Brewster Magazine Summer 2024

Our Core Values

How Brewster’s people embody the four values we hold dear

“The rich tapestry of our students’ backgrounds and experiences—as well as those of our faculty and staff—make our learning environment incredibly vibrant and expansive,” says Head of School Kristy Kerin, photographed giving math teacher Tom Hill the Arthur Morris Kenison Faculty Award for Career Growth at Brewster’s first All-School Meeting of the 2023-24 academic year. Ms. Kerin has started the tradition of having the first All-School of the year on Brown Field, where the gathered community is moved by the setting and the sunset.

Head Lines

LOOKING BACK ON

2023-24 AND AHEAD TO THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR

Our chosen theme for the 2023-24 school year centered around unity. In an increasingly complex and divisive world, it is particularly meaningful to be a part of a community that values difference and is united by our mission: to prepare diverse thinkers for lives of purpose. The rich tapestry of our students’ backgrounds and experiences—as well as those of our faculty and staff—make our learning environment incredibly vibrant and expansive.

This past year marked an exciting milestone for Brewster as we inaugurated a second campus in Madrid, Spain, further enriching the diversity of our community.

I visited our new campus in November and spent valuable time with our founding team, new students, and faculty. What struck me most was how the spirit and culture of Brewster transcended geographical boundaries, translating across an ocean. The community was lively; the school grounds were beautiful; the faculty were animated, devoted, and earnest; and the students were bright-eyed, engaging, and proud to show off their school. My visit felt like a Revisit Day at Brewster. It felt like home. What an accomplishment from the founding team in just three months of operation!

Since returning, I’ve reflected a lot on this sense of unity. How do our two campuses, separated by more than 3,300 miles, share such a similar spirit? I’ve concluded that it boils down to the people. First, our mission attracts people who are committed to growth, who are curious about others, who want to lead purposeful lives, and who value community. And our community core values foster a culture where each student is seen, celebrated, and valued.

This fall, our Board of Trustees and senior leadership team began developing a longer-

term vision for Brewster. At a time when independent school models face challenges such as affordability, shifting demographics, and evolving student needs, Brewster is proactively responding to this changing landscape, implementing bold strategies to evolve our business model. The steps we’ve taken to change Brewster’s financial future will allow our school—and our multiple campuses—to thrive for generations to come.

Looking ahead, I eagerly anticipate the continual growth and expansion of our 204-year-old campus, extending our influence and impact. Yet, what excites me the most is preserving and expanding our time-tested values and commitment to our particular way of teaching and learning that is at the heart of this growth. The Brewster Model® serves students extraordinarily well. It is coveted around the world, as evidenced by the fact that investors have worked hard to bring our educational model to Madrid. This chapter is yet another step in the evolution of The Brewster Model®—that continues to be enhanced by new generations of students, faculty, staff, and school leaders.

The essence of our mission, values, and ethos is depicted on the pages of this magazine. You’ll read about History and Social Science Chair Jonathan Browher’s takeaways from his incredible week in Acadia at Harvard’s Civics Summer Institute in Learning and Teaching. You’ll feel the joy of students living and learning together, and understand how our Student Life team fosters “play with purpose” for all Brewster students. And you’ll see the physical transformation of campus…something I hope you’ll all see in person when you come to visit for an event in Wolfeboro! Please enjoy the stories that are a reflection of all that we stand for, as well as our hopes for the future. (And if you’re curious, our recently revealed theme for the 2024-25 school year is courage. More on that in the next issue!)

In unity,

KRISTY KERIN HEAD OF SCHOOL kkerin@brewsteracademy.org

Stay up-to-date with us on your favorite social media channels @brewsteracademy and tag #BrewsterAcademy or #BobcatNation when you post your Brewster news! For more in-depth info, visit the website at brewsteracademy.org for the latest on all things Brewster.

ON THE COVER:

Illustrator and author

Ben Tallon created this issue's collage-style cover, showcasing Brewster's community core values of respect, responsibilty, independence, and interdependence. We especially liked the image from the "Color Wars" at Spring Fest, where students happily splatter each other with colorful powders, much like the Hindu celebration of Holi. An internationally renowned artist and author, Tallon's bold graphics and hand lettering have appeared across the globe in many mediums, including The New York Times, Women's Health magazine, and Premiere League materials.

Head of School Kristy Kerin

Features

44

Campus Life

There's a lot of intention behind all the fun and games students love at Brewster.

22

Core Values

Poignant examples of how the people of Brewster live out the four Community Core Values.

32

Thruball

Three enterprising friends from the Class of 2011 have invented the lawn game of the summer!

36

Phase III

The third and final phase of Brewster's largest capital project is now complete.

42

Q&A

As Brewster celebrates 10 years of graduates of the Curvey Scholar Programs, we speak with benefactor Jim Curvey in a wide-ranging interview.

One of the many benefits of going to school on Lake Winnipesaukee: beach days and inflatables on the water!

Departments

In Every Issue

1 Head Lines

Head of School Kristy Kerin reflects on the spirit of unity at Brewster, and looks ahead to extending the impact of The Brewster Model ®

4 Editors’ Note and Letters

Editor Suzanne Morrissey shares thoughts on the moving moments reflected in this issue.

6 Leadership

Meet one of our newest Board members, educator and entrepreneur Jean Regnier.

8 Campus Notes

Your peek into what's been happening on campus: arts, athletics, awards, and more.

52 Alumni News

Lots of photos from Reunion 2024, an unexpected tribute to Lloyd Young Class of 1927, incredible updates in Class Notes, The Athletic Hall of Fame induction, a mystery photo from the archives, and a lot more.

TOP LEFT: Commencement Day of the Class of 2024 was the perfect blend of proud family, laughter, sage advice from all the speakers, gratitude, and flawless weather! TOP RIGHT: Alumni from all over the map enjoyed Reunion 2024 this spring, and got to see all the new features and facilities in the Reimagined Rogers building, which includes the state-of-theart ceramics studio! ABOVE: The Brewster community gathered on Brown Field in April to observe the total solar eclipse (with our safe viewing glasses, of course!).

THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS TO CONNECT WITH YOUR SCHOOL. HERE ARE A FEW OPTIONS: WAYS TO KEEP UP WITH BREWSTER

www.brewsteracademy.org alumni@brewsteracademy.org

Alumni Office, Brewster Academy 80 Academy Drive, Wolfeboro, NH 03894

G BrewsterAcademyAlumni and BrewsterAcademy

BrewsterAcademy

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S flickr.com/photos/brewster_academy

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k Brewster Academy

THE MAGAZINE OF BREWSTER ACADEMY

SUMMER 2024

HEAD OF SCHOOL

Kristy Kerin

EDITOR and EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Suzanne Morrissey

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING

Amanda Welsh

DIRECTOR OF INTEGRATED MEDIA AND MARKETING

Mary Roetger

SPECIAL EVENTS AND PROGRAM MANAGER

Caitlin Ward

DIGITAL MEDIA

MARKETING MANAGER

Kara McDuffee

ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTORS

Meredith Fidrocki, Beth Hayes ’81

PHOTOGRAPHY

Brewster Academy Archives, Gunner Found ’16, The Goose Creative Media Company, GradImages, Kara McDuffee, Pat O’Connor, Robert Ortiz

DESIGN

O’Connor Creative Design Studio oconnorcreativestudio.com e oconnorcreativestudio

Brewster, The Magazine of Brewster Academy, is published twice a year and mailed to alumni, parents, and friends of Brewster Academy.

Brewster Academy 80 Academy Drive

Wolfeboro, N.H. 03894

brewsteracademy.org

From the Editor

So Much to Share

THIS ISSUE HOLDS A LOT OF SPECIAL MOMENTS…TWO ARE ON THE VERY NEXT PAGE!

Hello, readers. Welcome again to the pages of your magazine, one that I think will stir nostalgia alongside Bobcat pride for the incredible ways your alma mater is guiding young learners along their paths to purpose. In this issue, we’ve gathered stories that truly highlight the mission and spirit of Brewster. I hope you’ll be as moved as I was by alumna Katherine Martin’s essay about her path to accepting and celebrating her learning difference, and that you’ll be hopeful for the future when you read about history teacher Jonathan Browher’s experience at the Harvardsponsored Civics Summer Institute in Learning and Teaching in Maine. (You can feel his enthusiasm in every word!). Both are part of our cover feature about Brewster’s community core values. We also have an homage to the singularly generous Curvey Scholar Programs—which just celebrated an important milestone—and an interesting dive into what drives Brewster’s Campus Life

programming (it’s not just all fun and games, but it sure looks that way!). As always, your issue opens with a peek at the most recent campus happenings in the Campus Notes section and closes with Class Notes, where so many of you were kind enough to send in happy news and interesting updates from your lives around the world. I know you’re going to love the images throughout this issue, too. Prom styles, renovated campus spaces, Commencement joy, scenic New Hampshire, concentrating learners, and a lot of smiling faces—it’s all here.

Please reach out with any comments, suggestions, or (gulp!) corrections you have about this issue. I’d love to get a robust Letters to the Editor section going with lots of voices. FYI: Brewster will be conducting an official readership survey in the coming months, and your responses will be guiding me as I build the next few years’ of Brewster magazine with the team here in Wolfeboro. Please be on the lookout for it, and thank you in advance for helping the creative process so this flagship publication is always one you look forward to in your mailbox.

SUZANNE MORRISSEY EDITOR smorrissey@brewsteracademy.org

Your Letters

THE PARABLE OF MR. BAKER

Former Heads of School Craig Gemmell and David Smith were happy to receive this note from John K. DeLong IV ’98, who was reminiscing about life’s lessons and found himself thinking of a teacher at Brewster. Graciously, he allowed us to share it here.

Instead of writing about my current life situations, I thought I’d write about I what I like to refer as “The Parable of Mr. Baker.” Mr. Thomas (“T.J.”) Baker was my sophomore or junior year English teacher while I attended Brewster many years ago. Mr. Baker was, as most people will remember, a distinct individual in his mannerisms and attire (he had an old-school pocket watch, suspenders, and almost always a bowtie). Anyway, this is the story/lesson he once assigned to our class. Mr. Baker gave us a week to memorize a single poem from our Norton Anthology book that we were to then read aloud in front of the class.

During that week, I, like most of students as it turns out, probably barely even looked at the large book or even gave it consideration until the night before the day we were to read the assignment to the class. That night I flipped through the pages to find a poem with the least number of words to remember. I spent at most 10 minutes reciting it until it was locked in the vault. The poem was by Gwendolyn Brooks entitled “We Real Cool.”

As fate would have it, every single student chose that very poem, almost assuredly for the same reason. We each took our turn in class and read that beast aloud for everyone to hear. My turn to read was later in the class. As everyone stood up and read the same thing, I contemplated changing my selection and quickly looked through the heavy fine print for some similar short poem. Alas, before I was able to find one, my turn had arrived. I stood up and read out loud

We real cool. We Left school. We Lurk late. We Strike straight. We Sing sin. We Thin gin. We Jazz June. We Die soon.

I finished reading and looked at Mr. Baker, who nodded briefly at me, and called for the next person to stun us all with another retelling of the same poem. I thought to myself, what a waste of time this must be for him to hear us all say the same thing over and over.

I wished I had taken more time to perhaps try to learn something else instead.

I’m much older now, and while I don’t pretend to know everything. I do realize there was A LOT going on with that lesson from Mr. Baker. So many things! The lesson, much like poetry, can mean a multitude of varying things to an individual given context. Even now as I write this note, I learn something from even this very poem, other than the ability to regurgitate verbatim. Our class chose the path of least resistance, much like electricity. We also didn’t give the lesson its true consideration for intent beyond memorization. We had procrastinated, most likely didn’t even try to understand the poem at all, and plainly failed the truest lesson.

Life is complicated at every point in most lives—we simply have a lot going on all the time or at least it feels this way. As an adolescent we might not be as keenly aware of it, but we felt it nonetheless as our lives were constantly being altered by the things around us during our maturation. Learning is a thing that even as adults, we should still strive for and not shy from at all. Preparation is vital in life. Sometimes we have time and at others it seems we don’t. Mr. Baker was at the very least trying to teach us that. Thus, the tale is retold, and the purpose of parable be not forgotten. Lastly, I would like to take the time to personally thank all of the staff at Brewster. You were beyond our academic teachers, but more of surrogate parents fostering ideas unto us in hopes that we may pave the way for the future. We haven’t forgotten our little lessons, whether we recognize them for what they were then or now.

Kindest regards, John K DeLong IV ’98

Editor’s Note: Mr. Thomas Baker taught at Brewster in the late 1990s. If you have a memory of a great teacher you’d like to share, please send it to the editor at smorrissey@brewsteracademy.org.

DEAR EDITOR,

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR can be sent to smorrissey@brewsteracademy.org or mailed to Suzanne Morrissey, 80 Academy Dr. Wolfeboro, N.H. 03894. All letters will be reviewed for length and appropriate content.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS?

Readers, it’s very easy to let us know if you’ve moved: VISIT brewsteracademy.org/update

CALL (603) 569-7198

Alumni, you can email us at alumni@ brewsteracademy.org and parents, you can go to the Parent Portal.

When Fred Humphrey ’69 was flying solo holding up his 55th year reunion banner at Brewster’s Reunion weekend in May, three fellow Bobcats from the Class of 2004 hopped in to add smiles to his photo: Aimee Provencher, Danah (Gordon) Williams, and Jasmine Hamlor. Once a Bobcat, always a Bobcat, no matter what year you received your diploma!

Special Moment

Brewster’s Board of Trustees Grows

MEET ENTREPRENEUR AND EDUCATOR JEAN REGNIER

Brewster Academy has long been grateful for the volunteer service and leadership of our Board of Trustees, under whose guidance the institution has thrived in service to our students. Far from being passive in their mentorship, our Trustees are actively involved in the evolution of Brewster’s physical campuses, strategy, and culture. With decades of experience in a variety of industries, they embody the very diversity of thinkers we strive for in our student body. Their investment in the mission and vision of the Academy is vital and appreciated. This year, we welcomed new Board member Jean Regnier, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Meta Logic Strategic Consulting, LLC.

Helping students access quality education has been the theme of Mr. Regnier’s professional life. Known as a positive and energetic person with a life-long commitment to self-improvement and serving others, in the past 20 years he’s held administrative positions in public services and at various non-profit organizations, including the New York City Department of Education. There, he served as the Liaison for Students in Temporary Housing for the borough of Brooklyn. In this capacity, he worked to ensure students residing in transitional situations, homeless shelters, and domestic violence centers had equal access to a quality education and the resources needed to thrive. As the borough liaison, Mr. Regnier initiated programs that were duplicated citywide, earning him national recognition from the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth.

His company, Meta Logic Strategic Consulting (Meta-Logic) is a social development firm focused on helping individuals, organizations, and schools in underserved communities grow. Meta-Logic currently supports about 20 different schools and three nonprofit community-based organizations in Brooklyn and the Bronx. Prior to co-founding Meta-Logic, Mr. Regnier began his career working for the Harlem-based Institute for Youth Entrepreneurship as a counselor. Shortly thereafter, he went on to become a youth case manager with Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey. Following his tenure at Goodwill, he transitioned into the classroom, as a 5th grade teacher at PS 91 in Brooklyn, N.Y. Later, Mr. Regnier would return to Goodwill as a program manager and eventually become the Director of Youth Education and Development overseeing the administration of various youth programs.

“I aim to offer a fresh perspective to the Board to ensure Brewster remains a place that equips diverse thinkers for a life filled with purpose,” he said during one of his first visits to campus. Our new Trustee has already noted the incredible geographic diversity of Brewster’s student body, commenting that the opportunities for building relationships while they are here are plentiful.

Mr. Regnier is a proud product of the New York City public school system, and received his bachelor’s degree from the College of Mount Saint Vincent as an H.E.O.P. student. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and their three boys.

Note: In our next issue, we’ll be talking with new trustee Kirk Koenigsbauer, Corporate Vice President & Chief Operating Officer at Microsoft Corporation, who joined Brewster’s Board in April 2024.

BREWSTER ACADEMY 2023-2024 BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Roy C. Ballentine P’94,’97 (Chair of the Board)

Arthur W. Coviello, Jr. (Vice Chair of the Board)

Brian Ballentine ’97 (Second Vice Chair of the Board)

Robert J. Mueller GP’17 (Treasurer of the Board)

Carlos Noble ’70 (Secretary of the Board)

Richard W. Blackburn GP’19 (Estate Trustee)

Ronn Bronzetti ’92

C. Richard Carlson (Estate Trustee)

B. Martha Cassidy P’17 J. Scott Curvey

Dr. George J. III Dohrmann P’05, ’12

Karen W. “Karey” Fix P’11,’13

Gabrielle Joy “Bri” Gatta ’05

Peter Grayson P’14

Joan Hill P’20

Kirk Koenigsbauer

Jean C. Regnier

Andrew N. Reyes ’06

Reverend Nancy Spencer Smith (Estate Trustee)

Steven R. Webster P’08, ’11

Richard “Rich” Wood III P’21, ’23

TRUSTEE EMERITI EX-OFFICIO

David L. Carlson ’54 GP ’15

James C. Curvey

P. Fred Gridley ’53 P’81

Michael Keys P’04

Daniel T. Mudge P’98, ’02

Dr. Craig N. Gemmell (President of Brewster and BA International)

Kristy Kerin (Head of School)

Campus Notes

WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING AT BREWSTER ACADEMY

AS ALWAYS, your newest issue of Brewster magazine begins with a glimpse into the important moments that happened on campus since our last “visit” together. One of the biggest moments of the 2023-24 school year was the total solar eclipse on April 8! With the path of totality only two hours away in the Great North Woods, Wolfeboro enjoyed dramatic dimming of sunlight. Students, employees, and a few visitors gathered on Brown Field and the Lucas Wheeler ’18 Terrace to take in the experience. With grills, music, telescopes, and (of course) protective glasses, the day had a festive feeling of awe and excitement.

Be sure to subscribe to Brewster’s YouTube channel for videos of important school events, incredible footage of campus, athletics, interviews with students, faculty, and staff, and a lot more. Two of our recent faves: Students answering the question “What is The Fund for Brewster®?” and the swooping drone shots of “Quad Cup Kickball!”

youtube.com/@ brewsterbobcat

The total eclipse in April amazed and awed.

HOOPS SCOOP

BOBCATS JOIN NEW ELITE LEAGUE

Brewster Academy’s entry into the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC) became even bigger news when NIBC officially paired with Nike in November to form the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Scholastic (EYBL Scholastic). The newly formed league retained the talented roster of hoops powerhouses from the former NIBC, including Brewster. Thirteen other schools compete in the league, including Montverde Academy in Florida and Link Academy in Missouri, and all EYBL Scholastic teams consist of four-year high school basketball players (post-grads are ineligible). Brewster’s National team finished its first season with a 27-7 record (7-5 in Nike EYBL Scholastic play), and ranked #9 in the nation by ESPN and #7 by MaxPreps.com. The team led the new league in Team 3-Point Percentage (shooting 43% from three as a team). For Bobcat fans, part of the excitement of this new chapter in the program led by Director Jason Smith is the chance to see the team in televised games on ESPN+.

Two More

Bobcats Heading to the NBA

At the 2024 NBA draft, the Sacramento Kings made Devin Carter ’21 their 13th overall pick following the 6’3” guard’s stellar junior season with Providence. Shown here with with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Carter shared on social media: “Kings fans…Super excited to get ready to work. Just want to let you all know you’re getting a competitor, somebody who is ready to win Day One.” Matas Buzelis ’23 was drafted 11th overall by his hometown team, the Chicago Bulls, having played in the G-League after leaving Brewster. After the pick, the 6’10” power forward told reporters, “I want to be a hardworking person, win or lose, bad day or good day—I’m ready to go.” We’ll be watching and cheering, Devin and Matas!

RAK ATTACK

Random Acts of Kindness Week in February is the Superbowl for members of the RAK Club and their advisor, Maria Found (shown here with Logan Cliche ’25, a Curvey Scholar from nearby Alton). This year, the happy troupe shared treats, encouraged everyone to help build a kindness paper chain, staffed a “Sprinkle Kindness” cookie decorating bar, and organized Bingo with squares like “Send someone a thank you note,” “help a neighbor with a task,” and “perform a good deed” (plus a lot more). Community members appreciated the surprises throughout their week.

Matas Buzelis ’23

Devin Carter ’21

Forward Preston Fowler ’25 of Vernon, Conn. takes the shot in one of the National Team’s non-league home games vs. Busche Academy in mid-November.

1 Colin Petty ’24

2 A bagpiper heralded the graduates’ arrival, with Head of School Kristy Kerin and keynote speaker Meg Kissinger leading the faculty in. 3 It was a big day for hugs. 4 Valedictorian Paulina Trott ’24. 5 Meg Kissinger. 6 Can you imagine a more stunning setting for a graduation? We can't!

COMMENCEMENT | 2024

Keynote Speaker

MEG KISSINGER AWARD-WINNING JOURNALIST, AUTHOR, EDUCATOR

Kissinger, nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for her reporting on the government’s failure to protect the public from dangerous chemicals in everyday products, began her address with a selfdeprecating joke: “Well, you’re stuck with me for the next 10 minutes or so. I promise to do my best up here to make it worth your while. Remember: All that is standing between you and your diplomas is me! So, pay attention!” She advised the graduates that what looks like defeat could be a win: “I can tell you with all conviction that for every door that slammed in my face, another one opened up taking me to places I never dreamed I’d see.” She closed by saying, “I wouldn’t be a proper grandmother if I didn’t send you forward with these three imperatives: Eat your vegetables, call home at least once a week, and for God’s sake, sit up straight.”

“How fortunate we are to gather in this beautiful place on this absolutely gorgeous morning to honor all that this class of students has achieved during their time at Brewster.” With those words, Head of School Kristy Kerin began the Commencement ceremony for the Class of 2024—a class that started at the height of the COVID pandemic and weathered the storm. A new guest joined the event this year: Rev. Dawn Adams, the new pastor at the First Congregational Church of Wolfeboro. In her Invocation she said, “May our time together be rich with meaning. May we listen intently with open ears and open hearts that we might notice stories of courage, perseverance, creativity and kindness. May we recognize each individual and also the community that has surrounded and supported them.”

WEATHER REPORT: Sunshine and happiness

GRADUATES

MUSICAL MOMENT:

There were more than a few “aahs” from the audience on the field as bagpiper Travis Cote led the processional from the Smith Center to Brown Field.

A WARM WELCOME: Head of School Kristy Kerin used the metaphor of a salmon’s life cycle to emphasize that Brewster alumni can and do return to the hallowed ground of the campus, and that the Class of 2024 has already done its fair share of traveling. “When I think about your paths and journeys, I picture those old cartography maps that charted the routes taken by early explorers. Try to picture the meandering dotted lines that marked the paths of their journeys. … They returned home with eyes more full of wisdom. As you move to your next adventures, I wish we could map your journeys ahead like explorers of old. I picture 104 multi-colored dashed lines that traverse the globe, twisting and turning, sometimes intersecting, sometimes blazing solitary new trails.” Noting that the Class of ’24 has shown fearlessness, curiosity, a love for fun, and leadership, Ms. Kerin concluded by advising, “Enjoy the adventure, stay true to your values, and look to make a daily difference.”

VALEDICTORIAN: Paulina Trott ’24 of Antigua, Guatemala After expressing gratitude for all who supported her, Paulina received a hearty laugh when she shared, “At the beginning of the school year, we seniors each wrote a goal we wanted to achieve by the end of the year on a gold paper star. My goal was to conquer my fear of speaking to large crowds, and here we are today. I hope we all were able to achieve our gold

stars, but what is more important is that we all work toward them.” Recounting lasting memories shared and personal from her days on campus, Paulina said: “We have been given the tools to succeed, and it is up to us to use them to make a positive impact in the world. I know that each and every one of us has the potential to achieve great things, and I have no doubt that we will continue to make ourselves and those around us proud.”

SALUTATORIAN: Zoe Hausler ’24 of San Francisco, California

TOP POSTGRADUATE:

Pipitchaya “Sprite” Sridam ’24 of Hat Yao, Thailand

CLASS MARSHALS: Ellery Gnazzo ’24 of Lincoln, Massachusetts and Ryo Yamamura ’24 of Shinjyuku-ku, Japan

AS IS TRADITION…The Winnipesaukean dedicatee read the graduates’ names. This year, the honor went to retiring teacher, coach, and team leader, Laura Cooper.

EXTRA-SPECIAL MOMENT: Kristy Kerin announced that Trustees Dan and Kathy Mudge were on hand for their 27th straight Commencement, and former Head of School David Smith and longtime Director of Admission Sheila Smith were there for their 54th Commencement!

WINTER WONDERMENT

As students prepared for their long Winter Break, a festive feeling frosted campus. 1 Spontaneous snowball battles broke out across campus. 2 Students enjoyed the chance to dress cozy on Pajama Day! 3 Rob O’Blenis doled out gingerbread cookies. There were also Hanukkah treats in Estabrook, caroling, and the annual crazy holiday sweater contest. In a quick interview for their video series, senior prefects Ellery Gnazzo ’24 and Boaz Sochaczevski ’24 learned that hockey sticks, Uggs, a healthy winter, a tennis racket, a bunny, clothes for school, Noah Kahan concert tickets, and peace in the world were on the top of Bobcats’ gift wish lists.

The journal The Teachers College Record published “Where ‘Here’ and ‘There’ Intersect: The Role of Transnational Spaces in Civic Identity Development among Educational Sojourners in the United States,” by Dr. Marta Filip-Fouser, Dean of Teaching and Learning/Academic Research. It is a deep dive into the ways that studying in the U.S. has affected Thai students during their time abroad and when they return home. Dr. Filip-Fouser has a great deal of respect for Brewster’s international students: “It is exciting and intimidating at the same time, but it teaches resilience, flexibility, and openness to others, which is what we need for a better future.”

Extra Butter, Please!

In April, the Advancement and Alumni team hosted the Future Alumni Dinner, featuring lobster kindly donated once again by Alexis Pappas ’88 of Ipswich Shellfish Company (thank you!). Students relished digging into the New England delicacy, along with a few delish non-seafood dishes from Dining Services. Director of Advancement John Northrop spoke to the students about to become alumni, emphasizing the terrific benefits of keeping in touch with Brewster (not the least of which is receiving this magazine!).

Gabby Harper ’24

Team Leader Alicia (Childers) Butcher and Associate Director of Advancement Beth Hayes were on hand to give newbies a lesson on cracking into the feast.

Math teacher Robert Burr eyes the aftermath of the feast at his table.

Big Grins

There’s nothing better than capturing someone in an authentic moment of joy and connection. Here are three of our favorite shots from the past school year that did just that. BELOW LEFT: Musa Bility ’27 from Monrovia, Liberia having a great moment with friends over milkshakes and smoothies in the Grayson Student Center. BELOW RIGHT: Is Lauren Hunter shocked or ecstatic at what C.J. Klapinsky ’27 from Marion, Mass. has just said in one of the new science labs? We’re not sure, but we love this photo. BOTTOM: Elsa Pueschel ’25 from Durham, N.H. and Sylvia Mickels ’26 from Darien, Conn. getting the giggles in their painting class.

Turning the Pages

Pizza, cookies, and great conversations about books? Count us in! The new Brewster Book Club met regularly in Kenison Library starting in October. The club’s studentselected reads included Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel, Gold Diggers by Sanjena Sathian, She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran, and Yolk by Mary Choi. “I picked Yolk as our first read because the book deals with realistic problems and is written from a relatable perspective,” said club leader Gracie Mouradian ’24 of New Hampshire. We’d love to know what Brewster magazine readers have on their nightstands— let us know what you’ve been reading by sending a note to the Editor at smorrissey@ brewsteracademy.org.

Familiar Faces

“COACH, I GOT A FEELING WE’RE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE.”

Dean of Students Maureen Edmonds, Assistant Dean of Students Allie Cooper, and Director of Res Life Rob O’Blenis were spot on as the cast of Ted Lasso…a theme they carried out as the emcees of the wild 2024 Winter Carnival Lip Sync battle. At the end of the day, Team Wingard posted the win!

RES LIFE KUDOS

Providing a safe, comfortable, and fun home away from home for our students is important work that falls to the members of Brewster’s

Residential Life Team. In the fall, two members of that team were honored with awards that recognize the dedication of Brewster’s Community Life Parents (CLPs), who live in the school’s 17 dorms and are on call for every need, concern, and emergency—along with all the laughter and joy of living in community! Beth Roun (left), the CLP for Sargent 2, received the Residential Growth Award, and Barb Thomas, CLP for Kenison, received the Excellence in Residential Life Award. Congrats to both of these pillars of Brewster!

FACULTY HONORS

MICHELLE DODGE AND TOM HILL

Congratulations to science chair Michelle Dodge and math teacher Tom Hill, who won Brewster’s highest faculty honors at the beginning of the 2023-24 school year. Hill, who joined the faculty nine years ago and also mentors the Robotics team, received the Kenison Faculty Award for Career Growth. He became a teacher to “be the change he wanted to see in the world” after suffering through boring math classes in high school. Dodge, who joined Brewster in 2008, received the 2023 Kenison Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching. In their nominating note, one colleague said of Dodge, “The time and care she puts into each lesson, no matter the subject, is clear and something I admire greatly…She is always thoughtful about what content she is teaching and works each day to make changes based on a specific student, her classes, and the world around us.”

Alum Speaks at Cooper Series

Peter Baron ’91 spoke to students and faculty as part of Brewster’s long-running Cooper Series, named for former Head of School Mike Cooper. Baron, a passionate advocate for the benefits of the independent school experience, shared how he is walking the path of his life of purpose by founding MoonshotOS, which develops and supports thriving business models for independent school leaders. After the presentation, Baron shared, “Being back on campus and reconnecting with the Brewster community was such a treat. Let's go, Bobcats!”

DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY

Prom photos are a great snapshot in time for fashion, and Brewster students attending the Class of 2024 Prom did their part. Check out their glam gowns and tidy tuxes in this sample of pics from the big dance. This year, before departing for a local country club for the event, the prom committee held the promenade at the Grayson Student Center, complete with a red carpet and photos on the terrace!

Columnsofcolor

Patternedflair

Justtherightsparkle

Dapperinblack

National Honors

The 2023 edition of Brewster’s literary magazine, Outcroppings, won a REALM First Class award—a national recognition of excellence bestowed by the National Council of Teachers of English. (REALM stands for Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines.) The award honored Editor in Chief Sylvie Skibicki ’23, Managing Editor Liam Fahey ’24 (right), Art Editor Zak Maxey ’23, and Outcroppings’ advisor, Director of Library Services Jen Dumont (right). “I was super excited to hear that Outcroppings had won this award. It was inspiring to see the art and writing of Brewster students being recognized in this way,” said Fahey, who stayed on as the editor of the 2024 edition. “The process of curating the magazine is much more than picking art,” he explains. “Arguably the best part about making Outcroppings is deciding which pieces go together aesthetically to make for a page-turning experience.” The 2025 staff—Editor Logan Cliche ’25, Art Editor Hannah Ruegg ’26 of New Harbor, Maine, and Contributing Editor Noah Jacobs ’25 of Dhahran, Saudi Arabia—are already looking for submissions!

DID YOU KNOW?

Brewster’s facilities are available for rent during the summer months, and members of the Brewster community (including alumni, of course!) receive a discount on the rental fee. If you’re looking for a space to hold a wedding, family reunion, corporate retreat, celebration of life, or other important event, please reach out to our Summer Programs Office at summerprograms@ brewsteracademy.org to inquire about using the renovated Rogers Building or the Pinckney Boathouse. (Your guests will adore the lake views!)

See the awardwinning issue!

Scan this QR code to see the digital version.

FULL HOUSE

The Grayson Student Center was packed throughout the year for Coffee Houses, when the Art Department puts out an open call for any and all performers to take their turn in the spotlight. Students show up to applaud their classmates sharing their talents in dance, poetry recitation, singing, guitar, drums, piano, flute, and more.

Big Boost for Scholarships

Fall Family Weekend is always the perfect mix of family time, glorious autumn weather, and outrageously popular cinnamon doughnuts! And this year, generous donations during the annual event allowed Brewster to hit its Scholarship Challenge goal of $100,000. Every contribution allows Brewster to meet its objective of providing tuition assistance to deserving students. Parents, be sure to check your Parent Portal for details about Fall Family Weekend 2024, coming up in October.

Anna Jo ’25 with her dad Yong Weon Jo and mom Jae Youn Seo of Seoul, South Korea, enjoying Fall Family Weekend.

Jamie and Sarah Costello chose the rustic charm of the Pinckney Boathouse for their special day.

Managing Editor Liam Fahey ’24 and Director of Library Services, Jen Dumont

Moving the Needle

At the Annual Moving Up Day ceremony, commongly known as “MUD,” awards are presented to students who have excelled in their pursuits and contributed to Brewster’s culture in a variety of ways, including the Melissa Roja Lawlor Brewster Social Justice Award. Given to the student who does the most for the school in terms of building acceptance, awareness, and inclusion, this spring the honor went to Aya Brown ’25 of London, England (above). In just her first year at Brewster, Aya has dedicated herself to the work of making our campus and other independent schools more inclusive, sustainable, and equitable in regards to race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, and more.

“She played an important role in moving the needle forward for individuals and our institution as a whole,” said Academic Dean Matt Butcher at the ceremony. “We are lucky to have her passion and her drive for all human rights for one more year, and I cannot wait to see what she has in store.”

Congrats & Thanks

1

The traditional 30th anniversary gift is pearl, and Team Leader Mr. Byron Martin has certainly handed down pearls of wisdom in his 30 years at Brewster Academy! He’s also held many titles: dean of community life, community living parent, founder of the Brewster Anglers and Outdoor clubs, Instructional Support teacher, Bobcat Golf coach, and dad to three of his own Bobcats (Chris ’19, Katherine ’21, and current student, Charlie ’27). Congrats and thank you, Mr. Martin!

2

Mrs. Laura Cooper has been an integral part of the Brewster community for 25 years—the last 17 as a team leader—shaping the experiences of countless ninth graders, welcoming them into the Brewster family with her signature warmth and enthusiasm. Ms. Kerin described her as truly selfless, noting her roles as an assistant coach for both Girls’ Soccer and Girls’ Lacrosse and leader of enriching study abroad experiences in Spain. Heading into what we hope is a lovely retirement after 40 years as an educator, we send congrats and thanks to Mrs. Cooper!

3

In recognizing Mrs. Lauren Hammond’s 22 years with Brewster, Head of School Kristy Kerin called her the ultimate Brewster Lifer at this year’s Moving Up Day ceremony, when employee milestones are recognized in front of the entire school. “The daughter of distinguished faculty members Bob and Shirley Richardson, she was raised on campus. Richardson House is named in her parents’ honor, as is the Richardson Award. Ms. Hammond and her siblings attended the Academy as students and she graduated in 1977. She is even the mom of two Brewster graduates: Kelsey ’10 and Sean ’09.” After more than two decades as an dedicated IS teacher and arts instructor, Ms. Hammond is retiring and looking forward to devoting more time to her painting. Congrats and thank you!

SCREEN STAR

See the award-winning videos! Scan the QR code here to watch both videos.

Global Perspectives

The bond between Brewster’s headquarters and its schools overseas continues to grow. Two groups of students from Brewster’s Madrid, Spain campus—which graduated its inaugural class of 10 in June—traveled to Wolfeboro in the Winter and Spring trimesters, jumping right into campus life, joining the musical production, logging time on the ice and the court, experiencing New Hampshire snowfalls, and enjoying Coffee Houses, classes, and dances!

In the early spring, a few Wolfeboro seniors made the trip to Madrid to explore the city and visit the new Brewster Madrid campus. Maggie Doyle ’24 inspired the trip, pitching the idea to Head of School Kristy Kerin earlier in the year. “I thought it would be a great opportunity for us as seniors to be able to see what Brewster Madrid is all about,” she said. “As we were to graduate from Brewster soon, I knew it would be amazing to see us over in Madrid as one of the first groups to go visit.” The group teamed up with faculty and students from Brewster Madrid for historical tours of the city and a day trip to Toledo, Spain.

Another group of Wolfeboro students gained cultural undertanding and studied Western European history when they immersed themselves in Spain’s Galacia region on a trip to Santiago de Compostela. And the 9th grade class had the

TWO BREWSTER VIDEOS EARN INTERNATIONAL AWARDS

The video work of Kara McDuffee, Brewster’s Digital Media Marketing Manager, was recognized this spring by The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) in its coveted 2024 Circle of Excellence Awards. Each year, universities and independent schools from all over the world compete in a number of categories. This year, “The Fund For Brewster” video won the Silver Award in the Video: Fundraising and Stewardship category. Created to give Brewster’s Advancement Team a concise, engaging way to describe the importance of The Fund for Brewster in their outreach efforts, McDuffee’s video kept students at the forefront, “as they are the ones who directly benefit from giving to this Fund,” she explained. The second award, a Bronze for “Teacher Appreciation: Day of Giving” in the Video: Fundraising (Flash Campaign/ Giving Day) category, was created to support Brewster’s newly reinstated Day of Giving during Teacher Appreciation week. If you haven’t seen it, get the tissues ready. It’s incredibly touching.

opportunity to travel together to Cádiz, Spain—a trip that is designed to introduce first-year students to studying abroad, encourages class bonding, and helps them gain the confidence that comes with navigating international travel. “Authentic experiential learning is such an important part of a full education. Our students are more than just tourists when they travel abroad… they are digging deeper into concepts they've discussed in class, enriching their understanding, and creating new friendships in the process,” said retiring team leader Laura Cooper, who led the Cádiz adventure.

Honor Society Welcomes

In January, 15 students joined the ranks of the John Brewster Chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS). With friends, faculty, and family looking on via livestream or in person at the ceremony in the Grayson Student Center, NHS advisor Jen Dumont explained the students were selected for their achievements in scholarship, leadership, character, and service, which mirror Brewster’s core community values. Invited speaker and English faculty member Peter O’Connor wove a beautiful message of radical inner transformation, or “metanoia,” using Shakespeare’s Othello and the life of John the Baptist as touchstones before the students thanked the people who have helped them on their path. The newest NHS members are:

Lily Belisle ’25

Finn Boston ’25

Abby Brodney ’25

Heidi Broussard ’25

Cole Butcher ’25

Logan Cliche ’25

Savannah Coffey ’25

Cailean Corbally ’24

Will Dumont ’25

Anna Jo ’25

Anna Leroux ’25

Casey Light ’25

Randall Preston ’25

Grace Renaud ’24

Ben Weiss ’24

Brewster Communications Team member Kara McDuffee’s video work earned high honors!

Students from the Wolfeboro campus visiting Brewster Madrid.

BOBCAT NATION NEWS

EXCELLENCE ON THE COURSE, COURT, PITCH, AND WATER

The 2023-24 school year was a stellar one for Brewster Athletics, including another MAISAD championship for the Varsity Golf Team (MAISAD is the Maine Association of Independent Athletic Directors, the league in which Bobcat golfers compete). It’s paws up for the Boys’ Varsity Tennis team on winning the Lakes Region Championship against tough rival St. Paul’s School and for Girls’ Varsity Soccer on their Lakes Region co-championship. That squad also took home the annual Director’s Prize for the best Brewster Interscholastic Team for all seasons of the 2023-2024 year (based on the team’s season record, league success, rec scores, and the team GPA). In crew news, Brewster hosted the first-ever Winni Chase Regatta on Wolfeboro Bay and our own boats had a solid showing at the Head of the Charles Regatta, the most competitive and prestigious fall rowing event in the country. Go Bobcats!

Curtain Up!

The cast of the winter musical, “Alice by Heart,” inspired by Lewis Carroll’s classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, brought the emotional play to life in February. Director and Arts Department Chair Liz Baker McClain said theater students selected the show partly because of its contemporary pop sensibility, adding, “It is pop oriented, but with a very hard edge. More Phoebe Bridgers.”

“This play is the telling of Alice in Wonderland,” she continued, “but takes place in a subway tunnelturned-bomb shelter during the Blitz in WWII.” In the rubble of war, teenager Alice Spencer (played by Hannah Ruegg ’26) is forced to take shelter with her friend Alfred (played by Liam Fahey ’24). Alfred is quarantined for tuberculosis, and Alice attempts to give him solace and escape into her cherished storybook, exploring the poignancy of first love, loss, and courage.

ICE HOCKEY UPDATE

Brewster’s ice hockey teams are enjoying new locker rooms at the renovated Pop Whalen Ice and Arts Center (the Bobcats’ home ice for competition). The two dedicated, Brewster-branded spaces, a gift of Cathy and Art Coviello (Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees), offer our students a secure space to store their equipment throughout the season, enhancing their hockey experience. With the outdoor rink on campus available now for extra practice, the ice hockey teams are set up for a stellar season ahead!

Get Your Gear

Don't forget that Brewster’s Campus Store is always open online at store.brewsteracademy. org. There you’ll find hats, sweats, cozy winter wear, handy bags, magnets, stickers, the cutest “future Bobcat” onesie, and a whole lot more!

Flanked by their coaches, members of the Varisty Golf Team hold their second championship banner in as many years!

From left: Jack Northrop ’24, Alex Hasan (a visiting student from Brewster Madrid), and Liam Fahey ’24.

Interim Studies

Every winter, Brewster students get to choose a weeklong course that gives them hands-on experience in dozens of topics. Building skills and friendships, these courses comprise the Interim Studies experience at Brewster, and are now under the leadership of World Language Chair and Immersive Programs Coordinator Steven Davis. Here is just a sampling of the 2024 offerings that fells into the curricular themes of Global and Intercultural Issues, Sustainable Futures, Explore New England, and Alongside Communities.

1 The Brewster Goes to Birmingham group explored Civil Rights sites, including the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Ala. 2 In Exploring New England Pottery, students grew their skills under a master potter, and learned about the history of the craft and its health benefits! 3 The Baking Spaces: Baking Places group didn't just learn the art of making breads —they studied food culture and contextualized it in world history.

4 In the Drone Skills experience, students gained flight skills and design knowledge of these hightech machines. 5 The group in Hydroponics: Slow Food and Sustainable Growing had fun getting their hands dirty.

INDEPENDENCE INTERDEPENDENCE RESPONSIBILITY

The

CORE FOUR

For decades, Brewster’s leadership has spoken of the values that the Academy upholds and instills in its students. In recent years, a modern mantra has taken shape: “Brewster will be better because of me and I will be better because of Brewster.” It’s a simple but inspirational principle that serves as the foundation of Brewster’s four Community Core Values.

Take a look at each of these important values and their meanings, with personal examples of how they have been lived by members of our community.

By Suzanne Morrissey

“After implementing our Community Core Values last year, Brewster worked to make them part of the everyday experience for faculty, staff, and students. Another important step was to update our long-standing student recognition program to focus directly on the Community Core Values and related behaviors. We believe all students can demonstrate the

RESPECT. We strive to treat ourselves and others with unconditional positive regard, aiming to create an inclusive community of belonging in which all feel welcome, known, and valued. We believe in the limitless potential for positive growth in all people, and see mistakes as opportunities for learning.

RESPONSIBILITY. We aspire to always do the hard, right thing. We act with integrity, in ways that earn and maintain trust, recognizing this as a foundation for the positive relationships that build a healthy community.

INDEPENDENCE. We have the courage to bring our full selves to a community that believes great minds do not think alike. We stubbornly pursue growth as individuals, taking ownership and accountability for our actions, goals, and success.

INTERDEPENDENCE. We find joy through shared experiences and accomplishments. We seek to put our own interests and talents to use, not just for ourselves, but for the betterment of others. Our work is grounded in the idea that each individual shares responsibility for the success of others.

A Different Kind of

As students returned in the fall last year, they saw new posters across campus reminding everyone of the values.

First Impressions

Each spring, the Post Graduate student with the highest GPA is awarded the title of “Top PG,” and given the opportunity to speak at the Ivy Address. This year, Royal Thai Scholar Pipitchaya “Sprite” Sridam received the honor, and shared a personal story that exemplifies the positive and life-changing effect of treating others with respect. Having never been to the United States, Sprite arrived with certain expectations, natural trepidation, and excitement. By showing respect (and being shown respect in return), he was open to possibilities that defined his first steps into America.

My first impression of Brewster was my roommate— Ben Collins. Many people may doubt our relationship as roommates, as our personalities are a little different. But I would say we’re quite a good match. I am lucky to have him as a roommate, as we wouldn’t have survived without both of us being open to each other—and that’s the most important thing. See, I didn’t expect to have a roommate who is very outgoing, and Ben didn’t expect to have a roommate who is very quiet like me either. I have met a lot of people who are very attached to perfecting their expectations. These people would often deny the situation in front of them. In this case, they would probably find a new roommate that checked all their boxes.

But this is not the case with us. Ben and I learned and adapted to each other’s lifestyles. I still remember when he introduced me to the Superbowl, which I had never watched before, and when I taught him trigonometry tricks that he hadn’t learned before. That’s the beauty: You learn the most from things you didn’t expect. (Recently, I learned how to dip Oreos into milk. It tastes really good…you guys should try it.)

but intense academics. But during my year at Brewster, the most memorable moments and those that taught me the most turned out to be those outside of the classroom, whether they be afternoon activities or simply hanging out with other students. This spring, I joined something I couldn’t have imagined myself doing before: dancing. Dance class introduced me to ballet movements, hip-hop

dance, freestyle, and even meditation and abs training. I learned a lot more than I expected in this class and now I am very confident saying that I can plank for twice as long as I could a year ago. I mean, I still am a terrible dancer and that’s probably one thing I need to accept, but I learned other useful things I wouldn’t expect from a dance class.

So, what’s the lesson here? I would like to credit a quote from the martial artist and actor Bruce Lee: “Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle.” Sometimes life doesn’t work out the way you expected it to be. And that’s a good thing, because you can learn the most from things you did not foresee. So be open-minded, be flexible, and embrace the unexpected. Life is not a sprint, but a marathon, and it doesn’t hurt to stop here and there to enjoy the view or maybe go a bit off track to pick up new skills and experiences that may be helpful in the future. I want to

Royal Thai Scholar and First PG Pipitchaya “Sprite” Sridam is from Hat Yai, Thailand and is attending MIT this fall.

Royal Thai Scholar and Top PG for 2024 Pipitchaya “Sprite” Sridam spoke at the Ivy Address about how respecting his roommates’ differences allowed him to be open to a slew of great new experiences.

''WHY DID GOD MAKE ME THIS WAY?''

With bravery and candor, Katherine Martin ’21 shares how she came to understand a diagnosis that no longer defines her. And in doing so, she beautifully exemplifies two of Brewster’s community core values: independence and interdependence. BY

KATHERINE MARTIN ’21

In 2021, Katherine Martin served as a Class Marshal, and received The Arthur M. Hurlin Award, given to the graduate who has done the most for the welfare, good name, and progress of Brewster. It is considered among Brewster’s highest honors. She is also known for her photo skills, and won the 2021 Albert S. Munnis Award for Visual Arts.

hy did God make me this way?” This was the question that plagued most of my childhood. This was also the question I asked my dad through a stream of tears whilst sitting in the backseat of his 1990 Saab 900 on my way to a dyslexic tutoring center 45 minutes away from my home. It was at this center that I would have to spend four to six hours a week for the next seven years attempting to relearn the English language by breaking down words, decoding sounds, and memorizing vowel groupings and Latin roots. Sounds like a lot of fun for a seven year old, right?

I was diagnosed with dyslexia in second grade. At the time I believed I was cursed, because being diagnosed meant that I was branded with a label of a learning disability and the stigmas that came along with it. It was clear early on that the way I learned was different from the other kids. I quickly became more shy in classrooms, isolating myself so as not to draw attention to my inadequacy; attempting to hide my struggle just so I wouldn’t feel different from the other kids. But I was. And in all honesty I hated myself for it. I didn’t understand why it was so hard for me to do what seemed like such simple tasks. Afterall, the ability to read is not only a prerequisite to all education after the third grade, it is an integral part of everyday life. I couldn’t help but feel stupid when it took me hours of extra work and tutoring just to meet the standard.

Most people understand dyslexia to be a learning disability that affects a person's ability to read and write. From an outside perspective, dyslexics are made to look like they aren’t as smart as their peers or that they simply aren’t trying hard enough. What also often goes unnoticed is the shame, guilt, and frustration that many people with dyslexia experience as a result of these damaging views. But what many people don’t seem to understand is that dyslexia has no effect on a person’s intelligence.

I can’t remember the exact day that I decided to change the narrative for myself, but around the time I reached the sixth grade I was fed up with the pitiful looks from my teachers and peers. I mustered up enough confidence and decided that I was not going to let my disability become an excuse for inadequacy. With the new start at a different middle school came a newfound drive to succeed in school. Although my reading was still choppy, and I struggled to transcribe my complex thoughts onto paper, I was slowly gaining the skills and confidence I needed to cope with my disability. I adapted the strategies I learned in my classes to fit my learning style, and became an advocate for the extra time I needed on tests, and often went back after classes to ask about the concepts I couldn’t grasp when classes moved too fast. I worked tirelessly not to be average but instead to be exceptional. Yet this came at the expense of time. I spent hours upon hours laboring over my work. Homework assignments that should have taken me 20 minutes took 40 minutes to an hour. I slowly became obsessessive and started validating my worth through grades. It wasn’t as

much about proving to other people that I was capable of success as it was proving it to myself that I wasn’t going to be defined by or underestimated because of my disability.

By the time I reached Brewster as a 9th grader I had developed a killer work ethic that served me well in a more advanced curriculum. I was able to take all accelerated classes (with the exception of foreign language) and maintain a 4.0 GPA throughout my four years. I worked closely with my teachers to understand concepts and get the extra help I needed. For the first time I felt like I was surrounded by a community that was going to celebrate my successes and not look at me or think of me as less than because I was dyslexic. Teachers were kind and patient with me, but also challenged my strengths and pushed me to think deeper and explore new topics of passion and interest. As a result I took on new roles as a student leader, student athlete, and artist. My ability to thrive in the classroom was no longer defined or limited by my atypical brain. That isn’t to say that I didn’t still have setbacks and struggles. There were still nights spent in tears, laboring over the introduction paragraph of an essay for more than an hour, but I continued to push through the hard moments and overcome my self doubt.

In retrospect it was a blessing to have been diagnosed as early on as I was—and to have parents with shared experiences and strong backgrounds in education who knew what I needed to cope with my learning disability. Both my parents, having been diagnosed themselves, allowed me to feel seen and understood in the way my peers and teachers never did early on. Although I often felt alone in the classroom, I had the support and encouragement I desperately needed to get through those early days.

My journey with dyslexia has been one of resilience, determination, and personal growth. Despite the challenges I faced, I refused to be defined by my struggles. Through seeking support, embracing adaptive strategies, and nurturing my passions, I not only pushed through dyslexia’s hurdles, but also discovered the strength it brings to my life.

Dyslexia is not a limitation, but rather a unique aspect of my identity that has shaped me into a strong, hard working, empathetic, and resilient individual. As I continue my education and pursue my passions, I carry with me the invaluable lessons learned from my struggle with dyslexia; knowing that it has transformed me into a person capable of achieving greatness. My relentless pursuit of growth stands as a testament to the power of perseverance and the belief that one’s determination can overcome any obstacle life presents. I was able to excel not in spite of dyslexia, but because of it.

Katherine Martin attends Elon University in North Carolina. She is the daughter of Team Leader and Instructional Support faculty member Byron Martin and Margaret Martin, former associate director of Brewster Admissions.

Doggedly Optimistic

History and Social Science Department Chair Jonathan Browher shares a personal, unvarnished, but most importantly, hopeful account of his experience at the inaugural Civics Summer Institute in Learning and Teaching. More than an opportunity for professional development, this gathering of teachers who share a feeling of responsibility to improve the teaching of civics is the germination of an ambitious project to build a supermajority of Americans who understand and value democracy.

BY JONATHAN BROWHER

n the past few years, it seems there is no shortage of factors preventing teachers and administrators across the nation from realizing their goal of making education, to borrow a phrase, “the way it should be” for their students. Rather than realizing their capacity as innovators, explorers, and adventurers, they are forced to play defense, to narrow their role to meet more emergent needs,

the causes of which need little introduction. First, the social, emotional, and learning losses caused by the disruption of the pandemic. Then, an ongoing mental health crisis amid a continually shifting media and political landscape, along with the seeming lack of shared values and truths amid crippling polarization and misinformation. There is uncertainty among young and old in who our leaders are, as well as a struggle

Jonathan Browher is part of Team Thomas, 11th graders, and is known for his engaging methods in the classroom.

for communities, parents, and teachers to establish the trust and resources needed to effectively partner in the shared goal of educating our children. As articulated in the title of Alexandra Robbins’ recent bestselling book, The Teachers: A Year Inside America's Most Vulnerable, Important Profession (Dutton, 2023) teaching is indeed a vulnerable profession, one in which turnover and workplace stress and anxiety

rival or surpass all others.

Amid this imposing landscape, a group of about a dozen civics and social studies teachers from across the United States gathered this past August, a mere few hundred yards from the Atlantic Ocean, at the invitation of Harvard’s Safra Center for Ethics, for the inaugural Civics Summer Institute in Learning and Teaching (C-SILT). There, the staff, sponsors, and advisors of a

new and especially promising initiative, the Democratic Knowledge Project, gave us the gift of a week of collaboration, revitalization, and exploration. As advertised, the Institute provides a chance for educators to “...share their promising practices and challenges with one another in ways that can inform future professional learning for civics teachers.”

“Democracy provides a rich if rare and fragile environment for unlocking human potential.”

Over the course of our week together, we shared countless stories, ideas, experiences, hopes, fears, failures, and successes, derived from a deep and broad reservoir of diverse experiences and identities. Coming from the world of independent schools, it was especially meaningful and crucial for me to de-center my own experiences in order to discern more fully the reality of the challenges many fellow teachers face, some notably familiar and others soberingly different from my own. I was also able to experience the incredible resilience and resourcefulness of teachers who fundamentally shared the same belief in the importance of promoting civic engagement and identity development in our students.

The Democratic Knowledge Project (DKP) is part of Harvard University’s Project Zero, a network of interconnected initiatives with unique aims but shared resources and goals to “understand and nurture human potentials—such as learning, thinking, ethics, intelligence and creativity—in all human beings.” In its mission, it seeks a simple but ambitious goal: in the coming decade, to build a supermajority of Americans who understand and value democracy.

What does that have to do with nurturing human potential? To quote a letter from John to Abigail Adams, “The Science of Government—it is my Duty to study, more than all other…I must study Politics and War that my sons may have liberty to study Painting and Poetry Mathematics and Philosophy…” That is to say, democracy provides a rich if rare and fragile environment for unlocking human potential, such as the micro democracy of a well-fostered classroom.

Just as the children of the Baby Boom envisioned and realized a world much different from that of their parents’ time, perhaps we the adults should be concerned less with how well we shield our students from the storms of the world we have created for them, and focus more on tapping the potential of that new generation to create a better one that is one day theirs to inherit on their own terms.

By the mid-week of our time at the Institute, that goal of a generation of young people empowered to be engaged democratic citizens seemed a lot less impossibly distant. It wasn’t just the envisioning by my colleagues, who shared so much of themselves: from lesson plans, to their participation in numerous Project Zero thinking routines, to our discussion of dilemmas facing educators in the form of case studies from Justice in Schools. In fact, as we learned from sessions with the Democratic Knowledge Project’s founding researchers and senior staff, the DKP will soon be a fixture in schools across the United States. They have pilot programs from Massachusetts to Oklahoma, and a full curriculum that is free to teachers and accessible via their website. They have the support of Republicans and Democrats, blue and red states, and financial supporters and partner organizations from across the political spectrum. It turns out that amid all the noise of political talking points, there

are still so many policy-makers who have shared values. Indeed, the DKP curriculum is anchored in the concept of civic identity, sustained by values including Courage, Equality, Strength, Family, Freedom, Truth, Happiness, and Success. Foundational to the success of the curriculum is the use of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) principles to engage students in choosing among these universal values that are most important to them, and in doing so develop skills of Civic Self-Care, Reciprocity, and Self-Confidence.

By Friday, it was quite clear that the weeklong Institute had wildly succeeded in its goals for participants. I saw members of our cohort ready to take on a new school year, some in only a few days’ time. Whereas only a few days prior they were anticipating the coming year with some dread, instead they were leaving with a renewed passion for teaching, new goals, and an arsenal of new ideas and tools for realizing those goals. We were further recharged by the stunning environment of the Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park, where we watched the moon rise over the ocean, explored dense and misty boreal forests, and there at the edge of the world, gazed out at a horizon of uncertain but boundless possibilities. With a rope and a few extra harnesses, I even managed to convince a few of my colleagues to try climbing on Acadia’s world-class granite seaside cliffs.

It was undeniably apparent from all that was shared over the course of a week that we spent together at the inaugural Civics Summer Institute in Learning and Teaching (C-SILT), hosted by Harvard’s Democratic Knowledge Project, that something has

not changed: Teachers remain doggedly and intractably optimistic about the transformative power of education in the lives of our students. As I returned to another year at Brewster, this was especially apparent to me as I witnessed my colleagues here in Wolfeboro plunge headlong into the all-encompassing “duties as assigned” of a boarding school teacher. With the emergence of Social-Emotional Learning as a means of empowering our young generation to develop their own civic identities, I see now the foresight by Brewster in deciding to become an early adopter of SEL in our curriculum more than a decade ago, and its continued importance as a staple of our program—as well as new and expanded possibilities for its use in education. I see daily in the classroom the capacity and desire of our students for curiosity, creativity, interdependence, and a world better than that of their parents’ generation. Just as the children of the Baby Boom envisioned and realized a world much different from that of their parents’ time, perhaps we the adults should be concerned less with how well we shield our students from the storms of the world we have created for them, and focus more on tapping the potential of that new generation to create a better one that is one day theirs to inherit on their own terms.

Jonathan Browher currently serves as the chair of Brewster’s History and Social Science department. He is also the school’s Outdoor Skills Program coordinator, a Community Living Parent, and the assistant Alpine Ski coach. Off campus, Mr. Browher works on the Board of Trustees for the Castle Preservation Society, Castle in the Clouds, in nearby Moultonborough.

Top left: Mr. Browher joined the Brewster history faculty in 2011. He teaches U.S. History and AP U.S. History, and is Brewster’s 2017 recipient of the Arthur Morris Kenison Career Growth Award.

Top Right: One of Mr. Browher’s famous class activities is his Cabinet Meeting. Students take on a case study in a role play, advising President Lincoln as if it were 1862 and they were making decisions based on what was available to them. “My favorite part about teaching Abraham Lincoln is helping students discover and understand how people, such as Lincoln, and entire nations, can begin to fundamentally shift their beliefs about a longstanding topic to achieve much-needed change,” he says.

Bottom: The Civics Summer Institute in Learning and Teaching (C-SILT) took place at the Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park in Maine. The Democratic Knowledge Project, which organized the event, aims to reimagine civic education in support of constitutional democracy.

Brewster

How a trio of Brewster buddies became game-making sports entrepreneurs

BY NEIL POND

Three former Brewster students are having a ball…a Thruball, to be precise. No, that’s not a new cocktail. It’s the game Calder Billings, Jackson Callahan, and John Wadlinger—Brewster chums from the Class of 2011—put their heads together to invent, make, and market. And they’re enjoying the heck out of it.

“As far as work goes, this is the most fun I’ve ever had,” says Callahan. “Working with your best friends, and it’s a game too, so you can have fun while working on it… That just makes it even better.”

Thruball is an all-ages lawn game in which players use paddles to swat a ball back and forth through a rectangular opening in an upright frame. The creators wanted it to be like other popular games, but also distinctly different. “The easiest way to explain it,” says Wadlinger, “is that it’s similar to volleyball” in that each side can hit the ball three times on a return. “But with paddles and balls like Pickleball, and instead of going over something, like a net, you’re going through it.”

The guys initially envisioned a circular “through” opening but ran into manufacturing issues with that shape, especially one in 3D that could be easily snapped together or popped apart. “We realized how expensive and difficult it would be to make it affordable, stable, and also collapsible” for breakdown and re-assembly, says Callahan. Ultimately, they settled on a rigid plastic frame with a horizontal “window.” An entire Thruball set—paddles, balls, frame and boundary markers—fits handily into a zippered carrying bag.

Countless hours of testing, playing, and perfecting have made them close to Thruball pros. And they continue to play, play, play, regularly hitting the beaches of Boston (where they all live within just a few blocks of each other) with their Thruball bag, their girlfriends, and their buddies. They often see others playing volleyball on the beach, and “we’ll set up right next to them,” says Billings, thinking about a challenge that would be an irresistible lure for new players. “We should put up a sign that says, ‘Beat us and we’ll give you $500’.”

“When we get out and play, that’s the best promo,” adds Wadlinger, noting people are curious about the game when they watch it, and often sold when they see how much fun it is. And it’s open to everyone, from casual duffers to die-hard competitors. “It’s as competitive as you want to get with it,” he says. “You can play it with a beer in your hand just standing there.” Adds Billings, “We tend to be more on the competitive side,” jumping, diving for shots, and spiking.

They’re all involved now in another kind of competition: Marketing the game on social media, making it stand out among other recreational pursuits and convincing more people to try it—and buy it. The 30-year-olds still have individual careers, with hopes of eventually going all-in for Thruball.

A mash-up of volleyball and pickleball, a Thruball game tests players' skills by getting the ball through an opening with a paddle. The set of everything you need to play is available at thruballofficial.com.

Billings is a real estate broker; Callahan is a producer for an ad agency; Wadlinger’s a software consultant. “Starting a business is something we had always talked about,” says Callahan. “And we’d love to be full time one day,” adds Billings.

After Brewster, they all went their separate ways to college. Billings was a lacrosse star at the University of Vermont while getting his business degree, Callahan studied electronic media communications and marketing at High Point University in North Carolina, and Wadlinger went to St. Michael’s in Vermont, where he also played lacrosse and majored in business. After college, they fortuitously found themselves together again in Boston, where they became roommates anxious to apply their upper-ed smarts to an original idea. They loved getting together to play Spikeball, which revolves around serving and returning a ball bounced on a small round trampoline. It was featured on the TV show

Shark Tank, became wildly popular with kids and young adults, and is now a multimilliondollar company. One day, after an intense Spikeball session, the Thruball

Three hit upon an idea for their own game. “We got back to the house and just sat there for hours talking,” recalls Billings. “We thought, ‘If Spikeball can make such a simple product go viral and do well, why can’t we?’ ”

Brewster Beginnings

Back in their Brewster Academy days, seeds for Thruball were planted by other team sports, particularly lacrosse. Billings was the captain of Brewster’s soccer team. He and Callahan also served as captains of the lacrosse team. Callahan and Wadlinger (a fellow LAX player), served as managers for Girls’ Varsity Soccer.

When they weren’t on the field or in class, they were hanging out together on the big deck outside Bearce Dorm, or in Estabrook. Wadlinger and Callahan were both day

students, living off-campus at their homes in Wolfeboro, while Billings, from Woodstock, Vermont, was a full-time boarder. “The first couple of years, the day students thought boarding students were cool,” recalls Callahan. “They had freedom and got to live like college students.” But he noted how that perception shifted later, when the “boarding students were envious of us, because we got to leave campus and get away from school and go do stuff.”

They all have fond memories of the relationships forged at Brewster. “More than education, it was the friendships,” says Billings. “So much time together, at that young age, there’s a sense of family and belonging,” adds Callahan. “Our friend group never, never fell apart.” Even today, they’re still connected to other Brewster alums in the Boston area. “So many of my closest friends today are still my friends from Brewster,” says Wadlinger.

Top, from left: Calder Billings, Jackson Callahan, and John Wadlinger in their senior class photos from Brewster, where the three became friends and the seeds of their lawn and beach game were planted.

Bottom: The inventors of Thruball say getting out on the beaches around Boston, their shared hometown, is one of the best ways to showcase the unique game to new customers.

All three of their girlfriends enthusiastically support their Thruball project, but Billings admits: “They probably get a little tired of how much we talk about Brewster.”

They recall teachers and faculty who made lasting impressions and modeled exemplary behavior. Bill Lee, their lacrosse coach, is lauded by both Wadlinger and Billings, who admires how he “always made sure we were staying in line and were smart about everything.” Billings adds that T.J. Palmer’s class got him hooked on history. Callahan notes his favorite course, B.G. Hodges’ computer graphics, set the stage for his later skills in video production and advertising.

They laugh about the great fun of Winter Carnival, especially the year their senior class decorated themselves like the Blue Man Group. Then there was the intramural two-hand touch football league, and the stealthy “spy game” called 007 with squirt guns “where you’d get a new target every week,” says Wadlinger. Callahan remembers revving up fans at hockey games with his oversized cardboard “Easy” button for players to skate over and “press” through the plexiglass every time Brewster scored. Billings recalls bathroom break singalongs, when “about 50 guys would leave class, go in the bathroom and have a dance breakdown,” he says. “It sounds weird, but it became a big thing.”

Thru-perbowl Dreams

They’re hoping Thruball also becomes a big thing as they work to grow the game and spread the word.

One online reviewer said Thruball “has the perfect combination of finesse and effort, where you can have a blast for hours and not be too tired. It’s easy to pick up and leads to some good competition. Anyone can beat anyone but everyone has a good time!”

Thruball Beginners

HERE'S A QUICK GUIDE FOR NEW THRUBALL PLAYERS. DIVE INTO THE ACTION AND HAVE A BLAST! (BASED ON RULES ON THRUBALLOFFICIAL.COM)

When you're playing with someone for the first time, don't worry if it feels a bit tricky in the beginning. A little patience and practice are key. Within minutes you'll be serving, volleying, and smashing like a pro!

They’ve even thought about who their celebrity spokesperson might be, when they get to that point. “We’re all from New England and Patriots fans,” says Wadlinger. “So Tom Brady is like a god to us.” Billings agrees, pointing out that Thruball is perfect for the former superstar QB, who stepped down from the NFL not too long ago. “It’s a good game for someone who just retired,” he says. “He can go just outside his house in Miami to the beach and play.” They also bring up Mark Cuban, one of the business-investor “sharks” on Shark Tank. “He’s trustworthy, and people know if he supports a product, it has potential,” adds Callahan.

The Thruball Three are clearly thinking big about their potential, even dreaming about their game becoming a major event, worthy of coverage on network television. “When we started it, we were trying to create a business,” says Wadlinger. “I think we accidentally created a sport.”

And when their sport becomes so big, so viral, and so popular, spreading far beyond the beaches of Boston with superstar players and diehard fans and teams in televised championship games, like baseball’s World Series or hockey’s Stanley Cup…well, Wadlinger’s even been thinking about a name for that.

“The Thru-perbowl!” he says.

Neil Pond is an award-winning Nashville-based entertainment journalist and movie critic who covers film, celebrities, music, pop culture, and now, Thruball! Find his reviews as “The Media Tourist” at neilsentertainmentpicks. com. When he’s not cranking it out on a keyboard, he plays drums in a Blondie tribute band.

Dive in, rule by rule! Forget points for now, and focus on getting comfortable with the game. Familiarize yourself with the rules, master serving through the gate, and hone the 2 v 2 gameplay.

Power can wait, precision comes first! Hold off on those big smashes for a moment. There's plenty of time to showcase your strength. Channel your inner ninja and focus on nailing accurate shots.

When you're setting up the perfect shot for your teammate, think strategically. For the perfect set up for your partner, hit lofty sets within bounds, guiding your teammate closer to the gate—right where they need to be for the ultimate smash.

With these pro tips, you'll be ruling the Thruball court in no time. Let's Thruball, baby!

A Legacy

PHASE III, THE THIRD AND FINAL ACT OF THE REIMAGINE ROGERS PROJECT, IS

Completed

SUZANNE MORRISSEY

The final nail has been hammered in on the largest capital project ever undertaken at Brewster Academy.

“Seeing the smiles and hearing the laughter of students, faculty, and staff enjoying the completed Reimagined Rogers makes all the planning, hurdles, and waiting worthwhile. And knowing that this space will be well loved and well used for learning and community for decades to come is extremely gratifying.”

—KRISTY KERIN, HEAD OF SCHOOL

“Reimagine Rogers,” which began in 2010 as a concept to renovate the hallowed 1954 building into a modern student center and hub for creativity and collaboration, is now a finished masterpiece. We featured the completed glory of Phases I and II in the last issue of Brewster magazine. Now we are delighted to show you the third and final phase.

Phase III is an extension of the original footprint on the ground level that includes the Tyler Balint ’21 Robotics Lab, a ceramics studio, and outdoor restrooms for spectators

at Brown Field events and games. Above this space is an expansive rooftop terrace featuring the Peter Mann Gathering Area—the perfect spot for cheering on our Bobcat teams and taking in the sunsets over Wolfeboro Bay— named in honor of long-time teacher and mentor.

Peter and Josephine Grayson and their family (Bradley ’14), made the lead commitment to the Reimagine Rogers initiative—the largest outright gift in the history of Brewster—through the Fund for Individual Potential. And in a message to all

of the project’s 135 contributors who made the vision reality, Director of Advancement John Northrop said, “Thank you from the entire Brewster community for supporting the Academy through your gifts to this new campus jewel, which continues to set us apart from our peer schools.”

Students are already enjoying the freshly completed interior areas of Phase III, as you’ll see throughout this issue, and alumni and families are encouraged to return to campus to use the new terrace during upcoming events like Fall Family Weekend and Reunion.

DIRECTION IN THE NEW ROGERS, THINGS ARE GOING DOWN IN ALL THE BEST WAYS!

down 9 %

Electric usage is down by opting for LED bulbs with motion-sensor shut off and exterior louver solar shading to reduce solar heat gain and reduce cooling needs.

down 63 %

Emissions are down thanks to choices like the new entry canopy constructed with dowel-laminated timber, which sequesters carbon.

down 70 %

Fossil fuel usage is down by eliminating existing dieselpowered boiler and replacing with air-source heat pumps and energy recovery systems.

down 73 %

EUI* is down by making thoughtful, green choices. *Energy Use Intensity…think of it as the miles per gallon rating of the building industry!

Above: A drone photo shows the completed terrace of Phase III, the only extension of the original Rogers footprint.

Opposite page: The ceramics studio is a bright, sun-filled space with lake and mountain views to inspire creativity! Featuring new wedging tables, six throwing wheels (with space for four more as the program expands), two new kilns, sinks, storage, and even a clay recycler, the studio is equipped with everything students need for their projects. With gallery space just around the corner to display finished pieces, the entire community is able to view what our students’ hands create. “The futures of multitudes of Bobcats have been changed for the better,” says arts faculty member and alum Alicia (Childers) Butcher '01 of all the creative spaces in Phase III. “They will have opportunities to throw clay and explore new mediums! Thank you to all those who made this possible.”

The Robotics Team got a sneak peek tour of their new lab a few weeks before construction ended. Now, with the space is in full use, they are fabricating intricate mechanisms, coding, waterjet cutting, planning for competitions, and honing their technical prowess.

Once the Advancement Team secured funding for the Reimagine Rogers project, they handed the ball over to project managers Peter Gilligan (Chief Technology and Operations Officer) and Susan Harrington (Chief Financial Officer). This photo of the dynamic duo during the height of the COVID pandemic has special meaning to Gilligan, who told us, “This photo of us during the Rogers demolition, standing back to back, is how we think of the project—having each other’s backs and tackling it all!”

Green Machine

Choices made with sustainability in mind will inform future projects.

The entire Reimagine Rogers project included sustainable maintenance and construction strategies, not the least of which was re-using the Rogers structure itself. That saved about $3M in project costs right off the bat! Other environmentally friendly aspects include

Air-source Heat Pump (ASHP) as primary heating and cooling source minimizes fossil fuel energy consumption. (There are propane-fired boilers as a supplemental heating source for the depths of winter.)

High-performance building envelope to meet or exceed the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code® (the old Rogers did not have exterior insulation).

Low Global Warming Potential (GWP) materials and installation methods, like wall insulation made with a high ratio of recycled fiberglass and durable end grain flooring.

FROM LEFT: PAT O'CONNOR (2); KARA MCDUFFEE

Remembering a Friend

The Robotics Lab is named in memory of Tyler Balint ’21 (inset), a quiet and caring young man who loved Brewster, and saw that love returned. Tyler was an integral member of one of Brewster’s first robotics teams, and his passion for the technical aspects of robotics was only matched by his skill in theater production. The lab that is now part of his legacy is bright and airy, with ample storage space for the many tools and materials needed to compete in various robotics challenges. Flexible work tables enhance collaboration, something Tyler enjoyed very much.

“Right now we are running three different robotic systems (Vex for robotics class, First Tech and First Robotics challenges) out of the space and using the cabinets along the wall," says Robotics Coach Tom Hill. "This allowed us to keep all of the parts organized and individual spaces so students know where to get their material. With a new 3-D printer with a build space of 6’ x 2’ x 2’, students can print large or multiple parts simultaneously.”

“I learn so much by looking at my surroundings. Be open to learning all the time, because there is something happening all the time.”

—Jim Curvey sharing some of his favorite advice.

Q&A with Mr. Curvey

AS BREWSTER CELEBRATES A MILESTONE FOR THE JAMES C. CURVEY SCHOLAR PROGRAMS, WE SAT DOWN FOR A WIDE-RANGING CHAT WITH ITS BENEFACTOR.

Like many in Brewster’s community, I already knew the inspiring story of Mr. James Curvey when we spoke for this Q&A story. He comes from a line of hard workers: Dad left 6th grade to work to support his family. Mom wanted to be a nurse, but didn’t have the funds to get the degree. As a couple, they modeled a strong work ethic for their own family. Mr. Curvey admits that in high school he majored in “sports and girls,” but when he landed at Villanova, “a kid from the coal region of Pennsylvania,” his life changed forever. Young Jim became a disciple of hard work paired with education—the key to building the life he wanted. And now, decades later, he has used his personal success to build a program like no other at his alma mater and Brewster, a school with which he had no personal connection other than wanting to provide top-drawer educational experiences for students in the Lakes Region (his summer home). Now, as Brewster celebrates the 15th year of students benefiting from his largesse, vision, and involvement, we checked in with Mr. Curvey.

Q. Can you share with readers how the idea for the Curvey Scholar Programs came about?

A. I was on the board at Villanova for 10 years, and we were involved in raising a lot of money. The idea of naming a building after me came up and that just didn’t turn me on. The long and short of it was I’ve always been interested in education, and it occurred to me that I come from this pretty poor part of Pennsylvania, maybe I should do something for the kids there. We came up with very

simple requirements. First of all, you had to have a financial need. Secondly, you had to come from the high school where my wife and I graduated, and you must be accepted by Villanova.

Q. And that was the model you followed for Brewster?

A. Yes. We have a home up there and have been visiting New Hampshire for 35 years. We came up with the same requirements as Villanova: students must have a financial need, be accepted by Brewster, and in this case, come from the Lakes Region. Simple, straightforward.

Q. One of the unique aspects of your work at Brewster is the levels of support you offer students. First there is a scholarship to attend Brewster, then there is an opportunity to travel in the U.S. or Canada with your fellowship, and on top of that, you’ve added a scholarship for a Brewster student to attend Villanova. And in the last year you added another unique layer.

A. Yes, one of the things that makes this program successful and unique is the fact that at Villanova, and now at Brewster, I’ve endowed a position. So there’s a full time person at

Brewster, Lynne Palmer, to make this thing work every single day, because I couldn’t do all this stuff myself.

Q. And yet many years of Brewster’s Curvey Scholars are quick to say that your personal involvement has meant a great deal to them.

A. Well, yes. I’ve stayed involved—we have reunions when the alumni come back and the current students are there with their parents and sometimes grandparents— that’s wonderful. Here is one of the key principles about this: I wanted to give money to something, but giving money away intelligently is really hard. I wanted to be personally involved, and I think that does make all the difference. And it’s modeling for everyone in the program what one person can do—that’s an important part of it, too.

Q. How do you like to spend your time when you’re not collaborating with Brewster and Villanova on your programs there?

A. Well, I used to love to play golf, and I enjoy boating on the lake. My wife and I do a lot with our children and grandchildren; and some travel. But I am still working—I flunked retirement!

Enjoy the rest of our conversation with Mr. Curvey in our special feature online at brewsteracademy.org/curvey-qa, where he shares the most beautiful place he’s ever traveled and gives down-to-earth tips on how to succeed in the office.

Opposite: Jim Curvey with the Villanova Wildcat and Brewster Bobcat. Right: Current and alumni Curvey Scholars celebrating 10 years of Curvey Scholar graduates in 2023.

A deeply meaningful (and fun!) part of the Brewster experience is the learning that happens outside structured hours in the classroom or on the sports fields and courts. From beloved Brewster traditions and service opportunities to campus activities and local excursions, Brewster’s campus life programming in the evenings and on weekends is designed with intention. The offerings here are all about building community within community and creating space for students to grow as they discover what a “life of purpose” looks like for them.

We sat down with Assistant Head of School for Campus Life James Reilly to learn more about our many activities, and the meaning behind them.

At Brewster, you're never too far from a climbing adventure! Here, Izzy Bailey '27 scales a rockface at the Longstack Precipice, just a few miles from campus.

LIVING OUR BEST CAMPUS LIFE

Evenings and weekends at Brewster are designed to build community and a life of purpose.

By Meredith Fidrocki

LIFE AT BREWSTER

Right off the bat, Mr. Reilly points out that Brewster is unique in that campus is embedded in a town, enhancing student life offerings. “It gives our students another perspective of being part of something bigger than themselves,” he says, whether it’s volunteering at a food drive, attending a local youth group, or grabbing a smoothie to enjoy at the Wolfeboro town docks as they take in the sights and sounds of Wolfeboro Bay. Evenings and weekends at Brewster are filled with oncampus activities like coffee houses, dodge ball, crafting, movies, and the clarion call of a fast food delivery. Off-campus offerings include community service opportunities, skiing and riding at the local mountains, shopping excursions, dinners out, and more (day trips to Portland, Maine and North Conway, N.H., are popular). Sometimes an offbeat activity enters the mix and draws a crowd—like learning to bake dog treats in the Palmer Cafe kitchen and distributing them to faculty pets and the local animal shelter.

In warm weather, staff bring floats to the beach so students can enjoy a dip in Lake Winnipesaukee. Annual traditions like the Quad Cup and Random Acts of Kindness Week promote a sense of even deeper connectedness on campus.

TOP Plunging into the cold waters of Lake Winnipesaukee is a bucket list item for many students. They do it for the thrill and for a good cause: The annual Prep Polar Plunge event in the early winter raises thousands of dollars for New Hampshire Special Olympics, and The Polar Bear Club jumps every Wednesday starting in the early spring.

The Palmer Cafe teaching kitchen in the Grayson Student Center is being used with great success: Here, World Languages faculty member Julian LopezKelly (with his young helper) hosts a lesson on making authentic tacos!

RIGHT

TOP Through the decades, Winter Carnival has taken many forms, but one thing never changes: It’s a centerpiece event for campus life and unbridled class spirit. Tug-of-War battles bring out everyone’s competitive nature (including faculty like Katy Varga-Wells in the blue T-shirt, calling the shots for her team in this year’s contest).

RIGHT Winter Carnival’s epic apex is the highly anticipated Lip Sync contest (which includes a lot of dance and costumes too!). Here, a joyful Team Wingard celebrates being named the overall Winter Carnival champions. Making time for weeklong contests like this one are part and parcel of the campus life plan at Brewster—a time for bonding and creativity.

TOP LEFT AND RIGHT The brainchild of student leaders and Head of School Kristy Kerin, “New Hampshire Day” was a huge hit. Students selected one of three excursions in place of regular classes, including hiking to the summit of Rattlesnake Mountain.

LEFT MIDDLE, BOTTOM, AND RIGHT: All smiles from students and faculty who opted to try the corn maze at Moulton Farm in nearby Moultonborough (and sample some of their famous cider doughnuts).

OPPOSITE: A visit to the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center included a walk through the live animal exhibit trails and a chance to learn about wildlife native to our region: American mink, fisher cats, black bears, and of course, bobcats!

A GLORIOUS SETTING

Brewster’s location has always been a partner in cocurricular programming. The lake provides plenty of paddling and rowing opportunities, plus fishing in all seasons for avid anglers. Local trails fill the need for a refreshing nature walk or a serious hike. And Brewster students are as enamored with the many opportunities to climb as the 4.3 million tourists who visit New Hampshire each year. Faculty and staff who enjoy sharing these natural amenities meet students where they are, letting them explore new outdoor hobbies that may become lifelong passions.

Izzy Bailey ’27 already had a passion for climbing when she arrived in Wolfeboro. “I started climbing at 8 years old and have been on two different climbing teams,” she says, “so I would say that I am a fairly experienced climber technique wise. Though Mr. Browher, our climbing instructor, has taught me so much about outdoor climbing and how to do it safely.” You’ll often find history teacher and department chair Jonathan Browher encouraging students in the Climbing Barn and leading excursions to peaks all around the state. “I love climbing because when I’m on the wall it’s just me and the rock. I can push out all the other stressful parts of life and focus on one thing,” Bailey shares. “I also love the climbing community. At Brewster everyone I meet is always so supportive of your goals and always cheering you on.”

Students definitely cheered when they heard about New Hampshire Day, a new tradition to help the community of students from more than 20 different states and countries learn more about the state where they live. Every student and faculty member got to choose one of three classic New Hampshire adventures: visiting The Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, hiking Rattlesnake Mountain, or getting lost in the Moulton Farm corn maze.

PURPOSEFUL PLANNING

“To be intentional and purposeful with what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and when we’re doing it—it takes a lot of behind-the-scenes planning and preparation from the Deans’ team and faculty and staff,” Mr. Reilly says. “For example, we schedule community dinners around busy times like finals week, when excitement can be high.” Community dinners—a favorite of Mr. Reilly’s and many Brewster students—bring campus together to enjoy a formal dinner with seating assigned across grade levels so diners can connect with new faces. “It’s a time to pause and remember what it’s all about—that’s something we do really well here,” Mr. Reilly notes. “Brewster leans into our community core values of respect, responsibility, independence, and interdependence. It’s about taking a whole lens of what our community is doing 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We ask ourselves, 'How are we supporting students so that they’re in a place to be successful?’ ” While planning is key, Mr. Reilly explains, it’s also important to leave openings for students to suggest and direct their own programming, guided by thoughtful leadership training rooted in Brewster’s values. The results are campus life events students are invested in.

The Brewster Big Friends Club, led by Maggie Doyle ’24 (in photo), Luce Colcord ’25, and Anna Jo ’25, planned the activities and decoration for the much-anticipated Halloween Spooktacular for employees’ kids. “It’s one my favorite BBF events because it is the first one of the year, and it is always great to see the kids in their costumes and having fun playing activities and decorating cookies,” Maggie says. Student volunteers often comment that participating in Brewster Big Friends helps them ease the homesickness of missing younger siblings (aw!).

matches—usually soccer or basketball—for students to connect with young people with intellectual disabilities, promoting inclusion through sport.

TOP:

RIGHT: Head of School Kristy Kerin and Assistant Head of School for Campus Life James Reilly enjoying a recent Community Dinner. OPPOSITE TOP: Community Dinners are a tradition that promote connection—and a chance to dress up a bit! Students are given assigned seating so they dine and mingle with peers outside of their usual groups of dorm mates and team members. OPPOSITE BOTTOM: Brewster Best Buddies, an offshoot of Special Olympics, organizes Unified Sports

THE STUDENT VOICE

“What I love about Brewster is the agency we give students,” says Mr. Reilly, recalling how students founded a Mountain Biking Club (now offered as a popular interscholastic sport), or how students from the Environmental Club recently collaborated with campus partners and local farmers to educate the Brewster community about sustainability.

“Through leading the Environmental Club, I was given the opportunity to strengthen my leadership skills,” Liam Fahey ’24 shares. “I was also given the opportunity to collaborate with students to create change on our campus. Through working with my peers, I was opened up to a wide range of perspectives, which helped me to think globally about how my actions are able to impact my community.”

Liam notes that, as a day student, he was actively engaged with campus life: “On weekends, I came in and enjoyed the activities that Brewster has to offer. Throughout the week, I participated in a multitude of events.” Mr. Reilly echoes that sentiment, noting that day students have full access to all activities and events.

Class of 2024 senior prefect Ellery Gnazzo ’24 shared the personal growth she experienced through community service opportunities at Brewster: “Volunteering with Best Buddies, the most vital benefit I received was learning to appreciate community service and how giving acts of service can improve your own identity, and even just improve your own happiness. I was also able to connect with people around our community, and seeing them in town or around campus during our Unified Sports games allowed me to expand my community beyond Brewster, which was a gift.”

Mr. Reilly notes, “It’s a collaborative relationship—we get to participate in the community, and the community participates with us, making Brewster this one larger space to live and work in.” Reflecting on Brewster campus life, he adds, “As we’re preparing diverse thinkers for lives of purpose, it is also about enjoying what they do. We want to support students in what their purpose might be, all within the framework of what we do as an institution.”

ALUMNI NEWS

SHARING MILESTONE UPDATES, IMPORTANT NEWS, AND JOYFUL PHOTOS FROM REUNION 2024 LIKE THESE (TURN THE PAGE FOR MORE).

Class of 1927 War Hero Remembered

THE PEOPLE OF THE NETHERLANDS HAVE NEVER FORGOTTEN THE SACRIFICE OF ALLIED SOLDIERS IN WWII, INCLUDING ONE FROM BREWSTER ACADEMY.

Lloyd W. Young graduated from Brewster in 1927. It was a time of great change at Brewster, with the new principal Ralph Bearce taking the reins with his jovial spirit, the newly popular sport of tennis being added to Brewster’s athletic roster, and people gathering around radios to hear the day’s news and band music the “flappers” were dancing to. But like many of his generation, Mr. Young was later called to serve in the war against Hitler’s Germany and its allies. He entered the Army at Fort Devens, Massachusetts in April 1944. Eleven months later, at age 36, he was killed in action. PFC Young served with the 120th

Germany, he and a comrade subjected themselves to enemy tank fire in an attempt to knock out the lead German tank and force a withdrawal. They were successful, but took machine gun fire as they tried to return to a sheltered position. For his heroism, PFC Young received the Silver Star Medal posthumously. PFC Young is remembered on Wolfeboro’s Wall of Honor memorial at the edge of DeWolf Field, a monument the Brewster community walks by every day. Now he is also part of a memorial book created by a group of volunteers in the Netherlands to show the decades-long appreciation for the sacrifices of Young and soldiers like him. The Faces of Margraten: They Will Remain Forever Young (Amsterdam University Press 2023) is the passion project of authors Jori Videc, Sebastiaan Vonk, and Arie-Jan van Hees, who tell the stories of some of the 8,300 American WWII casualties buried at The Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial in the small Dutch town of Margraten near Maastricht. (The cemetery is one of the 26 overseas American cemeteries that are administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission.)

“We wanted to create a lasting monument in print to these men and women,” the authors said. “This commemorative book stands as a testament to their service and sacrifice and is not meant to be tucked away on a shelf. Rather, we believe, it is deserving of a prominent place on anyone’s coffee table, in a classroom, in the library, or in a veterans’ post as a daily reminder of those to whom we owe so much,” they added. The people of the Netherlands have never forgotten the service and sacrifice of these soldiers, including the one who once walked the same halls as today’s Bobcats in a little town on Lake Winnipesaukee.

Editor’s Note: We searched in vain for any photo of Lloyd Young ’27 in our archives and yearbook collection, but to no avail. If anyone is in possession of a 1927 Brewster yearbook and would like to scan his photo for us, we’d be honored to run it in our next

Editor's Request

Readers, we’ve got two features brewing for future issues, and could use your help. If you are a veteran or active duty military and would be willing to be interviewed about your service, what it means to you, and how it has shaped your life of purpose, please let us know. And if you were inspired to pursue a career in teaching because of your experience at Brewster, we’d love to hear from you as well. Just send a note to Suzanne Morrissey, Editor, Brewster magazine at 80 Academy Dr. Wolfeboro, N.H. 03894 or an email to smorrissey@ brewsteracademy.org. Thank you!

Last winter's Winni Classic was a blast, with alumni, faculty, and friends battling it out (in a fun way, of course) on the ice. After a 9-9 tie, the gang enjoyed a reception in the Boathouse. Plans are underway for the Winni Classic's return this winter…we'll keep you posted!

REUNION 2024

The photos really tell the story of Reunion 2024, when more than 150 alumni returned to Wolfeboro to enjoy a spring weekend on the Lake, reconnect with classmates, explore old haunts, and tour new spaces. Many planned their Reunion visit with friends and stayed in the dorms—others brought their children to see where Mom and Dad went to school. Folks jumped into pickleball and lacrosse games, and faculty members Michelle Rafalowski and Jonathan Browher led two adventures: a kayak tour on the water and a hike at Castle in the Clouds, respectively! Many

alumni, faculty, staff, and friends attended and spoke at two moving events during Reunion 2024: The dedications of the Tyler Balint ’21 Robotics Lab and the Peter Mann Gathering Spot, both at the Reimagined Rogers building. With great meals (hello, Lobster Dinner), the welcome reception, and the farewell brunch, there was something for everyone. In the meantime, enjoy these shots—you can find even more on Brewster’s Flickr account online.

REUNION 2024

MEET THE TEAM

Not too long ago, the folks who make up Brewster’s Advancement Team moved to new digs. Or shall we say old digs? The group took over what was called the Arts Cottage before the arts faculty moved to the renovated Rogers Building. Originally, the little house with the jaunty slanted roof was a boat house. After the fire in the original Academic Building, it was moved by horse drawn wagon to a spot further away from the lake to step in as a temporary science classroom. Over the years it served as various office spaces and was even the very first Alumni and Development Office. In the late 1980s it was moved once again to its current campus location just across the parking lot from Estabrook, and now it is the new home of these dedicated Brewster employees who do the alumni relations and fundraising work of the school. Let’s learn a bit more about them.

MICHAELA BECKWITH

Administrative Assistant and Database Specialist

Years at Brewster: 3

Smiles when: “I connect with an Alumni on campus or over the phone about their time at Brewster. Their stories are unique and impactful; all part of Brewster’s history and future. I also smile watching the students pass by our new office location on the way to class, lunch, and their co-curriculars!”

TARA DANIELSON

Major Gifts Officer

Years at Brewster: 1

Smiles when: “I see the lake for the first time each morning.”

BETH HAYES ’81, P16, 17, 17

Associate Director of Advancement Years at Brewster: 41, if you count her four years as a student (and we do!)

Smiles when: “I smile when alumni stop by campus and I get to hear about their Brewster experience! Every alum has a different story to share and I hope to hear more.”

JOHN NORTHROP P’24, ‘25

Director of Advancement

Years at Brewster: 5

Smiles when: “I bump into my kids, Jack and Addy, and their fellow Bobcat friends on campus.”

LYNNE PALMER P’08, P’09, P’12

James C. Curvey Endowed Program Director

Years at Brewster: 36

Smiles when: “I remember my first job at Brewster in the Alumni/Development Office in this building with Matt Hoopes upstairs in the Journalism classroom. I think it’s amazing that this building has been a boathouse, a classroom, an office, an arts studio, and now back to Advancement. It shows that we honor the past and embrace positive changes.”

NANCY PREVOST

Major Gifts Officer

Years at Brewster: 2

Smiles when: “I smile when parents tell me about the positive and sometimes transformational impact that the Brewster experience has on their child—and when I see the lake as I arrive at the office.”

Smiles when: “I see the delight and joy on alumni faces when they see each other for the first time in many years. I’ve reflected that delight and joy many times myself over the years!”

DANIELLE KRAUSE

The Fund for Brewster & Alumni Relations Officer Years at Brewster: Two or four if you count the years she was here in another role on the Advancement Team (and we do!)

Left: Brewster’s Advancement Team hosted a doughnut and cider giveaway outside its new office digs in the fall as a special treat for students, faculty, and staff. Posing here just before hordes of hungry Bobcats enjoyed their hospitality between classes, they are (from left) John Northrop, Michaela Beckwith, Nancy Prevost, Danielle Krause, and Beth Hayes (not pictured: Tara Danielson and Lynne Palmer). Above: The new Advancement Office

A Milestone Celebration

VERY HAPPY TIDINGS TO TWO OF BREWSTER’S BIGGEST CHEERLEADERS AND SUPPORTERS, DAN AND KATHY MUDGE!

Dan and Kathy Mudge celebrated their 50th anniversary this year, and took the whole family to Turks and Caicos for a grand celebration. Parents of Tapley-Ann ’98 and Ashley ’02, the Mudges have been involved with Brewster for three decades. Dan is the former Chair of the Board and now a Trustee Emeritus. Kathy is also a former Board member. And they were both on campus in April for the Board meeting, the Scholarship Luncheon (they founded the Mudge Scholarship), and the Leadership Donor Reception. Thank you, Dan and Kathy! Brewster is grateful for your support and celebrates your golden anniversary.

Hall of Fame Inducts

More Greats

Congratulations to the 2024 Brewster Athletics Hall of Fame inductees (from left): former longtime Associate Athletic Director and Coach Kate Turner P’90, ice hockey and soccer player Sadie Wright Ward ’03, the 2010-2011 Boys’ Crew Team (represented here by John Steensma '12, Ryan Ingram '11, Hunter Holtz '11), and Olympic rower Chris Carlson ’15

The winningest crew program in Brewster history, the 2010-2011 Crew Team also includes Josh Barr ’13, Jon Behning ’11, Cameron Bierwith ’11, Ryan Cooke ’13, Benedikt Floto ’11, Christopher Geyssel ’14, Kristin Geyssel ’12 (coxswain), Greg Hunt ’13, Sam Joseph ’11, Joseph Mullaney ’14, Addie Murray ’12 (coxswain), David Nieman ’11, Patrick Perry ’14, Leanordo Santiago ’13, Leah Soboroff ’12 (coxswain), Raymond Soriano ’12, Tyler Sorkin ’14, Ryan Suriol ’14, Mitchell Turner ’13, Nick Docter ’97 (Head Coach), and Liz MacLeod (Assistant Coach).

Class Notes

Thanks to everyone who sent in a Class Note for this issue. The section is chock full of terrific, interesting updates. Have some news for a future issue? Send it on in! Weddings, tales of travel, new jobs, retirements, happy achievements, family additions, or other life updates are all welcome. Feel free to share a shoutout to a favorite teacher or a Brewster classmate, too. They all belong here! Email us at alumni@brewsteracademy.org, and be sure to include a hiresolution photo if you can.

1953

“Still reading widely. On the farm, we’ve conserved our forest. Still growing a garden and going deer hunting in our woods,” is the word we heard from Rudy “Socks” Carlson.

1961

Robert “Bob” Kennington has been retired for 23 years, and reported “migrating between three locations annually—one of which is returning to Lake Winnipesaukee every summer since 1943!” Bob also shared, “U.S. Navy years followed a theme similar to The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy, but a decade earlier. Authored two copyrighted books on forensic ballistics.” / We loved hearing from Dotti Kay that she, along with classmates Betsy Fernald Maier and Chuck Niblett, planned a Class of ’61 Mini Reunion on September 7, 2023 at the home of Noel Wright Cantwell in Moultonborough. “Since we were unable to attend the Alumni Class Reunion at Brewster in June 2023, this was a chance for us to be together so that we could get caught up with our lives since

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the last time we had seen one another. We all had a wonderful time and were very appreciative of Noel for hosting the get together at her lovely new home,” Dotti shared.

1964

Gary Ambrose, Professor Emeritus at Maine College of Art who lives in the Western Mountains of Maine wrote, “I remain an avid skier at Bretton Woods in New Hampshire and Pleasant Mountain in Maine. I am also enjoying cycling on The Mountain Division Trail in Maine.” His home and studio are in an apple orchard on the southern side of Allen Mountain. “These natural surroundings provide inspiration for my art and the opportunity for quiet and solitary contemplation: the change of seasons, the natural selection in field and grasses, and the growth of tree limbs toward light and moisture,” he shares, adding that he had a sculpture exhibition titled “This is Out of Hand” at The Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art in Portland.

1968

Peter McGinn tries to visit Wolfeboro a few times a year, and told us, “I value the time I spent as a Bobcat and enjoy visiting campus. This past September I was in town to play in the Lakes Region Pickleball Tournament, which I’ve competed in the past three years. I had the pleasure of spending a short time with my Bobcat hoop coach Dave Pollini at his Wolfeboro golf shop. He gave me a few golf tips and we reminisced about the basketball squad that had two quality guards: Steve Lewis and Kevin

Olmstead. Our front line consisted of football players masquerading as hoopsters. Retirement life is wonderful—spending time with my wife, family, and doing some traveling. All the best to my classmates!”

1972

Peter Sortwell and his family took a trip to Egypt, including four days cruising on the Nile. “I’m glad we went when we did!” Peter said. Looks like the camel rides were especially fun.

1976

Melissa Marson shared a newsy travel update with us over the winter: “After spending 28 years in North Conway, in January of 2018 I retired and moved to Melbourne, Florida to take care of my dad, Walter S. Marson ’50. When he passed in 2021, I moved back to N.H., but only as far north as Manchester this time. I did some traveling…most recent was a bucket list road trip I did the first week of June. The mission was to bring half of my dad’s ashes to Circleville, Ohio for burial along with my stepmother’s and stepbrother’s ashes. I left N.H. and headed to Cooperstown, N.Y. to the MLB Hall of Fame. Walking into the room with all of the Hall of Famers’ plaques gave me goosebumps and brought a tear (or two). Stayed overnight and left the next day to shuffle off to Buffalo to Niagara Falls to ride the Maid of the Mist. The power and roar of those falls will stay with me forever. From there I headed to Akron and stayed with a friend for three days. Went to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (fantastic experience). We went to a Red Sox/Cleveland game (Red Sox won). Then off to the NFL Hall of Fame. For football fans, this is a must see. Finally made it to Circleville where I met up with my stepbrother Larry and his daughter, they drove up from Dallas, to bury all the ashes. It was sad, but nice to see them and spend a few days together. After all that, I stopped

Peter Sortwell ’72 and family

off in West Virginia and spent a few days with my stepsister to regroup. Then back home to the Granite State. I did nine states in nine days and went 1,911 miles. What an amazing trip. I’m pooped—I think I’ll retire for a while!”

1981

Jeffrey Zerilli, a proud alumnus of Brewster and former captain of the sailing team, sent this update: “Went on to college. Dropped out. Got a back office job on Wall Street and in 1988 got married and moved to Ithaca, New York. There we had three children and I built a very successful commercial materials testing laboratory (IMR Test Labs). Grew that business to locations in Ithaca; Charleston, South Carolina; and Louisville, Kentucky before selling. I live happily in Vermont with Cynthia Matheson.”

1983

David Manning sent in this update: “Enjoyed celebrating our 32nd wedding anniversary in Croatia. Got to share this experience with our kids and their plus ones.” Gorgeous photos! Thanks, David. / John McKenna has been busy: “Forty years since I graduated (what?) and I finally bought a house. Spending most of my time making improvements and working.”

1985

Chris Aeschliman has spent some impressive time on the court! “I have some tennis news for you,” he wrote in. “I played competitively in the United States Tennis Association leagues at Great Bay Athletic Club in Newmarket, N.H. from June 2003 until November 2021. I was a team captain on a few of these teams, and played on several teams over this time period. The highlight of playing on these

teams was the 2007 tennis season. I both captained and played on this team, Great Bay Aeschliman, which had a 7-3 record.” The team also played very well at Districts in August of 2007, when Chris played the number 1 and number 2 singles positions on those teams.

1990

We smiled at Katie Goldberg’s update, which began, “Things in my life are just wonderful.” Katie is raising one son who is 11 and currently at The Fessenden School in Newton, Mass. “I just got into Pickleball and play golf when I have time,” she shared. “I also am a part-time real estate agent here in the Boston suburbs. I keep in touch with my roommate from Brewster, Kimberly MacDermott. I also keep in touch with my Brewster boyfriend Steven Whitney. They both are doing great. My memories at Brewster are so special.”

1993

“Hello from Healdsburg!” Elizabeth Palmer Traverso wrote in a few months ago. “I had such a great time at my 30th Reunion and saw so many good friends! Life is fun and busy in the food and wine world! My food and wine blog, @ healdsburgtable.com is doing great, my wine club continues to grow, and I am doing some catering, which has been fun. My 16-year-old son is driving and starting to look seriously at colleges and my 12-year-old daughter loves tennis and volleyball. If you happen to find yourself in Sonoma County or in Moose, Wyoming, do stop in for a class of wine and a delicious meal!

1995

Justin Stirt wrote in, “Hey Brewster! Just wanted to update my life. Living in Colorado and own a woodworking business building beautiful pieces. Living a happy life with my dog Sophie. I always thank Brewster for instilling a respect for a healthy work ethic and my ability to be independent under pressure.”

1999

Tim Croes shared that after working in customer service for four years, he transitioned into a technician position at a company called Tritium, which manufactures electric car charging stations.

“I help on the production of these chargers in Lebanon, Tennessee, where I live and work.” / Travis Ferland married Gregory Macaraeg on September 9, 2023 in Rangeley, Maine. Congratulations! /

“I’ve been living the dream!” wrote Ramsey (Cotherman) Eschleman. “In February I got married to the love of my life after six years. Got to visit my bestie from the Class of 1999, John Sarmanian, while in Clearwater for my oldest son’s (Max) hockey tournament. And am now cheering on my youngest son (Dutch) in soccer. Trying to convince Max to become a Bobcat!”

2000

Married 14 years and living in Gloucester, Mass., Meredith (Crumley) Stevens shared, “Although I’m still working as a legal secretary I’m pursuing fitness and have become certified as a personal trainer. I’m currently teaching aquatic fitness, yoga, as well as a chair fitness class at the local YMCA. I’m still running and my final ‘bucket list’ race is The Mount Washington Road Race.”

2003

Drennan Burns wrote, “Got married in May 2023! Teaching and coaching basketball in Manchester By The Sea.” / Evan Carlson shared, “Had an amazing

Jeffrey Zerilli ’81

David Manning ’83

Justin Stirt ’95 with pooch Sophie

Travis Ferland ’99 (right) with his husband

Tim Croes ’99

Ramsey (Cotherman) Eschleman ’99 and sons

time at the 2023 Winni Classic with great friends from the Class of 2003.” / Laura (Guerin) Lovett shared, “It’s been a really busy year! Had surgery on my foot, helped my parents move into a retirement community, coaching goalkeepers, and doing much more! Thankfully things are starting to wind down. Had a fabulous 40th birthday in Seattle! Hoping this next year will allow me to do more traveling and see some Brewster alumni!” / James Walker sent a career update: “I have worked at Weber Shandwick and was promoted last year to General Manager of the Baltimore, Maryland office. I focus on continued growth in the market, particularly in energy, healthcare and technology.”

2004

Fabian Schmidt shared, “Life has been great for us. We actually just had our third daughter—little Nola is healthy and well. We moved to Munich and sold our AI company to a New York-based startup at the end of 2021. I still tell many people about my time at Brewster. I loved the way Mrs. Found taught me math and the excitement I learned about solving a problem. This influenced me so positively, and after 15 years of hard work, I did kind of

overachieve all my life goals and am now thinking more about how I can try to pass that on.” How kind! Fabian also said that he wants to try starting another company, but then would like to either start a nonprofit or teach.

2006

Erin (Wadlinger) Mertz told us, “This year I celebrated eight years of marriage with my husband Rob, the 4th and 6th birthdays of my sons John and Ryan, and the 8th birthday of my daughter Norah. I have stepped back from emergency room nursing to stay home and homeschool the three kids. I teach young elementary age kids in a homeschool co-op and I’ve joined the youth ministry team at my Catholic parish in Somersworth, New Hampshire. Life is busy and stressful at times, but so gloriously normal and simple. Spending time shuttling kids to sports and Irish dance truly feeds my soul.”

2008

Erin (Knapp) Cassidy and her husband, Patrick, welcomed a baby girl, Abigail, in August 2023. She is currently working as a Digital Marketing Manager at UPPAbaby where Abigail will help do fit tests for new baby products like strollers and car seats!

2011

Paige Cushing shared she’s an “avid northeast hiker and skier currently finishing the NY 46rs to finish off the 115 northeast highest peaks.” In May 2023, she was in the first vehicle up the Mt. Washington Auto Road to ski the snow

fields. When not on the slopes, she lives and works in Manchester, New Hampshire and works “as an office manager and assistant working in dentistry for five plus years now specializing in endodontics.”

2012

Cinematographer Logan Floyd told us, “I am excited to share that Baldur Thor Dagbjartsson ’14 and I teamed up to shoot a short film in November 2023 in the Hudson Valley area of New York. Dagbjartsson is the producer and lead actor.” The film, “Get You Better,” came out this spring, and was produced through Dagbjartsson and his partner Danica Jensen’s production company, Lab Partners Productions. The script for the project went through development at the notable Sundance Collab and is now hitting the festival circuit after making its world premier at the Provincetown Film Festival.

2014

Sean Cassidy joined the Durham, New Hampshire Police Department last year, officially sworn in and receiving his badge on December 4, 2023. “This has been a lifelong dream that is finally coming to fruition thanks to the leadership team at Durham PD and all those who have supported me. I guarantee I will give it my all and be the best police officer that I can be. I am extremely grateful to have been hired by Durham PD and I could not be more excited for the future. This is a great honor and I will treat it as such. When we talk about Brewster preparing their students for lives of purpose, I think this is a perfect example.” We agree, Officer Cassidy!

2021

Jaylen Morris wrote in about this travel adventure:

“This summer my Brewster roommate Michael Provenzano ’21 and I traveled with Mr. Mann to the Maldives! It was just like the pictures that you see online with the over-the-water villas and marine wildlife swimming beneath you. It was a trip I will never forget and I’m thankful to Brewster for bringing these people into my life. Lifelong friends for sure.”

Meredith (Crumley) Stevens ’00 (right) with her husband

Drennan Burns ’03 (left) with his wife

Erin (Wadlinger) Mertz ’06 with her husband

Laura (Guerin) Lovett ’03 and her husband

James Walker ’03

Class of ’03 friends (from left) Chris Betti, Ben Lord, Evan Carlson, and Ryan Tracy

Erin (Knapp) Cassidy ’08 and her family

Paige Cushing ’13

Jaylen Morris ’21 (left) and Michael Provenzano ’21

Sean Cassidy ’14

In Memoriam

WITH SADNESS WE SHARE THE NAMES OF THOSE IN OUR GREATER BREWSTER COMMUNITY WHO HAVE PASSED SINCE OUR LAST ISSUE. WE REMEMBER THEM WITH GRATITUDE THAT BREWSTER WAS A PART OF THEIR LIVES.

ARTHUR O. RICCI

Former Trustee Arthur O. Ricci died on May 11, 2023 at age 89. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, Mr. Ricci served for three years as a Naval Officer at sea and in Japan before embarking on his legal career in Boston. At Brewster, he served faithfully on several committees that furthered the mission and scope of the Academy.

FORMER TRUSTEE

Arthur O. Ricci

May 11, 2023

Framingham, Mass.

Shawn K. Smith P’08

May 19, 2024 Horseshoe Bay, Texas

FORMER FACULTY

Ronald J. Mikulak

January 10, 2023

Louisville, Ken.

David J. Pollini ’57

December 18, 2023

Wolfeboro, N.H.

STAFF/FORMER STAFF

Eleanor D. Barrett

November 25, 2023

Hingham, Mass.

Steven Cohen

February 25, 2024

Alton, N.H.

Dianne (DeNee)

Simpson January 16, 2024

Conway, N.H.

ALUMNI

1944 Jefferson C. Lovering Jr.

August 16, 2022

Wolfeboro, N.H.

1945

Patricia (Wilkinson)

Catalfo

October 28, 2023 Dover, N.H.

1947

Barbara (Chandler)

Spalding

May 20, 2023

Newburyport, Mass.

1948

William H. Borden Jr.

STEVEN COHEN

February 26, 2023

Keene, N.H.

Gloria (Paolucci)

Duchano

August 19, 2023

Wolfeboro, N.H.

Marcia (Severance)

Ruotolo

November 10, 2022

Vero Beach, Fla.

1949

J. Warren Cassidy

June 12, 2024

Mirror Lake, N.H.

Frank J. Connors

January 16, 2024

North Andover, Mass.

Jean (Mason) Furlong

Mason

March 13, 2023

Palm Desert, Calif.

Lucia (Jutras) O'Leary

March 25, 2024 Rochester, N.H.

Irving Surette

September 1, 2023

Pepperell, Mass.

1950

J. David Dunham

June 26, 2023

Wolfeboro, N.H.

Arthur F. Fensod

May 12, 2024

Loudon, Tenn.

Paula (Dye) Garvey

May 11, 2023

Wolfeboro, N.H.

Eunice (Dore) Hodgdon

February 3, 2024

Melvin Village, N.H.

1951

Lorraine (Folsom)

Smith

May 9, 2023

Dagsboro, Del.

1952

William T. Coppins II

July 13, 2023

Winchester, Mass.

Graydon Hodgdon

March 28, 2023

Center Tuftonboro, N.H.

1953

Robert A. Bierweiler

October 13, 2023

Wolfeboro Falls, N.H.

Judith (Carr)

Breuninger

August 1, 2023

Center Tuftonboro, N.H.

Sally (Wilkinson) Edelman

March 30, 2024

Watkins Glen, N.Y.

Marion (Rico) Lampron

June 6, 2023

Rochester, N.H.

Robert L. Sanderson

October 31, 2023

Fryeberg, Maine

1954

Stuart H. Stinchfield

January 14, 2023

Fremont, N.H.

Lawrence A. Thurrell

March 19, 2022

Hockessin, Del.

1956

Marie (Griffin)

Brezosky

January 29, 2023

Pembroke, N.H.

Chester Cotton

December 31, 2022

San Diego, Calif.

John L. Hamlin

July 1, 2023

Rotonda West, Fla.

Clair (Herlihy) Palace

February 6, 2024

Woodstock, Ga.

Ernest G. Pratt

August 24, 2022

Millis, Mass.

Charles R. Tucker

June 13, 2023

Rochester, N.H.

In February 2024, Brewster learned of the unexpected passing of a dear colleague, Steve Cohen, a member of our Dining team. Mr. Cohen was an integral part of the Brewster family for 18 years. More than a colleague, his warm and inviting demeanor left an indelible mark on all who had the privilege of crossing paths with him. Mr. Cohen shared his home with his beloved cat, Sven, and loved classic rock, animals of all kinds, and his family. “Steve radiated warmth and friendliness to everyone at Brewster and he will be missed,” Head of School Kristy Kerin said in a message to employees. “He created a welcoming environment for our entire community through the genuine ways he reached out and connected with others.”

1957

Robert E. Andrews Esq.

June 3, 2022

Danville, N.H.

Cecily (Ballou) Quimby

July 15, 2024

Laconia, N.H.

1958

Robert W. Campbell

October 15, 2022

Marblehead, Mass.

A. Vivian (Tutt) Isaacson

May 30, 2023

Wolfeboro, N.H.

Robert A. Ware

March 19, 2022

Tewksbury, Mass.

1959

George A. Hodgson

June 20, 2023

Woonsocket, R.I.

Jane (Lampron) Mahon

May 20, 2024

Carmel, Maine

Nathan W. Stevens

June 12, 2023

Virginia Beach, Vir.

Henry F. Tutt

May 10, 2024 Springfield, Vt.

1960

Paul L. Bartram

January 8, 2023 Byfield, Mass.

Fenneke (ter Weele)

Joslin

July 1, 2022

Denver, Colo.

John C. Morse

August 6, 2023

Wilmot, N.H.

DAVID POLLINI ’57

Dave Pollini died on December 18, 2023, at age 84, having spent most of his life in Wolfeboro. As a Brewster student, he excelled in baseball, soccer, and basketball, and was a full-scholarship athlete at Boston University. There, he became co-captain of both the soccer and baseball teams. He hit .396 his fourth year and still holds the single game scoring record for soccer with five goals in one game. With his biology degree from BU, Mr. Pollini became a biology teacher at Brewster and coached soccer, hockey, and baseball alongside his mentor Pop Whalen, and good friend Mal Murray. While teaching and coaching, he finished his master’s degree at Plymouth State University. Mr. Pollini was inducted into the Brewster Athletics Hall of Fame in 2004. The Pollini Family (Dave, wife Ann, and their children Susan and Jay) lived in Brown Hall on campus. After his teaching career, Mr. Pollini focused his time as the head pro at Kingswood Golf Club, where he was the pro for 38 years. He played many tournaments in his lifetime, gathering friends and loved ones along the way to enjoy the sport he loved. In recent years, those friends and loved ones could find him at Dave’s PGA Golf Shop on Lehner Street. A celebration of life was held at the Pinckney Boathouse on campus in June.

Sandy (Massey)

Powers

August 18, 2023

Concord, N.H.

1961

Robert A. Snow

March 4, 2024

Wolfeboro, N.H.

Barbara (Hersey)

St. Gelais

January 23, 2024

Portsmouth, N.H.

Gloria (Adjutant)

Tasker

April 7, 2024

Center Tuftonboro, N.H.

1962

John “Jeff” F. Goodwin

June 2, 2024 Wolfeboro, N.H.

Richard A. Nonemaker

May 19, 2023

Chambersburg, Penn.

Weld D. Schoonmaker

May 30, 2024

Wolfeboro, N.H.

1963

Phillip C. Fernandez

January 31, 2023

July 5, 2024 Buxton, Maine

Ann (Louden) Sullivan

June 4, 2022 Washington, N.J.

1967

Frederick M. Alford June 10, 2024 Windsor, Conn.

Jeffrey A. Wingate

August 5, 2022 Phippsburg, Maine

1968

John L. MacIver

June 6, 2024 Stover, Mo.

John E. Perkins

March 10, 2024 Nottingham, N.H.

1971

Timothy J. Coleman November 11, 2023 Hingham, Mass.

Erick T. Van Sickle April 1, 2024

Arundel, Maine

1976

Stephen R. Tarbell

April 5, 2022

Walpole, Mass.

Diane M. Bergeron

April 24, 2022

Malden, Mass.

1977

Michael A. Carrigan

July 3, 2023

Plaistow, N.H.

1979

Barry S. Knowles

April 20, 2023

Las Vegas, Nev.

1982

Mireille C. Taft

April 28, 2024

Oklahoma City, Okla.

1983

Scott E. Hubbard

March 24, 2022

Clinton, N.J.

Lawrence B. Morris

September 23, 2023

Westminster, Colo.

1989

William G. Weatherly April 20, 2023

Providence, R.I.

1993

Scot M. Connell

June 6, 2022

Boston, Mass.

1995

Nicole R. Tilley

October 7, 2023

Valley Village, Calif.

2019

Eli T. Ettinger

May 2, 2022

New York, N.Y.

Anthony J. Lomasney

April 20 2024 Braintree, Mass.

2022

Ariela Kellerman

January 3, 2023

Santa Ana, Costa Rica

Essex Junction, Vt.

Francis Nimmons

October 7, 2023

Fayetteville, Ohio

1964

Everett A. Edmunds

October 1, 2023 Plaistow, N.H.

Gail (Adjutant)

Patterson

September 10, 2023

Ossipee, N.H.

Claudia (Christie) Roberts

Former Brewster Trustee Shawn Kelleher Smith died on May 19, 2024, at age 78. A graduate of Brown University, he was an excellent athlete on the basketball court and the baseball field, and enjoyed a long career in investing as well as a large and loving family (including Susan ’08). In retirement, he turned his attention to non-profit work, and served as the Chair of the Board at Wolfeboro’s Huggins Hospital. He played a pivotal role in the $55 million construction and expansion of the hospital that serves the community. After moving to Texas, Mr. Smith’s commitment to community continued as he served on organizations dear to him, including as a Chancellor with the Knights of Columbus and President of the Men’s Golf Association in Horseshoe Bay.

SHAWN KELLEHER SMITH P’08

Coach and faculty member Dave Pollini ’57 (right) with his wife Ann and Mal Murray at the 2004 Athletics Hall of Fame induction.

Shawn Smith at the 2007 Bobcat Open

Mystery Photo

A stroll amongst the file boxes in the archives led us to this shot of three snappy dressers chatting between classes. Can anyone identify the three penny-loafered lads? Let us know at smorrissey@ brewsteracademy.org. We’ll have more mystery photos up for identification in future issues. Thanks for the help!

MAY 30-JUNE 1

Save the Date

You are cordially and enthusiastically invited to Reunion 2025! Brewster Reunion 2025 is Friday, May 30 through Sunday, June 1, and the lake is calling all Bobcats home! Mark your calendars to join in the fun, friendship, and special moments. We will be celebrating our milestone years (ending in 0s and 5s) with an extra special celebration for the Class of 2020! All alumni are encouraged to attend. Registration opens February 2025.

LAKE TIME It is often said that one of Brewster's biggest selling points is its lakefront location. And on days like this one, when alumni visiting for Reunion enjoyed being out on the water in kayaks, it's easy to see why. With a half mile of shoreline, the campus offers so much—including a unique Freshwater Biology class!