Calhoun Chronicle, Spring 2022

THE CALHOUN SCHOOL 2021–2022

CHRONICLE

125TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

The Calhoun Chronicle is created by the Communications Office:

Alumni news by Bart Hale ’00 Director of Alumni Relations

Michelle Kiefer Director of Communications

Editorial assistance by Amy Edelman

Emma Woodcock Digitial Communications Specialist Allana Edwards Communications Coordinator

Design by Christine Zamora ’81, CZ Design

Thank you to all of the community members who shared their stories, lent a hand and helped bring the Chronicle to life.

Contents THE CALHOUN SCHOOL 2021–2022

F E AT U R E S 125 Years of Change

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Teacher Talks: Examining the Past; Preparing for the Future

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SCHOOL NEWS Head Lines from Steve

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Calhoun Kicks Off Anniversary with Talking Heads

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Sports

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Onstage

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Class Notes

CALHOUN’S MISSION: To inspire a passion

for learning through a progressive approach to education that values intellectual pursuit, creativity, diversity and community involvement.

ON THE COVER: The practice of using the city as a classroom has a long history at Calhoun. This archival photo from the 1960s depicts students exploring New York during a field trip.

ON THIS PAGE: The Calhoun Carnival (first known as the

Spring Fair) was started by the Parents Association in 1963.

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Head Lines

by ST EV E SOL NIC K , HE A D OF SC HOOL

Open to the future we’re building together This year, Calhoun celebrates 125 years since it was founded as a girls’ school by educator Laura Jacobi in 1896. Eighty years later, we graduated our first coeducational class as a progressive school, newly housed in the remarkable learning resource we now know as Big Calhoun.

Celebrating our history is also an opportunity to look forward. This year, Calhoun has made significant strides in investing in infrastructure, setting the stage for an exciting future. We reinvented our Lower School–Early Childhood STEAM Lab, to offer an expanded range of experiences for our students at 74th Street. We also completely revamped the Calhoun website, which will help us more effectively tell the story of the Calhoun experience.

This summer will bring an important transformation of our 81st Street building.

Calhoun’s Upper School enrollment has grown by 47 percent over the past decade, putting significant strain on our facilities. We have been working with Verona Carpenter Architects (VCA) to create a new vision for our main Upper School areas on the fourth and seventh floors of Big Calhoun, with the aim of creating more modern, effective teaching, laboratory and lounge spaces. These are exciting changes that will substantially enhance the experience of Upper School students and teachers.

In subsequent phases, we will use this renovation as a template to upgrade teaching areas in other divisions.

As we celebrate Calhoun’s 125th year, it is thrilling to be laying the groundwork for the next 125. Ensuring the future growth and longevity of the school, as has been true throughout our history, ultimately depends on all of us—faculty and staff, families and students. Calhoun has always been a home for pedagogical innovation.

The transformations we’re making now—and will continue to make—honor the path-breaking spirit of our institution. I can’t wait to see what we build together.

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Preliminary visions for new Upper School classroom spaces in Calhoun’s 81st Street building. On the fourth floor, the locker area by the elevator will be transformed into a student lounge. While we are retaining our open floor plan, our teachers will gain more control over lighting, acoustics and furniture layout in classroom areas. On the seventh floor, we will create a third US laboratory, re-equip all the labs, and redesign the central classroom area.

Little Calhouners enjoy hands-on activities in science, technology, engineering, art and math in the newly renovated STEAM lab at 74th Street.

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Calhoun Kicks Off Anniversary with Talking Heads Calhoun’s anniversary celebration began with a dynamic virtual panel discussion with three school leaders. Former Heads of School Neen Hunt and Steve Nelson joined current Head, Steve Solnick, for “Talking Heads: Reflections on Calhoun from Five Decades of School Leadership.” The Zoom event brought together current and former families, alumni, faculty and former faculty, students and friends for a rare perspective on the journey of our school over the course of the past five decades and more.

NEEN HUNT Head of School, 1980–1992

STEVE NELSON Head of School, 1998–2017

STEVE SOLNICK Head of School, 2017–present

“Calhoun resonated with my vision for education, my personal values, and my interest in building schools as communities. The leadership and so many of the teachers embraced the spirit of innovation, experimentation and a forward-looking approach to education, which was not characteristic of the independent school community at the time.“

“During my time we uncovered a lot of historical material, which revealed nuggets of a progressive mission long before Calhoun became explicitly progressive, the 81st Street building was built or the school was coeducational. You can go all the way back to the founding of the school, and find elements of an institution that championed women’s education in a progressive way, and members of the faculty and student body who were outspoken about social issues.”

“The history from the founders of the school to the present day is a history of some bold steps, and risks that people took because they believed in the right way to educate children; they believed that children should be educated in a way that produced successful outcomes academically, socially, emotionally and in students’ values and directions for life.

Those are risks that we encourage our students to take as well—to be bold and follow what they believe in.”

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Both Neen and Steve N. named the Egg Drop as one of their favorite Calhoun traditions—one that continues to this day!

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SCHOOL NEWS

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Come back to Calhoun this spring!

REMEMBERING GENE RUTH, FORMER HEAD OF SCHOOL Eugene (Gene) D. Ruth, Jr., who served as Calhoun’s seventh Head of School from 1973 to 1980, passed away on January 7, 2022.

Gene left a lasting impact on the philosophy and pedagogy of Calhoun. In 1970 he was hired to pioneer a sixth-grade program at Calhoun inspired by his doctoral research on “learner-centered instruction,” developed at Teachers College, Columbia University. The program was soon expanded to include fifth, seventh and eighth grades, and became the basis of the curriculum for the entire school in the 1970s.

Under Gene’s leadership, in 1975, Calhoun moved to its innovative, open-floor-plan space on West End Avenue and 81st Street and became fully coeducational.

The principles of individualized learning and open space that Gene helped introduce guided Calhoun’s growth over subsequent decades, and continue to inform the school’s approach today.

Prior to Calhoun, Gene taught at the elementary and college levels in New York and Missouri, wrote articles on education, and co-authored a book, Learning to Teach in Urban Schools. He continued to work in school leadership after leaving Calhoun, including as head of school of The Gordon School, in Providence, RI, and The Wilson School, in Clayton, MO. Gene is survived by his wife, Rebecca, his son, Justin, his daughter-in-law, Andrea, and his grandchildren, Lauren and Megan.

Two of our most cherished community events, the Calhoun Carnival and the Benefit, are back in person this spring.

Join us as we come together in celebration of Calhoun’s 125th anniversary.

58TH CALHOUN CARNIVAL: ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Saturday, May 7, 2022 81st Street between West End and Riverside www.calhoun.org/carnival BENEFIT 2022: CELEBRATING 125 YEARS Monday, May 9, 2022 Tavern on the Green 67th Street and Central Park West www.calhoun.org/benefit

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IN THE CLASSROOM

Not Your Average Worksheet: How Calhoun Assessments Challenge and Inspire You probably remember taking traditional assessments—arriving at tests with sharpened number 2 pencils, anxious whether you knew the “right answer” to bubble in. When we were students, our goal was much more focused on demonstrating how much we knew, and less so on how we might use it.

Though what we know and teach is certainly important, Calhoun’s mission of creating lifelong learners places even greater emphasis on how our students make an impact in the world that awaits them. This is why our assessments are designed to offer students opportunities to apply their knowledge in new contexts.

Though it may look different by division, you can identify the underlying philosophy, guided by age-appropriate projects and assessments.

Here are some examples of assessments from each of our divisions.

— Eric Osorio, Associate Head of School for Teaching and Learning, and Julie Torres, Academic Dean, Grades 6–12

Beyond the Essay: Upper School English Assignments Danny Isquith, Upper School Director In order to dive deeper into what assessments look like in the Upper School and why they are so engaging and rigorous, I spoke with Kristen McElhiney, who shared a snapshot of what happens in her tenth-grade English class. Kristen asks her students to write various traditional essays, and she works with them to refine and polish their argument.

Central to Kristen’s class is the idea that a thoughtful thesis takes many attempts to develop, and to do this, students must commit to an iterative process of creation.

Instead of just following a formula,

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all into something,” says Kristen. “In the end, I am assessing, ‘Did you throw yourself into it? Did you take joy in it? Did you take pride in it?’”

Eighth-Grade Cell Project Showcases STEAM Knowledge Ardalan Parsa, Middle School science teacher

Upper Schoolers are learning how to think critically and creatively, and express their complex thoughts and feelings in clear, concise and compelling ways.

Our strength at Calhoun, though, is the wide variety of types of assessments we assign throughout a student’s journey.

For example, in Kristen’s elective Bible as Literature, one project asks Upper Schoolers to modernize the tale of Job through a creative project. Upper Schoolers are assessed by the way that they reimagine the text and embody the characters. In one instance, a group created a short film that told the story of Job as a mafia movie!

Kristen believes that her most powerful assessments are creative work that includes a lot of joy. If students can find a way to connect their studies with something that they already take joy in, they can’t help but learn—and the learning becomes even deeper. “It’s about finding your own personal level of what it means to put your

The eighth-grade cell-membrane video is a STEAM project that allows students to focus on the information they gathered during our study of cell structure.

Students assemble knowledge from notes, discussions, homework and other sources to create a multimedia project guided by a rubric that outlines the required components, while allowing space for creative interpretation.

This interdisciplinary project exemplifies how we incorporate art, technology, math, language and communication skills as students demonstrate their ability to explain complex scientific processes.

Beyond assessing students’ scientific content knowledge, the project asks eighth graders to develop multimedia expertise by learning to use Tinkercad, an introductory level Computer Assisted Design (CAD) software. Students create screen recordings, scripts and an optional storyboard before recording

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a short tutorial on-screen, utilizing multiple software options.

The project reflects all the aspects of STEAM learning and exemplifies how we want students to engage in ways that are meaningful, interconnected, and applicable to the world beyond the classroom walls (or, in our case, beyond the bookcases). As all stages of this project demonstrate, assessment can (and should) be a celebration of knowledge, a way for students to show what they know, not merely a regurgitation that occurs in a vacuum.

allows her to see what a group of students knows as they anonymously answer quiz questions before, during and after units are introduced. Our media arts teacher, Rob, collects his students’ work in Vimeo folders to periodically review with students so that they can chart their progress in the use of particular tools.

Teachers conduct assessments not only to develop an understanding of their students’ level of engagement with the learning, but also to offer a roadmap to guide instruction at the individual and group level. Using this roadmap, teachers then have data to be able to monitor and support student progress, as well as shape future instruction based on what they’ve learned from their students. Ultimately, the way we design assessments provides critical information to support every child in a holistic way and to meet them where they are—from the beginning of the school year through the last day of classes.

Observation Deepens Academic Engagement Creating Holistic Assessments in Elementary School Debra Jeffreys-Glass, Director of Lower School–Elementary Assessment in the Lower School– Elementary division takes many forms and happens for a variety of reasons.

In addition to the paper-and-pencil assessments asking students to “answer these questions” or “do this activity,” teachers often use a combination of methods to see where a student might be in their learning. Assessments vary from one-on-one conferences to observations, from close review of student work to asking our learners to share their understanding with a peer or with the group. Teachers may use long-term projects and/or portfolios to give them a bigger picture of how a student has consolidated and retained information.

For example, our science teacher, Muna, uses an online game called Plickers to conduct assessments in a way that

Molly Cohen, Lower School Math Coordinator Students at 74th Street experience math through the lens of an investigative

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approach. Our first graders completed a unit called the Double Decker Bus, in which they read a story about a bus with two decks (something that is very familiar for New York City residents). This unit introduces the Rekenrek as a powerful model and tool to act out the story.

Students grow comfortable seeing five and 10 as units to support their understanding of larger numbers and gain efficiency with addition strategies.

Assessment during units like the Double Decker Bus look different each day. For example, when students are playing games like Passenger Pairs and Passenger Combos, teachers are carefully observing their strategies for composing and decomposing numbers. We can learn a lot from watching a student count the beads; are they “trusting 10” and counting on or by ones? Additionally, one activity asked students to find all the configurations of 14 passengers on the bus. Here, teachers are carefully noticing how students are organizing their thinking, utilizing the Rekenrek as a tool, conversing with their partners and persevering when something feels tricky or uncomfortable.

While this unit does not end in an independent written assessment for each child, through observations and careful listening, teachers develop a fuller understanding of where students are in their mathematical development. Seeing a student’s completed work does not tell us about their journey of how they got to a solution. However, listening to a child’s explanation tells us about how they reason, which can help both the student and the teacher; the student continues to make connections by articulating their thinking and the teacher now has invaluable insight for planning future activities.

Finally, by using the bus context and the Rekenrek as a tool, students begin to make connections to understand big ideas like equivalence—that numbers can be named in many ways—and ultimately extend this understanding to larger numbers beyond 20.

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Building a Strong Culture Through Adversity It was thrilling to see our student-athletes return to competition in the 2021–22 school year. Not only did the Cougars get back to the court, field and track, but there’s been an uptick in overall participation in athletics this year—a result of the program’s intentional culture-building over the last five years and an exciting sign for the future of sports at Calhoun.

The Calhoun Athletics Department—composed of administrators, coaches and an athletic trainer—has worked diligently to navigate the challenges of the pandemic while still delivering the best experience possible for athletes. With community-building and students’ safety as the top priorities, and guided by the program’s core values (teamwork, resilience, empathy, self-awareness), the Athletics team created spaces that allowed students to come together, train, and continue to build team and program culture.

Last school year, the league suspended competition due to COVID-19. In response, Calhoun Athletics organized three condensed seasons of sports, along with interdisciplinary hybrid

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classes and virtual training spaces that allowed students to continue to learn and foster relationships with their peers. Despite the lack of traditional competition, the Athletics Department strived to keep athletes engaged and made innovative adjustments to their programming—a powerful testament to the versatility and resilience of Cougar Nation.

This innovative initiative paid off, and Calhoun Athletics has seen a considerable amount of growth in the program. This year, both Middle and Upper School student participation continued to increase, a trend that began in 2018–2019. Therefore, Athletics was able to establish the Varsity Girls/Non-Binary Students and Varsity Boys/Non-Binary Students Tennis teams, the first time Calhoun has had tennis teams in more than a decade, as well as a Varsity Table Tennis team. Calhoun Athletics also established the Girls/Non-Binary Students Junior Varsity Green Basketball team, a developmental team that allowed students to get involved in sports, focus on the fundamental skills, and prepare for interscholastic competition.

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Sports Highlights “Anyone who wants to commit has something to gain and offer from playing, and we’re glad we’re in a position where we can develop players instead of cutting them,” says Nicola Zimmer, Assistant Director of Athletics and Varsity Girls/Non-Binary Students Basketball Head Coach.

These teams join the Girls/Non-Binary Students Junior Varsity Green Volleyball team and the return of the Varsity Girls/Non-Binary Students Softball team in the overall revitalization of girls/nonbinary sports at Calhoun. This increased participation is especially exciting at Calhoun, given the national trend toward lower girls/ non-binary participation in sports as students enter high school.

The Athletics Department demonstrated resilience as they adapted to new hurdles. They pushed to make the program accessible to more people, and as a result have seen increased interest and participation. By facing every challenge with the program’s core values in mind—the same values they teach their athletes—the Athletics Department has left no doubt that Calhoun sports will continue to see more growth and success.

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1. Two student-athletes were recruited to play for Division I schools!

Soccer players Esme Brayshaw ’22 and Will Baker ’22 committed to Georgetown University and Rutgers University, respectively.

2. The Varsity Cross Country team placed second in NYCAL, and the Varsity Boys/Non-Binary Students Cross Country team placed seventh in the state. In the NYSAIS meets, four of our runners placed in the top 40 out of 139 runners, with Harper Conboy ’26 coming in seventh place (out of 129 runners) in the girls’ race, and Liam Harvey ’22 coming in 18th place (out of 139 runners) in the boys’ race. Both Harper and Liam placed first in their races at the NYCAL championship meet.

3-5 & 7. All eligible Calhoun Basketball teams and both Varsity Soccer teams made the playoffs this year.

6. The Varsity Girls/Non-Binary Students Volleyball team finished first in the league in the regular season and were co–league champions.

The team also competed in the NYSAIS tournament.

8. Calhoun reestablished the Varsity Tennis teams!

9. Calhoun also launched its first Varsity Table Tennis team!

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Calhoun’s 1981 Varsity Girls Volleyball team

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UPPER SCHOOL FALL PRODUCTION

Almost, Maine “It is good for the soul to see a full theater,” Upper School Theater Director Lee Kasper declared as he opened the sold-out second performance of Almost, Maine in mid-December. After nearly two years of virtual productions, Calhoun’s Upper School Theater welcomed audiences to the Mary Lea Johnson Performing Arts Center with limited seating capacity but boundless enthusiasm.

Returning to live theater was “an incredibly rewarding and emotional experience for the entire cast and crew,” writes Lee. “We really had to remind ourselves what it takes to create a production like this . . . but in the end we had built an amazing family of artists.”

Almost, Maine, a play about “searching for, finding and losing connection,” as Lee describes it, was a natural choice following the challenges and isolation of the pandemic. The show features nine loosely connected stories set in Almost, Maine, a town that almost doesn’t exist, and follows the characters as they experience love and heartbreak on one cold winter night. Rehearsals for the play began in late September, with two to three cast members working on their scenes at a time. As the weeks passed and the scenes fit together, the magic of the play came alive on the snow-covered set.

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1. UPPER SCHOOL WINTER WORKSHOP: ONE-ACT FESTIVAL As part of its fast-paced Winter Workshop in late January, Upper School Theater presented five short plays written and directed by our very own Cougar playwrights. From “Elevator” to “Quiet Sunday Morning,” the plays in the One-Act Festival put our students’ talent and creativity on full display.

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2. SEVENTH AND EIGHTH GRADE AND UPPER SCHOOL STRINGS CONCERT Our strings ensembles returned to the Mary Lea Johnson Performing Arts Center in mid-December for a festive performance of pop, classical and jazz favorites. The concert included works by Adele, Mozart and Mussorgsky, in addition to a film-score arrangement by Katrina L. ’23.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES Dating back to its founding, Calhoun, then The Jacobi School, has taken a holistic approach to education, valuing activities “beyond purely scholastic training.”

From the 1920s to today, music classes have helped students of all ages deepen learning across disciplines.

Our Upper School jazz ensembles returned to the stage for a live-streamed performance during the school day. The concert was a culmination of their hard work during Mod 2 and a demonstration of creative ways to play wind instruments while still wearing masks.

(Photographed by Daniel S. ’23)

4. FIFTH–GRADE PLAY Lower School–Elementary Theater presented On the Other Hand, a play collaboratively created by LS–E theater teacher Jonathan Matthews-Guzman with fifth graders’ imaginative input.

Their performance explored what it is to be a finger—a citizen on a set of hands, connected to a larger body.

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FEATURE

125 YEARS OF CHANGE

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By Michelle Kiefer

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When you look at the long history of Calhoun, what emerges is a portrait of a school that has continually evolved. Calhoun in its 125th year is a far cry from the traditional, all-girls’ school founded by educator Laura Jacobi in 1896, with an initial graduating class of only four students. Ever since those early days, Calhoun has grown and adapted to a changing city, country and world—spurred on by advancements in education research, larger social forces and, most of all, a drive to best serve its students.

The occasion of Calhoun’s 125th anniversary is an opportunity to reflect on the many ways that Calhoun has changed over the years, leading to the school that we know today. That spirit of flexibility and innovation not only has contributed to the institution’s longevity, but also mirrors the same qualities that Calhoun educators have aimed to foster in students throughout history: the adaptability and self-resolve to shape an unknown future.

The snapshots shared here from our archives span the spectrum, from the most momentous events to the most ordinary ones. Which do you remember? Which of them still resonate?

Read on to learn more about notable events in Calhoun’s 125-year history.

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Becoming “Calhoun” “She was a leader in the educational world.”

— Elizabeth Parmelee (Co-Headmistress from 1946 to 1969), describing Mary Calhoun in a document written in 1954

Calhoun received its first “rebrand” in 1924, when its name changed to the one we know today. Previously, the school was called The Jacobi School for Girls, named for founder Laura Jacobi. When she retired in 1916, Jacobi chose Mary Calhoun to succeed her as headmistress. Mary Calhoun had a reputation as an exceptional educator. She was a graduate of Columbia University’s Teachers College, and had taught at Barnard College, the Horace Mann School and the Packer Collegiate Institute. The story goes that families who no longer remembered Jacobi requested that the school be renamed The Calhoun School, in honor of their current Headmistress.

Navigating Uncertainty “Calhoun was awakened to the problems of the world and responded by producing graduates who were well aware of the difficulties which they had to face, and who were capable of coping with them. With heads held high and spirits strong, the graduates departed the little house on 92nd Street and entered a future which held only uncertainty.”

— A graduation paper from the 1940s; author unknown

(Above and opposite) A Jacobi School brochure from 1923 lists among its core courses for high school students: French, German, History of Art, Economics, Biology and Business Arithmetic; so-called “special subjects” included Rhythmic Dancing, Clay Modeling and Cooking. That same year, The Inkpot (a student publication and predecessor to today’s yearbook) highlights extracurricular activities such as Glee Club, Varsity Basketball, the Dramatics Committee and the Social Services Committee.

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The repercussions of major world events in the first half of the twentieth century didn’t bypass “the house on 92nd Street” (as it was affectionately known by students at the time). Like many private schools around the country, Calhoun grappled with economic hardship during the Great Depression; because of a significant drop in enrollment, it closed its elementary school in 1937.

Both World Wars also hit close to home for the Calhoun community. During World War II, multiple teachers were summoned away to war duty. The school installed an air-raid alarm, and the Parents Association held talks for families such as “How the War Is Affecting Our Adolescents,” to address the increased anxieties of raising children in troubling times.

Perhaps most profoundly, the momentous upheavals of this period helped shift Calhoun students’ understanding of their

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role in society. “This is a time of great change,” stated alum Eleanor Gottheil in her valedictory speech of 1916.

“The work of women of today is very different ... the woman who not only manages her own home, but does something either toward relieving suffering or making for greater efficiency in all walks of life—that woman has come to stay.”

Sowing the Seeds of Growth “Our purpose is to continue changing with changing times. We shall do our best to make those changes which will enable the school to continue to hold its place of educational leadership, and to help [students] develop the inner strength and serenity that are the only source of security in a world whose immediate and distant future we are unable to predict.”

For much of its early history, Calhoun was governed under a unique co-leadership model: first Mary Calhoun and Ella Cannon Levis (1916–1942 and 1923–1946, respectively); then Elizabeth Parmelee and Beatrice Cosmey (1946–1969 and 1948–1969, pictured above).

— A school anniversary bulletin from 1946

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After World War II, Elizabeth Parmelee and Beatrice Cosmey became Co-Headmistresses. Their 20-year tenure was marked by efforts to prepare students for a rapidly changing society, and set the stage for the school’s growth.

Reflecting a renewed global awareness, Calhoun added classes to the curriculum that covered comparative religion and international issues, among other subjects, and introduced community service and the Model United Nations program.

The demographics of the Upper West Side neighborhood— and the needs of the student population—were also shifting, which ultimately led Calhoun to reopen its Lower School in 1958, this time as a coeducational division.

Parmelee and Cosmey had their eyes on the future, and focused on fundraising initiatives that would help Calhoun expand. They dreamed of a school that would include all grades, be entirely coeducational, and be more engaged with the surrounding community. It wouldn’t be until later, though, that the seeds planted by their vision would fully blossom.

(Above) Students visit the construction site of the 81st Street campus in the 1970s; (below) Calhoun opened its Lower School in 1958 as a coeducational division.

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Breaking Ground “Calhoun is always receptive to change, not for change’s sake, but for real educational progress viewed in the light of what Calhoun can become within the context of the educational needs and goals of our society in the coming decades.”

— An admissions brochure from 1974–75

The world was evolving, and so was Calhoun. On the heels of the great social changes of the 1960s, Calhoun continued to look for ways to align its pedagogy with the latest innovations in education, as it had throughout its history. This plan came to fruition in the 1970s, when the school pioneered a progressive, learner-centered model of education in the Middle School.

This model would soon become the basis of the curriculum for the entire school.

In 1975, Calhoun moved to a new building on West End Avenue and 81st Street, with a modern, open floor plan that was designed to mirror the forward-thinking nature of the school’s learning philosophy. That same year, Calhoun became a fully coeducational school for the first time in its 79-year history. (See pages 20-21 for a closer look at this chapter in Calhoun’s history.)

Calhoun in the 1960s and 1970s was on the cusp of transition.

In an editorial for the October 1971 issue of The Calhounder (the school newspaper), student Barbara Tholfsen described what the changes were like from her vantage point in the all-girls’ Upper School: “There has been massive change at Calhoun since I came here in 1966. When I was in seventh grade, we had to stand up when a teacher came into the room, we never knew anyone outside of our own class, and our skirts were measured. . . As to what changes were necessary, there is one thing of which I am sure: there was no need to spend a summer changing the word ‘home room’ to a ridiculous expression like ‘social cluster.’”

Growing Up “Calhoun was obviously a very different place than it is now. First of all, it was all girls. Second of all, it was really small. I think there were twenty girls in my class, and I can still remember not only all of their names, but their shoes. . . . [B]ut what I remember even more than the shoes were my wonderful teachers. . . . I do believe, at Calhoun, I was able to find my own voice.”

— Wendy Wasserstein ’67, speaking on the occasion of the dedication of the new 81st Street theater in October 2004

In 1989 Calhoun opened the 74th Street building, which set off a wave of growth in the Lower School. More growth was yet to come: In the early 2000s, the “Growing Up with Calhoun” campaign triggered further investment in Calhoun’s facilities at 81st Street, opening doors to enhanced curricular offerings to serve a booming student population.

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FEATURE

(Above) Though Calhoun had a Montessori program as early as 1916, the economic hardship wrought by the Great Depression led to the closing of Calhoun’s elementary school in 1937; the school later reopened its newly coed Lower School in 1958.

(Below) In 1989, the opening of the Robert L. Beir Lower School building dedicated an entire space to Calhoun’s early-childhood program.

It was a time of other “firsts” for Calhoun. Besides two new teaching floors, state-of-the-art science labs, a full-size gym and a dedicated theater space, Calhoun added a Green Roof to its 81st Street building—the first usable Green Roof for a New York City school. In 2005, Calhoun reimagined its food program and created Eat Right Now, which became a nationally recognized model for healthy school lunches. The launch of other public-facing initiatives, such as the Performing Arts TALKS series and the Deconstructing Race program, deepened connections between the school and the broader community.

All of these changes helped put Calhoun on the map as a leader in progressive education.

Looking Forward “Calhoun has always been really good at being flexible and making changes based on the needs of the world that we’re living in.”

— Alison Rothschild ’85, Director of Lower School—Early Childhood

As we look back on our history, we can celebrate the fact that the future will continue to be forged by the students, families and educators of today and tomorrow—because, ultimately, it’s up to the next generation of Calhouners to decide what to carry forward. We can’t predict Calhoun’s future, but with the past as our guide, the openness to change that has characterized our school throughout its history will continue to push our community forward to new and exciting terrain.

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Learning without Walls A look back at the moment in the 1970s when Calhoun pioneered its open-space learning environment, and the impact of that transformation today.

By Emma Woodcock In the spring of 1975, members of the Calhoun community waved flags and held signs as they marched together down West End Avenue to the newly completed 81st Street building.

The march was a monumental and symbolic moment in Calhoun’s history. Marco Aurelio ’80 can still vividly recall everything from that day—from the smell of the carpet to “the feeling of being in this school without walls.”

With its open floor plan and unique, “futuristic” exterior, the 81st Street building matched the school’s newfound commitment to an open learning style. A few years earlier,

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Calhoun had pioneered the concept of “learner-centered instruction” in the middle school. The new five-story building, which featured areas rather than walls, allowed this innovative approach to take root. Over the course of the decade, the school became a fully coeducational institution, implemented a cluster advisor system, and created opportunities for cross-grade interactions. These changes paved the way for the Calhoun we know today.

The 81st Street building’s open concept stripped away barriers between teachers and students, best exemplified by Calhoun’s signature practice of calling teachers by their first names. “Everything about the environment was conducive to interacting,” remembers Charles Oppenheim ’80, citing the use of first names as a key part of this. As longtime science teacher John Roeder, who has been at the school since 1973, reflects, “We treat students as fellow learners and I think the first-name

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An excerpt from the 1975 poem by renowned writer and former Calhoun parent Elie Wiesel, written for the dedication of the new Calhoun building.

And here this house we are building is rising not just with stones nor just with bricks but with the dreams of children present and yet to be born; it will rise out of their laughter, their stories and shouts, their need for learning and for friendship, and their hope— and it will bear their face, the fragile yet timeless face of all beginnings.

(Opposite and above) The open-space layout of the 81st Street building fostered lively classroom discussions and close student-teacher relationships. (Below) The last all-girls’ class graduated from Calhoun in 1975.

basis helps. . . . We’re all in this learning boat together.” This sense of mutual respect allowed teachers and students to develop strong relationships and form a sense of community.

When the new 81st Street building opened in the 1970s, classrooms were full of thoughtful dialogue and lively discussions guided by student interests. Teachers encouraged exploration of different topics—embodying the openness of the space in every way possible and empowering students to be active participants in their education. As Marco explains, “The experience liberated my curiosity. . . . [I]t was hugely impactful to my ability to succeed in both life and in college.”

Susan Joyce ’80 adds, “Because of the open environment and the teaching style, you felt like anything was possible.”

That same openness—to new ideas, innovations and connections—continues to guide Calhoun in its 125th year.

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A History of Changemakers Calhoun students throughout history have had the drive to enact change—within their own school community, and the world beyond.

1. The roots of student government can be traced back to the founding of the Students League in 1919, which empowered the girls of The Jacobi School with practice in self-governance.

An archival paper from the 1940s describes its impact: “[The Students League] became a vital force in the school, giving many students their first experience in leadership.”

2 2. The lessons of democracy fostered in The Jacobi School inspired early graduates to fight for change later in their lives. One such example was Faith Seidenberg ’41, a lawyer known for storming the doors of McSorley’s Old Ale House in Manhattan, demanding that the bar serve women. The case led to landmark legislation that barred discrimination in public places on the basis of sex.

3. The tragedy of World Wars sparked in students a new sense of their role as global citizens. “As the young Jacobi

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student watched her father, brother and fiancé march to the battlefront, she suddenly became aware of her new responsibility in the world,” wrote one student in a paper from the era. During World War II, the community rallied around volunteer efforts, raising money and rolling bandages for the Red Cross.

4. Community service became a graduation requirement starting in the 1980s. Ever since, the program has given students across divisions the opportunity to advocate for change. “Teaching students to make a difference and stand up for what they believe in is such an important part of a Calhoun education in all divisions, starting from when [students] are really young,” says Debbie Aronson ’79, Director of Service Learning.

5. In 2020, amid our national reckoning with racial injustice, a group of Upper Schoolers founded the Diversity and Accountability Board (D.A.B.), which partners with school administrators to make Calhoun a more equitable community.

6. Students created two issues of an underground paper in 1969 called The Clap to voice their demands for change to the school administration.

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Examining the Past; Preparing for the Future — As told to Allana Edwards and Emma Woodcock

On this anniversary year, as we look back on the institutional milestones and individual recollections that make up the story of Calhoun, it seems apt to reflect on how history is covered in the classroom.

We sat down with a few of our history teachers to learn more about how they teach students to understand the complexities of the past and apply those lessons to the present. At Calhoun, students are empowered to engage with the material in a deeply inquisitive manner and question how historical knowledge is created and passed down. This informs how teachers structure classroom discussions around bias, different forms of oppression, and current events. From connecting historical moments to the present to encouraging students to think critically about sources, our teachers are demonstrating the importance of studying the nuances of history.

We talked with faculty members from across divisions: Meghan Chidsey, who specializes in ancient world history and anthropology in the Upper School; Giovanni Pucci, fifth-grade social studies teacher; Marco Sanchez, eighth-grade social studies teacher; and Jason Tebbe, who covers American and European history in the Upper School. With their different academic and personal backgrounds, they each have a unique perspective on teaching history. In the conversation that follows, they discuss how examining the past helps to prepare Calhoun students for the future.

How do you introduce diverse perspectives and voices into your history curriculum?

Meghan Chidsey, Upper School history teacher

Giovanni Pucci, fifth grade social studies teacher

Marco Sanchez, eighth grade social studies teacher

Jason Tebbe, Upper School history teacher

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How do you introduce diverse perspectives and voices into your history curriculum?

GIOVANNI: Here are the questions that guide us: Who gets to tell us about history? How does that change what is told? Whoever’s in charge of the story gets to tell the story a certain way, and it changes the story itself; whoever’s in charge of making the laws usually makes laws that favor themselves. We’re always looking at how systems of oppression perpetuate themselves.

“

I try to explain to students that we all have biases. We have to understand ours and how where we come from plays a part in how we look at issues in the world.”

— Marco Sanchez, eighth grade social studies teacher

MARCO: I don’t teach from the dominant perspective because I’ve never experienced it. In my classroom, it’s more about remembering to include the dominant perspective, because we learn everything from the perspective of the people who were not in power and who were disenfranchised.

MEGHAN: Part of my goal is for students to become co-creators and interpreters, instead of it feeling like I’m preaching the knowledge or reiterating what some archaeologists or historians said. The nature of what I teach is a very cross-cultural analysis of places and cultures.

I’m always trying to bring in a series of different cultures and voices, and decenter whiteness and Eurocentrism; if we do center it, I try to be very explicit about it and the shortcomings therein.

What are some of the activities and strategies that you employ to teach students about history?

JASON: I try to keep classes as interesting as possible by using a variety of different methods. I want students to actually do history the way that they do science in science classes and math in math classes. They’re doing their own research and drawing conclusions from it.

MEGHAN: I’m an anthropologist by trade, and so I approach history through an anthropological lens, which for me means humanizing the process, but also questioning historiography [the writing of history] and the processes by which we study and consume history. We spend a good deal of time talking about things we often take for granted when we study history, such as geographic knowledge or the power inherent in history.

I try to make the courses very inquiry-based. I cover what archaeologists, professionals or culture members suggest, but I also want students to feel brave enough to voice their own opinion. Half the time, [what historians are sharing] are still theories—your interpretation is in some ways just as valid as the ones I might be presenting.

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As one example of an activity that helps bring history to life, Jason Tebbe asked students to use a database of editorials from the Civil War era to craft a Twitter feed as if they were living at the time and responding to one of the major crises of the period.

What types of sources do you use in your lessons?

MARCO: I use primary sources and editorial texts as examples. With these sources, I can focus on characterization versus action through history, as well as explore themes of bias and framing. One of the key things we do is try to get sources from opposing viewpoints. That way, the students are

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able to look at what media, textbooks and writing say about a topic, formulate their own opinion from the original source, and discuss the discrepancies and how bias plays a part.

JASON: Pretty much everything we read for the class is either a primary source, or if it’s not, it’s something that’s written by a scholar. I keep telling students they’re learning about not only the study of the topic we’re covering, but the different interpretations of it.

MEGHAN: I’m always pulling from a lot of books, podcasts, primary sources or videos. My attempt is to try to diversify where I’m getting my information from so that it isn’t just one textbook, or one author’s voice talking the whole time. We also talk about cultures where it’s harder to find information. Why were these cultures deemed “not worthy of study”? How could colonization or racism impact whose artifacts get stolen or destroyed?

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Here are the questions that guide us: Who gets to tell us about history?

How does that change what is told?”

— Giovanni Pucci, fifth grade social studies teacher

How do you discuss systems of inequality and oppression in your classroom?

MEGHAN: It’s always front and center in what I’m trying to analyze. We try to create an open space for students to express what they’re recognizing and then hopefully unpack the structures that have led to systems of inequality or hierarchy. Often toward the beginning of the year, I’m the one introducing it, and showing students that it’s okay to talk critically and become comfortable with each other as a community. Later in the year, it becomes an expectation that we’re going to be talking about these topics and the structures of power that exist. I think the more direct you can be about it, the more critical students can be in their analyses.

MARCO: This is something we always talk about in the classroom, because it comes up often. I never want to only teach the white man’s side of history, because that would be providing my students with only one side of the story. I teach my students about the people that challenged white men, that were the most vulnerable but stood up to those in power. . . . because those are the people who changed the world.

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MEGHAN: It’s about trying to not only be aware of our own interpretations, but the historiography. Who wrote this?

Why did they write it? Something we see throughout history is people trying to confiscate or erase history either through propaganda or through the actual erasure of the material.

And so how does that create bias? How do we get beyond just the people in power and tell the stories of people who weren’t in power?

JASON: My goal for students is to not only learn about the past, but to examine how we investigate the past. One thing I try to stress is that every source is biased, and that’s okay.

Every source has a perspective.

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I want students to actually do history the way that they do science in science classes and math in math classes. They’re doing their own research and drawing conclusions from it. ” — Jason Tebbe, Upper School history teacher

What do you teach your students about their own personal biases that they bring to class?

In Giovanni’s class, fifth graders designed and created their own colonial money after learning about the various currencies in the thirteen colonies.

We always have a choice: We could learn about history through the powerful people that all looked the same, or we could learn about history through the diverse groups that pushed for change. I think it’s a much more interesting story when we look at it through their eyes because they are the ones who really changed things.

How do you teach students about bias in the telling of history?

GIOVANNI: There’s this great children’s book called Zoom that starts off with a picture, and then the reader zooms out and the picture changes. [The experience of reading it] keeps changing your expectations of what the image is.

That’s one way I introduce to my students that everyone and everything has a bias and an angle. To know a person or understand something takes a lot of work and research because we’re all biased as human beings. We all have ideas about people and things and we make judgments.

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MEGHAN: I think it’s a lot about being self-reflective as well as understanding your own identities, and no matter how many privileged or unprivileged identities you hold, it’s going to influence the way you analyze and interpret material, and interact with others.

JASON: I try to model being cognizant of the fact that you come into everything with your own perspective. I tell students, “This source has a bias, but your perspective does too.“ MARCO: I try to explain to students that we all have biases.

We have to understand ours and how where we come from plays a part in how we look at issues in the world. But more importantly, I make sure that they understand that no matter how well intentioned a person may be, they have some sort of bias in their writings and thoughts. I try to explain that biases come from where they grew up, who their parents are, what their parents told them, how the world perceives them, how they perceive the world and so on. Lastly, I teach them that it’s important to hear those biases so we can understand different perspectives and formulate our own opinions.

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I approach history through an anthropological lens, which for me means humanizing the process, but also questioning historiography [the writing of history] and the processes by which we study and consume history.”

— Meghan Chidsey, Upper School history teacher How do you reference current events when teaching history?

GIOVANNI: When we talk about the Constitution, we talk about the importance of the highest law and how these amendments protect our rights. For example, when someone takes a knee at the beginning of a football game to protest police brutality, I ask, ”Does he have the right under the Constitution to take a knee before the game?“ And I say, ”This is what the Constitution says we have a right to do.

This is the act this man is doing. Does he have a right?”

And we talk about the fact that he actually lost his job after doing that and the fact that these rights are always attacked by folks who are threatened by them.

JASON: We were talking about voter suppression in the Jim Crow South, and so I brought in material about modern-day voter suppression. After January 6 I did a class on the history of the modern extremist militia movements, because they probably have questions about this and we should actually talk about it.

MEGHAN: In my Ancient World History class, I try to pull the threads to where we are today and what persists from the ancient world. Whether it’s pop culture or current events or just modern threads of cultural practice, I try to weave them in as much as possible to make it connect.

Given the impact of social movements in recent years, has the way you teach history changed?

If yes, how?

MEGHAN: My teaching is a call to continue to make connections with our lives today. Current events have made the material and the conversations we have around diversity and power more contextualized. I try to also create projects that tie into real-world activism and engagement. Instead of just analyzing museum politics, we might redesign the exhibit

The sixth-grade social studies classroom was transformed into a museum exhibit about Ancient Egypt. Students walked around the gallery leaving Post-it comments on their peers’ displays.

or compose a letter to the curatorial board about why the items should be repatriated and to whom.

JASON: I definitely have responded to a lot of the social moments, especially if it’s material that really matters to the students. I keep telling them we study history so that we can understand the present, because the present is the creation of the past. Nothing in the present exists that did not come out of the past.

GIOVANNI: My own thinking about these movements has led to me teaching what I’ve been learning and thinking about. Especially in this time of social changes and upheaval, it’s really important to be teaching history, bias and similar content. I just taught the Declaration of Independence to one of the clusters, and how there are folks who were not included in those words. It was always rich white men. For example, they’re seeing that the Black Lives Matter movement is really just a call to what was in the blueprint of this country. I want them to understand that the uprising on the streets has to do with the history of our country.

Do you have any closing thoughts on teaching history in today’s world?

JASON: Recent events have led to more people taking history seriously. I think there’s a general feeling that the way we tell our history really matters, and there’s material that we weren’t paying attention to that is going to change the way we think about the world. I feel that, in some ways, I’m on the front lines of social conflict right now. I’m very grateful I teach at a place that is pushing to be more thoughtful and intentional in its approach.

MEGHAN: It’s always very reassuring to see students having these hard conversations already, and questioning structures of power that they participate in every day—not in a way that causes guilt, but in a way that causes action, allyship, representation and empowerment. That gives me hope, and it gives me reassurance that what we’re doing as teachers matters.

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SAVE THE DATE! All-Class Reunion Celebrating Calhoun’s 125th Anniversary Friday, June 3, 2022 Calhoun’s 125th anniversary year is an opportunity to honor the people and history that make our school special.

We are so excited for the long-awaited chance to come back together as an alumni community and celebrate the connections we hold to Calhoun and one another.

All classes are invited to Reunion 2022. The event will include special milestone recognition of class years ending in 2 and 7, along with class years ending in 0s/5s and 1s/6s who could not gather for their reunions in person.

Interested in planning?

Join the committee and help organize this special celebration!

Contact Bart Hale ’00, Director of Alumni Relations, bart.hale@calhoun.org

Alumni News MARRIAGES Chris Foster ’95 to Lindsay Grant

1940s

Andrew Booth ’03 to Gaby Trejo Ella Glaser ’04 to Ian Forster Emily Kaiser ’05 to Andrew Paget Rebecca Rothschild ’05 to Gavin Skal

where I direct a citizens’ group, Enhancing Redding’s Future.

I am also running many projects at our condo community and hope to travel again when that is more feasible and desirable.”

1960s

Rachel Jackson ’07 to Nate Adler Samantha Blank ’08 to Vishwas Wesley

Bari Abrams ’09 to Noam Liran

BIRTHS To Ed Freiberg ’88 and Sherisse Springer, a girl, Bowie Abrams To1 David Aaron Wright ’98 and Karin Wright, a girl, Astrid Lee To Ben Seldon ’00 and Stacey Seldon, a girl, Whitney Gray To Jack Carroll ’02 and Lizzie Carroll, girls, Gemma Allyn and Quinn Caleb To Karlin Levine-Smith ’03 and Ryan Gooch, a boy, Cyrus To Arielle Silverman ’03 and Chris, a boy, Owen To David Katz ’06 and Liza Katz, a boy, Finley To Jenna Johnson Davis ’07 and Jed Davis, a boy, Indy To Andrew Sklar ’07 and Hila Landesman, a boy, Jonathan Joshua

IN MEMORIAM Marcia Levey Laudin ’42 Fleurette Senor Roberts ’43 Diane Firkser Belfer ’45 Judith Sigall Shipper ’53 Marilyn Kraus Weinstein ’59 David Korn ’79 Matthew Pearl ’82 Myles Turner ’19

s Diane Firkser Belfer ’45, who was named a Calhoun Alum of Distinction in 1992, passed away at her home in West Palm Beach, FL, on January 2—her 94th birthday. Diane was a talented pianist and singer, with a passion for the arts as a student at Calhoun; she took additional courses in the preparatory division of Juilliard before going on to NYU. Throughout her life, she was a role model for philanthropy and service, supporting numerous organizations in higher education, medical research and the arts.

She sat on the boards of Albert Einstein College of Medicine, American Friends of the Hebrew University, American Friends of the Israel Museum, American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and New York University. She will long be remembered at Calhoun.

1950s

Nancy Pelz-Paget ’59: “I’ve finally retired from the Aspen Institute Education & Society Program. I’m living in Redding, CT, where my husband, Dennis, and I had a weekend house for 35 years . . . though we now live in a gorgeous condo sited on 136 acres,

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little sprite. I cannot even look at her picture without every inch of my heart melting.”

Jo-Ann Jacobson Seitman ’61 shares, “I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. Alamo is the name of my community. I would love to connect with other alumni who live around here.”

Linda Levine Silberman ’61: “My husband, Steven, and I sadly note the tragic death of our only child, Lawrence Alan Levine, in August. Everything else in my life seems unimportant at this time.”

Zach Lazare ’08 to Alexandra Mondella

Gaby Yitzhaek ’12 to Tyler Tegen ’12

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s Maxine Margolis ’60 authored a new book, Women in Fundamentalism: Modesty, Marriage, and Motherhood, which was published in 2020.

Maxine is professor emerita of anthropology at the University of Florida and served as an adjunct senior research scholar at the Institute of Latin American Studies at Columbia University from 2009 to 2020. In other news, her daughter (Dr. Nara Milanich, professor of history at Barnard College) was awarded a one-year fellowship at the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers of the New York Public Library, where she plans to research and write her latest book.

Mara Davis Schwartz ’61: “Our family welcomed a new addition on June 25, 2021.

My very first great-grandchild, Brynn Noelle Bearden, was born to my granddaughter Kara Beth Davis. She is a happy and beautiful

Alexandra Spingarn ’61: “I just want to say I am so proud of my 15-year-old granddaughter in Portland, Oregon, Matilda Koff, who is president of her freshman class in high school. Her brother, Orlando Koff, is 11 and a very creative writer. My other grandchild, Julian Koff, is almost 11 and living in L.A., and he is a chess and math wiz! I am almost 78 and doing great in my home in Brookline, MA.” Romana Primus Strochlitz ’63 shares, “Chuck and I have retired and look forward to spending more time with our children and grandchildren. I would love to reconnect with classmates in greater NYC.” Nancy Feller Erlanger ’64: “It’s been 58 years since graduation and so glad I am still in touch with so many of you: Susan Bonomo Catalano, Jill Kulick, Miriam Stern Machado, Peg Klein, Toni Levess Greenfield, Caryl Lowenstein, Steffie Jaffe Berman. Would love to hear from others. It is now 30 years that my husband, Ron, and I have been publishing wedding and event

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CLASS NOTES

magazines for venues. We have 14 grandkids, many of whom have gone through graduate school, and some planning their weddings.

I live in South Florida and would love to have you visit.”

Loretta Holland Wick ’68: “Wishing everyone a happy and healthy New Year. It is so nice to continue my friendship with Linda Wolf Grad, Mindy Anderson and Jane Birnbaum. Hopefully the pandemic will end and we can visit again in my beloved New York City.”

Patty Lederer ’82: “Sad to announce that my father, Peter D. Lederer, a longtime supporter of Calhoun and former member of the Board of Trustees, passed away unexpectedly in August; he was 91. He was a strong believer in progressive education and continued to work with people in the field long after his retirement from law.”

Charles Oppenheim ’80 (third from right) gathered with Calhoun classmates in November.

getting together a lot with Naomi Oppenheim ’78, my close friend since fourth grade at Calhoun. It’s always heartwarming to read how Calhoun has been flourishing. It still looks like a great place to learn and grow up.”

2020, to his daughter, Lauren Everett Galinsky. “Grandpa Eric, Great-Grandpa Elliot and the entire family are ecstatic!”

1980s s Monica Bernier ’69: “I participated in a group exhibition at the Wright State University Robert and Elaine Stein Galleries in Dayton, OH, from January to March, 2022.”

1970s

s Charles Oppenheim ’80 shared that his classmates carried on a tradition of gathering for a Thanksgiving celebration in November. Charles was on the East Coast from his home in Los Angeles, CA, and the group caught up in Westchester, NY— an inspiring example of enduring friendships! (See photo above.)

Lisa Lakritz Letteris ’77: “The best early Christmas gift ever . . . I’m so happy to announce the arrival of my granddaughter, Brooklyn Reign. She is so sweet and brings so much joy to our family. I’m gonna rock this grandma gig!”

Marian Reiss ’78: “After 40 years in California, my husband and I have moved to the greater New York area for a while. I’ve been

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s Eric Schneider ’81 reports that his grandson was born on March 4,

s Caroline Cory ’82 shares, “My son has graduated college and will head off to graduate school in public health, probably in the fall of 2022. I continue to work in research at Sutter Health in northern California, providing administrative support to cancer researchers. A friend and I have hiked 100 miles of the San Francisco Bay Trail, which is currently 300 miles of trails ringing the Bay. I also participate in whaleboat rowing twice a week (www.ercrowing.org) on the Bay. I’d love to connect in person with Bay Area Calhouners, and also connect with classmates who aren’t here in California.”

s Louis Prussack ’83 lives in Washington State with his wife, Heather, and his two children, Caeden and Aiyana. “January was a big month! We adopted a cat and my daughter completed the final supplemental essays for her college applications.” Louis is currently the head of school at Spring Street International School in Friday Harbor, WA, a position he assumed in 2008.

Rama Dunayevich Wiener ’84: “This past summer Patty Goldstick ’83, Pauline Imberman ’83, Suzanne Kaufman ’83, Jennifer Weinblatt ’83 and I broke our long months in isolation by renting a house together in the Catskills to spend a quality week together, celebrating our decades-long friendship. Unfortunately, Jenn wasn’t able to join at the last minute—though we FaceTimed her a couple times. We spent the week hiking, cooking, pedaling a train adventure, playing games (yay, Cards Against Humanity!) and

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their second child, Bowie Abrams Freiberg, on August 11. Named after two of their heroes, David Bowie and Stacey Abrams, Bowie joins her big brother, Jaxon, who is now three. They live in Brooklyn and are enjoying their life as a family of four!

1990s (L-R) Rama Dunayevich ’84, Suzanne Kaufman ’83, Pauline Imberman ’83, and Patty Goldstick ’83

generally just thoroughly enjoying each other’s company. It was heavenly to be together. Plans for the next time are already under way.” (See photo above.) s Adam Campagna ’84, Scott Hirsch ’86 and Ellie Spielberger Wertheim ’89 all became proud parents of Calhoun graduates this past summer! They represented the 1980s in full force at the ceremony at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island in June 2021, as their children earned diplomas as members of the Class of 2021.

Adam’s son, Aidan, went on to Tufts University; Scott’s daughter Holliss is a first-year at Bowdoin College; and Ellie’s daughter, Allegra, matriculated at the University of Pennsylvania.

Neil Kleinberg ’85 had a small-world Calhoun encounter last fall when he dropped off his son, Will, at Dickinson College for his freshman year. While helping Will move into his dorm room, he discovered that Will’s roommate, Drew, is the son of classmate Cara Henrichsen Zukerman ’85.

It took a moment for Neil and Cara to recognize each other because

they were wearing face masks, but as Neil realized it was her, “I walked back into the dorm room and screamed ‘Cara!’; I lowered my mask a little and she screamed back ‘Special K!’ which of course cracked up my wife and son.”

They were all amazed at the way life came full circle with their sons starting their college journeys together.

Jeffrey Stonehill ’85: “I was appointed manager of the Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority for Harrisburg, helping Pennsylvania’s capital city overcome their financial distressed status, in addition to continuing on as the city manager in Chambersburg, PA.”

Zeke Edwards ’91: “After 11 years as director of the Criminal Law Reform Project at the ACLU, I have started a new position as vice president of criminal justice at Arnold Ventures, a philanthropy dedicated to tackling some of the country’s most pressing problems in the country and one of the largest funders of criminal-justice reform in the United States.

I am focused on pretrial justice, prosecutorial reform and public defense. Most excitingly, however, my daughter, Azadeh KebriaeiEdwards, is in her first year at Calhoun, in kindergarten!”

Chris Foster ’95 and Lindsay Grant celebrated their wedding on August 22, with a ceremony and reception at the Aurora Inn, which overlooks the shores of Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes.

Nora Zelevansky ’95 is the author of several novels and

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published her latest book, Competitive Grieving, last spring.

The novel “shines a light on the universal struggle to grieve amidst the noise, to love with a broken heart and to truly know someone who is gone forever.” Her nonfiction writing has appeared in The New York Times, ELLE, Town & Country, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal and Vanity Fair, among others. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, two kids and enormous cat, Waldo.

Brian Peters ’97 became a Calhoun dad this year when his daughter, Journey, started second grade. It’s a full-circle Calhoun moment for Brian: he graduated in Calhoun’s centennial year, 1997, and Journey started during Calhoun’s 125th anniversary year.

Brian was also elected to the Community Education Council to represent District Five in Harlem, and he is supporting Calhoun by leading the Alumni of Color Network this year.

Joanna Johnson ’98, director of event operations and logistics for the Global Manufacturing & Industrialisation Summit, writes: “I am going on my ninth year living in Dubai. COVID brought my industry to its knees, so I feel super lucky to have been able to

Space Rentals Come back to your Calhoun home and enjoy our state-of-the-art facilities to celebrate your milestones! www.calhoun.org/rentals s Ed Freiberg ’88 and his wife, Sherisse, celebrated the arrival of

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#CalhounForever Alumni Roommates Calhoun friendships and ties endure long after graduation, leading to lasting bonds among alums beyond their time at school.

Recently, we’ve heard from a growing number of grads who have decided to start their time in the “real world” living together as roommates. From New York to Denver to Los Angeles, we’re inspired to see how our young alums remain connected through friendship!

Are you living with a fellow Calhouner, or have you been roommates with a classmate in the past? Let us know and send your photo to alumni@calhoun.org.

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1. Noah Levy ’16 and Bennett Hagemeier ’16 (with their third roommate). 2. Michael Leavitt ’15 and Thomas Gatanis ’15 (missing: Massimo Costantini ’15).

3. Isabel Furtsch ’15 and Taylor Gerard ’15. 4. Adam Horowitz ’14 and Jesse Lippin-Foster ’14. 5. Rebecca Snow ’14 and Alexandra Schoenfeld ’15.

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spend most of 2021 developing a conference/exhibition that ran alongside Expo 2020. I got engaged in May of last year and am getting married in April 2022.”

settings. Last spring, she served as a mentor in Calhoun’s Senior Work program.

Steve Feldman ’00 moved back to the East Coast from Los Angeles this past spring, along with his wife, Ariella, and their two children. They relocated to Greenwich, CT, and Steve joined the law firm of Latham & Watkins in January 2021 as a partner in the litigation and trial department.

Pauline Newman ’00 founded Rockstar Coaching in 2021, offering transformational executive, nutrition and leadership coaching to individuals, teams and organizations. Pauline is a licensed certified nutrition specialist with a master’s degree in clinical and integrative nutrition, and her practice focuses on an integrative understanding of health, leadership and change processes.

“Change can be challenging and [make you] feel vulnerable,” Pauline reflects, “but I strive to utilize my understanding of people, performance and wellness to help clients envision and realize the change that they want for themselves.” Pauline has worked with small companies, startups, large corporate organizations, nonprofits, schools and youth programs and in rehabilitation

husband, Ryan Gooch, have been living out west in Fort Collins, Colorado. Last August, they happily welcomed a baby boy, Cyrus, into their growing family.

Arielle Silverman ’03: “My husband, Chris, and I welcomed our first child into the world. Owen was born on August 16 and we are over the moon! I hope everyone is doing well!”

David Aaron Wright ’98 celebrated a new addition to his family last June when he and his wife, Karin, welcomed a baby girl, Astrid Lee Wright, into the world.

Her sibling, Eamon, is now two and enjoying the big-brother role!

The family lives in Oregon, where David is a dog trainer.

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s Ben Seldon ’00 and his wife, Stacey, celebrated the arrival of a baby girl, Whitney Gray Seldon, on June 30. They have moved to Old Brookville, Long Island, and Ben continues running his companies, Seldon Real Estate Development and Seldon Marketing.

Jack Carroll ’02 and his wife, Lizzie, are excited to share that they welcomed twin girls into the world this winter. Gemma and Quinn were born on January 30, and the growing family reports that they are all doing well!

Andrew Booth ’03 celebrated his marriage to Gaby Trejo in March 2021 in Mexico City, where they had been living during the pandemic along with their six-year-old son, JP. The Booths moved back to New York last summer, and Andrew is working in the hospitality industry.

Gianna Cionchi ’03 moved out to eastern Long Island last May and has been living in Montauk.

He continues to work in the restaurant business, managing the Mexican restaurant TT’s Montauk.

Karlin Levine-Smith ’03 and her

s Salehe Bembury ’04 continues his trailblazing career in footwear design. He recently collaborated with Crocs for a blockbuster hit of his own design, “Crocs Pollex Clog by Salehe Bembury,” which instantly sold out when it was released in December. The shoe is an exploration of form and function that balances heritage and nostalgia; it is composed of three of Bembury’s signature fingerprints merged together, with dramatic concave ridges, and it is the first time that Crocs has ever fundamentally altered the design of its classic clog.

As Salehe reflected in an interview with Fast Company, “[Crocs has] established an iconic silhouette.

I’d argue there are only about 10 iconic silhouettes in all of shoes.

You can’t depart from that. But the question was, how am I going to make this polarizing? How am I going to push the boundaries?”

s Ella Glaser ’04 shares the happy news that she married Ian Forster on October 2. In attendance from Calhoun were classmates Katie Slade ’04 and Rosanna Volchok ’04. “We had the wedding in Point O’ Woods, Fire Island,” says Ella. “We stayed there for two full weeks at my family’s home but are excited to honeymoon on skis this winter.

I’m also excited to report that we just bought an apartment and are living back on the Upper West Side, just 10 blocks from Calhoun!”

s Kristin Richardson Jordan ’05 won her election last November to represent District Nine on the New York City Council, unseating an incumbent! A third-generation Harlemite, Kristin campaigned on

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CLASS NOTES

Alumni Holiday Luncheon December 17, 2021 Recent alums gathered back at Calhoun for the annual holiday lunch, which welcomes grads home from college.

the concept of “H.A.R.L.E.M.,” an acronym for her platform, which calls for police accountability, affordable housing, redistribution of wealth, senior care, education and environmental justice. Kristin graduated Calhoun cum laude and went on to Brown University, where she graduated as a double major in Africana studies and literary arts. Amid her busy schedule on the campaign trail and representing her community, Kristin generously returned to Calhoun twice this fall to meet with both Middle School and Upper School students, speaking about her time at Calhoun, her personal experiences as a Black, queer woman, and what inspired her to run for office. t Emily Kaiser ’05 married Andrew Paget on July 30 in a ceremony and reception surrounded by family and friends, including Emily’s brother, Jeff Kaiser ’09, and Jennifer Lewis Wolff ’05. Emily and Andrew both work in the retail industry.

For the past three years, Emily has served as senior business development manager for Platinum Born, a company that reimagines fine jewelry with the world’s most precious metal.

Andrew is a principal product manager for Williams-Sonoma.

The newlyweds live in Brooklyn.

Rebecca Rothschild ’05 shares, “I married Gavin Skal in Central Park on October 30. We are now trying not to tear all our hair out planning the wedding reception.”

s Angela Bonilla ’06: “I am an educator in Portland, Oregon, for Portland Public Schools. Due to the state of education both locally and nationally, I am leaning into union work to ensure quality learning and working conditions for all students and staff. I am a member of the union’s executive board and am currently running for president of the Portland Association of Teachers. When not working, I am spending time with my husband, Jay, our two cats, Teeka and Bruce, and our 10-year-old rabbit, Humphrey.”

s David Katz ’06 and his wife, Liza, are proud new parents to

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CLASS NOTES

Finley Katz, who was born on December 14 at 7.5 pounds, 21 inches. “This future Cougar enjoys sounding like a dinosaur, falling asleep with a bottle in his mouth and wearing house mittens,” David reports. They live in Brooklyn, and David is in his third year as senior director for renewable energy at G&S Solar.

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cast of other Calhouners! Nate and Rachel run Gertie restaurant, a modern Jewish diner and bar located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Max Bosch ’07 started a new business last summer, Eddy, an education company and marketplace for teachers to sell bite-size project-based learning tools directly to families and caretakers outside the classroom.

As Max describes it, “We are a mission-driven company that creates income for teacher and learner support at home. We’ve made a lot of progress, and a lot of families are looking for projects and activities now, so it’s a good time for us!”

To learn more about Max’s venture: www.eddy.education

s Jenna Johnson Davis ’07: “In November 2020, my husband and I welcomed our son, Indy, who joined our daughter, Penelope, age four. We also decided to move from San Francisco to Detroit to be closer to my extended family.

We are loving being back in a place with four seasons, and the kids are loving snow!”

t Rachel Jackson ’07 tied the knot with Nate Adler at Gather Greene in Coxsackie, NY, in August.

Among those looking on were bridesmaids Leslie Andrews ’07, Liza Garrin ’08 and Katie Jackson ’09—along with a full

Andrew Sklar ’07 and his wife, Hila, are proud new parents to Jonathan Joshua, who was born on February 5. They live in New York, where Andrew has been working as a senior video producer at Finsight since April 2021.

New grandmother Lori Serling Sklar ’75 and aunt Robin Sklar ’14 are especially excited about their new roles! s Samantha Blank ’08: “I got married on October 15 to Vishwas Wesley at Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Westchester County, NY. There were many Calhoun alums in attendance, including three of my beautiful bridesmaids, Samantha Sheft ’08, Rebecca Kruysman ’08 and Liza Garrin ’08. (See photo above.)

best man, and the wedding was flanked by fellow Calhouners, including Sam Blank ’08, JJ Cruz ’08, Zeke Flax ’08 and Liza Garrin ’08. Zach and Alexandra went on their honeymoon to the Amalfi Coast.

Skylar Sasson ’08 is living in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she is an MBA candidate at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. Skylar spent six years at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in New York, where she was most recently a business development manager for Latin America.

Bari Abrams ’09 married Noam Liran in Cancún, Mexico, on November 13. The newlyweds live in New York, where Bari is a client relationship manager for J.P. Morgan.

2010s s Zach Lazare ’08 celebrated his wedding to Alexandra Mondella at a ceremony and reception at the Peconic Bay Yacht Club in Southold, NY, on September 25.

Justin Odell ’08 served as the

Laura (Lulu) Evans ’10: “I am currently working in advertising operations as a senior tech specialist at Flashtalking by Mediaocean and recently won the ‘Service Excellence Award’ from the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) for my contribution to their working groups.”

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Alicia Vasquez ’10 lives in Los Angeles and currently manages the payments team at Pinterest, though in her free time, she is also producing films through her own production company, La Lucia Productions. Fellow Calhouners have made appearances in the most recent productions: Javier Bautista ’07 has a role in The Real World: Quarantine, and Max Lemper-Tabatsky ’12 makes an appearance in a holiday film, The Grinch who Stole Coquito.

The comedy short films are available on La Lucia Productions’ YouTube channel. Most excitingly, though, Alicia is celebrating her engagement with Max, who proposed on the beach in Puerto Rico this winter.

New York City on November 20.

“We had a very intimate and casual celebration, surrounded by family,” Gaby shares. The two went on to honeymoon in Mexico.

Special congratulations to our newest Calhoun couple!

Marc Burnett ’12 and Lilian Finckel ’12 both met virtually with Calhoun Upper School art classes last spring, sharing their career backgrounds and perspectives with students. Marc is an illustrator who creates digital art, animation and games, and he is currently working as a product designer for Gusto. Lilian is a ceramicist, photographer and mixed-media artist who has been teaching at ClayHouse Brooklyn.

Thanks to both of these alums for mentoring our students!

Sam Ohiomah ’13 is an equity research associate for William Blair in New York, where he covers capital goods. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from Franklin & Marshall College.

Sam recently appeared back on the court at Calhoun this winter as part of our weekly open community basketball program.

t Gaby Yitzhaek ’12 married Tyler Tegen ’12 at a ceremony in

CALHOUN CHRONICLE

Tiareh Cruz ’13 is one of the newest staff members at Calhoun; she joined the Athletics Department as an administrative assistant in January. Her wideranging experience includes her own collegiate volleyball career playing for Occidental College in Los Angeles and working as a coach and mental-performance consultant, leading trainings and workshops along with coaching ProPlay travel volleyball teams.

Jake Wolf ’13 started his own venture in the fall, Wolfco Design, a design consultancy and fee-forservice fabrication company.

“After working for five years to help build what is now Sinai BioDesign in Mount Sinai’s Department of Neurosurgery, I set out to forge a new path with the skill sets I’ve honed through my experiences developing and designing medical devices,” Jake explains. With a design and fabrication facility in East Harlem, Jake is utilizing his knowledge of materials science, additive manufacturing, prototyping, 3D modeling and fabrication to

provide services for a larger audience of artists, technologists and small design firms. www.wolfco.design Sabrina Das ’14 is pursuing her graduate degree as a JD candidate at Fordham University School of Law, following two years as a paralegal for Kreindler & Kreindler LLP. At Fordham, Sabrina is also a staff member for the Fordham Journal of Corporate & Financial Law. Marcus Cook ’15 co-founded a passion project in 2019, The Success Bug, which is a blog and podcast where relatable young entrepreneurs share their secrets to success. Marcus also led a workshop for Calhoun seniors on social media networking as part of the Senior Work program last spring, introducing them to LinkedIn. He started a new job in January, serving as a platform manager for Yext in New York.

Dalas Zeichner ’15: “In spring 2021, I graduated with an MPH from Boston University School of Public Health. I work as an EMT for NYU Langone Health and as an EMS Instructor in Brooklyn, NY. I am also completing prerequisite coursework to pursue a nursing degree. Ultimately, I intend to utilize my experiences and degrees to improve approaches to community healthcare.”

Tania Calle ’16 has been working in Washington, DC, since September, as a DaVita Health Graduate Fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. Her work at the intersection of health and policy follows the completion of a master of philosophy degree in

public health from the University of Cambridge. In her new role, she works on the health subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “We look over any health policies and prepare statements, host hearings and draft legislation. It’s one of my wildest dreams to be here,” says Tania. Last fall, Tania also gave back to Calhoun by serving on an admissions panel to talk about her experience with the Prep for Prep program. (See photo above.) s

s Olivia Cohen ’16 and Olivia Katz ’16 teamed up as business partners to launch We Can’t Drive, a retail jewelry company with handmade necklaces, bracelets

CLASS NOTES

and apparel. Described as “a women-owned brand that captures the essence of growing up in New York City with inspired nostalgic designs,” their Montauk bracelet was featured in Vogue magazine in September, “Looking for Things to Do? Here’s Where to Go in September (and What to Wear There).” For more: wecantdrive. com and @shopwecantdrive on Instagram.

Michael Fortunato ’16 moved last year to Boston, where he is working as a software engineer for InterSystems, which provides data technology in the healthcare, finance and logistics sectors.

Michael has a BS in mathematics from the University of Chicago.

Gabby Chapman ’17 is pursuing her master’s degree in management science and engineering at Columbia University, after earning a bachelor’s in engineering from Princeton last June.

Her enrollment doubles the Chapman presence on Columbia’s campus, where her brother, Lucas Chapman ’19, is a junior studying sustainable development, with a minor in physics.

s Lily Edelman-Gold ’17 received the Myhrman/Swett Award last spring, given by the Bates College sociology department to the

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Nick Potoker ’17 has remained at Tulane University in New Orleans following his graduation, pursuing a master’s in ecology and evolutionary biology.

Nick’s studies are focused on plants, animals, restoration and conservation. “I get to work with plants in a greenhouse, which I’m enjoying,” says Nick.

Emma Griffith ’17 closed out her collegiate volleyball career at the University of Chicago last spring and was named as a Top 30 Honoree for the NCAA Woman of the Year. The program honors the academic achievements, athletic excellence, community service and leadership of graduating female college student-athletes around the country. Emma led one of the most decorated careers in UChicago volleyball history; she was named a 2019 First Team All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), after previously earning Honorable Mention All-American status in 2018. She was named to the AVCA All-Region Team twice and the First Team All-University Athletic Association (UAA) three times. Emma is still living in Chicago, where she is now a strategy analyst at Accenture.

graduating senior who has written the most outstanding thesis in sociology. Lily’s paper, titled “Was It a Few Bad Apples or a Poorly Executed Coup?

A Comparative Analysis of Media Rhetoric in Response to the Capitol Attack of January 6, 2021,” explored the ways Fox News uses propagandistic rhetorical strategies to isolate its unique kind of broadcasting from mainstream media. In the fall, she’ll be heading to graduate school to study international environmental policy.

Lily graduated alongside “lifer” classmate Jake Bart ’17; the two attended school together from preschool at Calhoun through college. Jake, who was named to the dean’s list in his senior year, graduated with a BA in psychology and a minor in philosophy.

He started a job as an associate research analyst at Radius in New York in December.

Oumy Kane ’17 and Zak Wegweiser ’17 are two of the most recent college graduates to enter the world of Big Tech, starting their careers at Google and Apple, respectively. In both cases, they carried on the work from summer internships they pursued while undergraduates— Oumy at Dartmouth College and Zak at Brown University. Oumy works as a compensation analyst, creating offers that align to Google’s compensation philosophy, and Zak is a software engineer working on the tvOS platform team, developing future projects and shipping software.

s Eric Abrons ’18 launched his startup venture in June, Ambi Nutrition, which sells nutrition bars that provide health-conscious individuals with energy-boosting nutrients and pure, all natural ingredients to drive peak performance. They come in two varieties: nuts and honey; and peanut butter and dark chocolate chip, and are available online at ambinutrition.com. Eric also moved to Miami this winter, so he’s enjoying the experience of the new city!

Nate Fingeret ’18 spent the fall semester in Los Angeles studying film. This spring, he will earn a BS in sport and fitness administration/management at Syracuse University. On campus, Nate has also taken to the airwaves as a radio host with the show Drive Time, which airs on WJPZ Radio.

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Sam Horn ’18 has continued his musical pursuits while working toward his BA in political science at Skidmore College. His band, Cooking Class, has launched one self-titled album, an EP and several singles, the most recent of which, “Eastside,” was released this winter. Sam’s music is available on Spotify and the band has performed at several venues in New York.

Michael Nelkin ’18 is completing his senior year at the College of William & Mary, where he is majoring in physics, engineering physics and applied design.

For the past year, he has also been an undergraduate researcher as part of a team working to design an ion implantation device using glow-discharge plasmas and pulsed DC acceleration.

Cooper Hoffman ’21 stars as Gary, the enthusiastic teenage entrepreneur at the core of the story in the feature film Licorice Pizza, which hit theaters on December 25. Cooper has already received recognition for his role, including a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. As he shared in an interview about his preparation for the role: “I asked [director Paul Anderson], ‘Should I get acting lessons before we do this?’ but he was like, ‘No, I just want you two. I want you guys with nothing. Just you.’

So, no, there was no crash course. The first day he didn’t even tell us when we were going to start shooting. He just put us by the truck and said, ‘Action!’ and then we went. We figured it out from there.”

Myles Turner ’19 passed away on November 28 while home from college on Thanksgiving break.

Myles was a Calhoun “lifer” who was dear to so many in the Calhoun community. As a Calhoun student, he was a member of the Boys’ Varsity Baseball team, the Country Music Club and the Calhoun Yacht Club. Our hearts go out to his parents, Kit and Myles Sr., and his sister, Brooke; we grieve with them through this unimaginable loss.

2020s

Brandon Cohen ’20 was crowned an NCAA Division III national champion last spring as part of Emory University’s men’s tennis team, which beat Case Western Reserve University in the title match to finish their season with a 10-3 record. Brandon is in his sophomore year at Emory’s Goizueta Business School, where

CALHOUN CHRONICLE

Calhoun and tells a story about sharing and friendships. Jack is in his first year at Boston University.

(See photo below.) t

he is studying finance. He will be interning at a real estate investment firm this summer.

(See photo above.) s Jack Liberty ’21 celebrated the launch of his children’s book on Amazon this fall. Max and the Magic Tree, which he authored and illustrated, stemmed from his Junior Workshop project at

Jan Weschler ’21 is enjoying his post-grad year at the Westminster School in Simsbury, CT, where he helped lead the boys’ varsity soccer team to the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council championship game last fall. Jan was awarded all-league

honors and was the team’s top goal scorer, rocketing Westminster to a sixth-place ranking in all of NEPSAC. (See photo above.) s

FORMER FACULTY/STAFF Alec McDonnell (US English, 1972–1986) celebrated his 80th birthday among family and friends in December, according to his son, Devin. Alec lives in Bend, Oregon, and has had an active retirement active. Besides being a passionate motorcyclist, he has, along with his wife, Jane, run grief groups for both Bend Hospice and STAR, in which the participants explore their early-childhood issues.

He has also done coaching and mentoring. Alec was a beloved member of the Upper School faculty for 14 years and served as a faculty representative to the Board of Trustees. The Alec McDonnell Award in English carries his name, and has been presented to 39 graduates from the classes of 1988 to 2021, carrying on his legacy and love of literature.

SHARE YOUR NEWS! Please share updates on family, jobs, new adventures or your favorite Calhoun memories by writing to Bart Hale ’00, at alumni@calhoun.org

One The Calhoun Annual Fund 2021–22 Opening Possibilities calhoun.org/onlinegiving

The Calhoun Annual Fund is the philanthropic foundation of giving at Calhoun. Each year, gifts from current and alumni families, employees, alumni, grandparents and friends provide special resources for educational initiatives not covered by tuition alone, including: • An innovative and inclusive curriculum that inspires a passion for learning • Financial aid to support students and families • Diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives around teaching practices, curriculum, employee recruitment and more • Faculty training to ensure that our educators deliver an impactful Calhoun education • Health and safety measures, including COVID-19 testing and screening • Athletic programming that empowers students with leadership skills they can use both on and off the court, field or track • Experiential arts programming that makes the learning process more engaging • Whatever Calhoun needs most throughout the year

Save the Date for Spring Giving Day Nourishing Our Community Wednesday, May 25, 2022 100% Family Participation

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81st Street and West End Avenue, circa 1896