1764
THE MAGAZINE OF
COLUMBIA GRAMMAR & PREPARATORY SCHOOL
SP R I N G 20 1 9
1764, THE MAGAZINE OF COLUMBIA GRAMMAR & PREPARATORY SCHO OL SPRING 2019 COLUMBIA GRAMMAR & PREPARATORY SCHO OL HEAD OF SCHO OL Dr. William M. Donohue DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT Jennifer Rhodes EDITOR Jessie Saunders CONTRIBUTORS Marquis Austin Elizabeth Bacon Emily Harris Jessie Saunders DESIGN Generation Branding & Communication PRINCIPAL PHOTO GRAPHY Filip Wolak PHOTO GRAPHY Marquis Austin Emily Harris Elaine Kingman PRINTING Lane Press DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL EVENTS Anna Fisher COMMUNICATIONS CO ORDINATOR Emily Harris ADVANCEMENT ASSO CIATE Marquis Austin
BOARD OF TRUSTEES HEAD OF SCHO OL Dr. William M. Donohue OFFICERS Andrew Zaro, President Edward Stern ’83, Senior Vice President Paul Levy, Vice President Astrid SabellaRosa, Vice President Kapil Mathur, Treasurer Amy Rose, Secretary BOARD CHAIR John Bader TRUSTEES Bradley Amoils Becky Banyasz José Baselga Michael Bebon Julie Bernstein Dana Landis Birnbaum ’97 Leslee Cowen Donny Deutsch Amy France Marjorie Harris Sanford Heller Tracy Maitland Nir Meir Benjamin Pass Marielle Safra Ira Schwartz Daniel Sundheim Joseph Tahl Meredith Verona 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 TRUSTEE EX OFFICIO (2018–2019) Ava Schoenberg
#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
24
38
Letter from the Head of School
STEAM Central
A Nobel Calling
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CGPS NEWS
&
12 Community 15 Creative 18 Sports 20 Innovation
Innovation is alive in the Grammar and Middle Schools, where students are engineering everything from pathfinding robots to functional life-sized boats in the Makerspace and computer labs
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A Choice Curriculum
For Columbia Prep School students, dozens of advanced classes and over 100 college-style elective options cultivate a passion for learning and an independent spirit
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Band, Chorus, or Orchestra?
Through the thriving Middle School music program, students are immersed in choral singing and instrument study at the beginning of the school day
MIT Professor Emeritus Rainer Weiss ’50 was awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize for his discovery of ripples in space-time known as gravitational waves, part of his work with LIGO, or the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory. Professor Weiss generously discussed his time at CGPS and his advice for young scientists with 1764.
42 Graduation 2018
43 In Memoriam
44 Alumni Notes
52 1764 Looks Back
Letter
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Dear CGPS Family, It is with great pleasure that I present to our community the newly designed annual CGPS magazine, 1764. I am excited to have you pore over these pages filled with captivating photos and in-depth articles that will give you a glimpse into the One School view of CGPS, a view that I have the privilege of experiencing every day. Our talented faculty and staff are doing incredible work in every classroom, lab, theater and art studio of our School. In the Grammar School, Director Sarah McLean has reinvigorated the School’s commitment to Responsive Classroom (RC), an evidence-based program that facilitates both academic and social-emotional learning. The RC approach is associated with higher academic achievement, improved school community and higher-quality instruction, all of which we embrace as an ideal foundation for our youngest students. In our Middle School, students put their developing STEAM skills to the test in a sink-or-swim experience—they spent months combining the digital (sophisticated design software) and the analog (gaffer’s tape) to create life-sized watertight boats that were paddled by their teachers back and forth across our pool. Our science and engineering initiatives can be found in every grade at CGPS, but we are especially proud of our senior who, through pursuing Authentic Science Research,
discovered a new planet using Artificial Intelligence. He was rewarded with the honor of becoming a semifinalist in the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors, the Regeneron Science Talent Search, formerly known as the Westinghouse and also the Intel Science Talent Search. In addition, our Prep School students have the unique experience of choosing from over 100 electives and advanced classes in their junior and senior years. We believe that offering a flexible program, in which our students may pursue bold ideas inspired by the practices and passions of our faculty, is the best way for our students to cultivate their own interests and will ultimately lead to a powerful and balanced life. I’ve highlighted just a few of the amazing and textured experiences our students have every day at CGPS that are featured in this issue. As I have outlined in our Strategic Plan, available at www.cgps.org/plan, I look forward to expanding and improving these opportunities as we continue to work together to make CGPS the best possible experience for all our students and families. Sincerely, Dr. William M. Donohue
We believe that offering a flexible program, in which our students may pursue bold ideas inspired by the practices and passions of our faculty, is the best way for our students to cultivate their own interests and will ultimately lead to a powerful and balanced life.
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CGPS HEAD BECOMES
Top Headmaster! At the most recent meeting of The Headmasters Association, an organization founded in 1893 to serve as a unique forum for the leaders of our nation’s top secondary schools, our very own Dr. Donohue was named as President. Having been a member of the Association since 2000 and a member of the Executive Committee since 2017, Dr. Donohue was elected by his peers to serve as their leader for the next year. He has the unique opportunity to interface with Heads from across the country and be at the forefront of all the latest developments and challenges facing independent schools today. Congratulations, Dr. Donohue!
CGPS News
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A YEAR TO
Be Kind Throughout CGPS, students have been holding doors, picking up dropped pencils for friends and saying “please” and “thank you.” It’s all because of our One School initiative, “A Year to Be Kind.” “There are many attributes that are so important: gratitude, compassion, love, caring, empathy, respect. But we decided the most foundational for this year is to be kind. Especially in the context of world events, it’s a chance for everyone to be thoughtful about their actions,” said Grammar School Director Sarah McLean. In the Grammar School, librarians Ingrid Abrams and Joanna Sondheim provided books that foster empathy and kindness. In the Middle School, students read Am I Being Kind? by Michael J. Chase and were challenged to complete over 40 acts of kindness. In the Prep School, eighth graders completed three acts of kindness, created albums detailing what they did and wrote essays reflecting on the meaning of being kind in each action.
A NATIVE AMERICAN
Dr. Donohue
Pow Wow
PRESENTS STRATEGIC PLAN
On February 22, the third grade performed in a traditional Native American Pow Wow as part of their unit on Native American history and culture. Students rehearsed under the tutelage of Cliff Matias, founder of the Redhawk Native American Arts Council. They also created clay bowls in art class to fundraise for the Empty Bowls Project, an international organization that works to fight hunger.
Dr. Bill Donohue presented his “One School” Strategic Plan to over four hundred parents this school year, outlining his vision for CGPS’s future. The One School philosophy reflects CGPS’s one set of core values, one collegial and collaborative faculty, one coordinated curriculum and one
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spirited and cohesive student body. The Strategic Plan, Dr. Donohue said, “is a three-year commitment to nurture the potential of each of our students in a relevant, dynamic and achievement oriented atmosphere. We prepare our students, in an environment free of unnecessary stress, to excel with the flexibility and innovation needed for global success.” The five pillars supporting the plan are Excellence for All, Faculty and Staff, Community, Finance and Facilities and Strategic Communications. Dr. Donohue looks forward to working together with faculty, staff, the Board of Trustees and wider community to implement the Strategic Plan’s vision.
Faculty Focus Prep School: Andy Chappell Andrew Chappell arrived at CGPS in 2004 as a Prep School math teacher, and now teaches seven Prep School math, economics and computer science classes. He loves teaching algebra to eighth graders. “It’s exciting to watch students respond to and persevere through challenges. The students
grow with algebra as the groundwork for their math careers.” He’s also a fixture on the court and on the field as the head coach for Girls Varsity Soccer and Girls Varsity Basketball (plus, he’s the assistant coach for the Powerlifting team!). Girls Varsity Basketball is now in their fifth straight year as NYCAL champions; Girls Varsity Soccer is in their eighth. “Teaching high school athletes that it’s ok to be aggressive and go after what they want is really important. That passion and energy makes all the difference in the world,” he said. Outside of School, Coach Chappell has recently been named an assistant coach for the USA Women’s Soccer Team at this summer’s Maccabiah Games. Middle School: Veronika Bromberg Veronika Bromberg joined CGPS as a Middle School arts teacher after earning a certificate at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in arts education with a specialization in arts integration. She has created integrated programming in the Middle School that teaches students to make connections across disciplines. In 2017, Ms. Bromberg received a CGPS summer professional development grant to travel to Morocco with an organization called GEEO, which organizes international trips for educators. Inspired by her travels, Ms. Bromberg developed the Moroccan Tile Project for fifth graders, in which students are designing, painting, glazing and firing Moroccan-
inspired ceramic tiles. Ms. Bromberg’s project brings students to the MET’s Islamic Wing, draws on Middle School math concepts like geometry to inform their design and incorporates lessons through their Spanish classes on the geography, history and culture of al-Andalus. “This programming reinforces content from different contexts that creates more meaningful learning experiences for students,” Ms. Bromberg said. Grammar School: Jeanne Levin and Linda Calaicone Jeanne Levin and Linda Calaicone see Grammar School students both during and after school, as they serve as co-coordinators for physical education classes and the After School program. In physical education, Ms. Calaicone specializes in gymnasium sports and games, and Ms. Levin coordinates swim. Grammar School students spend four out of six days in each cycle engaging in physical education. “In swim class, we help children develop a sense of water safety. They develop a love of the water and can excel,” Ms. Levin said. Ms. Calaicone added, “Seeing the children grow is my favorite part of being a specialist teacher. We see them throughout their entire tenure in the Grammar School.”
CGPS News Meet the New Faculty This year, 13 new teachers and administrators joined the over 300 faculty and staff at School, and 1764 asked them what makes their areas of expertise so compelling Cary Rosillo, Prep School science teacher “Learning from the natural world has driven my research focus in field ecology. By incorporating experiential learning with my courses, I have been impressed with my students’ willingness to step out of their comfort zones.”
Jasmine Rebadavia ’10, Prep School math teacher “Math makes us ask ourselves, ‘How can I use all of this information to arrive at some sort of insight?’ Although some like the satisfaction of finding a solution, there’s much joy in the odyssey of problem solving.”
Nick Verga, Prep School science teacher “I love to teach physics because it is a subject we interact with every day. I enjoy seeing my students have an ‘Aha!’ moment when they come to understand how something around them works.”
Chris Blockus, Prep School history teacher “Learning history is like walking into a lab full of social Petri dishes that can be examined to cut through our own cultural mythology and improve how we live.”
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Marco Cardinali, Prep School math teacher “Mathematics is extremely elegant—I love to learn, discuss and teach its beauty. The small class sizes here at CGPS allow me to interact with each student individually. Developing these connections with students has made teaching feel more rewarding.”
Frances Nemeroff, Prep School English teacher “I love the way reading books expands our imaginations, and I appreciate the challenge of writing. High school is a great place to practice and experiment with both skills, and it’s a treat to be a guide to students as they do so.”
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David Soson, Prep School music teacher “It’s wonderful to see students grow their music skills and knowledge year after year and experience joy and community throughout the process. These students find a second home in the music department and receive a high-level music-making experience.”
Jess Harrison, Middle School Librarian “Middle Schoolers are very passionate and curious, and as their librarian I try to foster that curiosity and channel it into discovering the world around and beyond them.”
Juliana Gluck, kindergarten classroom teacher “It has been so exciting to watch my kindergarten students gain skills and confidence, both academically and socially.”
Chantal Balogh, Grammar School Assistant Director “As a learning leader, it’s my passion to think about how to help transform a community that values learning over work, understanding over knowledge, and deep thinking, independence and a growth mindset.”
Madison Morini, kindergarten classroom teacher “What drives my passion is the children! I love learning, laughing and growing with them every day. Seeing how much they have changed since September has been amazing.”
Michelle Kleinbaum, kindergarten classroom teacher “I get to witness such young children make huge strides in their growth as learners and students. Seeing my students’ faces light up when they are proud of themselves is truly rewarding.”
Kim Tolksdorf, kindergarten classroom teacher “We give our students so many of their ‘first’ experiences. It is exhilarating when they realize they can read a whole sentence or tackle a math problem without help. I’m also proud to see their acts of kindness as they develop empathy and teamwork.”
CGPS News
Ready, Set, Swim! The Grammar School swim program helps build confidence in the water for our youngest students. Eight faculty members teach swim, allowing each class to break up into small groups of three to seven. This individualized attention is key to strengthening this vital skill-set and encouraging a lifelong love of the sport.
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Farm to
(FOURTH GRADE)
Table
CGPS’s Lion’s Cub Farmers Market sells produce from Hepworth Farms, a seventh-generation, organic, family-run farm located just outside the city, from late September to midNovember. The market is open to the whole community, and the business is led by science teacher Stephanie Avena and run by the fourth grade students. “Food has a wonderful way of bringing people together,” Ms. Avena said. The students are divided into three different roles: some bag produce, some record sales in their
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computer spreadsheets and some manage the cash flow by giving change to customers when a purchase is made. “We like to say, ‘There’s a please and thank you in every sale.’ Part of being kind is taking the time to say thank you for your business,” said Ms. Avena—the One School Kindness Initiative showed up all over CGPS! Lessons from the farmers market extend beyond the walls of the cafeteria: They inform the entire environmental science curriculum. This year students researched food transportation, climate change, food harvesting and other parts of the global food supply chain.
Let’s Debate
Columbia Prep Debate, American Par liamentary Debate, Model Congress, Model UN, Mock Trial and the eighth grade Debate Club are all thriving. From making opening statements in front of a sitting judge during the New York State Mock Trial Tournament, to employing the slippery slope fallacy, to undermining an opponent’s argument during a parliamentary-style debate, the students in these groups are developing their public speaking skills, both rehearsed and extemporaneous. “Public speaking that requires preparation is certainly one skill that they learn, but they also need to think on their feet. They learn to spin arguments out of thin air,” says Scott Wilson, adviser of Columbia Prep Debate. Jason M. ’21, co-founder of the American Parliamentary Debate team and member of Model Congress, Model UN and Mock Trial, urges students to recognize the benefits of joining a rhetoric club: “The public speaking, persuasion and leadership
skills you get in these clubs are amazing. Joining is a great opportunity to practice those skills.” For any students hesitant to join due to lack of debate experience, Jason has, well, a rebuttal: “These clubs have passionate members, people who really care about the subject, and they will walk you through it. There is incredible support in these clubs.”
Above top: Members of the fourth grade sell carrots and Brussels sprouts (and make correct change) at the Lion’s Cub Farmers Market, a fall feature of the Grammar School. Above bottom: Members of the American Parliamentary Debate team, one of several debate teams popular in the Prep School.
CGPS News
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Reading Buddies In the Grammar School library, students meet once every other cycle for Reading Buddies. At the beginning of each year, our youngest Grammar School students are partnered with older Grammar School students who encourage a love of reading in their young friends.
Media Matters Six years ago, Sam Taubenfeld ’14, Lorenzo Soo ’14, and Jason Dessen ’14, then motivated CGPS juniors, began Columbia Prep TV, or CPTV. CPTV members write, edit, produce and perform their segments, which include coverage of the breadth of CGPS life: community and current events, sports, arts and profiles of students and faculty. “Students enjoy the opportunity to have their accomplishments and their talents put into the spotlight,” Landon Wickham, faculty adviser for CPTV, said. Managing Editor Julia G. ’19 explained, “We’re trying to show what it’s like to be a student at Columbia Prep. For example, we do funny segments where we take two siblings and do a contest of
Members of CPTV set up in front of their green screen in preparation for their morning news broadcast.
who knows the other one better. We’ll involve the faculty. We give students the ability to stay informed about their school in a fun and interactive way.” There are benefits for those students interested in a career in TV or film. “Students can create a reel that they then present to colleges as a portfolio. The students learn how to
put stories together, how to do research and how to produce,” Mr. Wickham said. He added that the process also teaches students to take ownership of their content: “There’s trust and a sense of responsibility on the part of the students to this community every time they report a piece.”
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MIDDLE SCHO OL
Mathletes Every other Friday, over sixty Middle School students with math-mania gather for the MS Math Team, mentored by the Middle School’s math coordinator, Jessica Merrick. “We want to challenge our kids who were looking for a more advanced level of mathematics,” Ms. Merrick said. This fall, the team participated in the AMC 8, a 25-question, 40-minute multiple choice exam geared toward those in the eighth grade, but open to fifth through seventh graders as well. Seventh grader Mason S. scored in the top 5% in the nation and was one of the five high-scoring students Ms. Merrick chose to represent the School at the MATHCOUNTS Competition in February, alongside Sabina L. ’25, Moise S. ’24, Graham S. ’24 and Hannah W. ’24. That team finished ninth out of approximately 70 teams while Mason individually placed 19th out of more than 300 students. In April, 28 Middle School girls competed in and won the Girls’ Adventure in Mathematics, a competition for girls in grades three through eight. A Middle School parent said, “My son and his friends truly enjoy the MS Math Team, where they are challenged to think outside the box and approach problem-solving in a creative way. They also teach each other and collaborate on solutions, making the experience more engaging and inspiring.” Going forward, Ms. Merrick intends to continue to challenge the School’s rising mathletes. “Our students are looking to push their math intelligence to the next level.”
Margo Potter Retires Paris. Cyprus. Brussels. Amman. Tunis. Before coming to CGPS in 1993, Director of the Middle School Margo Potter was a world traveler, teaching in schools across Europe and the Middle East. For Ms. Potter, New York was just another posting for her husband, who worked at the State Department, and she was considering taking a pause in her career— until, “sitting around our sparselyfurnished apartment,” her husband saw a listing for an English teacher in the Sunday New York Times. A 26-year career at CGPS was born. After teaching for three years, Ms. Potter became Dean for the seventh and eighth grades and then the Assistant director of the Prep School under former director Sue Kilmer. When the decision was made to establish the Middle School in 2015, Ms. Potter was tapped to lead the transition, no small task. “Thanks to Margo’s hard work and dedication, the mandate to open the Middle School has been ably fulfilled with grace, care and intelligence. It has been a pleasure to have worked closely with Margo,” Head of School Bill Donohue says. She oversaw everything from hiring new faculty to ordering desks and choosing paint
colors. In just three years, the Middle School has become a center of collaboration and innovation, including thriving STEAM, math and music programs, a feat Ms. Potter, with characteristic modesty, lays squarely on the shoulders of her dedicated Middle School faculty. “I’ve always been about collaboration,” she says. When hiring for the Middle School, she searched out “teachers who are compassionate about this age group, and empathetic” to both the academic and social-emotional needs of Middle School students. CGPS is “a humane institution, and I have loved working with my colleagues during my years here,” she says. Now, she is planning to retire to Massachusetts, and spend some time visiting her old haunts: “I want to get back to Paris!”
CGPS is “a humane institution, and I have loved working with my colleagues during my years here.”
& Community A Vibrant Community CGPS’s diversity and inclusion club, MECA, gives Prep and Middle School students a forum to talk about today’s important issues By Marquis Austin
MECA leaders attended the NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference in Nashville, Tennessee in November 2018.
The Multi-Ethnic Cultural Awareness Club, or MECA, is a group that “gives students a safe space to talk about issues in our world and in our School that we normally do not have the opportunity to talk about,” as member Charlina C. ’19 concisely describes. MECA is one of the most popular clubs in the Prep School, and its members embrace cultural, ethnic, racial and religious differences as the fundamental ingredients of a vibrant community. While tenth grade Dean Victor Puccio and technology teacher Melanie Royster advise MECA, a small group of Prep School leaders spearhead the Club’s meetings and events. Each year, six MECA leaders undergo intensive training on effective peer
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leadership and how to best support social justice initiatives at the NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference, which took place in Nashville this year. These MECA leaders bring their new skills back to CGPS and utilize them to improve the Club’s own community outreach and engagement. It is this training that is essential when helping guide the discussion of events beyond CGPS’s walls. In a recent MECA meeting, the Club’s leaders conducted a presentation on the history of blackface and facilitated thought-provoking discussion afterward. Prep School Director Joanie Dean, who sat in on this meeting, was particularly impressed by the
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leadership on display. “MECA’s leaders created an atmosphere in which everyone listened to each other in an extremely respectful way. I was very proud of our students and know many can learn from their fine example.” MECA plays a significant role in organizing Equity Day, a day in which all of the Prep School’s social justice clubs come together to spread awareness on a designated topic. In 2017, the students shed light on mass incarceration in the United States. In addition to setting up educational displays in the School lobby, the students arranged a screening of 13th, a documentary exploring the country’s racially unjust prison system, and talks with individuals from the Innocence Project, a nonprofit that exonerates wrongly convicted inmates. This year’s Equity Day will take place in May and focus on the global refugee crisis and other casualties of war. Inspired by the Prep School’s Club’s efforts, Middle School teacher Stefanie Trepper founded MECA Middle two years ago. Not only does Ms. Trepper see the formation of MECA Middle as a step toward trying
to “build a lexicon for kids to speak to different issues surrounding social justice, equity and anti-bias,” but she also considers it an opportunity to establish stronger connections between students across divisions. “Another mission of MECA Middle is to build relationships between the Prep School and the Middle School so that we’re forming a community,” said Ms. Trepper. Each week, Prep School MECA leaders visit MECA Middle to act as mentors to their younger peers. This type of cross-divisional coordination is an excellent example of the One School ethos in action. “This Club has inspired me to expand my passion for diversity education. I constantly come out of MECA having changed positively,” said Imani C. ’20, a MECA leader and a participant in the 2018 Student Diversity Leadership Conference. Ms. Trepper hopes people recognize the value in MECA, and, like Imani, become inspired to get more involved. “Social justice and equity work really is a vehicle for bringing communities together, and I see that every week in MECA.”
“Social justice and equity work really is a vehicle for bringing communities together, and I see that every week in MECA.”
& Community School Lunch Dr. Orli Etingin ’72, who leads the Iris Cantor Women’s Health Center at Weill Cornell, and her fellow ’72 alumnae have a new tradition: a standing lunch (or dinner) date, inspired by their 40th reunion By Jessie Saunders In the spring of 1972, Orli Etingin and her 38 classmates—18 of them girls—graduated from Columbia Prep and went on to lead busy, productive lives. Ms. Etingin herself went on to become Dr. Etingin, specializing in hematology. In 1996, she founded the Women’s Health Center Weill Cornell Medicine, known after 2002 as the Iris Cantor Women’s Health Center, and is the Lisa and Sanford B. Ehrenkranz Professor in Women’s Health at Weill Cornell Medical College. Other classmates made their own way, too. Nora Wolfson finished her undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley and went on to become a consulting psychotherapist. Ann Kappell Danner taught at independent schools in New York and Washington, D.C., and then got a master’s from Johns Hopkins in counseling. Other students were archivists at the Smithsonian and the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Senior Vice Presidents at Real Estate firms, owners of legendary Upper East Side bakeries, and wives, mothers and
A casual senior portrait of the Class of 1972 from their yearbook. The 18 women from this class have re-established friendships after 40 years.
grandmothers. Dr. Etingin recalled, “Columbia Grammar was a very special place where people really cared about us. The teachers were very good about helping every student reach their potential.” In 2012, these women returned to CGPS for their 40th reunion. “All the girls from our class were at the 40th,” Ms. Kappell Danner said, “and there was a level of excitement in seeing each other that I didn’t expect. Several of us went out to dinner after the official reunion because we weren’t finished reconnecting. The rest was history.” From that reunion started an email chain and a resolution to rekindle connections made years ago on the steps of the 94th Street brownstones. Ms. Wolfson said, “I’m bi-coastal—I live in the Bay area but am in New York fairly often for work.
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Whenever I come East, I email the group. People have reconnected and have become close friends again. It’s kind of wild!” For Dr. Etingin, “The meals with my classmates have been rich and wonderful. Some of us are career women, some of us are not. Some of us are married. Some of us are grandmas now. We all have done different things in our lives, but the friendship bond runs deep. It wasn’t really until our 40th that we all showed up—in the first ten to 20 years after graduation, you’re either working like crazy, or parenting like crazy, or both. You hardly have time for cultivating new friendships, old friendships or anything besides getting done what you have to get done. At a certain point in life, you have more time and the connections mean more.”
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A Senior Moment Through Senior Play, students take charge of every aspect of a performance—and own their artistic vision; in Production Workshop, they support the Spring Play from behind the scenes. By Jessie Saunders At CGPS, theater studies means immersing oneself both in the world in front of the spotlight—and the one behind it. Through the Theater 9 curriculum, ninth graders are introduced to all facets of theater, from lighting and set design to costuming, makeup and stage-management. “We spark student interest with the theater program extracurricularly through Theater 9,” Sarah Cusick, Head of the Theater Department, said. As sophomores and juniors, students can
& Creative
choose from electives that range from costume or lighting design, to acting and directing studios. The culmination of this comprehensive program are two upper-level theater classes, fall semester’s Senior Play and spring’s Production Work shop. Senior Play allows seniors to produce and direct one-act plays, and appear in other productions as actors. It’s a serious commitment that starts in junior year, when aspiring directors meet with Ms. Cusick and members of her faculty. The students sign a contract of intent, which outlines the time commitment and is reviewed by the students’ parents. After Labor Day, the directors meet with the entire theater department and pitch four ideas. Once the one acts are chosen, the students are in charge of everything to do with the production, including the budgets. They recruit crew from outside the class to help with production and stage management. “Collaboration, communication,
The Senior Play class gives seniors creative autonomy to source, cast, produce and direct their own one-act plays. Here, Anna Lei N. ’19 performs in Bee by Stephen Bittrich, directed by Kylie K. ’19.
“What we ask in class is that students show growth. It’s important to learn how to talk to people about their work in a way that’s non-threatening and productive.” creativity and problem-solving are hallmarks of our department,” says Ms. Cusick. “We ask that students show growth. It’s important to learn how to talk to people about their work in a non-threatening and
& Creative productive way. The Senior Play class gives the students incredible practice in this. It’s a huge milestone.” Senior Play student Anna Lei N. ’19 said, “I had never been a part of anything like Senior Play before and I enjoyed the ‘peer leader’ feel of it. They are our directors, but not our teachers.” Production Workshop is a theatertech class that supports the Spring Play. This year, it’s a “devised” play, called Brainstorm, about the teenage brain. The script has a framework from an original production in
“ Collaboration, communication, creativity and problem-solving are hallmarks of our department,” Sarah Cusick, Head of the Theater Department, said. Members of Senior Play must manage a budget, recruit tech crew and design their own sets. They will not rest until everything is perfect. “One year, a student even brought a couch from home,” said Ms. Cusick.
London, but will draw directly from the experiences of the student cast and crew. In Production Workshop, the students submit their theatertech résumé and are interviewed for Spring Play production roles. Each year, the class is tailored to fit the individual talents of the students. Anna Lei said students “have so much input in Production Workshop. Being able to spark ideas with the faculty is great—and seeing your work on stage, as an actor and as a creative team member, is really rewarding.”
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Old School, New School Prep School students develop their photography talents in the dark room and at the computer Digital or analog? “These are all just creative tools, and that’s how we see them in the art department. Whether it’s a DSLR or a point-and-shoot camera or a smartphone, they are different creative tools. All of them are equally valuable in terms of being creative,” Prep School digital photography teacher Stevenson Estimé explained. His colleague Andrew Stole, who instructs Prep School students in the art of film photography, echoes this sentiment: “Film photography is just another way to express yourself.” Students focus on learning and understanding the foundations of photography, such as choice of subject matter, emphasis, vantage point and composition in both disciplines. “I believe in the same way that we learn a language we learn the foundations first and then we build on them,” Mr. Estimé said. Whatever their medium of choice may be, Mr. Stole advocates for students to pick up a camera and document what’s around them. “Regardless of what you’re shooting with, whether it’s a digital camera, your phone or a film camera, just to appreciate the beauty in everyday things and take your time and slow down a little bit is really important,” said Mr. Stole. “A great thing that comes out of photography is an appreciation for what’s around you.”
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Clockwise from top left: Digital photography from Carter M. ’21 and Saskia S. ’21; Film photography developed in the School’s darkroom from Emily B. ’19, Madeleine H. ’19 and Andrew W. ’19.
& Sports
A Banner Year A dominating year for the Girls Varsity Basketball Team results in a NYCAL title and a well-deserved semifinal finish in the NYSAISAA tournament By Marquis Austin The Girls Varsity Basketball Team was feeling punchy. Each season, the team picks a movie to inspire them to succeed. This year, they chose the Rocky-revival film Creed, the players and Coach Andy Chappell standing in for heavyweight champion contender Adonis Creed and his trainer, Rocky Balboa, respectively. In team emails, Coach Chappell would channel his inner Rocky: “Leave nothing in that ring. Let’s touch gloves and be ready to go! This fight is ours.”
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Creed demonstrated how “the toughest thing we have to battle is ourselves,” said Coach Chappell. Throughout the season, the girls called on their inner Creeds and ended up with a record of 22–3, the best in School history. They were NYCAL Regular Season Champions for the fourth straight year, NYCAL Postseason Season Champions for the fourth time in five years and semifinalists in the NYSAISAA Girls Varsity Basketball Tournament. The players credit their success this season to their ability to come together and play effectively as a team. “We’re all just one,” said Dakota F. ’20. On a two-night winter break trip to Springfield, Massachusetts, the girls bonded over a visit to the NBA Hall of Fame, bowling and sharing stories around a virtual campfire which flickered brightly from Coach Chappell’s computer screen. “It was fantastic watching these girls progress from close to being like sisters,”
said Coach Chappell. All season long, the girls demonstrated this familial connection, having each others’ backs when the going got tough. Seniors Talia R. and Maddy H. are particularly known for giving motivating speeches in tense moments on the court, much appreciated by teammate Ginger H. ’20: “We lift each other up,” she proudly affirmed. The girls were able to successfully play with what Emma B. ’20 called a “next play mentality.” In the past, “It was pretty hard to say to ourselves, ‘Okay, next play. Stop focusing on the past, move on and turn that negative energy into something positive.’ I think this season, being that we’re so close, that totally clicked everything into place for all of us.” In their game against Holy Child, the girls were down 14 points going into the fourth quarter, but everyone remained positive, and they secured the win. “We just went into that fourth quarter saying, ‘We’re going to do what we
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know how to do,’ and that’s what we did,” Tessa W. ’20 remembered. Coach Chappell considers their “energy and the way they respond in moments like that” to be driving forces behind this historic season. “I’ve watched them over the last four years go from kids that get upset about little things and let them knock their confidence down and take away from their self-worth to kids that don’t let that happen as much anymore,” remarked Coach Chappell as he reminisced
about his veteran players’ (including juniors and seniors Talia, Maddy, Dakota, Tessa, Ginger and Emma) progression from their rookie seasons to their most recent, record-breaking one. Exhibiting a strong work ethic, fluid teamwork and unwavering determination, this season the Girls Varsity Basketball team set not only records, but also a perfect example for the entire CGPS community to follow.
Opposite: Coach Andy Chappell and the Girls Varsity Basketball Team psych themselves up with some Creed-inspired shadowboxing before a game. Below: A spin move towards the basket for Tessa W. ’20 during a game against Rye Country Day in the North Gym.
ATHLETIC DIRECTOR
Joseph Grande
Girls Varsity Basketball 2018–2019 Emma B. ’20 Isabella B. ’22 Sabrina B. ’20 Dakota F. ’20 Claire H. ’22 Ginger H. ’20 Maddy H. ’19* Khadija K. ’22
Talia R. ’19* Hoang V. ’20 Amanda W. ’23 Tessa W. ’20 Managers Sasha K. ’21 Grace W. ’19
Head Coach Andy Chappell Coaches Dominique Williams Stephen Davis *Captains
Although in his first year as Director of Athletics and Physical Education, Joseph Grande has been a mainstay in the athletics program for 16 years. Joining the School as a math teacher in 2003, Mr. Grande also coached soccer and basketball and was named Assistant Director of Athletics and Physical Education shortly after. Sports played a significant role in his life: Mr. Grande credits his own team experiences with shaping him into the person he is today. “It teaches responsibility and the value of hard work,” he said. Mr. Grande is focusing on “being a presence” by showing up at practices and games with highfives and words of encouragement, so the student-athletes see that the department supports them. “We have great kids who are working hard, and it’s rewarding,” Mr. Grande says. “I am proud to watch these teams succeed. It means a lot to me. It’s great for our School community.”
& Innovation Responsive Classrooms
1764: Can you discuss the profound connections between academic learning and social-emotional learning at the Grammar School level?
Now in her second year as Director of the Grammar School, Sarah McLean talks to 1764 about the role the Responsive Classroom program plays in creating a safe and enriching atmosphere for learning
SARAH MCLEAN: Children need to feel safe in order to learn. They have to feel like they can take risks in their classroom, because learning is about taking risks and making mistakes. The foundational work that we do is building classroom community. In every classroom, we create a feeling of safety and comfort and then introduce increasingly greater levels of risk. This allows students to take increasing levels of autonomy over their own learning. That’s what we’re after—children having agency and independence as learners, so that
1764: The Responsive Classroom (RC) program is an “evidence-based” approach to education. Can you elaborate on that? SARAH MCLEAN: RC provides educators with a set of tools that have been tested in classrooms for decades—there is a documented body of work behind it. RC practices are being used in classrooms all over the world, and the organization is constantly growing and evolving their programs. Our School has been partnered with Responsive Classroom for over a decade. Some of the teachers who had completed their initial training then repeated the training this past summer at my suggestion. They found the training had evolved because the Responsive Classroom toolbox evolves as new pedagogies emerge.
Grammar School Director Sarah McLean takes a moment during the school day to read the children’s classic picture book Madeleine with a kindergarten student.
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they’re coming to school because they want to learn. Learning is the reward. RC is a great partner in that effort because there’s a whole toolbox of practices that helps educators get to the results we want and believe in. 1764: RC is split into four domains: Engaging Academics, Positive Community, Effective Management and Developmentally Responsive Teaching. Can you tell us more about these? SARAH MCLEAN: RC is often associated with the idea of “Positive Community,” but the “Developmen tally Responsive Teaching” and “Engaging Academics” domains are equally important. RC is just as much
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about helping us deliver engaging academics as it is about us building positive community. Part of my job is to explain how these domains work in context, and I’m excited to be planning Parent Mornings for the 2019– 2020 academic year based on the domain of “Developmentally Respon sive Teaching,” so that parents can be effective partners in the education of their children. Parents wonder, “Who are kindergartners?” “Who are first graders?” We can help answer those questions from an academic and developmental standpoint with the RC toolkit. 1764: One of the guiding principles of RC is, “How we work together as adults to create a safe, joyful and inclusive school environment is as important as our individual contribution or competence.” Can you elaborate? SARAH MCLEAN: As much as teachers love autonomy, they also want to work together. They know that by collaborating closely, the Grammar School is going to be able to create a whole that’s greater than the sum of its parts. Part of the work
that Chantal Balogh, our new Assistant Director, does is to help our faculty create a safe, joyful and inclusive environment. This year, we have added an additional grade-level team-planning meeting every week, doubling the amount of collaboration time, as well as a weekly team meeting for our specialist teachers and a weekly team meeting for our coordinators. By getting together to share and problemsolve, teachers can grow to better meet the needs of our students. 1764: What is “teacher language”? SARAH MCLEAN: Our language is a representation of our thinking. Some times our language may reinforce concepts incorrectly. A concrete example of this would be when a teacher says, “Thank you for tidying up quickly.” The teacher may mean it as a compliment, but, in fact, the message to the students is that they are tidying up quickly to please the teacher. In the classroom, however, learning is the reward. So, that sentiment would be better phrased as, “You tidied up so quickly! Now we have more time for learning.”
“Children need to feel safe in order to learn. They have to feel like they can take risks in their classroom, because learning is about taking risks and making mistakes.” SARAH MCLEAN, DIRECTOR OF THE GRAMMAR SCHO OL
WHAT IS
Responsive Classroom? Responsive Classroom defines itself as “an evidence-based approach to teaching that focuses on engaging academics, positive community, effective management and developmental awareness. It helps elementary and middle school educators to create safe and joyful learning communities where students develop strong social and academic skills and every student can thrive. Independent research has found that the Responsive Classroom approach is associated with higher academic achievement in math and reading, improved school climate and higher-quality instruction.”
& Innovation Scientific American Regeneron semifinalist Bi Tian Y. ’19 talks about discovering a new planet, his goals for the future and the support of his faculty mentor, Prep School science teacher Ilya Yashin By Marquis Austin Senior Bi Tian Y. was named a top 300 semifinalist at the 78th Regeneron Science Talent Search in January, following in the footsteps of 18 MacArthur Foundation Fellowship and 13 Nobel Prize winners—all former Regeneron semifinalists themselves. The Regeneron Science Talent Search (Regeneron STS) is the country’s most prestigious science research competition. Formerly sponsored by Westinghouse and Intel, Regeneron STS is known
for identifying and supporting the American scientific pioneers of tomorrow. Fascinated by astronomy, Bi Tian spent the summer of 2017 searching for new planets. He was frustrated with the search methods available: “I wanted to make a more powerful tool to search through hundreds and thousands of data at once.” He was determined to do it himself through Artificial Intelligence (AI) and set out to create a convolutional neural network (CNN), a type of AI used in image recognition. In preparation, he taught himself Python, an AI programming language, took online courses and read scientific papers in AI and astronomy. Bi Tian then partnered with a professor from the University of Florida, who mentored Bi Tian as he began developing his own CNN. When his CNN was ready, he applied it to NASA’s database and discovered an ultra-short-life planet.
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This fall, he enlisted the help of Prep School physics teacher Ilya Yashin to ensure he was effectively summarizing his findings in the 20-page paper required by Regeneron STS. Mr. Yashin focused on helping Bi Tian organize all of his research to clearly emphasize the significance of his work. Director of the Prep School Joanie Dean said, “The Prep School is so proud of Bi Tian and his exceptional accomplishment. His initiative, independence and determination will inspire future Columbia Prep students.” Bi Tian intends to study astronomy and computer science at Stanford University and continue with his research, aspiring to uncover a second Earth-like planet and start his own space company like Elon Musk. “I wanted to do scientific research because I felt like there was a wall in front of the astronomy community,” he says. For Bi Tian, science research provides the opportunity to leave “an indelible mark to signify that you were indeed there and have contributed something meaningful.”
For Bi Tian, science research provides the opportunity to explore areas where there is a lack of knowledge and leave “an indelible mark to signify that you were indeed there and have contributed something meaningful.”
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Chess Master The CGPS chess program, established by chess educator Sophia Rohde, has changed the rules for how chess is taught to children By Emily Harris When CGPS chess instructor Sophia Rohde arrived at CGPS in 1990, she had no idea how much the chess program would develop. The release of 1992’s Searching for Bobby Fischer “catapulted interest—it was really organic after that,” Ms. Rohde said. Chess began as an after-school program co-run by CGPS chess instructor John MacArthur. By 1995, chess was in the curriculum for kindergartners and first graders. “We appreciated the benefits of engaged children who could focus for 45 minutes,” Ms. Rohde recalled. “That’s impressive.” The program then expanded to include second graders. This unique curriculum is as much an academic discipline as it is a strategic sport. Students learn about the history of chess from the 1400s through today, study famous chess champions and even learn about all of the chess-playing Presidents. “Chess is for everyone and everywhere—it hasn’t gone out of style in 1500 years. Before there was television, there was chess to open minds,” Ms. Rohde said. Early introduction of chess, she explained, lays a strong foundation for a life-long skill—as evidenced by the thriving Prep School club and the Middle School club and module. Prep School students volunteer after school in the Middle School. “That
The power of chess: kindergartners and first graders at CGPS spend 45 minutes a class engaged in their matches.
connection is important. It’s mentorship for the Middle Schoolers and leadership for the Prep Schoolers,” Ms. Rohde said. Chess students have also made an impact outside school. Prep Schoolers volunteer as guides for disabled players during tournaments and at chess camps. The Community Service office has created a partnership with DOROT—a senior citizen outreach program—to provide partners for chess matches. Ms. Rohde said, “CGPS has actively reached out to the chess community in New York City.” In 2013, Ms. Rohde established the Magnus League, a city-wide series of tournaments for students of all skill levels. “There was no place for high schoolers to play in a team tournament,” Ms. Rohde said. The league is open to students from grades seven through twelve. “We believe in everybody being on the team,” Ms. Rohde said—and overall, “Learning is winning. I want children to enjoy chess and keep coming back to it.”
Sophia Rohde Outside of School, Ms. Rohde is an active educator in New York State chess programs. Three years ago, Ms. Rohde was nominated to be on the U.S. Women’s Chess Committee to help them craft their mission and values. From her own participation in women’s chess, Ms. Rohde became aware of a strong underrepresentation of girls in chess. Ms. Rohde decided to create the New York State Girls Chess Championship to encourage inclusivity and diversity in the game of chess. Ms. Rohde’s passion for incorporating chess into educational curriculum, and for creating opportunities for youth play where none existed, has garnered the attention of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who sent Ms. Rohde a personal letter applauding her dedication to fostering a lifelong passion for chess in youth and helping guide and mentor young people.
Middle School math coordinator Jessica Merrick successfully paddles across the CGPS pool in a boat designed, engineered and constructed by students in Middle School STEAM coordinator Jon Olivera’s class.
ST EAM Central Innovation is alive in the Grammar and Middle Schools, where students are engineering everything from pathfinding robots to functional, life-sized boats BY EMILY HARRIS
One December afternoon, at least a dozen life-sized boats—made out of cardboard, meticulously covered in gaffer’s tape and barnacled with recycled water-cooler bottles—were being carried by their creators across 93rd street, in a kind of large-scale urban portage. It was the seventh grade Boat Launch, a Middle School STEAM project that combined digital (sophisticated design software) and analog (the aforementioned gaffer’s tape) in a months-long unit to create watertight boats that the wary Middle School faculty were charged with paddling back and forth across the School’s pool.
It was a STEAM design project that was literally sink or swim, and, much to the teachers’ relief, all boats were engineering success stories. The project was conceived by Middle School STEAM coordinator Jon Olivera, who said, “The boats keep improving. Next year, we’re going to make the building process more difficult.” Educators like Mr. Olivera, and his counterparts Chris McLaughlin and Peter Ross in the Grammar School, are innovating with an integrative, collaborative STEAM (an acronym for science, technology, engineering, arts and math) curriculum.
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In the Grammar School, Mr. McLaughlin is in charge of the Makerspace, part science lab, part woodshop and part art studio that encourages students to design, experiment and tinker. “This is a place for the students’ creativity to come to life. I want to get them comfortable with the idea of being frustrated. We can hit a little bit of failure and then work around that roadblock to create.” Next door, in computer science teacher Peter Ross’s classroom, students create designs using TinkerCad, then send them to the Makerspace’s 3D printer. Their aim is to make connections within the curriculum. In the third grade, children design interactive board games, using Makey Makey circuit systems and Scratch programming, based on the history of the Northeast Woodlands Indigenous people, the focus of their Social Studies curriculum. In the fourth grade, a math project in which students design and budget for an aquarium science center gets a STEAM twist as they then program a CoSpaces Virtual Reality version of their design. “The Grammar School STEAM programming really fosters an environment of creativity and open learning,” Mr. McLaughlin said. The Grammar School program lays a strong foundation for more advanced engineering in the Middle School. “I glean from Chris what programs, technology and base level skill set the students have at the end of the fourth
“There is a major need to challenge students with real-world problems, show them the relationships between subject areas and enhance their engineering skills.” JON OLIVERA , MIDDLE SCHO OL STEAM CO ORDINATOR
grade and build from there,” Mr. Olivera said. In the Middle School, the students start to learn about how lessons across disciplines can relate to, and even inform, one another. “There is a major need to challenge students with real-world problems, show them the relationships between subject areas and enhance their engineering skills,” Mr. Olivera explained. “Preparing students to enter a world where they have an appropriate skill set is critical.”
27 SPRIN G 2019 Opposite page: Grammar School Computer Science Teacher Peter Ross helps a fourth grade student with some analog construction in the Makerspace. Behind them, a line of 3-D printers. Left: Sixth graders assemble and program VEX IQ robots with the guidance of Middle School STEAM coordinator Jon Olivera. The robots are programmed to run a course and must be coded to adapt to changes in the route.
AUTHENTIC Students in the Middle School learn about patterns, cause and effect, energy and matter, structure and function and other “Next Generation Science Standard” (NGSS) concepts. In particular, Middle Schoolers focus on the engineering design process, defining problems, generating and evaluating multiple solutions, building and testing prototypes and optimizing results. For instance, in sixth grade, STEAM students design, build and program VEX IQ robots. The robots move through courses of increased difficulty until they fail. The teams are then challenged to reprogram the robots to help them survive longer. This design challenge is part of the students’ science lesson on biology, mutation and survival. “With broad access to technology at a neverbefore-seen level of sophistication, children are actually learning differently,” Mr. Olivera explained. “We don’t force technology into the classroom for technology’s sake. We do it because it creates meaningful lessons that enhance the curriculum.”
Science Research CGPS is investing in an authentic science future. Beginning in the 2019–2020 academic year, the Prep School will establish an Authentic Science Research (ASR) program. ASR is a student-centered research program that encourages individual and group scientific inquiry. Head of School Bill Donohue notes, “ASR is one of the most exciting curriculum initiatives that a secondary school can offer. ASR provides high school students with the structure and support they need to explore original research at a very high level in a topic of their own interest. This serious pursuit of new knowledge provides students with a deep experience of independence, industry and collaboration.”
The head of the math department, Nathan Dummitt, works with students in class. His Advanced Mathematics Seminar is for students who are truly in love with mathematics and who take the seminar in addition to their regular calculus classes.
A Choice Curriculum For Columbia Prep School students, dozens of advanced classes and over 100 college-style elective options cultivate a passion for learning and an independent spirit “We believe harnessing and building upon students’ passions within the context of our courses results in interested, successful and independent graduates who are ready for the next step in their lives.” JOANIE DEAN, DIRECTOR OF THE PREP SCHO OL
“A hallmark of Columbia Prep is the value we place on individual students and their interests,” says Prep School Director Joanie Dean. “Beginning in the ninth grade, we offer many electives in art, music, theater, technology and physical education. As the students progress through high school, they are given increasing autonomy to choose their courses and, by the time they reach their junior and senior years, they are designing their entire academic programs in all subjects—English, history,
math, science, world language and all other elective courses. We believe harnessing and building upon their passions within the context of our courses results in interested, successful and independent graduates who are ready for the next step in their lives. When alumni return to Columbia Prep, they rave about their experiences here in all the elective courses with teachers who understood them and encouraged them to flourish by using their interests to inspire and cultivate their minds.”
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Advanced Mathematics Seminar /YEAR/Nathan Dummitt
The Advanced Mathematics Seminar is a college-style mathematics course led by the head of the Prep School math department, Nathan Dummitt. Run like a college seminar, students in this class are truly in love with mathematics, as they are required to have pre-approval and also take the seminar in addition to Calculus AB or BC. “It’s student-driven,” says Mr. Dummitt. “In seminar, they are introduced to linear algebra and abstract algebra, two kinds of fundamental college math subjects that these students will take either their freshman year or the first semester their sophomore year of college if they’re studying math or engineering. We can present these ideas that most high school students don’t typically see in a comfortable, student-centered way.” This is the kind of math used in neural networks and machine learning, two important fields of computer science. Students end the year running a seminar of their own after preparing problem sets to share with the class. And while a strong facility in math is a must, not all students in Mr. Dummitt’s seminar are going on to be engineering or computer science majors: “I am very proud that one of my students is planning on being a musical theater major,” he says.
Tufts University Seminar /YEAR/Monica Markovits
A college-level seminar course taught in conjunction with the Institute of Global Leadership at Tufts University, the Tufts Seminar is a year-long examination of a current-events topic on a global scale. This year, the course has focused on “migration in a turbulent world,” but in other years topics have included “the future of Europe,” “petroleum and water,” “Putin and the 21st century” and “global health.” “I think I’ve
had tremendous luck teaching this course in the sense that it gives me enormous joy, but I think it is useful to the students who take it because they truly discover a lot about the world regardless of whatever the topic may be,” says Monica Markovits, the Prep School’s Assistant Director, who has led this class since 1994. Taught as a seminar, the course allows students “to
learn together,” Ms. Markovits says. “The students can express themselves and be respectful to others’ opinions.” Each April, the students participate in a four-day summit hosted by Tufts University during which they discuss facets of their topic with students from dozens of other schools and some Tufts students. “It’s an unforgettable experience for them,” Ms. Markovits says.
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The Business of War /FALL/Richard Genna
Macro and Micro Economics /YEAR/
Heather Denbow, Andrew Chappell The elective history courses at CGPS are wide ranging, and offer students a deep-dive into topics often overlooked in AP courses or survey classes. For instance, history teacher Richard Genna’s Business of War class covers mercenaries, profiteers, yellow journalism, militarization of the police and spoils of war through a lens that spans from Ancient Greece to the Afghanistan conflict. His classroom is filled with lively debate, and he is always ready to refocus the class on a topic the students have brought up themselves: “I like to keep the syllabus flexible if the discussion is going down a useful road,” he says. For history teacher Heather Denbow and math teacher Andrew Chappell, their year-long Macro and Micro Econo mics course gives a vigorous overview of both the historic and mathematical sides of economic theory, rarely taught together in a high school setting. In the fall, Ms. Denbow introduces the theories of five influential economists: Smith, Marx, Ricardo, Friedman and Maynard Keynes, then engages her students in Socratic seminars by providing them with conflicting opinions of the same historical events. By enabling a healthy debate, “you can respond to the students and give them more of a substantive experience in class.” In the spring, Mr. Chappell uses this understanding of economic theory to add nuance to the mathematical side of economics.
Advanced Projects in Metals /FALL/Sara Glaberson “Metalsmithing is very detail-oriented. It’s good for a student who holds themselves to a high standard and is patient. Projects can take a very long time,” says the Prep School’s metal
smithing teacher, Sara Glaberson. The Advanced Projects in Metals workshop is open to only the most dedicated student artists: In order to take the Advanced Projects workshop, students must first progress through Metalsmithing 1, Metal smithing 2 and Metalsmithing 3. In those introductory classes, students learn how to craft small-scale projects like earrings and rings with stone settings, then learn more advanced skills including casting, waxwork, advanced stone-setting, hinges and other intricate projects. By the time they take the Advanced Projects workshop, students are prepared for the freedom the workshop affords. “The further they progress, the more it becomes about artistic
Opposite: Monica Markovits, the Assistant Director of the Prep School, is passionate about the Tufts University Seminar, a class she has taught since 1994. Above, top: History teacher Richard Genna is an engaging teacher who leads lively classroom discussions about topics such as mercenaries, profiteers and yellow journalism in his Business of War elective. Above, bottom: In the spring, math teacher Andrew Chappell teaches the principles of economics to students who spent the fall learning about economic theory from a historical perspective with history teacher Heather Denbow.
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vision,” Ms. Glaberson explains. One year, a student created a model of the Colosseum and another made a copy of the Golden Gate Bridge. An exceptional example is an intricate model playground, currently on display in the Prep School lobby.
Containing Multitudes: Walt Whitman and his Influence /FALL/Eric Conrad Prep School English teacher Eric Conrad is a Walt Whitman expert who received his M.A. and PhD from the University of Iowa in English studies with a focus on Walt Whitman. He has worked as the Managing Editor of the Walt Whitman Quarterly Review and the Senior Assistant Editor of the Walt Whitman Archive. His specialized seminar, Walt Whitman and his Influence, runs every fall. In Mr. Conrad’s seminar, students discuss Whitman’s role as a relentless self-promoter in the age of the emergence of advertising, his perspective as one of the first popularized gay American poets and his staunch advocacy of democracy. Literature professors and Whitman experts
from the University of Iowa, New York University and Columbia University visit the class to discuss Whitman’s influence and legacy. The class culminates with a research paper in which students reflect on something they are passionate about in the spirit of Whitman’s own writing. “By the end of the semester, what the students are saying is incredibly nuanced. They develop college-level insights,” Mr. Conrad explains. “I tell my students, ‘You are already braver than I am.’”
Neuroscience /SPRING/ Sara Moldofsky
What happens when brain injury caused by a car accident completely alters someone’s personality? That’s the subject of “Are You My Husband?” a New York Times “Modern Love” column that Prep School science teacher Sara Moldofsky uses to introduce her Neuroscience elective. She spends the first two weeks immersing students in how neuroscience is presented in popular culture and the media before beginning the biological study of the brain. “I want to show my students examples that relate to real life,” Ms. Moldofsky explains.
“The brain is the least understood organ in the human body. We’re in the dark ages in terms of neuroscience medicine. I tell my students, ‘This is just the beginning of what we’re going to know about the brain.’” While students study the neuron, the nervous system, sensory perception, memory and the function of the different brain lobes (they dissect a sheep’s brain and research optical illusions), Neuro science’s common thread is its focus on contemporary examples of brain study, like sports brain injuries, mental health and addiction. “As humans, we’re naturally interested in the brain. The brain is what makes us us.” Ms. Moldofsky says, adding. “I really love this class. I learn so much just by teaching it.”
Opposite: Students in Sara Glaberson’s Advanced Projects in Metals elective must have several years of metalworking experience before they are eligible to take her class. Above left: English teacher Eric Conrad leading his elective, Walt Whitman and his Influence. At the end of the semester, all the students sign a portrait of Walt Whitman that hangs in Mr. Conrad’s classroom. Above right: Sara Moldofsky’s elective, Neuroscience, connects the brain’s biology to culture and society.
Band, Chorus, or Orchestra? Through the thriving Middle School music program, students are immersed in choral singing and instrument study at the beginning of their school days BY JESSIE SAUNDERS
Saxophonists in the sixth and seventh grade band rehearse as a group in the Middle School Theater once a cycle and have instrument instruction on another cycle day.
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“Every student in Middle School is getting substantive and creative music-making experiences.” DR. KARY HADDAD, MIDDLE SCHO OL MUSIC CO ORDINATOR
Any visitor passing the Middle School Theater and the Music Rooms at 8:15 a.m. might hear violins. Or violas, cellos, alto saxophones, tenor saxophones, trombones, baritones, flutes, clarinets, trumpets, bass or orchestral percussion instruments from the xylophone to the timpani to castanets. On another morning, there may be singing, in harmony, drifting out of Room 004. This is Band, Chorus and Orchestra (BCO), and this is how many CGPS Middle Schoolers begin their day: making music together. The BCO initiative is in addition to the comprehensive General Music program run by Kary Haddad, the Middle School’s music coordinator, who said, “The program prepares students for the Prep School music program where they can join a wide variety of ensembles.” With the combination of BCO and the General Music program, Dr. Haddad said, “every student in Middle School is getting substantive and creative music-making experiences.” Students can choose chorus, band or orchestra—or chorus and band or orchestra. Band and orchestra each meet twice a cycle, with one period reserved for full orchestra or band practice, and the other for small group or even individual instrument instruction. Chorus meets once a cycle. Including General Music classes, that could mean music education all six cycle days. One morning, sixth and seventh grade orchestra members were practicing for the spring concert. Ardith Collins, orchestra teacher and nationally-recognized Orff instrument educator, reminded the students about dynamics and articulation. The students were practicing a challenging piece: the finale from Stravinsky’s Firebird, with Ms. Collins on piano. Around measure 21, things got bumpy. Ms. Collins raised her hands to stop the playing and encouraged her players. They started again, this time finishing successfully. Afterwards, one of her students explained, “There are many complicated parts to Firebird. The tempo changes three times, so counting gets difficult.” Ms. Collins asked the children to talk about what makes them proud about their playing. Many students had been playing their instrument since third grade—but one sixth grader had just picked up
a violin for the first time two weeks before. “Music is a skill that can be learned by anyone, and at any age,” Ms. Collins said. Next door, band and music teacher Renee Duncan’s students are arrayed in a semi-circle by the stage in the Middle School Theater. Ms. Duncan, an Australian transplant currently pursuing her PhD in Music Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, says her band members should be “playing their independent part among others—it’s hard!—and playing across a wide range of notes with technical proficiency.” Maddie Franklin has taught music and chorus at CGPS for fifteen years, and is an expert on the Kodály method, a philosophy where music is taught first through voice, rhythms and traditional songs. “We work as a team. Lessons kids learn about sportsmanship on teams apply in chorus. When we’re all singing, we need to listen to one another so we can blend. When we first sing in harmony, students can tend to cover their ears to hear themselves and then can’t hear the other parts—but it’s important to hear all parts to make sure that we’re balanced.” All of the Middle School music groups come together for concerts twice a year—and the fifth grade band and orchestra perform at the winter concert, just months into their BCO training. By seventh grade, their hard work has prepared them to assimilate into the Prep School music ensembles and has other benefits, too. Ms. Duncan says her students “learn a strong work ethic. They develop a sense of working with other students. They learn that they have a place in the ensemble—that there will be a moment to shine, a moment to be supportive of the others and a moment where they all work together.” That’s beautiful music, indeed.
Opposite top: A student plays her baritone horn during band practice. The band, chorus and orchestra perform in concerts twice a year. Opposite bottom: Chorus teacher Maddie Franklin says, “When we’re all singing, we need to listen to one another.”
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THE
Big Band Theory 7:15 a.m. is the new 8:15 a.m. Band teacher Renee Duncan had a sneaking suspicion that, for some Middle Schoolers, there was no such thing as enough music, and approached the administration about offering an extracurricular extension ensemble. “They said, ‘Sure—and good luck!’” Ms. Duncan laughed, “and Big Band was born.” Now 18 kids join in bright and early on Fridays, with a group including electric guitar, piano, flutes, clarinets and a real drum kit, among other instruments. Big Band votes on the music it plays and has grooved to Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance,” “We Are Family” by Sister Sledge and the theme to “Hawaii 5-0.”
A Nobel
Calling MIT Professor Emeritus Rainer Weiss ’50 was awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize for his discovery, alongside Kip Thorne and Barry Barish of Caltech, “of ripples in space-time known as gravitational waves, which were predicted by Albert Einstein a century ago but had never been directly seen,” as the New York Times reported. His astounding discovery in 2016 was part of his work with LIGO, or the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory. Professor Weiss generously discussed his time at CGPS and his advice for young scientists with 1764.
WHAT IS
LIGO?
From the experts at Caltech: “LIGO (Laser Interferometer GravitationalWave Observatory) is the world’s largest gravitational wave observa tory and a marvel of engineering. Comprising two enormous laser interferometers located thousands of kilometers apart, LIGO exploits the physical properties of light and of space itself to detect and understand the origins of gravitational waves.” There are two interconnected LIGO observatories, one in Washington State and the other in Louisiana. The Louisiana location includes an interactive science education center, with a mission to inspire the next generation of scientists.
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1764: You graduated with the Class of 1950—will you share a fond memory from your time at CGPS? PROFESSOR WEISS: I had a scholarship to Columbia Grammar School [as it was known until 1969] and always felt that I had to give back in some way. I had learned a good bit of “street electronics” on my own as it was easy immediately after World War II to pick up all sorts of war surplus electronics for pennies on Cortlandt Street in downtown Manhattan, near what became the World Trade Center. I built a high-fidelity audio system for the Columbia Grammar School gym, which doubled as the assembly hall in those days. I also made components for the Columbia Grammar School’s ham radio station, W2ZIQ. It was a happy time of acceptance and friendship with both faculty and many of my student colleagues. 1764: Can you tell us about a teacher you admired or who influenced you? When did you know you were going to be a scientist? PROFESSOR WEISS: The most influential teacher I had was “Doc” Beene, who had a good sense of humor but was also an empathetic mentor. He taught Latin. The other teacher who was more important as a real instructor was the science teacher Irving Randel. He even came to my apartment to listen to the sound systems I had built from the war surplus stuff. I never thought of Professor Rainer Weiss as a Columbia Grammar School senior, 1950.
“Work on problems that give you pleasure. If it isn’t fun you will never finish it!” DR. RAINER WEISS ’50
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Nobel Prize Winner Professor Murray Gell-Mann ’44 becoming a scientist until much later in college. My main interest at Columbia Grammar School would now be called electrical engineering. The prime reason I bothered with college was to really learn about more complicated electronics—schemes to reduce noise when listening to music. Many of the problems I was thinking about solving were fixed by improvements in the technology, in particular the noise that came from the roughness of 78 RPM phonograph records made of shellac. That was fixed with smooth vinyl LP records shortly after I entered college. 1764: This year, we have a senior who was named a Regeneron semi-finalist—he discovered an ultra-shortlife planet using AI. What are the next frontiers in science for students today? PROFESSOR WEISS: The frontiers are everywhere. In physics, coming up with a good quantum theory of gravitation and learning what dark matter and dark energy really are. In biology and medicine, how the brain really works, in science and in society. How to stop climate change. In technology, how to make fusion power work. 1764: What advice would you give young scientists today? PROFESSOR WEISS: Work on problems that give you pleasure. If it isn’t fun you will never finish it! Furthermore, find convivial people to work with.
Professor Gell-Mann is a giant of 20th century physics, having been awarded the Nobel Prize in 1969 for, as the Nobel Committee stated, “his contributions and discoveries concerning the classification of elementary particles and their interactions.” Among many achievements, Professor Gell-Mann postulated the existence of several subatomic particles, and he famously coined the term “quark” after a line in James Joyce’s Finnegan’s Wake. In 2003, Professor Gell-Mann spoke with the Edge Foundation about his early life. He said the following about his time at CGPS: “We were living on 93rd Street, almost across the street from the school…at the age of eight I was put into the sixth grade. I was a student at Columbia Grammar for seven years, from sixth through twelfth grade, and having attended a private school must have helped me later with admission to a good university.” At CGPS, he was a member of the Coin Club and the Photography Club and took only one physics class. Ironically, “It was the only class at Columbia Grammar in which I had ever done badly!” He went on to Yale, was a professor at Caltech and, among other honors, was a member of the President’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology from 1994–2001. Professor Murray Gell-Mann ’44, here in his senior yearbook photo, was only 15 when he graduated from Columbia Grammar School.
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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE
Class of 2018! The Class of 2018 received acceptances to the following colleges and universities: Adelphi University American University The American University of Paris Amherst College The University of Arizona Bard College Barnard College Baruch College of the CUNY Bates College Binghamton University Boston College Boston University Bowdoin College Brandeis University Brooklyn College of the CUNY Brown University Bucknell University University of California, Davis University of California, Riverside University of California, San Diego University of California, Santa Barbara
Case Western Reserve University Chapman University College of Charleston University of Chicago City University of New York Colby College Colgate University University of Colorado at Boulder Columbia University Cornell University University of Delaware Dickinson College Drew University Drexel University Duke University Eckerd College Elon University Emerson College Emory University Fairleigh Dickinson University Metropolitan Campus Fordham University The George Washington University Georgetown University Gettysburg College
Goucher College Hamilton College - NY Harvard University Haverford College Hobart and William Smith Colleges Howard University Indiana University at Bloomington Ithaca College Johns Hopkins University Lehigh University Loyola Marymount University University of Maryland, College Park University of Massachusetts, Amherst University of Miami University of Michigan Middlebury College Mount Holyoke College Muhlenberg College New York University Northeastern University Northwestern University Oberlin College of Arts and Sciences Oxford College of Emory University University of Pennsylvania Pomona College
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Princeton University Purdue University Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute University of Rhode Island University of Richmond University of Rochester Sarah Lawrence College School of Visual Arts Skidmore College University of Southern California Spelman College State University of New York at Albany State University of New York at New Paltz Stony Brook University SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry SUNY College at Geneseo Susquehanna University Swarthmore College Syracuse University The University of Texas, Austin The American Musical and Dramatic Academy The New School - All Divisions Trinity College Tufts University Tulane University Union College (New York) University of St. Andrews Vanderbilt University Vassar College University of Vermont Villanova University Wake Forest University Washington University in St. Louis Wesleyan University Wheaton College MA Williams College University of Wisconsin, Madison The College of Wooster
Left: The Class of 2018 gathers for a class portrait inside Central Park, spring 2018.
In Memoriam Kathryn Seigle (1939–2019)
A dedicated music teacher, CGPS faculty member for over 30 years, cancer survivor and noted all-around fighter in times of adversity, Kathryn Seigle left a lasting impression on the School community and will be sorely missed. “She was a deeply intelligent person. She was so sharp, and her depth of knowledge as a music teacher was astounding,” says Maria Jeffers, the Grammar School’s music coordinator. Her fellow music teacher Misty Sturm endorses this thought: “She was really passionate about children and their identities.” Seeing children enjoy music filled Ms. Seigle with an abundance of joy that often spread to those around her. “You could feel the joy emanating,” Ms. Jeffers remembers. Fourth grade teacher Lisa James, who spoke with Ms. Seigle every day since she left CGPS, considered her to be an incredibly dear and close confidant. “Kathryn was my forever friend. She taught me about fighting through pain in life and hanging on to love,” Ms. James explains. “She loved her family and true friends beyond understanding.” For Grammar School music teacher Annie Ragsdale, Ms. Seigle is the reason she is the music teacher she is today. “I had the honor of shadowing her for two years, as well as filling her huge and insanely talented shoes here at CGPS. In that time, she taught me more about the joy of getting children to love singing than I imagined possible. Her ability to use kindness, compassion and grace to get our students singing is the legacy she left and is still palpable when you step inside the room where she taught for over 30 years.”
Alumni Notes 1948 Joan Crystal lives in South Florida and welcomes anyone from the Class of 1948 to reach out. Andrew Stern retired as a professor of journalism at the University of California, Berkeley in 1992 but continues to work in the field. His wife, Mary Lou, passed away ten years ago, but for the last nine years, he’s been seeing a former collaborator from his television life. She lives in New York while Andrew still resides in Berkeley, but they see each other frequently and talk every day. Andrew also speaks with his former classmate, Joe Silverman, every couple of weeks.
1952 For half a century after graduating from Columbia College, NYU and Indiana University with a doctorate, John Clayton taught modern literature and creative writing, retiring as professor emeritus from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. At the same time, John wrote and published about a hundred stories, some of them republished in one of five collections. He published four novels as well. John is married to writer Sharon Dunn, and together they have three children.
1956 2018 was a busy year for Michael Tepper, who completed his 20th year as a cancer survivor, 15th year as a volunteer for the American Cancer Society (ACS) and volunteered at two hospital cancer centers. He is also a legislative ambassador for the ACS.
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He has been attempting to learn to play the piano again, 70 years after his initial attempt. Michael recently celebrated his 80th birthday with his wife, daughters and five grandchildren. He is impressed with the CGPS music and athletics departments, particularly in awe of their shows and team victories. Michael plans to attend the alumni reunion this spring and hopes people visit the campus if they have not already. He will be visiting his daughter in Switzerland this spring. If you find yourself in Europe then, Michael would love to connect.
Gross Degen, Dr. Harold Deutsch, Franklin Fain, Alexandra Shapiro Garrison, Arnold Goldman, William Greilsheimer, Peter Kochenthal, Jared Look, Dr. Jonathan Lyons, Robert Mandel, Hon. Michael Marcus, Marilyn Seitman Marlow, Evelyn Musher-Shechter, Gordon Oppenheimer, David Pravda, Joseph Rosen, William Shonbrun, Donald Weckstein, Susan Wallace Whiteman, Jeremy Wiesen and Stephen Zeche.
1958
Gail Rosen Berman now calls The Villages, Florida home. If anyone finds their way to central Florida, she would love to hear from you. Between golf, pickleball, morning runs and a card game here and there, Gail keeps busy.
This past summer, David Bamberger and his wife, Carola, relocated to San Jose, California to be near their son and granddaughter. Continuing his involvement with theater and Jewish education, David will stage a production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers in June and presently teaches “The Prophets” at his local synagogue.
1959 From New York to California to Florida and as far as France, members of the Class of 1959 live all over the world and have wonderful memories of their years at Columbia Grammar. Spear heading the planning of their 60th Reunion, William Silverman and Richard Hirsch have been reconnecting with former classmates and eagerly sharing cherished memories of the School. In their efforts to bring together as many members from the Class of 1959 as possible for this huge milestone, Bill and Richard have been in contact with Bruce Brown, Susan
1962
1963 After practicing veterinary medicine for 31 years in NYC, Dr. Marc Kantrowitz decided to try a new profession. From 2002 through 2012, he helped start two NYC high schools, taught science and worked as a dean of students. Although he and his wife, Sandy, still have their apartment in Manhattan, for the past six years they have lived full-time in Delaware County, NY, where outdoor life and activities are year-round. Marc welcomes anyone traveling upstate to visit him. Hank Meyers is still a senior financial representative with Northwestern Mutual Financial Network. He is also involved with building the Holocaust Museum Center for Tolerance and Education on the campus of Rockland Community College, a special venture to be finished in 2020.
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1964 Barbara Dick Rich has been living in Durham, NC for the past 10 years. She is an event manager for weddings, fundraisers and other social events. After two hip replacements and cataract surgeries, Barbara jokes she is bionic and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Judy Weissman lives in Palm Springs, CA, where she plays a lot of golf, and would love company. Last December, Carol Zack took her children and grandson to Israel and Petra. Her brother, John Pomeranz ’61, even joined them for a special event in Jerusalem, Carol’s Bat Mitzvah.
1966 Sadly, Madelaine Cohen passed away on August 31, 2018 from leukemia.
1969 Robert Davis continues to run his management consulting practice with a small group of loyal, long-term clients. That said, most of his time is spent providing pro bono consulting to nonprofits, mentoring at local
colleges and working on a variety of social justice initiatives. 2019 marks his 49th year in the Boston area, 42 of them married to his wife, Nina. They have two sons, both married and living in Manhattan, and two wonderful grandkids.
for 30 years. They have five cats, four dogs, five horses and five ponies. Daniel is very involved with competitive carriage driving and was just elected to be president of the American Driving Society.
1970 On August 16, Debi Morgens Pinto Harnik’s daughter, Lara Pinto, and Lara’s husband, Michael Stein, son of Madelaine Cohen ’66 and nephew of Barbara Cohen, welcomed a second beautiful daughter, Emilia Pinto Stein. Tragically, that day Madelaine went into the emergency room at Mount Sinai, where she lost her brave fight against acute myeloid leukemia two weeks later on August 31, 2018. In the spirit of forging ahead, Debi and her family look toward Emilia as an incarnation of Madelaine’s goodness and try to make the best of daily life. Beyond the coincidence of the marriage of CGPS offspring, Lara and Mike, Debi’s CGPS schoolmate Rya Rosenzweig ’71 was responsible for introducing her to Steve 28 years ago, so despite this year’s tragic loss, Debi and her family find much cause for gratitude.
1971 A mother, grandmother of two and daughter of her 100-year-old mom, Jody Lynn Abramson is presently creating and exhibiting oil paintings and serving as a liaison to Senator Gillibrand for Citizens’ Climate Lobby. Daniel Rosenthal lives on a horse farm in New Jersey with his wife, Ann, to whom he has been married
This past fall, Anita Zalk had the pleasure of witnessing her son, Matthew Zalk, and his bride, Jodi Finer, get married at a beautiful ceremony in Park City, Utah.
Alumni Notes 1973 Jessica Hentoff is the founder and artistic/executive director of Circus Harmony, a nonprofit social circus that is having an amazing year. Last summer, Jessica and Circus Harmony spent two weeks in Puerto Rico for a Peace Through Pyramids partnership, a week in Chicago for the first Ameri can social circus conference and a few days in NYC filming an episode for the new Wonderama, which aired on the Discovery channel in February. Online, they were featured in a digital short film from PBS’ American Experience called The Acrobat, which served as a digital sidebar to their project “The Circus,” a series depicting American circuses today. You can go visit Circus Harmony at City Museum in St. Louis, Missouri and follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Jonathan Kurtis and his wife, Jodi, both retired recently, Jodi from non-profit fundraising and Jonathan from Boston Properties after 34 years. They sold their house in Potomac, Maryland and relocated full-time to their home in Florida. Their daughter, Elizabeth, married in 2017 and has one son with another on the way this June. Jonathan and Jodi find being grandparents to be particularly special. They spend a lot of time with their kids, both in Florida and at Elizabeth and Evan’s homes in San Diego and Denver, respectively. Jonathan and Jodi are enjoying the freedom retirement brings. They saw Steve Rose, who recently moved to Denver, and expect to see him again when they return to visit Evan. While they miss their friends back in the DC area, their guest rooms in Florida are well-booked. That said, Jonathan and Jodi are enjoying their friends and family in Florida, long walks on the beach, fishing, biking and boating. Jonathan hopes his classmates will be in touch when their travels bring them to South Florida. B.J. Manilla Scarfone is happy to report that after 40 years of teaching she is now retired. Even better news is that in February 2018 her first grandchild, Finn Stuart McCausland, was born.
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1975 Susan Franks has been in the television business for most of her adult life, working freelance, then at NBC for almost 20 years, 15 years of which she was in charge of all field production for Dateline NBC, and now at CBS on their morning show, CBS This Morning.
1978 Davis Bross is a pediatrician and the Chief of Pediatrics at Atrius Health in Medford, MA. Outside of work, he and his partner have three daughters ages 17, 21 and 24. David, who enjoys travelling, had the opportunity to be a part of a medical team in Ecuador. David hopes everyone is well and that you contact him should you find yourself in Boston.
1979 Lydia Mann and her sister, Nora Mann ’76, spent the last number of years helping their mom, Nancy, through the dark passage that is Alzheimer’s disease. Since her mom’s death in September 2018, Lydia has recommitted to living each day fully and presently, forging new memories with her family in a house they bought together on Cape Cod and working on personal projects. She started working with a non-profit, Arts & Minds, which is committed to improving quality of life through art for people with dementia and their caregivers. Nora retired after 20 years as an attorney with the Common wealth of Massachusetts to pursue a consulting practice and immediately
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got busy doing what she cares deeply about: overseeing programs addressing opiate addiction, creative writing, making mosaics, pottery and practicing yoga. Lydia and Nora are dedicated to making each day rich and full.
1983 Kathy Edersheim has been living in DC for about two years for her husband’s work, rather than her familiar NYC. She has one son who graduated from college and another who is a junior. Kathy also started two companies recently and hopes everyone will try out the music card game Yntunzy, a solitaire mobile app available on most devices.
a Village. Founded in 2009 and based in Cummington, MA, It Takes a Village provides free postpartum support for families with young children in Western Massachusetts through weekly home visits, parent support groups and classes and a distribution center providing free baby supplies, clothes and diapers called the Village Closet. Lisa soon took on a staff role and today, four years later, she is the co-executive director. After 35 years in Troy, NY, marrying Gladys, renovating two multi-story buildings, starting multiple businesses and having two kids, Sabine and Tibor, Robert Hirsch left New York with his family and moved to Puerto Rico. Robert now lives in Condado about a block from the beach and is adapting to city life. The kids are enjoying their new school. Robert and his wife are taking some yoga, surfing and Spanish classes.
1986 When Lisa Dana Goding moved to the rural Hilltowns of Western Massachusetts, it felt like a world away from growing up in New York City. Trying to raise a newborn in isolation was extremely difficult and it took a toll on her emotionally. When her daughter began school, Lisa looked for a way to give back so that other families did not need to suffer in isolation. She began volunteering for a local organization called It Takes
Lawrence Morrison runs a boutique law firm and lives on the Upper East Side with his wife and two sons.
Deborah Ben-David ’99 & Emily Rogath ’99 When Deborah Ben-David ’99 and Emily Rogath ’99 met on the first day of ninth grade, they bonded in the way teenage girls sometimes do: immediately and completely. “We had lunch together during orientation, and after that, we were like sisters,” Deborah remembers. That friendship has only gotten stronger as adults. Though Emily and Deborah live time zones away from each other—Emily in Los Angeles, where she works in public relations, and Deborah in Paris, where she lives with her husband and children—when Deborah learned that her son, Léo, was diagnosed with a rare condition called Infantile Neuroaxonal Dystrophy (INAD), Emily flew to Paris to be with her friend. For Emily, however, just being there was not enough. “We couldn’t take this diagnosis for what it is,” she says. “We are going to do everything we can.” That determination led Emily and Deborah to found “Bisous for Léo,” or “Kisses for Léo,” a fundraising initiative that supports education and research for INAD. Emily has used her extensive experience in marketing to raise awareness for the cause, and the “bisou” that is the campaign’s signature has appeared on everything from lip gloss to candy to ankle socks through Bisou for Léo’s Instagram page. The support has been overwhelming, including from fellow alumni. For Emily, from the time she was a CGPS student, she says, “It was always part of my world to give back. After Léo was diagnosed, it was what I needed to focus on.”
Alumni Notes 1988
1990
Since their 30th reunion back in April 2018, the CGPS Class of 1988 has continued to have mini-reunions throughout the year. They met up in July, November and this past January and are trying to hold these meet-ups every two or three months. They would love to have more alumni join them. For anyone upstate, down south, on the left coast or anywhere in between, let them know when you are going to be in NYC and they will schedule a mini-reunion in your honor. You can find the Class of 1988’s representative on Facebook at “Melanie Liss Cohen” or get her contact information from the Office of Institutional Advancement.
Ben Lapidus received a 2016 Grammy nomination for his participation as a composer, performer (tres, guitar, voice) and liner notes author on the Andy González album Entre Colegas. He also performed with Andy at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club, received a Chico O’Farrill Lifetime Achievement Award from Latin Jazz USA for his contributions to Latin jazz, performed at the Havana Jazz Plaza Festival in Cuba in January, serves as chair of the art and music department at John Jay College and is on faculty at the CUNY Graduate Center. In 2020, University of Mississippi Press will publish Ben’s forthcoming book on Latin music in NYC. In 2013 he won an National Endowment for the Humanities award for his research for the book.
Here is a lovely shot of their January get-together. David Cooperman, Melanie Cohen, Leslie Firtell, Anna Kahn, Sonya Weisshappel Christy and Claudia Gahagan (Schutz). They got this picture after Michael Walden (Haddad) left for the night. They hope to see you soon at one of their get-togethers.
Maddalena Loeb lives on the Upper West Side with her three children. Maddalena works as a first grade teacher at Ethical Culture Fieldston School in the Bronx. Before switching to teaching, Maddalena worked in digital marketing and television. Maddalena holds a BA from Tulane University and an MS from Bank Street College in general and special education.
1996 Caron Levis’ most recent picture book Stop That Yawn! came out this past October, and she was delighted that her second grade teacher Anne Young, former classmates Thea Novick and Ran Fuchs, and their children came to the release party. Caron dedicates Stop That Yawn! to
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her niece and nephew. This past fall, Caron’s book Ida, Always received an award from the Children’s Literature Centre in Frostburg, MD, where she got to meet a community of literacy educators doing amazing work. Her next book, Mama’s Work Shoes, comes out this fall. It follows a toddler’s emotional journey as her mother returns to the workforce. Caron recently received copies of the Scholastic Book Club edition of her book May I Have A Word? As she held them, she remembered the thrill she used to feel on book fair days at CGPS. Lastly, Caron attended the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators conference in February and once again got to watch Marvin Terban take the stage to announce the weekend’s door prizes, which always makes her smile.
1997 Julia Dalton-Brush (Lindner) is a NYC-based makeup artist working mostly on commercial campaigns and television productions with brands such as FILA, NBC, ABC, Under Armour and Brooks Running. She owns Brush Beauty, Inc., a small boutique hair and makeup agency in NYC and recently launched an all natural and organic skincare line, B3 Balm, which has taken the makeup industry by storm, earning praise from renowned makeup artists like Sir John, Matin, James Vincent, Alex Box and Roshar. These artists are known for working with Beyoncé, Angelina Jolie, Joan Jett and more. Two years ago, Julia and her husband purchased a house about 40 minutes outside of the city and live there with their 11 year old daughter, two cats and one dog.
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1999
2003
After six years of working at Montclare Children’s School, Danielle Tandet now works as the Associate Director of Admissions & Placement at The Gateway School. As Associate Director, Danielle helps the eighth graders as they go off to high schools. For Danielle, it was a bittersweet change from Montclare but still a welcome one. In her personal life, Danielle got married on April 29, 2018 to Nick Nappy. They reside on West 95th Street, very close to CGPS.
Alexander “Sandy” Bandhu just started his fifth year in DC consulting for the Federal Government. He met his wife, Giselle Lopez, just over four years ago and got married in Maine this past summer. If anyone ever comes down this way from NYC, Sandy would love to catch up over coffee, drinks or lunch!
2000 Sara Valsamopoulos currently lives in Great Neck, NY with her husband, Dan, and their dog. She works as a clinical audiologist at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center, and Dan is a partner at Westerman Ball LLP, a law firm in Uniondale, NY. They are expecting their first child in May 2019.
2002 In July 2018, Jessica Elias married Brennan Lodge in a beautiful ceremony at the Battery Park Gardens and went on their honeymoon to Thailand and Vietnam. For the last several years, Jessica worked as a Literacy Intervention Specialist before becoming an Instructional Coach & Curriculum Specialist at PS 527 for the NYC Department of Education this past fall.
Brian Bishop recently took a new role with Two Sigma, a quantitative hedge fund. He has been living his best life with his girlfriend and currently resides six blocks from Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School. Gabriel Blanco recently accepted a position as Senior Producer at The Mill, a global leader in VFX, post production, production and advertising. As Senior Producer, he will run their live action commercial department in Los Angeles. Danielle Bussolini currently resides in Manhattan and is a stay-at-home mom to a 4-year-old girl and 15-month-old boy. 2018 was a big year for Josh Evans, who appeared in roles on both the big and small screens. You can see him in the film Can You Ever Forgive Me? starring Melissa McCarthy, the pilot episode of FBI on CBS and in season two of Amazon’s Emmy-winning The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
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Nicole Ross ’08 (Not) inconceivable! Nicole Ross ’08’s love of The Princess Bride inspired her mother to find a fencing program in New York—and over a decade later, Nicole was a member of the 2012 US Olympic Fencing Team. As a young athlete, she had teachers who were “instrumental in letting me pursue my dreams and supported me academically as well,” Nicole said. After graduating, she attended Columbia University, where she was captain of the Fencing Team and was named All-American three years in a row. While there, she qualified for her first Senior World Fencing Champion ship. Nicole took a leave of absence for a year and a half before her junior year and won a spot on the US National Team for the London Olympics. Nicole also won the silver medal in the women’s foil team event at the 2017 World Championships in Leipzig, Germany and the gold medal at the 2018 team event in Wuxi, China, and is now training for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. She has coached at Marymount School for Girls and Cornell University, but it was a year teaching fifth grade in the Bronx that brought home the value of her time at CGPS: “Teaching was an amazing experience, but I had 35 students. I felt lucky that my parents and CGPS had provided me a safe space to learn. There are so many kids who don’t have that.”
Alumni Notes Lara Spodek Gillman is currently living in LA with her husband, Adam, their two sons, two-year-old West and one-year-old Lev, and their two puppies, Eloise and Gigi. Together they own two businesses including Cycle House, an indoor cycling studio with three locations. After a successful run managing over 40 agents as the Sales & Leasing Director for a boutique real estate brokerage in Midtown, Matthew Melinger accepted an offer to join a top-producing team at Brown Harris Stevens this past fall. Based out of their flagship office on Park Avenue, Matthew’s business has expanded rapidly in the last three years, servicing buyers, investors and sellers in the five boroughs, Hamptons, Miami, Palm Beach and Los Angeles. After two great years at the design agency Huge, Nick Molina decided to take a role heading up product marketing at a startup making software for the data center industry. He is enjoying being a part of a new company and its early growth. Nick currently resides in the East Village and is loving life. Recently engaged, Yianni Patsalos has spent the last few years building his business, BCCO Custom Printing, from the ground up. What was once a small operation run out of his mother’s basement now has over 25 employees and occupies a 3,000 square-foot space in Midtown Manhattan. Natalie Perez spent the last few years backpacking throughout Europe, India and Southeast Asia. She is currently teaching yoga in Mexico and preparing to continue her world travels.
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Elizabeth Miller Robbins has been living in Chicago for over 11 years now, working as a clinical psychologist in private practice, and is a proud mom of three. This past summer she had twin boys, Charlie and William. Along with her 2.5-year-old daughter, Zoe, Elizabeth keeps busy with her career and growing family.
In 2014, Stacy Schwartz launched Ketanga Fitness Retreats, which organizes small-group getaways around the world that combine fitness, adventure and relaxation! They’ve hosted over 55 retreats so far, ranging from “Yoga & Adventure” to “Boxing & the Beach” and more. You can follow Ketanga Fitness on Instagram.
Madeleine Rumely works as a CPA and married Zach Naidich ’01 in 2012. They recently purchased and moved into a new home near Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn.
Dr. Brett Shorenstein, valedictorian and class president, has been a practicing veterinarian in NYC for the past four years. He recently became the owner of Abingdon Square Veterinary Clinic in the West Village and welcomed the birth of his son, Graham Elliott Shorenstein.
After working for many years as a photojournalist and video producer, Kathryn Ward (Howard) has started her own family photography company (www.katie-ward.com). She currently lives in Queens with her husband, 2-year-old daughter and two dogs, Pickle, the French Bulldog, and Remy, the Poodle. Josh Whitcraft currently resides on the Upper East Side and married Christiana Bromberg this past summer. An avid athlete, he also raced the Ironman in Mont-Tremblant and Berlin Marathon. After completing a 4.5-year stint at renowned FinTech company Addepar, Josh is launching a new wellness company in San Francisco with Atomic VC.
2004 Lauren Levy lives in NYC with her husband and daughter and is a practicing dermatologist on the Upper East Side.
Julia Tokarczyk (Abrams) recently got married on September 8, 2018 to her now-husband, Dan Abrams (pictured, far left). Their wedding officiant was Julia’s best friend, Neima Ullah. Julia and Dan’s ceremony was held in upstate New York at the Hudson Bourbon Distillery.
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Jasmine Rebadavia ’10
2010 Julia Cagin graduated from Cardozo School of Law in May 2018 with concentrations in dispute resolution and family and children’s law. She also received a certificate in dispute resolution from Cardozo. Mark Strage started law school at Brooklyn Law this past fall. He plans to pursue a career in civil litigation.
2014 After graduating from Vassar College, Jacob Llaurador Brody is working on his first photo book titled Way of No Name, which will be out in March 2020. Jaeho Lee graduated from Hamilton College with honors and is currently serving in the NYC Civic Corps, an Americorps organization, as a Community Outreach Coordinator with Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC. He is planning to apply to law school in the fall. Mary Munshower graduated magna cum laude from Fordham University in May 2018 with a B.A. in communications and media studies and a minor in music. She is currently working in New York City at NBC as the Social Media Coordinator for their children’s television network, Universal Kids.
Sofie Rimler graduated magna cum laude from Oberlin College and Conservatory in May 2018 with a B.A. in creative writing, East Asian studies and theater. She now works as a junior social media video editor at Condé Nast Entertainment in New York City. After graduating from Cornell Univer sity this past May, Madi Rosegarten started work as a first-year analyst in the Equity Sales and Trading division of Morgan Stanley. She was excited to join the analyst program after interning at Morgan Stanley for the past two summers. Within the equities division, Madi sits on the Prime Brokerage Consulting desk. Madi and her colleagues work to build, grow and optimize their clients’ businesses from a non-investment perspective. Madi still lives on the Upper West Side, not too far from Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School. After graduating from Bucknell University in May, Suzie Zubkoff decided to go right back to school. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Higher Education and Student Affairs at NYU Steinhardt. She also works at NYU’s College of Arts and Sciences Advising Center, where she is an academic advisor and graduate assistant to the orientation program. She enjoys the opportunity to work with amazing students every single day.
Jasmine Rebadavia ’10 loved her time at CGPS so much, she’s back— this time, as an algebra and geometry teacher in the Prep School. Ms. Rebadavia graduated from Boston College with a degree in education and a specialization in interdisciplinary math and computer science. “Math and computer science are very similar to each other. You have to map something in your mind and make a prediction. You strategize, make a projection and anticipate problems that get in your way. Then you run your play, see what goes wrong and fix it,” she said. As a Prep School student, Ms. Rebadavia commuted from New Jersey to CGPS everyday, then nannied and tutored math after school. CGPS gave Ms. Rebadavia “a place to just let me be me. I thought to myself, ‘I could really find myself here.’” Her experiences here are reflected in her teaching philosophy: “I strongly believe in investing in the educational experiences of New Yorkers. This can be such a fast-paced city that sometimes it’s hard to sift through what is important. I like to give students a space to sit down and reflect.”
1764 Looks Back 100 Years Ago CGPS second graders immerse themselves in the history and culture of New York City through their Social Studies curriculum. They research life in the city 100 years ago, and imagine the daily existence of families who worked, studied, played, cooked, read, practiced instruments, took the subway and went to bed in brownstones just like those that house the Grammar School on 94th Street. At Columbia Grammar 100 years ago, students recorded their daily lives in the Columbia News, one of the many precursors to 1764—the April, 1919 cover is featured here. Interspersed with jokes about Latin class, original poems and upcoming varsity baseball games are sober memorials for graduates who had died in combat during World War I, including Remington De B. Vernam ’14, a pilot who died on December 1, 1918. The paper notes that Lieutenant Vernam received the Croix de Guerre, and was “cited by General Pershing for extraordinary heroism in action.”
1764 T HE MAGA Z I NE 52
Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School is the extraordinary sum of many complex parts. From Grammar to Middle to Prep, it is our outstanding students and faculty, dedicated families, state-of-the-art facilities, warm and inclusive culture and constant pursuit of excellence that all add up to one: the CGPS One School experience. The CGPF is the engine that drives our One School’s continued success. It funds the latest in classroom technology, and expands and improves our facilities. It supports our curricular innovation and strengthens our wide array of competitive athletic offerings. The CGPF enhances our acclaimed music and arts programs. It helps us to retain and attract the best faculty and also supports professional development to ensure that our teachers are at the forefront of pedagogical advancements. The CGPF is essential to boost student financial aid, ensuring that our outstanding students can participate fully in all aspects of student life. This exceptional One School experience is only possible with the continued generosity of our engaged community. We rely on the incredible support of donors to the Columbia Grammar & Preparatory Fund. Your participation will help our students have the opportunity to thrive in our innovative, thoughtful and nurturing One School. Every gift—no matter the size—makes a difference.
Make your gift today! www.cgps.org/giving/donate Or contact the Office of Institutional Advancement at 212.749.6200 x 220.
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