The Calhoun Chronicle, Winter 2011

WINTER 2011

TheCalhounChronicle Celebrating Teachers

page 16 Little Calhoun Celebrates the World’s Cultures page 24 Great Chemistry page 26 From the Adirondacks to Africa and Asia page 28

BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2010–2011

THE CALHOUN CHRONICLE | Winter 2011

Eric Potoker ’85 Chair

The Calhoun Chronicle is published twice each year by the Communications Office for alumnae/i, current and former parents, staff and friends.

Karen Segal Vice Chair Jon Brayshaw Treasurer Erika Brewer Secretary

Steven J. Nelson Head of School LIFE TRUSTEES Robert L. Beir* Eric B. Ryan *deceased

HONORaRy TRusTEEs

Jill Bargonetti Andrea Booth James Glasgow Melanie Griffith Dylan Hixon Pamela Kauppila David Kramer ’02 Melissa Liberty Dana Loft Mary Louie Debra Mayer Marc Murphy Colleen Pike Blair Markus Redding Shaiza Rizavi Susan Thomson Rolf Thrane Milton L. Williams, Jr.

Edwin Einbender* Constance Stern Flaum ’39 Ronald M. Foster, Jr.* Sally Goodgold Lawrence S. Harris Mark S. Kaufmann Anne Frankenthaler Kohn ’39* Peter D. Lederer Stuart Levin* David C. Masket* Joan Masket Arthur S. Olick Elizabeth Parmelee* June Saltzman Schiller ’42 Jesse I. Siegel Mary-Ellen Greenberger Siegel ’49 Allen B. Swerdlick Edward S. Tishman *deceased

Assistant Editor Alison Bennett alison.bennett@calhoun.org Alumnae/i News Bart Hale ‘00 bart.hale@calhoun.org Copy Editor Amy Edelman Editorial Assistants Angela Fischer Michelle Raum Contributing Writers Jennifer Arcure Steve Nelson Jessica Dudley John Roeder Ali Werner Photographers Alison Bennett Marc Calcano Lori Dorr ’92 Angela Fischer Beth Krieger Camila Otero Giovanni Pacifici Design Iris A. Brown Design, LLC

PA R E N T S A S S O C I AT I O N 2 0 1 0 – 2 0 1 1

OFFICERS Co-Presidents Pamela Kauppila Mary Louie

Vice Presidents, Middle School Amy Edelman Lisa Konorty

Secretary Louise Gore

Vice Presidents, Lower School/81st Ellen Coven Mare Rubin

Treasurer Andrea Black Vice Presidents, Upper School Janice Berchin-Weiss Colleen Pike Blair

Vice Presidents, Lower School/74th Paige Lyne Daniela Menghi

Calhoun’s mission: To inspire a passion for learning through a progressive approach to education that values intellectual pursuit, creativity, diversity and community involvement.

P H OTO : C A M I L A OT E R O

TRusTEEs

Editor Beth Krieger beth.krieger@calhoun.org

THE CALHOUN SCHOOL Main number: 212-497-6500 Lower School/74th: 212-497-6550 Admissions/81st: 212-497-6542 Admissions/74th: 212-497-6575 Alumnae/i Relations: 646-666-6450 Annual Giving: 212-497-6579 Communications: 212-497-6527 Please send changes of address, phone or e-mail to familyupdates@calhoun.org

ON THE COVER: John’s Cluster is a happy reunion of Calhoun alums from three decades, all of whom now work at their alma mater as teachers or staffers. Feature story, “Celebrating Teachers,” on page 16.

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Contents F E A T U R E S

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Celebrating Teachers

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Little Calhoun Celebrates the World’s Cultures

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Great Chemistry

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From the Adirondacks to Africa and Asia

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D E P A R T M E N T S Viewpoint, by Steven J. Nelson

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School News New Development Team

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Harvest Fest

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Faculty News

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Calhoun Onstage

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Sports

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Alumnae/i News

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Class Notes

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Profile: Sara Jane Goldstein Drescher ’57

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Profile: Barbara Williams Fullard ’66

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Profile: Gay Friendland Nicholson ’69

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Profile: Alexi Savov ’02

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Former Faculty/Staff

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Reunions

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VIEWPOINT

To the Teachers Who Change Lives

by Steven J. Nelson, Head of School

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he recent movie Waiting for Superman ignited a firestorm of praise and, in my view, well-deserved criticism. The film suggested that teachers are the cause of many or most ills in public education. There are many problems in public and private education, but teachers are not one of them. Any dispassionate view of the alleged decline of achievement in American schools would conclude that among the complex variables—cultural shifts, economic and social inequity, inadequate funding, poor public policy, lousy parenting—the only thing that has not changed is the dedication and skill of teachers.

A more apt characterization of teachers might be found in the tribute I wrote in 2004 to a retiring kindergarten teacher, Lil Lulkin. I offer it again as a tribute to all the great Calhoun teachers, then and now.

Dear Lil,

Thirty-five years, 15 kids—give or take—to a class. That makes 525 kids you have loved and taught. You’ve spent about 50,400 hours teaching during those 35 years. That’s enough time to visit Pluto and return, yet you have stayed in one place. Remarkable.

During this, your final year of teaching, rock stars have been idolized, athletes have signed multimillion-dollar contracts before they were old enough to vote and business leaders have been convicted because of shabby ethics and practices. They have been in the The New York Times and you have not. You have stayed in one place, teaching children while controversy swirled over the war in Vietnam, while the Hubble Telescope captured breathtaking pictures of the infant universe, and while the Dow Jones Industrial average went from 750 to 12,000 (and partway back). You have stayed in one place, teaching children, while Elvis died and reappeared in small towns everywhere, while the Berlin Wall fell, and while the nation enjoyed unprecedented prosperity and endured unspeakable terror.

A lot happened while you were just sitting around in one place teaching children!

There is no profession as important as teaching children and you have done it with rare grace, skill, good humor and abundant love. You should be the Time magazine Woman of the Year. You should win multiple Oscars, Tonys and Emmys. You should be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Niceness and the Nobel Prize for Dedication. But you won’t. Teachers don’t become household names unless they do something really awful, and all you have done are really wonderful things.

Yes, you have taught long enough to visit Pluto and return, yet you have stayed in one place. Some people travel to far galaxies and other people prepare them for the trip.

For 35 years you have been Calhoun’s NASA. You have inspired and cajoled, taught and hugged. You have given your hundreds of kids a confident and unconditionally affirming start and sewn their flight jackets with threads of wisdom and joy. You’ve laughed at their five-year-old jokes and been gob-smacked by their insights. You’ve wiped their noses (and behinds) and put smiles back on their faces just when they needed it. And because of you, 525 kids believed they could travel to the stars or accomplish anything they wished. And they have. And they will.

There can be no life achievement greater than to have affected the lives of 525 humans in a profound and irreversible way. In any other context this statement might be trite, but in your case it is irrefutably true: You have changed the world for the better.

Lil Lulkin, Calhoun kindergarten teacher from 1970 to 2004, with Emily Deutchman '04, in 1992.

To slightly amend an old bumper sticker, “If you (can) read this, thank your (child’s) teacher!”

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SchoolNews Calhoun Welcomes New Development Team Calhoun welcomes a reinvigorated Development team this year, led by David smith as the new Director of Development and alumnae/i Relations. Joining David are Bart Hale ’00 as alumnae/i Relations Coordinator, Jessica Dudley as Development assistant and Rachel arky as Campaign assistant. sonia Bonsu ’95 is in her third year as Director of annual Giving, and Barbara Bernard, Development associate, is in her 41st year as a member of the Calhoun community—24 spent in the Development Office.

“I have already learned in my short time here that the Calhoun community is very philanthropic,” says David, who hopes to build on past success and increase giving to Calhoun this year.

David Smith, Director of Development and Alumnae/i Relations, comes to Calhoun from CCS, a fundraising consulting firm. There he developed and directed fundraising campaigns for various nonprofit organizations, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Women for Women International, and Pace University. At the NAACP, the nation’s oldest civil rights organization, David launched a majorgifts fundraising initiative, bringing in nearly $1.7 million in individual major gifts in ten months and creating a majordonor giving society. Prior to joining CCS, David taught government and history in NYC public schools and at Friends Seminary. “My heart is in progressive education, and I am thrilled to be a part of the Calhoun community,” says David.

Sonia Bonsu ’95, Director of Annual Giving, is beginning her third year in that position at Calhoun. But even before taking on the role of employee, she had been an active alumna, serving as representative to the Board of Trustees, cochair of the Alumnae/i Council, and frequent speaker at admissions open houses. Sonia says that, although she has been affiliated with many schools over the years, Calhoun has long been her favorite—ever since she started as a seventh grader. Her memories of those first years have been enormously helpful in yet another role she serves at Calhoun this year—as cluster advisor to five lucky seventh grade girls. Sonia, who has her BA from Harvard and her JD from

Fordham University, is involved in philanthropic activities outside of Calhoun, as well; she is the fundraising advisor to a Harvard scholarship fund created in honor of two undergraduate classmates who passed away, and she is an alumni volunteer for the Prep for Prep Annual Fund.

Bart Hale ‘00, Alumnae/i Relations Coordinator, joined the Development Office this year after four years as a paralegal in the Structured Finance group at Dewey Ballantine LLP. A Calhoun lifer, he was involved in many Upper School activities as a student, serving as editor of the Upper School newspaper, business manager for the yearbook and class president for three years. He played on soccer, basketball and tennis teams, although his proudest contribution to Cougar athletics was helping start the first (and only) high school sailing team in the city. A graduate of Colgate University, Bart continues to work with the university’s alumni office as a member of Colgate’s Leadership Giving Society. He is also helping start a junior committee for the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, and supports various environmental sustainability groups. Bart sees his new position as a chance to give back. “Alumnae/i love this place, and I’m excited to find new ways to better connect them with an institution that helped shape so many of our lives.”

Barbara Bernard, Development Associate and the mother of two Calhoun graduates, Jack ’84 and Daniel ’86, has been part of

the Calhoun community since Jack entered the school in 1970. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, she and her husband, Dick, were active members of the Board of Trustees. Barbara was also a leader in the Parents Association—which was, at the time, the primary fundraising entity for the school. In 1987, after many years of volunteer service, she was hired to work in the Development Office.

Barbara says many of her closest friends continue to be people she met through Calhoun.

Jessica Dudley, Development Assistant, began as a temp last spring but Calhoun smartly brought her on full time this summer! A graduate of Purchase College, she has long been involved with philanthropic work, beginning with her role as phone-a-thon supervisor for her college’s annual fund, and then as co-chair of the

The Development Team (L-R): Jessica Dudley, David smith, Barbara Bernard, Rachel arky, Bart Hale ’00, sonia Bonsu ’95

senior class gift committee. Jessica, who majored in art history and Spanish language and culture, has also worked as an assistant in two art galleries and as a volunteer grant writer.

Rachel Arky joined Calhoun this fall as Campaign Assistant. She has a master’s degree in classical voice from Manhattan School of Music and has performed in venues in New York, Italy and Canada.

Her most recent jobs were in the education department of the Metropolitan Opera, the opera’s gift shop and the music library at Columbia University, but she is excited to be working now at Calhoun, which embodies “the kind of progressive, individualized, creative education” she experienced at her alma mater, Saint Ann’s School in Brooklyn.

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SchoolNews Building the annual Fund, One Family at a Time

CaLHOuN MOuRNs GaIL KOFF, TRusTEE

Contributing to the Annual Fund is the one thing that parents, faculty and staff, alumnae/i, grandparents, former parents and friends of Calhoun can do every year to make sure Calhoun is the best it can be.

That belief is what drives Annual Fund Co-Chairs Andrea Booth (Jake, 10th, Cody, 2nd) and Liz Turner (Clare, 6th, Fiona, 3rd), and Susan and Rick Thomson (Isabelle, 7th, Aidan, 3rd), Co-Chairs of the Annual Fund’s Robert L. Beir Leadership Giving Society.* Last year, for the 2009–10 campaign, more than 76 percent of parents contributed to the Annual Fund—the highest level of participation in Calhoun’s history. But the goal this year is for 100 percent parent participation, with increased support from the wider Calhoun community as well. With that in mind, more than 60 Annual Fund committee volunteers are reaching out to the entire Calhoun community to raise the essential,

Calhoun’s dear friend and Trustee Gail Koff passed away on August 31, 2010.

The cause was complications of leukemia.

Gail had struggled with cancer for many years, keeping the disease at bay while maintaining a remarkably vibrant and generous presence in the lives of her children, her professional colleagues and her many friends in and outside of Calhoun. In addition to her six years of service on Calhoun’s Board—three on the executive committee—Gail was a trustee of the Bank Street School for Children for many years. “Her contributions to progressive education have directly and indirectly affected the lives of thousands of children, a legacy that will endure,” observed Steve Nelson, Calhoun’s Head of School. “Her gentle wisdom and unfailing good humor would be admirable qualities in any person, but seemed heroic in light of the multiple challenges she faced in recent years.”

A distinguished lawyer and founding partner of Jacoby & Meyers, Gail was a pioneer in making legal services more widely available. She was awarded the Highest Leaf Award by the Women’s Venture Fund (2010), honored by the National Association of Women Business Owners (2007) and received the Civic Spirit Award from the Women’s City Club of New York (2002). Working Woman magazine named Jacoby & Meyers in their Top 500 Women-Owned Businesses of 1998 and the New York Law Journal recognized Gail as one of the most influential lawyers in America.

She is survived by her children, Wade Brill ’07, Loren Brill and Micah Brill, and three brothers, Michael, Larry and Peter Koff.

GRANDPARENTS/FRIENDS DAY WHEN: May 2011 WHERE: Robert L. Beir Lower School @ 74th Street It’s become a much anticipated day when Little Calhoun invites grandparents and grandfriends for a morning of classroom visits and welcoming remarks by Head of School Steve Nelson and Lower School Director Kathleen Clinesmith.

This year’s event will be held in early May. If you are a grandparent or relative of a Calhoun student in 3’s through first grade and would like an invitation (with date and details), please send your e-mail address to jessica.dudley@calhoun.org or call 212-497-6578.

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unrestricted funds needed to bridge the gap between tuition and the cost of running Calhoun’s unique educational program.

Their hard work is already paying off.

By October, 100 percent of Calhoun’s Trustees had already pledged their gifts to the Annual Fund. And participation by faculty and staff is up this year as well.

“It’s pretty incredible to have the unwavering support and participation of our teachers, staff and administrators,” says Liz. “When the people who work at the school give so generously, it really motivates the rest of us to step up and give to Calhoun.”

Andrea and Liz hope that each and every family can turn its support for the school and its mission into a gift to the Annual Fund. They are encouraged by the reaction they’re getting from parents like Angela and Barry Cohen, whose son, Zack, started in kindergarten this year.

“We are fortunate to be a part of the Calhoun community,” write Angela and Barry, “and strongly believe that unlocking the unique potential in every child requires all families to support Calhoun through gifts of time, participation or contributions to the Annual Fund. Zack has had a year filled with discovery and tons of fun …We look forward to the journey.”

The Annual Fund supports Calhoun’s small classes, rich and innovative programming, and the team of dedicated educators who help our children thrive.

Andrea and Liz remind community members that gifts of any size really do make a difference: “Calhoun is grateful for every single contribution to the Annual Fund.”

Go to www.calhoun.org/annualfund for more information; also find out about ways of giving at www.calhoun.org/ waysofgiving. *The Robert L. Beir Society recognizes donors who support the Annual Fund at the leadership level of $2,500 and above.

SchoolNews CELEBRaTE CaLHOuN, ROaRING ’20s-sTyLE, aT THE CaLHOuN BENEFIT It’s a Calhoun tradition that goes back more than 50 years. But this year, Calhoun’s Benefit has a new leader, a new location and many other enhancements that will make it a night you won’t want to miss.

Melissa Liberty is the new chair of the Calhoun 2011 Benefit, which this year will celebrate Calhoun “Roaring ’20s–Style.” A mother of three boys—Jack (2nd), Jason (K) and Derek Melissa Liberty, (hoping to enter the Benefit 2011 Chair 3’s this fall)— Melissa is involved with the school on many levels. Aside from having served as a cluster parent, she volunteers on a number of committees and efforts, including the Annual Fund, the Development Committee, the Carnival raffle, admissions tours, and, for the last four years, as a member of the Benefit Committee. Last spring, Melissa joined Calhoun’s Board of Trustees.

As this year’s Benefit Chair, Melissa is looking forward to an incredible party, complete with a speakeasy cocktail hour, live jazz, silent and live auctions, seated dinner, DJ and dancing. Guastavino’s restaurant, a New York landmark, is the

new site for the event and a perfect backdrop for our Roaring ’20s theme. A new addition this year will be the use of wireless hand-held bidding devices for the silent auction and Special Appeal.

Melissa emphasizes that the Benefit “is more than just a party. It is the one night a year that we come together to celebrate our children, our school and our community, and it is a vital element of Calhoun’s fundraising efforts.” The Benefit raised more than $570,000 last year, with one third of these funds coming from ticket sales. Which is why, she says, the most important way to support this event is to buy a ticket and come have a good time. All proceeds from the Benefit go directly to support Calhoun and its mission by helping to pay for competitive teacher salaries, a robust financial aid program, small class sizes, our awardwinning lunch program and topnotch facilities.

The Calhoun Benefit is a volunteerdriven event. Melissa explains, “This event could not happen without the unwavering support of the Calhoun community. I am humbled and so grateful for the team of more than 100 volunteers, the faculty and staff who have already contributed their time and talent, as well as families who have donated incredible auction items and others who continue to underwrite expenses. I hope

that our entire community comes to this event and shows their support for Calhoun and its mission. That is what the evening is all about.”

JOIN US FOR

Calhoun Benefit 2011!

Friday, March 11, 2011 7PM–MIDNIGHT

Guastavino’s 4 0 9 E A S T 5 9 T H S T @ 1 S T AV E F O R I N F O R M AT I O N A B O U T T H E E V E N I N G , THE AUCTIONS, AND TICKETS, GO TO W W W. C A L H O U N . O R G / B E N E F I T

METHENy PERFORMs BENEFIT CONCERT FOR CaLHOuN

Jazz great Pat Metheny (center) with fellow Calhoun parents and concert co-chairs, Melanie and Jason Griffith, at the benefit concert’s post-show reception.

Pat Metheny, Grammy award–winning jazz musician and Calhoun parent, brought his one-man Orchestrion world tour to Calhoun in October, in a special benefit concert to support the school’s annual Fund.

Earlier in the day, Pat performed excerpts from his concert for Lower, Middle and upper school students in three separate assemblies, following each with a question-and-answer session.

audience members were awestruck by the extravagant set (reminiscent of a mad scientist’s lab!), and the rich, layered sound—produced by mechanized musical instruments controlled entirely by Pat as he improvised on his acoustic and electric guitars. The concerts were particularly thrilling in the intimacy of Calhoun’s theater.

The Calhoun community thanks Pat for his generosity, and for the support of those who attended the benefit performance.

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SchoolNews Harvest Festival 2010—Go Blue! the 2010 Harvest Festival, held on the day before thanksgiving, focused on this year’s theme, Go Blue! Clean it. Conserve it. Respect it. a host of activities were designed to increase awareness of issues about water—including climate change, inequity in terms of access, conservation and legislation. students and teachers joined forces in cross-grade “family groups” to participate in science and art projects. at 74th street, the younger children engaged with older students in water play as well as thanksgiving-related activities that included reading stories, playing music, cooking and enjoying cluster feasts.

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6 5. PETITION AGAINST HYDROFRACKING Calhoun community members were asked to sign a petition to New York legislators to ban hydrofracking—a method of extracting natural gas from the earth that causes severe water contamination. the petition was created by ninth grader Joeli Gay for her Community action class. as of November 2010, the New York state assembly had once again failed to take up the hyrofracking moratorium. (l-r) Jason alejo ’14 and us spanish teacher Hernan ortiz helped gather signatures.

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1. NYC TAP WATER GETS THUMBS-UP lower school science teacher amy landau led students in a blind taste test of tap, filtered and bottled water samples.

New York City tap water won as “best tasting,” with 494 votes! Filtered tap water took second place, with 379 votes, and evian bottled water bottomed out, with only 312 nods.

2. WHAT GETS RECYCLED? environmental games challenged kids to guess which products get recycled and which composted. Cody Wolf,

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6. HANDMADE WATER FILTERS FOR THIRDWORLD COMMUNITIES second grade, with his mom, andrea Booth, who volunteered to help with the day’s activities.

3. HOW CLEAN IS OUR WATER? eighth grader Jackson Griffin found evidence of paramecia (microorganisms) in water samples from a pond in Central Park, collected by Ms science teacher Joan Gillman.

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4. OIL AND WATER DON’T MIX a hands-on experiment designed by senior Miranda Watson asked students to try to remove vegetable oil from feathers, to demonstrate the impact of the Gulf oil spill on birds. (l-r) second graders Cody Wolf and liam Hade; sixth grader Maddie rubin; and fifth grader Jake Madsen.

sometimes you have to get your hands dirty in order to get clean water!

Fifth grader teo torrado, third grader abby Geissler and second grader lauryn Midgett enjoyed creating water filters made of clay. us art teacher Chris Garcia explained how mixing sawdust into clay creates a porous filter for any bacteria that is in the water. these inexpensive filters are used in many third-world communities to help sanitize the drinking water.

WATER.ORG CO-FOUNDERS SPEAK AT CALHOUN Matt Damon and Gary White, co-founders of Water.org, came to the Harvest Festival to talk to students and teachers about the desperate need for fresh water and sanitation in third-world countries. In three separate assemblies, they talked to a rapt audience about the fact that more people in the world have cell phones than toilets, and that every 15 seconds, a child dies from lack of clean water and sanitation. “Lack of water is an issue of health and human dignity,” noted Matt.

Gary and Matt used Tic Tacs— given to the students as they entered the theater—as visuals to illustrate the magnitude of the problem. “Who has a white Tic Tac?” asked Gary, to a sea of hands. “Each of you represents the one in eight people worldwide who does not have access to clean water or sanitary toilets.” Matt explained that the poorest people in the world end up paying 400 times more than New Yorkers for each gallon of fresh water, but that the real cost of providing one person with clean water for life is only $25.

Matt Damon, co-founder of After a series Water.org, spoke to of multimedia students about the need to presentations, conserve water and support developing countries. students were invited to lift jerry cans filled with water. Transporting the water from its source to a village, they were told, is often an all-day pursuit that keeps children out of school.

A nonprofit organization, Water.org works to transform hundreds of communities in Africa, South Asia and Central America by providing sustainable ways to access safe water and sanitation.

SchoolNews CALHOUN CARES ABOUT HUNGER Maggie LaMee, Carol Chiavetta and their daughter, third grader Ella LaMee, were part of an enthusiastic group of student, parent, and faculty volunteers who delivered annual Food Drive donations to the West side Campaign against Hunger food pantry on West 86th street and West End avenue. after Harvest Festival activities drew to a close, the spirited group stocked the shelves of the food pantry with a record amount of donations—more than ten huge boxes!

Bruno Tremblay Talks about the arctic Climate Change

By John L. Roeder

IT’S COMMON CENTS!

Humans have been monitoring the evolution of ice in the Arctic by land-based measurements since 1880 and by satellite for the past 30 years. Bruno Tremblay, who has been part of that effort as professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences at McGill University in Montreal, spoke to Upper Schoolers about the significance of their recent findings at a November 19 Town Meeting.

Tremblay showed a graph of the Arctic ice cover, which indicated a steady decline in the last few decades with a severe drop in September 2007. This sudden drop is attributed to the fact that the satellite measurements were still detecting an ice cover while the density of the ice was melting away—until the cover melted completely.

The cause for the increased melting of Arctic ice is believed to be the increased emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, from the combustion of fossil fuels that underpins our lifestyle and our economy.

Carbon dioxide acts as a blanket to warm the earth, Tremblay explained, and the earth’s climate can stabilize only if the concentration Bruno Tremblay, professor of atmospheric and oceanic of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere stabilizes. sciences at McGill university, spoke to upper schoolers Tremblay pointed out that the decrease of about the impact of climate change in the arctic.

Arctic ice since 1990 has been greater than expected. One of the reasons he cited for this is the fact that ice, with its white shiny cover, reflects incident sunlight and the heat that comes with it; but when the ice melts, it becomes dark water, which absorbs more of the incident sunlight and its accompanying heat. This acts to increase the temperature and melt even more ice, in a process known as positive feedback.

Since Arctic ice is already in the water, Tremblay observed that its melting will not increase sea levels. But retreating ice also leaves its effect on land through coastal erosion—and it reduces the habitat of wildlife.

an impressive $2,000 was collected for this year’s Penny Harvest for Common Cents, a national organization that promotes philanthropy and community service learning among children. Common Cents awards grants to schools that hit their designated goals and allow the students to allocate the money to their favorite causes. stay tuned for where Calhoun donates the grant! (L-R) Kindergarteners Olivia Ruiz, Cooper stock and Jacob Hume were wowed by the bounty.

HAITI CLUB CONTINUES SUPPORT FOR PELIGRE SCHOOL OF HOPE The upper school Haiti Club, now in its second year, organized a toy drive for the children at the Peligre school of Hope this fall, followed by a collection for school supplies after winter break. Donations are being hand-delivered to the school by Calhoun parent Dr. Deborah Ottenheimer, who has developed a relationship with the Peligre Hope Foundation.

(Right) Haiti Club members sold handmade crafts at the Pa’s Holiday arts & Crafts Fair, to raise additional funds for the Peligre school of Hope.

(L-R): Madeline Gordon ’14, aiyana WainHirschberg ’11, sarah Mozeson ’11, Miranda Watson ’11 and Nica Delbaurgo ’14.

Library Launches Lunchtime Recital series Noah Krauss (left), Calhoun eighth grader and award-winning cellist, was the first guest artist for the recently launched Library Recital Series.

He played a Bach unaccompanied suite.

This new program will welcome anyone and everyone: LS, MS and US students as well as staff and faculty from around the building. These “intimate” programs will take place every month or two throughout the school year. The most recent concert featured students from the US Chamber Music Class, who played selections by Bach, Weill and Bizet.

upper schoolers support Women in Need Thrift Calhoun, an Upper School club organized by seniors Tess Harris and Alex Kayden, organizes “thrift store” events to benefit Women in Need, an organization that provides New York City’s homeless women and their families with safe, clean housing, and the skills and support to become self-reliant. The first event made $500 for the organization; additional thrift store events are being planned for this spring.

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SchoolNews ByLINEs Former Headmistress (and namesake) Mary Calhoun now has a book available for e-readers!

Originally printed in 1915, Readings from American Literature is available online and on the 81st street Library’s Kindle. The book was originally published in 1915 by Harvard’s Journal of Education and includes selections of stories, poems and essays from colonial days to the early 1900s.

Gary Joseph Cohen, US art/photography/video teacher, will have one of his poems published in the fall 2011 issue of Euphony, a university of Chicago literary journal that features new and established writers from around the country. This is the second time that Gary will have had his poetry published in Euphony. In addition, an online journal called Ancora Imparo is publishing a portfolio of Gary’s environmental portraiture from asia and america, accompanied by an essay he wrote on the process of thinking/making the images.

Issiaka Diakite, US French teacher, had his newest play published by Outskirts Press. Written in French and English, Sunjata, the Lion: The Day When the Spoken Word Was Set Free focuses on the historical character sunjata, founder of the Mali empire and the griot tradition in medieval West africa. “The griot is a storyteller, musician, messenger and keeper of the traditional memory,” explains Issiaka. “In the play, I use epic and historical events to explore contemporary issues.” Issiaka, who is originally from the Ivory Coast, has his PhD from the university of Louisiana in French and francophone studies.

He spent a number of years teaching in his native country and then Louisiana before coming this year to Calhoun. In addition to this most recent play, Issiaka is also the author of Sisyphe...L’Africain (Sisyphus...the African), a French-language novel published by L’Harmattan Press in 2008.

Head of School Steve Nelson is now a frequent blogger on educational topics for The Huffington Post.

Many of the same columns are featured on Calhoun’s website at www.calhoun.org/stevesblog.

Calhoun alums continue to make contributions to the literary world. Mary-Ellen Greenberger Siegel ’49 authored a booklet titled Breast Cancer Today: A Guide for Breast Patients; Ben Ellentuck ’10 was named as one of ten winners in the 2010 young Playwrights Competition for his play The Human Heart; and an autobiographical essay by Jackie Katz ’10 will see print in February as part of the compilation Live and Let Love by andrea Buchanan (simon & schuster). For more details about these Calhoun authors, flip to Alumnae/i Class Notes on page 30.

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Calhoun Hosts Evenings with amy Goodman and Gail Collins Calhoun’s Performing Arts Series hosted two well-known authors this year as part of its Talk series, which is open to the public.

Launching the season was Amy Goodman, bestselling author and award-winning executive producer and host of the national independent news program Democracy Now! amy Goodman Gail Collins Ms. Goodman addressed the role of independent media in promoting social justice, referencing anecdotes from her online columns, published in Breaking the Sound Barrier.

In December, New York Times op-ed columnist Gail Collins came to speak about her latest book, When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present, in which she chronicles the last 50 years of women’s history. Included in the book are accounts by Calhoun's Upper School Dean of Students, Alison Foster, who lived through the college years of peace, love and protest as a baby boomer and the daughter of a pioneering advertising-exec mom.

Both events were well attended by members of Calhoun’s community, as well as by alumnae/i, former parents and neighbors.

Calhoun’s Performing Arts Series hosts concerts, dance, lectures, town hall meetings, documentary films and children’s theater—all open to the public. For the complete schedule of upcoming events, go to www.calhoun.org/performingarts.

CaLHOuN MaRKs BaNNED BOOKs WEEK Calhoun’s librarians turned the spotlight on “challenged books” in honor of Banned Books Week, September 25 to October 2—an annual celebration of the freedom to read.

Ali Werner, Calhoun’s Director of Library and Learning Resources, organized the event to make the Calhoun community aware that “in some libraries, ‘challenges’ are brought against books that contain unpopular or unorthodox ideas. I hope to engage the community in a conversation about the benefits and responsibilities of intellectual freedom.”

Ali pointed out that some of the most beloved books are also some of the most frequently challenged. “The books in the Harry Potter series have been challenged in many libraries because they contain witchcraft. To Kill a Mockingbird is frequently challenged because it contains racist themes.” Other books include The Catcher in the Rye, The Golden Compass and Sylvester and the Magic Pebble.

“The most important thing is to be aware of challenged books and to appreciate our freedom to read,” says Ali. ali Werner, Director of Library and Learning Resources (right), and Jenny Han, Library assistant, turned the spotlight on banned books.

SchoolNews Fiona Lowenstein ’12 Presents at TEDx Conference

us Journalism Class Goes Live with E-Newspaper

Fiona Lowenstein ’12 was a featured speaker at a recent TEDx youth conference, bringing a powerful message to students (and adults) about the importance of taking chances and pursuing what you want. Her inspirational presentation, available online, is listed on the Calhoun YouTube page as one of our “favorites” (www.youtube.com/calhoun).

TED is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers. Based on the TED-like experience, TEDx events are coordinated independently, on a community-by-community basis. The conference at which Fiona spoke was held at the Hewitt School in Manhattan.

Students in an Upper School journalism elective taught by Head of School Steve Nelson took their studies one step further this year by creating their own online newspaper, The Calhoun Inquirer.

The design of the newpaper’s website as well as the assignment of articles, writing, editing and photo selection were the culmination of the students’ work for the one-mod elective Journalism: That’s What You Think.

Journalism students Robert Ronan ’11 and John Hale ’11 had their letters to the editor printed in The New York Times.

The primary focus of the elective course was on learning how to write opinion pieces: Students identified a newsworthy event of local or international consequence, researched and debated the issue, and ended each discussion by writing an op-ed piece or letter to the editor.

Two students—Robert Ronan ’11 and John Hale ’11—had their letters about federal aviation security policies printed in The New York Times (Nov. 14, 2010).

The online newspaper, however required the students to focus on writing news items as well as opinion pieces. Interestingly, it was the factbased news that the students found hardest to write. “It’s difficult to write an article without any bias,” observes Robert, who admitted the students struggled with those assignments. “But I think it turned out well.”

Read The Calhoun Inquirer, published by mod-2 journalism students, http://calhouninquirer.com.

MIDDLE sCHOOL WELCOMEs auTHOR REBECCa sTEaD

By Ali Werner

Newbery Award–winning author Rebecca Stead visited the Middle School on December 10. At the assembly, Rebecca described her journey to becoming a writer and read aloud from the diary she kept when she was eight years old. Rebecca spoke about her writing process and her inspirations. She explained that her book When You Reach Me was inspired by a New York Times article about a man who suffered from amnesia.

Rebecca is fascinated by imagining time travel and the possibility of influencing future events.

Many Calhoun students asked Rebecca questions and those who had read When You Reach Me were curious about the many plot twists. So far this year, the library has hosted student book clubs, writing clubs, author visits, music performances and book shares. We look forward to more literary events in 2011!

What We’re Reading Check out some of the articles Calhoun’s teachers and administrators are reading, at www.calhoun.org/wwr. Topics include progressive education pedagogy, teaching tolerance, and teaching and learning mathematics, and a recent article, “What Makes a Great Teacher?” (The Atlantic, Jan./Feb. 2010).

Ms Lit Mag spotlights student authors Crestomathy, a new Middle School literary magazine launched last year by English teacher Larry Sandomir, is gaining enthusiastic support from fellow teachers and students, and has expanded its list of contributors to students from sixth through eighth grades.

Selections in the first issues of Crestomathy were mostly taken from assignments in seventh grade English and eighth grade creative writing classes. The first issue, last winter, focused on essays and poems about love; for seventh graders, the assignment was inspired by their reading of Romeo and Juliet. For the eighth graders, it came shortly after Valentine’s Day, in a class where they did free-writing to music. The Spring 2010 issue of Crestomathy offered a mix of subjects that included life philosophies and advice to siblings. The latest issue is more eclectic, with essays, poems and short stories submitted by a wider range of students, who are clearly excited about seeing their work in print.

See excerpts from recent issues of Crestomathy at www.calhoun.org/crestomathy.

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SchoolNews sabrina spiegel ’06 Named school Nurse & Health Educator Calhoun alumna Sabrina Spiegel ’06 has been named to the new position of school nurse and health educator, responsible for managing all medical records, health policies and health-related activities. In addition to providing initial assessment for illnesses and injuries to students from second through twelfth grade, she will be responsible for overseeing policy and record-keeping at 74th Street.

A significant part of Sabrina’s role will also be to participate in the further development and execution of Calhoun’s health curriculum— work that she began as an intern at Calhoun last year. “During her internship, Sabrina demonstrated skill and vision by producing wonderful recommendations for the very programs she will now help develop,” notes Head of School Steve Nelson. In her support of the health curriculum, she will work closely with Michael Worth, Francesca Canin, Alison Foster, David Bartolacci and others.

Sabrina received her undergraduate degree and training at New York University’s College of Nursing, where she was a University Honors Scholar. As an alum, she has been actively engaged with Calhoun; she is in her fourth year as an athletics coach, having led the Girls’ JV Varsity Volleyball Team to the semifinals this fall, and currently serves as an assistant coach to the Girls’ Varsity Basketball Team.

Calhoun a Must-see for Educators Educators from the U.S. and overseas make Calhoun one of the must-see schools on their itinerary when checking out leading institutions in progressive education.

In 2010 alone, Calhoun had delegations from Iceland, China, Korea, Australia and Norway, as well as visitors from local public magnet schools and independent schools from Boston to California.

One principal, from the Mount Evelyn Primary School in Australia, called Calhoun the highlight of his trip. “[Calhoun] has placed the highest importance on ways schools are seeking to individualize student learning, rather than a one-size-fits-all formula.”

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F A C U L T Y / S T A F F

N E W S M A K E R S

Mirta Medina de Drake Has Heart “I have two hearts,” says Mirta Medina de Drake, Upper School Spanish teacher. “One heart is at Calhoun and the second heart is in a poor neighborhood in Buenos Aires. My life is a bridge from the South to the North.”

Mirta has kept close ties to her home country of Argentina, where she volunteers every summer for a number of educational institutions and social activist organizations—primarily La Fábrica de Manufacturie.

La Fábrica works to “restore the memory” of the 30,000 people who went missing or were killed under the dictatorship of Jorge Rafael Videla, commander in chief of the Argentinean army; Orlando Ramón Agosti, air force commander; and Emilio Eduardo Massera, navy commander. The three-man military junta deposed President Isabel Perón in March 1976.

Mirta, who writes biographies and collects pictures of the missing, spends most of her time amassing information about women who disappeared during that time. “The dictatorship was hard on everyone, but women especially,” says Mirta.

Mirta is currently working with a group of La Fábrica writers and visual artists to create an art installation that includes the biographies of the people who are missing. “We’re trying to complete the story. It’s a gap in the memory of my country,” says Mirta.

La Fábrica has been granted permission from the government to open a free school for street kids—“los niños de la calle”—in one of the abandoned factories in Buenos Aires. At first, the building was in disrepair, but after heavy machinery was moved out and it was cleaned and

painted, the factory began offering free classes for 24 homeless children from ages 9 to 16.

During the Argentinean school year, five fulltime teacher volunteers—who hail from all over the world—do everything for the school, including meal preparation. Mirta and her colleagues instruct the younger children in reading and writing, while helping older students learn skills that will prepare them for the workforce. Mirta also teaches Spanish for native speakers, moviemaking, short-story writing and scriptwriting.

“The work at that school has made me a better teacher and human being,” says Mirta, who plans to return to Argentina this summer to continue her work as an activist.

The Upper School Spanish teacher is also the author of two novels, La Rubia de Kentucky and Los Juegos Siniestros Argentinos, which won an award from the Fondo Nacional de las Artes in Argentina.

“This is what I do to keep busy,” says Mirta.

“I don’t like to go shopping.”

steve Nelson Brings Progressive Values to International spotlight Head of school steve Nelson was one of the featured speakers at a conference for educators hosted by the King alfred school society (Kass) in London, entitled “What Does It Mean to Be WellEducated?” steve was joined on the London panel by some of the top educators in the uK, including Frank Furedi, the uK’s most widely quoted sociologist and author of Wasted: Why Education Isn’t Educating; Dr. Catherine Burke, senior lecturer at the university of Cambridge; stephen Law, editor of the Royal society of Philosophy’s magazine Think; John White, emeritus professor at the Institute of Education; Kathryn Ecclestone, professor of education and social inclusion, university of Birmingham; and uNICEF’s Frances Beastley. Chairing the conference was BBC radio producer Piers Plowright.

SchoolNews KUDOS! “Teens Turning Green,” a student-led advocacy group in Northern California that has launched a campaign to eliminate breaded, fried, frozen and “reheated so-called meat” from school lunches, credited CHEF BOBO with making Calhoun’s lunch program “one of the foremost green school lunch programs in the country,” at a November event where he was a featured guest.

BEN CLINESMITH’s string orchestra arrangement for students “S’vivon” was dubbed an editor’s choice

by JW Pepper, the largest distributor of school music.

A lively arrangement of an Israeli folk song, “S’vivon” premiered at Calhoun’s 2009 Community Orchestra Holiday Concert.

Ben has been teaching music at Calhoun since 1991 and is the conductor of Calhoun’s allschool and community orchestras. He also created the Sing-It, Say-It curriculum in the Lower School, which introduces Calhoun’s youngest children to reading and writing through music.

US theater teachers MARGIE DUFFIELD and MARC AUBIN presented a three-hour master class called “Theatre Tech and the Director/Designer Dialogue” to 23 International Baccalaureate (IB) students from around the country, for an event organized by the International Schools Theatre Association (ISTA). Margie talked about directing while Marc walked the students through the art of set design and lighting. The two Calhoun teachers form a formidable team: Last

summer, Margie directed and Marc was stage designer for the original play Viva la Evolución¡, performed at the SoHo Playhouse as part of the New York International Fringe Festival. The duo also staged a reading of Margie’s musical Sit-In at the Five-and-Dime last October, as part of Calhoun’s Performing Arts Series. Margie wrote the book and lyrics for this coming-of-age journey set against the backdrop of the Jim Crow South and the burgeoning civil rights movement.

FRANCESCO FILIACI, US biology teacher, represents Calhoun on the Board of Representatives of the Black Rock Forest Consortium. The consortium provides a center for research and teaching at the forest preserve’s facilities and through an information network that links students, researchers, teachers, administrators and institutions.

In late September, ANGELA FISCHER, communications associate and assistant to the Head of School, won the Female Masters’ Division in the Yonkers Marathon—the second-oldest marathon in the U.S., after Boston. “It wasn’t my best time because the course is extremely hilly—one of the harder ones in the U.S.—but I am thrilled at having won the Masters and placing third overall among women marathoners,” says Angela.

US art teacher JESSICA HOUSTON, who was recently included in the inaugural exhibition of the New Jersey Museum of Contemporary Art (NJMoCA), left Calhoun in January to start a family (she is expecting twins in late spring!) and to pursue her promising career as a fine artist. At press time, Jessica was a finalist for a prestigious grant from the Rema Hort Mann Foundation, a program dedicated to supporting emerging visual artists in New York City, with selection committee members from MoMA, the Studio Museum and the New Museum. Her position in the Upper School is being filled by Hailey Kim, who has a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and is completing her MA at Teachers College.

Kindergarten teacher STEPHAN KOLBERT ’86 spent two days at the TEDWomen conference in Washington, D.C., in December, leading yoga and wellness classes for conference attendees. Stephan, who has a private yoga practice in addition to his teaching career, received his training from Urban Zen, an organization founded by Donna Karan and a co-sponsor of TEDWomen. Last year he was involved in a pilot study with Urban Zen, working at Beth Israel Hospital doing yoga and breath awareness with patients in the oncology unit and in surgery. He also does yoga and meditation with incarcerated youth in the Bronx.

KEIRA ROGERS, Assistant MS Director and humanities teacher, was a speaker at the 2010 National Association of Independent Schools’ People of Color Conference (PoCC) in San Diego. Her presentation, which had been a big success at the regional NYSAIS conference, was titled “Hip-Hop, Race and Middle School Students in a 21st Century Independent School.” The PoCC is the flagship event of NAIS’s equity and justice initiatives. DANIEL ERCILLA, LS Spanish teacher, and VICTOR LIN, music teacher, also represented Calhoun at the conference.

One of Calhoun’s music teachers, MEIGHAN STOOPS, made one of National Public Radio’s Top Five lists for 2010! NPR chose Meighan’s latest CD release with her chamber group, Da Capo Chamber Players, as one of the Five Best Contemporary Classical Albums of 2010. The album, Luminous Spirals: Chamber Music of Chinary Ung, is available for purchase on Amazon. Meighan, who is in her first year at Calhoun, teaches clarinet and saxophone to Middle and Upper School students, and is also an administrative assistant to Upper School Director Jen de Forest.

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SchoolNews Hilary North Promotes ally Behavior on PIX11 News Closeup Diversity Director Hilary North appeared on PIX11 News Closeup in October, in a discussion about hate crimes and gay bashing that came on the heels of a rash of suicides by young gay students across the country.

Facilitated by WPIX anchor Marvin Scott, the discussion panel also included Jeffrey Gardere, psychologist; and Anthony Ramos, communications director, Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN).

Asked what schools can do to teach tolerance, Hilary noted that the real goal is to teach acceptance, and to help students understand the value of and need for “ally” behavior—standing up for those who are being bullied or marginalized. She pointed out that Calhoun was in the middle of a weeklong series of activities and assemblies in honor of Ally Week and National Coming Out Day to advance the school’s initiatives.

Calhoun Participates in ally Week the students, and then invited the children, fellow teachers and parents to participate in a “kindness tree” project by inscribing personal acts of kindness on cut-out leaves, to be posted on a hand-crafted tree in the school’s lobby.

The project was inspired by Yoko Ono’s Wish Tree in the courtyard at MoMA. The week culminated in a “Dance for Acceptance,” hosted by the Upper School’s Queer/Straight Partnership club and open to high school students from around the city.

The dance raised nearly $400 for the True Colors Residence, the first permanent housing facility for LGBT youth in New York State, slated to open in central Harlem in spring 2011.

Calhoun is a safe space!

This past October, Calhoun’s Middle and Upper School students participated in Ally Week. Middle and Upper School students were invited to wear stickers identifying themselves as allies against anti-LGBT behavior, and on October 20, the entire community wore purple as part of a nationwide day of remembrance for the young people who had taken their lives as the result of LGBT bullying and harassment.

At Lower School/74th Street, the discussion wasn’t about hate crimes, but about “how to treat each other,” explains Megan McDonnell, LS/74th theater teacher. In each of her theater/movement classes, Megan read Words Are Not for Hurting by Elizabeth Verdick to

1 1. students in all divisions, including these Ls/74th street children, dressed in purple as part of ally Week.

2. Megan McDonnell, Ls/74th theater teacher, read to students from the book Words Are Not for Hurting.

3. First grader Luca schindler adds a leaf to a “kindness tree”—children at 74th street created paper leaves inscribed with personal acts of kindness and added them to the tree throughout the fall.

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BRIaN KOPPELMaN OFFERs TIPs TO us sCREENWRITING CLass Calhoun’s Upper School screenwriting students got an opportunity most aspiring filmmakers can only dream of—a class with Brian Koppelman, who has written and/or directed such films as Ocean’s Thirteen, Rounders and Solitary Man. A Calhoun parent, Brian visited Bobby Rue’s Upper School screenwriting class in October to offer tips on story development, character and theme.

Coveted Internship Inspires stephen Mondesir ’13 Stephen Mondesir ’13 scored a journalism internship this past fall with the New York Association of Black Journalists’ “First Take” program. “First Take” interns hit the streets in teams of three students and two mentors, divvying up duties that include photography, conducting interviews and filming/ recording events. Stephen, who was quite taken with the photography aspect of the process, says the experience helped him break out of his shell.

“I feel as if the experience made me overcome some of my shyness,” says Stephen. “When you are interviewing people on the street, you have to speak out.” Though it was only a semester-long internship, Stephen hopes to continue working with NYABJ in some capacity for the remainder of the year.

Internships Wanted 3

Calhoun is always looking for internships for its seniors and recent graduates.

If you or your company has an internship opportunity, please submit details to our online Internship Bank, at www.calhoun.org/internshipbank, or contact Lavern McDonald, us associate Director, lavern.mcdonald@calhoun.org, 212-497-6517.

DRAMA EIGHTH GRADE: AMERICAN

CalhounOnstage

MORE PHOTOs ONLINE www.calhoun.org/media

MARC CALCANO

LS HOLIDAY WINTER CONCERT

HOLIDAY STRINGS CONCERT

US THEATER: THE CRUCIBLE

G I OVA N N I PAC I F I C I

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This year's Girls' Varsity Volleyball Team (far left) proved to be a powerhouse, taking on the competition by storm.

(Left) Tenth grader Tiareh Cruz helped lead the Cougars to first place.

MORE PHOTOs ONLINE www.calhoun.org/media

Girls’ Varsity Volleyball Takes First with undefeated League season The Girls’ Varsity Volleyball Team was on fire this year, taking first place and dominating the league—finishing with a record of 8-0 and an overall record of 13-3. Unfortunately, in the ISAL semifinals, Calhoun was upset by York Prep, 2–1. The Cougars started out strong, winning the first set 25–19, but could not

bounce back after a shaky middle set. They lost a nail-biting final set (despite rallying at the end) by a score of 25–23.

“We met each challenge with a lot of poise,” says Coach Karen Brauer. “The future is bright as we have all but one player, senior Alex Kayden, returning next year.”

Ms Girls’ Volleyball Team Makes Calhoun History This year’s MS Girls’ Volleyball Team was the best we’ve ever seen in Calhoun history—finishing in second place in league play.

The girls’ strong performance brought them to the first round of the tournament semifinals, where they were able to easily knock off Dalton. In the ISAL championship, however, the Cougars lost a heartbreaker to UNIS. Despite seventh grader Hilda Ruiz stepping it up game after game, the Cougars fell just short.

“It is very rare to see players bump, set and spike on the middle school level,” says David Bartolacci, Calhoun’s Athletic Director.

“But we saw these girls doing it repeatedly. That last game was an absolute thriller—one of those games where you hate to see anyone lose. I am so proud of them and appreciate all the hard work Christina Fenaroli put in during her first year coaching this team.”

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Meanwhile, the Girls’ JV team had its share of success this season, as they also qualified for the ISAL playoffs. They, too, were knocked off in the semifinals, losing to a strong UNIS team.

But their league play, with rigorous coaching from Calhoun alums Sabrina Spiegel ‘06 and Peter Zurkuhlen ‘06, clearly paid off!

SchoolNews BOYS’ AND GIRLS’ VARSITY CROSS COUNTRY Go, Cougars, go! Both Varsity Cross Country teams were very young this year, but still did a tremendous job. several freshmen in the program, including Jason alejo ’14 (left), continually improved their times over the course of the season, boding well for next year.

Phys Ed Department Offers New Ways to Get Credit Ever dream of taking yoga for physical education credit? Now you can! As of this school year, Calhoun Upper School students have five different options for fulfilling required P.E. credits: enrolling in a class at school, participating on a school team, joining a non-Calhoun team, engaging in an outside activity/class, or being part of one of Calhoun’s after-school recreation clubs, like Run-4-Fun. Outside activities that have been chosen by students so far this year have included horseback riding, spinning classes and working with a personal trainer. However, there is one catch— students can’t do the same activity for two mods

(terms) in a row. “If students want to continue to take yoga for more than one mod, they can,” explains David Bartolacci, Director of Athletics, “but they have to try another form of yoga for the second mod.”

The phys ed department has also implemented a new approach to its in-school classes by allowing students as a class to decide the types of activities they would like to learn within the given mod. “We give them a little freedom so they can pursue something they’re interested in,” explains David. “The biggest goal is to get every kid active and to stay active over the course of the year. So far it has been great!”

GIRLS’ VARSITY SOCCER TEAM MAKES DEBUT

BOYS’ VARSITY SOCCER Calhoun would like to acknowledge seniors Ray Collins, Jeff From, Willy Kane, Chris Kelly, andrew Luzmore (pictured) and Ryan Parker. Thank you for your hard work and commitment over the past several years. you will be missed!

Calhoun had an exciting new addition this fall—the inaugural season of Calhoun’s first Girls’ soccer Team! Previously, boys and girls played together on the IsaL varsity team. “We are always looking to increase the offerings at Calhoun, especially for female athletes,” says David Bartolacci, Calhoun’s athletic Director.

David notes that the team operated more like a club this year, since the Cougars had not officially entered the league. But the ball is already rolling for league status as of next season. “I was pleased that the turnout for players was so high this year and the commitment level did not waiver,” says David, “because we now have the momentum to continue the program.”

“We love supporting the programs, administrators and teachers who make Calhoun such a special community.”

Debra Stone and David Glaser Emily, Class of 2010

www.calhoun.org/onlinegiving

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Celebrating Teachers What do you remember of your school days? That’s a question that Head of School Steve Nelson asks every year when addressing prospective Calhoun families. And inevitably, recollections come pouring back with anecdotes of favorite teachers who inspired, guided, excited and instilled a confidence to learn, take risks and achieve. This issue of The Calhoun Chronicle is a celebration of those dedicated teachers. And it is a particularly timely subject.

First, we are thrilled that an unprecedented number of alumnae/i have returned to our community as teachers, administrators, coaches and even President of the Board of Trustees (Eric Potoker ’85); it is a testament to the strong ties and positive educational experiences they had at Calhoun. And despite the years that divide them and the diversity of areas in which they are working, they all share an enthusiasm for their careers, for Calhoun’s unique educational mission and for the teachers who guided them—including Upper School science teacher John Roeder, now in his 37th year!

The second reason for this timely celebration has a lot to do with today’s political landscape, in which politicians, business managers and the media are weighing in on how to solve the problems of our schools. All agree that public education is in crisis. But is anyone listening to the solutions offered by educators and scientists, who are gaining new insights every day into how children learn? Is anyone talking to the teachers who are working with our children?

n o t e v e r y o n e ca n b e a t e a c h e r Teaching is an art. Teachers are professionals. And great teachers are rare. We are privileged, then, to have so many wonderful, dedicated teachers at Calhoun. It’s best expressed by Calhoun alumna Barbara Williams Fullard ’66, a 32year veteran of an inner-city school in Washington, D.C. (see page 34), who reminds us what teaching is really about.

Contrary to popular belief, not everyone can be a teacher. A person can take classes and hone the skills that he or she already has. New techniques can be learned. However, I have seen too many people enter a school in the morning and walk out of the building by lunchtime, never to return. The career is challenging and thankless at times. It’s a talent for an educator to impart more than just book knowledge. The teacher is the guide to some of the mysteries of human nature. He or she is the facilitator by which the student develops the means to think. That is a powerful weapon against ignorance, prejudice, hopelessness and despair. If one can think critically, one can create in a positive way…and the world can become a better place.

In these pages, you’ll read many stories about dedicated and multi-talented teachers—those who work at Calhoun as well as those who have gone on from Calhoun to become successful educators elsewhere (see Alumnae/i News, page 32). But what’s not said should be noted here in heartfelt dedication to all great teachers, everywhere: Thank you.

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1 John RoedeR Cluster Advisor US science teacher

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2 StephAn KolbeRt ’86 Kindergarten teacher employee since 2005 bA, Ithaca College MA, nYU Calhoun lifer (1st–12th)

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3 bobbY RUe ’85 US english/social studies teacher employee since 2005 bA, haverford MA, bread loaf School of english Seven years at Calhoun (6th–12th) 4 debbIe hAvAS ARonSon ’79 director of Community Service; teacher of US and MS electives employee since 1988 Former ASp director and Alumnae/i director bS, Indiana University two years at Calhoun (11th–12th) 5 AlISon MAx ’85 Co-director of lower School employee since 1989 Former K & 1st grade teacher bA, Skidmore College MA, teachers College Calhoun ultimate lifer! (3’s–12th) 6 lISA GIlbeRt ’81 third grade language arts teacher employee since 1990 Former 3’s, 4’s, K teacher bA, tulane University MS, bank Street College Seven years at Calhoun (6th–12th) 7 hAnnAh SCARRItt-SelMAn ’05 lS associate teacher employee since 2010 bA, Mount holyoke Calhoun lifer (K–12th) 8 AMY lAndAU [’84] lS science teacher employee since 2007 bA, bowdoin College MA, nYU Seven years at Calhoun (pre-K–5th) 9 heAtheR SAYleS JUpIteR ’92 4’s teacher employee since 2002 bA, George Washington University Four years at Calhoun (9th–12th)

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r e t s u l C s ’ John Alum Administrators 10 bARt hAle ’00 Alumnae/i Relations Coordinator employee since 2010 bA, Colgate University Calhoun lifer (4’s-12th) 11 SonIA bonSU ’95 Annual Giving director employee since 2008 bA, harvard University Jd, Fordham University School of law Six years at Calhoun (7th–12th)

12 ShAnIqUoA elRInGton ‘96 Admissions Coordinator/81st St. employee since 2010 bA, Cornell University MA in progress Six years at Calhoun (7th–12th) [Missing newcomer] SAbRInA SpIeGel ’06 School nurse & health educator employee since 2011 bS, nYU College of nursing Six years at Calhoun (7th–12th)

Celebrating Calhoun’s Alum Teachers Calhoun’s alum teachers talk about why they went into teaching, who inspired them and what makes a great teacher.

Did you always want to be a teacher?

Lisa: I had spent five years in the

garment business when one of the stock market crashes hit in the ’80s; they let go of 50 percent of the staff in one day. I was interviewing with Norma Kamali, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren … and I should have been excited, but I just wasn’t feeling inspired. I had been saying for years, “Oh, I work for such-andsuch company making clothes but I’ve always wanted to be a nursery school teacher.” That would come out of my mouth almost every time somebody asked me what my job was. So finally I said, “You know what? I need to go be a nursery school teacher; I don’t care what the salaries are.” So I went back to graduate school.

Stephan: I went into education

fairly soon after graduating college; I started working at camps during the summertime, got involved in experiential-type learning [Outward Bound] and a number of mentoring projects [New York Youth at Risk and then the Anti-Defamation League’s World of Difference program]. I

went back to grad school, and then returned to a childhood love of theater and acting. So I wasn’t a classroom teacher for some time, but I was involved with education in a lot of different ways. In hindsight, all the theater training I did made me a better teacher, because it forced me to be “out there” and fearless in a way that you need to be in front of any group of people—parents or kids.

Hannah: I always liked working with kids, but this has been an unexpected joy. The biggest factor in finding the teaching path was coming back to Calhoun and working as a substitute teacher. I was able to see from a different perspective how incredible the interaction with students is, no matter the grade level. In each classroom, there is a constant dialogue between families, students, teachers and administration that makes it a warm environment. The excitement is contagious the moment you step into Little or Big Calhoun.

Heather: When I think back on it

now, I was always working with children: I babysat, worked at summer camp, taught swimming and gave horseback riding lessons. I

didn’t actually have a plan to be a teacher. I’d been riding competitively on George Washington University’s equestrian team, and when I graduated, my coach suggested that I stay in the area, continue riding and competing, and see what I could do with that. So I began training and teaching horseback riding. The property where the horse farm was located had a small school on it. One day my coach said, “We need a substitute teacher; we need an adult in there tomorrow.” I went in that day and it was like, “Oh, this is what I’m supposed to be doing.” It really made a lot of sense to me. I went back to school at night while substituting as a teacher during the day. The following year I had a permanent position; I’ve been doing it ever since.

Alison: The person who really

directed my path was [Head of School] Neen Hunt. After I graduated from college, I met with Neen; she was the person who pointed me toward kindergarten and working with Lil Lulkin [longtime Calhoun kindergarten teacher].

Did you have a favorite teacher/administrator at Calhoun?

Bobby: Marilyn, Rosetta, Judith,

George, Fred, Neen and Alec all influenced me deeply. They made me believe that [teaching] was a worthy and noble occupation. Fred Balin [MS math] was my first teacher-ally. Marilyn Stewart [MS communications] gave me The Catcher in the Rye—the first novel I ever loved. George Glantzis [MS social studies and coach] sparked my interest in sociology and government, and he was my first basketball coach. John Roeder [US science] made me realize I could think about science and not just memorize it. Rosetta Cohen [US English, creative writing] taught me to pay attention to poetic language.

Judith Brindley [US art] taught me that the art always knows more than the artist. Neen Hunt [Head of School] taught me that good leadership is not a wielding of power but a wielding of reason and compassion. Alec McDonnell [English and law]—lawyer that he was—taught me the art of argument. Perhaps most important, these were all kind, smart, patient people who made a habit of making kids feel noticed.

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19

Judith Brindley

lantzis George G Claudia Curfman

Alec McDon ell Neen Hunt, former Head of School

in spira t i ona l

Debbie: Robert Schaecher [US

Lisa: I remember really liking

social studies/Community Service Director/US Director] and John Brennan [phys ed] were very encouraging. I took an early childhood education class with Robert; that really affirmed my interest in working with children. I was also interested in physical education and being a swim instructor because of John; we took our Water Safety Instructor’s certification together.

Another Middle School teacher, George Glantzis, helped me get a position teaching swimming at Columbia Prep. Then there was Russell Woeltz, my art teacher; he was my favorite. He was a warm, generous and kind person. I was afraid of painting, but he was so kind and caring, he was able to make my fears go away and help me be a better artist, to be creative, uninhibited. He believed in my talent even if I didn’t—and that made the difference. I got the art commendation that year and still have it. Which is why I do what I do; I try to bring out in kids what they really care about, what they’re passionate about, and try to match it with a community service experience.

Robert Schaecher; he was interested in the social and emotional aspects of education and his students, and that was important to me—it still is. Marvin Cohen, a math teacher, developed a folder system so you could work at your own pace. He made math concrete and tangible and fun … I also remember that the teachers were interested in what I thought, not just that I had absorbed the material, but that I had processed it and had come to my own conclusion about what I had learned. They were open to hearing me and my own voice. I strive to do that each and every day in my classroom.

Helping my students find something they’re good at and feeling proud about it—that helps them persevere when they come up against something that’s really hard or challenging.

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“Cricket” Barbara Gord on

Hannah: My participation in

comedy troupe with Margie Duffield [US theater] really facilitated my ability to produce and create independently. Another memory— I wasn’t a great math or science student, but my chemistry teacher

Marcy Mann

in tenth grade [Karen Chang] knew I liked to cook, so she explained chemistry in culinary terms.

love with was Steinbeck; I went on to read everything that I could by him …

Amy: My communications teachers

Didn’t you once say you were a late reader?

[Betsy Baldwin, Jolly Uhry] recognized my talent in writing and told me to submit a poem I wrote, “The Glint of My Pen,” to The Issue [the student newspaper]. It was published—a huge thrill! Claudia [Curfman] used to have some of us keep a shared journal with her. She would read what I wrote and respond to me with a personal note. I have used that in some of my teaching (outside of Calhoun, before I was a science teacher).

That level of close sharing between teachers and students has influenced my teaching.

Can you recall a particular experience that was seminal; or an “aha” moment?

Heather: For me, a standout

moment definitely was reading the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Thurston. It was the first book that I really remember wanting to just take apart … to want to read several times (which I’ve done). It started me reading a lot of things. Another author I fell in

Heather: [Before Calhoun] I was at

a really competitive private school.

Grade-based, rote method; things were only taught one way. I was a very late reader and it just wasn’t acceptable at that school. It wasn’t until the tail end of the third grade (when I left), maybe even the fourth grade, when I finally did learn to read. But when I began to read— and I see this all the time—I read everything! And I read at the exact same level as my peers; I didn’t just start at a first grade reading level. I had been absorbing so much, that when it did click for me, I had all of it. And a passion! Suddenly, this freedom that I could do this. I was so enthusiastic about reading, it was all I wanted to do.

Bobby: I came up against a huge

block in seventh grade. I had always done well in English and I suddenly couldn’t read Shakespeare. I was lucky to have Alec McDonell for this English class, but I could not do it, and it was incredibly frustrating.

u n forg e t t a b le Russell Wo eltz

John Brenn an

Robert Schaecher

Marilyn S tewart

Marie Wilson

Marvin Coh en Jolly Uhry

Marilyn Stewart, who had taught me the year before, recognized that something was wrong—she may have talked to Alec behind the scenes—and suddenly she told me, “You’re not going to English anymore; when it’s time for English class, I want you to sit over here and read this book.” She handed me The Catcher in the Rye. It was the first real novel I ever loved, and it just confirmed all the things that I already loved and the things that I thought I was good at. A couple of years later I came back to Shakespeare and loved it, and took all kinds of courses in Shakespeare in college and grad school.

Lisa: When I arrived in sixth grade,

my father was very ill. When he died in May of that first year at Calhoun, thousands of people were at the funeral who I didn’t know, all of them telling me how sorry they were for me. It made me confused and angry; they didn’t know me, so how could they feel sorry for me?

And then, as we were leaving the service, in the very back row were all of my teachers. They had all taken the morning off from work to be there. They had never met my

father; they were there for me. It made me realize that a teacher’s care can make a profound difference in a child’s life. Those teachers made me feel loved and not alone at a very sad time. They did not just see me as a job, but as a person they cared about.

What makes a good teacher?

Alison: People who genuinely like

kids are good teachers.

Heather: Patience! And lots of

laughing, too!

Stephan: Humor, patience

and years of experience—not necessarily in that order.

Debbie: Someone who can

empower a student to take leadership or responsibility for [his or her] own learning. Someone who can inspire a student to find joy in learning.

Amy: Someone who is learning

with enthusiasm and excitement along with the kids.

Lisa: Someone who sees the student as a whole, valid and unique being, to be discovered and encouraged, and not something to be shaped.

Bobby: Calhoun influenced me to

Debbie: The relationship between

believe that at the root of any important learning experience is a great question. The great teachers I’ve had did not merely tell me what to know. They invited me to pay attention to something, and they put me in a position to create meaningful questions and to explore. Every one of my great teachers made me think and rethink.

the teachers and students [at Calhoun] is unique; it helped me to be able to relate to adults. I hope I am helping my students in the same way, while also helping them discover their interests and skills and then use them to help their community. This makes what I do especially rewarding. The internships and volunteer opportunities that I had when I was in high school and college really opened the door for me, career-wise; I don’t think I would have gotten my first job at the YMCA if I hadn’t had the opportunities at Calhoun and college.

How did your experience as a student at Calhoun (or elsewhere) inform the way you approach teaching?

Alison: Calhoun taught me that

school can and should be a happy and positive place. From my early years in Lower School until I graduated, I loved coming to school. I attribute much of that to the relationships I had with teachers. I felt that my teachers at Calhoun knew me, understood me and would accept and encourage me no matter what. I know what a gift that was for me, and I try every day to return the favor to the kids at Calhoun today.

Stephan: Calhoun gave me what I

really needed—a lot of nurturing and support. Fundamentally, that gave me a platform for being a selfassured, self-actualized adult. I’m willing to try things all over the place and I’m willing to fail or make a fool of myself and not really worry about it, but relish the experience, the opportunity. So I try to help my kids really explore and find what they’re excited about, and to “live” whatever world that is. If it’s pirate ships, fantastic: know the pirate

THE CALHOUN CHRONICLE

21

ship; be the expert on pirate ships.

If it’s the dress-up area and imaginative play, do that, just immerse yourself in it. Really discover what feels good and how you want to be within this very small community. It’s about putting the onus of responsibility on them [the students] … to be creative and innovative and use the resources around them. I’m there as another means of support.

Hannah: I’m able to put myself in

the position of the student when I’m trying to develop a project for class. I was (and still am) a very visual learner and I can remember retaining the most information when the lesson was as visual and interactive as possible. I try to find the best ways to engage students and make the material directly relate to students.

Bobby: It takes so long and it

takes so many teachers to actually teach you that your first idea really isn’t probably your best idea. And [it’s] not a negative thing, it’s not an unusual thing. But that’s actually an essential thing to know about yourself, and to learn over years how to recognize that in your own work and then do something about it. And I think Calhoun teachers were incredible at teaching me that.

Heather: My early school experi-

ences were not very positive and my self-esteem took a huge hit. This school gave me a safe and nurturing place where I could tap into my creativity and learn to take risks, 22

WINTER 2011

socially and academically. I began to believe that I was capable and smart and a valuable member of this community. These are lessons that I have carried with me ever since, and I work hard to make sure that developing self-esteem is a priority for every student. I know from experience that when children feel good about themselves, they really can do anything, and the learning just takes off from there. I really try to draw my cluster together as a community, as a family, where each person is vital.

85

85 alison

86

bobby

05

Some people think there’s too much focus on self-esteem.

Heather: Can you do that? I think

self-esteem is also about working with others. Nobody likes [people who are] so busy talking about themselves and so into themselves that nobody’s going to want to work with [them]. And while that might be the key to some kinds of success, I don’t think it’s the key to all kinds of success. To be a whole person, you have to be able to relate to other people and form meaningful relationships that last over time. In all areas, that’s important. It’s important in your personal life, it’s important in your professional life. I hear about so many competitive schools where kids are reading by four. Well, I’m sure we could do that. I know I could do that. But I would have to skip so many important conversations and experiences and caring moments, and all this empathy and compassion that we’re trying to create. I

stephan mean, that’s what our world really needs: a surge of empathy and compassion. I’ll sometimes meet somebody and think, “They obviously skipped the 4’s.”

Some might say the focus on self-esteem is okay for young children, but by the time they get to Upper School, we have to get to the business of education.

Bobby: I don’t see it as different

worlds when you think about the different divisions; there are ageappropriate attitudes and practices with regard to self-esteem. In the Upper School, it’s about helping kids realize that critique is not criticism. A really thoughtful critique is

hannah

actually one of the most affectionate, important things that can happen … and it doesn’t have to just come from teachers. We’re trying to help students learn to critique each other and better critique themselves. This is the very basis of creative writing workshop; virtually e--very class is assigned to read and comment on a particular student’s writing. We begin the class with praise and then we go on to questions, comments, suggestions …

Public school education is in crisis. What advice would you give?

Alison: The whole system is so

broken. They’re giving teachers an

9

84 education focus on that through smaller class sizes and more creative approaches.

92

Lisa: If, as a teacher, you can’t

heather

amy

79 8 1 debbie impossible task—working in a system that doesn’t work for children. The first problem is the way children are taught and evaluated, expecting that everyone will learn at the same rate in the same way. That’s just wrong. If educators don’t accept and address that fact, someone fails from the get-go.

The second problem is [that] it’s extremely difficult to teach with multiple approaches when there are so many kids in a class. Public schools need to have smaller classes and more teachers. It’s been a while since I completed graduate school, but my sense is that teachers are taught well, but then they enter a system where they can’t do what they’ve been

lisa taught to do! That’s what makes Calhoun such a dream place to teach.

Heather: I agree—class sizes

need to get smaller. There are also programs like art, physical education and music that are absolutely vital [which public schools have dropped]. In the movie Waiting for Superman, they champion charter schools with this more militaristic style; I just don’t see that as being the answer. They’re going to become these rote thinkers. One of the more important things that we need to develop in children is critical thinking, their ability to question, to wonder, and to problem-solve. I would want to see

express your individuality and your creativity and you’re always teaching the curriculum that’s been forced upon you or teaching to the test, you don’t feel very inspired. I had friends in public schools who felt that things were set up for failure; they were frustrated all the time, the administrators didn’t really care and were burned out. I wouldn’t want to spend my day surrounded by that kind of energy… I would be resentful. But I’ve always had administrators who were like, “Yeah, love that idea, go do that idea; that sounds great!”

And if I needed some tweaking, they did that in a way that was constructive. I love working here [at Calhoun] because I get to do something that inspires me, and I feel applauded for doing what inspires me, so it makes me want to do more.

What’s the best part about teaching?

Amy: Endless creativity, spontaneity and learning.

Hannah: I have yet to come to

work and not be over-the-moon excited I get to work here.

Lisa: Every year, even if you’re

teaching the same age group— and I taught kindergarten for 15 years—there’s a new group of kids, new personalities, a new team of people. It’s always exciting, it’s very

inspiring. And I always think of new ways to teach something; a new project to get that point across. At this point it seems like such a long and illustrious career, but I’m still so not done yet … I’ve got 20 more years in me!

Alison: Teaching is the most

rewarding job in the world. When I think about all of the children and families whose lives I have been a part of, it gives me such pleasure and pride. Ironically, some of the most challenging students are the ones I feel most proud of. As I watch those once "difficult” kids grow into responsible and successful big kids, adolescents and adults, I feel such a sense of accomplishment, both for them and myself.

I've said it before but it remains true; I think every day how fortunate I am to have a job and a career that I love. I thank Calhoun for providing that for me!

Stephan: I never thought I would

continue formal education when I finished my undergrad degree. The truth is, I love learning and I’m sure Calhoun influenced and nurtured that love. I love answering questions with more questions and witnessing [students] making connections—seeing their personal evolution. There isn’t a day that goes by when I am not thinking about new workshops I can take or different ways to learn new skills.

For me, teaching is the natural extension of my learning—sharing what I’ve discovered. What good is knowledge if you can’t share it?

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23

Little Calhoun Celebrates the World’s Cultures “When children are young, it’s important that their lives at school and their lives at home be deeply connected,” says Kathleen Clinesmith, LS Director. “And since Calhoun is increasingly a multicultural, multilingual population, the teaching of world cultures and language has become more intentional over the years.”

z

Among the ways that

Calhoun introduces cultural diversity is through the introduction of Spanish language in theater/movement classes; the celebration of holidays; and the music program, which has the children listening to and playing music from around the world. “Calhoun is a school that values the rich diversity of the human experience. It is a school that strives to build a community representative of this diversity, one that is accepting and inclusive,” says Hilary North, Director of Diversity and Equity Issues.

Spanish: Gateway to the World Spanish language was introduced into the theater/movement curriculum for Calhoun’s youngest students nine years ago. Julia Ramos (Spanish specialist) and Megan McDonnell (theater specialist) introduce Spanish vocabulary through improvisation games, dancing, music and literature.

“Research shows that moving around while learning a language has proven to be extremely effective,” says Megan, who has been teaching the curriculum since it began. For a recent celebration of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), Julie read the Spanish-language children’s book Chumba la Cachumba; the children responded to the story in improvisational, yoga-inspired movement, led

by Megan.

Kathleen points out that the introduction of Spanish language is less about fluency and more about familiarity, comfort and exposure to another culture and language. “The fact that we incorporate Spanish from day one,” she says, “reflects the reality of the city in which we live.”

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Holiday Magic Holidays are an obvious opportunity for introducing world cultures and language. And though many schools shy away because they don’t want their curriculum “ruled” by celebrations, Kathleen says that Calhoun takes the opposite approach and marks all holidays, paying special attention to the cultural celebrations of the children in a given cluster.

Parents, grandparents and caregivers are frequently invited to come into the classrooms to read books or tell stories about their holidays, and to share special foods or crafts that are unique to their culture. “I think it’s a great way to construct a curriculum, particularly when kids are young,” says Kathleen. “We don’t want to lecture to young children about inclusion or diversity—Calhoun is about living and doing it, because that’s the only way it’s meaningful.”

1

Music: A Universal Language Music is universal … limitless … and infectious! And it’s a wonderful way to introduce children to the world’s cultures.

Lower School music teacher Debbie Morenzi recalls becoming interested in different kinds of music as a child growing up in Manhattan, with friends who hailed from all over the world. Today, she is thrilled to be teaching world music to a new generation of little New Yorkers.

“I connect music with the outside world,” says Debbie, who uses music to teach geography and history. For example, when the Chilean miners were still trapped underground, she taught kindergarteners a leaf song from Chile. “I asked them, ‘Does

2

3 WHO ARE WE? Calhoun’s commitment to diversity is expressed in curriculum as well as in the rich mosaic of employees and families who make up the school’s community.

In the 3’s through first grade alone, the percentage of children of color has increased dramatically— to 23.8 percent for the current year.

But this is not a complete reflection of the ethnic diversity that we enjoy in Calhoun’s Lower School/74th.

Students at Little Calhoun speak at least 19 different languages (in addition to English).

4

Some of the languages spoken at home

by Calhoun families include: Arabic Chinese Dutch French German Gujarati

6

Polish Portuguese Russian Spanish Tagalog Turkish

Some of the birth countries of LS/74th parents:

5 anyone know what is happening in Chile?’ Music sets the stage for deeper discussion.” Debbie also encourages families to bring in music from their cultures.

The music program supports the Spanish-language theater/ movement program as well. “We use a lot of repetition, especially with the Spanish words,” notes Debbie. “The students will recall words when they’re being used in a variety of classes.”

As the Lower School has grown more diverse, Debbie has noticed a change in how children react to different languages and cultures presented in the classroom. “There’s less teasing over differences now.

There is no expression of ‘my way of celebrating is better.’ The children really step up to the plate. It’s the timbre of the times, but the community has also made a huge effort.”

Hebrew Hindi Italian Japanese Swahili Korean Norwegian

1. THANKSGIvING Many clusters celebrated Thanksgiving this year by making a feast, with students pitching in and helping prepare dishes like cranberry sauce and cornbread.

Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday, which is a national holiday in India. Notes Eugenia Nascimento, kindergarten teacher, “We started the year weaving and talked about how Gandhi thought it was important to weave a little every day. Gandhi believed that hand-spinning, combined with weaving on hand looms, was a good way for the people of India to become independent and self-reliant.”

2. WoRLD MuSIC Music teacher Debbie Morenzi taught kindergarten students a Chanukah song in Ladino, an ancient Sephardic language that is a combination of Hebrew, Spanish and Arabic. The day’s lesson ended with 6. DAY oF THE DEAD learning American Sign The Lower School often Language to the Spanish celebrates Mexico’s Día and English song “We de Los Muertos. Spanish Want Peace.” teacher Julia Ramos read from Chumba la 3. LuNAR NEW YEAR Cachumba, while the Celebrating the Lunar children responded to New Year is a beloved the book in theater/ tradition at Calhoun, movement activities led with a yearly visit by

by LS teacher Megan dancers from the Wan McDonnell.

Chi Ming Hung Gar Institute, performing the 7. MARTIN LuTHER traditional lion’s dance.

KING, JR., DAY Ngina Johnson, kinder4. DIWALI garten teacher, read to For the traditional Diwali students last year about Festival of Lights, the life and work of students made diya Martin Luther King, Jr. Art lamps, ate special foods, projects often center tried on saris, got henna around “I Have a tattoos, colored Diwali Dream” quilts. designs and sang and danced to Indian music.

5. GANDHI’S BIRTHDAY Some clusters at Little Calhoun celebrated

Argentina Australia Brazil Canada China Costa Rica England France

Germany India Italy Japan Kenya Netherlands Nicaragua Norway Peru

Russia Scotland South Africa South Korea Spain Syria Turkey united States

HOLIDAY AND CULTURAL CELEBRATIONS Lower School families and caregivers are frequently invited to come into classrooms to share their cultural heritage, through storytelling, music, art and food. on many occasions, those visits coincide with the holidays celebrated by Calhoun’s youngest, including: All Saints’ Day (Greece) Black History Month Chanukah Christmas Cinco de Mayo Diwali

Martin Luther Grandparents’ King, Jr.’s Birthday Day New Year’s Day Hispanic Heritage Month Saint Patrick’s Day Halloween Thanksgiving Lunar New Year valentine’s Day Kwanzaa Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday

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By Alison Bennett

“Chemistry has a bad rap,” says Kim Switaj, US chemistry teacher.

“When I tell people I’m a chemistry teacher, they immediately tell me a horror story from high school. I want my students to have a positive experience.”

Tenth graders are required to take a chemistry class for three out of the five mods.* But Kim’s goal—to make chemistry accessible to everyone—has been made immeasurably easier by the new schedule, which allows tenth graders to choose from a selection of topical chemistry classes.

The first mod of the year, Introduction to Chemistry, is a required course. But after learning the basics, students are invited to choose two of three chemistry electives they would like to continue with for the subsequent mods: Acids, Bases and Reactions; Elective Heat and Gases; or Organic and Nuclear Chemistry.

“I like giving the students a choice so they can come at chemistry from a variety of angles. It makes the class more approachable,” notes Kim. “If a student likes to draw, s/he might be interested in the Organic and Nuclear class, because organic chemistry requires drawing structures and visualizing reactions and the mechanisms that occur during a reaction. If a student is interested in math and enjoys solving problems, s/he may enjoy the Heats and Gases class, because it deals a lot with chemical equations and formulas. For example, we discuss why a helium-filled balloon gets smaller when you leave a warm store in cold weather. We do a lot of labs that prove the mathematical formulas and equations discussed in the class.”

The new mod schedule’s extended class time has also been beneficial for conducting labs. Last year, under the former schedule, Kim saw each section of

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sophomores four days a week—three times for 45 minutes and one time for 90 minutes. This year, Kim teaches each section five days out of the six-day cycle—four times for 65 minutes and one time for 140 minutes. “The 65-minute periods allow me to do a lab even when there isn’t a double period.

And now, we can talk about labs the same day that we do them,” notes Kim. “Students can digest the information while it’s still fresh.” Kim points out that the new format also gives her more one-on-one time with students who might be struggling.

Junior Allie Sommer, who is taking the Advanced Chemistry class, believes the new schedule is hugely beneficial to science classes. “Chemistry is one of the best subjects for the mod system. When we had to do experiments under the old schedule, we were rushed. Now, you can go more deeply into the material and repeat experiments or review more examples if you don’t understand.” Allie notes that there can be a lot of downtime in labs—for example, waiting for a particular chemical to heat up. “During those ten minutes, you can work on your calculations or ask Kim questions about another homework assignment. Chemistry class is now a very calm environment.”

Even though the new schedule has its perks, it is apparent that Kim’s warm teaching style is the biggest asset to the class, and her upbeat approach to chemistry has been wildly successful: this year’s Advanced Chemistry class ballooned to 16 students—all former chemistry students of Kim’s.

In previous years, enrollment had topped at six or seven. “I like the environment to be laid back, but also one where the students know when it is important to be serious—like during a lab,” says Kim. “Having taught in a variety of different learning environments, some more structured than others, I feel like my classroom style is a blend of all of those schools of thought. I am always working toward finding that balance between serious and fun.”

When Kim was at the College of Charleston, where she majored in biology and minored in chemistry, she was drawn to professors who “were a little more human; not the stereotypical ‘chemistry guy.’” But she claims the main inspiration for her personable teaching style is her mother, who is a high

school math teacher at Hoboken High School.

“She’s an amazing teacher; I always enjoyed being a guest in her classroom. And when I first started teaching, I tried to model the environment on her classroom.” *What is a mod?

Rather than two semesters, Calhoun’s school year is organized into five mods (modules) that are 30–34 days long. during each module, students study between three and five subjects. some courses continue into two or three consecutive modules; others are designed for only one. a modular calendar allows students to explore subjects in greater depth and facilitates interdisciplinary investigations. this structure, which allows for more sustained time devoted to a class, also enhances the one-on-one relationships between students and teachers that support Calhoun's personalized approach to education.

(Left) Francesco Granato ’13 conducts an experiment for his Intro to Chemistry class.

(Above) Chemistry teacher Kim Switaj (right) gives pointers to Advanced Chemistry lab partners Allie Sommer ‘12 and Chris Kelly ‘11. To determine the empirical formula of silver oxide, the students take a quantity of silver and heat it, allowing oxygen to escape. When only the silver remains, they determine the empirical formula of the compound.

THE CALHOUN CHRONICLE

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From the Adirondacks to Africa and Asia Woodshop Project Launches Middle Schoolers into Social Activism Through Micro-Lending rs An in-class woodworking project with sixth grade in has been transformed from an already rich lesson mathematical calculations, artistic vision and crafts manship into a lesson about economics, social awareness and activism.

The Chairthewealth Project, conceived by of woodshop teacher David Hyman with the help er, Richn es Andr er Middle School technology teach cally has become, in the last two years, an enthusiasti their supported program whereby students auction the handmade Adirondack chairs online and pass proceeds on to Kiva.org— to a micro-financing program that makes small loans people around the world.

Each year sixth grade students build child-size the Adirondack-style chairs in shop class, learning history of the Adirondack style and painting the to chairs in their art classes. Then the chairs need find a home.

At first the chairs were donated to the waiting ty room of a children’s hospital or given to facul to bers mem new members when they welcomed ago, their families. But that all changed two years nts. stude the to org when David introduced Kiva.

With the help of Andres, the students began build ing a website for their new project, so they could auction the chairs to Calhoun families to raise d money. All of the proceeds would then be passe along to the Middle School’s new Kiva Club.

Chairthewealth raised $400 in its first year. The students began loaning the money, in $25 incre ng fundi , world the d ments, to entrepreneurs aroun projects they thought had the greatest need and the potential. One loan went to help 15 villagers in ry Cambodian village of Lech Pram establish a groce five, store; another went to a widowed mother of

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along with 14 others, mostly women, who started a fish-selling business in Goma, the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

As the loans the Kiva Club made were paid back, the students were

(Top) sixth graders build mini–adirondack chairs in woodshop. (Below) seventh grader Clark Vaccaro worked the Kiva Club table at the Holiday arts & Crafts Fair in December, selling mini–adirondack chairs for the Chairthewealth project.

able to reinvest the money and keep the process going. So, after the initial $400, the Middle School club was able to make 30 loans last year, totaling $750.

Seventh grade club member Christina Brinzac, a who is clearly thrilled to be involved, says, “It’s see great way to help other people, because you can you pay they when that you are helping them, and back, you can reinvest in more people.”

This year, club members raised another $400 by ay Arts selling Adirondack chairs at the Calhoun Holid nt Stude l & Crafts Fair. And the Middle Schoo n to Government voted to make its own contributio fall their of eds the club of $150, from the proce Club dance. Now, with the help of Andres, the Kiva raprepa in ite webs is redesigning its Chairthewealth tion for the newest crop of sixth-grade Adirondack r chairs—this time opening up the sale to the wide community.

David and Andres hope the club helps foster a rves lifelong sense of service in their students. Obse for ty rtuni oppo David, “Kiva Club is a wonderful and to students to learn about the developing world support those projects that really resonate with them, while furthering the cause of financial empowerment to the world’s poor.”

David smith, Development Director (second from left), meets with Kiva Club members and Middle school government reps about the value of philanthropy and how to maximize their charitable giving.

TALKING TO MIDDLE SCHOOLERS ABOUT PHILANTHROPY

By David Smith, Director of Development and Alumnae/i Relations, as told to Beth Krieger, Communications Director shortly after the Middle school Government hosted a dance and party fundraiser for PlayPumps International, I was invited by their faculty advisors, Josephine salvador and Marcos sanchez, to speak to the group about philanthropy. as a former Middle school social studies teacher, I knew students at this age are at the point that they can recognize and identify some of the wrongs in the world, some of the things that need to be fixed, and so they had already been thinking about these things. They were ready for the philanthropy conversation.

The students knew that most of the proceeds from their fundraiser would go to PlayPumps International, but they wanted to determine what to do with the remainder of funds. so I talked to them a bit about philanthropy in general and the ways to evaluate a nonprofit organization. a good example was the Kiva Club: We talked

Kiva.org empowers individuals to lend to entrepreneurs across the globe. By combining microfinance with the Internet, Kiva is creating a global community of people connected through lending.

PlayPumps International is a nonprofit organization focused on fundraising, advocacy, and education about water poverty in Africa. The PlayPump water system provides a fun and sustainable solution to the global water crisis in Africa. www.waterforpeople.org Hudson Riverkeeper: Riverkeeper’s mission is to protect the ecological integrity of the Hudson River and its tributaries, and to safeguard the drinking water supply of nine million New Yorkers. www.riverkeeper.org

Pie chart shows how students in Middle school student Government decided to distribute the funds raised at a recent dance and party for fifth-through-eighth graders.

PlayPumps Intl.

MS Gov’t Account ■ KIVA ■ Hudson Riverkee per ■ Calhoun Annual Fund

$135

$100

$150

$400

■

■

$400

about how to look at projects that had the sustainability factor, projects that did not need future loans and that might best benefit from their community loan.

I told them how I prioritize organizations for my personal philanthropy: I try to divide a budget that I create between different sectors that are important to me, to provide a framework that helps me to think about priorities. Most people have a philanthropic priority somewhere…but the point is to really take the time to look at that landscape and decide which organizations are priorities for you and what type of budget you will devote to it.

It was a very thoughtful conversation; the students asked a lot of good questions about giving to nonprofits and where they could have the biggest impact. We talked about organizations that fight poverty in New york City; I talked about women’s philanthropy, which is important to me, because I believe that giving to women’s organizations results in giving to families and really helps break the cycle of poverty. We talked about water, which is obviously important to them this year, with the Go Blue! theme. and we talked a little about international philanthropy, and the role of NGOs and organizations like Water.org. It was really a terrific opportunity to hear what the kids had to say. a lot of their questions were about return on investment, which is a big topic of discussion in the

nonprofit world. We talked about Malaria No More, an organization that takes small donations for a specific purpose ($10 buys a mosquito net), and about the micro-lending movement, which is how we got into the conversation about Kiva.

It seemed to fit with their basic approach and what they were looking for.

Remarkably, the students asked about some ways to give back to Calhoun—they brought it up themselves! Marcos and Josephine chimed in and said, “Well, the annual Fund is one way…”

By the end of the meeting, the students had decided how much they needed to save for future Middle school events and activities, and how much to commit to philanthropy. They actually used the time to build consensus in a conversation about each organization. ultimately, they chose, as planned, to give the largest portion to PlayPumps International, and then decided on smaller gifts to the Hudson Riverkeeper (also related to the yearly theme), the Kiva Club, and the school’s annual Fund.

I was thrilled to help encourage and support the philanthropic efforts of our Middle school students.

Postscript: David personally matched the Middle School Government’s gift to the Annual Fund, thereby doubling its contribution.

THE CALHOUN CHRONICLE

29

REUNION

JUNE 2 & 3

2011

JuNE 2: aLuMNaE LuNCHEON For all graduates through 1971.

Special welcome for classes ending in “1” and “6.”

Location: Calhoun’s Robert L. Beir Lower School, 74th Street.

JuNE 3: REuNION EVENING For all alumnae/i.

Special welcome for classes ending in “1” and “6.”

Location: Rooftop, 81st Street.

BE a CLass aGENT! ■ ■

Help plan your Reunion

Provide updates on classmates

■

Share ideas for the Cougar Circle

■

Help with alumnae/i giving goals To volunteer, contact

Bart Hale, Alumnae/i Relations Coordinator, bart.hale@calhoun.org, 646-666-6450

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WINTER 2011

A UMNAE /I L Calhoun Alums–United with a Common DNA Bart Hale ’00, Alumnae/i Relations Coordinator I nearly jumped out of my seat as Robin Otton, Director of Admissions/74th, began reviewing some of the various projects that Lower School students undertake at Calhoun—“They still make pocket people!? I did that with my art teacher 20 years ago…and have mine at home!” I was in a conference room full of anxious prospective parents who were learning about the school, but my excitement overtook me when I heard that news. It’s been a running theme, though, in the three months since I returned to Calhoun for my new role as Alumnae/i Relations Coordinator.

With each corner I turn, I discover one more great tradition that still exists at an alma mater I love so much. I learn that Shelley Greenberg continues her intensive term-paper project in eighth grade, which most of us consider the very foundation of our writing skills. I see that John Roeder’s Active Physics class still conducts many of the same experiments. I’m reminded of the Upper School ski trip and school-wide events like Harvest Festival and Egg Drop that are going strong. I witness the same passion in Cougar athletics and talented performances onstage. Sure, plenty has changed in the ten quick years since I graduated—all of it impressive and for the better. But as an alum and proud lifer of the school, I take tremendous comfort in witnessing the continuity of tradition that is so alive and well here.

The deeper-rooted Calhoun traditions, of course, are not visible

in projects or events, but they are embodied by Calhoun’s central mission and its core educational values. Students benefit from small class sizes, engaging with their teachers, sharing their voices and articulating ideas; individuals who thrive as scholars, athletes, musicians and thespians—all in one; and young adults come together as active, diverse contributors to a vibrant community.

This is the Calhoun DNA that helped shape us all. It’s in our hearts, and in a very powerful way, it links generations of graduates together.

You could see those connections so strongly at our Alumni Pub Night in November, which drew a record turnout, with graduates ranging from 1980 to 2007. Did we all know one another? Of course not. Did we all have John Roeder? Now that’s more likely.

But either way, we all shared in an enriching community that shaped our values and our voices. The very spirit that is Calhoun was alive and well in that room, spanning decades with collegial exuberance.

I’d urge you to reach out to me with your ideas on how we can keep this momentum going. In addition to the growing success of alumnae/i events, you’ll see two new initiatives below geared specifically with alums in mind as we think about giving back.

Thanks for your enthusiasm for Calhoun and for helping me grow a vibrant alumnae/i presence.

THE COUGAR CIRCLE

TEACHER TRIBUTES

CALHOUN’S NEW ALUMNAE/I GIVING SOCIETY The Cougar Circle recognizes consistent participation of alumnae/i who invest in the Calhoun Annual Fund for three or more consecutive school years, at any giving level.

For this inaugural year, all alums who support the Annual Fund by June 30, 2011, will automatically be recognized in the Circle. See www.calhoun.org/cougarcircle for benefits and more information.

You can now make your Annual Fund gift in honor or memory of a Calhoun teacher or staff member who has had a big impact on your experience. Simply note the name(s) with your gift and s/he will be notified of your tribute.

Go online: www.calhoun.org/onlinegiving.

THE CALHOUN CHRONICLE

31

Alumnae/iClass Notes BIRTHS To Peter Harris ’93 and his wife, Breda Carroll, a daughter, Scarlett Carroll To stefanie Dreiblatt Wotton ’95 and Rob Wotton, a son, Nathaniel Cole

MARRIAGES anne L. Waterman ’87 to

1

Darin Bassin

adrienne Glasser ’96 to Win Rosenfeld [’96]

steve Feldman ’00 to Ariella Shkolnik

James Granger ’00 to Janelle Salamon

anneMarie Newman ’00 to Aaron Jeffries

Hillary Gluck ’02 to

1. adrienne Glasser ’96 wed Win Rosenfeld [‘96] last summer.

2. Painting of Tarrytown at Night by Ronnie Levine ’66 3. stefanie Dreiblatt Wotton ’95 with husband, Rob, and baby boy, Nathaniel Cole 4. Congresswoman allyson young schwartz ’66 won re-election bid!

2 3

4

Andrew Wasicek

IN MEMORIAM Ruth yachnin sherwood ‘35 sally Hendricks Weber ’42 adrienne Meyers Owen ’52 Dorien Ross ’65 alice adler Engle ’66 (in 2005) Judith Brindley (us art teacher, 1981–1997) KEy

[ ] Graduation years in

brackets indicate that the alumna/us attended, but did not graduate from Calhoun.

1940s Mary-Ellen Greenberger siegel ’49 authored a

booklet this past year, in collaboration with Franco M. Muggia, M.D., titled Breast Cancer Today: A Guide for Breast Patients and Those Who Care About Them. The 65-page booklet was published by the Chemotherapy Foundation. Complimentary copies can be obtained through the foundation.

1950s suzanne Rosenhirsch Oppenheimer ’52 emerged

victorious in a tightly contested race to maintain her New York State Senate seat. The Democrat from Mamaroneck represents the 37th District (Westchester County) and has served as a state senator since 1985. Her opponent, Bob Cohen, finally conceded

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WINTER 2011

the race on December 7, when he was trailing by about 400 votes with approximately 1,000 absentee ballots still to be counted. Senator Oppenheimer was recently named 2010 Legislator of the Year by the American Institute of Architects, New York State, for her sponsorship of the Smart Growth Initiative, a new law that will fundamentally change the way state agencies fund public infrastructure projects, by requiring the use of “smart growth principles” to combat sprawl and promote environmentally sound development.

1960s Ellen Judson ’66 is currently living in the beautiful Spanish colonial town of San Miguel de Allende in Mexico, where she has been teaching English. She has also been painting for more than a decade, noting, “San Miguel is an artist's paradise!”

Ronnie Levine ’66, an artist

and author, lives in Tarrytown, NY, where she runs her own business, the Rivertown Painter’s Studio. She paints outdoor scenes as well as portraits, and brings students into the studio several times each week. Ronnie is also finishing up a mystery novel that features an artist protagonist, and she is regularly contributing articles to the Tarrytown– Sleepy Hollow Patch and other local newspapers. “I enjoy my work very much,” says Ronnie, who adds that Calhoun played a significant role in the development of her skills.

“I remember Mr. Woeltz, loading more of us than anyone would guess possible into his car for trips across the park to the Metropolitan Museum— which I loved. And when I started writing my book, I would frequently imagine myself back in Miss Williams’ classroom the day she gave me a great review on my term paper about women’s roles in the Civil War. She taught me a way to approach writing about a complex subject by gathering notes on cards, shuffling and reshuffling, and being patient until it all pulls together into a narrative with a viewpoint. Her words are influencing and encouraging me to this day.”

A 57-Year Pen-Pal Connection

by SARA JANE GOLDSTEIN DRESCHER ‘57 Sometime in September 1954, a representative from the United Nations came to speak at Calhoun. I was in tenth grade, but I remember it as if it were yesterday.

At the end of her talk she invited us to come to the stage, where she had a big bowl filled with postcards written from children who lived all over the world. I remember walking up, picking a card and returning to my seat.

I wrote my first letter to Toshio Ida shortly thereafter, and we corresponded for the next 57 years, sharing news of our lives.

Then, as I was approaching my BIG 70th birthday, my husband asked me what I would like to do. After thinking about it I decided that, since we are well enough, I would like to take a trip to Japan. I wrote to Toshio and asked if there was any way we could meet in Tokyo. He responded with a package of tour brochures and literature about Japan. Eventually we exchanged email addresses.

On May 15, 2010, we finally met for the first time. It was an experience I will never forget. Toshio and his wife, Katsuko, came to our hotel and we exchanged pictures and gifts. Although Toshio’s English is not perfect, we were able to communicate. He even brought his Hello Kitty Japanese-English dictionary with him in case we needed it.

Toshio showed me the first letter he ever received from me, written September 24, 1954. It was amazing to me how I thought of myself so long ago. He also had saved many of the pictures I had sent him, including pictures of my Sweet Sixteen party.

Our evening together was one I will never forget.

Although we live on opposite sides of the world, our lives are so similar. One of the gifts I presented to him was a sara Jane with her pen pal, Toshio Ida, and his crystal globe sitting on top of an onyx base. On the base I wife, Katsuko, met in had engraved, One World, Two Friends. Sara Jane and Japan after a 57-year correspondence that Toshio. I can’t thank Calhoun enough for providing me began in her sophomore year at Calhoun. with the opportunity to have had this experience.

allyson young schwartz ’66, Democratic congresswoman from Pennsylvania’s 13th District (which covers the Philadelphia suburbs) won her bid in November for a fourth term to the House of Representatives.

Congresswoman Schwartz currently serves on the Budget and Ways and Means committees. As part of her legislative initiatives, she has introduced the Green Jobs Act, Home Health Care

PROFILE

Alumnae/iClass Notes

Planning Improvement Act and Support Working Parents Act as ways to help stimulate the economy and return more Americans to work.

THE CALHOUN CHRONICLE

33

PROFILE

Alumnae/iClass Notes BARBARA WILLIAMS FULLARD ‘66

Coming Full Circle: From Inspired Student to Inspiring Teacher Calhoun was a different place in the 1960s, when Barbara Williams Fullard—a young African-American from a public school in the Bronx—entered the all-girl private school on West 92nd Street.

“For me and for many other women, the sixties was a pivotal time in our formative years and in the history of the United States,” says Barbara, remembering those early years of the civil rights movement and the emergence of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Even at the young age of 12, she felt “the weight of representing not only my family, but the entire AfricanAmerican race. I wanted to be worthy of the privilege of being equal.” But Barbara says her Calhoun experience, described in a touching memoir about her years as a student, and later, as a teacher, helped her in immeasurable ways: “Calhoun gave me a sense of power by enriching my love of the spoken and written word. It afforded me the ability to tackle interracial bigotry and prejudice…Calhoun made me a critical thinker. It taught me life lessons that thickened my skin and helped me to appreciate my strengths and uniqueness. It gave me the baton to lead my own parade.”

And “lead her own parade” is just what Barbara did. After graduating from Howard University in 1970 with a BA in English, Barbara became, at the age of 22, a full-fledged English teacher at John Hayden Johnson Junior High School, an urban public school in Washington, DC. She stayed for 32 years, teaching classes in English grammar and composition, dramatics, public speaking, creative writing, desktop publishing, word processing and jazz appreciation. In 1980, she received an MA in education from Trinity Washington University. During the latter part of her tenure at John Hayden Johnson—as head of the English Department, editor of and advisor for the school newspaper, and student-government instructor—she received an award for regional Teacher of the Year. She became a mentor to teachers from around the city, who would come to her classes to watch her in action.

Barbara says her passion for teaching, and the techniques she used to “make learning fun,” came from the teachers she had had at Calhoun in the sixties. She recalls how Mme. Pitzele immersed her students in the French language. “If we couldn’t go to Paris, she would bring Paris to us,” says Barbara, who remembers seeing her first foreign film with subtitles—The Umbrellas of Cherbourg—enjoying a meal of coq au vin at an “authentic” French restaurant, and then returning to school to write about the experience.

She ventured to do the same with her students. Choosing a theme such as the Harlem Renaissance, she would engage her students in conversations about jazz, poetry and the artists of that era so they would have a basis for cross-curricular research papers that would interweave history, literature and the arts. Her students read about Langston Hughes and his “dream deferred,” relating that poem to Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun. Barbara would follow the reading of the play with a screening of the film, and then, in honor of Black History Month, her students would perform the entire play for parents and invited guests. “The hands-on approach to thematic teaching was what I learned from my language, history and English teachers at Calhoun,” says Barbara, who insists that it was because of her interdisciplinary teaching approach that she later became departmental chair and the unofficial ninth grade teacher—a highly coveted position.

In writing about her teaching career, Barbara bemoans the plight of education today, and calls for renewed respect for the dedicated teachers—particularly in cities like Washington, DC—who are being maligned by legislators, business leaders and the media on a daily basis: “Contrary to popular belief, not everyone can be a teacher. It’s a talent for an educator to impart

1980s Caroline Cory ’82 writes,

“I’ve recently been promoted to HR coordinator at the research arm of California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco.

34

WINTER 2011

I specialize in handling visas for foreign scholars.

My son, Ezra, has just started middle school (eek!), at Live Oak School, which is not unlike Calhoun in its philosophy

of educating the whole child and expanding interpersonal relationships among children. We’re all very happy to be there.

I’ve taken up whale boat rowing on the bay, which

is tons of fun, and I still do quilting. I would love to catch up with Calhounies in the SF Bay Area.” anne Waterman ’87 and

Darin Bassin were married last August in New York at the Four Seasons restau-

Alumnae/iClass Notes (Far left) a fuzzy, but valued photo of Barbara (top left) with Hillary Clinton, when the first lady was invited to Barbara’s school for a poetry slam.

(Left) Barbara Williams Fullard ’66 in her high school graduation photo.

more than just book knowledge. The teacher is the guide to some of the mysteries of human nature. He is the facilitator by which the student develops the means to think. That is a powerful weapon against ignorance, prejudice, hopelessness and despair. If one can think critically, one can create in a positive way…and the world would become a better place.”

Now retired, Barbara says she is simply enjoying her family—her son and ten-year-old grandson, both named Julien; the luxury of retirement and listening to jazz. Several of her poems have been published, including those included in an anthology called Epiphanies and Other Absurdities, a book of which she was a co-editor. But she has also found a new pastime—reconnecting to Calhoun friends via Facebook. “I have come full circle, finding many of my Calhoun classmates—all of whom have succeeded in careers and in their lives. From attorneys, organizers, entrepreneurs and highprofile politicians to artists and musical comedy actresses, philanthropists and educators like me, I am proud to be a part of the Calhoun Sisterhood from the Sixties,” says Barbara.

Reconnecting with Calhoun and classmates was the inspiration that drove Barbara to write her memoir about her high school years and long career as a teacher. Dedicated to those friends and teachers from Calhoun who “touched my heart,” the manuscript now resides in Calhoun’s Neen Hunt Library, and on the school’s website at www.calhoun.org/fullard.

rant. Anne is the senior vice president overseeing public relations, advertising and creative services at Michael Kors, the fashion and luxury goods company

in New York. Her husband is a vice president and a senior counsel for mergers and acquisitions at CBS in New York.

1. (From left) us math teacher Erika Zamfiresku, angie soto ’97 and shaniquoa Elrington ’96 2. Richard Lin ’97 and Brian Peters ’97 returned to Calhoun as JV Boys’ Basketball coaches.

1990s Peter Harris ’93 and his

wife, Breda Carroll, welcomed their first child, Scarlett Carroll Harris, on October 5, 2010. They currently live in Los Angeles, where Breda is a doctor at UCLA and Pete continues to work for the Penguin Group as a director. Before joining Penguin, Pete worked for a film company that produced such movies as Dear John and Twilight.

Chris Foster ’95 joined the National Hockey League’s corporate offices in 2009, where he is currently a sales project manager for the NHL.com experience and design team. stefanie Dreiblatt Wotton ’95 and her husband, Rob,

welcomed their first child, Nathaniel Cole (Nate), on October 14. Stefanie took off ten weeks before returning to work at the Robert Allen Group, where she is the senior manager of brand management.

Rob is a senior financial analyst at CB Richard Ellis. shaniquoa Elrington ’96

returned to Calhoun this past fall to work as an admissions coordinator.

Several years ago, Shaniquoa embarked upon her career in education, starting as a New York City Teaching Fellow public school teacher and then as a hiring manager and curriculum developer in a school in Seoul, South Korea. She’s currently completing her second master’s degree in education. adrienne Glasser ’96, a

psychotherapist and certified dance movement therapist in private practice on the Upper West Side, married fellow Calhounder Win Rosenfeld [’96] last summer. Win works as a multimedia producer and movie critic. Among their Calhoun classmates at the wedding were Justin Bosch ’00, Chris Foster ’95, Geoff Foster ’96 and adam Gerson ’97.

THE CALHOUN CHRONICLE

35

PROFILE

Alumnae/iClass Notes Musings of a Melancholy Alumna

by GAY FRIEDLAND NICHOLSON ‘69

Standing in front of the grand old building on 92nd Street in September [2010], with my husband, Rob, I was wistful. Perhaps I never fully appreciated the benefits of my Calhoun years whilst I was a student.

Sure, there were moments when I helped my own kids with their French homework, remembering Mlle. Troubetskoy’s adamant whistling of the word huit, making certain we didn’t leave the room until we could say it as well as she did. I remembered a trip to Stratford, CT, and dozing during Julius Caesar but being completely obsessed by Romeo and Juliet.

And gym! My two left feet were useless during volleyball (I was given the task of photographing matches just to keep me occupied and off the team...but maybe my poor hand-eye coordination was due to my bloomers riding up or falling down...).

However, when the teacher taught us belly dancing, I was rapt!

Art classes with Mr. Woeltz were brilliant. I’d zoom across the street and paint and draw, and was enthralled by his knowledge of art history. The Met became my second home.

I’d walk up the steps as I unrolled my skirt (having rolled it up scandalously, as soon as I left home, to mid-thigh...It was the ’60’s!) Miss Cosmey would look at my face and then my skirt and back to my face and shake her head.

Crullers in the cafeteria...Miss Hall’s philosophy lessons...learning to fold The New York Times properly so you could read it without poking out the eye of the person sitting next to you. Learning to question, investigate, be curious and, hopefully, form complete sentences. Funny the things you remember...

I was pretty lucky. And now, well, I’m appreciative.

I’ve lived in Australia longer than I lived in the United States. We have two gorgeous kids: Molly, 29, who is a psychologist, and Tim, 26, who has spent the last three years working for the Sundance Film Festival in Utah.

Me? Well, I’m happy! I’ve been teaching drama for more than 25 years and love my life!

Clearly I appreciate the gift I was given. So, now that I am perilously close to 60, you can forgive an “old lady” for being somewhat mawkish...and indulge a bit of melancholy. I think Miss P and Miss C would be proud and maybe somewhat relieved that I had adopted their ethos of integrity, creativity and love of learning.

Reconnect with Gay at nicko01@bigpond.com.

Damaso Reyes ’96, an avid

photojournalist, had a solo show of his work in Vienna that was sponsored by the American embassy and grew out of the work he did as a Fulbright scholar in 2008. All the images are of Vienna, but taken from an outsider’s perspective. For the last several months, Damaso has been exploring Austria’s asylum system—thanks to a grant from the Ford Foundation. Watch an interview with Damaso at the opening of his exhibit, Vienna from the Shadows: http://tinyurl.com/346efnk.

Brian Peters ’97 is the new coach for the Boys’ JV Basketball Team—a position he found posted on the school’s LinkedIn page. Brian is also working to bring to New York his Hip Hop Soda Shop, a hip-hop-themed diner that he started up in Tampa.

Richard Lin ’97 is working alongside Brian Peters ’97

as the new assistant coach for the Boys’ JV Basketball team. Richard is enjoying fatherhood as a stay-at-home dad with his three-year-old daughter, Zoe. Richard’s wife, Julie, is a preschool teacher. alex Dworkowitz ’97 is currently finishing his third year of law school at the University of

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WINTER 2011

Alumnae/iClass Notes 1

3

2

1. Casey shane ’06 signed on as Boys’ Varsity Basketball assistant coach.

2. sam schreck ’07 (left) poses with secretary of Defense Robert Gates and another lucky intern.

3. sabrina spiegel ’06, coach of the Girls’ JV Volleyball Team and newly hired school nurse and health educator, with new assistant volleyball coach Peter Zurkuhlen ’06.

4. samara savino '06 is substitute teaching at Little Calhoun while applying to law school.

4

4

Four Ways to stay in Touch!

Elrington ‘96 and watch the

Pennsylvania. Prior to that, he worked as a senior analyst in the Government Accountability Office.

Alex also holds a master’s in public health policy from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government. adam Gerson ’97 returned to Calhoun this past fall to enjoy one of the school’s Performing Arts Series events—a presentation by award-winning journalist Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now! Adam is assistant director of technology at Columbia Prep, where he’s worked for the last nine years. angie soto ‘97 stopped by

Calhoun this past fall to meet up with admissions coordinator shaniquoa

Middle School Girls’ Volleyball Team face off against UNIS in the championship finals. It was Angie’s first glimpse of Calhoun’s new gym, which, she couldn’t help but notice, is lined with the championship banners from her own days on the Girls’ Varsity Volleyball Team.

Angie has been teaching elementary school in New York for the last ten years; she is currently in her third year at PS 46, where she teaches fifth grade.

Nicole Wilson ’99 had an

exhibit of her paintings last summer at the 21 Ludlow gallery’s Paintings show in Soho. In attendance were Rebecca stein ‘00 and Billy Zifchak ‘99. One of Nicole’s paintings was also featured on the cover of

1. CaLHOuN’s aLuMNaE/I COMMuNITy Log in to the alumnae/i portal on the school’s website.

Find photos, reunion and event information, emails for classmates and former faculty, past issues of The Chronicle and late-breaking news! www.calhoun.org/alum 2.

FaCEBOOK Be a fan!

Calhoun alum Facebook page at www.facebook.com/calhounalums 3.

LINKEDIN Build your Calhoun network! http://bit.ly/calhounlinkedin 4.

TWITTER Follow us at www.twitter.com/calhounschool

THE CALHOUN CHRONICLE

37

PROFILE

Alumnae/iClass Notes ALEXI SAVOV ‘01

Riding on the New Wave of Economists Alexi Savov ’01, who came to Calhoun as a junior from Bulgaria, has finally returned to Manhattan, after years in the

Midwest, to assume a position as an assistant professor in New York University’s business school. Calhoun is thrilled to reconnect with this young economist and find out what he has been doing and what he forecasts for the future!

Tell us about your academic journey since you left Calhoun. From Calhoun I went to Washington University in St. Louis,

which was a great experience for me. Ted McDonald was our college placement advisor, and his guidance was really influential in getting me there. My initial focus was mathematics, and I even spent my junior year studying abroad in Budapest for a math program. It was only after coming back to campus that I decided my real interest was in economics, so I adjusted my courses to double-major in math and econ. I also met my wife, Kristin, at Wash U., and after graduating we both moved to Chicago so that I could continue my studies with a PhD program at the University of Chicago.

You published two papers during your time in Chicago. What was the focus? The University of

Chicago prides itself on an economics model that is more about thinking through a problem, not just centering it on math, so a lot of my core courses were actually very creative. My first paper was about asset pricing and understanding the risk that is associated with stock values. We know stocks fluctuate, but why is that? It all has to do with risk, but for the last 30 years, we haven’t been able to pin down that risk. Ultimately, you want it to be about consumption—and it’s not all too surprising that there would be a correlation between people’s happiness and desire to consume and a stock price.

My paper actually used household garbage as a measure of consumption. When we measured stocks that way, using data from the EPA, they looked a lot riskier. When it came to my final thesis, I decided to focus on mutual funds and the role of active managers. alexi savov ’01 recently returned to New york for a new position as assistant professor at New york university.

NYU just hired you as an assistant professor. At 27, that’s quite an accomplishment. One of the things

I found most appealing about NYU was that my department hires a lot of young people, all engaged in their respective areas of study. There’s tremendous opportunity to collaborate with other professors, attend conferences and continue my research before taking on a heavy course load. I’m actually not teaching any classes yet, but next semester I’ll start with an entry-level undergraduate course called the Foundations of Financial Markets. In the meantime, I’m working on a paper that looks at options trading and another that will be studying human capital. I’m also hoping to continue to further develop my thesis on mutual funds.

Was your time at Calhoun influential to your career in any way? What are some of your fondest memories? My educa-

tional experience in Bulgaria was lecture-oriented, where I was always on the receiving end of information, so coming to Calhoun was extremely beneficial. I really loved the educational philosophy at Calhoun, the critical thinking that goes on here, the importance that’s placed on asking questions; to me that’s a major hallmark of the school, having students who

the April issue of Etc. magazine. Find out more: about Nicole’s work and upcoming exhibitions at: www.nicole-wilson.com.

2000s Chris Kompanek ’01 has

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been actively writing for several publications, including regular gigs for Classical TV, The AV Club, TheaterMania and The Huffington Post. In October he had his first article printed in the New York Post, interviewing Andy Borowitz for a two-

page spread in the Home section. Keep an eye out for more articles by Chris!

Josh Raeben ’01 recently

moved back to New York from the Vail/Beaver Creek ski areas in Colorado. He continues to work for MTV Networks, where he serves as an

online operations analyst.

Josh also volunteers as a firefighter on Fire Island, and in March will be participating in the Scott Firefighter Stairclimb in Seattle to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The event involves Josh climbing 69

Alumnae/iClass Notes challenge people’s assertions. In my seminars with other professors at NYU there’s a huge amount of debate, where we question one another and are constantly challenging the findings of our colleagues. It’s very active, with a lot of presentations and discussions, and that foundation was shaped by Calhoun. I’m also extremely grateful for the close attention I received from teachers here. John Roeder took me in during my senior year for a one-on-one Calculus BC program (a college-level course), and I’m so thankful and appreciative of that; it gave me a huge leg up when I started my math program in college. Outside of classes, I loved the annual ski trip to Stowe and my time playing on the soccer team, which is a sport I played growing up in Bulgaria. It was especially crushing, in my junior year, to have an undefeated soccer season end with a loss in the finals. But every time I come from the airport and pass Randall’s Island, I think about how amazing it was to play in that stadium.

What’s your overall take on the state of our economy today?

A lot of attention has been given to the role of derivatives, which I don’t think are problematic in their essence; we use derivatives trading in plenty of other industries and it’s just fine. But the issue is with the incentives that it provided. I definitely think putting it into a more centralized exchange would help, so that the prices can reflect the market. The other thing that worries me is how much the Fed is being influenced by politicians today. We really need it to be maintained as an independent bank, and we’re seeing far too many members of Congress meddling in the Fed’s work. I trust Chairman Bernanke and think he’s the right person to navigate the economy today, but he’s being pulled from far too many sides. What we need to be careful about is not making the same mistakes that Japan did in terms of inflation rates and pricing indexes, which dug them deeper into economic recession.

1. Luke alpert ’09 hiked 500 miles of the appalachian Trail.

2. Rachel Geisler ’09 is touring with Spring Awakening.

Hillary Gluck ’02, who will be graduating from the University of Connecticut School of Law this spring, was married last July to Andrew Wasicek at a ceremony at Colgate University, where they met. Erin Brizius ’02 and sarah Thomas [’02] served as bridesmaids, with other Calhounders in attendance, including audrey Black ’02,

audrey Black ’02 has been living in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, where she and her boyfriend

have a company that directs, shoots and produces promotional travel videos for many local businesses, their biggest client being Telemundo. Audrey does most of the camera operation, which she admits she’s still learning, but so far she loves the experience.

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alex Dichne ’02, Kendra Vizciano ’02 and Lower

School teacher and former volleyball coach Isabel Ruiz. Hillary worked last summer at the Immigration Court in Manhattan. She and Andrew plan to return to New York once they both complete law school.

Todd Garrin ’02 is pursuing his master’s in media, culture and communication at the Steinhardt School at New York University, while also continuing to work at ABC, where he is an executive assistant for the show One Life to Live.

Gianni Cionchi ’03 contin-

flights of stairs in the Columbia Center tower with full gear. To learn more and support Josh, visit http://climb.raeben. com.

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ues to expand his work in the hospitality industry. In addition to serving as a manager at Kefi restaurant in New York, Gianni has been busy with executive chef/owner Michael Psilakis in opening another Upper West Side eatery called Fish Tag, a raw-bar

seafood restaurant on West 79th Street.

Jack Hale ’03 was recently promoted at the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel, where he is now working as a sales planner for the direct response ad sales team. Earlier this fall, Hallmark Channel became the new home of The Martha Stewart Show when Martha decided to join the likes of Conan O’Brien and Oprah Winfrey by moving her show from broadcast television to cable.

Emma Dumain ’04 lives in Washington, DC, where she’s a reporter for Congressional Quarterly.

She reports from Capitol Hill on legislation as it moves through Congress,

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Alumnae/iClass Notes and her specific focus has been on ethics and government affairs. “I most recently covered [Congressman Charles] Rangel’s ethics trial, which was an exciting challenge!” Emma notes. seth Melnick ’05 is currently working for the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission as an analyst

in the office of policy. This is after spending most of the past year traveling through Asia. He graduated from Columbia University in May 2009.

Hannah scarritt-selman ’05

has returned to Calhoun as an associate teacher in the Lower School, where she works with second through fourth graders. “She’s a

“My gift counts because it means another child can gain access to all the unconditional support and countless opportunities that I received.”

Richard Sung ’95

www.calhoun.org/onlinegiving

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fantastic teacher,” boasts her new boss, fellow alum alison Max ’85. Hannah also continues to take classes in improv and sketch comedy writing at Upright Citizens Brigade.

Peter Zurkuhlen ‘06 and Casey shane ‘06 helped

lead Cougar Athletics as Calhoun coaches this past fall. Peter, who graduated from Centre College last May, signed on as assistant coach to the Girls’ JV Volleyball Team. Peter is also currently serving as the head coach to the MS Boys’ Basketball Team.

Casey, who graduated from Emerson College last May, returned to his glory days on the Boys’ Varsity Soccer Team as an assistant coach, and then signed on as assistant coach for the Boys’ Varsity Basketball Team. Last summer, Casey and Peter were joined by John Zurkuhlen ’09, Jonathan Jimenez ’06 and hundreds of other athletes on Randall’s Island, to play and raise money for Soccer for Peace. The organization is a six-yearold charity that brings young Israeli and Arab players together for training camps every year.

This was the third consecutive year that the Cougar guys participated in the event.

samara savino ’06, who

graduated last May from Hofstra University, spent three months in Paris as an intern in the law office of Maitre Gilbert Collard et Associes. The crash course in French law (and language) was enough to inspire Samara to return home and apply to law school. While she preps for the LSATs, Samara is substitute-teaching at Calhoun’s Lower School.

“I loved Calhoun! I’m so happy to be back!” sabrina spiegel ’06 was hired this winter as Calhoun’s first school nurse, responsible for managing all medical records, health policies and related activities for the school, and developing Calhoun’s health curriculum. Sabrina received her undergraduate degree and training at New York University’s College of Nursing, where she was a University Honors Scholar.

As an alum, Sabrina has been actively engaged with Calhoun since she graduated: She is in her fourth year as an athletics coach, having led the Girls’ JV Varsity Volleyball Team to the semifinals this fall and currently serving as the assistant coach to Girls’ Varsity Basketball. amy Blackman ’07 will be graduating from the University of Michigan

Alumnae/iClass Notes this spring, earning her BFA in musical theater.

Last summer she worked at St. Louis’ MUNY—the biggest outdoor theater in the country, which seats approximately 11,000 people and hires college students for the ensembles.

While there, Amy had roles in performances of Beauty and the Beast, Titanic and The Sound of Music. She’s already received her Actors’ Equity card and will be returning to New York in May, when Michigan hosts a senior showcase for agents. shawn Palmer ’07, a senior

at Connecticut College majoring in theater and English, spent the spring semester last year in London, studying at the British American Drama Academy. Back at Connecticut College this fall, she produced and directed a production of Proof, and acted in it as well. Last year she coproduced Elie Wiesel’s Trial of God. She sings classical music in chamber choir and recitals, and for the last two years has been a member of the Connecticut Lyric Opera, a semiprofessional company that tours Connecticut in fall and spring productions. Over the holiday season she appeared with the opera company production of Mozart’s

Magic Flute in New London, Middletown and New Britain, among other places. sam schreck ’07, who’s finishing his senior year at the College of William & Mary, spent last summer in Brussels, where he worked as a public affairs intern for the United States Mission to NATO. Among his projects was compiling (and sometimes writing) talking points for US-NATO discussions on Afghanistan, Kosovo and NATO reform. One of the biggest summer highlights, though, came when the defense ministers’ conference convened in June in Brussels, as Sam had the unique opportunity to meet Secretary of Defense Robert Gates—and even travel in his motorcade back to the airport!

Liza Garrin ’08, a student at the Fashion Institute of Technology, has been pursuing her dream job with an internship at Ralph Lauren. It’s no surprise to Calhoun classmates, who will remember Liza’s fabulous senior project fashion show—still viewable on YouTube.

Luke alpert ’09 took off fall semester from Oberlin College to hike the Appalachian Trail.

Traveling solo from the end of August to midOctober, he hiked close to 500 miles—from Vermont

to Connecticut, and then through the Shenandoah and Blue Ridge mountains in Virginia. When he wasn’t hiking—which he did nine hours each day, carrying about 40 pounds on his back—Luke spent his time writing poetry and keeping a daily journal.

Back in New York, Luke has been subbing in Little Calhoun. He was also invited to speak to Ellen Kwon’s eleventh grade English class about the transcendentalist philosophers and how they shaped and guided his Appalachian adventure. Luke returns to Oberlin this spring.

Rachel Geisler ’09 took a

leave from NYU this year to tour with the national company of Spring Awakening. She’s playing the role of Anna and understudies for Ilse.

The company began its tour in October and

continues through May. Alums and friends in the “diaspora” can see her on the road! Stops coming up in February: Tucson, Los Angeles, Denver, Albuquerque. www.springawakening.com.

Francesca aborn ’09 and Terry Horowitz ’09, both

sophmores at Bates College, made a beeline for Chef Bobo’s lunch when they stopped by Calhoun during their fall break and again for the Harvest Festival Homecoming.

Both were in Chef Bobo’s cooking class in Upper School, so they were thrilled to enjoy another one of his meals. Terry is a biology major and Francesca a sociology major. Besides her studies, Francesca is currently serving as a big sister to a child in Somalia.

Ben Blackman ’10, a theater

major in his first year at

What’s New? Your classmates want to know!

Please send photos and updates — job changes, moves, exciting projects or opportunities, births, weddings or memories.

Don’t be modest: Your news is important to us!

Send your news to bart.hale@calhoun.org

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the University of Michigan, has already been cast in a lead role! He will be playing Benedick in the Michigan theater department’s main stage production of Much Ado About Nothing.

Ben Ellentuck ’10 has been named one of ten winners in the 2010 Young Playwrights Inc. National Playwriting Competition for his play The Human Heart. As a winner, Ben attended the Young Playwrights conference in New York City to workshop his play in preparation for offBroadway staged readings at the Cherry Lane Theater, January 10–12.

Laura Evans ’10 is in her

first year at DePaul University, where she’s pursuing a degree in elementary education. She has been actively volunteering at a homeless shelter and continues to promote awareness for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) and Darius Weems’ Charley’s Fund, a project she first became involved with at Calhoun.

Jackie Katz ’10, in her first

year at Brown, is already being published! An autobiographical essay is going to be in the compilation Live and Let Love by Andrea Buchanan, to be published by Simon & Schuster in February.

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Alums Cave to Faculty in Basketball Challenge Faculty/staffers beat alums, 62–54, in the sixth annual Basketball Challenge held in January, bringing the overall series to an even 3-3 record.

Clearly, the alums suffered when four players—Casey Shane ’06, Peter Zurkuhlen ’06, Bobby Rue ’85 and Shaniquoa Elrington ’96 —“crossed to the other side” as Calhoun staffers. But Calhoun’s newest coaches, Brian Peters ’97 and Richard Lin ’97, stayed true to their alumni roots, while coach Sabrina Spiegel ’06 maintained neutral ground as timer. The alum team also missed regulars Eric Potoker ’85, Ross Kleinberg ’88 and Neil Kleinberg ’85.

Alums will need to wait until next January to get their revenge!

Alum Team (Back Row, L-R) Kevin Karp ’09, Nate Silverstein ’06, Dean Dioguardi ’07, Ron Dinkins ’78, Brian Peters ’97, Max Bosch ’07, Berm Pluvoise ’05; (Front) Jamil Cordova ’96, Richard Lin ’97, Zach Lazare ’08, Angie Soto ’97, Andres Rivera ’09, Peter Fidler ’79, David Kramer ’02

INTERNSHIPS & JOBS WANTED Support our Calhoun grads and Upper Schoolers!

For Calhoun Seniors, April 25 to June 9, 2011 As part of our new mod schedule, all 12th graders will be completing senior year with a six-week internship this spring.

If you can support an Upper School student with an internship opportunity, please contact Lavern McDonald, Upper School Associate Director, lavern.mcdonald@calhoun.org, 212-497-6517.

For Alums & Upper Schoolers If you know of a full- or part-time internship or job opportunity, please fill out the form on Calhoun’s website, www.calhoun.org/internshipbank or contact Bart Hale ’00, bart.hale@calhoun.org, 646-666-6450.

Alumnae/iClass Notes FORMER FACULTY/STAFF John Brennan (phys ed

teacher, 1971–1979) went to Fairfield Prep (CT) in 1979 as a guidance counselor. In 1980, he joined the administration and become the housemaster/dean of students.

Brennan has worked summers since 1964 as the chief lifeguard at Rockaway Beach in Queens, NY. Helen Bruno (MS social

studies teacher, 1992– 2006) returned to Calhoun at Harvest Festival to catch up with former students and colleagues. She reminisced with Bart Hale ’00 about comic book projects on the New Deal, trips to Washington, DC, and Italy, and frequent Starbucks coffee visits.

Helen is currently teaching middle school history at Bay Ridge Preparatory School in Brooklyn.

Stacey P. Giordano (US

biology teacher, 1999) was named the new dean of faculty at Saddle River Day School (NJ), effective last July. Prior to Saddle River, she had been the academic dean at the Albany Academies. She continues to teach ninth grade biology.

Neen Hunt (Head of School, 1980–1992) has been named Academic Head of the Oxbridge Academy, a new independent high school that will open in the fall in West Palm Beach, FL. Founded by William “Bill” Koch, CEO of Oxbow Carbon, the school will begin its inaugural year with a ninth grade and possibly a tenth grade class. Neen writes that the school will be “cuttingedge.”

Robert Schaecher

(Community Service Director and Upper School Director, 1978–1998) is retiring at the end of this current school year after 40 years in education. He is currently the chair of the ethics department for the Fieldston Middle/Upper Schools (where he’s been since he left Calhoun), which includes Fieldston’s student-to-student peer leadership programs and the community service and service-learning programs.

Robert was responsible for formalizing Calhoun’s community service program as part of the Upper School curriculum in the mid-’80s. While he plans to stop his full-time teaching and administrative duties, Robert says he isn’t yet ruling out parttime or adjunct teaching in areas of interest such as philosophy and religion.

IN MEMORIAM Remembering Judith Brindley

Judith Brindley, Calhoun US art teacher from 1981 to 1997, passed away in mid-October after a long fight against cancer.

Judith left Calhoun with some long-lasting legacies: She was the “inventor” of the Egg Drop contest, which continues to be one of the school’s most popular traditions. And she, along with former US history teacher Jim Greene, was responsible for the Mona Lisa project—examples of which still grace the school’s walls.

In a memorial service held in Riverside Park on December 4, 2010, members of the Calhoun community gathered to help celebrate her life. Among those in attendance were alums Adam Campagna ’84, Katie Dreisbach ’98, Tanya Hotton ’85, Alicia Rosenthal ‘86, Rebecca Barber ’86 and former and current faculty/staff Rosetta Cohen, Eva Rado, John Roeder, Barbara Bernard and Nancy Sherman. Bobby Rue ’85 was among those who offered reflections at the service. Others posted their own testimonials on Calhoun’s alumnae/i Facebook page.

In addition to her daughters, Annika Brindley ’86 and Christina Lowenstein (former ASP teacher), Judith left another great legacy to Calhoun—granddaughter Fiona Lowenstein ’12, who is already showing the creative spirit and leadership that her grandmother exemplified.

We offer sincere condolences to the family.

Sarah Strauss (US history,

1998–2006) is currently an upper school history and social science teacher at Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn.

For a listing of former faculty/ staff members and their contact emails, log in to the Alumnae/i Portal at www.calhoun.org/alum.

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Alumnae/iReunions

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Fourth annual Pub Night NOVEMBER 23, 2010 Calhoun grads gathered en masse before the Thanksgiving holiday for the Fourth annual alumnae/i Pub Night. The venue was changed to The Parlour Irish Pub & Restaurant to accommodate what ended up being a record turnout for the event, as alums from 1980 to 2007 enjoyed a free open bar with friends and former

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teachers. a total of 68 alums came out for the homecoming.

MORE PHOTOs ONLINE www.calhoun.org/alumphotos 3

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1. (L-R) Kendra Vizcaino ’02, Jennifer Meyers ’02, Todd Garrin ‘02

4. (L-R) Theo Goodman ’06, Roey Mizrahi ’03, alex sanchez ‘03

2. (L-R) alex Gelband ’05, Ms math teacher Phil Bender, Josh Raeben ‘01

5. (L-R) David Katz ’06, Rory sasson ’06, Nate silverstein ’06, Peter Zurkuhlen ’06, David Ouimette ‘06

3. (L-R) Tanya Hotton ’85, Eric Potoker ’85, alison Max ’85, us social studies teacher Jonas Hamilton, Bobby Rue ’85, Melissa Kimmel saperstein ‘85

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6. (L-R) alex Israel ‘06, Katie schreiber ’06, Rachel Wiedermann ‘06 7. (L-R) alexi savov ’01, Peter Concannon ’01, Max Torgovnick ‘02

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Alumnae/iReunions 2 3

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Harvest Fest Reunites alums NOVEMBER 24, 2010 as part of a long-standing tradition, more recent grads returned to Calhoun for the annual Harvest Fest luncheon on the afternoon before Thanksgiving. Chef Bobo prepared a delicious menu of old favorites for the alums, who came back to reconnect and visit with former teachers.

1. (L-R) Chef Bobo, shanta Best ‘10

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2. (L-R) us associate Director Lavern McDonald, Leah Cramer Gibbs ‘10 3. (L-R) Peter Berman ‘11, sam scarritt-selman ‘08, music teacher Victor Lin

5. (L-R) Ben Waters ’10, alicia Vasquez ’10, Jackie Katz ‘10 6. (L-R) Chef Bobo, Michelle Rudin ’10, sam sadowsky ’10, Michael Ferguson ’10 (front) 7. (L-R) Erika Brinzac ’10, Rachel Glicksberg ‘10

4. (L-R) Destiny Orr ’10, amalia safran ’09, Terry Horowitz ’09, Francesca aborn ‘09

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Calhoun The

sChool

Non-Profit Organization u.s. Postage

433 West End Avenue . New York . NY 10024 www.calhoun.org

PaID New york, Ny Permit No. 7202

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

To the Parents of Alumnae/i: If this issue is addressed to your daughter/son who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please notify the Alumnae/i Office with the correct mailing address. Call 212-497-6579, fax 212-497-6531 or contact by e-mail: alumni@calhoun.org.

2011

Calhoun Performing Arts Series M a Ry L E a J O H N s O N P E R F O R M I N G a R T s C E N T E R

ONLINE REsERVaTIONs: www.calhoun.org/reservations MUSIC

D O C P L U S TA L K

KIDSTUFF

Sub Rosa Indie Concert

The Prep School Negro

Junie B. Jones

Friday, February 11, 7pm

Q & A with director André Robert Lee

A TheatreworksUSA production

Tuesday, February 15, 7pm

Saturday, April 9, 2pm

Juilliard Jazz Orchestra Friday, April 8, 7pm

Free. RSVP: www.calhoun.org/prep TA L K

Middle East Challenges & Opportunities Monday, April 11, 7pm