Berwick Today Magazine • Summer 2021 by Berwick Academy

Summer 2021

2 | SUMMER 2021

Dear Berwick Community, August has always been one of my favorite times of the year as an educator since it represents the turning of the page from the past school year to the exciting year that lies ahead. Selfishly, it is also typically the time when my family can spend a few weeks together following the camp and summer athletic season before the busyness of the school year. This summer has been one of reflection, rejuvenation, and planning. You will see in these pages the joy and curiosity that make the Berwick experience so special. On balance, our students had a year of new experiences in which they were challenged to stretch and grow. I am especially proud of our faculty and staff for everything they did this year, and the Class of 2021, whose resilience and positive spirit led the community all year. As we look to the future, the Board is finalizing its next strategic plan that will be featured in the Berwick Today magazine this coming winter. We had our initial visit from New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), our accrediting body, which highlighted our strong school leadership, financial position, and commitment to our mission of “...promoting virtue and useful knowledge to the rising generations.” Our final NEASC visit, which will focus on the student experience, will take place in October. Campus has been busier this summer than ever before. Our new summer programming brought together almost 300 children to cook, dance, drum, play lacrosse and soccer, learn magic tricks, build remote control rock crawlers, and so much more. The Hilltop was alive with laughter and joy as students shared their passions and learned some new ones. We are looking forward to how our summer and after school programming will continue to evolve in the years ahead. I hope you will enjoy this celebratory look at all that our wonderful students and faculty accomplished this past year. During a time when visitors were not able to be on campus, we hope the links and additional content on our website will bring these events, milestones, and celebrations to life. As we turn the page to the school year ahead, I can’t wait to welcome back our students, who will bring their curious selves to campus each day, and the incredible faculty and staff, who will provide them the space to try new things and discover new passions. I also hope to see many of our extended community back on the Hilltop in the coming months. Sincerely, Jim Hamilton, Head of School B E RWIC K A C A DE M Y

4 | SUMMER 2021

Commencement On June 5, we celebrated the Class of 2021 in the sunshine on campus and in person. Speeches were given by Board of Trustee President, Jim Jalbert (left), retiring long time faculty member, Jon Davie, and the Cogswell Award winner, Sarah Lummus ’21 (right). We are so proud of the resiliency of the Class of 2021 as they navigated this year. Congrats to all of our 2021 Berwick graduates and their families!

“Oneday,astheteachers,politicians,andparents of the future, we will help our own children in their battle to learn, however, that might be.” SCAN THE QR CODE TO WATCH THE HIGHLIGHT VIDEO ONLINE. BIT.LY/BACOMMENCEMENT2021

—Sarah Lummus ’21 B E RWIC K A C A DE M Y

6 | SUMMER 2021 June Commencement

5, 2021

“Today I challenge you all to set new standards for humanity, and to fulfill your potential to become part of the greatest generation this country has ever seen.” —Jim Jalbert, P’15, President of the Board of Trustees

B E RWIC K A C A DE M Y

“Character is revealed in times of diversity. You have been tremendous.” —Jon Davie, Science Teacher, retiring faculty member, Cogswell Award winner

8 | SUMMER 2021

B E RWIC K A C A DE M Y

Upper School Baccalaureate On the eve of Commencement, the Class of 2021, along with family, friends, faculty, and staff, celebrated their achievements at the Upper School Baccalaureate. The ceremony was held outside under tents and featured student speeches, musical performances, and award presentations.

10 | SUMMER 2021

Upper School Recognition NATIONAL ART HONOR SOCIETY Megan Case ’21 Camden Chase ’21 Clare Cole ’21 Mhrissa Emery ’21 Daisy Helm ’22 Mischa Landgarten ’23 Hannah Mather ’22 Maya Neel ’22 Sophia Snaith ’22 Caleb Weinstein ’22

Tri-M National Music Honor Society Kaia Buensuceso ’23 Emily Currie ’23 William DiModica ’21 Chloe Forest ’23 Camille Gaudet ’21 Siddhi Poraiyan ’23 Stella Riddfi ’23 William Shipley ’23

International Thespian Society Elle Bailey ’21 Samantha Campagna ’21 Megan Case ’21 Emily Currie ’23 Lucy Doane ’23

Lane Joslin ’23 Mischa Landgarten ’23 Mae McDougald ’21 Hannah Nahas ’24 Stella Ridolfi ’23

Berwick Academy Chapter of the National Chinese Honor Society Chase Bailey ’23 Kaia Buensuceso ’23 Isabella Gorman ’23 Lane Joslin ’23 Ruby Leonard ’22 Garrett Lincoln ’22

Latin Virgilian Chapter Jishnu Dey ’23 Ryan Houlahan ’23 Nick Leavitt ’22 Rekha Mahadevan ’23 Andersen Pickard ’23 Stella Ridolfi ’23 Josh Rubin ’23

Don Quijote Chapter of the National Spanish Honor Society Kara Borkowski ’22 Ellie Crigler ’23 Jack Farrington ’23 Ellie Grube ’23 Noel Grube ’23 Cameron Hamilton ’23

Natalia Jacuch ’23 Rory Joslin ’23 Jack Kenney ’22 Alexandra Kingsland ’22 Mischa Landgarten ’23 Ruby Leonard ’22 Zoe Lesneski ’21 William Maher ’21 Hannah Mather ’22 Neil Mendez ’22 Noah Merecki ’22 Julia Michaud ’23 Siddhi Poraiyan ’23 William Shipley ’23 Max Sidore ’23 Crosby Smith ’21 B E RWIC K A C A DE M Y

Cum Laude Class of 2021 Berwick is proud to recognize the newest members of the Cum Laude Society. A national academic honor society, honoress are recognized for their academic achievement. CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR CUM LAUDE STUDENTS FROM THE CLASS OF 2021! SCAN THE QR CODE TO LEARN MORE

Annabelle Breton

Megan Case

Naomi Clark

Sarah Lummus

Lisa Parker Feld

Penny Robinson

ABOUT THESE AMAZING SCHOLARS. BIT.LY/2021CUMLAUDE

12 | SUMMER 2021

Leila El-Badry

Cormac Feeley

Camille Gaudet

Casey Houlahan

Olivia Kallay

Crosby Smith

Hannah Van Zandt Rollins

Hattie Wagner

Amelia Whitcomb

Hannah Zaheer

B E RWIC K A C A DE M Y

Class of 2021 College Acceptances

14 | SUMMER 2021

American Musical and Dramatic Academy American Academy of Dramatic Arts American University (4) Arcadia University Arizona State University (2) Babson College Barry University Becker College Belmont University (2)* Bentley University (2)* Boston College (2)* Boston University (5)* Bradley University

Brandeis University Bridgton Academy Brown University* Butler University* Case Western Reserve University* Champlain College Clark University* Clarkson University (2)* Clemson University* Colby College (3)* Colgate University* College of Charleston (5)* College of the Holy Cross (2) College of William & Mary Colorado School of Mines

Colorado State University (2) Connecticut College (2)* Cornell University* Curry College (2)* Cushing Academy Dickinson College (3)* Drexel University (4) Duke Kunshan University Elon University (7) Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Emerson College* Emmanuel College (3) Endicott College (4)* Fairfield University (4)

Fisher College Fitchburg State University Flagler College Florida Southern University Fordham University (7) Franklin & Marshall College Furman University (3) George Mason University George Washington University (2)* Gettysburg College (5) Hamilton College (2)* Haverford College Hawaii Pacific University Hebron Academy* High Point University Hobart William Smith (3) Hoosac School* Humboldt State University Indiana University/Purdue University Ithaca College James Madison University (2) Keene State College Kenyon College (2) Kimball Union Academy* Lafayette College Lake Forest College (2)* Lehigh University (3) LeMoyne College Lesley University Loyola University–Maryland (2)* Lynn University Macalester College Marist College (2) Marymount Manhattan College Massachusetts College of

Pharmacy & Health Sciences McGill University* Merrimack College (3) Miami University Middlebury College* Montana State University (3)* Mount Holyoke College* Muhlenberg College New York University* North Carolina State University Northeastern University (7)* Pace University Pennsylvania State University (2) Phillips Exeter Academy* Plymouth State University (2) Post University Princeton University* Providence College (7)* Purdue University* Quinnipiac University (4) Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst. Rhode Island School of Design Rochester Inst. of Technology (3)* Roger Williams University (4) Rollins College (2)* Rutgers University St. Anselm College St. John Fisher College* St. John’s University St. Lawrence University (8)* Salem State University* Salve Regina University San Diego State University* San Jose State University Shenandoah University Skidmore College*

Southern Maine Community College Southern Methodist University* Southern New Hampshire University* Stevens Inst. of Technology Stonehill College Suffolk University (2) SUNY Buffalo SUNY College of Agriculture & Technology SUNY Plattsburgh Susquehanna University Syracuse University (6)* Temple University Texas A&M University Trinity College (6)* Union College (2) Univ. of Alabama Univ. of Arizona Univ. of California - Davis Univ. of California - Irvine (2)* Univ. of California - Riverside Univ. of Cincinnati Univ. of Colorado -Boulder (3) Univ. of Colorado - Denver Univ. of Connecticut (4) Univ. of Denver (7)* Univ. of Illinois, Urbana Champaign (2) Univ. of Maine, Farmington Univ. of Maine, Orono (5)* Univ. of Maryland (2)* Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst (3) Univ. of Massachusetts, Boston Univ. of Massachusetts, Lowell*

University of Memphis Univ. of Michigan* Univ. of Mississippi Univ. of New England (9) Univ. of New Hampshire (17)* Univ. of New Haven Univ. of North Carolina, Wilmington* Univ. of Oregon Univ. of Pittsburgh (2) Univ. of Rhode Island (2) Univ. of Richmond (2)* Univ. of South Carolina (3)* Univ. of South Florida Univ. of Southern California Univ. of Southern Maine (3) Univ. of Tampa (5) Univ. of Tennessee Univ. of Utah (2)* Univ. of Vermont (7)* Univ. of Virginia Univ. of Washington (2) Univ. of Wisconsin (2) Vassar College* Villanova University (3)* Washington University in St. Louis* Wentworth Inst. of Technology (3) Wheaton College* Winchendon School Worcester Polytechnic Inst. (4)* Xavier University* An asterisk next to any college represents a student attending. B E RWIC K A C A DE M Y

Class of 2020 Summer Event A Celebration of Graduation and One Year Reunion We had a wonderful night on Monday, July 19 on the Burleigh-Davidson lawn celebrating the Class of 2020. The night was filled with lawn games, a photo booth, and an amazing performance by Common App, a Class of 2020 band featuring, Matt Osgood, Wes Wyatt, Theo Yassa, Gianni Ridolfi, and TJ Hamilton. The alumni also received their Class of 2020 Awards described below by Head of School, Jim Hamilton. This year we wrote a description for the award that reads as follows, “The Class of 2020 Award is presented to a member of the graduating class who, in the eyes of the Upper School faculty, personifies the spirit and determination of the Class of 2020. Faced with the obstacle presented by the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of their twelfth grade year, the Class of 2020 overcame the challenge with resilience and grace.” I want to reiterate how proud we are of all of you and that we look forward to staying in touch as you get farther and farther from your Berwick experience. Schools like ours will only be as strong as our alums want us to be and I know that you share my high hopes for the School. —Jim Hamilton, Head of School

16 | SUMMER 2021

B E RWIC K A C A DE M Y

Berwick Bulldogs The winter and spring sports seasons were unlike any other this year, as most teams competed in the Maine Principals’ Association (MPA). Baseball, Softball, and Boys and Girls Varsity Basketball, Lacrosse, and Tennis were all able to play a number of games against local competition in the MPA. The Boys Varsity Ice Hockey team played against U18 opponents in New Hampshire (because Dover Arena is our home rink). The Girls Varsity Ice Hockey team also made the best of their unique situation by playing teams like the Seacoast Spartans ’06 boys and the Berwick Boys JV team. The Boys and Girls Crew team was able to take part in two regattas near the end of their season, and Boys and Girls Swimming used the time they could not practice in the pool by creatively hosting dryland workouts via Zoom. Highlights of the year include: • Boys Lacrosse and Softball (a Berwick/Marshwood Co-op) made it to the MPA state regional finals • Girls Tennis went undefeated • Boys Tennis eleventh grader Gabe Naftoly advanced to the MPA singles quarterfinals • Girls Lacrosse posted a 9-3 record • Twelfth grader Casey Houlahan was selected to play in the MPA Senior Game • Boys Lacrosse twelfth grader Padraic Condon was named a US Lacrosse All-American 18 | SUMMER 2021

TO READ THE FULL 2020-2021 WINTER/SPRING ATHLETICS RECAP PLEASE SCAN THE QR CODE OR VISIT BIT.LY/20-21ATHLETICS

B E RWIC K A C A DE M Y

Upper School Athletic Awards Bulldog Award Bailey Beakes ’21 Camden Chase ’21 Padraic Condon ’21

Charlie Holt Award Camden Chase ’21 Olivia Kallay ’21 Michael Michaud ’21 Isabella Peracchi ’21 Gannon Ritter ’21 Penny Robinson ’21 Crosby Smith ’21 Jackson Travis ’21 Molly Van Campen ’21 Harriet Wagner ’21

Boys Hilltop Padraic Condon ’21

Girls Hilltop Lindsay Goodman ’21

20 | SUMMER 2021

BASEBALL VARSITY MVP Award Spencer Aubin ’21 Coaches Award Tyler Shelgren ’21 JUNIOR VARSITY Coaches Award Parker Douglas ’22 Isabella Pomarico ’23 BOYS LACROSSE VARSITY MVP Award Padraic Condon ’21 Coaches Award Bailey Beakes ’21 Jackson Travis ’21 JUNIOR VARSITY Coaches Award Camden Nowick ’22 Fisher Nowick ’22

Committed to Excellence GIRLS LACROSSE VARSITY Coaches Award Phoebe Clark ’22 Team Contribution Award Mae McDougald ’22 JUNIOR VARSITY MVP Award Breckyn Ginchereau ’21 Coaches Award Virginia Hudson ’24 BOYS TENNIS VARSITY MVP Award Gabriel Naftoly ’22 Coaches Award Jonah Friedman ’22 JUNIOR VARSITY MVP Award Johnny Henriquez ’24 Coaches Award Oalin Vivathana ’24 GIRLS TENNIS VARSITY Coaches Award Alayna Morena ’21, Blue Team Olivia Kallay ’21, White Team

JUNIOR VARSITY Coaches Award Megan Case ’21 Natalie Nahas ’24

The following students committed to continuing their athletic careers at the college level.

BOYS CREW VARSITY Coaches Award Hayden Quinn ’21 Riley Quinn ’21 NOVICE CREW Most Improved William Shipley ’23

Bella Peracchi ’21 Maggie Kirwan ’21 St. John Fisher WPI Soccer Rowing

Ainsley Wescott ’21 Curry Ice Hockey

Lindsay Goodman ’21 Endicott Ice Hockey

GIRLS CREW VARSITY MVP Award Maggie Kirwan ’21 GIRLS NOVICE CREW Most Improved Amaya Moore ’24 VARISTY COXIN Coxswain Award Victoria Mabardy ’25

Mike Michaud ’21 Lake Forest Basketball

Spencer Aubin ’21 Padriac Condon ’21 UMass Lowell St. Lawrence Baseball Lacrosse

Mhrissa Emery ’21 Salem State Basketball

SCAN THE QR CODE TO ENJOY INTERVIEWS WITH BERWICK ATHLETES, TO WATCH ALL THE FOGG WALK FRIDAY VIDEOS, PLEASE VISIT THE BERWICK YOUTUBE CHANNEL. BIT.LY/BERWICKACADEMY #LEAVEYOURPRINT

B E RWIC K A C A DE M Y

Visual and Performing Arts

SCHOLASTIC ART AND WRITING COMPETITION

The eighth annual Visual and Performing Arts

Honorable Mention Camden Chase ’21

Recognition Event took place via Zoom this year as artists who graced the stage, studios, and galleries and performers who made music, danced, and acted at Berwick Academy in 2020-21 were honored. This year, Berwick seized opportunities to create and express. Choral ensembles morphed into bell ensembles, theater, dance, and musical performances were both live and video recorded, and artists creatively expressed their experiences and perspectives living in a global pandemic. Our students will remember 202021 not with regret, but as a year where they grew into

Gold Key Award Andrew Bouvier ’21

Silver Key Award 2x Mischa Landgarten ’23 Honorable Mention, Silver Key Award, and Gold Key Portfolio Jenny Ma ’21 Gold Key Award 2x Caleb Weinstein ’22 NATIONAL ART HONOR SOCIETY GRADE 12 Megan Case Camden Chase

Clare Cole Mhrissa Emery

Emily Currie ’23**

GRADE 11 Daisy Helm Hannah Mather Maya Neel Sophia Snaith Caleb Weinstein GRADE 10 Mischa Landgarten INTERNATIONAL THESPIAN SOCIETY One star represents 10 pts or the equivalent of 100 hours of service to the Berwick Academy Theater program. NEW MEMBERS Elle Bailey ’21* Samantha Campagna ’21* Megan Case ’21*

PRESENT MEMBERS Cormac Feeley ’21***** Lisa Parker Feld ’21***** Chloe Forest ’23*** Camille Gaudet ’21*** Ryan Gurrisi ’21** Rory Joslin ’23 ** Lily Mansfield ’22*** Gabe Naftoly ’22* Natalie Nahas ’21**** Emily Ney ’21* Hayden Quinn ’21** Riley Quinn ’21** Noah Robie ’22**** PATHWAYS STUDENTS Elle Bailey ’21 Andrew Bouvier ’21 Mae McDougald ’21

artists with a story unlike any other.

2020: Through Our Eyes The twelfth grade Studio Pinnacle Art class’ collaborative project is based on events in 2020 seen through a global lens. “We wanted to leave something that people could look at 100 years from now and see what happened from our perspective. We have created a series of self portraits portraying relevant themes and impactful events of the year in the reflection of our eyes. Our hope is that the viewer will experience not only the challenges of 2020, but also the 22 | SUMMER 2021 resiliency we had to develop throughout the year.”

Aesop’s (Oh So Slightly) Updated Fables The Middle School students had four live performances of Aesop’s (Oh So Slightly) Updated Fables. It was the first live production in over a year, and the cast of Aesop’s was, in turn, delightful and hilarious.

2021 Visiting Artists

A Look Ahead HINDSIGHT 2020

The fall exhibit, Hindsight 2020 explores the idea of art created during these past months of quarantine. Previous exhibitors and visiting artists submitted work to this group show. EXHIBITION DATES September 1 – November 19, 2021 Reception date to be announced. TEXTURE

Annual student show featuring artwork from grades Pre-K – Grade 12.

Don Gorvett, Two Friends, Reduction Woodcut, 20.25x35”, 2020

Taintor Child, Fire, 40x40” Acrylic, 2020

EXHIBITION DATES November 29, 2021 – March 4, 2022 Reception date to be announced. BERWICK’S EXPERIMENTAL FOREST/GLOBAL EX EXHIBITION DATES March 21 – June 3, 2022

Reception date to be announced. Please check the school calendar for more details.

TO READ THE FULL SPRING ARTS UPDATE PLEASE VISIT BIT.LY... OR SCAN THE QR

Ingrid Ellison, Between Sand and Tide, 11x12”, Acrylic, 2020

Elizabeth Hallett ’83, Johnny, Writing. Oil 10x20”, 2020

CODE.

B E RWIC K A C A DE M Y

Jimmy Dean Award Kate Dolan The Jimmy Dean Award is named in honor of long-term faculty member Jimmy Dean. This annual award recognizes a faculty or staff member who lives their commitment to the Academy each day. These qualities reflect the optimism and joy that is exuded by the beloved Jimmy Dean even to this day. When we confirmed our decision to be back in school in person in the fall one of the first questions we asked ourselves was, how are we going to eat? Where would we eat, what would we eat, and how would we eat? Ultimately, the job of making sure we had our lunch was left to SAGE Dining Services, and particularly, Food Service Director, Kate Dolan. Kate was handed a puzzle late last summer made of a thousand pieces all in the same color. Another analogy might be that she was handed a brand new sports car, or actually a 230 year old sports car, that happened to be manual transmission which she didn’t know how to drive. Bad analogies aside, Kate Dolan led her team through many transitions this year and kept repeatedly adjusting. As soon as she and the team got comfortable, we changed things up, and they had to adjust again, which they did and did well. There is no road map for making close to 700 individual lunches every day, including 9000 salads, but Kate and her team made it happen. Kate may know more kids’ names than anyone else in the School and she knows all of our individual quirks around food. Kate we are so thankful for you, we appreciate how hard you work. Congratulations on being the 2021 Jimmy Dean award recipient. —Jim Hamilton, Head of School 24 | SUMMER 2021

Ruth Rioux Award Karen Chiang The Ruth Rioux Award has been established to recognize the extraordinary dedication of individual Berwick faculty and staff members who have selflessly given their heart and soul to Berwick Academy as Ruth has done for so many years. A quick visit to Wikipedia describes “landslide victory” as an election result in which the victorious candidate or party wins by an overwhelming margin. The term became popular in the 1800s to describe a victory in which the opposition is “buried,’’ similar to the way in which a geological landslide buries whatever is in its path. While no opposition was “buried” in this election, it certainly was not a close call. As the award states, Karen Chiang displayed “extraordinary dedication” to the School this year and gave her heart and soul to Berwick. As you are all acutely aware, Karen worked tirelessly this year. She sent the first email of the day every day, chased kids, took care of all of the typical bumps and bruises, interpreted the confusing guidelines of three states, and participated in endless Zoom calls and updates. Although our methods may have been different, I appreciated that we were ultimately on the same page with the same goals. Mostly, I appreciate Karen’s dedication to getting it right. Thank you to Karen for everything she did this year. —Jim Hamilton, Head of School

B E RWIC K A C A DE M Y

Dorothy Green Award Named for Dorothy Green, the valedictorian of the Class of 1925 and Berwick teacher for many years, this award recognizes a faculty member who has demonstrated a great passion in the classroom and an unyielding commitment to the profession of teaching. Faculty members are nominated and chosen by the administration. It is a tremendous honor and privilege to award this year’s Dorothy Green Award to one of the true rising stars on our faculty. When I think of this faculty member, the words or phrases that come to mind are creative, passionate, and wise beyond her years. Her colleagues have described her as “a committed and steady presence in integrative work and collaborations, a visionary leader in cultural competency, and as a good listener and easy communicator.” She is someone that people want to work with as she “brings positivity and leans into every project.” Her department chair shared that,”Every project Naomi Ellsworth was recognized with the Dorothy Green Teacher of the Year Award for 2021.

and conversation is engaging and empowering to our young artists. Art in her classroom is relevant,

interdisciplinary, and contemporary, and her students

art, a heightened awareness of self, and a greater sense

love their art classes, where they learn and develop

of one’s ability to make a difference in the world .”

skills way beyond expectations for elementary artists.

Speaking of her students, they say things like:

She has also done incredible work furthering

I like how Ms. Ellsworth makes me feel like

justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion at Berwick.

I’m a real artist.

In her classroom, she is renowned for the mixture

I like it when Ms. Ellsworth tells us about different artists.

and combination of different art mediums (pastels,

It’s fun when we make our own still life.

pencils, crayons, markers), which almost always leads

I love talking about my artwork with Ms. Ellsworth.

to a thought-provoking lesson on identity and self-

Ms. Ellsworth cares about all of her students.

awareness. Mr. Buensuceso, Assistant Head of School

She is everything that we could hope for in a faculty

for Community and Equity stated, “She is a master

member: she is an expert in her field, she connects

teacher; she presents calm and knowledgeable, even

incredibly well with her students, she shares her talents

in the most challenging of classroom situations.

in many ways across campus, and she is cognizant of

Students leave her classroom with an appreciation for

how her subject intersects with life outside of school. —Jim Hamilton, Head of School

Julie Alexander was recognized with the Dorothy Green Teacher of the Year Award in 2020. Her presentation was given on June 8, 2021.

Berwick Retirements Jon Davie By Bill Clapp, Mathe Depoartment Chairperson, Upper School Math Teacher What do you say about a person you have known longer than not? Meaning I have known and worked with Jon Davie almost every day of every school year since 1988. I have known him for more years in my life than I have not known him. What do you say about Jon Davie? You tell Jon Davie stories! Not many people can say that it has taken them 44 years to get out of high school. Now you all know about Jon’s skill as a storyteller and his knack of terrifying ninth graders over the years. He regularly terrified his nieces who called him “Uncle Scary.” But you may not know that he can also tell long stories. While on a hiking trip up Katahdin many years ago, I heard him regale us about the adventures of OogieBoogie, who was a fuzzy panda. What amazed me is that he talked non-stop for almost five hours as we were hiking. 28 | SUMMER 2021

Jon has a quirky and unique style, and many people have stated over the years that “only Jon Davie could do that.” You also might have heard about the famous cross country practices on a Friday where the runners could play “Davie-ball.” This game is the epitome of Jon, no rules, or more accurately any rule that he makes up on the spot, and the kids loved it. Jon’s unique approach has been a mainstay of many hiking and rafting trips and athletic practices. And even though swimming silently to tip over inflatable kayaks might seem unsafe, Jon knew the line and also the emergency procedures from his years in the Meriden Fire Department and South Berwick Rescue Squad. He really did once have to respond to a rescue call at the very moment he stepped on stage to give a JV Lacrosse speech. His dry sense of humor has fooled many people over the years. I’ll let you in on a secret, when he is teasing you he will have a slight tilt to his head and a small downward curve on the side of his mouth, but even with this you still don’t quite know The analogy of a journey is a common one in these moments. It was Jon who first told me about the planes on September 11. Jon was the first one who showed me how to lead students on a backpacking trip back in 1989. I have watched how he has raised three wonderful children. And how he and Polly gave Torey, Jessie, and Lincoln their diplomas, sent them off to college, and continued to support them. There are a few aspects of parenting I don’t recommend. It became a family tradition for Jon to place a large rock in the kids pack the night before a trip on one such occasion (I remember the story from Jen Onken that it was Jessie, Ted Sherbahn remembers it was Torey, which might just mean that it occurred

more than once) they were at the top of a 4,000 ft mountain when Jessie/Torey pulled out a rock the size of a softball and said: “Oh, Dad,” chuckled, and tossed the rock aside. A lesser known part is that on a different trip Jon and I were heading up Whiteface with a group of students. As he was pulling out the lunches he removed a large rock, might even have been a brick, put it aside, but then placed it back into his pack. In classic Jon Davie logic, he said he won because he knew the rock was there and he still carried it up the mountain and back home. Please visit bit.ly/retirees2021or scan the QR Code to read the full speech.

Charlene Hoyt By Ted Smith, Upper School Director For 22 years, Charlene Hoyt graced the Berwick campus with her energy, positivity, function dances, and brain warmers. Arriving as a late-summer hire, Ms. Hoyt may go down as one of Berwick’s all-time hidden gems, a swoop of good fortune that allowed us to nab such a stellar teacher from a sister school down the road. With an omnipresent smile and impossibly upbeat nature, Charlene has turned many a math-naysayer into students who believe in themselves and their computational abilities. On any given day, you could walk past Ms. Hoyt’s classroom and hear her pumping up a deflated ego, imploring a student to try a problem one more time, choreographing a

sort of karaoke dance that helps students learn functions, or warming up her students’ brains by asking them to “pick a number between one and ten, multiply by five, divide by the number you started with….” until, a dozen rapid-fire steps later, a chorus of responses came shouting at her, hoping they would be the one to win that day’s chocolate prize. Charlene was a swim coach, advisor to the Peer Tutor program, Class Advisor, and especially in her later years at Berwick, a rejuvenated student herself as she dove headlong into research on the brain, attending some of the most elite schools and seminars in the country to learn about neuroscience and its effect on student learning. Ms. Hoyt’s proudest moment in her career was handing her sons, Alex (class of 2012) and Mark (class of 2015), their diplomas as they graduated from Berwick before they went on to successful collegiate and professional careers. As impactful as her classroom teaching was Charlene’s deep relationship with her advisees spanning more than two decades. Whether it was morning (always edible) crafts, course sign ups, and academic planning, or just plain moral support when needed, Ms. Hoyt was one of the most sought-after advisors on the faculty over her entire career. We will miss her smile and upbeat presence on campus, and we are grateful for Charlene Hoyt’s 22 years of dedicated service to Berwick Academy. Please visit bit.ly/retirees2021or scan the QR Code to read the full speech.

Stephanie Saunders By Cathy O’Brien, Middle School and Upper School Orchestra Director It is my honor to talk about the wonderful Stephanie Sanders. After 17 years teaching at Berwick Academy and a total of 43 years of teaching music to kids in Nebraska, Colorado and Maine, our beloved colleague has decided it is time to put away the baton, pack up the instruments, and retire from teaching music. Most of us know Stephanie as an amazing band conductor. If you have had the pleasure of hearing her Middle and Upper School bands perform at the Berwick concerts twice a year you know what a treat it is. She sets the bar high with creative, polished, and dynamic performances after months of tireless teaching and preparation. Stephanie is trained to teach upwards of 30 different band instruments. In any given year she has a classroom of beginners who want to learn many of those different instruments. She manages to teach these middle schoolers their unique instrument in a group setting and have them ready and polished enough to play together for a performance in a few short months! Incredible!

When Berwick Academy decided to go back full time in person, Stephanie didn’t hesitate. She came back and embraced all the COVID policies and guidelines. The hardest one to deal with was of course that there would be no playing of any band instruments per the Maine state guidelines. This meant that she had two classes of middle schoolers and one Upper School class that couldn’t do what they signed up for or what she is trained to teach. She had to recreate the class weekly, and sometimes improvise daily, to keep the kids interested. I mean no wonder she is retiring, I don’t know how she did it. In addition to band she has also taught Grades 3 and 4 music, music survey, music theory, ukulele ensemble, E music, and world music. She introduced all but Middle School band and Grades 3 and 4 music into the curriculum. Most recently she also served as the music department chair. We will all miss her informative emails and guidance on inputting grades, our ever changing schedule, and her wonderful sense of humor. Stephanie brought a level of professionalism to Bewick Academy and was rewarded for that with her Dororthy Green Teacher of the Year Award, and TI:ME (technology in music education) Mike Kovin’s National Teacher of the Year Award voted on by previous recipients of the award and presented at the national conference in San Antonio. She is held in such high esteem by her peers that this summer she has been asked to lead a session in a national conference held by MusicFirst. Please visit bit.ly/retirees2021or scan the QR Code to read the full speech.

We also recognize Jen Hill and Shanlee Linney Ginchereau ’87 who have been Berwick employees for 15 and 20 years respectively who have also moved on to new adventures from Berwick this year.

SCAN THE QR CODE TO READ THE FULL SPEECHES OR VISIT BIT.LY/RETIREES2021

B E RWIC K A C A DE M Y

Wild Symphony The Lower School became its own Wild Symphony this fall with the help of local author Dan Brown’s new children’s book of the same name. Each page of the book offers many details to uncover and explore. New characters, instruments, and animals, as well as hidden letters and important life lessons on each page became the spark for conversation at each grade level.

Operation Flamingo Lower School Music Production Way back at the beginning of Trimester three, Planning for the Lower School production began with great glee. To surprise the teachers sounded like so much fun, Little did you all know the adventures we had begun! Each class was given a fourth grade poem to bring to our stage, Stories with morals fit for every age. Simple supplies of cardboard and recycled stuff, That’s all we used, and it was really enough! The music room has been quite the workshop scene, With students brainstorming, creating, and working as a team. So many great moments as they figured it out Now isn’t that just what school is really about! Students can tell you about the fun they had creating this show, Which the fourth graders named “Operation Flamingo”! We hope it brings you some cheer on this day, The students have had a blast creating this play!

—Page Rich, Lower School Music Teacher

SCAN THE QR CODE TO WATCH THE OPERATION FLAMINGO VIDEO ONLINE. BIT.LY/BAOPERATIONFLAMINGO

Woofstock Woofstock was brought back this year after a virtual event in 2020. The afternoon was filled with student and faculty musical performances on the porch of Burleigh-Davidson.

Twelth Grade Candlelighting A tradition typically held at Berwick’s All School Holiday Assembly in December in honor of the halfway point of the school year, this year’s candle lighting ceremony was held on May 7. The Class of 2021, after speeches by student leaders, “lit” candles to reimagine this annual tradition in their own way.

Class of 2021 Parade On their last day of classes, the Class of 2021 processed from Fogg around campus while faculty members and students from all three divisions applauded and cheered. This yearly tradition is concluded with the graduating class drawing the logo of the college/ university they plan to attend in chalk in front of Fogg and ringing the Fogg bell.

Class of 2021 Casino Night In lieu of a traditional prom, this year, the Student Leadership Council got creative and hosted a contemporary and fun themed Casino Night held on the Burleigh-Davidson lawn and under the Hilltopper tent.

Spring Fling Middle School students were surprised on May 20 with Spring Fling! The day included a lip sync challenge, a relay race, musical jam session, arts and crafts, sidewalk chalk, kite making, and corn hole. The day was a complete blast and provided a little rejuvenation and energy as our middle schoolers made their final push of the school year.

Field Day Lower School students enjoyed a day full of fun for their annual Field Day. Obstacle courses, water fun, and relay races filled the day to celebrate the end of the school year.

Grade 4 Recognition On June 2, the Lower School highlighted the fourth graders during their final full day of school. Mr. Hamilton gave a thoughtful overview of the school year and Grade 4 teachers, Mr. Summers and Mrs. Rocha brought inspiring closure to our fourth graders’ Lower School experiences. Thank you to our fourth graders for being such positive members of the Lower School and Berwick Academy community!

Grade 8 Baccalaureate Our eighth grade students were celebrated during the annual Grade 8 Baccalaureate. In addition to some comments from Assistant Head of School and Director of the Middle School, Ryan Feeley, and some words of congratulations from Head of School Jim Hamilton, we had a number of wonderful student contributions. Jon Civitarese and Naia Strong ’25 opened the program by reading a crowdsourced poem created by the entire eighth grade. The program also included two wonderful student speeches delivered by Tori Mabardy ’25 and Michael Mansfield ’25, as well as an incredible vocal performance by Arianna Jones ’25 and a stirring performance by the Grade 8 Strings Ensemble. Each eighth grader was presented with a Certificate of Achievement by their advisor.

Summer on the Hilltop In 2021, we kicked off Summer on the Hilltop that offered camp experiences for the Seacoast community, from sports to cooking, and STEAM to arts. Registration for summer 2022 will open in January 2022, open to the public. NEW THIS FALL Current Berwick families join us for after school programming. We will be offering a wide range of fun and educational activities from ukulele, to magic, to skateboarding. Open to currently enrolled students Grade 1-8. Winter on the Hilltop registration will be available in early October. SPRING BREAK CAMPS For the first time, our students have the opportunity to fill their spring break with a number of weeklong camps! Registration will open in October so if your family is sticking around this March, be sure to fill your child(ren)’s days with one of our spring break camps. QUESTIONS? Please contact Margot Harrington, Director of Auxiliary Programs, Margot.Harrington@berwickacademy.org, www.berwickacademy.org/auxiliaryprograms (207) 384-6199

Alumni Gatherings Save the date for the Fall of 2022 when we will resume our traditional Blue and White Homecoming Weekend on campus and celebrate the following milestone reunions: 50th Reunion: 1970, 1971 & 1972 25th Reunion:1995, 1996 & 1997 20th Reunion: 2000, 2001 & 2002 10th Reunion: 2010, 2011 & 2012 UPCOMING EVENTS:

REGIONAL GATHERINGS Boston, New York, and DC Join us for regional alumni gatherings to reconnect with fellow classmates and meet other alumni in the area. VIRTUAL GATHERINGS* Your Home Zoom from the comfort of your home for trivia, coffeehouses, and more. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2 Blue and White Homecoming Weekend Come #hometotheHilltop for modified programming and to cheer on Berwick athletics as they compete. Details to follow. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7 Bulldog Classic Golf Tournament A day on the links as we help support Berwick Athletics. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11 Veterans Day An opportunity for the community to recognize and thank Berwick Academy veterans. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17 Alumni Winter Gathering, Portsmouth, NH A time for alumni to reminisce with classmates and former faculty members and coaches. *Dates to follow. Visit our website for updates throughout the year.

For questions, please contact Elizabeth Elock in the Advancement Office at elizabeth.elock@berwickacademy.org or 207-384-6309.

31 Academy Street South Berwick, ME 03908

44 | SUMMER 2021