1764, The Magazine of Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School, Winter 2021

1764

WI N T E R 20 2 1

THE MAGAZINE OF

COLUMBIA GRAMMAR & PREPARATORY SCHOOL

Digital Days Community members discuss the School’s transition to distance learning last spring, today’s hybrid model and how they continue to stay connected

1764, THE MAGAZINE OF COLUMBIA GRAMMAR & PREPARATORY SCHO OL WINTER 2021 COLUMBIA GRAMMAR & PREPARATORY SCHO OL HEAD OF SCHO OL Dr. William M. Donohue DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT Jennifer Rhodes EDITOR Marquis Austin CONTRIBUTORS Marquis Austin Elizabeth Bacon Monica Chen Julian Corbett Nathaniel Eisert ’21 Simone Saidmehr ’20 Jessie Saunders Marvin Terban ART DIRECTION Kristen Winstead, www.sundstudio.com ILLUSTRATION Chris Gash PHOTO GRAPHY Marquis Austin Marjorie Becker Flynn Larsen Al Pereira Filip Wolak or courtesy of subject PRINTING Lane Press ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT Evgeniya Kirpicheva DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL EVENTS Anna Fisher COMMUNICATIONS CO ORDINATOR Marquis Austin ADVANCEMENT ASSO CIATE Monica Chen

#CGPSnyc #OneSchool

BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2020–2021 HEAD OF SCHO OL Dr. William M. Donohue BOARD CHAIR Andrew Zaro BOARD PRESIDENT Meredith Verona BOARD OFFICERS Marielle Safra, Senior Vice President Dana Landis Birnbaum ’97, Vice President Leslee Cowen, Vice President Amy France, Vice President Astrid SabellaRosa, Vice President Joseph Tahl, Vice President Benjamin Pass, Treasurer Becky Banyasz, Secretary TRUSTEES José Baselga Susie Davis Donny Deutsch Stephen Hanson Marjorie Harris Sanford Heller Katrin Katz Tracy Maitland John McAuley Ira Schwartz Meredith Sotoloff Daniel Sundheim Tom Tao Caryn Zucker BOARD CHAIR EMERITUS John Bader TRUSTEE EX OFFICIO (2020–2021) Erica Friedman HONORARY TRUSTEES Hirschel Abelson Sandra Eggers Mary Kalikow Fredric Mack PAST PRESIDENTS, TRUSTEES EMERITI Dr. Arturo Constantiner Neil Crespi Jerry Heymann Dr. Lawrence Howard Kirk Radke David P. Steinmann HEADMASTER EMERITUS Dr. Richard J. Soghoian

MISSION STATEMENT CGPS nurtures each student’s unique passions and talents inside and outside the classroom, unifying and inspiring members of its community in a rigorous but relaxed learning environment, preparing them for the finest colleges and instilling in them the confidence, ethical values and sense of purpose to embrace challenges, to achieve their dreams and to improve the world.

Contents 2 Letter from the Head of School

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CGPS NEWS

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10 Community 14 Culture 16 Sports 18 Innovation

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Digital Days Students, parents, faculty and staff give insight into the School’s transition to distance learning last spring, today’s hybrid model and how they continue to stay connected in a time of social distancing

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A New Path Forward

The School takes action steps to foster a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment for all community members

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Read All About It

Andrew Rosenthal ’73, former Editorial Page Editor of The New York Times, talks with 1764 about his decades-spanning career and offers advice to students interested in pursuing journalism

36 Graduation 2020

38 Alumni Reunion

39 Alumni Notes

48 1764 Looks Back

Letter

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Dear CGPS Family, The 2019-2020 school year began as any other. Our students arrived at CGPS eager to learn, make friends and connect with their beloved teachers.

Little did we all know how different this year would be from any other in our 257-year history. A century from now, researchers will discover that 2020 was one of our most historic and challenging years, mainly because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We closed on Tuesday, March 10, and immediately pivoted to a combination of distance and hybrid learning. In this year’s issue of 1764, you will read all about how we responded to the challenges of the pandemic and how our extraordinary community persevered together to provide a seamless education for all of our students as well as continue to deliver our hallmark individualized attention, which proved to be more important than ever before.

Throughout 1764, you will see how our talented CGPS faculty and staff created wonderful and meaningful learning experiences. In an interview with Director of Technology Adam Gerson, we dive into how the School worked to provide technology that would guarantee the absolute best learning environments possible for students both on campus and at home.

You will also learn about the newest member of the senior leadership team,

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Rey Fernández, who supports many of CGPS’s ongoing initiatives, such as adapting the School to the ever-changing COVID-19 landscape, and mobilizes new ones that cross divisions.

In the Grammar School, art teachers had students make thank you cards for essential workers, and, with the help of Nurse Margarita Marasigan and technology teacher Jennifer Donsky, they compiled the cards into a video and distributed it to New York City hospitals. In the Middle School, students launched a newspaper just in time to cover their new environments. The paper has seen its enterprising young reporters cover everything from notable guest speakers to student environmental activism and community responses to the recent Black Lives Matter protests. Learn more about happenings in the Middle School in a conversation 1764 had with Director Paul Baly, who reflects back on his two-year tenure at CGPS. In our Prep School, students have remained engaged and involved as the leaders of our School. Students channeled their creativity into the annual fall play RIGHT NOW, which was an entirely original and virtual production composed of interviews

students conducted with community members about the impact the past year has had.

While this year was challenging from a national health perspective, 2020 also saw our country rise in outrage after the murder of George Floyd. The issue of institutional racism found its way to CGPS, and the School is taking action steps to foster a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment for all community members. I am committed to this essential work we are doing, which I encourage you to learn more about in this issue.

While this past year has been challenging, it’s also been inspiring. CGPS is vibrant, flexible and resilient.

I’ve highlighted just a few of the amazing experiences at CGPS that are featured in this issue. I look forward to continuing our work together and to ensuring that all our students have a safe, continuous and excellent experience at CGPS. Sincerely, DR. WILLIAM M. DONOHUE Head of School

“In this year’s issue of 1764, you will read all about how we responded to the challenges of the pandemic and how our extraordinary community persevered together to provide a seamless education for all of our students as well as continue to deliver our hallmark individualized attention, which proved to be more important than ever before.”

CGPS News

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A CGPS mother and son participate in the School’s first virtual 5K/10K.

NEWLY LAUNCHED CGPS FITNESS CLUB

Helps Families Stay Active Staying active during the pandemic has been difficult for many people. Physical education teacher Venus Cooke wanted to give the CGPS community the motivation it needed to get moving, so she started the CGPS Fitness Club. The club’s first event was a virtual 5K/10K last spring, where you could “walk, run or crawl if you wanted,” says Ms. Cooke. It drew more than 60 participants, and the enthusiastic response from students, families and faculty encouraged Ms. Cooke to keep the club going. She quickly set

up a website and a page on the fitness app Strava to help participants stay connected and up to date on the latest events. In November, the club hosted the first schoolwide virtual marathon. Students and their families signed up to walk, jog, bike or run 26.2 miles over the course of the whole month—or, for a challenge, just one week. According to Ms. Cooke, the major benefit of the Fitness Club has been the community it’s created. After a bike injury kept her off her feet for a bit, one of the families in the club reached out to see if she was okay.

“As soon as I started getting back on my bike and doing my runs, they were encouraging me, saying, ‘You can do it!’”

Fifth grader Ari G. celebrates completing 26.2 miles during the School’s virtual marathon in November.

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Faculty Focus Grammar School: Kate Smallberg ’04 Math has been a lifelong passion for Kate Smallberg ’04, something she credits to the teachers she had as a student at CGPS. “They portrayed math with such beauty,” Ms. Smallberg says, “and they made doing math exciting.” Now in her second year as Grammar School Math Coordinator, Ms. Smallberg is sharing this excitement with her own students. Often, that means putting down the pencil and paper and working as a class on a number string—a series of quick math problems connected by a pattern that helps students develop mental math strategies.“They can see how this strategy, from the first problem that’s easy and straightforward, can build up to that clunker at the end,” Ms. Smallberg explains. “It’s magical when they realize it works.” Ms. Smallberg says the pandemic has challenged her to find new ways to keep her students engaged, at first over Zoom and now in physically distanced classrooms. “I started

asking kids to indicate with their thumbs if they thought the answer was greater than, equal to or less than,” she says. “Because I have problems where there’s more than one answer, kids were really having to think. And that’s the big goal: we want kids to do the thinking.”

Middle School: Jessica Merrick “I love a class where students are working on one or two problems for 40 minutes,” Middle School Math Coordinator Jessica Merrick says, as opposed to “getting a worksheet and doing repetitive, procedural work.”

Ms. Merrick, who joined CGPS in 2004, encourages her students to see the hardest challenges as the greatest opportunities for learning.

“When I give my students that big problem and they struggle, I teach them ways to work through a smaller struggle. I help them ask specific questions about what they need to know rather than just asking, ‘What’s the answer?’” One of the things Ms. Merrick enjoys most about teaching at CGPS is the enthusiasm her students bring to class. “We have a group of students who are motivated, kind and helpful to one another and excited to dive into a challenge,” she says. “I have students that will say thank you to me before I leave a Zoom class. That’s something that I don’t take for granted.”

Prep School: Nathan Dummitt “The best teachers I’ve had have always been lifelong learners and curious about their subjects in ways that go beyond what they were covering that day,” says Prep School Math Department Head Nathan Dummitt, whose fascination with problem solving and the mathematical universe originated during his formative years in Illinois. A pillar of the Prep School math department since 2005, Mr. Dummitt now cultivates this same love of learning in his like-minded students. “The fact that the students are truly intellectually curious is what has kept me here,” he says. With resources and support from the School, Mr. Dummitt has the autonomy to teach stimulating and compelling content that extends beyond the classroom. “When you’re learning mathematics, you’re exercising your brain in a certain way that we have a genetic need for,” he explains. “There’s this need to solve puzzles, and I make the content in my classes hew to as much as that puzzle-based learning as I can.”

CGPS News

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their work. A magazine is a good place for them to share what they’ve done, whether it be poems, essays or illustrations,” she says. With Alexandra, Morgan, Sydney and Ms. Grande acting as the magazine’s editor-in-chief, language coordinator, arts and design director and faculty advisor, respectively, they began assembling the inaugural issue shortly after winter break. “To think we started our first meeting in February and were remote by March 10 but were still able to publish it by early June is incredible,” says Ms. Grande. “It was definitely due to the dedication of Morgan, Sydney and Alexandra.”

GRAMMAR SCHOOL ARTISTS CHEER UP ESSENTIAL WORKERS WITH

Thank You Cards

PREP SCHO OL STUDENTS CREATE FIRST

World Language Magazine “The world language department is one of the most tightknit departments in our School,” says Morgan H. ’22, who, alongside fellow linguists Sydney B. ’22 and Alexandra L. ’22, launched The Globe, CGPS’s first world language literary magazine, last spring. “Because the language program is so immersive and hands-on, each kid that comes into the department is eager to learn.” Upon joining the School last year, Alexandra instantly felt this warm sense of community and was in awe of the department, which offers classes in Japanese, Chinese, Latin, Spanish and French. “When I came to CGPS, the first thing I noticed was the variety of languages offered,” she says.

Keen to shine a light on the department and give her peers a place to show off their impressive work from class, Alexandra approached World Language Department Head Anne Grande with an exciting new proposal. “I saw that CGPS didn’t have a platform for students to submit

Last spring, Grammar School art teachers Susan Mann and Kimberly Witkowich led their students in creating thank you cards for essential workers. With help from Nurse Margarita Marasigan and technology teacher Jennifer Donsky, they compiled the cards into a video and distributed it to New York City hospitals. The cards included words of thanks and delightful drawings sure to bring smiles to first responders’ faces. “It was a really important learning experience. It displayed the power of art and how it can cheer someone up,” says Ms. Mann. Many nurses and doctors received the cards through what Ms. Witkowich describes as “a nice chain mail of goodwill,” as more and more people shared the video with other healthcare workers they knew. Along with empowering students to express themselves through art, as Ms. Witkowitch explains, this project reinforced the School’s values of “showing gratitude and thinking of others.”

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Extra!

Extra!

MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWSPAPER KEEPS COMMUNITY INFORMED Founded last spring, the Middle School newspaper came around just in time to cover the School’s transition to distance learning and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Middle School community. Since then, the paper has seen its enterprising young reporters cover everything from notable guest speakers to student environmental activism and community responses to the recent Black Lives Matter protests. The paper also offers a taste of what life is like at CGPS through “Humans of CGPS,” a series of profiles on the School’s faculty and staff, and a thriving comics page featuring student work.

“What’s so great about the newspaper is it’s student-driven, and they’ve really stuck with it,” says Middle School English Coordinator Caryn Duffy. As the group’s faculty advisor, Ms. Duffy acts as a coach for the team of student reporters, giving guidance when needed and otherwise letting them follow what they’re passionate about. That’s one thing the students say they enjoy most about the club. “In class, we have to write about assigned topics, but in the newspaper, I can write about whatever I want,” says Alicia W. ’26. “I enjoy that because it allows me to be creative.”

Left: Artwork by fourth grader Maya W.

CGPS WELCOMES

Rey Fernández While Rey Fernández’s passion for education is apparent to anyone who has the pleasure of meeting him, CGPS’s new Director of Strategic Initiatives initially had his sights set on a different field. “I assumed I would be an engineer,” says Mr. Fernández, who studied computer science as an undergraduate at Harvard University. It wasn’t until he took time off after junior year to teach at his former high school that he realized becoming an educator was the right path for him. “I came back my senior year and said, ‘That’s what I want to do,’” he recalls. Once he graduated, Mr. Fernández instructed students in math, science and even photography for one summer. Ultimately, his thriving scholastic career led him to a school located on the West Coast, where he served as an administrator for several years.

After earning an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley and ascending the corporate ladder at a for-profit test prep company, Mr. Fernández was eager to return to schools. “The entire time I was working at the for-profit, I was really involved in my kids’ school,” he says.

“That was scratching the itch a little bit, but I wanted schools to be more front and center in my daily professional life.” Mr. Fernández eventually connected with Head of School Dr. Donohue and ended up taking on an exciting new role at CGPS—Director of Strategic Initiatives.

A member of the senior leadership team, Mr. Fernández supports many of CGPS’s ongoing initiatives, such as adapting the School to the ever-changing COVID-19 landscape, and mobilizes new ones that cross divisions. “What seems to be emerging is this real need to think about CGPS as one school. Yes, there are important nuances in the Grammar School versus the Middle School versus the Prep School, but at the same time, there are aspects of the School that cut across all three divisions. I find myself often thinking about the all-school perspective that we need to be building systems around,” he explains.

When he joined CGPS, Mr. Fernández, who also teaches a Prep School calculus class, was struck by the School’s commitment to academic balance in the lives of its students: “I’ve worked in a number of schools, and the focus on balance at CGPS is something that really speaks to me as an educator and a parent. The fact that one of the core values of the School is balance is special. I want to help contribute to the idea of building a really balanced experience for kids.”

CGPS News Meet the New Faculty 1764 asked the School’s new faculty what makes their areas of expertise so compelling.

Jillian Wolf, Library Media Specialist: “What makes my field so compelling is that I’m forever learning alongside my students. All topics and all stories can be held in the library.”

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Miriam Cohen, Prep School English teacher: “As readers and interpreters of literature, we make exotic worlds come alive and get to inhabit experiences radically different from our own.”

Carly Feinblatt ’15, Grammar School associate teacher: “It feels so special knowing that I am here to set the stage for my students’ lifelong learning careers.”

Nancy DeJesús, kindergarten classroom teacher: “Working with kindergartners is the best kind of adventure! They are artists, mathematicians, storytellers and scientists—and we are lucky to walk alongside them in their journey.”

Andrew Marcelle, Middle School English teacher: “I love the unique role I have in being able to work with future students in the admission office and current ones in my English class.”

David Vitale, Prep School math teacher: “Mathematics is so compelling because it gives us the rare opportunity to find certain knowledge. What is true is true.”

Idrissa Gandega, Prep School physical education teacher: “PE allows students to get physically active but also provides an opportunity to develop life skills, build community and support social and emotional learning.”

Ethan Timmins-Schiffman, Middle School English and history teacher: “English and history combine world issues with personal discovery. Middle School students are ready to tackle these topics, and I love being part of their learning process.”

Rachel Berger, Middle School English teacher: “The English classroom is a community where students can question the world we live in, learn to empathize with multiple perspectives and discover their individual identities.”

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Claire Teahan, Prep School science teacher: “Chemistry is the element of everyday life. The more we learn about chemistry, the more we can demystify the science in the world around us.”

Olivia Suffern, Prep School metalsmithing teacher: “In an age where much of our lives are taking place digitally at an instantaneous pace, it is refreshing for students to engage in a tactile practice that fosters patience and problem solving.”

Peter Gill, Prep School English teacher: “Someone that lived 400 years ago can speak to me and give me access to their mind and world. And through our own writing, we can do the same.”

Claudia Constantiner ’08, Prep School Learning Specialist: “Through individualized instruction, I love watching students feel a sense of empowerment to understand themselves as learners, develop independence and become their best self-advocates.”

Elizabeth Fedele, PreK classroom teacher: “I am so lucky to work with the youngest CGPS students. When they leave my classroom, my hope is that they feel confident and compassionate.”

Emmanuel Blankson, Middle School math teacher: “One of the ways schools benefit students is that they help guide and teach them how to function in society.

Math is important for that learning.”

Kathleen Luk, kindergarten classroom teacher: “Kindergartners are very curious. I love exploring with them and am amazed at where their imagination takes the class.”

Thomas Nelson, Prep School history teacher: “Understanding the past allows us to understand our world and ourselves. It’s work that never ends—our collective interpretation of what’s come before us evolves every day.”

Reina Guerrero, Prep School college counselor: “Navigating through the college admissions process can be challenging, but helping students and their families as they embark on this fantastic college journey is a joy.”

Doris Kong, Grammar School associate teacher: “Children at this age love coming to school and exploring what’s around them. It is amazing to witness the amount of growth from September to June.”

& Community Sweetening the Lives of Others Alexandra Liakeas ’22 extends gratitude to healthcare workers by handing out free ice cream at hospitals across New York City

By Marquis Austin In the heat of late July, Prep School junior Alexandra Liakeas camped out in front of Weill Cornell Medical Center, where doctors saved the life of her COVID-stricken father just months earlier, to thank the brave frontline workers with free scoops of

the most delicious summer treat there is—ice cream. Enticed by the nostalgic jingle of a Mister Softee truck, medical staff members were brought back to the blissful days of childhood as they eagerly lined up to order towering vanilla and chocolate waffle cones. “The line was up the block,” recalls Alexandra. “It was so unexpected.” Appropriately named Scoops 4 Smiles, the young entrepreneur’s booming initiative distributes free ice cream to those keeping New York City up and running during the pandemic, providing them with a few moments of much-needed joy. “You could see some people needed a break,” says Dr. George Liakeas, whose battle with coronavirus inspired the creation of his daughter’s nonprofit.

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Dr. Liakeas spent the early days of March testing people for COVID, but by the end of the month, he was unconscious and hooked up to a ventilator in the intensive care unit at Weill Cornell. Initially displaying no symptoms other than a fever, he thought going to the hospital was unnecessary and that quarantining would suffice. “I contracted coronavirus before we were even telling people to wear masks. We were telling people specifically not to wear masks as per the Department of Health and CDC at that time,” says Dr. Liakeas. However, when his oxygen levels started decreasing, his wife Nicole insisted on a change in plans—it was time to go to the hospital. Shortly after being admitted, Dr. Liakeas’s situation took a turn for the worse. “I developed severe shortness of breath and basically woke up two weeks later,” he remembers. During that time, his family was not allowed to have any contact with him and struggled to make sense of what was going on. “I was so nervous. I didn’t know what was happening at the time,” says Ms. Liakeas. “I was wondering if he was even going to remember us.”

Fortunately, Dr. Liakeas woke up with his memories of his loved ones still intact and an influx of loving text messages from relatives, friends and even past patients. “That was a really touching moment that still lasts with me today,” he says.

After being discharged from the hospital, Dr. Liakeas embarked on the road to recovery with his family at his side. While he felt a bit better, he still needed daily assistance from Ms. Liakeas and his daughters to get

Dr. Liakeas, Ms. Liakeas and Alexandra with some of the doctors who saved his life.

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Healthcare workers at Weill Cornell line up to receive free scoops of ice cream.

around. “He was very, very weak. I had to help him bathe and eat,” explains Ms. Liakeas. “It was day by day.” As he regained some of his strength, Dr. Liakeas would grab his walker and accompany his wife on relaxing strolls around the block.

While a tumultuous—and still ongoing—recovery process, the experience has brought them even closer together. As Ms. Liakeas describes, it was like “falling in love all over again.”

In addition to looking to each other for support, the Liakeas family found hope in the enthusiastic applause that rang out for the city’s medical professionals each evening at 7 p.m., but as the clapping subsided, Alexandra started thinking about how she could sustain the positive energy. “I wanted to find a way to continue to show my appreciation for the healthcare workers who not only saved my dad but a ton of others,” she says.

Determined, Alexandra set out to do just that, and when she came across a Mister Softee truck while

out for a walk with her mom one day, the idea for Scoops 4 Smiles dawned on her. Eager to turn her concept into a reality, Alexandra quickly designed a logo, printed t-shirts and set up a GoFundMe to raise the money required to bring Mister Softee trucks to hospitals citywide.

Since last summer, Alexandra has brought sugary delight to employees at Weill Cornell, Lenox Hill and NYU Langone, and she has no plans on stopping anytime soon. With reports of COVID rates rising in the city, the altruistic Prep School student plans to expand her organization’s outreach to the frontline workers at homeless shelters, supermarkets, schools in low-income areas and other locations uniquely affected by the virus. “I want to go anywhere where people have been working hard during COVID and spread joy,” she says. Seeing what Alexandra has accomplished has made her parents incredibly proud. “This initiative speaks to who Alexandra is. It speaks to her gumption, empathy

and her being a warm person,” says Ms. Liakeas. Dr. Liakeas echoes this sentiment, saying his daughter’s experience supporting hospital workers has “rewarded her more than it rewarded them.” At first concerned about whether people would care about her cause, Alexandra has been pleasantly surprised to see her nonprofit take off in such a huge way and bring smiles to so many faces: “It showed me that one small thing can make a big difference.”

Interested in Helping?

Follow Scoops 4 Smiles on Instagram @scoops4smilesnyc, and send Alexandra a message to find out how you can help bring ice cream to frontline workers in NYC.

& Community Creating Connection During COVID Students and faculty explore new and exciting ways to keep everyone connected even when physically apart

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“With everyone at home, we have an opportunity to easily talk to people we couldn’t talk to before.”

ANDY CHAPPELL PREP SCHO OL DEAN

By Julian Corbett When the School transitioned to distance learning last spring, Prep School Student Government found itself hustling to adapt its programming to the new virtual normal. Their annual Coffeehouse moved to Zoom. A trivia night saw contestants submitting their answers via Google Forms. But moving events online didn’t put a damper on the community’s enthusiasm. In fact, the Coffeehouse had an even better turnout than usual. “It was an amazing chance to show what Student Government can do to bring the community together,” says Secretary David P. ’21.

That’s in line with what Prep School Dean Andy Chappell, who organizes the School’s guest speaker program, noticed as events went virtual. “With everyone at home, we have an opportunity to easily talk to people we couldn’t talk to before,” he says. Speakers who usually would not be able to come to campus are now very willing to pay a visit via Zoom. In the past year, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Colson Whitehead met with a Prep School English class, legendary television writer-producer and CGPS grandparent Norman Lear held a Q&A about his career and machine-learning-design researcher and artist Caroline Sinders, who currently lives in Germany, gave students an overview of how artificial intelligence impacts our daily lives.

Both teachers and students have been committed to finding ways to sustain the School’s robust and valued sense of community at a time when it’s needed most.

Planning the guest speakers for the year, Mr. Chappell explains, meant thinking about how to enrich student learning and create opportunities to connect around shared experiences. “We wanted to give kids something to be excited about after school and help them talk to each other about common interests,” he says.

Top: Dr. Daniel R. Russel, the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs from 2013–2017, meets with students from the Tufts Seminar on China and the World to discuss U.S.-China relations.

Bottom: Singer-songwriter Eva VP. ’21 plays an original song during the Prep School Coffeehouse.

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Pianist Sophia N. ’26 performs during the Middle School Variety Show.

As students returned to campus in the fall, Student Government set out to keep traditions alive while following health and safety precautions. One such tradition is the yearly Halloween parade. “Typically, the entire Prep School gathers in the gym, which clearly wasn’t realistic for this hybrid situation,” says Student Government Co-President Kate K. ’21. Their response was to work with the media maestros from Columbia Prep TV to reimagine the event as a video montage. “We were able to include things that we couldn’t in person—we had people be creative and show the ways they decorated their houses and dressed their pets in costumes.”

According to Student Government Co-President Adrian M. ’21, all the hard work put into adapting to these new circumstances has paid off, as his peers have been ecstatic about having numerous opportunities to stay connected. “Until we got back to campus, we hadn’t seen our friends in months,” he says, “so these were the first schoolwide events, the first time people could see each other and be together. People have been very appreciative, and it’s great to hear the feedback from students and faculty.”

CGPS’s Got Talent While last year’s Prep School Coffeehouse and Middle School Variety Show had to be moved online because of the pandemic, there was just as much CGPS talent and spirit as ever. And thanks to the virtual format, parents, grandparents and alumni were able to tune in as well. During both events, students (and even some teachers) played music, read poetry, danced and did stand-up comedy, taking the opportunity to showcase their talents in front of the whole community.

Instead of the usual applause, audience members sent messages of support in the Zoom chats, letting performers know they were cheering them on from wherever they were. Prep School Student Government Co-President Adrian M. ’21, who helped organize the Coffeehouse, says the audience enthusiasm was remarkable. “People were engaged,” he recalls. “Throughout the whole two hours, the number of participants never fluctuated.” That strong display of community support helped keep School spirit high, just when it was needed most.

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& Culture The Show Goes On Thanks to the resourcefulness of their teachers, student visual and performing artists are still able to express themselves creatively

By Monica Chen As they often say in show business, the show must go on.

Even in the face of a pandemic, the visual and performing arts programs at CGPS continue to flourish as students, with guidance from their teachers, explore new avenues of creative expression. “The most important thing for us going into this year was that students had art and the chance to work creatively,” says Lynn Schulte, Head of the Middle and Prep School Art Department.

Ms. Schulte’s mindset resonates across the arts at CGPS. For Sarah Stewart, Head of the Music Department, keeping the music alive for her students was a must.

“Nobody wanted to see it missing from their day,” she says.

“They’ve already lost so much of their high school experience.” Theater and Dance Department Head Sarah Cusick has been engaging her students through virtual warm-ups, improv games and production on an inventive fall play.

Within her own department, Ms. Schulte has made it a priority to offer courses that work well both online and in person and challenge students to create artwork that reflects this tumultuous period in their lives. “That’s ultimately what you want to do with art,” she explains. “You want to use it to say something and make a statement. Students are learning how to do that.”

While art classes may look different this year, the learning experience is as strong as ever. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the art department has been able to host numerous virtual discussions with notable guest speakers, including renowned contemporary artist Rashid Johnson and Uncut Gems filmmaker Benny Safdie ’04. “It’s important for students to see that there are working artists out there,” says Ms. Schulte. Meanwhile, Ms. Stewart restructured music classes to be mindful of CDC guidelines.

Instead of playing together in class, musicians now practice at home and spend their time on campus examining music through an analytical lens, diving into the theory and history behind it all. They continue ensemble work by using Logic Pro X and Ableton to stitch together separately-recorded parts. Setting out to design a fall production that could engage her students and audiences while also keeping everyone safe, Ms. Cusick came up with RIGHT NOW, a verbatim theater and oral history project. Actors interviewed people about what they have been going through these past few months and later portrayed them in what proved to be a stunning piece of theater. Because of the faculty’s expert planning, the School’s young artists have remained engaged and connected to their work.

During this unprecedented time, teachers have even found ways to improve the visual and performing arts programs moving forward. For instance, now artists learn how to properly photograph their work so they can submit high-quality digital copies for feedback. This skill is especially vital for upperclassmen preparing portfolios for college applications, and Ms. Schulte will embed this practice into her curriculum. Moreover, the music department’s use of industry-standard software for ensemble work has heightened students’ technological skills, something that will certainly benefit them in the future. “The pandemic’s not going to last forever,” says Ms. Stewart. “I want to think about what aspects of this we can take back with us to the real world when we get to it.”

This page: Photography by Sophia L. ’22.

Opposite, top to bottom: Collage by Rachel W. ’21; drawing by Luca P. ’23; photography by Joshua L. ’23.

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Fall Virtual Production For Theater and Dance Department Head Sarah Cusick, planning this year’s fall play meant finding a project that could accommodate the limitations of performing during a pandemic and respond to a year of change unparalleled in her students’ lives. That was how RIGHT NOW came to be: an entirely original and virtual production composed of interviews students conducted with community members about the impact the past year has had. “One actor interviewed a lawyer who does volunteer work with domestic abuse victims, another interviewed their grandfather,” Ms. Cusick says.

Working in the tradition of verbatim theatre—pioneered by artists such as Anna Deavere Smith and plays like The Laramie Project—students reenacted these interviews word for word. “It was beautiful to see the meaning the students found in speaking somebody else’s words and honoring their experience,” Ms. Cusick says. It was also a multidisciplinary project—students wrote music, edited footage and directed for the show in addition to acting. Most importantly, RIGHT NOW was an opportunity for community building, which has been precious in a turbulent year. “It’s at the heart of everything we do in the theater,” Ms. Cusick says.

To watch RIGHT NOW, visit youtu.be/sdKk8xIanfs.

The cast and crew of RIGHT NOW.

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& Sports

Racing To History The Varsity Indoor Track and Field team makes history as they claim the first-ever NYCAL championship title and qualify for Nationals

By Marquis Austin Last year, members of the CGPS Varsity Indoor Track and Field team raced their way to history—literally. In February, they headed to Staten Island to compete in the inaugural NYCAL Indoor Track and Field Championship. Like her peers, seasoned runner Lucy Blank ’20 was ready to dominate. Having just missed the School’s 1,500-meter run record during the previous meet, Lucy, a senior at the time, was laser-focused on finally beating it. “It was my last shot,” she states. By the end of the meet, not only did Lucy surpass the previously held record by nearly eight

seconds, but she also joined her teammates in clinching the championship title. Lucy’s determination is emblematic of the entire group, and their can-do spirit was what fueled their historic success. “We came into the meet with the goal of winning, and our athletes made it happen,” says Head Coach Katelyn Savage.

What facilitates this teamwide tenacity is the support the athletes have for one another. “We cheer each other on,” says Sam D. ’21, who earned a personal best in the 600meter race during the NYCAL competition and considers himself to be “the loudest on the team.” For Josh Ye ’20, Sam’s thunderous words of encouragement were often what gave him that last burst of energy he needed to finish an event: “When I had 20 meters left in a race and my legs were weak, most of the time I couldn’t hear the crowd because I was so tired, but I could always hear Sam. He’s always yelling and encouraging the team.” The Columbia Prep athletes also uplift each other during

practice. As Coach Savage describes, “Whenever we are at practice and somebody is bent over, out of breath with their hands on their knees, someone walks over to them and says, ‘Hey, you got this.’”

This ardent solidarity was perhaps most apparent among Josh, Massimo B. ’21, Kyle K. ’21 and Nolan McLetchie ’20, who comprised the School’s boys 4x400-meter relay team. They placed first in NYSAIS, 12th in New York State and qualified for New Balance Nationals Indoor, the pinnacle of high school indoor track in the country. Even though the pandemic led to the event’s cancellation, making the cut is a tremendous achievement and another first in CGPS history. “Just to have qualified is a huge honor. It’s really a culmination of all their hard work,” says Coach Savage. While each runner is talented on his own, their performance on the track is an even more magnificent sight to witness when they join forces. “We’re all good runners, but we’re better as a team,”

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explains Kyle. “When I run in a relay, I have other people that I have to run for. It’s not just about me anymore.”

A perfect example of this all-forone mindset occurred at the New York Road Runners Millrose Games, the world’s longest-running indoor track and field competition. During the 4x400-meter relay, Josh did not run a split up to his usual standards.

“It was my worst split of the season by far,” he recalls. However, looking out for his relay teammate and dear friend, Massimo grabbed the baton and whizzed around the track,

Left: The CGPS Varsity Indoor Track and Field team triumphs at the first-ever NYCAL Championship in early 2020.

nabbing a remarkable sub-49 split and earning the team an impressive total time of 3:28.03. “The team was there for me in a moment when I was not doing as well as I could have,” Josh says. “It was nice to feel that sort of community.”

As CGPS continues to embrace this year’s core value—unity—there is no better benchmark to aspire to than the one set by the Varsity Indoor

Track and Field team. Even in light of a landmark season that will go down in School history, what the record-breaking runners enjoy most about being on the team is not earning trophy after trophy but forming meaningful and lasting friendships.

“Track exposes you to people you wouldn’t have originally thought you’d be so close with,” says Kyle. “You create bonds that you won’t forget.”

Middle Schoolers Launch Pro Sports Podcast Last spring, two sixth graders in the Middle School, Jake C. and Jake W., were looking for a project to keep them occupied while the pandemic kept them isolated at home. “We came up with the idea to record ourselves talking about sports and interviewing players,” Jake W. says. That same day, they recorded the first episode of their hit podcast, The Swish, and began reaching out to professional athletes about coming on the show. “We DM a bunch of players every day,” Jake C. says. That persistence has yielded impressive results: they’ve managed to land interviews with Mets pitcher Stephen Nogosek, retired NBA player Richard Jefferson and Chicago Cubs pitcher Jonathan de Marte. As The Swish has taken off, the Jakes have also used their platform to do more than share their passion for sports.

Last summer, they started a GoFundMe that raised over $4,000 for COVID-19 relief efforts. While returning to School has made scheduling recording sessions a little harder, the two have no plans to stop podcasting anytime soon. “We have some big guests we’re trying to plan out,” Jake C. hints. “Hopefully, we can get LeBron James one day.” You can follow The Swish on Instagram @theswish._ and catch new episodes on Apple, Spotify and SoundCloud.

& Innovation A Chat With Paul Baly

1764: How has the hybrid program been going? Students and teachers seem thrilled to be back in the classroom.

1764 spoke with the Director of the Middle School to learn more about how his division adapted to distance and hybrid learning and programs he’s launched to support social and emotional growth among students in grades 5–7

Paul Baly: There is absolutely no doubt that distance learning and hybrid learning can be effective but not as the sole means of education for Middle Schoolers. The ability to have in-school experiences and in-person relationships with teachers and classmates is critical. It starts with that, and then you can create modalities outside of that to complement it but not in reverse.

Some of the things I thought were going to be more challenging weren’t.

I thought masks were going to be a

1764: This is your second year at CGPS. How was your first year here?

Paul Baly: It’s hard to separate my first year from the pandemic, of course. Up until March, tremendous would be the word to describe it.

The sense of community here is so healthy and pronounced. It’s based around not only mutual respect but also intellectual and academic vigor.

Kids and teachers connect around learning. Our teachers are incredibly innovative and creative, and our students are earnest, eager and engaged. The relationships with teachers and sense of community in this building give our students a very special time to make their own.

That’s something that came through during my first year.

In March, the entire community came together. It was a brave new world. Our teachers moved ahead without reservation into distance learning, and our students followed suit. Our ability to work as a community by asking the right questions and responding to people’s needs allowed us to build a very solid distance learning program in the spring and carry what we learned into the fall to make our hybrid program effective.

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bigger challenge, but they’ve been a non-issue. People have gotten so used to them that they don’t think about them a whole lot. I was concerned about how students would respond to being in the same classroom all day, but they have felt very comfortable so far. We get them out as much as possible.

The greatest upside is that the resources allocated for hybrid learning—Neat Bar meeting devices and television monitors—have provided additional tools, such as Zoom breakout rooms for group work, and made teachers more facile with their ability to move from screen to screen. This has led to a much more active learning community for our students.

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There’s going to be a point when there is no more pandemic, and it’s going to be exciting to see how what we’ve learned can catapult us to more effective 21st century teaching and learning. The spirit of innovation among the faculty is incredible, and it’s going to serve us well as we move forward. We’re going to take the best of what we always did and the best of what we learned and make an incredible educational community for Middle Schoolers.

1764: All-school assemblies, which have gone virtual in recent months, have been a regular occurrence in the Middle School. What topics do they address?

Paul Baly: Assemblies are important for Middle School students. There is power in having everyone hear the same message from the same person at the same time in the same space, whether it’s a reminder about rules and expectations or an inspirational message. There’s power in the sameness of an experience.

We have had several assemblies about community norms. One focused on how to communicate and the power in saying someone’s

name when you speak to them.

Beyond that, we’ve really looked into diversity, equity and inclusion. We had an assembly on the importance of language and how some language can consciously or subconsciously send certain messages. We had one on hidden bias as well. We’ve created opportunities for students to connect and explore how our differences should be something to celebrate as opposed to something that divides us.

1764: Last year, you launched the inaugural Middle School advisory program to support students’ social and emotional growth. Can you talk about that?

Paul Baly: Middle Schoolers grow tremendously during their time in our School. It’s three years, and yet it is when they are growing as much or more than any other time in their life. They are not only growing physically but also intellectually, emotionally and psychologically. If students are not feeling safe emotionally and psychologically, they can’t learn effectively. We want to complement this rapid growth that happens during this time when they’re building an identity and

dealing with a range of emotions they’ve never dealt with before. We want to equip them with the tools and language to gain some understanding of it all and embrace their emotional and psychological complexity.

1764: This year, you also introduced the Dean system to the Middle School for sixth and seventh graders.

Paul Baly: It’s similar to the advisory program. One thing that happens in sixth and seventh grade is that we move to a fully departmentalized program. Up until fifth grade, students have a homeroom teacher who oversees their entire experience.

Even though they’re going to specialists throughout the day, that teacher is really centered on their comprehensive growth. Then they move to sixth and seventh grade, and they’re growing—things are getting more complex for them emotionally, socially, psychologically and intellectually.

They’re also given more autonomy, so we felt that bringing in someone to focus on what life is like as a sixth and seventh grader at CGPS and establish deep relationships with that group of students would benefit their growth.

“There’s going to be a point when there is no more pandemic, and it’s going to be exciting to see how what we’ve learned can catapult us to more effective 21st century teaching and learning.”

PAUL BALY, DIRECTOR OF THE MIDDLE SCHO OL

& Innovation

Director of Technology Adam Gerson, third from left, with, from left, tech support team members Sam Charlick, Serena Depero and Adam Jufer in early 2020.

Talking Tech With Adam Gerson 1764 spoke with the Director of Technology to learn about the School’s state-of-the-art livestream setup for hybrid learning and how classes going virtual has led to teachers becoming more tech-savvy 1764: There is a lot of new technology at CGPS. How is it all supporting hybrid learning?

Adam Gerson: We want to be able to have hybrid classes with half the kids in person and the other half at home while maintaining as much of a unified class experience as possible. I was told that a priority was for the in-person teacher to see the at-home students big and clear, so that’s when we came up with the idea of putting a 65-inch television at the back of each classroom. On a 65-inch, you get a

big grid of the students, so that has worked really well.

The second mandate was to make sure students at home can see the teacher clearly, so we invested in a camera with a very wide field of view. Each teacher has a control pad at the front of their room, allowing them to zoom in and out and even pan the camera left and right to get the shot they want. The kids can see the teacher, and the teacher can see the kids.

The next big step was finding a microphone. We tried so many, but eventually, we found a phenomenal wide-field mic that does an excellent job of picking everything up in the classroom. Whether the kids are asking a question or the teacher is talking, we have really good sound.

We chose the simplest, least complex solution that exists. Originally, we were looking at a setup where the teacher would plug their laptop into the projector with an HDMI cable.

Then they would have a camera and mic plugged into their computer and another cable that would put the kids’ faces on the TV. It would also

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mean that the teacher would have to, on their laptop, select the external mic and camera instead of the builtin ones. It would have been a mess.

We spent extra money for a completely integrated and wireless solution where there’s none of that.

Essentially, the teacher walks up to the control pad, pushes “start meeting” and everything connects wirelessly to their laptop. They can project to the in-person kids wirelessly, and the faces of the remote students go wirelessly to the TV. It’s pretty slick. Many teachers have said, “Wow, this is amazing!”

1764: That sounds incredible. Since March, have there been additional changes in how faculty use technology?

Adam Gerson: Yes, people are using Schoology, which is our learning management system, more for online assessments and work collaboration, including posting and collecting electronic assignments and discussion forums. Teachers are also creating and using video more. We even have a chat room called “Great Distance Learning” where teachers discuss and share all kinds of websites, tools and apps.

1764: Would you say all of these new resources have made teachers more tech-savvy?

Adam Gerson: The short answer is yes. Our tech-savvy teachers are using tech better than ever and our less tech-savvy teachers have been immersed in new, thoughtful and meaningful experiences with edutech. There is not a single adult in the building who has not made a step forward in thoughtfully incorporating technology into their classroom.

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“There is not a single adult in the building who has not made a step forward in thoughtfully incorporating technology into their classroom.”

ADAM GERSON, DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLO GY

Behind the Screens

By Nathaniel Eisert ’21 For Director of Technology Adam Gerson, the shift to distance learning amplified some of his favorite parts of the job—solving challenging problems and helping others. “I got to be involved in a lot of important decisions and plans for how the School would solve a new and unknown challenge, and that’s exciting,” says Mr. Gerson.

“Helping people,” he continues, “is a rewarding experience.”

Although these past few months have brought unprecedented obstacles, Mr. Gerson believes this experience has, in some ways, had a positive effect on School spirit. “We did something really hard in a really short amount of time that was as reasonably successful as could be expected under the circumstances, so I have a great deal of pride for us as an institution,” he says. “I saw every single teacher, from the one with the least amount of tech skills to the very best, stretch themselves and learn something new.”

Using the School’s robust livestream technology, Middle School teacher Ethan Timmins-Schiffman teaches a class of in-person and remote students.

Digital Days Students, parents, faculty and staff give insight into the School’s transition to distance learning last spring, today’s hybrid model and how they continue to stay connected in a time of social distancing

“It’s clear that, no matter what, CGPS will be okay, and we’ll continue to have good schooling.”

MORGAN H. ’22

In March, the School made it official—distance learning was to take effect. Community members scrambled to adapt to an entirely new way of doing things, one in which it was more common to talk to your classmates, colleagues, teachers and friends via Google Meet and Zoom than face-to-face. When the news was first announced, many felt uneasy about what the future had in store. “I was terrified. I didn’t know how it was going to work,” says parent Melitza Lev. Nevertheless, the entire community—United for CGPS—persevered and continues to do so as the world battles the

COVID-19 pandemic. From faculty professional development workshops on the latest in distance and hybrid learning technology to the three divisions hosting school supply pickup days to guarantee each and every child has access to the materials they need to fully participate in class, CGPS has remained resolute in its pursuit to give students a transformative education.

Parent and Board member Meredith Sotoloff says it best: “The School is really trying to accommodate and provide for everyone, which is what CGPS does. That’s our hallmark.”

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Reimagining School “I remember very clearly that the first thing on my mind was, ‘How are we logistically going to make this work?’” says Prep School Director Joanie Dean, reflecting back on March. She was faced with a complex challenge—successfully bringing approximately 600 students and 120 faculty and staff online while still maintaining the integrity of her division’s academic and extracurricular programming.

First, she and her colleagues concentrated on scheduling and determining what technology they needed to guarantee a smooth transition. “The second thing was, ‘How are we going to assess? Are we going to assign letter grades or not?’” says Ms. Dean. “Once we figured out those two issues, we were able to relax a little bit.”

But going into the 2020-2021 academic year brought a whole new tangle of issues to unravel. The main goal was to safely get students and teachers back to campus and reintroduce in-person learning.

However, after looking into the number of available spaces around the School, Ms. Dean quickly realized that bringing them back en masse would not be feasible given today’s social distancing guidelines.

“Once we knew our spaces, we were able to calculate how many students we could fit in at any given time, and we knew it was going to be about half,” she says. Evenly split into two cohorts—Navy and Sky—today’s Prep School students alternate daily between on-campus and remote classes, adhering to a hybrid learning model.

Besides keeping everyone healthy and safe and preserving the educational standard Columbia Prep is known for, another important matter for Ms. Dean has been providing everyone with opportunities to develop interpersonal connections. “That’s really the heart and soul of our community,” she

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says. Since March, Ms. Dean and her faculty have worked tirelessly to pivot many cherished School events to a virtual setting. Some of them include graduation, Moving Up Day, the fall production and the Peer Leadership trip. “Not just recreating those events but reimagining them in a creative way that engages everyone while still being a vessel for human connection has been amazing,” Ms. Dean says. “It’s very important, and I’m glad we’ve been able to do it.”

A New Way of Teaching “We didn’t know what to expect,” says Grade 2 Coordinator Elizabeth Cali, remembering how she felt when the School shifted to distance learning. Those first few weeks, she explains, meant adopting a “learn as you go” attitude. As kindergarten teacher Melissa Barissi recalls, “We had to rethink everything.”

That started with prioritizing what the teachers felt their students needed most to succeed in their new virtual environment, like one-on-one instruction, getting face time with their peers and preserving community-building activities. And it meant helping students develop the behaviors that would make them successful in the virtual classroom. “The biggest challenge was the shift in mindset,” Ms. Barissi says.

“Zoom fatigue for adults is bad, so think about what that’s like for young kids.” Her approach has been to put an emphasis on creating a sense of fun and community for her students. “I was looking at how I could change my way of teaching so that they want to come to the screen every day,” she says.

Concentrating on students’ social-emotional learning was a critical part of helping them adapt to distance learning, and it’s a method teachers are continuing and building upon this year. “We’ve focused a lot on being reflective learners, thinking about how things are working for us, setting goals and reflecting on the work we’ve been doing,” Grade 4 Coordinator Ilana Elson says. “We want them to feel good about the work they’re doing and know it’s okay to struggle.”

Technology has played a substantial role in facilitating student learning and social-emotional development, both last spring and this year. Whether doing small group work in Zoom breakout rooms or solving math problems on Google Slides, the teachers have been using all the tools they can to keep their students engaged and the classroom community alive. Ms. Elson even found a way to take class birthdays virtual using Seesaw, an online platform that she uses for math activities and running a class blog. “So for class birthdays this year, the kids all make each other videos for their birthdays, and then they post them to the blog,” she says. “The birthday student gets all these videos, and they can all see each other. It’s really, really fun.”

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A Grammar School mother and her two daughters stop by 5 West 93rd Street to pick up go-bags filled with school supplies for the new academic year.

Social Distancing Students When CGPS entered distance learning, students experienced a wide range of emotions and wondered how the new normal would look and feel. Still, they remained confident in the faculty and staff ’s ability to steer the School through troubled waters. “I had faith that they would find a way,” says Morgan H. ’22. “I knew the teachers and the administration were working hard.”

As Morgan and her classmates adjusted to pandemic life, staying connected to their peers became a much-needed source of comfort. For example, Sophia K. ’25 and her friends arranged weekly calls to check in with one another. “We decided that we were going to call at least once a week. And we managed to keep in touch, which was the best thing,” she says.

While they prefer the familiarity of daily in-person classes, some students say distance learning has some benefits. “I get more sleep, so I have more energy to enjoy my classes and focus on learning,” Zoe H. ’23 explains. With the ongoing surge in virtual events,

Sophia has also appreciated the many opportunities to listen to inspiring guest speakers from around the world, including Holocaust survivor Sara Leicht-Weinstein from Israel. “It is really nice because the School brings in a huge amount of diversity and different categories of subjects.”

For Morgan, the prospect of returning to campus in the fall with so many safety protocols in place seemed a bit daunting at first. Fortunately, the in-person experience exceeded her expectations. “Just seeing faces that you recognize gives a sense of normalcy,” she says. “And being in a classroom and seeing a teacher write on a whiteboard is very refreshing. That’s one of my favorite parts.”

During a time when so much is unknown, one thing continues to remain certain—CGPS’s community is as united as ever, brought closer together by the shared experience of the pandemic. In Morgan’s opinion, this past year has underscored the School’s strength, tenacity and versatility. As she puts it, “It’s clear that, no matter what, CGPS will be okay, and we’ll continue to have good schooling.”

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Parent Reflections “The word on the street is that CGPS really hit it out of the park and is continuing to do so,” says Ms. Sotoloff, who has children in the Grammar School and Middle School. Although the new reality of distance learning took some time to get acclimated to, Ms. Sotoloff was impressed with how everything came together. “Those first few days and weeks were very long,” she remembers, but “you could see how hard everyone was working.” Serving as Co-President of the Parents Association at the time, she periodically met with the senior leadership team.

Firsthand, she learned about their efforts to adapt the School to a uniquely challenging time in history. “They were building the train and riding it at the same time,” she describes. “It’s pretty remarkable what they were able to do in such a short time.”

This year, Ms. Sotoloff is even more pleased with the nimble manner in which the School continues to evolve and change with the times. She particularly appreciates the faculty’s ongoing efforts to participate in professional development workshops on Zoom, Seesaw, Schoology and other pedagogical tools essential for effective distance and hybrid learning. She recalls when her husband Peter observed their son’s teacher conduct a presentation on number lines via Zoom. “He was so impressed by the technology, how patient his teacher was and how she was still able to connect with and help him even though they were not physically together,” Ms. Sotoloff says. “It’s been totally incredible what they’re able to do.”

This positive sentiment is commonly shared among the parents at CGPS. “The School is doing a great job. I’m very happy with and amazed by the way they organized everything,” comments Ms. Lev. Fellow parent Paula Harden agrees, noting that the faculty and staff continue to provide her fourth grade daughter with a quality education: “She’s still engaged and happy to learn every day.”

“The School is doing a great job.

I’m very happy with and amazed by the way they organized everything.”

MELITZA LEV, CURRENT PARENT

Top: Excited to make their return to campus, a mother and daughter wave hello to Grammar School faculty distributing supplies to students and their families in September.

Bottom: After stopping by the School to grab textbooks and other items for class, two Prep School students are eager to begin the next chapters of their CGPS journeys.

A New Path Forward The School takes action steps to foster a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment for all community members

BY MARQUIS AUSTIN

“The more we learn about different people and cultures, the better people we can become.”

JASON F. ’21

In light of the murder of George Floyd, a wave of activism has gripped the world as protestors seek to eradicate institutional racism. This movement has found its way to the halls of independent schools across the nation as students and alumni use social media to voice their experiences of marginalization. Amassing nearly 200 posts since its creation in June, the @truecolorsofcolumbia Instagram page is “a space for BIPOC members of Columbia Prep, past and present, to reveal their experiences with racism at the School.” This page has incited a call to action at CGPS, with faculty and staff

acknowledging the School’s shortcomings concerning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and pledging to do better going forward.

The School has enlisted the guidance of leading DEI experts such as the new Interim Diversity Coordinator Lise Leist, Heather Flewelling of Milton Academy and consultant Martha Haakmat. In September, faculty and staff, who read Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People over the summer, attended the first-ever professional development day on DEI, which was moderated by Ms. Flewelling, and confronted their own hidden biases.

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Meanwhile, Ms. Haakmat continues to lead the senior leadership team and Board of Trustees in reviewing best DEI policies and practices. “As a consultant, she and her associates bring not only a level of expertise and experience that we otherwise lack but also a degree of independence that provides the accountability we seek,” says Head of School Dr. William M. Donohue. “Systemic change, Ms. Haakmat’s focus at CGPS, is the most important challenge in strengthening any institution.”

Before winter break, 19 teachers, four students and three parents attended the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) People of Color Conference. They will use their new insight to evaluate “how we can be a better CGPS,” says Ms. Leist. In the same vein, the

Admission Office is also committed to making all families feel welcome at CGPS. “It is our duty to share with prospective students and parents all the School is doing in its DEI efforts,” says Director of Admission and Enrollment Management Carrie Salvatore. “This is a critically important time, and we are always working to improve what we can do to foster inclusivity and support.”

Laying the groundwork for a more equitable future, the senior leadership team is focused on taking a look inward. “This year is about learning about ourselves,” says Dr. Donohue. To accomplish this, CGPS will be undergoing an assessment of inclusivity and multiculturalism.

Administered by NAIS, the evaluation includes an online survey, which will ask constituents to think

critically about the climate of inclusion present at the School. The results will yield illuminating quantitative and qualitative data that will then be used to produce a strategic five-year DEI plan tailored to the School’s culture. “This knowledge will help us set goals and find a path that is unique and productive,” says Dr. Donohue.

A critical undertaking this past fall has been developing the Prep School’s first-ever anti-racism statement, which outlines the School’s commitment to being “free of discrimination in all forms.” Prep School Director Joanie Dean describes the document, which appears in every classroom, as an “important ideal to hold us to and always be striving toward.” Alongside the statement is a confidential reporting system

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through which students can report any acts of racism and discrimination they experience or witness. “It’s a great opportunity to make sure that every student feels safe and knows that if anything does happen, they are protected and have people out there to speak to,” says Joel O. ’21, a leader in the Multi-Ethnic Cultural Awareness Club (MECA). This framework will be adopted by the Grammar School and Middle School as well, albeit in a developmentally appropriate manner.

Jasmine Rebadavia ’10, a math teacher and member of the BIPOC community, is pleased to see the Prep School release an anti-racism statement and make strides toward actively fostering a safe space for people of all backgrounds. “Every time something like that is manifested, I think it’s the equivalent of being seen,” she says. In August, Ms. Rebadavia was one of approximately 40 graduates who attended the inaugural Alumni Town Hall. During the event, alumni expressed their reactions to @truecolorsofcolumbia, shared similar experiences and communicated a desire to generate change at their alma mater. “People, of course, feel hurt,” Ms. Rebadavia says. “But to some extent, there was enough positivity in their experience in our School for them to say, ‘I still consider myself a part of this community and want to do what I can to make it better.’”

As head of the Prep School’s newly formed Social Justice Committee (SJC) alongside technology teacher Melanie Royster, Ms. Rebadavia is helping build a brighter future for the next generations of students. “Kind of why I’m back here now is because I really care about where I came from,” she says. With subcommittees covering topics including professional development and student culture, the SJC, as its purpose statement outlines, “is devoted to empowering Prep School students, parents, faculty and staff members to value their identities and those of others.” Likewise,

the Grammar School and Middle School have their own respective committees, which collaborate with the SJC to spawn a holistic approach to DEI. “This work begins in early childhood,” says Grammar School Director Sarah McLean, whose division is committed to ensuring CGPS’s youngest students “find themselves reflected in the curriculum and see the world from different perspectives.” To facilitate these DEI efforts, Library Co-Directors Ingrid Abrams and Joanna Sondheim regularly distribute an up-to-date list of picture and chapter books for faculty to use with their students. Some of these titles include Speak Up by Miranda Paul, This Is How We Do It: One Day in the Lives of Seven Kids from around the World by Matt Lamothe and The Power Book: What is it, Who Has it and Why? by Claire Saunders.

A culture-shifting club, MECA, which Ms. Royster also takes part in, has regularly advocated for students from underrepresented demographics. Besides playing a role in constructing the confidential reporting system, MECA has met with department heads to discuss making the curriculum more representative of historically maligned groups. “The importance of DEI is that we’re telling a far more complete story and also being inclusive to all the members of our community,” explains Middle School teacher and MECA Middle advisor Stefanie Trepper. Among their many initiatives, MECA mentors their younger peers in MECA Middle and is planning CGPS Voices, a multimedia social justice publication.

While MECA leader Jason F. ’21 is graduating this spring, he is excited to see what the future holds for CGPS surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion, especially considering his brother is in seventh grade. “I hope that these steps forward we’re making can pave the way for him to have a more inclusive experience,” he says.

“The more we learn about different people and cultures, the better people we can become.”

A CALL TO

Action

By Simone Saidmehr ’20 Last summer, the creators of @truecolorsofcolumbia authored an official call to action detailing how they would like to see the institution evolve in the coming years and have met with the senior leadership team to discuss their objectives.

Imani Camara ’20, one of the alumni who manages the account, explains, “We’ve taken suggestions from the community for what they want to see, such as making sure teachers receive anti-bias training and having an alumni diversity council for networking and mentorship.

We want to ensure every aspect of our community is being heard—not just students but also parents, faculty and staff.”

Numerous students and alumni have come together in support of this movement.

“So many people reached out saying, ‘This is my first time speaking out about this and truly feeling heard.’ That really resonated with me,” says Imani. MECA leader Cassandra G. ’21 also feels empowered by the support of the CGPS community: “I’ve questioned whether this is something I’m making up in my head or blowing out of proportion, but seeing 3,000 signatures from people who read our conditions confirmed that this work needs to be done.”

Read All

About It 1764 speaks with Andrew Rosenthal ’73, former Editorial Page Editor of The New York Times In 2015, Andrew Rosenthal ’73, a longtime contributor to The New York Times, launched a series of editorials on gun control in the United States, including the first front-page editorial in nearly a century, for which he was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist. During his time as Editorial Page Editor, he also started an op-ed documentary series, which ultimately led to two Emmys, a Peabody and multiple Academy Award nominations. Over the years, he has produced gripping work on the Persian Gulf War, the vote recount in Florida following the 2000 presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore, the September 11 attacks and much more. In October 2018, he released The New York Times Book of Politics: 167 Years of Covering the State of the Union, an anthology detailing the newspaper’s political coverage from the election of Abraham Lincoln through the election of Donald Trump. Since leaving The New York Times in 2018, he has taught courses at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY and the Harvard Kennedy School, became a fellow at the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania and also started working on his memoir.

Left: With President Ronald Reagan in the background, Andrew Rosenthal shakes hands with Nancy Reagan at their final White House Christmas party in 1988.

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1764: In 2000, you were the national editor of The New York Times and oversaw coverage of the presidential election between Bush and Gore and the vote recount. What was that experience like?

Andrew Rosenthal: It was quite startling. On election night, we were using the data supplied by this consortium the networks run, and it appeared that Florida was going to go to Bush. So we started running newspapers with the headline “Bush Apparent Victor,” and at that point, I got a call from an old friend of mine at The Associated Press, and he said, “You guys better stop because you’re wrong.

Florida is in play.” We looked into it and discovered Florida was in play, so we changed the front page. But we already ran off 200-some-odd thousand copies with the wrong headline, so that became a collector’s item. Then the election was literally being litigated in court, and that went on for a couple of months until the Supreme Court decided to stop it and let Bush become president. At the time, I remember thinking that was the biggest story I was ever going to cover, and in September 2001, I found out I was wrong.

1764: Can you tell me about the 9/11 coverage?

Andrew Rosenthal: I actually became assistant managing editor for news and started that job on September 11, 2001. It was quite insane. For the rest of that year, I edited this special section the Times had. We ran a special section every day without ads covering the aftermath of 9/11, the anthrax business, the war in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq. It’s odd to say, given there’s such tragedy, but from a journalistic perspective, it was one of the most powerful and rewarding times of my life because people were really relying on The New York Times. People were literally going out in the streets and waiting for the paper to drop so they could read it. We set out to do a small profile of every single person who died, which we called “Portraits of Grief.”

Then we ran that as a book and won a Pulitzer Prize.

Top: Andrew Rosenthal’s front-page editorial on gun control in the United States.

Bottom: Mr. Rosenthal in The New York Times editorial board room. (Image courtesy of Rafael Fuchs)

1764: As Editorial Page Editor, you worked on a series covering gun control in the United States, which later became a finalist for a Pulitzer. How did that come about?

Andrew Rosenthal: Gun control was an issue that I worked on a lot when I was the Editorial Page Editor.

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The publisher, Arthur Sulzberger Jr., and I really agreed that it was a gigantic issue for us, and we wrote a bunch of editorials about it. And then there was a mass shooting in California, and we wanted to write a big editorial about it.

The publisher asked me and the executive editor what we thought about putting it on the front page. We both thought that was pretty weird since we hadn’t done it in about 80 years, but it seemed like a good idea. So I wrote an editorial, and it ran on the front page and was a finalist for a Pulitzer. It was thrilling.

Gun control was one of those issues that we felt was incredibly important and weren’t going to make any headway on either on the left or the right. On that front-page editorial, I got a ton of criticism from the right. One guy actually posted a picture of the front page in which he shot bullet holes into the editorial, and I pointed out in response that he was a crappy shot because his pattern was terrible. But we also got attacked from the left. The gun control people thought we’d gone too far and that we were asking for “too much.” It was very interesting. You have to have a pretty thick skin if you’re going to be an editorial writer.

1764: You published The New York Times Book of Politics.

How have you seen political reporting change over the years?

Andrew Rosenthal: Over the decades, political reporting has changed a lot. Back around the Civil War time, the reporting was extremely personal. There was a lot of opinion in it. The New York Times coverage of the Battle of Gettysburg was a series of first-person accounts of the battle, including one coming from a colonel. The article announcing that Abraham Lincoln had been assassinated was actually written by the Secretary of War. It was a very strange time. Then you go into the 20th century, and political journalism becomes more detached from partisan politics and more dispassionate. The thing that really changes things is the advent of television in the 1960s, which made personality a bigger deal, and you can see print journalism responding to that.

Then, of course, the advent of the internet changed everything because the internet’s the biggest, fastest and most powerful printing press ever invented. Everybody’s on deadline all the time, and what started to happen, which I think was an extremely bad trend, was the

personalization of political reporting where reporters were encouraged to go out on social media. They inevitably started expressing their opinions and started getting into fights with each other, and people started to not trust the news. The newspaper industry believed that they had to make a choice between speed and accuracy, which is nonsense. As a result, the quality of the factual reporting started to decline. At the same time, what you start to see is the introduction of personal opinion into the news reporting on the front pages of newspapers, both real and virtual, and that has been an absolute disaster.

1764: What can you share about your upcoming memoir?

Andrew Rosenthal: It’s about my life in journalism, the people I learned from along the way and the lessons I learned about journalism. I’m hoping it will be funny and useful. As a journalist for 40 years, I was witness to all kinds of things. I’ve met every president since Ronald Reagan. I met the heads of the Soviet Union, movie stars, kings and queens—everybody. There’s a chapter in there where I say that. And, you know, despite all that, the most amazing man I ever knew in my entire life was my grandfather on my mother’s side. He was an Italian barber with a fourth grade education, and he was the wisest man I ever knew. So it’s a book about important people and what makes them important but also why unimportant people are also important.

1764: There are many talented writers at CGPS. What advice do you have for students interested in pursuing journalism?

Andrew Rosenthal: The advice I used to give was to get a job at the biggest newspaper that will hire you, stay there until you feel like you’re no longer being edited and then look for a bigger one. Well, it’s not newspaper anymore, but it still applies. The most important thing is to write.

It’s fine to take classes, it’s fine to study, but writers write.

Work on getting your style clean and accurate, and then worry about adverbs later. If you hear someone tell you to be objective, smile politely. What you need to do is be dispassionate. You can’t have a personal stake in the outcome of the stories you’re covering. You have to really force yourself not to care who wins or loses, but you have to reach conclusions and arrive at a discernible truth.

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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE

Class of 2020!

The Class of 2020’s virtual graduation took place on May 28, 2020. The commencement activities included remarks from Head of School Dr. William M. Donohue, Prep School Director Joanie Dean, top-ranking seniors Christopher Yoon, Matthew Riedman, Tessa Wayne, Emma Boockvar and Kurt Fischer and the keynote speaker, CBS News Chief Medical Correspondent and alumni parent Dr. Jonathan LaPook.

Congratulations, graduates! The Class of 2020 matriculated to the following colleges and universities: American University American University of Paris Boston College Boston University Brown University Colby College

Colgate University College of the Atlantic Colorado College Columbia University Cornell University Duke University Emory University Fordham University Franklin and Marshall College George Washington University Georgetown University Hamilton College Indiana University (Kelley School of Business) Johns Hopkins University Lehigh University Macalester College New York University Northeastern University Northwestern University Quinnipiac University Skidmore College Stanford University

Syracuse University The New School The Ohio State University The University of Arizona Tufts University Tulane University University College Maastricht (Netherlands) University of Chicago University of Florida University of Maryland-College Park University of Miami University of Michigan-Ann Arbor University of Pennsylvania University of Richmond University of Rochester University of St Andrews (Scotland) University of Wisconsin-Madison Vanderbilt University Villanova University Wake Forest University Wesleyan University Yale University

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In Memoriam Joe Carbone (1947–2020)

A brilliant guitarist and devoted teacher, Joe Carbone left an impact on generations of musicians at CGPS over more than 20 years spent in the Prep School music department.

His daughter, third grade teacher Joanna Kelly, describes him as a teacher who was deeply committed to his students. “He really cared about the underdog and the kids that felt like they didn’t have a place,” she says. “He wanted to find a place for them to shine.”

As a teacher, Ms. Kelly says her father could be “no nonsense,” but his tough love was backed by a belief in the potential of every student. Prep School Director Joanie Dean echoes this sentiment. “He was able to bring kids in who needed a little more structure or support,” she says. “He was beloved because he was a charismatic guy who cared about bringing joy to people’s lives through music.”

Famous for his impeccable sense of style and his love of fountain pens, Mr. Carbone was a mentor who became a friend to many of his students after they graduated. “Past student after student told him, ‘You helped me in life,’” Ms. Kelly says. “‘You helped me when I felt like there weren’t any friends or family that could. And you helped me become a better person.’”

Alumni Reunion

2020 Virtual Alumni Reunions The COVID-19 pandemic may have led to the cancellation of last year’s in-person CGPS Alumni Reunion, but that didn’t stop the School’s graduates from coming together. With assistance from the Office of Institutional Advancement, Class of 1970 representative Barbara Cohen reached out to her classmates and brought their 50th reunion online. During the event, they were joined by a special guest— Latin teacher and CGPS legend Marvin Terban. As sixth graders, they were the first group of students Mr. Terban taught at CGPS. He thanked them for inspiring his long-lasting

passion for teaching: “I vividly remember my first day coming into the classroom to teach you. I was terrified of you and thought, ‘Well, this job will last one year, and after this, I’ll have to find my fame and fortune somewhere else.’ But you kids were wonderful.

You taught me how to be a teacher when I didn’t know how to be. You gave me my love of teaching, which has lasted all these years.”

Mr. Terban then turned it over to Barbara, who reflected on the impact CGPS has had on all of them. “Those years there were the roots to the rest of our lives. They instilled in us so many things that, at the end of the day, made all the difference,” she said.

Afterward, she presented a heartwarming montage of photos from their time as students and gave each person a moment to share what they have been up to since graduation.

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In addition to the Class of 1970’s 50th reunion, Prep School Mindfulness Coordinator and alumna Barrie Allen met with the rest of the Class of 1981 for their own virtual reunion. “It’s always fun to get the New York City crowd together, but this year’s Zoom get-together was really special. It was great to see our alumni friends from all over. Talk about blasts from the past!” she said.

Stay tuned for the next CGPS Alumni Reunion, which will be virtual and happen on Saturday, April 24, 2021. There will be special reunions for classes ending in 1 and 6, but all alumni are encouraged to attend. We hope to see all of you there!

Above: The Class of 1970 as sixth graders in English class with Marvin Terban in 1963.

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1950

After graduating from CGPS, Claude A. Moldaver attended Bowdoin College. He was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in the Medical Service Corps. Claude spent two years in Ulm, Germany before earning a master’s in hospital administration from Columbia University School of Public Health. He married his wife, Margaret Elliott, in 1958, with whom he has two sons. After 45 years in healthcare, during which he was COO and CEO at major hospitals in Philadelphia and the New York City area and the first American administrator of the American Hospital of Paris, Claude retired to Florida in 2000. “I wish all my classmates good health. Stay safe,” Claude says.

1952

Henry Bamberger retired in 1999 but is on the ethics committees of both Utica hospitals as well as their institutional review boards. He is also on the IRB of Hamilton College and has just accepted an invitation to a new threeyear term. For fun, he is a senior docent and an animal handler at the Utica Zoo. When the zoo is allowed to reopen, you can find him introducing a bird of prey or snake to visitors.

1953

Donald Mark Tepper passed away at home on April 3, 2020 after a long illness. Don grew up in Manhattan and graduated from CGPS, where he played varsity basketball. He later graduated from Hobart College with a degree in economics. Don went on to become a successful dress designer and had a long and prosperous career. Throughout his life, he was loved for his kindness and generosity.

Alumni Notes He was a true gentleman and will be sorely missed by all who knew him, including his neighbors from Manhattan and Fire Island. Don is survived by his loving wife, Francine; his brother, Michael ’56; his two nieces, Amy Steinberg and Jill Capasso; one great-niece; and four great-nephews.

Stephen Sheppard usually swims in a pool in his building and does 200-300 miles a year, but the pool has been closed. While quarantined in his apartment on the 20th floor, he designed an exercise program that anyone who is physically able can do.

Speed does not have to be the goal, and you can use any walking program.

He set up televisions in his kitchen, living room and bedroom, all tuned to the same station to keep him entertained while he walks. He uses his cell phone to record the time. It is propped up in the kitchen so he can see his lap times. Stephen routinely goes for milelong walks around his apartment. His best time is under 16 minutes.

1954

Ron Liebman passed away. “Ron was an interesting guy. He was, as I remember, the class clown, a distinctive characteristic that he parlayed into a successful acting career,” says Jay Lewis ’55.

1955

After graduating from CGPS, Richard Engelman went to Columbia University and Downstate Medical School. He trained in cardiothoracic surgery at NYU and started the adult cardiac surgical program at Baystate Medical Center in 1978. Richard became a professor of surgery at the University of Connecticut and Tufts

University and has remained working, although he no longer performs surgery at Baystate. He is an emeritus professor at Tufts. His specialty was the use of cardioplegia in protecting the heart from injury during open-heart surgery. He has published two texts on the subject and sponsored two international meetings in India and England. Richard and his wife, Jane, have three children and five grandchildren. Life has been wonderful for Richard, and he says CGPS has played a central role in his career success.

Alan Rosen passed away on November 23, 2019. Classmate Jay Lewis writes in remembrance: “All of us remember Alan. He was, I believe, a 13-year man, starting CGPS in kindergarten. Alan was the smartest kid in the class, won many academic awards and attended Harvard. I am sure that each of us has a fond memory of Alan. Alan joins many of our classmates in the eternal study hall proctored by the teachers we knew and loved.”

Jay Lewis keeps in touch with many of his classmates. In June 2019, he had dinner with some of them in New York City. War stories and new information were passed around freely.

Starting from the lower left and going clockwise: Peter Stern, John Levy, Jay Lewis, Michael Goodman, Jay Dengrove and Neil Janovic.

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Alumni Notes 1956

At 81, Richard Israel retired from private practice as an audiologist of more than forty years in the Washington, D.C., area and currently lives in Rockville, Maryland. In 1967, Richard received his Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. The country of Turkey then invited him to establish audiology there in 1969. With five students, he opened the field, and now there are approximately 300 practitioners. They invite Richard back every now and then, though travel is hard for him these days. He also opened the first solo audiology practice on the East Coast in 1981, a dramatic departure from the model up to that time. Now it is the standard. Richard remarried in 1978, and in 2020, he and his wife celebrated 42 years of marriage. He has four kids and six grandchildren. He has a vacation home in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, which he calls his happy place. Life has been good to Richard and his family. He thinks back on his CGPS days as being amongst the best. He had a patient who was Jimmy Stern ’41’s best friend and classmate, Stan Rich ’41. They compared yearbooks and had many of the same teachers. He often thinks of his classmates and misses the late great Fred Arditti.

Michael Tepper is looking forward to post-COVID life. He’s been keeping busy as he studies Alexei Shirov’s bishop sacrifice chess move so he can become the next Magnus Carlsen or Garry Kasparov. Michael continues his quest to learn to play the guitar, as he heard that learning to play an instrument can help maintain your sharpness. He’s sure his wife will let him know if that’s true. He’s also been

studying Italian, which has been quite a challenge. Michael has a daughter who lives in Zurich, Switzerland with her husband, Giuseppe, and two young boys, Marco and Luca. They speak Italian, German and of course, English. Michael took French at CGPS but says it should have been German, as Uncle Sam sent him to Germany for 18 months. He was a member of the 4th Armored Division stationed in Erlangen, Germany. Michael’s football teammates at CGPS would be astonished to know of his marksmanship skills after often watching him run into them due to his vision being compromised when without his glasses.

1957

Jill Heymann graduated from CGPS and then from the prestigious Tobé Coburn School for Fashion in New York City. Jill worked for Seventeen Magazine in the fashion department and later became a well-known women’s shoe designer. Jill splits her time between New York and Miami.

Susan Amsterdam’s poetry has been published in various literary journals and has even been translated into Korean. In 2019, she retired from a long and rewarding career as an arts administrator.

1959

Finally, after 48 years, Stuart Green retired from his orthopedic surgery practice but continues to work in his profession as a volunteer consultant at the Long Beach Veterans Administration Medical Center and the University of California, Irvine.

He’s also the medical director of an orthopedic instrument company that manufactures a bone lengthening implant. He recently published his

sixth book, Intramedullary Limb Lengthening, which details the technique for using the device. Stuart’s daughter, also an orthopedic surgeon, lives in the San Francisco area with her husband and two teenage boys.

His son, formerly a telecommunication lawyer and now a business consultant, resides in the Washington, D.C., area with his congressional lobbyist wife and three children—twin teenage girls and a son studying engineering at Purdue. The COVID virus has quashed plans for extensive world travel that Stuart and his wife, Adrienne, had been eagerly anticipating.

1962

Roy Ephraim and his wife, Joann, will resume life in Clinton Corners, NY (Dutchess County) after a 16-year absence while in New Hampshire.

He looks forward to reconnecting with his classmates.

1963

Marc Kantrowitz retired from the practice of veterinary medicine in 2002. He then taught and helped form two small NYC high schools before his final retirement in 2012.

He is currently considering a return to school to earn an MPH from Johns Hopkins. Marc would love to hear from his classmates.

1965

Andrew Levison continues to practice trademark and copyright law fulltime from his home office in Horsham, PA. With great memories of his baseball career at CGPS and wonderful coach, Sol Mishkin, who was a professional player in the Yankees’s farm system, he enthusiastically roots for the New York team. His life is a bit

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limited because of the pandemic, but he is managing. He looks forward to visiting campus when it is safe to do so. Andrew says hello to everyone he met and was friends with over his 14 years at CGPS. Ken Krasne retired as a California and federal court-appointed receiver and has two grandchildren.

Michael Winter lives in Haymarket, VA after a long career in the federal government. He says hello to Andy Leviton, Lesli Roth, Tommy Schick, Andy Spathis and Robert Gelman and welcomes contact from his classmates. He has always enjoyed keeping up via the alumni class notes.

1966

James L. Kurtz passed away last year at 70 due to complications from COVID-19. He was the first cousin of Barbara Cohen ’70 and the late Madelaine Cohen. He was a member of Kurtz’ Krummy Kombo (he played the drums).

1970

Ed Will and Patricia Granat Will split their time between Houston, TX, and San Diego, CA. Patricia founded and currently runs a national senior housing company called Belmont Village Senior Living, which is no simple task during a pandemic. Retired, Ed does board service and has become a world-class cook. They are both heartbroken by the turn of events in New York and truly hope the city can get back on its feet.

Alan Auerbach writes, “It is my sad duty to let you know that my father, Philip Auerbach ’44, passed away peacefully on August 22, 2019 at age

92. He spent the last year of his life living with us in Scottsdale, AZ, after a life in New York. We are so very grateful for that time. It was thrilling to see so many class notes from fellow members of the Class of 1970. In a remarkable coincidence across 2,200 miles and 50 years, I smiled when I read that Patricia Granat Will founded Belmont Village. We live less than a half-mile from Belmont Village in Scottsdale and looked into it for my dad before he rapidly declined and required hospice care. It is a beautiful facility, and Patricia and her husband, Ed Will, should be proud. I am proud of the accomplishments detailed in 1764 and look forward to learning more. One name I have never seen in the class notes over the years is Aaron Shipper. I know that he was in New Orleans, but I lost track of him after Hurricane Katrina when he had to abandon his home. We started at CGPS together on the same day, coming to New York from the same school and classroom in New Jersey in September 1965, and lived just two blocks apart in New York.”

After living and teaching in Amherst, MA, for over 40 years, Roxane Olevsky and her husband, Paul DiBenedetto, plan on enjoying the next chapter of their lives between homes on Sanibel Island, FL, and Philadelphia, PA. Their three children, Shira, Jaron and Rose, all inspired by art, music and actively protecting the environment, have made them very proud. Now, with two grandchildren, Zoey (5) and Malcolm (2), life is even more beautiful!

Since the Class of 1970 Zoom reunion, Willa Bloch has been in touch with Susan Goodman, Barry Levine, David Low, Roxane Olevsky and Ben Cohen, who was not on the

ALUMNI FO CUS:

Linda Diaz ’13 Singer-songwriter Linda Diaz says she was “one of those kids that sang around the house all the time.” A rising star in the music industry, she recently found herself singing at a much different venue—on the roof of the Javits Center in New York City—as the winner of NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest.

The contest is a big deal—past winners have gone on to win Grammys— and Linda’s beautiful at-home performance of her soulful track “Green Tea Ice Cream” led to her beating over 6,000 musicians from across the country. The judges said her submission stood out from the start, hailing her voice as “a salve for the soul.”

As a CGPS student, Linda took every opportunity she could to sing, whether in music classes or afterschool choruses. But for a long time, she says, music was just “a fun thing I did in school.” Her real focus was chess. A scholastic champion, she now credits her time playing and learning chess under the guidance of mentors such as Director of Chess Sophia Rohde and teacher John MacArthur with preparing her for the difficulties of a music career. “Chess is a reminder for me that things will be hard,” she says. “And that’s not a reason to quit.”

Spending so much time at home this past year has benefited Linda artistically. “Quarantine has offered an opportunity to dig deeper into other parts of what it means to be a musician beyond just performing,” she says. “I’m excited to show people the results.”

Alumni Notes

1977

call. Otherwise, life has been quiet for Willa—she goes to work and comes home. She sees her older daughter quite a bit. She sees her younger one, who is looking for a job after graduating magna cum laude from the UConn Honors Program with a major in English and minor in Chinese, less frequently.

1971

The Class of 1971 regrets to inform you that Jill Kornberg Turquet passed away.

1972

Nancy Kassover retired from 30 years of teaching fourth grade shortly before the pandemic. She’s been helping her two granddaughters with kindergarten and second grade distance learning, cooking, gardening, hiking around the Berkeley Hills and helping her nonagenarian parents cope with this crazy world. She’s looking forward to an in-person 50th reunion. Nancy and Beth Hunter Davis are still besties.

1973

Jessica Hentoff has been busy in the circus world leading up to and persevering through the pandemic. In January, she helped found the Global Alliance of Circus Schools under the auspices of the World Circus Federation to connect high-level circus schools around the world. She is currently helping start the American Circus Alliance to help circuses and circus artists in America survive and thrive beyond the pandemic. Her social circus school, Circus Harmony, offers online and in-person circus shows and classes. Jessica’s current students and alumni created a show

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called The Balancing Act: Walking the Pandemic Tightrope that gave a very personal perspective on how these young people are keeping balanced in this unbalanced time. You can watch it on the Circus Harmony website.

1974

In 1974, swimmers Mark Weinstein and Steven Schonholz were co-captain conference champions. They met up again in 2020. After taking 30 years off from swimming, Mark restarted his career with a masters swim team in New Jersey. He would love a CGPS size 34 jammer. Over recent years, he has run into two other CGPS swimmers at meets. If you’re in New Jersey, Mark asks that you give him a buzz. He says it has been a long way from the 20-yard, three-lane pool still in use at the School. In the picture below, Mark can be seen second from the right after receiving two relay awards recognizing two top ten finishes for his age group in the USA during 2019.

Adam Beckerman recently reconnected with several of his classmates: Richard Wolf (pictured below), Benji Weintraub, Michael Wartels, Howard Fife, Jonny Rosen and Ross Dworman. All of them sent at least one of their children to CGPS, and Adam’s daughter Eliza Beckerman-Lee ’18 is currently a student at the University of Chicago. Adam shares a photo and memory: “Black and white just makes it more real. It’s been 47 years since I’ve seen the guy on the right, Richard Wolf, my favorite wide receiver. It looks like we’re discussing the next play, a down and out, which Richard took literally and ran into a parking meter and split open his skull.

He recovered enough to handle MIT and UChicago, so obviously, he had grey matter to spare. The #3 was in honor of Daryl Lamonica, the Mad Bomber, and one of 10 Oakland Raiders jerseys my dad marked up for all us Columbia Grammar 10-yearolds who were nuts enough to play tackle football on the streets of NYC. Thanks for sharing, Rich.”

1978

Curtis Snook’s education at CGPS has served him well throughout his career, and he is very grateful to his

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ALUMNI FO CUS:

Jacob Brody ’14 teachers, coaches and classmates for their investment in him. Currently, he is helping establish an emergency medicine residency in Iceland. It is based on Britain’s Royal College system and will be fully manned by 2022. He also has medical oversight over the country’s small poison information center. This year marked a milestone: a cutting-edge poisoning treatment the center introduced to the country was used for the first time and successfully at that. He is still swimming—but not in competition— and is very involved in musical pursuits as he always has been. He has so far been COVID-free and hopes to stay that way. He is a clinical associate professor of emergency medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College and works parttime at a VA hospital in Vermont. He will return when the residency in Iceland is fully established. He has been married for 33 years to his wife, Abby, with three grown children.

Curtis hopes to see many of his fellow alumni at a reunion soon!

Joshua Abrams, who was a CGPS math teacher from 1984-87, has been busy helping his school prepare for and enjoy in-person teaching and learning. Josh founded Meridian Academy, an intentionally small, interdisciplinary, project-based, urban secondary school, which is now celebrating its 16th year. Designed to be nimble, the Meridian community has rallied to the challenges of the pandemic, and students are at school most days collaborating on research investigations and creative endeavors in their classes and continuing their goofy traditions in new ways suitable to the circumstances. Josh is delighted to be with other humans on a regular basis. Josh and his wife, Emily, who were introduced by CGPS alumna

Carol Freedman ’80, celebrated their 31st anniversary last summer. Their older son, Matthew, recently sold an interactive technology and design company and is engaged to be married this October. Their younger son, Isaac, is about to graduate from Brandeis University. Josh’s mom still lives next door to CGPS with the terrace overlooking the Middle School yard and enjoys the sights and sounds of the children playing.

1981

Adina Ruskin is the proud mama of two young women. Sophia, an acting major at Adelphi University, is 20.

Elianna is 14 and the freshman class president at her high school. Adina’s work as a playwright has been hailed by papers such as The New York Times and The Scotsman. After a hiatus to raise her girls and run a successful home-based business sharing Kangen Water, Adina is returning to her writing and acting career. Last year, she launched Sharing Stories and Stuff, which can be found on her YouTube Channel. She is now launching another internet project called Art Off the Wall, which provides a discreet peek at original art in people’s homes.

The pilot episode can be found on her self-titled website. She is in production for a short film she wrote about the love between two sisters, reincarnation and their key connection to the French Resistance. Adina is also in the final stages of a spiritual memoir,

While only a few years out of college, Jacob Brody has already carved a path for himself in the photography world with the releases of his two photo books, Way of No Name and, most recently, HARD HAT. As a student at Columbia Prep, Jacob was no stranger to the darkroom and developed his craft under the mentorship of photography teacher Andrew Stole. His class was an “environment where I could experiment with my work,” says Jacob.

At Vassar College, Jacob studied studio art and philosophy, which helped him develop into an artist and a critical thinker who is always observing and studying his surroundings. In HARD HAT, he writes, “I’ve seen enough to construct a place of my own.” Growing up in the city, Jacob was always intrigued by the inundation of new property developments, and this experience has influenced much of his work today. “I grew up on the Upper West Side, and while it’s a set neighborhood, the blocks themselves are always in flux,” he explains. “This book is about finding a more set idea of home and self in a place that’s constantly evolving.”

Going forward, Jacob intends to continue making photo books and even plans to produce his next one entirely in-house. “I’m going to sequence, design, print, hand bind and ship it myself,” he says. Once he becomes more acquainted with the bookmaking process, Jacob hopes to open a small publishing house to provide his services to other artists.

Alumni Notes tentatively titled This Gift, based on a conversation she had with her father, Asa, while spending the day walking through Paris as he handed over the city of his youth to her. Adina is sad to let everyone know that her remarkable mom, Dr. Francine Ruskin, left this world for the next in the light of the Blue Moon on October 31, 2020.

She died peacefully in her sleep of natural causes. Adina can be reached through her website. (Image courtesy of Audrey deWys)

1986

David Chalfant lives in Northampton, MA, with his wife, Katryna, and their two children: William, a high school sophomore, and Amelia, a sophomore at Brown University. David is still making music with his wife and sister-inlaw as The Nields, and they released an album of political songs called November last January. It is their 20th album. David’s been producing music since 2000, and since 2015 he’s toured with singer-songwriter Stephen Kellogg across the United States, Europe, Australia and Bahrain.

During quarantine, he started offering guitar lessons online. David looks forward to catching up with classmates at their 35th reunion.

Katherine Kornblau’s daughter, Sofia, is in 7th grade at CGPS. Katherine has been designing jewelry since the ’80s!

Her company, KJK Jewelry, designs collections for museum stores and catalogs. Recently, she was honored to receive the coveted “Vendor of the Year” award from the Museum Store Association. Since many museums are currently closed, she created a new website called KJK Style to bring some of her designs directly to consumers.

She is still the class representative, so if you would like to get in touch with

the Class of 1986, please reach out to her on Facebook or Instagram!

Katherine sends her classmates best wishes during these challenging and transformative times.

Nadia Malinovich lives with her family in Paris, where she teaches and writes American studies and history.

Her children, Avram and Rosa, graduated high school last spring and were delighted to be accepted to McGill University and Concordia University, respectively. Their year has gotten off to a rather less adventurous start than expected, as they are doing all the classes online from their bedrooms rather than halfway across the world in Montreal. They seem to be enjoying them nonetheless and are looking forward to (hopefully!) setting off for Canada next fall. Nadia sends all the best to her classmates in these strange times!

Brooke Roseberry says hello from St. Louis, MO, where she lives with her children: Emmeline, 17, and Griffin, 15. Before the pandemic, she had been hoping to bring her children to New York to visit their grandfather and see where she grew up. In the meantime, she enjoys reminiscing about the New York of the ’80s with her husband, who attended Walden. Brooke has worked for the US Bank Community Development Corporation for the last 14 years.

“Sending love to everyone and hoping everyone is staying healthy, safe and well,” she writes.

1988

Melanie Cohen is in her 18th year working for Weight Watchers. She still loves every day she gets to help people meet their weight loss and health and wellness goals. It’s been a

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wild ride, especially this past year as they spent many months only coaching workshops in a virtual world.

Melanie’s youngest daughter is a college senior. She graduates in June with a degree in Russian studies and political science. “Let me know if that sounds like a good fit for any of you hiring,” she writes.

After working as a San Francisco Bay Area-based financial writer for years, 2020 seemed like the year for Deborah Adeyanju to make a career transition (it’s never too late!). She is now a financial planner for a small RIA, Grid 202 Partners, and recently passed the CFP® certification exam (a major personal goal). She works with Gen X clients, in particular women and business owners, on the East and West Coasts. If you’re a fellow alumnus looking for writing or financial help, Deborah invites you to get in touch.

Heather Markel left her corporate job after more than 25 years to travel the world full-time. In January 2018, she flew to Costa Rica and, three years later, has made it to six continents and 25 countries. Highlights include six months in South America (including Argentina, Peru and Easter Island) and three in Africa. The pandemic grounded her in New Zealand, where she feels lucky to be stuck. You can follow her adventures on her website. She’d love to hear from fellow CGPS graduates!

Anna Kahn continues to garner national and local recognition as a passionate leader in the Manhattan real estate market. She mentors others and actively participates in panels across the country. Anna is devoted to many causes, among them cancer awareness. She calls

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the Upper West Side home and is mom to Sofie and Alex.

1996

Caron Levis published her new picture book for children, This Way, Charlie, last April. The book tells the story of Jack the goat and Charlie the horse, who form an unexpected friendship as they help each other navigate big changes and challenges.

Caron is also the author of the award-winning Ida, Always, which also tells a story inspired by a real-life animal friendship. Caron was delighted to have been able to visit students in Anne Young’s class last year to talk about friendship and feelings.

1999

Artist Jordan Wolfson was recently featured in The New Yorker.

2001

Doug Sonnenshein is a private wealth manager at JP Morgan Securities in NYC, where he has been since 2016. He and his wife, Blake, have two young children, ages four and one. They are still living in NYC and were able to spend some quality time together as a family through the spring and summer. Doug keeps in close contact with fellow ’01 graduates Drew Englander and Jamie Mandor, who both have children of similar ages. Pre-COVID, they would gather their families frequently, and in today’s world, they meet up in Central Park on the weekends.

2003

Anneka Ward and her wonderful husband, Jonathan Cohen, married on August 8, 2020 in a small

ceremony and reception with family and close friends in Lakeville, CT. Louise Kushner ’02 was there to celebrate. Anneka and Jon are expecting their first child on February 22, 2021.

Anneka works as a school nurse for Fieldston while Jonathan works as a high school physics teacher for the Department of Education.

In January 2020, Danielle Bussolini decided to make a career change. She retired from teaching and is pursuing her real estate license.

Ben Zises and his wife, Ashley, were blessed with a beautiful daughter on February 11, 2020—Sarina G. Zises.

They live in Tribeca along the Hudson River waterfront. Ben has become a full-time angel investor with the launch of his new fund, SuperAngel.

Fund, and continues supporting early-stage companies focused on consumer products and real estate tech.

Matthew Melinger continues to grow his real estate advisory business with Brown Harris Stevens and spends his time traveling for work between NYC and the Hamptons. He has plans to expand the business further and looks forward to sharing the news once it is official. Both Matthew and his fiancée, Stephanie, look forward to their upcoming

wedding set to take place August 2021 in Beaver Creek, CO. Ariel Yaroslawitz and her husband, Pat, welcomed their son, Mars Hudson, into this world on August 24.

Jason Cook moved to Omaha, NE, to start work as a vascular surgeon at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He and his wife, Sophie, have two sons, Reid (3.5 years) and Owen (18 months), who are enjoying the move from St. Louis, MO. Josh Whitcraft and his wife, Christiana, welcomed their first child, William, last year on March 9. He writes, “Working from home has had some perks!”

Zachary Moore met his wife, Brittani, in 2010, got married in 2015 and had their first child, Mathias, in July 2017.

He is pure energy and the light of their lives. Pre-COVID, Zachary spent many years building two successful personal training and nutrition practices in Manhattan. Since COVID took hold of the city, Zachary has been rebuilding those teams and building a new online fitness business. His new online venture, The Lean Strong Dad, helps overworked fathers transform their weight, strength and health so

Alumni Notes they can have the energy and health to be amazing fathers and take care of their families. Zachary looks forward to finishing out the year strong and sends everyone warm wishes.

After spending five years working in the NHL and a couple years after that working back in the community rinks, Rory Mushlin has taken over as Director of Operations for the Cross Insurance Arena in downtown Portland, Maine. He is excited to continue this adventure in the sports and entertainment world. His son, Lucas, is 14 and currently a freshman in high school.

Melissa Constantiner says hello from Westport, Connecticut. She misses New York and can’t wait to move back with her family next year.

Melissa has kept busy building her private psychotherapy practice that she launched in 2019.

Josh Evans and his wife, Jenna, recently celebrated their five-year wedding anniversary.

Katie Ward is currently living in Queens with her husband, three-yearold daughter, newborn son and their two dogs. For the past two years, she has been running her own business, Katie Ward Photography, doing maternity, newborn and family photography in NYC and the Hamptons.

2004

Lauren Levy welcomed a daughter, Adeena Rae, to her family in June 2020. Lauren’s eldest, Ariella, is now four years old.

2005

Daniel Tam-Claiborne was awarded a 2020-2021 Fulbright grant to Taiwan to research Asian diasporic transnational migration and conduct ethnographic research for a novel-in-progress about identity, migration and belonging, set against the backdrop of contemporary U.S.China relations.

2006

In October 2020, Annie Sinsabaugh started a new job as Audio Assigning Editor at iPondr, a national news outlet that launched in January. She lives in Boston.

Carolyn Frischer moved to Pittsburgh with her college sweetheart-turned-husband and has a oneyear-old daughter and rescue dog.

Nancy Konig welcomed a baby girl, Ellie, with her husband, Louis, in August 2020. She is currently a psychologist in private practice seeing primary adolescents and young adults.

Anna Pych and her husband, Zack, moved to Riverside, CT and completed a home renovation right before COVID hit. They recently got a black lab puppy named Sage.

Allison Rich recently left her job as Handbag Buyer at Moda Operandi and was hired by Mickey Drexler, former CEO of J. Crew and founder of Madewell, as the Senior Director of

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Merchandising at his new company, Alex Mill, which prides itself on designing great quality clothing that never goes out of style.

Ian Edery launched his own business called ECOY back in June 2020. They specialize in eCommerce consulting, web design and paid media/digital marketing. He also has a two-year-old son named Dylan with his wife, Ashley.

Charles Kerr married his wife, Matilda, back in February 2019. He has been working as a litigation associate at Morris Duffy Alonso & Faley since 2016. He also works with his father to revolutionize and disrupt the medical industry through medical device inventions. They are currently focused on the cardiovascular space.

Zach Goldberg married his wife, Alissa, back in July 2019. He is Director of Guests Services for Tao Group Hospitality. He has been with the company for 11 years.

Sarah Covell switched jobs at the end of summer 2020 and is on the digital legal affairs team at Warner Music Group.

Nick Graziose and his wife, Natalie, just celebrated their second wedding anniversary.

Josh Stewart received his Ph.D. in marine biology a few years ago and

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has been working at the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in San Diego. He does work on killer whales, gray whales and right whales for NMFS but also studies manta and devil rays for a non-profit group called The Manta Trust.

2008

Danni Falk is pursuing an interdisciplinary doctorate that focuses on education in conflict-affected and displacement contexts (mostly in the Horn of Africa) at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is in the third year of the program and works on various research and consulting projects in Uganda, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania and Kenya.

Nadine Barbasch, a manager in KPMG’s healthcare practice, recently won the company’s “Bright Idea Challenge.” Each year, KPMG hosts a national innovation challenge where contestants are given a question.

This year’s challenge was to create a client and market-facing solution that would enhance relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nadine’s innovative solution, titled “KPMG on the Go,” was selected as this year’s winner. As such, she and her two teammates will receive funding to build the application, which will be deployed across the company and to their top clients.

2007

After graduating from NYU, Faith S. Heyliger married an award-winning filmmaker and spent time living at the Byrdcliffe Art Colony in Woodstock, NY. Currently, she and her husband are living in Arizona, and Faith is self-publishing her first book, The Love Letter, which she describes as “an epic visual poem.” Faith writes, “This 68-page limited edition book filled with text and illustration is a new twist on the classic letter. The Love Letter is a call to presence, a portal to the imagination and a journey to self-love.”

Rebecca Steiner Weintraub and her husband, Evan J. Preminger, welcomed their son, Benjamin Henry Steiner Preminger, on September 30, 2020.

particular focus on developing nutrition messaging, social media programs and public relation strategies.

Brittany has been featured in Well+Good, mindbodygreen, Insider, Women’s Health and Shape.

Nicholas Nwoke attended Haverford College after graduating from CGPS. He runs an online marketing company that sells re-consumable goods. His company runs roughly $3.3 million of revenue. His real passion lies in coaching and mentoring others. There are approximately 1,100 people in their network that they help and coach. In 2012, he married an amazing woman, Stephanie Nwoke, that he met in high school and went to senior prom with. They now have a 1.5-yearold boy named Jason Abraham Nwoke and reside in Jersey City, NJ. Before the pandemic, Nicholas spent a lot of time in NYC and enjoyed traveling the U.S. and abroad for business and pleasure. Although his favorite place to be is in the comfort of his homes, he does enjoy that flexibility.

2014 Brittany Modell (above) is a registered dietitian and nutritionist based in Manhattan. She founded her private practice, Brittany Modell Nutrition and Wellness, where she helps women repair their relationship with food and improve their body image using an “Intuitive Eating and Health at Every Size” framework.

When Brittany is not meeting with clients, she serves as an expert for a myriad of food and beverage companies and brands. She specializes in all aspects of nutrition strategy with a

After attending CGPS, Jacob Brody graduated from Vassar College with a BA in studio art. Last October, he released his second photo book, HARD HAT. The book depicts how urban development has informed his creative practice. You can learn more about his latest book on his website.

2018

Emma Ghalili is a student at Brandeis University, where she recently got a job in the admissions office as an admissions coordinator.

She is now in charge of all admissions volunteers and helps plan events for admitted students.

1764 Looks Back

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103 YEARS AGO

Our School Thrived During the Spanish Flu Pandemic

By Marvin Terban When people a century from now research our School’s history, they’ll rightly conclude that 2020 was one of our most historic and challenging years, mainly because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We closed on Tuesday, March 10, and immediately pivoted to a combination of distance and hybrid learning.

We emptied out the classrooms so desks could be separated by at least six feet. We installed sanitizing stations, mandated mask-wearing and frequent testing, installed the latest in high-tech computer and video equipment and got used to sitting behind plexiglass shields and eating from boxed lunches. Meetings, speeches, conferences and School events went onto Zoom.

The 1918 editors of Columbia News during the Spanish flu pandemic.

“A thorough reading of all the Columbia News articles and yearbooks for 1918 and 1919 in our School’s archives reveals not one syllable about the Spanish flu.

All the talk was about the Great War in Europe.”

But now, let’s look back a century to see what Columbia Grammar School (there was no “preparatory” in our name then) did during the great Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-19. Amazingly, none of the above.

We didn’t close our doors one day. A thorough reading of all the Columbia News articles and yearbooks for 1918 and 1919 in our School’s archives reveals not one syllable about the Spanish flu. All the talk was about the Great War in Europe. Many of our alumni had gone off to fight, and sadly, four of them had lost their lives in the war.

But the School, just a decade into its new building at 5 West 93rd Street, held dances, put on plays, competed in sports events and kept its classes going without anything “distant” or “hybrid.”

And all the New York City public schools stayed open too. Many school buildings were new a hundred years ago, and the Commissioner of Health thought students would be safer in spacious classrooms with big open windows, clean water and bathrooms and access to medical supervision provided by school nurses than in their crowded, unsanitary tenements.

The Commissioner was incensed, however, when his son’s independent school did close for a while and sent the boy home. He caught the flu! And his father blamed the school. He should have been at CGS. By the way, New York weathered the flu pandemic better than many other cities, and grateful citizens rewarded the Commissioner of Health with three terms in the U.S. Senate, where he got air conditioning installed in the Senate chambers in the 1930s.

CGPF

COLUMBIA GRAMMAR & PREPARATORY FUND COLUMBIA GRAMMAR & PREPARATORY SCHOOL www.cgps.org/giving/giveÂ

From our talented theater students putting on a breathtaking virtual production to our linguists publishing the School’s first-ever world language literary magazine, the CGPF plays a substantial role in the daily lives of all of our students. It is crucial to retaining and attracting the best faculty and supplying them with robust professional development. It supports the rollout of essential health and safety measures throughout campus.

The CGPF equips our classrooms with technologies needed for effective hybrid and distance learning, such as the state-of-the-art Neat Bar meeting device for livestreaming and ultra-high-definition television monitors. Donations to the Fund boost financial aid, ensuring every one of our extraordinary students has access to everything CGPS offers.

Your generous support of and commitment to the CGPF is the foundation of the CGPS experience.

Every gift is valued, and every gift, no matter the size, counts. As we have proven time and again throughout our storied 257-year history, our strength lies in our unity. When we are United for CGPS, anything is possible.

Make your gift today!

To donate, visit www.cgps.org/giving/give or email the Office of Institutional Advancement at giving@cgps.org.

COLUMBIA GRAMMAR & PREPARATORY SCHOOL 5 W E ST 9 3 R D STREET N E W YOR K , N Y 10 0 2 5 WWW.CG P S .OR G