1764, The Magazine of Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School, Winter 2022

1764

WI N T E R 20 2 2

THE MAGAZINE OF

COLUMBIA GRAMMAR & PREPARATORY SCHOOL

Songwriters of Columbia Prep School songwriters Sascha H. ’24, Ben K. ’23 and Sophia O. ’24 take home top honors at the New York State School Music Association’s 2021 Creator Competition

1764, THE MAGAZINE OF COLUMBIA GRAMMAR & PREPARATORY SCHO OL WINTER 2022 COLUMBIA GRAMMAR & PREPARATORY SCHO OL HEAD OF SCHO OL Dr. William M. Donohue INTE RIM DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT Susan Beyrle EDITOR Marquis Austin CONTRIBUTORS Marquis Austin Elizabeth Bacon Paul Baly Sarah Cusick Ruth Kornblatt-Stier Jay Lewis ’55 Marvin Terban ART DIRECTION Kristen Winstead, www.sundstudio.com ILLUSTRATION Chris Gash PHOTO GRAPHY Marquis Austin Marjorie Becker Brandon Hill Cheryl Ipiotis Da Ping Luo Leah Marks Victor Puccio Filip Wolak or courtesy of subject PRINTING Lane Press ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT Evgeniya Kirpicheva COMMUNICATIONS CO ORDINATOR Marquis Austin

BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2021–2022 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 Astrid SabellaRosa, Vice President Joseph Tahl, Vice President Benjamin Pass, Treasurer Becky Banyasz, Secretary TRUSTEES Alan Carver Susie Davis James DeMare Steve Hanson Sandy Heller Alexander Knaster Tracy Maitland John McAuley Jonathan Moller Sheeraz Qureshi Ira Schwartz Meredith Sotoloff Tom Tao TRUSTEE EX OFFICIO (2021-2022) Susan Winthrop BOARD CHAIR EMERITUS John Bader 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

#CGPSnyc #OneSchool

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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12 Community 14 Culture 20 Sports 24 Innovation

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Applying to College During Covid The College Office sheds light on how the pandemic has affected the college application process and what they have done to adjust to the new landscape

44 Graduation 2021

46 In Memoriam

48 Alumni Class Notes

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A Lesson in Civics

In the Middle School’s new civics course, seventh graders delve into the history of our country’s political and governmental systems, all while learning how to engage in civil and respectful conversations with others

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Numbers & Phonics In the Grammar School, students progress through a curriculum rooted in the latest pedagogical research in literacy and mathematics education, becoming fluent readers and mathematicians

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Lights, Camera, Action!

Actors Gus Halper ’10 and Ben Schnetzer ’08 talk with their former teacher, Prep School Theater and Dance Department Head Sarah Cusick, about their long-lasting friendship, their upcoming projects and more

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Letter

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Dear CGPS Family, We excitedly began the 2021-2022 school year with all our students, faculty and staff on campus every day, thanks to a huge community effort to implement the health, physical plant and technology protocols required to ensure everyone’s safety. No task was too great if it meant that we could be together on campus. I am so proud of how our teachers, staff and, most especially, our students joined together to experience learning in classrooms, competing on fields, performing on stage and all the other activities that make up our exceptional CGPS program. In this year’s issue of 1764, you will read all about how we unified to provide an excellent and personalized education for all of our students.

Throughout 1764, you will learn more about our extraordinary faculty.

From our first-ever Assistant Head of School, Rey Fernández, who tirelessly leads our nimble and comprehensive all-School Covid response efforts as well as myriad other projects, to the newest additions to our 330-person faculty and staff, this issue features the professionals who bring fresh perspectives, years of experience and impressive credentials to their positions.

In the Grammar School, our literacy and mathematics specialists give insight into how they develop students into skilled readers and creative problem solvers. In the Middle School,

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Deans Dorothy Meyer and Kevin Rall discuss the impact of their new roles, how they provide students with individualized academic and social-emotional support and foster community in their division. In response to ever-increasing national polarization, learn about how our seventh graders have the opportunity to delve into the history of our country’s political and governmental systems, all while learning how to engage in civil and respectful conversations with others. CGPS educates our nation’s future leaders, and this civics class provides them with the essential tools to increase understanding and unity.

This curriculum continues in our Prep School. Read about how a select group of seniors lead by example as Peer Leaders, offering mentorship, guidance and friendship to our ninth graders. Ethics & Values in Leadership, an exciting new course in the Prep School, guides students in developing the skills, values and ethics they need to reach their full potential as leaders at CGPS and beyond. Innovation is everywhere, with students shining in the art and recording studios and on stage; they’re shining in the science lab as well, with the publication of CGPS’s first issue of Innovate, a student-run science

magazine focusing on topical scientific issues.

Last year was challenging from a national health perspective and certainly posed unique difficulties for the Class of 2021. Undaunted, they persevered and tackled the college admission process, expertly guided by our College Counseling staff. Read more about how our creative and ingenious counselors came up with new ways to adroitly advise our students and ensure their success. The Class’s outstanding results certainly speak for themselves!

I’ve highlighted just a few of the amazing experiences at CGPS that are featured in this issue. I am so pleased to report that we are currently all together, at the same time, on campus, and it is a joy to hear the laughter and enthusiasm of our students in the hallways every day! 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

“I am so proud of how our teachers, staff and, most especially, our students joined together to experience learning in classrooms, competing on fields, performing on stage and all the other activities that make up our exceptional CGPS program. In this year’s issue of 1764, you will read all about how we unified to provide an excellent and personalized education for all of our students.”

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CGPS News

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Dean and English teacher Michelle Schackman leads a lesson on empathy and compassion in leadership.

Prep School Introduces New Course on Leadership What does it mean to be a leader? That’s the question at hand in Ethics & Values in Leadership, an exciting new course in the Prep School. The objective of the semester-long class is to guide students in developing the skills, values and ethics they need to reach their full potential as leaders in the Prep School and beyond, whether it be in the classroom, the workplace or their personal lives.

Meeting once a cycle, juniors and seniors rotate between eight faculty members, each of whom teaches about a different aspect of leadership. This past fall, topics ranged from exploring emotional intelligence with Prep School Assistant Director Dr. Eric Conrad to analyzing the

importance of empathy and compassion with Dean and English teacher Michelle Schackman, who designed the course. “It’s not just one perspective,” says Ms. Schackman. “By bringing teachers from different disciplines together in a collaborative effort, students will have the opportunity to question, discuss and think critically about leadership through many different lenses.”

Chelsea D., a senior who holds multiple leadership roles in the Prep School, found her experience in Ethics & Values in Leadership insightful. “I took a lot out of it,” she says. One of the highlights was learning how to become a leader in your own life. “The class taught me how to be a leader for myself. The teachers spoke to us about the importance of setting goals for ourselves and how to achieve them.” Chelsea is grateful to the Columbia Prep faculty and staff for creating this course and giving her the opportunity to hear so many different perspectives about the meaning of leadership. She says, “I want to applaud the teachers and the administration for putting this together. It is really useful and shows how amazing the teachers are at CGPS.”

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Faculty Focus Grammar School: Christopher McLaughlin “Every kid is a born scientist,” says Grammar School STEAM Coordinator Christopher McLaughlin. Mr. McLaughlin, who began his professional career as an actor, realized early on that his true passion is teaching. While getting his master’s degree in elementary education at Montclair State University, where Mr. McLaughlin is also a professor, he decided science would be his focus. “I really like the scientific process and helping kids ask questions,” he explains. “It doesn’t matter what kind of science we’re studying; when there’s wonder, exploration and discovery, I’m thrilled.” Shortly after joining CGPS, Mr. McLaughlin partnered with technology teacher Peter Ross to found the Grammar School MakerSpace, a community workspace for students to engineer their own inventions.

Describing the importance of a creative hub, Mr. McLaughlin says, “When you give kids some tools and ideas, they can dive into any world of virtual reality.” Mr. McLaughlin is also a regular contributor to the Middle School theater program,

bringing students into the MakerSpace to build set pieces from scratch. “No matter what I’m doing, I try to highlight the scientist, inventor and engineer within every child,” he says.

Middle School: Dr. Tracey Leigh Murray “You can’t just educate the mind. You also have to educate the heart. One without the other is not a complete education,” says Middle School psychologist Dr. Tracey Leigh Murray.

Since she arrived in 2016, Dr. Murray has quickly established herself as an invaluable resource at CGPS by providing fifth through seventh graders with the tools they need to succeed academically, socially and emotionally. In addition to counseling students one-on-one, she teaches Meeting, a course designed to help Middle Schoolers better understand themselves and implement self-care practices to ensure their mental and physical wellbeing. Under Dr. Murray’s guidance, they learn to look inward, take stock of how they are feeling and manage their emotions.

“The goals are to increase the students’ self-awareness and teach them mindful and actionable skills for being able to cope and problem solve in life,” she says. Dr. Murray also supervises Health and Wellbeing, an extracurricular offering its members a more detailed look at the mind-body connection and the ways in which they can infuse their day-to-day lives with healthy

routines. Preparing them for the Prep School and beyond, Dr. Murray helps Middle School children “learn how to independently care for themselves from the inside out.”

Prep School: Melanie Royster If you ask technology teacher Melanie Royster what her favorite CGPS Core Value is, she would probably say Curiosity. “One of the values that I try to pass along is my curiosity,” she explains. “I am so curious about all the different dimensions and areas that are involved with technology.” A member of the School community since 2007, Ms. Royster teaches seventh grade technology and more advanced Prep School electives, such as 3D Printing and Modeling, Graphic Design and an innovative course on virtual reality storytelling. In Ms. Royster’s electives, Prep Schoolers are able to explore topics that they find particularly engaging, with many becoming inspired to continue their technological pursuits outside of class. This student initiative is what Ms. Royster enjoys most about working at CGPS: “It’s really nice to spend your day with kind people that are curious, inquisitive and excited about learning. That is what makes it most fulfilling.” Ms. Royster also serves as the Prep School’s divisional equity coordinator, helping to ensure a safe environment for all students. “They won’t be able to reach their highest potential if they don’t feel like they’re in a safe place,” she says.

CGPS News

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and informative articles on Covid and other prominent talking points in science today, such as the gene-editing technology CRISPR-Cas9, mental health and the discovery of phosphine gas on Venus. “We’re always pushing ourselves to try out new ways of expressing and investigating different topics,” explains Akshay.

“The students went from no experience in magazine-making to completely, on their own, producing a professional-grade issue with professionally styled articles,” says Mr. Yashin. “Innovate fills a gap in student publications. This is the first CGPS student publication that represents the field of science writing and journalism. What they’re doing is not only impressive, but crucial.”

FIF TH GRADERS CREATE CENTERPIECES FOR

CGPS Benefit

PREP SCHO OL STUDENTS LAUNCH FIRST

Science Magazine Last year, the Prep School released its first issue of Innovate, a student-run science magazine. Inspired by his Advanced Science Research class with faculty advisor and physics teacher Ilya Yashin, Editor in Chief Akshay S. ’22 set out to create a sophisticated publication focusing on topical scientific issues. Despite the challenges posed by hybrid learning, Akshay powered on with his vision for Innovate, gathering a team of passionate classmates to help him bring it to life. “It’s a small, tight-knit community of writers who are keen to discover everything they can,” says Akshay.

In his inaugural “Letter from the Editor,” Akshay addresses the premium the pandemic has placed on accurate scientific information, stating, “It has never been more necessary for Columbia Prep to have a source of scientific news.” Accordingly, Innovate’s team wrote well-researched

“In the real world, things aren’t separated into different disciplines,” says Middle School STEAM Coordinator Jonathan Olivera. As part of an interdisciplinary project incorporating science, mathematics, technology and art, fifth graders drew meaningful connections between their different classes while creating mathematically minded centerpieces for the upcoming CGPS Benefit. “As they come into the Middle School, fifth graders get to see right off the bat that all of their studies are interconnected,” says Middle School Math Coordinator Joshua Bookin.

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The fifth grade students first learned about the project in science, where they explored what centerpieces are and what a benefit is, all while continuing to hone their scientific measurement skills. Applying their knowledge of volume and surface area, they then worked with their math teachers to examine the various types of tables that will be present at the Benefit to determine just how big the centerpieces should be. Once they had a better idea, they used one-centimeter cubes to construct to-scale prototypes and designed blueprints, which they brought to technology with teacher Damian Giorlando to create vector files for the laser cutter. Finally, under the instruction of Arts Integration Coordinator Veronika Bromberg, the Middle Schoolers beautified their projects.

“Half of them have white acrylic centerpieces with blue lights that illuminate from the bottom. The other half have blue acrylic centerpieces with white lights,” says Mr. Olivera. The final products also include engravings explaining what Excellence, this year’s Core Value, means to the students.

To see the finished centerpieces, make sure to attend “Back Together On Ice: A Skating Party to Benefit CGPS” on Monday, March 7, at Wollman Rink in Central Park.

Left: In math class, fifth graders begin an inquiry into how large their centerpieces should be.

REY FERNÁNDEZ BECOMES CGPS’S

First Assistant Head of School This school year, Rey Fernández, who joined the community during the summer of 2020 as Director of Strategic Initiatives, became CGPS’s first Assistant Head of School. Along with leading the School’s Covid efforts, Mr. Fernández supports Head of School Dr. William M. Donohue and the Division Directors in reaching their goals for the year and resolving any hurdles that may arise so faculty and staff can focus on what is most important: the students. “The job of any administrator is to remove obstacles so the teaching and learning can happen,” he says. One key item on Mr. Fernández’s agenda has been “looking at our systems and making them as robust as possible, specifically around making us a unified School and tying the operations of the divisions together.”

As the Assistant Head of School, he aims to facilitate the sharing of ideas across divisions and operationalize CGPS’s “One School” philosophy. Mr. Fernández also collaborates with other community leaders to advance the School’s work surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion.

Although a pandemic certainly does not make for the most ideal circumstances when entering a new professional opportunity, one of the silver linings Mr. Fernández noticed was that he had the time to get to know the community in depth. “My job really became thinking about how we’re going to operate the School in Covid, and that allowed me to learn a lot about the School in a very short amount of time,” he says. “It’s full of really kind and focused people.”

CGPS News Meet the New Faculty 1764 would like to welcome the newest additions to our 330-person faculty and staff.

To get to know them, we asked what makes their areas of expertise so compelling.

Rebecca Cohen, Middle School librarian: Middle School is a crucial time for students to learn how to find answers to their questions, conduct thoughtful research and express their ideas in new ways. It’s a joy to help support each student’s development!

Laura DeBella-Rosario, Middle School math teacher: I am excited to teach my students the beauty of mathematics and emphasize to them that it is something that does not need to be feared. Rather, it is a subject that anyone can excel in when provided the tools to succeed.

Kristin Shumpert, Middle School nurse: A student’s health is directly related to their ability to learn.

School nurses address the physical, mental, emotional and social health needs of students to optimize wellness and achievement in the learning process.

Kristen Burnette, Grammar School music teacher: Being able to make music with students every day is such a joy! The most rewarding aspect of teaching music is when a student finds their confidence through musical expression.

In music class, students are able to embrace creativity and growth.

Cecilia Irusta, Prep School Spanish teacher: To learn a language is to have one more window from which to look at the world.

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Elisa Berhaupt-Lawkins, Grammar School reading specialist: There is so much I love about teaching literacy. I especially enjoy supporting children as they discover their own abilities to dive into texts and the joy that brings them.

Caroline Culligan, kindergarten classroom teacher: I feel very grateful to be part of a child’s early education experience. It is a joy to see children form friendships, grow in confidence and develop a strong love of learning.

Renita Shivnauth, Prep School math teacher: Math is just a game where I draw lines, move numbers, make shapes and cross my fingers that my team plays along!

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Paul Knepple, Grammar School MakerTech STEAM associate: I love seeing the students express their creativity in the MakerSpace.

I am constantly inspired by their inventions and creations, as well as their ability to collaborate with one another.

Alicia Nasser, Grammar School classroom assistant & After 3 Social Club: I love the relationships that I am able to build with students in the classroom and in the After 3 Social Club. They are able to grow and learn in ways that will stay with them for a lifetime.

Luke Lourigan, Prep School theater technical director: I love the chance to work with young people to introduce them to and spark their passion for theater and the performing arts.

Julia Scomillio, Grammar School classroom assistant & After 3 Social Club: As a classroom assistant and After 3 Social Club leader, I am able to meet with and form relationships with students of all ages. I love watching students’ interactions with one another during unstructured time and seeing their development.

Rachel Waltman, Prep School history teacher: A social studies education is fundamentally future-oriented.

At its best, it raises a critical consciousness in students, who, in turn, advance society. To quote Paulo Freire, “Education encourages the student to read both the word and the world.”

Stuart Dickison, Grammar School PE and swim teacher: There is an “a-ha!” moment when a child accomplishes a new physical activity for the first time. In turn, there is an “a-ha!” moment as a teacher watching their successes.

The excitement in their eyes fuels me every day.

Casey Henderson, Grammar School math teacher: Mathematics provides a unique opportunity for students to make independent discoveries through their own exploration. The look on their face when making new connections is priceless.

Sophie Katzman, Prep School SSD coordinator: I love working collaboratively with the CGPS community to support students at such an integral time in their academic careers.

CGPS News Kaleigh Sinatra, Grammar School science teacher: Science inspires an inquisitive mind and provides students with the skills to better explore and understand the world around them. Every day I get to support our learners on that journey.

Jerusha Trotman, Grammar School classroom assistant & After 3 Social Club: The great thing about the After 3 Social Club is that the students are able to truly exercise their independence.

It’s amazing to watch all of them cement their interpersonal skills.

In the classroom, I’m able to provide support for faculty. That sense of community is what I strive to help achieve.

Anna Leader, Prep School English teacher: It’s incredibly rewarding to support students as they grapple with complex texts and ideas. English class is all about getting readers to consider both the content and the form of a text: in other words, the substance and the style.

Jason Buckingham, Prep School receptionist: I am usually the first person you see every day, so ensuring that everyone in the CGPS community has a bright and successful day is an area of expertise that I absolutely love.

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Madeline Crump, Prep School science teacher: When students work through a lab or a problem and it finally clicks, they see the connection between the concepts, math and real-life application. That feeling is why I fell in love with physics, and seeing it in my students brings me joy every day.

Juliette Zysblat ’16, Prep School math teacher: Math is equally as empowering as it is creative. What I love about math are the infinite approaches that can be taken to solve a problem and the feeling of pride upon arriving at a result.

Eric Kehs, Prep School science teacher: I love science because there is beauty in the interconnectedness of all systems. I fell in love with science at a young age. As I learned more, I saw how all of the fields of science are connected.

This is what makes science a compelling field.

Dylan Jodah, Prep School math teacher: Math rewards struggle more frequently than most things in life. I love helping students embrace that struggle with the expectation that the reward will be worth it.

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Leon Grek, Prep School Latin teacher: What’s so exciting about learning and teaching Latin is that it opens the door to the fascinating world of ancient Roman culture and challenges us to think deeply about how we use language now.

Wendy Urena, Prep School Spanish teacher: My favorite part of being a teacher is the relationship I build with my students and being part of their learning experience. Teaching a language allows me to help my students explore different cultures.

Dustin Good, Prep School history teacher: The studentdriven dialogue that history class generates is so compelling.

Students’ application of historical content knowledge on the here and now keeps me coming back for more, even in my 13th year working in independent schools!

Candace Cunard, Prep School English teacher: In English, each text offers an opportunity for students to see themselves and their world from a new perspective. I love the questions, struggles, personal connections and realizations—individual and communal—that emerge as we think out loud together.

Charlene Sung, first grade classroom teacher: My students’ sense of wonder, curiosity and joy is infectious from the moment they enter school. It has always been a privilege for me to be part of their journey.

Jacob Pankow, Prep School history teacher: There’s an apocryphal Mark Twain quote that says, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” And it’s such a joy to watch our students recognize how moments in the past resonate with their present circumstances.

Zakiya Salik, Prep School counselor: It is truly a privilege to be able to connect with students and provide solace, strategy, insight and an occasional laugh.

Witnessing the mindset shift and growth that occurs over time is what makes being a counselor the greatest.

Whit Lower, Prep School science teacher: AP Environmental Science is designed to draw on all other subject areas and classes so that students can apply an interdisciplinary problem-solving approach to the environmental, economic and sociological issues that our planet now faces in the Anthropocene.

& Community

Leading by Example Each year, a select group of Prep School seniors offers mentorship and guidance to the freshman class

By Marquis Austin When it comes to the ins and outs of high school, who better to learn from than the Prep School’s soon-to-be graduates? A longstanding program at CGPS, Peer Leadership connects ninth graders making the transition to high school with senior mentors who were in their shoes not too long ago. “Ninth grade was a big adjustment for me. I had just moved here from out of state,” says Peer Leader Lily K. ’22. “My Peer Leaders were my biggest supporters to the point where I still text with them today. I wanted to give that kind of support to the freshman class.” In pairs, knowledgeable and empathetic seniors like Lily meet with small groups of freshmen once a cycle during the fall semester to reflect on how

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the year is going and discuss matters such as peer pressure, body image and practicing self-advocacy.

Each spring, rising seniors interested in becoming Peer Leaders go through a comprehensive application process that consists of responding to scenario-based questions, submitting teacher recommendations and interviewing with the Peer Leadership Committee.

Accepted students attend a three-day training session over the summer with Dean and English teacher Michelle Schackman and counselor James O’Tool. Many of the training exercises revolve around a key factor in determining the program’s success—trust. Last summer, a particularly memorable exercise asked each Peer Leader to tell their partner about a time they felt misunderstood before gathering in groups and sharing their partner’s story as if it were their own. “It pointed out how important it is to be empathetic. When we’re trying to help ninth graders transition, we have to be able to understand what they’re feeling and put ourselves in their shoes,” says Chelsea D. ’22. Going into the fall, Peer Leaders set out to bring this same sense of compassion and understanding to their respective groups.

As Maya K. ’22 explains, it is crucial for ninth graders to

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“have a place where they can chat about anything they want and actually feel heard.” But first, to begin building the level of trust required to give rise to such an environment, Peer Leaders and members of the freshman class embark on a trip to Camp Mason in Hardwick Township, New Jersey.

At Camp Mason, bonding is at the forefront as students participate in various community-building games and activities, including rock climbing, high ropes courses, Zip Zap Zop and Two Truths and a Lie. The annual outing is an opportunity for Peer Leaders to break the ice with their mentees and for ninth graders to get to know each other better. “By the end of the day, they are pretty connected,” says Harris L. ’22. Fellow Peer Leader Ava S. ’22 enjoyed seeing new friendships come to life before her eyes at the campgrounds this past September, recalling how two of her students talked throughout the whole day and exchanged phone numbers. “It was a nice moment to see. I was glad the trip was able to help them connect,” she says.

The significance of the responsibility Peer Leaders have as role models in the Prep School is not lost on them. “All the freshmen are watching us. When I was younger, I was always looking at what the seniors were doing. Setting the right example is important because they’ll see that,” says Maggie L. ’22. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of these community-minded seniors, ninth graders not only learn how to carry themselves as high schoolers but also form connections that last throughout their time in the Prep School. Chelsea and her Peer Leadership partner, Pepe B. ’22, are proof of this. “We were actually in the same Peer Leadership group in ninth grade, and he is now one of my best friends,” she says. “It’s an example of the success of Peer Leadership.”

Left: The Class of 2022 Peer Leaders.

Right: Ninth grader Sami S. is all smiles as she gets ready for a high ropes course at Camp Mason.

“My Peer Leaders were my biggest supporters to the point where I still text with them today. I wanted to give that kind of support to the freshman class.”

LILY K. ’22, PEER LEADER

& Culture

Picture Perfect Junior photographers Victoria R. and Chloe L. win Gold and Silver Medals at the highly esteemed Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

By Ruth Kornblatt-Stier Student photographs JUSTICE IS, Skate Day and Space Cowboy—taken by Columbia Prep juniors Victoria R. and Chloe L.—wowed the judges at last year’s Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Each year, student artists from across the country submit their work to the regional level of the Scholastic Awards, where they are eligible for the prestigious Gold Key and Silver Key awards as well as other notable recognitions. Artwork that earns a

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Gold Key in one of the regional contests qualifies for the national awards, including the Gold and Silver Medals Victoria and Chloe won for their powerful photos. Out of over 230,000 submissions nationwide, fewer than 1% receive a medal. Victoria, Chloe and the other regional award-winners from CGPS had the honor of displaying their work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art last spring. Victoria and Chloe’s nationally recognized photographs were also featured in an exhibit at the Bronx Documentary Center Annex this past fall.

Photographed on her iPhone, Victoria’s Gold Medalgarnering piece, JUSTICE IS, is a powerful image that engages with the ideas of equity and injustice on both a personal and systemic level. She explains how CGPS paved the way for her to capture the award-winning photo, saying, “Every month, we have a new photography unit, so I’m able to walk around and look at my

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“Our assignments are often geared to help students think outside of the box, which helps them look differently at the world around them and allows for especially creative work.”

LYNN SCHULTE, MIDDLE AND PREP SCHO OL ART DEPARTMENT HEAD

surroundings with a unique perspective. I see new things that inspire me every day.” Chloe, who brought home Silver Medals for Skate Day and Space Cowboy, fell in love with photography because it allows her to prompt dialogue around social issues that are important to her. She credits photography teacher Andrew Stole with helping her develop and hone her talents. “My photography tells my story as a teenager growing up in New York City,” she says. “My portrait, Space Cowboy, portrays duality by juxtaposing the beauty of youth against the struggles of adolescence.”

Victoria and Chloe’s superb work reflects their artistic maturity and exemplifies the art department’s emphasis on individual expression and technical skill. “Our assignments are often geared to help students think outside of the box, which helps them look differently at the world around them and allows for especially creative work,” says Middle and Prep School Art Department Head Lynn Schulte. “We’re so proud that CGPS has given these students the advanced skills they needed to create such moving pieces.”

Opposite: JUSTICE IS by Victoria R. ’23.

This page, top: Space Cowboy by Chloe L. ’23.

Bottom: Skate Day by Chloe L. ’23.

& Culture Strings and Harmonies Last year, ninth grade violinist Laurentia W. joined conductor Gilbert Varga and the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra for a series of concerts in Hungary

By Marquis Austin

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“I hope to inspire people everywhere, especially young kids, to pursue music because it is such a wonderful thing.”

LAURENTIA W. ’25

“I hope to inspire people everywhere, especially young kids, to pursue music because it is such a wonderful thing,” says Laurentia W. ’25, an accomplished violinist whose virtuosity caught the attention of renowned British-Hungarian conductor Gilbert Varga. Laurentia’s interest in music began at the age of four when her mother played her a CD by violinist Hilary Hahn. “I asked my mom, ‘What is that? I want to try that, too,’” Laurentia recalls. Shortly after, Laurentia’s mother brought her to a local music school, and her passion for the violin has grown ever since. “The sound quality is just so unique and different from other instruments,” says the young violinist. An avid performer, Laurentia relishes the opportunity to share the sublime timbre of the violin with others, finding the interaction between a musician and their audience to be nothing short of “surreal.”

Today, Laurentia’s curiosity and determination have led her to the halls of Juilliard, where she attends a pre-college conservatory-style program, and, as of last spring, the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists.

While performing at the event, which many have dubbed the “Olympics of the Violin,” Laurentia left an impression on Maestro Varga, who later invited her to play for him and the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra in Hungary. Alongside three other hand-picked violinists from around the world, Laurentia went on tour, putting on two-hour concerts, during which they rotated pieces and dazzled concertgoers

with their stunning interpretation of Antonio Vivaldi’s Concerto for Four Violins. “I was surprised and so pleased to see that people wanted to come hear us play,” says Laurentia.

“It was amazing.”

Laurentia advises students interested in pursuing music to keep pushing forward, as hard work does pay off. She also has a suggestion for her peers who may not feel musically inclined: pick up an instrument anyway. “Even if you don’t plan to pursue music in the future, it’s still going to help you,” she explains. “It’s going to give you a new viewpoint on life, open you up to so many ideas and expand your creativity.”

Above: Violinist Laurentia W. ’25 appears on stage alongside Gilbert Varga and the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra at a concert hall in Hungary.

& Culture

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Songwriters of Columbia Prep School songwriters Sascha H. ’24, Ben K. ’23 and Sophia O. ’24 take home top honors at the New York State School Music Association’s 2021 Creator Competition

By Ruth Kornblatt-Stier Your next favorite singer-songwriter may be picking out a new tune here at CGPS. Over the summer, Prep School students Sascha H. ’24, Ben K. ’23 and Sophia O. ’24 won the New York State School Music Association’s (NYSSMA) 2021 Creator Competition with their original contemporary-style songs.

NYSSMA recognizes only ten songs in its annual competition, and, impressively, four out of those ten spots were awarded to CGPS students last year. Sascha won with her song “Better Without You,” Ben won with his song “Wouldn’t Have to Fear” and Sophia won with not one but two songs called “Haze” and “Valentine.” In December, the three songwriters were honored with the chance to perform in a prestigious songwriting showcase at the NYSSMA All-State Conference.

The award-winning musicians are grateful for the guidance and support they received from songwriting teacher John Fischer. “He helped me understand that I was trying to fit too many syllables into the melodic and rhythmic space that I had created.

Making your lyrics evocative and rhyme and really work is a challenging puzzle,” explains Sascha. Even though Ben hasn’t yet taken the

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From left to right: Sascha H. ’24, Sophia O. ’24 and Ben K. ’23.

School’s songwriting course, he says Mr. Fischer has still been a vital force in helping him produce his best work: “I tend to doubt myself a lot when I’m making music. He’s always told me that I’m good enough and to believe in myself.”

In order to bring out the best songwriter in each student, Mr. Fischer understands that individualized attention is key. “They all have different styles that they’re good at and want to specialize in, and they all have different areas that need improvement,” he comments. When working with young songwriters, Mr. Fischer pushes them to create sophisticated music that is both personal and accessible to a wide variety of people. “The Columbia Prep songwriting philosophy has nothing to do with popularity or money; a song needs to

have a good heart and do something good for the world,” he says.

Sascha, Sophia and Ben follow in the footsteps of several successful CGPS songwriting alumni, including Richard Adler ’39 of The Pajama Game fame, 2020 NPR Tiny Desk Contest winner Linda Diaz ’13 and Victoria Zaro ’14, co-writer of the Tate McRae hit “You Broke Me First.” Like their predecessors, the NYSSMA winners each have their own distinct style: Ben’s piano playing and passionate singing evoke Amy Winehouse and his other soul heroes; Sascha’s pure voice and captivating melodies tell a poignant story; Sophia’s introspective lyrics effortlessly blend pop and rock.

“These three have really pushed themselves in great, inspiring ways,” remarks Middle and Prep School Music Department Head Dr.

“The Columbia Prep songwriting philosophy has nothing to do with popularity or money; a song needs to have a good heart and do something good for the world.”

JOHN FISCHER, PREP SCHO OL MUSIC TEACHER

Kary Haddad. “Music helps us all navigate life, and we’re honored to help them cultivate this part of their whole person.”

& Sports

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Par Excellence Last summer, Prep School golfer Michael O. ’23 scored a 62 at the Bethpage State Park Golf Course, breaking a Metropolitan PGA record

By Ruth Kornblatt-Stier While smashing a Metropolitan PGA record at the Bethpage State Park Golf Course in July, junior golfer Michael O. gave a special meaning to the number 62. Bethpage—whose Black Course ranks as one of the most challenging courses in the country—is a nationally beloved golfing locale that regularly hosts major PGA tournaments. To crack a 62, Michael had to shoot a whopping nine-under-par, with ten birdies, seven pars and one bogey. “When I was playing that day, I was just enjoying it,” he says.

“Right when I made that last shot, a million emotions went through my mind.”

Committed to being the best player he can be, Michael has been golfing since the age of six and began competing at nine. “Even when I was little, every weekend I would practice all morning and then go play nine or eighteen holes in the afternoon,” says Michael, explaining his deep-rooted love for golf. “When I started playing competitively, I had so much fun. I would get to travel to compete, and I would play every day all summer from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.” In addition to practicing by himself, Michael also attended several golf camps and workshops over his vacations, often traveling to Florida in the winter in order to practice as much as possible.

Even though golf is one of Michael’s driving passions, it does not take

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precedence over his studies. Michael considers himself lucky to be a student at CGPS, where he can pursue both academics and athletics to the highest level. Michael’s time on the CGPS Varsity Golf team, which Prep School science teacher Cheng San Tan oversees, has been especially crucial to his success: “I really couldn’t ask for a better coach than Coach Tan. He expects his students and players to pay very close attention to both academics and athletics.” Under Coach Tan’s direction, Michael has been the top low-scorer at CGPS since seventh grade. “From his second year on the team, he was already our MVP because he has consistently had the best score every season,” comments Coach Tan. “He’s a very reliable student and player. We can always count on him to help bring us to victory.”

Describing the positive influence the team has had on him throughout his golfing career, Michael says, “Even though golf is completely individual, the team aspect really helps you succeed.

You have people to share your wins with, and everyone is there to help everyone else out and cheer them on. The team has been a huge part of my success.”

Currently, Michael helps cultivate this supportive team culture as co-captain. When asked what advice he would give to younger athletes, he had the following to say: “Enjoy it. It’s more than special to be able to do a sport with your school and friends. I definitely couldn’t have done it without them.”

Top: Michael poses for a photo with professional golfer Rory McIlroy.

Bottom: Michael, second from right, and members of the Varsity Golf team with their first-place medals at a golf outing last spring.

& Sports

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SPORTS SPOTLIGHT:

Girls Varsity Tennis

2021 FALL SEASON

Highlights

This past fall, following a hiatus due to Covid, the School’s talented student-athletes made their grand return to the courts and fields, and they were stronger than ever. Putting on an impressive display of athleticism and sportsmanship, our Columbia Prep teams brought home multiple NYCAL regular season and postseason championship titles, making the season one to remember.

Let’s have a round of applause for: • Girls Varsity Tennis, Regular Season & Postseason Champions • Girls Varsity Soccer, Regular Season & Postseason Champions • Boys JV Soccer, Postseason Champions • Girls Varsity Volleyball, Regular Season & Postseason Champions • Girls JV Volleyball, Regular Season & Postseason Champions Like the rest of the CGPS community, Director of Athletics and Physical Education Joseph Grande is impressed with what these teams were able to achieve. He says, “I’m exceptionally proud of all of our student-athletes, whose success is a direct result of their talents, hard work and mental toughness. Congratulations to our outstanding coaches, whose expertise and commitment to their craft made all of these achievements possible. Go Lions!”

While the inability to play in person during the 2020–2021 school year was disappointing, the Girls Varsity Tennis team didn’t let that stop them from working on their game.

Throughout the 2020 virtual fall season, Head Coach Stephen McCormack conducted daily lessons on topics such as motivation, best on-court techniques and health and fitness. “The virtual practices were a great opportunity to work on our mental game,” says Sofia M. ’22.

“We watched videos about different drills and form and read a book on how to play your best match.” By the time the 2021 fall season came around, the team was more than ready to blaze the courts, going on to become NYCAL regular season and postseason champions. “I’m very proud of all of us. I know that everybody has been working hard and has been very dedicated,” comments Olivia R. ’23.

Although winning is great, what the girls have enjoyed most about being a part of the Girls Varsity Tennis team is bonding over their shared passion for the sport.

Graduating senior Lily K. says, “What I’m going to miss most is getting to play with these amazing girls and spend time with them.”

& Innovation A Chat With Dorothy Meyer & Kevin Rall 1764 speaks with Middle School Deans Dorothy Meyer and Kevin Rall to learn how the MS provides students with individualized academic and social-emotional support and fosters community 1764: Last year, the Middle School introduced the Dean system for sixth and seventh grade students. What does it entail?

KEVIN RALL: For the sixth grade, it’s an opportunity for students to still have a support system in place after fifth grade CORE, where they had one teacher who supported them for the whole year. Now I become that support. My role as Dean is to make sure they are getting all that they can out of being a CGPS community member.

DOROTHY MEYER: The seventh grade continues that same model of giving individualized support and being a liaison to families. As the curriculum becomes more discipline-specific and students have each teacher for only one class, it can be helpful to have someone who sees the whole picture. For seventh grade specifically, I focus on helping the kids become leaders in the Middle School and to develop the skills and independence they need for the Prep School.

1764: What are some ways you go about getting to know your students and their families at the start of the year?

RALL: Dorothy and I will meet with students one-on-one and participate in beginning of the year introductions.

This is the program’s second year, so people are getting familiar with us as Deans. Parents know who we are and what we’re here for. The students now know they can come to us. Just being in the hallway and being a presence there is benefiting kids.

MEYER: We both spend a lot of time visiting classes, the cafeteria and

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“As the curriculum becomes more discipline-specific and students have each teacher for only one class, it can be helpful to have someone who sees the whole picture.”

D OROTHY MEYER, SEVENTH GRADE DEAN

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A Warm Welcome

recess. We get to know students in the different settings that they’re in throughout the day.

1764: The Dean system has been a fixture in the Prep School. Why was repurposing it for sixth and seventh grade students an important next step for the Middle School?

MEYER: It became apparent that the sixth and seventh graders needed someone to be their home base and support their grade-specific needs. Seventh graders, for instance, face challenges as they develop a stronger sense of independence and take more responsibility for themselves. It is helpful for them to have someone they can go to who is a touchpoint.

1764: As Deans, you also build community in the Middle School.

RALL: Fri-YAY! community homerooms, Student Government, Lion

Link and all the events we’ve been holding have really brought everyone together. We worked with Middle School Director Paul Baly and Assistant Director Abigail Rojas on organizing our electives, bringing fifth through seventh graders together in one room to discuss common interests. That’s been a major factor in building community. Something that Dorothy and I work toward is making fifth and seventh graders realize they’re all in the Middle School. Even though there’s a gap between the two developmentally, there are still a lot of common interests there.

MEYER: We also work hard to integrate new students into the community and help them find meaningful connections and relationships. Lion Link and New Student Breakfasts have been a real hit. Over the summer, we reach out to new families to check in on them and make sure each student has a buddy when they arrive on the first day.

Entering a new school is daunting for anyone, particularly in Middle School, as children are just developing their identities. As Middle School educators, we work very hard to mitigate fears by creating predictability and familiarity for new students before the year begins. But what happens when the landscape is unfamiliar for all, including the educators, due to pandemic restrictions like masks, social distancing, cohorting and hybrid school?

I sat down with our current seventh grade students to understand a little about their experience transitioning to the Middle School in the fall of 2020.

Not surprisingly, “awkward” was the universal starting point, though when we dug a little deeper, they were quite reflective. One student acknowledged that he was in Florida and another in Shanghai the whole year, only able to develop “digital friendships.” Another explained how hard it was to reveal her own or perceive others’ personalities behind masks. Some had better experiences and some worse, yet they all agreed on two points: School is more organized, challenging and fulfilling this year with in-person learning; and, second, each distinctly recalls moments when CGPS community members made them feel welcomed and at home. ­—Paul Baly, Middle School Director

CGPS Snapshot

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First grader Charlotte L. gets ready to play an exciting game of chess. In the Grammar School, students can enjoy and learn chess at their own pace. It is a mental exercise for logical thinking and problem-solving using strategy and planning.

Chess develops character, patience, focus and the ability to concentrate for longer periods of time. In addition to the chess classes in kindergarten and first grade, students are offered other opportunities to experience chess during the remainder of their time in the Grammar School and beyond.

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Applying to to College During Covid

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The College Office sheds light on how the pandemic has affected the college application process and what they have done to adjust to the new landscape

BY MARQUIS AUSTIN

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“Ms. Cohen is one of my favorite people.

She led me in the right direction and gave me all the support I needed but also made sure that where I was applying was a good fit for me. She was always available to help and was very supportive the whole time. I had a seamless experience.”

CASEY GALISHOFF ’21

“We realized that this college process was not going to be a typical one,” says Director of College Counseling Patti Cohen. From a pause on standardized testing requirements at schools across the nation to social distancing preventing in-person campus tours, the arrival of the coronavirus changed the world of college applications.

The whole apparatus of college admissions had been upended. The CGPS College Office, undeterred by these challenges, marched onward and adapted their programming accordingly. Even with the curveballs the pandemic has thrown, the college counselors continue to successfully steer students toward acceptances into schools that match their personalities and interests, both academically and socially. “Our outstanding college admissions results are the ultimate reminder that CGPS’s emphasis on balance and individual attention throughout the educational program is indeed effective and successful,” remarks Head of School Dr. William M. Donohue.

A goal of the college counseling team has been to maintain the integrity of their standard college process by bringing key informational events online. Each year juniors, eager to begin planning the next chapters of their lives, look forward to the overnight class trip to Colgate University, Syracuse University and Cornell University. Although Covid protocols have rendered outings such as this impractical for the time being, the College Office knew doing away with it completely was not an option. So last year, the Class of 2022 embarked on the School’s first-ever virtual college trip. Ms. Cohen and college counselors Reina Guerrero and Janet Kraus welcomed students aboard one of three virtual buses— “Goin’ with Cohen,” “The G Machine” and “Kraus Haus.”

There, the three counselors hosted trivia games testing everyone’s knowledge of Colgate, Syracuse and Cornell before students attended information sessions with admissions representatives, heard from alumni currently

enrolled at the three universities and took virtual tours of the campuses. “It was a huge success,” says Ms. Cohen, with many students asking her office to put together more virtual trips for them to go on.

As places of higher learning implement test-optional admissions policies, applications have been on the rise, making standing out from the rest of the applicant pool more critical than ever for college-bound seniors. To ensure students put their best foot forward, the college counselors emphasize the importance of taking the time to look inward and do their research when approaching the “why this college” essay. “We tell the students that they really need to dive deep. Why? Because I can tell you, as a former admissions officer, everyone’s reason for ‘why that university’ is completely different,” explains Ms. Guerrero. “A student last year wrote about a course on reality TV studies, which worked out well because it was specific to that university.” When faced with the sharp increase in applications nationwide, some students and their families might react by applying to more schools than necessary. The College Office makes a concerted effort to caution against this. Ms. Cohen states, “Our philosophy is that a student should have a well-thought-out list. Adding more schools just to take a shot generally does not work.”

Additionally, when a student is applying to a test-optional school, the College Office examines any standardized testing data made public by the institution to determine if sending their scores would be in their best interest. “How many students were admitted with test

Opposite: The members of the CGPS College Office. Pictured, from right: Director of College Counseling Patti Cohen, college counselors Janet Kraus and Reina Guerrero and administrative assistant Christine Cuppett.

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scores? How many students weren’t admitted with test scores?

What is this university’s range? Are your test scores competitive if you submit them? We work individually with every student to make sure that they are putting together the best package possible for their applications,” says Ms. Guerrero.

It is this one-on-one attention that makes the College Office an invaluable resource in the eyes of senior families. Recent graduate Casey Galishoff ’21, who attended CGPS from kindergarten through twelfth grade and currently studies human development at Cornell University, is grateful for the guidance her counselor, Ms. Cohen, provided as she applied to schools last year. She says, “Ms. Cohen is one of my favorite people. She led me in the right direction and gave me all the support I needed but also made sure that where I was applying was a good fit for me. She was always available to help and was very supportive the whole time. I had a seamless experience.”

As younger Prep School students begin looking at colleges, Casey encourages them to remember that the College Office is in their corner: “Everyone is there to support you and wants you to end up at the school where you’ll be happiest. Even though it can be overwhelming, the college counselors have your back.”

“Our outstanding college admissions results are the ultimate reminder that CGPS’s emphasis on balance and individual attention throughout the educational program is indeed effective and successful.”

DR. WILLIAM M. D ONOHUE, HEAD OF SCHO OL

A Lesson in Civics In the Middle School’s new civics course, seventh graders delve into the history of our country’s political and governmental systems, all while learning how to engage in civil and respectful conversations with others

BY RUTH KORNBLAT T-STIER

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“There’s no better way to teach civility and empathy than through dialogue. Socratic dialogue is really alive and well in this class, and students are stepping up to the plate, leveling up intellectually, socially and academically.”

PAUL BALY, MIDDLE SCHO OL DIRECTOR

In the current age of polarization, complicated conversations happen every day. “We’re constantly having sophisticated and divisive conversations, and Middle Schoolers are part of these discussions,” says Middle School Director Paul Baly. He was determined to establish a constructive framework for these interactions. “Given our current social and political climate, we emphasize our students’ ability to have considerate and responsible civic-minded conversations.” The Middle School’s new seventh grade civics course, developed by Mr. Baly, Head of School Dr. William M. Donohue and history teacher William Buckley, facilitates a rigorous and respectful classroom discourse around government, ethics, and civil rights and liberties.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity to enrich our students and their understanding of their own government and its processes. We’re exploring the foundations of our civic dialogue and the underpinnings of civic mores and practices,” says Mr. Buckley, who teaches the class. Mr. Baly adds that “there’s no better way to teach civility and empathy than through dialogue. Socratic dialogue is really alive and well in this class, and students are stepping up to the plate, leveling up intellectually, socially and academically.”

This semester-long course begins with a historical approach, investigating the principles and ideology

behind the U.S. Constitution and touching on crucial topics such as the Articles of Confederation and the three-fifths compromise. Seventh graders then explore the Bill of Rights and other amendments that address civil liberties. “Civil rights and civil liberties are integral to understanding the way our society is structured as well as understanding the current issues we face,” says Mr. Baly. “The ethics component of civil liberties is a huge part of this course. We’re looking at what the law says, whether or not we think it’s just and then thinking about how that intertwines with our understanding of ethics.” Students use their constitutional knowledge to complete individual research projects on a landmark civil rights case, such as Plessy v. Ferguson or Brown v.

Board of Education.

The course then moves into an analysis of our governmental institutions—federal, state and local—as well as the intricacies of political parties and elections. The final unit revolves around media bias: learning how to identify and negotiate it. “Being held accountable for accurate information, requiring students to account for the facts rather than having a knee-jerk reaction of immediately opposing or supporting something—that is the essence of civility,” says Mr. Baly. As their

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culminating project, students participate in debates on recent Supreme Court cases, such as Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L., a case on student free speech.

“Disagreement and debate are an integral part of civics,” says Mr. Buckley. “In our country, we have the right to express our opinions. Honing the skills of disagreement and how to disagree respectfully, that’s the hard part. And that’s what we’re working on.” Mr. Baly applauds Mr. Buckley’s skill in nurturing kindness and respect among Middle Schoolers, saying, “He’s incredible at cultivating that crucial civility in students, even in the toughest moments.”

“The overriding objective is that, by the end of the course, students will have more than a textbook understanding of civics,” explains Mr. Buckley. They will come to understand how our country’s institutions “actually do what they do” and develop the critical thinking skills required to ponder complex questions, including what free speech really means and what it takes to be civil to one another. Mr. Buckley says, “What’s important, particularly in these times, is to be optimistic and forward-looking. It’s important for students to know that it has always been the best in us that pulled us through difficult times and that this time won’t be any different.”

“What’s important, particularly in these times, is to be optimistic and forward-looking. It’s important for students to know that it has always been the best in us that pulled us through difficult times and that this time won’t be any different.”

WILLIAM BUCKLEY, MIDDLE SCHO OL CIVICS TEACHER

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Grammar School Math Coordinator Kate Smallberg, who graduated salutatorian from CGPS in 2004, guides a third grade student through a multiplication string.

Numbers & Phonics

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In the Grammar School, students progress through a curriculum rooted in the latest pedagogical research in literacy and mathematics education, becoming fluent readers and mathematicians

BY MARQUIS AUSTIN

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Literacy and mathematical reasoning are enduring fundamentals of the Grammar School curriculum—and it’s a lot more than just ABC and 123. The division’s academic programming in these areas, expertly overseen by Literacy Coordinator Betsy Lewittes and Math Coordinator Kate Smallberg ’04, develops students into skilled readers and creative problem solvers during their years in the Grammar School. “Every child receives individualized attention as a reader,” says Grammar School Director Sarah McLean, who describes Ms. Lewittes as “an expert in early childhood literacy.” Additionally, math pedagogy has experienced substantial growth over the past ten years, with the Bank Street College of Education—where Ms. Smallberg received two master’s degrees in general childhood education and math leadership—leading the charge. Like Ms. Lewittes, Ms. Smallberg brings a wealth of indispensable knowledge to 5 West 93rd Street. “Literacy and numeracy are the core foundation of academic work,” says Ms. McLean.

Although many people cannot recall what it was like to learn how to read as a child, it is safe to say the process required a fair amount of effort. “What an adult’s brain does to read unconsciously is really hard,” says Ms. Lewittes. “Neuroscientists have used imaging technology to study how reading happens in the brain. They have found that the brain is pre-wired for language but not for reading.” The Simple View of Reading, a widely accepted formula introduced by psychologists Philip Gough and William Tunmer in 1986, posits that reading comprehension depends on two critical factors—word recognition

and language comprehension. Ms. Lewittes breaks it down: “It’s helpful to think about reading as a bicycle where one wheel is word recognition, and one wheel is language comprehension. If a wheel is not working or there’s not enough air in the tire, that bike is not moving forward. Both wheels need to be working together for there to be forward movement.” Accordingly, the School’s reading specialists place emphasis on teaching students how to decode written words and understand their meaning. “Our goal in the Grammar School is to use evidence-based practices that provide students with the skills they need to become highly capable readers,” says Ms. Lewittes. “For this to happen, we utilize a systematic way of teaching that focuses on the main components of reading: phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary and reading comprehension.”

Meanwhile, the math program equips students with the knowledge and confidence to approach the discipline with curiosity, enthusiasm and excitement. “We don’t want anyone to hit a wall and say, ‘Math is not for me.’ We want our students ultimately to know that they themselves are mathematicians,” remarks Ms. Smallberg.

Grammar Schoolers focus on building number sense and fluency—the ability to draw connections between numbers and demonstrate flexibility and efficiency when solving problems, respectively. It may be tempting to assume that speed is interchangeable with fluency, but Ms. Smallberg assures that is not the case, stating, “When a student is fluent, they are automatic. However, when a student demonstrates automaticity, that does not

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“The individualized experience that we provide to every child is what sets us apart at CGPS. What we’re learning in literacy and mathematics is helping us to better meet the specific needs of our students.”

SARAH MCLEAN, GRAMMAR SCHO OL DIRECTOR

necessarily mean they are fluent.” At CGPS, children become both fluent and automatic learners. “We take them through the stages of fluency to build automaticity,” says Ms. Smallberg. During their time in the Grammar School, students deepen their conceptual understanding and sharpen their additive, multiplicative and proportional reasoning strategies.

“The individualized experience that we provide to every child is what sets us apart at CGPS,” says Ms. McLean. “What we’re learning in literacy and mathematics is helping us to better meet the specific needs of our students.” A core tenet among Ms. Lewittes, Ms. Smallberg and the rest of the Grammar School literacy and mathematics specialists is that professional development and collaboration significantly impact student learning. “We have expert leaders in these areas who are also experts in adult learning and helping their colleagues better reach our students,” says Ms. McLean. Members of each department stay up to date on the best practices in their fields and regularly convene to review student progress and plan actionable steps to ensure every child reaches their full potential in the classroom. A brand new faculty workspace on campus facilitates this collaborative atmosphere, which has played a major role in advancing the division’s outstanding academic growth in these disciplines.

“Professional collaboration is why we’re seeing such improvements in our student learning outcomes,” says Ms. McLean.

Opposite and this page, top: In class with Ms. Smallberg, students work together to complete a multiplication string.

This page, middle and bottom: Attentive kindergartners listen on as Ms. Lewittes conducts a reading lesson.

Lights, Came

Gus Halper ’10 (right) and Ben Schnetzer ’08 attend the premiere of their film Goat at the Sundance Film Festival in 2016.

era, Action!

Columbia Prep Theater and Dance Department Head Sarah Cusick and 1764 speak with accomplished actors and close friends Gus Halper ’10 and Ben Schnetzer ’08 From CGPS to Hollywood, actors and childhood friends Gus Halper ’10 and Ben Schnetzer ’08 have remained at each other’s side. Their friendship originated at CGPS, where they fell in love with acting while under the tutelage of Prep School Theater and Dance Department Head Sarah Cusick.

Gus and Ben went on to study acting at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, respectively. Today, you can find both of them on television and the big screen. Gus recently wrapped production on Rustin, the upcoming biopic about gay civil rights leader Bayard Rustin from Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom director George C. Wolfe and Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions. He co-stars with Colman Domingo, Audra McDonald and Chris Rock. You may have also seen him in shows such as Fear the Walking Dead, Dickinson and Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders. Last year, Ben starred in FX’s television adaptation of the comic book series Y: The Last Man alongside Diane Lane. His previous credits include Xavier Dolan’s The Death & Life of John F. Donovan with Thandie Newton and Natalie Portman, Warcraft and The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair opposite Patrick Dempsey. Gus and Ben also shared the screen in the film Goat from writer-director Andrew Neel and co-starring Nick Jonas.

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SARAH CUSICK: Ben, in my prep for this, I think I discovered something that has been new in your life that I didn’t know about. Are you a father?

BEN SCHNETZER: Her name’s Vera. She’s about to be six months old. It’s been the most amazing six months of my life.

She was born in Toronto while I was still working there.

GUS HALPER: Just so cute. It’s crazy.

CUSICK: Gus, where are you in the world right now?

HALPER: I’m in Pittsburgh. I’ve been here since September doing a movie directed by George C. Wolfe.

CUSICK: The next project he’s doing after Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom? Wow, tell us more.

HALPER: It’s a biopic about Bayard Rustin, a civil rights leader. He organized the March on Washington and was an important player in the civil rights movement. But he was kind of sidelined by the movement itself because he was gay.

I’m glad he’s getting his due in this. My buddy, Colman Domingo, who was in Ma Rainey’s, is playing Bayard.

CUSICK: And Ben, you are in London in the most important role of your life as father and husband, but do you have any current projects there?

SCHNETZER: I just finished this series on FX called Y: The Last Man that we were filming in Toronto, and now I’m working on a miniseries for Netflix. We shoot in London and then in Spain.

CUSICK: When you think back to the plays you performed in at Columbia Prep, which ones have stayed with you?

Top: Gus Halper as Erik Menendez alongside Golden Globe- and Emmy-winning actress Edie Falco in Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders.

Bottom: Ben Schnetzer as Yorick Brown in the FX series Y: The Last Man.

SCHNETZER: This sounds like a stock answer, but they all were formative, especially looking back on them. I mean, Urban Ally [a 2008 production CGPS students wrote and produced based on Alice in Wonderland] was such a collaborative and immersive experience. Also, I was a second semester senior, so it was a really particular time. They all were, but that one, it being the first devised piece we did, was really special.

HALPER: Honestly, it’s the same answer as Ben—for a different reason, every play. But I will say the one that definitely stands out is Hamlet from second semester senior year.

There’s just something about that time in your life where you’re about to go off and do other things. And to get a project that was so immersive and demanding? There was

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nothing quite like that. One of the things I remember most about being in theater in high school was falling in love with acting with Ben. I don’t know that I would have gone to drama school if it wasn’t for the two of us spending time together just talking about acting and falling in love with it together. So all of the projects that hold a special place in my heart are the ones we got to do together.

SCHNETZER: Through theater, Gus and I started forming our own friendship, our own shorthand, our own simpatico, our own bond and our own mutual admiration. It’s still such a source of sustenance and one of the most important friendships and relationships in my life. And, you know, Gus and I both auditioned for drama schools at the same time because I didn’t go to school straight from Columbia. I still remember it like it was yesterday. Just taking walks around the Reservoir, talking about the process of auditioning for schools.

CUSICK: With your training, how do you feel about the choices you made? For you, Ben, it was unusual that you chose to go back to school at that point because you’d been working.

SCHNETZER: I think I was just scared to give myself totally to something because of how much you have to put on the line. I was scared of auditioning for drama school because I was like, “What happens if I don’t get in? How can I live with myself?” And you realize that’s not the point.

The point is that you just try as hard as you can and give yourself totally to something. Therein lies the fulfillment.

It’s not about what happens at the end of the day. But yeah, I’m glad I went to drama school. I hope kids at Columbia realize how lucky they are to have you as a teacher because I think back to our theater history classes, and they’re definitely on par with the ones I had at drama school.

CUSICK: Amazing to hear. Can you talk a bit about what it was like to work together on Goat?

HALPER: To this day, the process of filming that is my favorite thing I’ve done out of school. And the reason that’s the case was getting to work with Ben. I think the last time we’d been in something together was Urban Ally.

SCHNETZER: It was so fun and just so surreal. We always wanted to work together but never thought it would happen so soon.

CUSICK: How do you see friendship and collaboration in your work? I know there are different artists that you each have worked with more than once.

HALPER: It’s so funny because I’m doing this film with Colman right now, and I just finished working with him on Fear the Walking Dead. The first episode I did was a two-hander, so it was just literally the two of us in Austin, Texas, for a month. Then a month later, I got this job on Rustin playing someone very close to him, so now we’ve gotten to spend another three months working together.

And it’s made that transition so easy. A big part of why I’ve loved working on Rustin and Goat so much is that when you have that kind of familiarity with somebody, it’s just a whole other layer of work that doesn’t have to be done.

One of the most important parts is just feeling comfortable to be creative and try things and having a lot of trust in a scene partner the way I did in Ben and now with Colman. It makes a huge difference.

1764: How do you navigate emotionally challenging roles like Erik Menendez and Brad and Chance, the characters you played in Goat?

HALPER: Menendez was probably the one I had the hardest time with. I actually did think that I might quit acting after that. It wasn’t so much that the character got into me. It was just really demanding and nonstop. It was relentless. Anybody who watched all eight episodes knows that every scene I was in was emotionally an 11, and that just sucks. It’s not fun. It’s fun to do when you have a bunch of other scenes that aren’t an 11, and you get to pop in and out of that.

SCHNETZER: You have such little control over the schedule as an actor. You’re in the wings the whole time, waiting for your cue light to come on. When you have to shoot a scene that is emotionally demanding, the assistant director’s not thinking, “Oh, this is an extremely emotionally demanding scene for Gus. Let’s be considerate about how we schedule it.”

HALPER: The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to try not to get there until we’re really about to get there.

SCHNETZER: I’ve said to ADs, “I need you to let me know when we’re actually five minutes away, not we’re five minutes away, and then we’re going to change a lens and change a battery.”

HALPER: Probably the best advice you can give to a young actor working in film is that 90 percent of your job is scheduling—sleep schedule and then scheduling on the day, knowing when you have to be on and when you can be off.

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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE

Class of 2021!

The Class of 2021’s graduation took place at Icahn Stadium on June 3, 2021. The commencement activities included remarks from Head of School Dr. William M. Donohue, former Prep School Director Joanie Dean, top-ranking seniors Celia Ginzburg, Natalie Pizer, Kareem DaCosta and Adrian Melendez and the keynote speaker, former NASA astronaut Dr. Mike Massimino.

Congratulations, graduates! The Class of 2021 matriculated to the following colleges and universities: The American University of Paris Babson College Boston University Brandeis University Brown University Carnegie Mellon University Claremont McKenna College

Colgate University Colorado College Columbia University Connecticut College Cooper Union Cornell University Davidson College Drexel University Duke University Emory University Georgetown University Hamilton College Harvard University Haverford College Ithaca College Lehigh University London College of Fashion New York University Northwestern University Nova Southeastern University Princeton University Purdue University

Rhode Island School of Design Southern Methodist University Stanford University Syracuse University Tufts University Tulane University University of Chicago University of Miami University of Michigan University of Pennsylvania University of Richmond University of Rochester University of Southern California University of St Andrews The University of Texas at Austin University of Wisconsin–Madison Wake Forest University Washington University in St. Louis Wesleyan University Yale University

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In Memoriam Mary Allen Mary Allen was a beloved leader, librarian, teacher and trailblazer over the course of her fifty-year tenure at CGPS. The School remembers her fondly as a playful and irreverent force who ran the Prep School library like the Bibliothèque Nationale and bound the community together. “If people didn’t know her, they would most certainly underestimate her,” says her daughter and Prep School Mindfulness Coordinator, Barrie Allen ’81. “She loved everything: music, fast cars, literature, history and justice. Especially justice.”

After graduating from college, Mary moved from Ottawa, Canada, to New York. Soon after completing

her master’s in library science at Columbia University, she found her niche in the CGPS library and quickly began to expand the collection.

Her colleagues and students recall how committed she was to the School, single-handedly sewing hundreds of costumes for theatrical productions and always encouraging students’ creativity and freedom of expression. “The School was so much a part of her,” says Barrie.

Mary’s creative impact, enduring sense of irony, keen intelligence and love of life are sorely missed throughout the community. She is survived by her daughters, Barrie Allen ’81 and Jennifer Allen ’84; her grandson and Prep School substitute teacher, Nathan Wilson; and three granddaughters.

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Dr. José Baselga We are saddened by the passing of beloved parent and CGPS Trustee Dr. José Baselga, MD, PhD. Hailing from Spain, Dr. Baselga was an internationally renowned scientist and oncologist whose pioneering research advanced the treatment of cancer patients, saving the lives of many. An active and dedicated member of the CGPS community, Dr. Baselga regularly contributed to our science programs and played an instrumental role in developing the School’s early response to Covid, ensuring the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff. Dr. Baselga’s tremendous generosity was a testament to how much being a part of CGPS meant to him, and we are grateful for the support and kindness he has shown us over the years. He is survived by his wife, four children, mother, two sisters and one brother.

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Lourdes Rivera This past year, the CGPS community suffered the tremendous loss of Lourdes Rivera, the much-beloved Prep School receptionist who retired in 2018. Born in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, Ms. Rivera moved to the Upper West Side with her family as a teenager. Starting at CGPS in 1985, Ms. Rivera embodied the true spirit of the School for 33 years with her laughter, warmth and irresistible enthusiasm. Her vibrant energy and dancing filled the halls of the Prep School every day. At Ms. Rivera’s memorial service, one student remembered her as “the mother I didn’t know I needed.” Joel Omolade ’21 recounted how her kindness and guidance made an immeasurable impact on him, saying, “She made the School a home.” Former Prep School Director Joanie Dean commented that “she could be loving, strict and sassy all at the same time.”

In a New York Times feature on

her life, David Stearns ’03 remembered Ms. Rivera fondly, remarking, “She was cool, and we felt cool being around her. She was one of us.

She possessed unending love for every student, and she had an uncanny ability to relate to anybody of any age with ease and honesty.”

Although her presence is sorely missed, the CGPS community will be infused with Ms. Rivera’s vitality for generations to come. She is survived by one great-grandchild, nine grandchildren, three children and her sister and Middle School receptionist, Fatima Rivera.

Dr. Stanley Seidman Last year, the CGPS community lost Dr. Stanley Seidman, our esteemed former Grammar School Director, who committed 18 years of service to the School and left a lasting impact on our institution. An empathetic leader with a sparkling sense of humor and a penchant for ties and V-neck sweaters, Dr. Seidman

possessed an unrivaled ability to connect with others and foster community. He was a regular presence at School gatherings and even made a point of supporting faculty and staff at off-campus events, including graduations and funerals. Former faculty member Sue Sortino described him as the “quintessential educator,” saying, “If CGPS is a loving and caring community, part of that is because of the 18 years that Stan Seidman spent at the School.”

At CGPS, we pride ourselves on building community among our students, parents, faculty and staff. We owe a great deal of gratitude to Dr. Seidman for instilling in us the importance of belonging and uplifting each other. He greeted every child who walked through our doors with kindness and affection and believed each one could reach their full potential regardless of their background. No one embodied our Core Value of Unity better than Dr. Seidman, and his example is one we could all benefit from following in earnest. His legacy will live on through his wife, two brothers, two daughters, two sons-in-law and one grandson.

Alumni Class Notes 1948 New York violinist and teacher Kenneth Gordon, who retired from the Philharmonic in 2007 and has played for acclaimed musicians and conductors such as Fritz Kreisler and Leopold Stokowski, was recently featured in Strings Magazine.

1953 We are saddened to announce the passing of Joel Stephen Burton, an immensely proud and generous member of our community. Although Joel only attended Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School during his senior year, the School still managed to have a profound impact on him.

Upon his arrival at our Upper West Side doors, Joel, who encountered difficulty learning over the years but could not pinpoint why, was diagnosed with dyslexia. Thanks to this critical discovery, Joel’s new teachers and administrators were able to provide him with the care, support and guidance he needed to excel in the classroom and reach his full potential. After graduating from CGPS, he attended Hobart College and studied law at Georgetown University before becoming a successful attorney in the aviation field.

Joel credited his success to CGPS— if it were not for his time here, he was of the firm belief that his life would have ended up entirely different. When Joel said the School changed his life, he truly meant it. In

his will, Joel left CGPS $25,000. His gracious donation was allocated to the CGPS Scholarship Fund.

1955 The Class of 1955 held a Zoom reunion on Thursday, June 23, 2021.

Jimmy Greilsheimer, Peter Stern, Dick Engelman, Richard Blum, Mike Goodman, Johnny Levy, Neil Janovic, Henry Jaglom and Jay Lewis were in attendance. Others contacted but who could not participate were Charlie Ripps, Larry Fredricks, Alan Salomon, Lennie Becker, Tom Chargoff and Ed Tally.

Naturally, the same old war stories were told over and over again, including memories of their teachers: “Cap” Field, Mack McCormack, J. J. Reynolds, Jim Stern and Mickey Contini, among others. The group acknowledged Mickey Contini as the most knowledgeable across all subjects. He could teach English, math, Latin, German, social studies, history and a few more subjects they cannot remember. They closed with a moment of silence for their departed classmates who are in the eternal study hall proctored by the teachers they knew and loved so well.

Richard Engelman and his wife of 61 years, Jane, recently moved to a wonderful senior community in East Longmeadow, MA. Richard is still a cardiac surgeon but only does research and no longer works in the operating room. Richard and Jane have two girls and one boy, all happily married, and seven grandkids. The oldest two are 27, and the youngest is 15. Their son is a cardiac surgeon intensivist at Richard’s hospital. He is responsible for providing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for their

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sickest Covid patients. Richard hopes the pandemic ends soon and that everyone is remaining well and enjoying life.

1956 Michael Tepper, a cancer survivor and 20-year volunteer at several hospitals as well as the Cancer Support Community, spoke at a conference about coping with the illness. He was the last speaker after some serious discussions, so he told a joke, causing the audience to break out in laughter.

As a result of being a Columbia Prep scholar-athlete, Michael was able to attend the University of Miami, an outstanding academic institution and a national football powerhouse.

Michael, who continues to be impressed by the CGPS music department, writes, “CGPS has the best music department in New York City and has produced amazing concerts and Broadway-level shows.”

1959 Stuart Green writes, “It’s been 63 years since I graduated, and during that time, I have enjoyed an interesting and fruitful life.

After becoming a New York Citytrained orthopedic surgeon, I moved to Southern California with my wife and two young children, where we found perpetually sunny weather and excellent vocational opportunities. My professional life combined private practice and an academic career, resulting in hundreds of publications

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in medical journals, five books of which I was the sole author or co-author, 35 book chapters in multi-authored textbooks and visiting professorships at medical schools around the world.

My most interesting experience happened in 1987 when I was the first American to visit Dr. G.A. Ilizarov in Kurgan, Siberia, USSR. He had devised a surgical technique to lengthen limbs stunted by birth defects or traumatic injuries that was unknown on our side of the Iron Curtain. My journey into Russia’s heartland occurred during the Cold War, so obtaining a visa proved a major challenge. I had to learn conversational Russian—which I accomplished with audiotapes and a private tutor—at a speed that would have amazed Mr. Crochetti, our CGS French teacher. Because Kurgan’s primary industry was manufacturing military trucks, the FBI debriefed me after each of my six trips to Siberia, requesting that I obtain additional information the next time I traveled to the region. This, of course, stimulated the KGB’s interest in my interaction with Kurgan’s local inhabitants, especially after I was provided an apartment in the heart of town. Likewise, I joined Dr. Ilizarov when he made presentations at medical meetings around the world, closely accompanied by a KGB watcher, lest he defect to the West, as did so many Soviet luminaries of the era. As I said, it was an interesting experience. Over the years since my travels to Russia, I’ve made modifications to Ilizarov’s apparatus and techniques (as have other surgeons), thereby increasing ease of application and improving patient comfort during the limb lengthening process.

On a personal note, my wife and I are now empty-nesters living in Long

Beach, CA. Our orthopedic surgeon daughter and her anesthesiologist husband live in the San Francisco area with their two boys. Our lawyer-businessman son and his lawyer-lobbyist wife live in Bethesda, MD, with their twin daughters while their son studies civil engineering at Purdue. I still work but on a reduced schedule.

I have fond memories of my years at CGS, as we called the School back then, and I enjoyed seeing classmates at our 50th reunion. I look forward to returning to another milestone year, perhaps the 65th, in two years hence.”

1961 After CGPS, William Lipsky attended Cornell University and graduated in 1965. He then received his medical degree from New York Medical College in 1970 and completed his internship and residency in internal medicine in 1972. William served two years in the U.S. Air Force before doing a second residency in ophthalmology at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, TX. From 1978 to 1981, he was chief of ophthalmology at the U.S. Public Health Service Hospital in Nassau Bay. William has been in private practice since 1981 and would love to hear from his classmates.

At 77, John Pomeranz is still playing with computer programming.

Ira Stamm is a private practice psychologist in Topeka, KS. Previously, he practiced, taught and supervised at the Menninger Clinic in Topeka for 23 years. He is married to Joanna, a social worker. They have two adult daughters and three grandchildren who live in the Seattle area.

ALUMNI FO CUS:

Grandmaster Hans Niemann ’21 For Grandmaster Hans Niemann, chess isn’t always about winning.

Instead, it’s about the journey of improvement, hard work and enjoying yourself. As an International Chess Federation (FIDE) Master at thirteen, Hans decided to attend CGPS because of its impressive and community-based chess program. “It was a great and unique experience to be able to actually play with a team. It gave an individual sport a whole new dimension of camaraderie and inspiration,” says Hans about his time on the Prep School chess team. Just before graduating, Hans achieved the title of Grandmaster and is now ranked as one of the top ten junior players internationally. Because of his Grandmaster status, Hans is now “on the circuit,” playing chess professionally full-time. Continuing to excel this past summer, he clinched a crucial win at the World Open. “My goal is to become the world champion,” he says.

Accredited FIDE trainer and CGPS Director of Chess Sophia Rohde remarks, “Hans is an exceptional player who did a fantastic job of leading our chess team. He’s left a strong legacy, encouraging our whole gamut of players to manage their time, enjoy themselves and really put in the work.”

Alumni Class Notes Jonas Steinberg lives in Boca Raton, FL. He recently spoke with Larry Friedlander. The two of them could not believe that 60 years had passed, but they picked up right where they left off in 1961.

1963 Jeffrey Silbert is an adjunct professor at Southern New Hampshire University, where he teaches undergraduates criminal justice and public administration.

1964 To bring people together in celebration of their common humanity, Allan Mann started Earthlight, a New Age stage revue company.

1965 Susan Nierenberg is still living on the Upper West Side and loves it. A real estate broker for The Corcoran Group, she deals in co-ops and condos all over Manhattan.

Susan would love to connect with anyone from her class.

Robert Gelman would have liked to have seen more of his classmates at the 2021 Virtual Alumni Reunion. He

hopes to see everyone at their 60th reunion in 2025.

1966 Douglas Heath attended Marlboro College in Vermont until 1968. Being restless and uncertain about a career, he decided to work and travel around the world for several years, including serving in the U.S. Navy in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean. In 1979, he earned a degree in geology at the University of Massachusetts. He then got married and worked in the Deep South as a groundwater scientist for two years, investigating salt domes for a high-level nuclear waste repository. After graduate school in New Mexico, Douglas and Alison, his wife, worked for the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. EPA for over thirty years in Boston, helping to protect New England’s drinking water and air quality. During this time, they managed to raise two sons and write five books.

Douglas retired in 2014. He now devotes his time to environmental organizations, large format photography, sea kayaking, hiking and researching local history.

1968 Jeff Citron was able to put together a team at his firm to assist their clients in obtaining various government funding and other benefits in connection with the maintenance and survival of their businesses.

1969 Sheila Roher currently lives in North Carolina with a fabulous dog. She struggles with the ongoing physical

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isolation caused by the pandemic but is grateful for online connections. She continues to study and practice astrology. Sheila says she is “grateful for the CGPS experience that valued critical thinking, curiosity and civility.”

1970 We regret to inform you that Richard Norden passed away.

1971 Danny Ben-David is grateful for the 12 years he spent at CGPS. Maryan Jaross is still working as a financial planner. She helps others plan their retirement but has not made her own retirement plan yet.

Maryan and her partner, Tom, enjoy their family, including her older daughter’s two children. Maryan has been spending a lot of time in New York City with her mother as she recovers from a serious illness.

Targeted therapies have been an incredible success for her. Maryan likes seeing her classmates on Facebook but wishes there was a better place to stay in touch.

Marlene Connor Lynch’s sister, Deborah ’68, has become a grandmother, making Marlene a proud grandaunt. Marlene’s oldest child plays basketball in Russia, and her youngest recently began a career in education.

Jonathan Mishkin has three independent children, who live in London, Brooklyn and Washington, but no grandchildren yet. He recently renovated a deserted brownstone in Harlem.

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Daniel Rosenthal moved to South Carolina in April 2020 during the middle of the pandemic lockdown. He and his wife, Ann, moved four dogs, four cats, 13 equines and 30 years’ worth of belongings. Making three round-trip drives between South Carolina and New Jersey was interesting, to say the least. Daniel and Ann are very happy in South Carolina and do not miss the snow and ice. He splits his time between his consulting practice and driving his ponies. It’s a great way to live.

Jody Schoenfeld moved upstate 18 years ago and loves it!

there were 18 CGPS graduates!

Clearly, our family has continued its CGPS ties. My wife, Lisa, and I continue to practice medicine on the West Side. I practice rheumatology and internal medicine, and Lisa practices geriatrics and internal medicine. We are very lucky because our two grandsons live four blocks from us. I have remained class correspondent by default because I have not moved out of the neighborhood, and nobody else has volunteered for the job. In times like these, it’s therapeutic to think back to better times and share news with old friends. Please keep in touch!”

Carol Silverman is married and recently retired as a professor at Hunter College and the Graduate Center of CUNY. Although their primary home is in New York City, Carol and her husband, a medical inventor and professor, have been residing in their vacation home in the Berkshires of Massachusetts since the pandemic began.

1972 Lee Dinstman, who lives on the West Coast, has been using Facebook and Instagram to reconnect with a number of his classmates, several of whom he has known since first grade.

1973 Stewart Greisman writes, “This past June, during a nadir in the pandemic, our son, who attended CGPS from kindergarten through eighth grade, married a CGPS graduate. When our son left CGPS after eighth grade, our future daughter-in-law entered his ninth grade class. At the wedding,

Jessica Hentoff and the flying children of Circus Harmony, St. Louis’s only social circus school, spent the lockdown creating a powerful pandemic perspective film called The Balancing Act: Walking the Pandemic Tightrope. They also released a digital cookbook, The Circus Harmony Interactive Cookbook, featuring 43 delicious recipes paired with 43 delightful circus videos. The film and cookbook are available for free on the Circus Harmony website. Circus Harmony is now starting Architecture and Acrobats, a program that will tell the story of historically significant St. Louis architectural sites through circus arts.

Jessica’s talented canine companion, the Marvelous Miss Maple, was featured in the October edition of

ALUMNI FO CUS:

Screenwriter Walter Brown Newman ’32

By Jay Lewis ’55 My cousin, Walter Brown Newman, was born in 1916, and although we were separated by 22 years, we led parallel lives.

We both went to the same summer camp, graduated from CGPS at 16, went to one of the Ivies, started our careers in advertising and enlisted in the U.S. Army. During the war, Walter was stationed in Los Angeles as an instructor of celestial navigation. Walter stayed in Hollywood afterward and began a successful career as a scriptwriter.

He wrote radio scripts (Gunsmoke and The Halls of Ivy), cartoon scripts (Gerald McBoing-Boing and Mr. Magoo) and movie scripts. Several of his films garnered Academy Award nominations: Ace in the Hole, The Man with the Golden Arm, The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, Cat Ballou and Blood Brothers, to name a few. But Walter is perhaps best known in the film industry for a script of his that was never produced: Harrow Alley, a dystopian depiction of the Great Plague of London in the 17th century. Film historians have cited it as “the greatest movie script never made.”

Walter passed away in 1993, leaving behind his wife, Connie, and two children, Josh and Elizabeth.

Alumni Class Notes AKC’s Family Dog magazine. Maple can also be seen in three of the Circus Harmony cookbook videos.

Jessica’s daughter, Elliana, is the lead coach at Circus Harmony; her son, Keaton, is an acrobat with Circa Contemporary Circus in Australia; and her other son, Kellin, is an internationally renowned juggler. One of her circus sons, Sidney Bateman, quit Cirque du Soleil right before the pandemic and joined the WWE, where he can be seen on Monday Night Raw as the acrobatic wrestler Reggie. One of his TikTok videos has garnered over 80 million views. You can follow Jessica and the flying children of Circus Harmony on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Joshua Abrams is thrilled to report the marriage of his son, Matthew Haber, to his new daughter-in-law, Sophie McNeil, this past October in Brooklyn. He is one step closer to the holy grail of grandparenthood! After a year of Covid-induced delay, Joshua’s fully vaccinated and tested family got to gather with their nearest and dearest, including Tom Cohen, Josh Kavaler ’78 and Carol Freedman ’80.

1974

1981

Ross Lewis’s primary artwork has been “rope paintings.” He employs an ink soak rope as his principal mark-making tool instead of a Chinese brush. His work has been exhibited from Brussels to Beijing.

Ross Frommer hopes everyone is doing well during this difficult time.

1978 We regret to inform you that Abigail List passed away.

After spending 12 years in Iceland helping pioneer the specialty of emergency medicine and establish a six-year residency training program based on the British Royal College system, Curtis Snook and his wife, Abby, will be returning to the U.S. this spring. They are excited to

be closer to their family. Curtis is grateful for life and the chance to make a difference in trying times. He looks forward to seeing old friends.

1979

1984 David Adler looks back fondly at his high school years at Columbia Prep.

Some of the best days of his youth were spent outside 5 West 93rd Street. After CGPS, he went to Cornell and Fordham Law. He has been practicing law for over 30 years.

1985 Rachel Talbot writes, “I was so sorry to hear about the passing of Mary Allen. I adored watching her retirement video and hearing from her old colleagues—and my old teachers— David Morss and John Lougerhy. Mr. Lougerhy so aptly described Ms. Allen!

My thoughts go out to Barrie Allen ’81 and Jenny Allen ’84. Currently, I’m an

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MFA candidate in creative writing at Stony Brook University.”

1986 Deirdre Silver is ready for the pandemic to end and looks forward to seeing more people, traveling and visiting colleges with her niece and nephew. Still, she can’t complain. Deirdre recently celebrated her 19th anniversary at the publisher John Wiley & Sons, Inc., where she serves as executive vice president and general counsel. She continues to ride dressage and just bought a Lusitano (Luar Comando “Lulu”) to join her Dutch Warmblood (Dante). It was wonderful to have the barn as an outlet during the worst of the lockdown, and the extra time at home motivated her to renovate her apartment in Hoboken, NJ. It was great to see everyone at the reunion, albeit virtually.

Curtis Smolar writes, “I am living with my awesome family—Rebecca (spouse), Elan (human daughter), Ari (human son), Zoey (Canine-American daughter) and Oreo (feline master of time, space and dimension)—in Palo Alto, CA. Fun fact: my next-door neighbor’s sister is friends with Peter Schwartz!”

You can see Ethan Herschenfeld in Red Notice, a new action-comedy on Netflix, and The Expecting, a horror series on Roku. Ethan’s comedy album, Thug Thug Jew, hit number one on iTunes and Amazon and is now a special on YouTube. Doug Grater and Stuart Hirsch were at the live taping! Ethan is the voice of King Triton in The Little Mermaid episode of Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast, Revisionist History, with Jodie Foster and Glenn Close. Since March 2020,

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he has also been a part of a morning workout class on Zoom. Any classmates interested in joining can reach out to Ethan for the link. Katherine Kornblau has been a regular.

After doing their first years online from their home in Paris, Nadia Malinovich’s children, Avram and Rosa, finally made it to Montreal last fall to start college in person at McGill University and Concordia University, respectively. In the professional department, Nadia is happy to report that she defended her “habilitation à diriger les recherches,” a kind of second PhD that is needed in France to become a full professor.

credits. She loves what she does. All in all, Brooke and her family are happy, healthy and grateful.

Brooke hopes everyone is holding up through the pandemic. “I’ve been thinking of everyone a lot and wishing good things for everyone. If anyone comes through St. Louis, give me a holler. I’m happy to put folks up, and we’re close to the various sites here,” she writes.

1987 Nicholas Kaufmann’s latest novel, The Hungry Earth, came out in October. It’s the first in a new series of science thrillers that focuses on a medical examiner in the Hudson Valley. In the meantime, Nicholas and his wife still live in Brooklyn. They recently adopted a second cat, who was named King Meow by his rescuers. Obviously, they kept the name.

1990

Brooke Sissman Roseberry still lives in St. Louis with her husband, Tony Lagouranis, and two teens, Emmeline and Griffin. Emmeline is almost 18, so they are looking at colleges. Griffin is a sophomore in high school. Both of them are doing exceptionally well.

Brooke is dreading an empty nest.

Brooke and Tony opened a restaurant in 2013, but it is no longer in business. They’re enjoying not owning a restaurant anymore. Brooke works for a bank, where she deals with tax

Ben Lapidus released a new book, New York and the International Sound of Latin Music, 1940-1990, with the University Press of Mississippi (UPM).

This book is the product of many years of archival research, interviews, musical analysis and more than 30 years of playing music professionally in New York City. Ben is excited to finally be able to share the end result, which you can learn more about on the UPM website.

1996 Robert Rosenberg launched NYCK Coaching, a business coaching firm focused on helping companies increase their leads, revenue and

profits without spending additional dollars on digital marketing and social media advertising. 90% of startups fail, and only 25% of businesses survive beyond 15 years, often because they fail to implement or execute a strategic business plan.

Robert utilizes a proprietary software that allows him to put each client’s business through 497 million weighted algorithmic sequences and devise a step-by-step action plan.

Caron Levis is heartened that her pandemic-published picture book about two animal friends facing big changes, This Way, Charlie, has been nominated for several state reading awards and has found its way to young readers in this challenging time. Caron’s niece and nephew, children of Emily Levis Bleecker ’99, recently helped her with important last-minute edits for her next book, Feathers Together, which arrives this fall. It is about two storks who maintain a bond despite being forced to separate and live continents apart.

Emily has been a constant and creative force, helping both her kiddos and students at Capitol Hill Day School navigate all these changes in positive and playful ways.

Alumni Class Notes 1997 Peter Shelsky pivoted his appetizing shop and delicatessen business, Shelsky’s, and they are now shipping nationwide quite a bit. Customers can place orders on their website. Also, the pandemic taught Peter that he could run his businesses remotely, so he and his family moved to Paris in July.

2001 Doug Sonnenshein, Jamie Mandor and Andrew Englander attended an outing for the New York Giants courtesy of Grayscale Investments, whose CEO is Michael Sonnenshein ’05.

Pacey Barron ’05 was also in attendance.

Jamie Mandor currently resides on the Upper East Side with her husband and two children, Charlie (4) and Miles (2). She is the CEO of MUBIC, a beauty incubator dedicated to launching celebrity brands into market white space. She loves that almost all of her closest friends from CGPS live within walking distance of her and that she gets to see them often.

2004 Lauren Levy’s daughter, Ariella, started kindergarten this year at CGPS. She welcomed a second daughter, Adeena, in June 2020.

2005 Rebecca Mondre started her sixth year teaching fifth and sixth grade math at CGPS.

2006 Gaby Marden Stern welcomed her first baby, a girl, last spring.

Doug Sonnenshein and his wife, Blake, live in Manhattan with their two children, Olivia (5) and Teddy (2).

Doug is an executive director with J.P. Morgan Advisors, where he is the co-founder of the SVDG Partners Wealth Management Group.

Andrew Englander and his wife, Mollie, live in Manhattan with their two bubbly children, Ryan (5) and Elle (2). Andrew is the co-founder and co-CEO of Plowz & Mowz, an outdoor home services marketplace and software platform for the landscaping industry.

Alexandra Kavanaugh, who was extremely active in the theater department while in high school, has found a way to turn her love for the arts into a blossoming career in mental health as a licensed creative arts therapist.

Before and throughout the pandemic, Alexandra worked as a therapist and creative director of the clinical team for an incredible new network of addiction treatment centers and

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now works in private practice. If you or anyone you know is interested in receiving therapy with a creative twist, Alexandra is always taking on new clients. Check her out on Psychology Today or MyWellbeing.

2011 After winning an Emmy as an associate producer at MLB Network, Andrew Distler is now writing articles, producing features and original content for ESPN. In 2020, an article he wrote was at the forefront of ESPN’s “Jackie Robinson Day” coverage. In 2021, he made his debut as feature producer—a piece on the 50th anniversary of when the 1971 Pirates became the first team in MLB history to field an all-Black and Latino lineup.

2014 Jacob Brody released a new photo book titled FieldNotes. It explores photography as not only a poetic medium but a scientific process.

Through visual research, Jacob has been able to structure a way of life.

2018 Emma Ghalili submitted and presented a poster at the New England Psychological Association Conference titled “Impact of State Tightness-Looseness on COVID-19 Infection Rates.”

55 WIN TER 2022

Calling for Alumni Class Notes!

We want to hear about everything our incredible alumni have been up to since graduating from CGPS! Don’t hesitate to share your news with the School community, and submit a class note by emailing alumni@cgps.org.

We look forward to hearing from you!

1764 Looks Back

101 YEARS AGO

Fiorello La Guardia Taught at CGS

By Marvin Terban The late 1910s were busy years for CGS (we didn’t become CGPS until 1969). The Spanish influenza pandemic ravaged the world in 1918, but our School didn’t close. That same year, many of our alumni went off to Europe to fight in The Great War. Sadly, four of them lost their lives overseas. In 1920, our women faculty and staff finally got the right to vote. Then America entered the Roaring Twenties.

In May 1921, our School newspaper, Columbia News, announced “a new, exciting addition to our faculty.”

Calling it an outstanding event “which is likely to have a vital influence upon the civic spirit of the School,” the paper reported that Major Fiorello H. La Guardia had been appointed to the faculty. La Guardia was to be a lecturer and instructor in “Ideals and Principles of

1764 T HE MAGA Z I NE 56

American Government.” That was a subject that the major was “eminently qualified for,” said the School paper. In addition to being the president of the New York City Board of Aldermen, the 39-year-old had already served two terms as a congressman in Washington.

Our School paper went on to state that La Guardia’s “winning personality, his general air of bonhomie and good comradeship and his gift for lucid, direct speech are all valuable assets in pedagogy.” Apparently, they were also valuable assets for the new history teacher’s future political career.

Joining our faculty at 5 West 93rd Street might have been the best thing that happened to La Guardia in 1921 because the rest of that year was heavy with tragedy for him. The same month that he took on the teaching job, his daughter died of spinal meningitis, and in November, his wife died of tuberculosis. Despite these bitter hardships, La Guardia stayed on our faculty that year while still holding onto his top job on the Board of Aldermen.

Toward the end of 1921, the students and faculty were wishing the major good luck as he began his first race for mayor of New York City. La Guardia didn’t win that campaign, but he did go on to four more terms as congressman, and in 1934, he exchanged the title of “major” for “mayor” when he was elected to the first of his three terms as mayor of New York City.

Many historians call him New York’s most popular and effective mayor, as he guided the city through the challenges of the Great Depression and World War II. History books credit him with restoring public confidence in city government by revitalizing New York. He was a champion of playgrounds, parks, the transit system, lowcost public housing, airports, reorganization of the police department, getting rid of patronage jobs and fighting the corrupt Tammany Hall political machine. He was also famous for reading the comics to children on the radio during a newspaper strike. His experience as a teacher at CGS must have helped him with that.

Before, during and after his terms as mayor, La Guardia held important national jobs with the Office of Civilian Defense and at the United Nations. When President Franklin D. Roosevelt met Winston Churchill for the first time, he called the British Prime Minister “an English Mayor La Guardia.”

Today, we proudly celebrate the time when a great American figure was a member of our faculty. First, La Guardia taught history. Then he went on to make it.

CGPF

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

From our very talented thespians in the Prep School who perform original productions to our Grammar and Middle School scientists who create kites and windmills as they study alternative energy sources, the Columbia Grammar & Preparatory Fund (CGPF) plays a significant role in the daily lives and explorations of all of our students. It is crucial to retaining and attracting the best faculty and supplying them with robust professional development and preparing them to face any unexpected challenge. It supports the rollout of essential health and safety measures throughout our campus. Donations to the Fund boost financial aid, ensuring every one of our extraordinary students has access to everything CGPS offers.

Last year, our community united to achieve the highest level of participation to the CGPF in history! It is clear that, in spite of all the recent challenges we have faced, our community made the School a priority. Your generous commitment to the CGPF is the foundation of the CGPS experience. Every gift is valued and every gift, no matter the size, counts. During Our Year of Excellence, join us in helping our students bring our Core Value of Excellence to life. With your participation, 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