout Milan and Verona, visiting La Scala, the Stradivarius Museum in Cremona, and the Verona Opera Festival. The students also performed at Casa Verdi.

Finally, Director of Music Evan Bennett joined our Korean music families and alumni for the annual summer concert in Seoul.

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Leadership students welcome new and returning families to the Hill.

“How will You Grow?”

Leadership students ensure a bright start to the year

By Renee Richard ’12

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aBOVE Leadership students on retreat in the Berkshires (Photos by Molly Clark and Meilssa Cassel)

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eadership Week 2011 began with a visit from Hurricane Irene, welcoming most of us back to campus but, unfortunately, delaying the return of some of our friends. Those of us who made it to the Hill greeted the few new international students who managed to outsmart Irene, and together we all survived a power outage.

Despite the shaky start to our week, the Monday of Leadership Week was a beautiful day. While missing our Leadership friends who were still en route, we set off for a couple days in the Berkshires.

Our trip consisted of challenging (and at moments embarrassing) team-building activities—games, rope courses, and improv skits— along with boating and (for the few brave ones) a swim in the freezing water. As a group we grew closer, sharing our goals, hopes, plans, and favorite moments from our time at Walnut Hill.

When we returned to campus, work began in earnest. The whole Leadership team was fully occupied with stuffing envelopes and folders, decorating dorms and departments, making club posters, and

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Each year, the Leadership students are instrumental in achieving a smooth transition into the school year. The 2011–2012 crew really got us off to a terrific start!

—Melissa Cassel, Dean of Students

preparing for the infamous Leadership dance and skit (to be performed at the first all-School assembly).

We worked long days and had late-night rehearsals, but despite our lack of sleep, morale was high when the new students arrived on Saturday, September 3. With Mrs. Cassel’s strict instructions not to let any parents carry their child’s bags, we got a serious workout moving all the new boarders into their dorms. We enthusiastically greeted our buddies, ate lunch with new families, and answered as many questions as we could.

Returning students arrived later that weekend, and classes resumed on September 6. Now fully engaged in the school year, we Leadership students remain fully committed to the goals we have set: to keep spirits high and to foster this year’s theme of growth.

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Stephanie mahan Stigliano builds international Presence

BELOW Celebration by

Stephanie Mahan Stigliano

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he artist’s books of Stephanie Mahan Stigliano, Visual Arts Department faculty member, are included in two international traveling exhibitions: An Inventory of Al-Mutanabbi Street of Baghdad, Iraq, and Correspondence, ofŁód´z, Poland.

The books will become part of national library collections in both countries. Stigliano is also participating in Par Avion, an artistic exchange between sister cities Boston, Massachusetts and Strasbourg, France, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Boston-Strasbourg Sister City Association with simultaneous exhibits in both cities in June 2012.

Jehad nga ’95 Published in Time magazine Photographer Jehad Nga wrote about his father’s life in Libya before the Muammar Gaddafi regime in the July issue of Time magazine. Nga writes, “The events that have been taking place in Libya over these past

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months have brought me closer to understanding my father’s past than the previous 30 years. As the revolt grew stronger in February and March, I began to see that hidden place inside him that he had never

previously revealed to his children.

When I saw him last month, it was as if his cheeks had become sun-kissed by the new dawn rising over Libya.”

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Summer theater Program featured in the Boston Globe The Boston Globe took note when Walnut Hill welcomed 11 Irish teens, ages 16–18, to our five-week Summer Theater Program. The feature article highlighted the unique partnership that Walnut Hill Summer Theater instructors Mike Bucco and Kirsten McKinney have established with Dublin’s Independent Theater Workshop over the past five years.

The students took part in productions of Bye Bye Birdie and Fame.

Quoted in the article, Ailbhe Casey, 18, of Dublin shared, “We don’t have a lot of theater going on in Ireland

and it limits our possibilities.” Bucco knows that this opportunity has a huge positive impact for many students: “We’ve heard from previous students that their experiences at Walnut Hill changed their lives. One student told us she believes she got into Trinity College in Dublin on the basis of her experiences here.”

walnut film Credits Wynton McCurdy ’04 brought his music skills to the feature film Water for Elephants, in which he appears as a trumpet player. He currently works as a recording artist in Los Angeles.

travis ward-osborne ’09 Appeared on SYTYCD Travis Ward-Osborne wowed the judges in an audition episode of Fox Television’s So You Think You Can Dance this past summer.

Director of ballet michael owen Judges national Dance Competition

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irector of Ballet Michael Owen was chosen as a judge for the 2011 American Dance Competition (ADC) in Orlando and Daytona Beach, Florida, where he reviewed more than 120 students a day, with some days lasting from 9am to midnight.

Owen believes his experience has value for the entire Walnut Hill community. “It’s good for us to know what goes on in other places because it gives us perspective. We develop relationships with other institutions, and at the same time we increase the visibility of the School,” said Owen. “It’s also a tremendous opportunity to find talented students for Walnut Hill.”

As proof of Owen’s statement, one of the ADC competitors, Arcadian Broad, age 14, won the top prize in his age division and also received the Director’s Scholarship, which provided scholarship funding to attend Walnut Hill’s ballet program.

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BELOW (L to R) Nicole

Douglas ’11, Sarah Chin ’11, Director of Ballet Michael Owen, and Alison Remmers ’12 (Photo by David Dietz)

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rave reviews for Jessica Delbridge De Kler ’00 Congrats to Jessica Delbridge De Kler for outstanding reviews for her performance as Guildenstern in an allfemale version of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead at the Midtown International Theatre Festival in NYC. The production went on to receive several major MITF awards.

bailey moon ’11 and Amelia Sturt-Dilley ’11 recognized for AiDS Action Club Leadership and fundraising

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ailey Moon and Amelia SturtDilley worked tirelessly with the School’s AIDS Action Club, spearheading a major effort every spring to recruit students and sponsors for AIDS Walk Boston. Their efforts were so successful—raising $13,000 in 2010 and $17,470 in 2011—that the Walnut Hill Team, known as Artists Against AIDS, was listed as a Gold

Do you have a notable accomplishment to share?

If so, please send the details along with a high-resolution photo (at least 300 dpi and no less than 5 inches wide) to alumni@walnuthillarts.org.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions about submitting photos—we love hearing from you and want your accomplishment to shine!

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Team for AIDS Walk Boston. In a surprise this spring, the two students’ dedicated efforts were noticed by two AIDS Action Committee employees, Jacoba Van Heugten and Cathy Kujala, who nominated Bailey and Amelia for the 2011 Young Philanthropist Award sponsored by Women in Development (WID), an organization that promotes volun-

teer involvement. WID consequently selected the two students as 2011 award recipients.

More than 30 students from Walnut Hill signed up to participate in AIDS Walk Boston 2011. Moon and Sturt-Dilley were honored at a luncheon in May at Boston’s Colonnade Hotel.

Gergana Haralampieva ’13 wins fifth Place at the thomas & evon Cooper international Violin Competition

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ergana Haralampieva took Fifth Place at the Thomas & Evon Cooper International Violin Competition in Oberlin, Ohio. She led off the competition with movements from Bach and Beethoven, and moved on to pieces by Kreisler and Ravel. After two rounds of intense competition, she advanced to the Recital Finals Round before the top three finalists were named.

The competition, a partnership between the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the Cleveland Orchestra, alternates annually between piano and violin. Open to musicians between the ages of 13 and 18, the competition culminates in a final round at Severance Hall, where the top three competitors perform a full concerto with the Cleveland Orchestra.

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Kyle brown ’04 Appears on broadway Kyle Brown is currently performing as a member of the company in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert on Broadway. He went to see Priscilla on a trip to London in 2009 and instantly knew he wanted to be a part of the energetic production.

“It’s really exciting every night to have the curtain fly up and all those costumes be revealed as we just strut downstage,” Brown said of his solo performance in the number “Don’t Leave Me This Way.” He added, “You can hear the audience getting into it as the beat kicks in.”

Brown noted that being a student at Walnut Hill remains one of the best experiences of his life. “I grew up in a very small town, and there definitely wasn’t a lot of openmindedness,” he explained. “So going to someplace like Walnut Hill, it’s such a creative, fertile environment, and you’re allowed to be who you want to be and figure that out.”

Brown made his Broadway debut in 2008 in Legally Blonde.

national Scholastic Art & writing Awards chosen to receive national medals.

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, The following Walnut Hill students run by the Alliance for Young Artists were honored with awards: & Writers, is the oldest and most prestigious program in the United • Kevin Hong ’11 — Gold Medal in States offering early recognition General Writing Portfolio and scholarships to creative teen• Shelly Pires ’13 — Silver Medal in agers. The award-winning student Poetry works were selected from more Pires also received an Alliance Sumthan 185,000 submissions in 29 mer Arts Program (ASAP) Award, categories, including poetry, humor, sponsored by the Jack Kent Cooke novel writing, and science fiction, as Foundation, for students in grades well as painting, sculpture, pho7–11. ASAP Award winners develop tography, fashion design, film and their creative skills by participatanimation, and video game design. ing in art and writing intensives to Nearly 1,500 of the most talented learn new artistic and literary forms, students in grades 7–12, representimprove their skills, and expand their ing 45 states, as well as students portfolios. in American schools abroad, were

We would be seriously remiss if we did not acknowledge the contributions of a Walnut Hill family to this very magazine. Judy Kiviat P’94 copyedits and proofreads nearly all Walnut Hill communications. She is a valued partner to the marketing communications team and beloved supporter of the School. She’s also proud mom to Sabreena Kiviat Kropp ’94 and devoted grandmother to Calder (3) and Ellie (6 months).

Kevin Hong ’11 receives Presidential Scholars in the Arts Award

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his spring, writer Kevin Hong was honored as one of 20 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts. He attended a ceremony at the White House and performed in an exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum along with other student writers, visual artists, and photographers.

Hong’s journey toward this exemplary national award began last fall when Walnut Hill’s College Counselor, Elisabeth Morray, recommended that he submit writings to the YoungArts competition. Participation in YoungArts is a required step toward earning the presidential award.

From 150 finalists in the YoungArts competition, the commission selects 50–60 nominees for the Presidential Scholar Awards and then chooses the 20 finalists. According to the YoungArts website, “Being named a Presidential Scholar is the highest scholastic honor available to graduating high school seniors.”

Hong is now attending Harvard College.

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George Li ’13 makes His white House Debut

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eorge Li began his summer vacation with a trip to the White House, performing in the Rose Garden for President Barack Obama and his guests at the state dinner honoring Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel. “I just met them for a minute,’’ Li said, “but it was still a very special moment.’’

More recently, Li was named a winner in the 2012 Gilmore Young Artist awards competition. He is one of two young artists chosen by an anonymous selection committee based on their “artistry and potential as concert pianists.” The awards are presented to the most promising U.S. pianists, age 22 or younger, every two years by the foundation that sponsors the Irving S. Gilmore International Keyboard Festival in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Li is the youngest recipient since the inception of the award in 1990. He receives both a cash award to support his musical and educational development, and funding to commission a new piano work to be composed specifically for him. As reported in the Boston Globe, Li and “fellow winner Conrad Tao, 17, of New York City, will make their debut performances as Gilmore Young Artists at next year’s festival, to be held April 26 through May 12 in Kalamazoo.”

Zoe Scofield ’97 wins Princess Grace Award Zoe Scofield is a 2011 recipient of the Princess Grace Award for Choreography. This prestigious award is only given to two U.S. choreographers each year, and winners receive a commission for a brand-new work. Scofield was back at Walnut Hill in 2009 to work with the Ballet Department. Our students performed in her evening-length work The devil you know is better than the devil you don’t at the Institute of Contemporary Art. This is the fifth Princess Grace Award given to a Walnut Hill alumnus! Read an article about Zoe by current ballet student Daniel Salas ’12 at stowe.walnuthillarts.org.

Photos courtesy of Young Concert Artists, Inc.

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walnut Hill Students Shine in the American ballet Competition

nigel Armstrong ’07 Places in tchaikovsky Competition

Blair Bagley ’11 and Nicole Douglas ’11 both earned honors at the 2011 American Ballet Competition. Bagley took First Place in classical and Second Place in contemporary, and Douglas took Third Place in classical. Blair was awarded a spot with the Orlando Ballet and Nicole is a member of the Colorado Ballet Studio Company.

Nigel Armstrong advanced to the finals of the XIV Tchaikovsky Competition in St. Petersburg, Russia, and took Fourth Place in violin performance. He also won the prize for Best Performance of the Commissioned Work by John Corigliano.

Named after Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, this major event in the international music community is a competition for pianists, violinists, and cellists between 16 and 30 years of age, and singers between 19 and 32 years of age.

Armstrong impressed the violin jury with his performances of Tchaikovsky’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra and Prokofiev’s Concerto

To read more about our accomplishments, visit us at www.walnuthillarts.org

No. 1 for Violin and Orchestra in the Great Hall at the St. Petersburg Philharmonia. He was awarded 7,000 euro for his competition achievements.

walnuts Lend a Helping Hand to Japan Satsuki “Kiki” Innami ’03 and Rika Kawato ’00 organized and hosted a benefit concert for Japan in August in Fukuoka, Japan. Kiki, Hiroki Mori ’04, and Eric Piekara ’00 contributed their musical talents to the concert. Rika designed the concert space, where her artwork was also displayed.

Serena Creary ’11 Scores multiple Awards at international Young Composers Competition

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n the 2011 Pikes Peak Young Composers Competition, Serena Creary competed in Division 1 (ages 16–18) and received awards in four categories:

• First Place in Category A (solo composition) — Incongruent Sketches • First Honorable Mention in Category B (chamber piece) — Il Giogo • First Place in Category C (orchestral/concerto) — Park Images • Second Place in Category D (choral) — Salve Regina

in the Young Artists Composition Program at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute this summer. This is Creary’s second ASCAP award, formally known as the ASCAP Foundation Joseph and Rosalie Meyer Fund.

Creary described her first summer in the Tanglewood program as “a breathtakingly wonderful experience,” and she credits her teachers at Walnut Hill and at the institute for her tremendous growth as a musician. Creary is now attending Oberlin College and Conservatory.

Another Walnut Hill student, Jonah Haven ’13, won Honorable Mention for his solo composition, titled A Room, in the 13–15 age division.

The Pikes Peak competition is open to young people between the ages of 6 and 18 throughout the world. Through this forum, musicians from kindergarten to grade 12 are encouraged to create music, have their compositions professionally evaluated by a panel of expert judges, and publicly perform their music.

Additionally, Creary was one of two students nationally to receive an ASCAP merit scholarship to participate

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Theater

The Theater Department continues to thrive, attracting record numbers of talented young actors. As the program grows, the School continues to invest in facilities to support it.

The upgraded sound system, renovated control booth, updated lighting, new flooring, and improved rigging system may not be instantly visible to the audience, but their impact on performance quality and learning experience has been immense. Read an interview with Director of Design and Production Mike Micucci online at stowe.walnuthillarts.org.

Photos by Joe Cabral, Tom Kates

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Academics

In their academic classes, Walnut Hill students are benefiting from interesting collaborations, cutting-edge teaching methods, and an investment in innovative technology. For example, the Math Department, under the leadership of Anne Murphy, is using SMART Board technology that allows teachers and students to work together in entirely new ways. Read an interview with Anne Murphy online at stowe.walnuthillarts.org.

Photos by Tom Kates, Sharyn Peavey ’90

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“The renovations are great!

The dorm is very clean and fresh, but maintains its homey feel.” —Sarah Tollman ’13

Dramatic changes bring new energy to the heart of the campus

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liot Hall is one of our most frequently used buildings. Not only is it home for students and dorm parents, but it also houses the Library, the Student Center, the Dining Hall, and Boswell Hall. Needless to say, it sees a lot of traffic…and a lot of wear and tear. In summer 2010, we began an extensive renovation program that wrapped up in August 2012.

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The Phase II renovations, funded in part by the generous support of donors, included: • New energy-efficient windows • New ceilings in dorms • New dorm doors and hardware • A fresh coat of paint...inside and out • Updated flooring • Remodeled Dorm Parent apartments • New furniture • Stucco repair • Air conditioning in Boswell Performance Space • New entry doors • Porch repairs As the various members of our community returned to campus this fall, the excitement around this new look for Eliot was palpable. The Dorm Parent apartments have seen significant change, and the student rooms feel transformed. Congratulations go out to Andy Faulkner, Director of Facilities, and his team. They not only completed a massive undertaking with great results, but they did so on time and under budget.

“I couldn’t feel more at home! I LOVE how Eliot is now clean and beautiful, but maintains that old rustic feel that made me fall in love with this dorm.”

—Kyra Christopher, ’13

Photos by Sharyn Peavey ’90, Jennifer TumSuden

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walnut Hill School for the Arts‌ taking our act on the road.

We would love to see you at one of our regional events!

The following cities are currently on our tour schedule: Los Angeles, CA Seoul, Korea San Francisco, CA Chicago, IL

And of course‌we hope you will come back to the Hill: Alumni Weekend at Walnut Hill School for the Arts: May 18 and 19, 2012

These are just a few of the events we will be hosting. Visit alumni.walnuthillarts.org for more information. And watch your mailbox for invitations to events in your area!

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RIGHT Jackie Sand (faculty 1981–2007 and P’95) catches up with Matt Risch ’00 in between his outstanding performances as Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls at the Barrington Stage Theater.

1934

NANCY BROWN STEVENSON is now living near her daughter in Huntsville, AL. She attended her 75th Reunion in 2009 and wrote to say, “It was wonderful to see all the changes at WHS.”

1937

ANNE SHULMAN RAKIETEN says of her experience at the School, “I learned more at Walnut Hill in one year than I did in four years at public school.”

1938

CONSTANCE DUBOSE JONES writes, “I'm still alive and enjoying all that the world offers.”

1940

ANNE RUpRECHT ERWIN has moved into an assistedliving facility in a beautiful spot. “Having a fine time right now—expect things to improve soon—new doctor—new everything!!”

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1941

ELIZABETH BRYANT MEIGS is married and has five children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She has sold 350 oil paintings and lives in a five-room camp, 30 feet from the snowbound shore of Swan Lake, in Searsport, Maine.

She has plumbing and electricity, but no computer.

1942

BETTIE LUMB NELSON is now 86 years old. “I have had (recently) a stroke. I have been trying to write, but it is very hard for me because my right side is paralyzed. I am trying! Love to all my classmates that are still around.”

1945

CORDELIA SEELEY LENZ is still in touch with ANNA “WEAVIE” WEAVER GABBETT and says of her, “She’s still going strong, too.”

DOROTHY JENNEY MCKOWN and husband Doug are enjoying their professional retirement and, as of June 2010, retirement as volun-

teer aides in their church's school. Between them and including her 12 years as a kindergarten teacher, the couple is credited with working in the school in lower grades for 52 school years!

Doug still does volunteer work for the church, and Dorothy stays busy with crafts and gardening. pRISCILLA JOHNSON OAKLAND lives in Vermont and is “still boarding dogs—and horses occasionally.”

1946

MARTHA KLEIN MACDONALD has three children and four grandsons. She retired to Williamsburg, VA, in 1987.

1948

CORNELIA BROWN’s career as a retail travel agent spanned the years 1952 to 2010. She notes, “58 years, 7 continents, many countries.”

Traveling the world?

Recently married or a new addition to the family? Starting a new career or just retired? Share professional news, personal milestones, and messages with fellow Walnuts.

Submit Class Notes online at alumni. walnuthillarts.org or email alumni@ walnuthillarts.org.

We love including your photos in Class Notes. Photos should be at least 300 dpi at 5 inches wide. Please feel free to contact us with questions… we want to make sure your photos look terrific.

For more Class Notes, log in at alumni.walnuthillarts.org

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MARJ COOK CONDIT writes, “Life is nice in the sunny South. Have 11 grands and 1 great-grand; they love to visit here and I love it when they do! Had a reunion last year with 28 of us in one cottage by the ocean… wonderful! XOs to all my nutty friends!”

1949

ANNE HAVENS FULLER will be 80 next January with “great good luck with health (80 going on 60?!).” She is learning Italian now, to add to her 20 years of Spanish.

She has three grandchildren and two stepgrandchildren.

In her words, “A happy late life. Best to all.”

JUDITH JAWOREK will be 80 in December. She keeps busy with volunteering, being with her 13-year-old grandson after school three afternoons a week during the school year, singing in the choir at church, visiting with neighbors, and still driving! Although her energy and memory are not what they used to be, she is thankful that, so far, her health seems to be pretty good.

She has two granddaughters who live in Wisconsin, and she still travels to Wolfeboro, NH, every August to visit her sister. Judith extends best wishes to all her classmates.

1951

MARY DYE/DUNHAM is writing a book, Assumptions Can Mislead: Failures in Health Care and Elsewhere, with an anticipated publishing date of sometime in 2012.

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1952

GAIL HUBBARD JOHNSTON was in touch to say, “I enjoyed two wonderful years at Walnut Hill.”

Since retiring as a midwife, GRETCHEN LINDBLAD MAMIS has been working as a potter in the Ceramics Department of Harvard University’s Office for the Arts.

She says it is “great fun… and profitable! I have two gainfully employed (teacher and project manager) children and four excellent grandkids,” who are eager to know when Walnut Hill will be producing The Nutcracker again.

BARBARA ALLEN RAYMOND has six children, six grandchildren, and two greatgrandchildren. She lives in a log cabin that she had built in 1977. Her children live in Hatfield and Greenfield, MA, and Farmington, NM, among other locations. She says, “I simply ‘maintain.’”

1953

BARBARA KLINE ELDRIDGE has just completed a 10year project of conserving the H. K. Cummings collection of glass-plate negatives spanning the years 1877 to 1905. She is the archivist for Snow Library in Orleans, where they have had six shows of the photographs and four books published.

She recently retired from the Orleans Senior Center as the day program art therapist.

She is returning to printmaking and will be writing a book concerning special collections in the Cape and Island libraries. Barbara has a husband, three children, and two grandchildren. In the fall, she will be traveling

to Barcelona with her granddaughter, for which she has “already booked a hot-air balloon ride!”

BARBARA SHOEMAKER NEWELL has worked and lived in New York City and Boston. She has been employed at Dance Magazine and Houghton Mifflin, and has volunteered at NH Public TV and Seacoast Hospice. She married a wonderful Harvard man and now she “paddles around helping where I can.”

1954

JUDITH LYNCH CARpENTER says, “I’ve ‘killed’ three ‘husbands’ in the past nine years and am working on my fourth!!! Sold a Connecticut home where we lived (for 33 years) and built a new one in Maine. I’ve had surgery on my right hand in the past year and about six others. And have never been happier or in better health since I was 25! Long story!!!

I’d love to entertain any classmates that are traveling near Bar Harbor!”

JUDITH pERRY CONNOLLY enjoys visiting her children and grandchildren. She has had various joint replacements and is still doing some traveling. She hopes to rejoin her writers group.

LINDA LYLES GOODYEAR has lived in Darien, CT, for about 28 years. She has three grown children and eight grandchildren, whom she describes as “all wonderful! We feel very fortunate.

Many obligations come with grandchildren, as wonderful as they are.”

MARY BALDWIN GOTT says, “Still ‘homesteading’ and outdoors most all the time.

For two months each fall we live in the Adirondacks, where I paint lakes and color.”

1955

GAIL SUTCLIFFE MCGRATH is retired and living in Gun Barrel City, TX, and she would love to hear from her classmates.

ELLEN VAN ALSTYNE STARRATT has nine grandkids and is living in California, where she enjoys oil painting, tennis, and volunteering for Hospice. She travels extensively and writes that she has been to “Ireland, Italy, Scotland, England, China, India, Mexico, Turkey, countries bordering the Black Sea, Holland, and Belgium, and this fall we are going to Vietnam and Cambodia, which includes a river boat trip down the Mekong and seeing Angkor Wat. It is fun to visit different countries, but more importantly it gives you a whole new perspective of your own country.

California is a nice place to visit. If you are out this way, come see me.”

1956

SUSAN LIVINGSTON enjoyed working with NANCY pORTER MORRILL on their 55th Reunion. Susan says that life continues to be happy and busy, including such activities as a tour of the San Juan Islands with her partner, John Harkness, on their tandem bike.

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CHERRY TALBOTT MORJIKIAN writes, “It was great to come to the 55th Reunion—just sorry there were so few of us. We hope the 60th has a better turnout. The campus looks wonderful and the talent of the students is so thrilling!”

1957

EVELINE COONEY ELKERTON participated in a piano master class this spring with a teacher from the Levine School of Music who was with the Russian Conservatory of Music in Moscow. It was a great experience and Ev learned a lot about the Russian way of playing. She had not played piano for a long time, but vowed that she would return to lessons when she retired, and that is exactly what she has done!

DONNA GAGLIARDI MARINOFSKY is still working.

Sadly, her husband, John, passed away in March 2010. She notes, “I am the grandmother of three and enjoying every moment with them!”

1958

MARY LANE DONOGHUE is happily retired with her husband, Dave, both of them thankful to be in good health. She writes she has two wonderful sons, Michael and Patrick, and three outstanding and unique grandchildren.

LINDA FOSTER lives in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire and is enjoying retirement. She spent a few months in Naples, FL, during the winter to escape the cold. She says she keeps busy with “volunteer work, reading, Tai Chi, and yoga Fall 2011 & Winter 2012

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(a nice alternative when you can no longer do ballet).”

ROBIN MIDDLETON JACCACI has a bed-and-breakfast in Vermont.

At 70, pRUDENCE COSTA JENKINS still teaches college English. Her new house on a lake allows for canoeing and swimming regularly. She still loves to cook and has added yoga to her activities, saying, “Life is good even without retirement.”

1960

SUE ELLEN TAYLOR DAMOUR is back in New England in Brunswick, ME. “Hope to see more of you more often.

We would love to see any of you that are ‘passing by’ the area. Now some of us can begin to work on our next ‘in between’ reunion. Be thinking of what time of year and a location that might work well, as we will be asking for your thoughts.” pATRICIA EAKINS is the curator of the Sunday Best Reading Series and the Wildcat Fellowship Program of Claryville, NY. In October 2010, she read her fiction in the Hugh C. Hyde Living Writers Series at San Diego State University, and she is currently working on a second collection of stories.

She lives a nomad's life as she moves seasonally with her husband, Peter, and their cat, Tajar, from northern Manhattan to the Catskill Mountains and back again.

JANICE HAMEL WEIGLEIN’s husband, George, passed away in November 2009.

“Life goes on in Chico and is a bit more enjoyable with three grandchildren living

here, as well as my son and daughter. I volunteer through Passages and in the kindergarten classroom and take classes thru OLLI as time permits. My 90-plusyear-old parents still live on their own in Suffield, CT, so I spend time with them as often as possible.”

1962

SUSAN pARKER BRAUNER loves city living on Boston’s Inner Harbor and gets to see her “two perfect grandchildren” regularly.

Professionally, she is still renovating historic properties. She is also involved— inadvertently—in saving a series of WPA pictures at the local library and post office.

“And I am still, per WHS training, looking up every single word I do not know while reading!”

WENDY HAMAN KEROp moved to Chester from Old Lyme, CT, in April 2009.

Her husband, Harry, passed away on June 12, 2010, after a very long battle with end-stage renal disease that included a failed transplant in 2007. Her son and his family live in Guilford, so she gets to spend time with her grandchildren, Ella (5) and AJ (3). Wendy’s daughter, who is on the staff of Structural Graphics in Essex, lives with her.

SHERRY CRAIG LOWE lives in Glastonbury, CT, and travels

back and forth frequently to Nantucket. Her time is busy with family and friends, golf, and several crafts. Her older son, his wife, and their two young sons live in Bozeman, MT, where she tries to visit every three months.

Her younger son, Ryan, and his wife and son live in Connecticut, which is wonderful for Sherry. She is looking forward to the 50th Reunion and comments, “If anyone knows where ELLY RIMBACH SCHOWALTER is, would you please let me know.”

JANET ELDER YEUTTER is retired from teaching kindergarten, but often volunteers in her grandchildren's schools. Her three children all married local Cape Cod boys and live within two miles. She is fortunate to see them and her five grandchildren often. Janet and her husband have a cottage in Phippsburg, ME, that they enjoy.

1964

CAROL RING LYNCH’s biggest accomplishment is being a mom to two grown, successful, and happily married daughters; a grandmother to four awesome grandchildren; and wife to Capt.

John for 45 years. She has worked at Hy-Line Cruises since 1976. “Still waiting to retire on board our 42-foot sundeck trawler...maybe next year.”

Your Annual Fund gift can make an even greater impact when you sign up for our Recurring Gift Program. Save checks, postage, and time by setting up a secure, automatic monthly deduction from your credit or debit card. Simply select “Recurring” at giving.walnuthillarts.org to enroll.

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Summer

Summer is always a busy time at Walnut Hill, as we welcome young artists from all over the world to experience our theater, opera, creative writing, and ballet programs.

Summer 2011 was highly successful. Not only did students have an incredibly fulfilling summer, but a significant number of them made the decision to attend the School full-time!

Photos by Joe Cabral, David Dietz

The Boston Globe (by permission)

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BARBARA FADEN SMITHSON and husband Craig are living in Northern California, and they enjoy visiting their two grandchildren in Green Bay, WI, and Barbara’s brothers and their families in Massachusetts. Barbara began her public service career in community action and job planning and management. She has also done management consulting and has worked in labor relations and human resources.

1965

ELIZABETH FRYLING LECHNER notes, “Wow, I sure miss you all. Still married to Bob and we have three grandchildren. Life is good.”

SUSAN EARL NOVELLI is living in Hawaii and really loves it. She just moved from San Diego and is working as a project manager for a major insurance company. Susan plans to move back to California when she retires.

CYNTHIA COCKRILL ROSSO is enjoying her son, Randy, his wife, Betsy, and their daughter, Zoe (4). Cynthia's daughter, Heather, just turned 40. “Can’t believe it, and we’re all writers! Planning to retire in a couple of years. Can’t wait!”

CAROLE SMITH TOMLINSON is back in show business!

Thirty years ago, she performed as a chorus girl in Gypsy on Broadway, with Angela Lansbury in the starring role, and worked with Raul Julia in Nine as the Publicist. Now she has an agent and is auditioning for TV/film, commercials, and voiceovers. “It all started at The Peanut Mound when

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we performed ‘Mr. Smith Is Coming to Dinner’ (my memory fails me for the exact title) and I played Mr. Smith. I remember KATHY SEDGEMAN did my hair and makeup! KATHY pOOLE helped and played a part also. Help me out, guys! The acting bug hasn’t left my body!” Carole, who has two children and a grandchild, works with special education kids as her day job. She hopes to return to Walnut Hill to see new campus developments.

1966

JOAN KING FRENCH is retired but quite busy as a grandma. She has two grandkids (6 years old and 3 months old), a son (27), and a daughter (32). Sadly, she lost a son in 2004.

Her winters are spent in Colorado with her kids and summers on a sweet Maine island where she sees her brother and New England friends enjoying casual island life. Joan thinks of spending a winter on the island with its close-knit community, whose activities even include a polar bear plunge. “Obviously, family is most important to me after losing Nate. I draw, volunteer, some sailing. If you’re in Maine, call!”

JO-ANN EDINBURG pINKOWITZ was invited by Elizabeth Catlett, considered the foremost African American woman artist of her generation, to interview her in Cuernavaca, Mexico, in July. At 96 years of age, Ms. Catlett has received numerous awards and honors and is considered a national treasure in Mexico.

1967

SARAH JAYNE EVERDELL has just retired from 38 years of teaching and moved from Maryland to Maine. She invites everyone to come visit.

1968

MARTHA pAINE BILLINGS is currently living in New Hampshire after raising three wonderful boys in California with her husband, Mark.

They work on several conservation projects, and she still enjoys her stained glass and other crafty arts. Martha loves “being (somewhat) in touch with other classmates online.”

DORLI VAN LENGEN BOKEL is winding down her tenure as the president and CEO of Quadel Consulting Corp., a managment consulting firm based in Washington, DC. She credits her years at Walnut Hill with giving her the critical thinking skills she has needed and used every day in her job. She and John have four grandsons and a grandaughter and look forward to more family time following the retirement.

SUSAN WEIL pERCIVAL is home after a career as a writer, editor, and photojournalist for the U.S. government and 27 years as the wife of a U.S. Foreign Service officer, stationed primarily in Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Netherlands.

“Bronson and I plan to stay in the Washington, DC, area or nearby on the Chesapeake Bay. Our daughter, Barbara, is graduating this year from Oberlin College with a degree in archaeology and minors in anthropology and law and society. I’d love to see classmates who live

in the area or who are coming through Washington.”

1972

NANCY SCRANTON SpORBORG just published It's Not About the Hike.

This book is a motivational and inspirational collection of hike reports that tells the story of two non-hiking 50-plus-year-old women who climbed the 67 highest mountains in New England and discovered themselves on the journey.

1973

MARY ELLIOTT MEYER and husband Dan have bought a second home at The Landings on Skidaway Island in Savannah. Meyer’s daughter and her husband live in Seattle, so visits will involve coast-to-coast traveling.

After more than four years as an assistant manager at a great needlepoint shop, Mary is retiring so that she and Dan can spend time at their new place, and she's hoping that SUE BRAYSHAY WRIGHT and husband Tony will come visit and take advantage of the six golf courses.

1975

BETH URIE DRISCOLL and husband Bill have lived in the Virginia Tidewater area for 30 years and just celebrated the marriage of their oldest son, Will. Their son Richard is a leasing agent in Virginia, and their other son, Tim, is starting his senior year at the University of Alabama. Their daughter, Clare, is entering sixth grade. Beth is managing a title company and Bill is still in the wholesale food business.

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1984

Since 2008, LISA BIANCO has been the head of the Lower Division at Shorecrest Preparatory School in St. Petersburg, FL. In March 2009, she adopted Mila, a beautiful infant girl from Ethiopia, who is the light of her life. Mila is now 2, and Lisa already sees signs of a dancer (or track star).

LEFT Freddy and Tommy Robbins, sons of Laura Cass-Robbins ’98

1976

LISA GAFFIN BROWN is enjoying performing and teaching all forms of ballroom dance. “I would love to catch up with everyone…all the best.”

1978

ELIZABETH SCOTT writes, “After a 15-month battle with cancer, my husband, Mark, died in October 2010. So…my son, Nick (age 12), and I are selling the house, packing up, and moving to the beach in New Jersey. I continue to be selfemployed as a fiber artist. I am looking forward to some R&R on the beach as far away from cancer centers as I can get. Hey to pIXLEY LEWIS SCHICIANO!”

1980

MARGARET JONES ABBOUD is working close to home as a general liability adjuster.

Her flexible work schedule allows her to spend time with her two children, ages 11 and 9. She continues to use her Walnut Hill talents to this day in a myriad of different ways, including singing in choir, taking a weekly bal3 4 | Behind Stowe

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let lesson, and playing piano at nursing homes and with other string instruments for neighborhood concerts.

DIANA SARGENT CLEAVELAND really enjoyed attending the 2010 summer reunion and dedication, calling it “a wonderful weekend”!

DEBORAH COON COLGAN is currently part of the U.S. Research Leadership team at Egon Zehnder, based in the Boston office, where she focues on their National Board Practice. Her daughter, Alice, is 10, and in the winter, this avid ski family travels up to Mad River Glen/Sugarbush.

HELEN pATTON-pLUSCZYK has been invited to establish her Patton Plusczyk Foundation in Luxembourg City. The foundation is a nonpolitical, nonprofit organization centered in the Saar-Lor-Lux region and registered with the German Minister of Culture. The foundation is dedicated to providing contexts for creative interaction between individuals of different cultural heritages.

1982

BETH BLACK ROBINSON lives in New York City, but spends a lot of time in Austin, TX, where her business is based. She says, “I would love to hear from my old Walnuts!”

1983

CYNTHIA WOODBOJANOWSKI, husband Gerry, and their two sons (ages 11 and 8) have relocated to Petaluma, CA, for a new adventure in life after having spent 15 years living on Cape Cod, growing oysters, owning a restaurant (The Oyster Company), running a bedand-breakfast, and working in the self-storage business.

“I am so grateful to rekindle high school friendships, and I find that…our friendships are deeper and even more profound now.” pAULA JACOBSON BRYMAN is a psychotherapist in private practice part-time in Atlanta, GA. She is married and has two children.

JENNIFER FINK’s most recent collection of short stories, Thirteen Fugues, was published in May 2011 and was nominated for the PEN/Faulkner Award.

SIOBHAN O’NEILL lives and works in Brooklyn. She has two children, ages 7 and 2.

Siobhan is reemerging from her stay-at-home/volunteer position to pursue commercial producing as well as fundraising in the nonprofit world.

LORI pATTERSON is still living and teaching in Portland, OR, and loving it. Her son is 15 and a talented musician.

She hopes to get to the next reunion: “2014 is the big 3-0. Wow. How did I get so old so fast?”

1986

LYDIA IEVINS is excited about the recent release of her first CD, Northlands, a duo project showcasing new original tunes in traditional Scandinavian fiddle styles. Her website is northlandsmusic.com.

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In July 2010, KELLY MAYNARD gave birth to twin boys, Theo and Severin. She lives and works in Grinnell, IA, with the boys, partner Bruce Whiteman, and Skew and Leo the cats. Kelly is happy to be in touch with fellow WH alums and current students interested in Grinnell College.

1987

ANDREA CREIGER O’LEARY is living in Holliston, MA, with her two beautiful children, Abbi (11) and Matthew (6).

She is the manager/wine buyer at a liquor store in town.

1988

OCTOBER CRIFASI’s first two officially published comic book–related projects come out this year: Outlaw Territory, Volume 3 with Image Comics and Athena Voltaire Pulp Tales, which is a collection of actual short fiction inspired by the comic book series character Athena Voltaire. October is involved in the Killsonic Women’s Choir and has worked as guitar coach for actresses on shows recently airing on the Lifetime and Nickelodeon networks. She has also launched the first group guitar program for girls and women in the San Fernando Valley called Girls Guitar School. Learn more about the program at www.girlsguitarschool.com.

1989

LUKE ROTHSCHILD’s group, String Theory, gave a stunning performance to a soldout house at Santa Monica’s esteemed Broad Stage in February.

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ALISA SIMON is currently enjoying her year of maternity leave by traveling through China, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia with her husband, John, and their 9month-old daughter, Tessa.

1990

JENNIFER HANEKE FITZGERALD danced around the world for 10 years. She is now a web designer and mother.

ROBIN WARD MILLER lives in Marietta, GA, with husband Jon, daughter Ava (5), and stepchildren Andrew (10) and Maddie (8). Ava is starting kindergarten at Hickory Hills, a local school with an integrated arts curriculum and partnerships with local arts organizations.

1992

KATIE SCHLAIKJER joined the Colorado String Quartet in 2009 and the faculty of the University of Connecticut in Storrs in 2010.

1994

JENNIFER GUZMAN CAFARELLA is the artistic director of Convergence Ballet Company, one of the country’s only summer season professional ballet companies (www. convergenceballet.org).

After a sold-out debut season, they started the second season this summer featuring six new choreographers.

SABREENA KIVIAT KROpp (BOO) and Jason Kropp (BOV), along with their son, Calder, welcomed the newest family member, Eliana (Ellie) Rose, in May.

NICOLE GALLANT CRISS is a full-time mom to her 2-yearold son. She is living in NYC and hopes to catch up with any Walnuts living there!

SAMANTHA LIpSITZ STANLASKE is a mom of three boys. The youngest, Jaxson Jude, turned 1 at the end of May.

NONI NEKOTA DEGIRMENCI was remarried on May 21, 2011, to a fellow runner and triathlete and is living in Port Washington, NY. She has a daughter, Mia (8), from her first marriage. Noni, a special education teacher, competes in triathlons and marathons in the area and was scheduled to compete in age-group nationals for the Olympic distance triathlon in August. “My daughter enjoys being active as well and just completed a 20mile bike ride (with stops) in Pennsylvania. Go, Mia!” Noni is still in touch with DAVID MACKLEM ’89 and TESSA KEIMES ’91.

RICH TAYLOR lives in the mountains of western Maine with wife Julia and their 2-year-old son, Jacob.

Rich loves teaching law and public speaking at Bridgton Academy, an independent school nearby, and doesn’t miss practicing law for one second. “My dear friend from Walnut Hill, JEREMY CONN, and his family are moving to

Portland, ME. I can’t wait to have them close by!”

1995

After teaching at Valdosta State University from 2008 to 2010, DApHNE GERLING spent the 2010–2011 academic year in Cologne, Germany and Amsterdam, Netherlands, studying baroque viola performance.

She was recently principal violist in the Karlsruhe Händel Festspiele’s opera production of Adonis by Johann Sigismund Kusser, then returned to Virginia in August.

Married in 2005, ANNA NUSE MARCUS and husband J. Brooks welcomed a daughter, Asha Jane, on December 22, 2009. Anna is a dance filmmaker and promotes the genre of dance on camera. See her blog at movetheframe.com.

Between teaching writing at a Connecticut university, teaching music and dance to kids, and “staying home” with her two boys, VALERIE MCKEE is finding great success as a professional juggler of time and tasks. She lives in New Haven, CT, with her three guys: husband Andrei and sons Carson (4) and Raleigh (1).

Return to the Hill for Alumni Weekend 2012 FRIDaY aND saTuRDaY, MaY 18 aND 19

Reminisce with classmates, meet the new Head of School, and immerse yourself in the Walnut community. Contact Jillian Kohl at alumni@walnuthillarts.org or 508.652.7817 for more information.

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LEFT Susanna Schell ’98 and fiancé Anthony Cerrato are all smiles in anticipation of their spring 2012 wedding.

LEFT Former Gold Keys: (L to R) Vice President Sebastian Gold ’10, Gold Key Chief of Staff Evangeline Delgado ’11, and Gold Key President Cooper Jordan ’10

1996

REBECCA SMEDLEYSCHULMAN is engaged!

She was proposed to by Amardeep Sachdev in Paris on her birthday, at the start of a week’s holiday with her parents. The wedding is planned for summer 2012 in London.

The Spring & Summer 2011 issue of Behind Stowe contained an error. NICOLE DEpONTE’s company, Lilian Asterfield, turned 3. We mistakenly printed that she had a daughter who turned 3. We regret the error. Please visit her collection at www. lilianasterfield.com.

1998

SUSANNA SCHELL is living in Astoria, Queens, near fellow 1998 graduates CHELSEA MORSE DI TOTA, COURTNEY ORTIZ-TRAMMELL, and KATHLEEN REARDON. Susanna is in her second-tolast semester of the Master’s of Education program at Teachers College at Columbia University. She writes, “I am engaged to Anthony Cerrato, whom I first met 10 years ago, and our wedding is set for May 2012 in the Catskills. Life is grand!! :)”.

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1999

JOANNA EDIE married Clint Harris in October 2010 on Lake Winnipesaukee, NH. She now teaches theater at a high school in Brooklyn.

MARGOT DUBOIS married Jim Gallagher on April 30, 2011, in Boston. Margot has also started a new career as the education coordinator in the Division of Infectious Disease at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. In addition, she is still actively involved with stage management in the Boston area.

ROSA NOREEN opened Bright Star World Dance, a belly dance–focused studio in Portland, ME, in September 2010, with the grand opening celebrated in January 2011. The studio now features 11 weekly belly dance classes, a children’s class, and Portland’s only modern dance class. More information can be found at www.brightstarworlddance. com.

ADAM SCHNELL is about to celebrate two years of being a retired ballet dancer. Adam and his partner, Camilo, live in Vero Beach, FL, where Adam is the director of dance at Riverside Theatre (www.riversidetheatre.com).

His brand-new student production, The Nutcracker: In Swingtime! premiered December 2010 to sold-out audiences. The production will return December 9–18 this year for an extended run. Plans to begin an annual summer dance festival in Vero Beach are also slowly taking shape.

2000

ASHLYNN MANNING writes, “Join the Bio-Pop movement: appreciating biodiversity through pop entertainment. Contact us if you want to be featured on our blog or share ideas!”

2001

Married in August 2009, MAYA HANCOCK KRAUS and husband Michael were expecting their first child at the time we received this Class Note.

2002

KELSEY MILLER lives in Brooklyn, NY. She works in film and writes a weekly humor column titled On the Couch for SundanceNOW.

2003

After completing three seasons with the New World Symphony in Miami, INGRID HAGAN has currently secured the position of principal bassoon of the Auckland Philharmonia in New Zealand. Fellow alum CAMILLE WHITE ’04 is coprincipal oboe. “Cheers from Kiwiland!”

Since finishing a master’s in ethnomusicology at Boston University, LAUREN HASTINGS has done some nonprofit work and has moved

back to Portland, ME, where she teaches ESL and performs in the live rock music scene. She plans to either pursue a degree in nonprofit management or continue studies in ethnomusicology or anthropology.

During the summer, NILS NEUBERT sang the role of Don Ramiro in Rossini’s La Cenerentola with the American Landmark Festivals at the Smith Opera House in Geneva, NY. He also gave recitals in Italy, in Austria, and at the Summit Music Festival with his wife, pianist Yuri Kim. This fall, he begins his doctoral studies at the City University of New York’s Graduate Center and will make his South American debut in June 2012 as Hippolytus in Christopher Park’s opera Phaedra and Hippolytus at the Palácio das Artes in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

KATELIN KOSOGLAD SCHRERO is teaching at a local elementary school and spending time with her “amazing daughter and husband.”

2004

SHAYNA BENTKOVER moved to San Francisco in March 2010 with boyfriend David.

They now both work for LinkedIn. “I hope to make it back to the East Coast soon, possibly in time for a couple of viewings of The Nutcracker, but if any of you find yourself on the left coast anytime soon, make sure to contact me, and bring a pair of stretchy pants…the food is amazing!”

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ERICA WAREHAM is the box office manager at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and is enjoying being back in Cincinnati with family and friends. Erica and her fiancé, Alan, are planning their wedding for May 2012.

SEAN WAUGH currently lives in San Francisco, where he’s working in the Artistic Office at San Francisco Opera. He connects with LEAH REID and SHAYNA BENTKOVER, who are also living in the area.

2006

KRISTIN pARKER returned to NYC in January after touring with A Christmas Carol, in which she played nine different roles and earned her Equity card. She founded a theater company called Sink or Swim Rep and is now gearing up for its second season. For more information, please visit sinkorswimrep.org.

2007

CHRISTINE GILL was part of the first class to graduate from Dean College with a B.A. in Theater. She has performed in numerous shows, including the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, where she was nominated for her performance as Beth in Little Women. She also teaches theater at a summer camp in Maine.

Highlights of JULIA GLENN’s 2010–2011 year include: winning first place in the Alexander & Buono International String Competition; performing in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall; winning the Harvard-NEC dual degree competition; and performing a Stravinsky violin concerto with Hugh Wolff and the NEC Philharmonia at Sanders Theatre.

CERISSA URRY is living north of San Francisco and performing as a principal dancer for Central West Ballet. She will be performing the dual role of Odette/ Odile in the company’s mid-October production of Swan Lake.

salem, West Bank. She is loving her time at Smith and planning to go on to graduate school to study Islamic history.

MIKAYLA CAMpBELL notes, “Walnut Hill not only taught me about my craft (theater) but even more so about living life efficiently, and making the most out of all opportunities placed in front of me, as well as cherishing the friendships and the incredibly talented people that I had the honor to know and work with. I met most of my best friends at the Hill and the bond we share because of this school will be everlasting.”

Do you have an aspiring young artist in your family? Do you know a family who does? Help us continue to build a community of the world’s most talented young artists. Send us their contact information, or encourage them to contact us directly at referral@ walnuthillarts.org.

We appreciate your support!

pATRICK DILLON CURRY moved to Los Angeles to launch his acting career after graduating with a B.F.A. in Acting/Music Theatre from Carnegie Mellon’s School of Drama in May. He is currently originating the lead role of Nicholas II in Tsarina, a new musical receiving its premiere at the Grove Theatre in Upland, CA, with performances running September 16–25.

2008

MOLLY ORINGER returned this spring from five months in Alexandria, Egypt, where she was studying Arabic, and she returned to the region this summer to do grassroots work in Jeru-

RIGHT “Just Married!” Jane Guyer ’99 married Adam Fujita on June 4, 2011, in her hometown of San Antonio, TX. The couple lives in Brooklyn.

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In Memoriam

We fondly remember the following members of the Walnut Hill community.

VIRGINIA HILL HUGHES ’31 died peacefully on July 2 at her home in West Hartford, CT. Ginny gave generously of her time as a volunteer for many organizations, including the Junior League of Hartford and the Children’s Museum of Hartford. She was a member of the Asylum Hill Congregational Church, the Town and County Club, and the Saturday Morning Club of Hartford. Predeceased by her husband, Richard, in 1999 and their son George in 2001, she is survived by two sons, one daughter, nine grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.

Thank you on behalf of myself and my brothers, Dick and Scott, for your expression of sympathy on the death of our mother, Virginia Hill Hughes, Walnut Hill Class of 1931. Mom was continually pleased and impressed with the directions that Walnut Hill was taking in education, equal opportunity, diversity, and the arts. She was very proud to be an alumna.

—Polly Hughes (Virginia Jr.)

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MARTHA KREMERS WHITWHITMORE ’34 died on March 9 at her home in Silver Spring, MD. Throughout her life, she was a serious student of Thomas Jefferson and his times. She traveled widely throughout the world with her husband of 71 years, Frank C. Whitmore Jr., a geologist. She also volunteered with libraries and educational organizations.

In addition to her husband, Martha is survived by four children, five grandsons, six great-grandchildren, and a sister.

RUTH MC M C CORKINDALE RAY ’36 passed away in December 2010. A strong supporter of the Special Olympics and many other charities, Ruth found her greatest pleasure in her later years in spending time with her family and close friends. She is survived by two of her three children, five grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren. *MARY ESTHER WILLIAMS DASENBROCK ’39 died in Haverford, PA, on March 14.

She received a master’s degree from Vassar College in euthenics, the study of improving human functioning and well-being by improving the environment, as well as a master’s degree from Haverford College in relief and reconstruction.

She worked in Texas at a migrant labor camp and in Puerto Rico at a Quaker Civilian Public Service health clinic. She also spent time in London, England, and Kozienice, Poland, working for the American Friends Service Committee. She is survived by her three children.

LAURA KING KOLSTAD ’40 died on February 4 in Palm City, FL. She was active in the Junior League of New Haven and served as its president in the 1960s. She is remembered as a ”lifelong, ardent, able and salty sailor, cruiser and racer as either crew or skipper, both bay and blue water.” Laura is survived by a son, grandson, and great-grandson. *JOAN GRIGGS BABBOTT ’44 passed away in July.

A longtime supporter of Walnut Hill and the arts, Joan was generous with her contributions to the School.

She was in attendance for three years during World War II when Miss Daniels and Miss Davies were the School Principals. Joan had fond memories of Walnut Hill and kept in touch with classmates and staff members throughout the years.

Her last correspondence with the School indicated that she was enjoying her time in Vermont, where she tended to birthing sheep on her farm. She is survived by her two daughters and six grandchildren. pATRICIA HALSEY SHANSHAN NON ’46, a former resident of Vero Beach, FL, died on April 24 at the Cascades Verdae in Greenville, SC. She enjoyed activities with her family and friends, especially spending time at the beach together, and remained interested in current events, books, needlepoint, and gardening. She is survived by her husband of 60 years, William, and four children, seven granddaughters, and a brother.

pATRICIA ALFRED SAVARD ’48 passed away on December 29, 2010, at her residence in York, PA. MARY CALKIN FOLSOM ’47 died of cancer on December 26, 2010. Having traveled all over the country, Mary fostered a love for the outdoors and nature. She is survived by three children, one grandchild, and three siblings.

SUSAN VAN AKEN LIpp LI ppOTH OTH ’55 died on May 26 at the Gosnell Memorial Hospice House in Scarborough, ME, after a very brief battle with leukemia. In her professional career, she worked as an executive secretary for her husband’s company, C&L Sales of Danvers, MA, and Sheldon’s Gift Shop of York. She was also a consummate volunteer at various organizations and sang in her church choir for 30 years. Loving to learn, she continued to take piano lessons throughout her life.

Her life’s treasures were her husband, family, friends, and pets. She is survived by her husband, three daughters, four grandchildren, and one great-grandson.

DALE WOODRUFF ’55 passed away on August 15, 2010, at the Christian Scientist Benevolent Association in Chestnut Hill, MA. She was married for over 30 years to Edward B. Fiske, former education editor of the New York Times and author of the Fiske Guide to Colleges. She is survived by two daughters and four grandchildren.

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NANCY HUSTON GRUHL ’63 passed away quietly in her sleep from breast cancer complications on July 15.

For the last few years, she was a volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) in Pima County, AZ, making sure babies in the court system ended up in safe and loving homes.

In March 2011, she won CASA of the Year for Pima County. Nancy volunteered extensively throughout her life, including in the public school system, for the Girl and Boy Scouts Associations, and for many Tucson churches. She was active in several local bell choirs, taught in Sunday schools, and helped with feeding programs. She is survived by her husband, their two children, and her sister and brother.

AMANDA M. BURR ’98 died unexpectedly on June 11 at her home in Westfield, MA. She earned a bachelor of music degree from the New England Conservatory in Boston, a master’s degree in music from UMass Amherst, and her performance degree from Boston University.

She was on the faculty at Westfield State University.

An accomplished violinist, Amanda was a member of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, the Arcadia Players, and other ensembles. Besides her parents, she is also survived by her brother and sister, her grandmother, and many aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Hugh Gelch’s connections to Walnut Hill seem to expand exponentially with the passing of the years. Parent of Miranda ’13, Mr. Gelch has been an active member of the Walnut Hill Parents’ Association since 2009.

Dedicated to “creating a holistic community of parents, all focused on the mission of the School,” he initiated the WHPA newsletter with his wife, Deborah, which evolved to In a Nutshell. As he tells it, “I decided to become even more involved (as a member of the Board of Trustees) because of how much I love the School, because of how transforming it’s been not just for Miranda but for our entire family. It’s been simply amazing seeing her grow in such a deep way, then experiencing the community and witnessing the passion of the faculty and staff. I have to say, I’ve never seen kids so happy to be back at school on the first day!”

A successful entrepreneur who graduated from Harvard Business School and Haverford College, Mr.

Gelch is the President and Founder of Atlas Management Company LLC, a real estate investment and management company. He is an active proponent of excellence in education, not only at Walnut Hill School for the Arts, but also as a past board member of Cambridge Friends School, Moses Brown School, Williams Elementary School PTO, and Holway Child Study Centers.

*Denotes Ellison Circle Member

Fall 2011 & Winter 2012

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We sat down with Bruce Smith (Chief Development Officer), Jennifer TumSuden (Director of Annual Giving), Jillian Kohl (Director of Alumni Relations), Paul Fleming (Database Manager), and Morgan Gould (Development Associate) to learn more about the dedicated team raising money to provide more opportunities for Walnut Hill students.

LEFT (L to R) Morgan Gould, Bruce Smith, Jillian Kohl, Jennifer TumSuden, and Paul Fleming (Photo by Sharyn Peavey ’90)

Tell us about your background. What did you do before you came to Walnut Hill?

After receiving an M.F.A. in acting from the University of California, San Diego, I spent 10 years doing theater in New York. Prior to joining Walnut Hill, I was vice president for institutional advancement at General Theological Seminary, also in New York. Art in all its forms is a fascination and a priority for me and my family. I am married and have three sons, two of whom perform regularly and with great enthusiasm at Concord Youth Theater.

For as long as I can remember, I have been enamored with art. I attended a liberal arts college and studied visual art and the history of art and architecture. Prior to Walnut Hill, I worked in Harvard University’s Development Office as a writer and editor and pursued a master’s degree in the history of art and architecture. I then transitioned to more frontline fundraising and marketing at Harvard Divinity School.

I will be finishing my master’s thesis on John Singer Sargent’s “Orientalist” works this year.

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My high school theater director was Joe Cabral. When he started the Summer Theater Program at Walnut Hill in 1994, I decided to come to it. It was the best summer of my life! I met other teenagers from all over the country who loved theater and musical theater as much as I did. I worked one summer as the staff assistant to Joe Cabral and we always kept in touch. My husband and I were living in NYC in 2007 and looking for our “escape plan.” I submitted my resume to Walnut Hill and the rest is history. Now I am back at the institution that originally shaped my path in theater and education.

I received my bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Nevada, Reno, and my master’s degree in trombone performance from the Boston Conservatory. Before starting here in January 2011, I was involved in development work at Partners In Health, an international health nonprofit that serves some of the poorest areas of the poorest countries in the world.

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I grew up in western Massachusetts, but ventured off to North Carolina after high school.

After graduating from Davidson College, I worked in the Admission Office at Foxcroft School, a girls’ boarding school in Virginia. During my two years at Foxcroft, I discovered that I absolutely loved working at an independent school. In June, I made the move back to Massachusetts and found Walnut Hill soon after. I feel very lucky to be working at such an extraordinary place, and I’m excited to continue learning about the School and meeting everyone associated with it!

In a nutshell, what’s your role at the School?

I’m the Chief Development Officer, which means I am responsible for all aspects of the fundraising program at the School, from the Annual Fund to alumni relations, major and capital gifts, planned giving, special events, and the volunteer boards.

I’m the Director of Annual Giving, which means I’m focused on building support for the School’s Annual Fund. I love getting to know the many members of the Walnut Hill community and hearing about their memories of and hopes for the School. I’m also a Dorm Parent in North House, supporting students in their daily lives to ensure their happiness and safety.

I am the Director of Alumni Relations, as well as a Dorm Parent in Bishop Hall. I am fortunate to be able to build relationships and connect with Walnut Hill alums all over the world. I am finding that they share fond memories and tell wonderful stories!

As Database Manager, it’s my job to make sure that any information we receive is entered and used correctly, whether it’s a new piece of contact information or a gift from a donor. I also assist the rest of the team in keeping track of our fundraising goals.

As the Development Assistant, I provide support for the entire development team.

This role is perfect for me because I have the opportunity to learn about the many facets of institutional advancement.

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What do you enjoy most about your work at Walnut Hill?

I love seeing, reading, and listening to the students’ work. It is also a privilege to work with the wonderfully generous, energetic, and committed Trustees, led by the dynamic President of the Board, Betsy McClendon.

The energy on campus is quite palpable. There is never a shortage of ideas or enthusiasm for them. I fully believe in the power of arts education and know that philanthropy can help fuel great change. If I do my job well, the School will be better positioned to have an even greater impact on our students, our community, and the field of education.

What has been the biggest surprise to you since joining Walnut Hill?

I find the nurturing quality of the community really inspiring. Walnut Hill actively embraces diversity and difference in a way that should be a model for our country. I knew that there would be exceptionally disciplined and talented students, but what amazes me even more is the way they support and learn from one another as individuals and as artists.

In all your years at the School, what has remained a constant for you?

This place is so unique and special.

To say we value “arts and education” is not grand enough. Walnut Hill embodies a community where there is mutual respect and so much care between the faculty, staff, and students.

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thank you to all our donors! alnut Hill depends upon the voluntary financial support of alumni, parents, trustees, faculty, staff, and friends to sustain the excellence of its programs. All those who choose to make Walnut Hill one of their philanthropic priorities make a profound difference in lives of Walnut Hill students.

What follows on these pages is a summary of income and expenses, as well as a breakdown of giving to the annual fund by constituency and by designation. Donors may choose to make gifts to the annual fund, the endowment, scholarships, and buildings and grounds. An appreciation and list of all donors to the School can be found on the website at thankyou.walnuthillarts.org.

income Tuition & Fees 79%

Tuition & Fees

$ 13,416,787

Interest & Dividends

268,961

Other Income

1,666,090

Restricted Gifts

705,800

Current Use Gifts

711,190

Endowment Draw

172,185

Total Income

$ 16,941,318

Fundraising 9% Other Income 10% Interest & Dividends 2%

fundraising Restricted Gifts 4%

Current Use Gifts 4% Endowment Draw 1%

expenses Educational Expenses

Educational Expenses 30%

$

5,035,472

Administrative Expenses

3,326,913

Financial Aid

3,185,895

Facilities

3,087,322

Debt Service & Fees

867,568

Other Income Expenses Total Expense

Net Assets

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1,107,738

n Administrative Expenses 20% Financial Aid 19% Facilities 19% Debt Services & Fees 5% Other Income Expenses 7%

$ 16,610,908

$

330,105

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July 1, 2010–June 30, 2011

total Annual fund Giving by Constituency $140,000

400

$120,000

350

353

$100,000

300

$80,000

250

$60,000

200

$40,000 $0

150

120

$20,000

100

106 63 Faculty/Staff

Parent of Alumni

n

44

31

Current Parent

Organization

Total Amount

0 Friend

Alum

Number of Constituents

total Giving by Category* $1,800,000

$1,600,000 Other

$1,400,000

Buildings and Grounds Endowment

$1,200,000

Scholarships

$1,000,000

General

$800,000

$600,000

$400,000

$200,000

$0

*Cash Received 7/1/10–6/30/11

Total Amount = $1,590,087

Fall 2011 & Winter 2012

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We congratulate the Class of 2011 and wish them well in their first year at their respective colleges and conservatories: Allegheny College Art Center College of Design Baldwin-Wallace College Ballet Austin Barnard College Berklee College of Music Boston Conservatory Boston University Butler University Carnegie Mellon University Cleveland Institute of Music Dean College DePaul University Elon University Harvard University Lees-McRae College Longy School of Music Manhattan School of Music Mannes College of Music McGill University Mercyhurst College Millikin University Mount Holyoke College Nashville Ballet New England Conservatory of Music New York University Northwestern University Oakland University Oberlin College

Pacific Northwest Ballet Parsons The New School for Design Pratt Institute Purchase College Rhode Island School of Design Rice University Ringling College of Art and Design Royal Academy of Music San Francisco Ballet San Francisco Conservatory of Music Santa Monica College School of the Art Institute of Chicago School of the Museum of Fine Arts School of Visual Arts Southern New Hampshire University Syracuse University The Juilliard School The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music University of Georgia University of Michigan University of Rochester University of Utah Vassar College Wagner College Washington University in St. Louis

Keep us posted at alumni@walnuthillarts.org!

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www.walnuthillarts.org

11/23/11 3:19 PM

Behind Stowe WALNUT HILL SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS

The moment you realize you belong.

Fall 2011 & Winter 2012

A lifetime is made up of many moments. Some are transformative.

Volume 1 Number 2

Support the

Walnut Hill Annual Fund.

Give online at giving.walnuthillarts.org or return the enclosed envelope.

on tHe Cover Visual Art student Emily Schulert ’11 works on the mural project (Photo by David Dietz)

4 Marketing CoMMuniCations teaM Michele Levy Chief Marketing Officer Betsy Blazar Molly Clark Marketing Communications Managers DeveLopMent offiCe Bruce smith Chief Development Officer Jennifer tumsuden Director of Annual Giving Jillian kohl Director of Alumni Relations Morgan gould Development Associate paul fleming Database Manager eDitoriaL teaM Defrancis Carbone Design & Production Judy kiviat Editorial Assistant

feAture

Walnut Hill: A Family Tradition 1

12

26

A note from stowe

seen on the hILL

on cAmpus

RIley Watts ’03: Articulating Improvisation in the Ballet Department

Eliot Hall…the Transformation Is Complete!

Rebecca Morgan Frank Discusses Process in the Writing Studio

cLAss notes

3 Young ALumnI

Walnut Hill Celebrates Its Young Alumni

9 remembrAnce

Eric Oddleifson, An Appreciation:

By Stephanie Perrin

16 LeAdershIp

“How Will You Grow?”

18

29 40 perspectIVe

Q&A with Walnut Hill’s Development Team

42 AnnuAL report

AppLAuse © 2011 Walnut Hill School for the Arts. All rights reserved. Published by Walnut Hill School for the Arts, 12 Highland Street, Natick, MA 01760-2199 (tel) 508.653.4312 (fax) 508.653.9593 | Please send change of address to Paul Fleming: pfleming@walnuthillarts.org

Photo credit: Sharyn Peavey ’90

www.youtube.com/user/walnuthillschool | www.facebook.com/walnuthill | www.walnuthillarts.org | 508.653.4312

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Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID

Natick, MA Permit #23

Behind Stowe WALNUT HILL SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS

Fall 2011 & Winter 2012

Volume 1 Number 2

My, how tastes (and prices) have changed! No more oxtail, less butter‌ probably as much coffee, but a little more expensive these days.

www.youtube.com/user/wa alnuthillschool | www.facebook.com/wa alnuthill | www.walnuthillartss.org | 508.653.4312

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