“ The sap buckets that line the driveway each spring are as much a part of Berkshire’s heritage as the values to which we hold our students and ourselves.”
Summer/Fall 2013
BERKSHIRE
B U L L E T I N Summer/Fall 2013
— P IETER M. MULDER, HEAD OF SCHOOL
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Our Mission
FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL I am thrilled and honored to lead Berkshire School in its 107th year as our sixteenth head of school. My excitement is grounded in a deep love for the School, the resonance of our mission, and the unwavering strength of our community. What a tremendous privilege to guide our shared effort as together we imagine the next great chapter for our school! Growing up in Berkshire County, I felt connected to Berkshire the moment I stepped on campus in 2005. The sap buckets that line the driveway each spring are as much a part of Berkshire’s heritage as the values to which we hold our students and ourselves. And our students’ transformational stories of self-discovery and achievement continue to inspire all of us fortunate enough to live and work alongside them. Berkshire feels like an ideal fit for me, for Lucia, and for our family. We truly could not be more committed to the opportunity ahead of us all. We’re in the midst of another exceptional year at Berkshire, and I hope all of you are able to visit campus soon to see the excitement and pride throughout the School. Here with us this year are students from 32 states and 31 countries, a geographic diversity that’s never been richer. We’ve also welcomed more siblings and legacies than ever before, and these connections within families and across generations are among the most powerful endorsements of any school. In recent years, the talent and dedication of Berkshire’s students have produced INTEL Science Talent Search semi-finalists, primary authorships on scholarly publications, Scholastic Art Award national medalists, All-State musicians, New England Championship athletic teams, and inspiring, standing-room only theater and dance performances. As importantly, Berkshire students continue to cheer the successes of their
peers more loudly than they celebrate their own, and it is this balance of ambition and humility that I believe ultimately defines us. As we look to the future, following unprecedented improvements to the facilities which support and inspire our students’ interests and experiences, Berkshire is turning its focus to our people and our programs, beginning the critically important work of building endowments to ensure our long-term commitment to both. Following all the momentum and accomplishments of the last decade, this next phase will allow us to attract and support the most talented, diverse, interesting, and engaged community of students and adults. As we continue to focus on those things that Berkshire can do uniquely well and which directly support our mission, we will get even better at what we already do exceptionally well. This is a hugely exciting time for our school. We were thrilled to welcome record numbers of alumni back to campus for our reunions last June. The strength of these lifelong connections—among classmates, faculty and alumni—lies at the very heart of Berkshire’s enduring success. The roar of alumni as they joined together in Benson echoed the roar of students at Prize Night weeks earlier, and it is clear that Berkshire fosters a powerful sense of camaraderie among its extended community. I hope that the stories and images in this Berkshire Bulletin allow all of you to reconnect with your school and to share in that same camaraderie. We look forward to welcoming you back under the Mountain soon. Pro Vita,
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A native of Williamstown, Mass., Pieter Mulder earned his B.A. from Williams in American studies with minors in architecture and environmental science, and his M.A.L.S. from Wesleyan in mathematics with a concentration in creative writing. He has taught at the American School in Switzerland; Westminster School, where he also served as assistant dean of faculty; and the Met Center High School in Providence, R.I., an innovative Big Picture public high school funded by the Gates Foundation. Pieter began his Berkshire career as the dean of academic affairs in 2005 and has served as a member of the senior administrative team since then. In 2010, he was appointed director of college counseling and on November 4, 2013, he was named Berkshire’s sixteenth head of school.
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Rooted in an inspiring natural setting, Berkshire School instills the highest standards of character and citizenship and a commitment to academic, artistic, and athletic excellence. Our community fosters diversity, a dedication to environmental stewardship, and an enduring love for learning.
Stephen P. Norman ’60
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CHAIR, Board of Trustees
Pieter M. Mulder Head of School
On the cover: Meet the Mulders: Pieter, Lucia, Will (6) and Phoebe (9). Lucia, a graduate of Yale University, is the editor of the Berkshire Bulletin and oversees the School’s social media efforts. Read more about Pieter at left.
William C. Bullock Director of Development
Editor: Lucia Q. Mulder
Features
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Class of 2013
Departments
Director of MEDIA RELATIONS
Class Notes Editor: Kristina Thaute Miller ’97
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Seen Around
4 Reaction
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Reunion Weekend
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Bears in the Air
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Climbing Out of the Hole
47 Class Notes
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Hooked on Healing
5 Reflection Campus News
20 Bears at Play 70 In Memoriam 75 Annual Report
Director of Alumni Relations
C. Twiggs Myers Hon. ’57 Archivist
Design: Hammill Design Printing: Quality Printing Company Photography: Anne Day Photography, James Harris, Risley Sports Photography, the Berkshire Archives Class notes: classnotes@berkshireschool.org All other alumni matters: alumni@berkshireschool.org
Berkshire School admits students of any race, color, religious affiliation, national and ethnic origin and qualified handicapped students to all rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students. We do not discriminate in violation of any law or statute in the administration of our educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic or other school-administered programs.
Published by Berkshire School’s Communications and Marketing Office & Alumni and Development Office for alumni, parents and friends of the School.
