LEAD
WOELPER TAKES THE
MAGAZINE STAFF
Editor | Sarah LeBlond Fabrizi
Writer | Meredith Guinness
Contributing Photographers | Sarah LeBlond Fabrizi,
Meredith Guinness, Alissa Hoffman, Cheshire Academy Archive
Designer | John Johnson Art Direction & Design
ADVANCEMENT TEAM
Rich Ferraro ’71
Fred J. Kuo
Henry “Joe” Long Jr.
CONNECT WITH US
Sasha Russell Barbara Vestergaard P’96,’02
Jack Welage ’19
1794 Magazine is published by the Office of Marketing and Communications. Every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy.
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Board of Trustees 2024-2025
CHAIR
Jennifer Freedman P’15 Westport, Connecticut
VICE CHAIR
Dr. James Kempton P’20 Cheshire, Connecticut
TRUSTEES
Ronald Bergamo Jr. P’13 Cheshire, Connecticut
Catherine Bonneau P’04,’16 Naples, Florida
Bart A. DePetrillo ’87 Park City, Utah
Mitchell Herman ’68 Silver Spring, Maryland
Kristen Mariotti Cohoes, New York
Suparna Mody ’00 Mumbai, India
TRUSTEE EMERITI
Michael A. Belfonti ’76 Hamden, Connecticut
Dan Gabel Jr. ’56 New York, New York
David G. Jepson ’59 Glastonbury, Connecticut
SECRETARY
Courtney Evans Sacchetti ’93 Stamford, Connecticut
TREASURER
Jared Pinsker ’97
Orange, Connecticut
Dr. William A. Petit, Jr. Plainville, Connecticut
Todd Savage ’98
Alexandria, Virginia
Praveen R. Savalgi ’06 West Hartford, Connecticut
Martha Triplett, Esq., P’20 Cheshire, Connecticut
Murali Venkatraman P’18
Chennai, India
Edgar B. Vinal ’86, P’16,’19 Southington, Connecticut
Donald Rosenberg ’67 Snowmass Village, Colorado
Armando Simosa P’08 Rome, Italy
AT PRESS TIME: HURLEY HALL FIRE
In the early morning hours of Tuesday, May 6, 2025, Hurley Hall dormitory caught fire. Emergency protocols were activated immediately, and we are grateful that all 17 students and faculty were safely evacuated, with no injuries reported. Several area fire departments contained the blaze, and we thank our faculty, staff, and first responders for their quick actions. Hurley Hall contains student residences, two faculty apartments, the College Counseling suite, Fencing Room and event space, and one classroom. For up-to-date information, please visit our website at cheshireacademy.org/hurley-hall-fire-resources.
Open
Julie
Cheshire
A Message from Head of School Tom Woelper
First Welcome
In this, my first welcome letter in 1794 as Cheshire Academy head of school, I am filled with excitement for the potential I see in our school and community. It’s everywhere you look.
The 2025-26 academic year will be one of significant enhancements to what matters most here — our students’ academic experience. We’ve announced the largest curricular overhaul since 2011, when Cheshire became the only independent boarding school in Connecticut to adopt the International Baccalaureate® Diploma Programme. The highly experiential courses our students will take this fall are even more dynamic and relevant, and for the first time, students will be able to earn new honors distinctions for their exceptional work in courses that are not part of the IB program. In addition, our new Global Citizenship Diploma Distinction offers our future changemakers a clear path of study towards college majors and careers in medicine, international relations, environmental studies, and more.
from our campaign, which parodied popular TV shows. With a total of 383 donors — a 62% increase from last year’s challenge — our community demonstrated their support for the unique educational experience only Cheshire Academy provides.
Such an ambitious program allows our talented faculty to go above and beyond — and they are eager for this new challenge. As you’ll read in this issue, CA teachers are constantly on the lookout for opportunities to bring their students outside the classroom for learning, research, and even college-level presentations. They welcome authors, travelers, and other thought leaders onto campus to enrich our students’ experience and expand their horizons.
Our efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. In 2024-25, interest in Cheshire has grown so much that we needed to offer a third open house to accommodate interested future Cats and their families. We look forward to welcoming the Class of 2029.
Alumni, parents, and friends are getting involved, too. This March, we celebrated our biggest 1794 Challenge yet — you probably saw the creative “Catflix” videos
I hope you’re taking notice, too. Over the past year, we’ve seen more alumni coming back to campus, both for Reunion and to interact with current Cats in career panels and guest teaching opportunities. I invite you to consider how you can share your time and talents with our students.
I’m sure you’ll agree that Cheshire Academy is moving on a sure path to a bright future. We know you’ll want to take this journey with us. Don’t hesitate to get in touch to connect or reconnect with us. I would love to hear from you!
Sincerely,
Tom Woelper P’26 Head of School
Housewarming
High interest leads to multiple ‘showings’ for prospective students
Hundreds of prospective students and their families flocked to Cheshire Academy earlier this year, prompting both a third open house day and a bumper crop of individual visits and interviews for the Class of 2029.
More than 250 people attended two Fall Open Houses in October and November, with over 160 more signing up for a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event added for those waitlisted from the autumn events.
"We’re seeing a lot of interest in what Cheshire Academy does so well — our unique blend of challenging courses, varied athletics and activities in a close-knit, safe community, as well as our excellence in academic support and college counseling to achieve that ‘right fit’ for each student,” said Director of Admission Rebecca Brooks.
Admission counselors and student tour guides enjoyed the chance to welcome so many families to campus. In addition to group presentations, students and families had one-on-one conversations with Head of School Tom Woelper, Director of Athletics Jim McCarthy, and other campus leaders.
“We’re pleased to personally show them how special Cheshire Academy is,” said Senior Associate Director of Admission Sheryl Stearns. “Visiting campus and having a chance to chat with our students and faculty gives you a real feel for the Cheshire Academy difference.”
Open House attendees discovered the many components that set the Academy apart for a continually growing number of day and boarding students. The 2024-25 academic year opened with a robust student enrollment number of 375, alongside a record high number of inquiries about the school, indicating widespread interest in all Cheshire has to offer.
One of the oldest boarding schools in the country, Cheshire Academy is the only Connecticut boarding school offering an International Baccalaureate® Diploma Programme, providing students with a high-quality, holistic education. A companion to the IB is Cheshire’s new Global Citizenship Diploma Distinction, an individual pathway for students to pursue their passions in high school. In addition, the Academy’s signature Roxbury Academic Support Program develops proactive, knowledgeable, and independent learners.
“It’s a winning combination,” Brooks said.”
A New Trajectory
Tom Woelper has big plans for setting down roots and branching out to new heights
Cheshire Academy Head of School Tom Woelper is generally calm and soft-spoken, but his cheerful Nordic sweater had a lot to say at the school’s annual Winter Reception.
Woelper told anyone who complimented the intricately knit beauty that it was a gift received more than 30 years ago when he was an undergraduate at Princeton University. The mint condition of the bright Setesdal pattern and pewter clasps revealed Woelper’s reverence for the iconic design and memories it held.
It also said a lot about the wearer. Educated at independent and Ivy League schools, Woelper understands the power of tradition at places like Cheshire Academy, one of the oldest boarding schools in the United States. He also believes that a firm foundation as an internationally minded institution is what will ground Cheshire as it evolves, adapts, and delivers the best preparation for tomorrow’s global citizens.
“I absolutely feel the growing energy and interest surrounding our school, and I'm eager to harness that momentum and shift to a more proactive stance,” he said.
An alumnus of Lawrenceville who has worked at Groton, Taft, and Hotchkiss, Woelper is quick to answer when asked what has impressed him during his first few months at Cheshire’s helm.
“How well Cheshire lives its mission to challenge students to maximize their potential,” he said. “This is not a school where we’re trying to be all things to all people or where there is a cookie-cutter ‘Cheshire student.’ Here, we’re able to help students discover their individual passion. I see it all the time. Cheshire Academy has the ability to change the trajectory of people’s lives.
“As an educator, as a parent, that’s what I think school should be about.”
Since starting January 1, Woelper has been getting to know the Cheshire community. He is a familiar face at Morning Meeting, attending the winter musical and Community Weekend field trips, and sharing a congratulatory chat with the Junior Varsity Boys’ Basketball team after a hard-fought victory. In addition to meeting parents, friends, and alumni at the Winter Reception, he introduced himself to prospective families at a January admission open house and took in a Red Sox
“I absolutely feel the growing energy and interest surrounding our school, and I'm eager to harness that momentum and shift to a more proactive stance.”
— Head of School Tom Woelper
spring training game at an alumni “On the Road” event in Florida.
And students have been happy to run into the new head along campus pathways: at his first meeting with the student body, he challenged himself to know each of their first names by Spring Recess or pay anyone who can stump him with a fun-sized bag of the Swedish Fish he makes sure to have on hand.
“I’ve got a big bag for when I’m at athletic contests,” he said with a smile. “It’s led to some students coming up and starting conversations.”
They’ve talked about favorite ice creams, family pets, and styling advice for Woelper, who admits one of the more fashion-forward fencers dubbed his an old school “New England headmasterly” aesthetic. They also talk about Cheshire Academy, what makes it one of a kind, and what might need a little tweaking.
Most recently the founding head of New England Innovation Academy, Woelper believes CA should bolster and champion its excellent and unique academics. The innovative Art and Music Majors, the International
Woelper (second from left) joined a group of students for a service opportunity led by English Teacher Nicole Beaudwin to Perfect Imperfections, a special needs dogs rescue.
Baccalaureate® Diploma Programme, and the new Global Citizenship Diploma Distinction are key Cheshire differentiators, he said. The recent curriculum refresh — the most ambitious since 2011 — and new opportunities for honors offer students exciting, individualized pathways.
He’d also like to see increased engagement with Cheshire alums — and not just through fundraising. Woelper and the advancement office are looking for ways to highlight school traditions — and create some new ones that resonate with today’s students. They’re encouraging alums to share their talents and stories through career panels and guest teaching opportunities. Building a strong alumni network will help both alumni and students stay connected in ways that will keep them coming back to CA, he said.
“I want to make sure the Cheshire experience does not stop when a student walks across the stage at Commencement,” he said. “It’s an ongoing relationship. For a thriving future, that’s going to be a crucial piece.”
As the calendar year goes on, Woelper will be enlisting students, staff, faculty, families, and friends to help define the path ahead. He’s careful to note that he will not be creating a “strategic plan,” something static and final. He prefers to see Cheshire’s future as determined by a strategic framework, a secure scaffolding that allows for both adaptive planning and nimble change.
“It needs to be a living thing,” he said. “It needs to be dynamic.”
In the meantime, Woelper and his wife, Heidi, are settling into their new home on Woodbury Court. Their younger son, Tomás, is off to a good start as a CA junior, and they enjoy being closer to their older son, Alejo, a sophomore at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT. Even Hazel, the family Labrador, is getting used to her new digs.
The Woelpers eat a number of meals at Gideon Welles Dining Commons, with the head of school, an early riser, forming his own “breakfast club” around 7:30 a.m. At dinner, he’s developed a taste for Brazilian steak and other made-to-order entreés at the action station.
He likened his state of mind to the “time paradox” students often feel at a boarding school: the days unfold slowly, but the weeks and months fly by. All the while, the enthusiasm is palpable.
“At once,” he said, “I feel like I just started, but I’m at home.”
School Happenings
From weekly Morning Meeting music sessions to Community Weekends filled with trips, college workshops, homecoming festivities, and more, Cheshire Academy students are busy, busy, busy outside their regular classes.
The yearlong Community Weekend series welcomed the incoming firstyears and cheered on the senior class with sunrise celebrations and evening bonfires and took on timely topics of diversity, health and wellness, and sustainability with off-campus trips and service opportunities.
The annual All School Read brought award-winning author Elizabeth Bradfield, who discussed the fresh way she documented her work as a naturalist on a ship in Toward Antarctica. Students attended creative writing workshops, talks, and walks, with some winning awards for their Bradfield-inspired writing and photography.
Alexis Holmes Day celebrated Cheshire Academy’s favorite Paris Olympian (who will receive the Outstanding Young Alumni Award at Reunion 2025) and Spirit Week brought a chance to dress across the generations, even bringing out the inner baby in some students!
Above & Beyond
A book re-publication, masterclasses, and conference presentations illustrate the ‘life-changing’ moments that come with a Cheshire Academy education
The cacophony in the van heading from Emily Dickinson’s Massachusetts home back to campus would have been enough to make the famously reserved Belle of Amherst blush.
Four girls threw their heads back in unison. “Wind in my hair, I was there,” they sang. “I remember it all too well!” Their impromptu Taylor Swift songfest drew connections between the writer they’d immersed themselves in all day — participating in a masterclass at the annual Tell It Slant Poetry Festival — and the woman who is arguably today’s best-loved poet. The van driver, English Teacher Allison Bass-Riccio, wasn’t surprised.
“Around 10 p.m., they catch a second wind. They’re kids!” she said, laughing. “But this is a great way to synthesize what they are learning and what they encounter in the world around them. It’s experiential learning that they won’t forget.”
PHOTO BY NICOLE BEAUDWIN
For Bass-Riccio, the trip means an extra-long workday. But the benefits are worth it, she said. Like many Cheshire Academy teachers and staff, she actively plans such aboveand-beyond learning, bringing her own expertise and unique writing, researching, and even publishing opportunities to her students.
It’s been a busy, exciting year for Bass-Riccio and her students. In addition to the Amherst masterclass, where they were the only teenagers among many veteran and published poets, a handful of her interns are celebrating the June re-publication of a novel by 20th-century American author Hazel Hawthorne Werner that they’ve been transcribing for months. The CA students formally shared their work on preserving Werner’s archives at a 2024 Southern Connecticut State University conference, where they joined master’s-level presenters.
CA students with Bass-Riccio in Emily Dickinson’s hometown of Amherst, MA
In November, members of the Academy’s All School Read student and faculty committees traveled to the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) conference in Boston, where they presented “Hope and Wonder: Cultivating Connection and Community through an All School Read,” which they then demonstrated to professional teachers gathered from across the nation.
“And they will all be acknowledged by name in the book for their work. These are great experiences for them.”
— English Teacher Allison Bass-Riccio
“They’re presenting to English teachers who are wellversed in their careers,” said Bass-Riccio. “They simulated our program in roundtable presentations that each student led all alone.”
Re-Introducing an American Original: Hazel Hawthorne Werner
Hazel Hawthorne Werner isn’t a household name. But she sure knew a few. A longtime resident of Provincetown, MA, she was a writer, feminist, and member of “bohemian royalty,” who fraternized with E.E. Cummings, Tennessee Williams, and Eugene O’Neill, to name a few of the celebrated American icons who visited her sandy, electricity-free ‘dune shacks,’ Thalassa and Euphoria. Jack Kerouac wrote part of On the Road in one of her shacks.
“She’s part of the literary elite of America,” said Bass-Riccio, who has been researching and writing about Werner for years. “You name ’em, she knew ’em. But her voice was sadly forgotten.”
Having been given possession of Werner’s archive, Bass-Riccio saw a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her students. They could help her sift through the writing, photos, and keepsakes, learning about the process of archiving and getting an intimate look at the inner lives and creative energy of both American literary giants and an unsung feminist voice. Once they dug in, new possibilities arose. Enamored by Werner’s authentic prose, they decided to transcribe and re-publish her out-of-print 1934 novel Salt House, spending months transcribing, making
grammatical changes and otherwise illuminating the older text for a 21st-century audience. Bass-Riccio wrote an afterword for the book, and the girls will hold a pre-release party at Re-Read Books in Cheshire on Wednesday, May 28.
Emma DiBenedetto-Arrowood ’26 transcribed many of the pages, donning gloves to turn pages in the original edition they had. Emma, who will travel to a creative writing internship at The New York Times this summer, said she knew nothing about archival work until the book project. She also learned lessons that go well beyond the classroom.
“Hazel was powerful as a woman for that time,” she said. “I think she was a lot different than the people you read about in history books. She was just a casual person — living and changing and making a difference just by being her.”
Learning Together: All School Read
Many of these students, among others, participated on the committees for All School Read, a three-year-old project Bass-Riccio leads that has brought noted authors to campus to discuss a book the entire community has read, and taken to heart. This year’s speaker, award-winning
PHOTO BY NICOLE BEAUDWIN
Bass-Riccio (center) in one of Werner's dune shacks with her students
author Elizabeth Bradfield spoke about Toward Antarctica, an evocative account of her time working as a naturalist on a ship. The memoir is written in the impressionistic 17th-century Japanese form of haibun and was a stepping-off point for art projects, nature walks, writing sessions, and more for weeks leading up to her February appearance.
Seven students — Avery Fowler ’27, Ishaan Pandey ’27, Lucy McDermott ’25, Naomi Wolfe ’25, Ally Pine Maher ’27, Deanna Dixon ’26, and Laney Paul ’26 — served on the 2024-25 planning committee and some explained the various aspects of the project during the NCTE conference session, which also included CA teachers Nicole Beaudwin and Dave Samuels, and Director of Residential Life
Jennifer Guarino P’18. During the post-talk roundtable, one student led an ASR-themed “hot cocoa chat” while others recreated discussion sessions, showing teachers how they could incorporate CA’s approach in their classrooms across the country.
“It was really cool,” said Lucy, who designed this year’s All School Read t-shirt. “I’ve never done anything like that.”
Walking the Walk...
Students apply to become what Bass-Riccio calls “Hazel interns,” volunteering to organize the archives and transcribing the book. Each fall, they’ve also gotten the chance to understand Werner’s life on a field trip to
Provincetown, performing community service, and visiting the American Antiquarian Society, historical sites, and Werner’s shacks in the Peaked Hill Bars Historic District. It’s a mile-long walk in the sand before they reach the humble sites, a place usually off limits to all but professional writers who win fellowships to stay there.
...and Talking the Talk
Last year, some of the 11 students who interned on the Werner project presented on the little-known writer at a Women’s Studies Conference at SCSU, where Bass-Riccio taught for 10 years and is earning her MFA in Creative Writing. Using the conference theme of “Exploring Our Mother’s Garden” as inspiration, the students talked about intergenerational storytelling, stewardship of the earth, and passing on feminist values to their ‘colleagues,’ who were all in college, graduate school, or beyond, Bass-Riccio said.
Now that Salt House has been re-published by the nonprofit Provincetown Arts Press, Bass-Riccio and next year’s interns will continue organizing the archive.
“And they will all be acknowledged by name in the book for their work,” she said with an excited smile. “These are great experiences for them. Presenting to teachers? One of the parents emailed me afterward and said, ‘I think it was a life-changing event for her.’ That makes every minute that goes into it worth it. You stand there and you’re just...I’m so proud of them.”
A quick selfie at the NCTE conference
Writing in the cemetery where Emily Dickinson is buried
So Long, Farewell
Head of School Julie Anderson, longtime teacher, administrator, friend leaves Cheshire Academy
On December 17, 2024, Julie Anderson P’19,’23, who first joined the Cheshire Academy family in 2003, left her last Morning Meeting with a vocal performance alongside her beloved students and her signature smile.
Having announced her departure in February 2024, Anderson started a semester-long sabbatical January 1, handing the reins to Head of School Tom Woelper with a promise to be among the cheering throngs at Commencement 2025.
“For the past 22 years, this has been not only a place of work, but a place to put down roots and join in the great work of making a difference in our students’ lives,” said the former Spanish teacher, advisor, dorm parent, and head, who led the school for more than seven years. “I am proud of what we’ve done thus far, and I look forward to watching Cheshire Academy’s future successes.”
During Anderson’s time as head of school, Cheshire made great strides on many fronts. First and foremost, she championed advancing academic programming, including the International Baccalaureate® Programme, Roxbury Academic Support, the Global Citizenship
Diploma Distinction, and curricular enhancements. She managed the NEASC and IB self-study and accreditation processes, and the tuition reset, and led the school’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Anderson enhanced the facilities with the addition of several new tennis courts and a second turf in the back fields, as well as a refresh for Simosa Field & Track, providing better options for all athletes. A vocal supporter of diversity, equity, and inclusion, she ensured students found role models and mentors in the talented faculty, coaches, and staff she recruited and hired.
In a final interview about her time at CA, Anderson said building a close-knit community was the achievement she’s most proud of during her tenure.
“Work around belonging,” she said, “really working to make our school a place where every student feels safe, that they know that they can achieve whatever they set their mind to achieving and that no part of their identity would ever hold them back. I love that this is a place where unique cultures are celebrated and that our students come together eager to learn about each other.”
She encouraged the Class of 2025 to remember the confidence and agency they developed as Cheshire Academy students and bring it with them as global citizens.
“I hope that as the students go out into the world, whether they’re going to college or whatever their next step is going to be in life, when they’re not happy in a place or a situation, that they think about what they can do, the power that they have to make that situation better.”
Anderson also made a home at Cheshire, raising her two children, Jenna ’19, and Kamden ’23, and meeting her husband, Mathematics Teacher Tom Marshall, on campus. Marshall retired from Cheshire this year.
She said she will always cherish her time at Cheshire and is proud of the school it is and will become in the future.
“I leave with a huge debt of gratitude. This has been a wonderful, wonderful place for us to live and grow and it’s a true honor and privilege to serve as head of school,” she said, addressing her students and alumni. “Please remain connected to this very special place, as I will.”
Cats Close-Up
Student-athletes tested their mettle during two seasons of play
Cheshire athletes roared into the fall and winter seasons, with two teams heading for New England Prep School Athletic Conference (NEPSAC) post-season play and more than a dozen students signing college commitments.
On Nov. 13, the Varsity Girls’ Soccer team, eighth seed in the Class B Tournament, faced top-seeded Dexter Southfield in the quarterfinals in Brookline, MA. Three days later, Varsity Football went up against Williston Northampton in the Danny Smith Bowl.
While both teams came up short, it was a whirlwind weekend for many athletes: students signed college commitments on Nov. 14, thrilled to be heading to Drexel, Notre Dame, Seton Hall, Clemson, and many other top schools.
In September, Cheshire Academy and race founder Greg O’Connell ’66, P’02 hosted the 20th annual O’Connell Invitational, drawing more than 275 cross-country runners to campus. And many more student-athletes tested their skills and fortitude in basketball, esports, fencing, and volleyball.
Hustle & Heart
Cheshire Lacrosse has a storied history and high hopes for the future
If you were going to start a private school lacrosse program in 1962, you’d be hard pressed to find a better coach than Cheshire Academy’s choice for their fledgling team: Stewart Lindsay.
A three-time All-American selection at Syracuse University in the 1950s, he was also a North/South All-Star in 1956. Inducted into the U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1976, he held the scoring records for most goals in a game, a season, and a career at Syracuse — and Phillips Exeter Academy, and Connecticut Valley Lacrosse Club. At Exeter, in fact, his 100-career goal record would not be surpassed for 35 years.
Lindsay loved lacrosse — and so did his protégé Bevan Dupre ’69, who played for his team and went on to coach the Cats for four decades. Today, varsity head coaches Husam Shabazz and Kelsey Darcey ’19 carry on this proud tradition. This dynamic duo believes the sport — first played by indigenous peoples in North America as far back as the 12th century — has a bright future at Cheshire Academy, one of which Lindsay would be proud. Savvy recruiting, major facilities improvements, and burgeoning interest in the fast-paced game have combined to build a growing lacrosse force that has taken hold on campus.
"We have all the ingredients to have successful lacrosse programs — great facilities, a strength and conditioning program, passionate coaches, we play good competition, and we have really strong academic programs," said Director of Athletics Jim McCarthy.
The sport’s popularity is a plus, too, said Darcy, admission administrative assistant.
“They say it is currently the fastest-growing sport in America. We’re seeing a major uptick in kids from all around the world who want to play lacrosse at Cheshire.”
For Shabazz, assistant director of admissions, who has coached the sport for nine years, it’s easy to see why.
“New England is one of many hotbeds of the sport,” he said. “As a kid I played everything from street hockey to basketball, football, tennis — even bocce — and I loved lacrosse because it’s a combination of all of those sports.
“And the diversity is growing in the game, which is good to see,” added Shabazz, the first person of color to coach the CA boys’ squad.
Cheshire Academy is ready to build on that excitement. In 2011, CA added Simosa Field, a state-of-the-art turf field where both boys and girls play many of their games. Lighting allows for night games, where fans can cheer from an ample bank of bleachers. Located on the back fields, a second turf field provides both game and practice space for varsity and JV teams. Cheshire’s full-time strength and conditioning coach and two board-certified athletic trainers attend to both teams, providing game-
Coach Darcy (left) at the 2024 Senior Day game
time support, injury evaluations and rehabilitation, concussion management, nutritional advice, and supervised fitness training from weightlifting to yoga.
“Cheshire Academy has supported Girls’ Lacrosse especially with the additional back field, as well as the new Simosa Field, because it allows all the lacrosse athletes — and athletes in general — more space to be able to practice during the free period and after school,” said Darcy, who played at both CA and Springfield College. “It’s been really great. I love looking out in my office and seeing kids getting extra reps in and just making sure that the nets are out all year.”
Shabazz also applauded the school’s intentional efforts and partnerships with private and independent schools and organizations that focus on youth development and recruiting, leveling the playing field in what can be an expensive sport for youngsters. “We’re not only recruiting strong talent, but also mission-appropriate players, students who plan to impact our community on the field and beyond,” he said.
The Cats have become formidable opponents in the New England Prep School Athletic Conference (NEPSAC), with many talented players gaining college coaches’ attention. Girls’ Lacrosse averages three college commitments each year, including schools like NCAA top-ranked Long Island University, Longwood University, and Mount Saint Mary College.
“We send kids to various places and to various divisions,” Darcy said. “It’s the best thing ever, especially as a coach. You see all the hard work that they do.”
The Academy’s Boys’ Lacrosse program also has a strong tradition in the NEPSAC. The Cats play a competitive schedule that includes intensive spring break training on campus. Shabazz coached standout Bryce Hrubiec ’24, now playing for Fairfield University, and CA has sent former team members to NCAA top-ranked Wagner College and Monmouth University, and Middlebury College and Wesleyan University, both in the top 5 of 2024 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) standings.
“Our teams have been competitive,” Shabazz said. “We’re playing NEPSAC schools all the way from Brunswick to Millbrook to Wilbraham and Monson... multiple teams that have sent kids to Division I and Division II schools.”
That kind of access — a focus for coaches and leaders across the sport — will cement lacrosse as an option for students of all backgrounds, he said. “Being a coach that understands that struggle, that understands what that experience can be, giving some guidance on how to navigate that or even trying to eliminate that whole perception in its entirety is important to me,” Shabazz said.
“There’s a lot of responsibility, but also a lot of excitement to building relationships with players of color, not only from teaching this game at a high level, but also from understanding the experiences that they navigate as black and brown individuals.”
Cheshire Academy’s well-considered scheduling also helps students achieve school-sport balance. Wednesday afternoons are reserved for after-school activities at Cheshire, said Darcy, who is also an advisor and dorm parent. The dedicated time allows students to truly delve into their outside-the-classroom passions, be they sports, music, theater, or other group and individual pursuits.
Shabazz and Darcy hope those dreams include lacrosse victories for CA and, more importantly, a deep love of the game.
“You’re on the field, you’re running, you’re catching, you’re throwing, you get to shoot, you get to play defense. You get to test your speed, you get to test your power,” Darcy said. “And, at least as a female athlete, being able to put all those things together and be able to play and show what we can do? It’s one of the best feelings ever.”
Coach Shabazz leads the Cheshire Academy Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse team on Simosa Field
Afternoon activities kept everyone creative and engaged during the colder months
Students won high praise from friends, family, and classmates last fall and winter for their many afternoon activities. The Fall Concert featured several standout performers, many of whom also entertained their classmates in pop-up Music Major concerts at Gideon Welles Dining Commons throughout the year.
The thought-provoking Fall Play, A Monster Calls, a stage adaptation of Patrick Ness’ popular book about a young teen dealing with his mother’s illness, made creative use of the Black Box Theater with inventive staging. In February, audiences enjoyed three sold-out shows of the raucous Addams Family, a musical that showcased students’ voices and expert comedic timing.
The dining commons played exhibition space to a new selection of works from Art Majors, while the Robotics team enjoyed assembling its new competition ring. Many efforts were rewarded later in the seasons at all-school awards ceremonies for both athletics and activities.
World’s Best
Global Citizenship pathway, honors distinctions provide even more ways to personalize a Cheshire education
In 2022, Cheshire Academy launched an ambitious new academic vision statement: “Cheshire Academy aims to provide the best (anywhere) education in global citizenship.”
Since then, the school has worked to build on that vision’s four foundational concepts: teaching 21st-century skills and capacities, adopting a global perspective, enabling transformative experiences, and fostering individual and collective well-being.
With the 2025-26 school year, the first cohort of 11th graders will study for the Global Citizenship (GC) Diploma Distinction, an exciting concentration within the academic program with a greater focus on sustainability, service, leadership, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice.
Given Cheshire’s centuries-long history as an international school, the emphasis on global citizenship isn’t new; however, it is a direct result of the Academy’s 2011 adoption of the International Baccalaureate® Diploma Programme. The IB’s mission is tailor-made for our focus on international mindedness, which became even clearer during the Academy’s 2018 accreditation process, in which the Board of Trustees tasked the faculty and staff to develop additional personalized curricular options and increase the focus on global citizenship.
“We are so excited about this new pathway for our students,” said Dean of Academics Marc Aronson. “As with the IB, students can opt into any amount of the GC pathway they want, but unlike the IB, there are no prerequisites to ‘go for it.’ Students who enroll in the GC Diploma Distinction will essentially be majoring in global citizenship through taking a concentration of courses that carry the GC badge in our curriculum guide.”
Each student will choose from a host of heavily experiential courses, further personalizing an educational track that leads to recognition at Commencement and a special citation on their diplomas.
“Most importantly,” Aronson said, “they will graduate having tapped into their intrinsic sense of global justice and prepared to be changemakers in college and beyond.”
Cheshire has a longstanding reputation for excellence in global leadership, most recently receiving high marks for diversity in the 2025 Niche national ratings. In addition to an overall A+ rating from Niche, the boarding and day school was in the top 5 percent in the Most Diverse Private High School in America category, ranked amongst 5,220 schools.
Cheshire’s 375 students hail from 15 states, 27 countries, and six continents. International students make up nearly 30 percent of the student body, and students of color represent at least 37 percent of the campus population.
The new Global Citizenship program will conclude with a Global Citizenship seminar and capstone project, in which each student works closely with a faculty mentor on an approved topic of their choice. The program was announced along with major curricular enhancements to make Cheshire’s already cutting-edge course offerings even more dynamic and forward-thinking. The changes allow students to further differentiate themselves as leaders as they advance to college and beyond with honors distinctions available on all non-IB courses. Many existing courses have been reimagined as part of the Global Citizenship Diploma Distinction, and Cheshire Academy has opened additional yearlong and semester courses in relevant topics in STEM and the Humanities, including Sustainable Energy, Green Chemistry, Multimedia Reporting, World Religions, and Genetics & Biotechnology.
“Our academic program is grounded in the school’s internationally minded mission statement,” Aronson said, “and these strategic initiatives create individual pathways to success for students.”
Field of Dreams:
Jaida Williams ’19
Exposure to international issues at Cheshire opened a whole new world for one caring alum
Others might look at the forlorn field behind Goodwill School in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and see uneven ground, rubble, and the odd tree stump.
Jaida Williams ’19 sees opportunity.
By creating a soccer field behind the school Williams’ parents attended, the Ann Hewan Foundation — a 501(c)(3) charity she helped found in 2023 — is building a lively, positive space for kids to build healthy habits and for friendships and community to flourish. For Williams, the ultimate goal is erasing the need for so many Jamaicans to leave their homeland looking for financial security and a better life somewhere else.
“If we can build that field where they can play sports, maybe they will not pick up a life without sports,” said Williams, the foundation’s chief operations officer and director of philanthropy. “Giving them a sense of community is so important. We want to take care of the people still there so they might not have to leave.”
It was athletics that brought Williams, a Stratford, CT, resident, to Cheshire Academy, though in a roundabout way. Watching the film The Parent Trap as a kid, she was fascinated by scenes of a girl fencing, a sport she’d never seen or tried.
“I turned to my mom and said, ‘Mom, I want to fence!’” said Williams, laughing.
Peters, was one of the youngsters left in Hewan’s care after his mom, Hewan’s niece, left for America to find the means to support her family when he was two. Peters enlisted Williams’ help in creating the foundation, guided by Hewan’s compassion, grace, and belief in the power of education.
The first project has been the open field at Goodwill School. With donations and a partnership with The Goodwill School Alumni Foundation, they’ve built a retaining wall and are busy leveling the ground and removing the debris, rocks, roots, and stumps that have left many young athletes injured during games and practice. Multiple videos on the foundation website document the ongoing work.
The foundation is also looking to partner with other charitable groups for its breakfast program that ensures children at Goodwill School — and other community members in need — have a healthy meal before school, Williams said.
“Being an international boarding school, it was there I met people from all over the world and it fueled my love for culture.”
— Jaida Williams ’19
Her mother challenged her to do some research on schools in Connecticut that might give her that opportunity and she found Cheshire.
“I got in and toured and I absolutely loved every aspect of it,” said Williams, who co-captained CA’s fencing team. “It was the best four years of my life.”
After Cheshire, Williams headed to the University of Connecticut, where she majored in political science and minored in communications. Thinking about her prospects after college, she turned to the late Ann Hewan for inspiration.
Born and raised in Goodwill St. James, Jamaica, Hewan didn’t have children of her own, but that never stopped her from caring and providing for a string of extended family members and children. Williams’ uncle, Edgar “Pete”
From there, Williams has big dreams. She envisions an orphanage to provide a safe, secure home for the children of those who go to the U.S. for work, as well as other facilities and services found in a thriving community.
“I’d like to build a community center, so the school isn’t the only place the children have to hang out,” she said.
For now, Williams and her team are working to fill their website with videos and photos of the field work and children who benefit and create a social media presence to get their message out. The foundation of global citizenship she learned through Cheshire Academy's motto, “Ich dien,” or “I serve,” has helped focus her life’s goals.
“Being an international boarding school, it was there I met people from all over the world and it fueled my love for culture,” she said. “Me living here and being born here in the U.S. was a privilege. I want to take care of the people who are still at home in Jamaica.”
Want to know more about the Ann Hewan Foundation? Visit theannhewanfoundation.com.
Levy (center) with wife Sheryl and daughter Bettie
Richard C. Levy ’64
Never Give Up, Never Grow Up
Many students come to Cheshire Academy because of its academic reputation, top-notch college counseling, or chance to catch the eye of NCAA Division I university coaches.
For Richard C. Levy ’64, it was all about the jacket.
While touring Cheshire Academy, he took one look at the school’s navy wool classic emblazoned with a huge “C” and a wily cat and his high school
One alum’s journey from Cheshire Cat to Furby
experience played out before him. Soon he was enrolled and earning a spot on the varsity wrestling team — and a letter for his jacket.
“I loved walking around Scranton, Pennsylvania, my hometown, wearing my jacket. I was so cool!” he said, laughing. “I was proud to be a Cheshire Cat.”
While it was the one-of-a-kind apparel that drew Levy to Cheshire, it wasn’t the clothes that made the man he
would become. At Cheshire and later Emerson College, where he majored in broadcasting, the self-proclaimed unfocused student bloomed into a sought-after, highly focused entrepreneur who has brought more than 200 toys and games to market, including animatronic Furby, a googlyeyed talking fuzzball that’s currently enjoying a fifth wave of popularity with kids and their sentimental parents internationally.
A 3D variation on the Tamagotchi, the digital pet children doted on in the late 1990s, Furby was the brainchild of David Hampton, who invented the adorable AI hamster-owl hybrid. Being new to the toy licensing game, he called upon Levy, who had established connections, to help license, develop, and get the idea to market.
Levy immediately saw a bright future for Furby. What made it so special? The technology — and the invisibility of that technology. According to Levy, the fact that Furby did things its owner didn’t expect — surprising kids with new words, actions, and other “Easter eggs” — was key.
And then there’s Furbish, the sunny, sing-song language that’s all its own. “Wee-tah-kah-loo-loo” means tell me a joke. Not to be confused with “Wee-tah-kah-wee-loo,” which means tell me a story. And then there’s the ever-popular “Wee-tee-kah-wah-tee,” sing me a song, something Furby is prone to bursting into at a moment’s notice.
Sensing a hit, Levy set a pitch meeting with Tiger Electronics president Roger Shiffman, who, a day before the meeting, wasn’t feeling well and wanted to postpone it. “I asked him, ‘have I ever wasted your time?’ and he said ‘never,’” Levy remembered. “So I said, ‘unless you are critically ill, please take the meeting.’” Shiffman agreed.
“I loved walking around Scranton, Pennsylvania, my hometown, wearing my jacket. I was so cool! I was proud to be a Cheshire Cat. ” — Richard C. Levy ’64
And the rest is history. “Sometimes in life you have to know when to throw a ‘Hail Mary’,” Levy said.
The inventor’s instincts were on the money. The toy was an instant favorite in the U.S. and abroad. Levy saw Furby t-shirts and other merchandise on travels to Chile, Japan, Korea, and Micronesia. By the end of the first year of production, Tiger had sold an astounding 4 million Furbys. Over the years, models have been developed in 18 languages. Now produced by Hasbro, the toy recently celebrated its 25th birthday, and an estimated 75 million Furbys have found their way to children’s hearts in 57 countries.
“There were times during development that Furby was hanging by a thread,” Levy said, “and sometimes the toy gods just smiled upon it.”
Levy has made a good living and crafted a colorful life by being brave enough to take chances. Having spent his teenage summers in Spain, France, and Italy, and being
conversant in five languages, he first went to work for Paramount Pictures International. At age 22, he was hired to manage foreign advertising and publicity for Avco Embassy Overseas Pictures. Between both corporate stints, he worked on the foreign launches of more than 30 major motion pictures including The Graduate, The Lion in Winter, The Producers, The Odd Couple, and Rosemary’s Baby. “Working in the feature film industry was like getting a Ph.D. in showmanship,” he said.
A chance meeting led to Levy’s first toy, StarBird, a pint-sized aircraft that became the #1 toy at the annual New York City Toy Fair in 1978. Now president of Richard C. Levy & Associates, his licensed toys include Disney Parks’ Spiro Light, P&G’s Crest Fluorider trike, and The World’s Smallest Duncan Yo-Yo. He’s thought up games like Adverteasing; Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus; Chicken Soup for the Soul; The Wayne’s World VCR board game;
Tightrope; and Dizzy Duckies. He has authored 12 books, including The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Cashing In on Your Inventions and The Toy and Game Inventor’s Handbook, which was #2 on Forbes' 2016 list of the 33 Best Books Recommended by Shark Tank Entrepreneurs.
Levy has been profiled by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, The New York Times, The Discovery Channel’s Smithsonian “Invention” series, and The Washington Post, and has addressed the IBM Inventor Dinner, Wharton’s Entrepreneurship Conference, and many universities and organizations.
“I was fortunate to have married Sheryl, who has worked and traveled with me on this serpentine journey,” Levy said. “She gave me that added edge. Our talented and entrepreneurial daughter Bettie didn’t fall far from our family tree. She founded BCL Entertainment, a company that specializes in producing one-of-a-kind talent-facing events and branded partnerships.”
Levy came back to Cheshire in 2002 to deliver the Commencement Address. Wanting to make a lasting impression on his youthful audience, he held up a can of the common
household lubricant WD-40 and asked the confused graduates if they knew what the product’s name meant. The WD stands for “water displacement,” he told them. But the 40?
“That’s because it was the 40th time the inventor tried the experiment to make it when it finally worked,” Levy said. “I wanted them to have one
message that resonated. The message is you have to persist.”
You know who’s taken that advice to heart? Furby Galaxy Edition, one of the latest models, that comes with 15 accessories and the ability to dance, glow in the dark, tell fortunes, and talk with tiny Furblets, one of which sits in Cheshire’s Office of Advancement, proudly donning a CA ribbon. It’s enough to make Levy and his furry pals very happy, or as they might say “Kah mee-mee noo-loo.”
Building a Legacy
Karen and Curt Smith are ensuring Cheshire Academy’s future is bright
When Karen Smith answered an ad for a substitute science and math teacher at Cheshire Academy in 1976, she figured she’d be on campus for a few weeks, tops.
“And then I stayed...for 45 years,” the Cheshire resident said, relaxing with her husband, Curt, at their cozy home not far from the school.
It’s no wonder. After teaching in public schools with classes of 30 students or more, Karen was energized by the possibilities she found at CA: small classes tailormade for the kind of personalized, experiential teaching she enjoyed with students from different countries and cultures, bringing the richness of diversity to their lively discussions.
It’s these attributes of the Cheshire experience that the Smiths still love — and support. As longtime members of the Harwood Society for Planned Giving, the couple has made Cheshire a philanthropic priority, ensuring the Academy will deliver its signature brand of world-class education well into the future.
“We started small,” said Karen. “It’s a gradual thing. As we went on in life, we were very frugal and we have done very well. We wanted to invest in what’s important to us.”
After years of teaching chemistry, Karen enjoyed working with students served by the Roxbury Academic Support Program. The Smiths’ sons, Rick and Dave, worked at the school, and Curt, upon retiring from the company he started, picked up a job as a driver for the Richmond Health Center. With their home nearby he was able, at a moment’s notice, to ferry students to both medical and dental appointments.
“I would always ask the kids where they were from and we’d talk. I knew more kids than she did at one point,” he joked.
The Smiths were able to personalize their gifts to the school. Curt established the Karen J. Smith Scholarship Award for Scholastic Improvement, given each year at Commencement to honor his wife. Their continued support ensured the award will be funded for years to come.
Joining the Harwood Society was simple, Karen said. The couple consulted with their own advisors and met with a member of the CA advancement team to discuss their finances and their family’s future needs to make sure their wills reflected their wishes.
What’s their advice for likeminded Cheshire Academy friends, faculty, staff, and alumni?
“Consider joining the Harwood Society, even if you start at a lower level and gradually add to it,” Karen said. “It’s a simple process. You just fill out a sheet of paper.
“I’ve seen so much good come out of Cheshire Academy. It’s a special place. I want to see it continue.”
To learn more about how you can build Cheshire Academy’s endowment, contact Fred J. Kuo, senior director of development, at fred.kuo@cheshireacademy.org.
Alumni Events around the globe strengthen old bonds, build new ones
Friends from New Haven to Denver, San Juan to Shanghai, and beyond, are gathering to reminisce and share a laugh at the Cheshire Academy “On the Road” events around the country and the world.
Out-going Head of School Julie Anderson and retiring teachers
Robert “Chip” Boyd P’98,’10, James “Butch” Rogers P’12, and François “Fran” Poisson P’07 made guest appearances and Florida denizens and snowbirds enjoyed both a hospitality room and a Red Sox spring training game down in Ft. Myers.
Join us On the Road
Want to be part of the fun? Register for an “On the Road” event near you at www.cheshireacademy.org/on-the-road. Or how about hosting one of our gatherings? Check in with Rich Ferraro ’71, director of alumni engagement, to see how you can invite friends to your locale.
Washington, D.C.
Darien, CT
Shanghai, China
Beijing, China
Shenzhen, China
New Haven, CT
Cheshire, CT
Ft. Myers, FL
When you come back to campus for Reunion, you’ll have the chance to honor three longtime educators transitioning from full-time teaching, having served a combined 93 years at Cheshire Academy. Events will include golf, the 25th anniversary of Roxbury reception, the Golden Cats Luncheon, and much more. For details, check out www.cheshireacademy.org/reunion.
While there will be time to fete Robert “Chip” Boyd, James “Butch” Rogers, and François “Fran” Poisson for their dedication, Boyd has agreed to stay on for 2025-26 to support alumni and development work.
“We look forward to Chip’s work with us to leverage his many connections with the Cheshire alumni, many of whom have come back to campus to visit his classes over the years,” said Head of School Tom Woelper.
Woelper encouraged alumni to renew their connections to the Academy by sharing their talents, career paths, and experiences with current students. Some might wish to mentor students and groups, speak at career panels or join in events involving the whole CA community. Two alums did just that during the day-long All School Read in February, which centered on guest speaker Elizabeth Bradfield’s intriguing memoir Toward Antarctica. Jeff Nelson ’07, author of the 2024 book Ninja Punks, @*&% OFF, led a workshop on the concept of the hero’s journey to self-discovery. Class of 1972 alum Gary Graham and his wife JoAnn presented a session on their own trip to Antarctica.
Gary Graham ’72
Jeff Nelson ’07
Cheshire Academy Announces 2025 Hall of Fame Inductees
Ceremony planned for Reunion Weekend includes two new categories
Several alumni — including a Paris Olympian, the president of a leading wholesale distributor, an award-winning sportswriter and columnist, and the storied 1964 track team — will be inducted in the Cheshire Academy Hall of Fame at Reunion 2025.
“We’re thrilled to celebrate the outstanding achievements of these individuals,” said Rich Ferraro ’71, director of alumni engagement. “Their success is a powerful reminder of Cheshire Academy’s unbroken thread, connecting our storied past with a promising future.”
Since 1987, Cheshire Academy has been recognizing alumni success both on campus and beyond commencement through induction into our athletic and academic Hall of Fame. On Reunion Weekend 2024, about 100 alumni, family, faculty, and friends gathered outside Bowden Hall to celebrate the achievements of the most recent class of deserving Cats.
After carefully considering many nominations for the five annual honors, the Office of Advancement has announced this year’s inductees:
The Kevin Slaughter Memorial Athletic Hall of Fame
THE 1964 TRACK TEAM
The 1964 Track team won the New England Prep School competition at Mt. Herman and took the Exeter Invitational Relays by storm — winning first place for both shotput and javelin and setting New England Prep School records to win the 2-mile relay. Later in the day, the 2-mile team decided to try the 1-mile race and set a record to win that as well.
SHAKIR SAUNDERS ’07
Captain of Varsity Boys’ Lacrosse, Saunders also played basketball, soccer and ran track and field at Cheshire Academy. After CA, he went on to play varsity lacrosse at Elizabethtown College and later went pro with the Jamaican Men’s National Lacrosse team and traveled to Israel, Colombia, and Canada to compete on the world stage. Now a talent acquisition manager, he coaches and referees the sport.
The D. Robert Gardiner Arts & Letters Hall of Fame
JULIE MONTERO (ROBLES) ’07, AEA
Having performed in 19 theatrical productions in four years at CA, Montero went on to earn her BFA in Acting at Pace University and an MFA in Acting at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a teaching fellowship. She was recently named Performing Arts Department Chair at the Allen-Stevenson School, an all-boys prep school in New York City. A member of Actors Equity, she has performed in multiple productions at theaters such as La MaMa ETC, Triad Stage, and The Snapple Theater Off-Broadway. She is the creator of the interdisciplinary educational program “A Morning of Mythical Proportions” and formerly worked behind the scenes on “Inside The Actors Studio” with James Lipton.
RICK MCGOWAN ’64
Alexis Holmes ’18
A member of the Slaughter Hall of Fame for achievements in hockey and lacrosse, McGowan will be honored for his professional work as a sportswriter/columnist. A 35-year veteran of the Newport Daily News, McGowan is a member of the Rhode Island Journalism Hall of Fame, the Rhode Island Words Unlimited Hall of Fame, the Newport Gulls of New England Collegiate Baseball Hall of Fame, among others. He has received numerous honors and awards from the Associated Press, United Press International, and the Rhode Island Press Association and was named the National Association of Sportscasters and Sportswriters Rhode Island Sportswriter of the Year 14 times.
The Outstanding Young Alumni Award
ALEXIS HOLMES ’18
Holmes won a gold medal in the 4x400m relay and was a finalist in the 400m at the 2024 Paris Olympics. A former world champion and two-time world record holder, she graduated cum laude from the University of Kentucky and is committed to being a role model for young female athletes. Competing for Nike and Team USA, she embodies the spirit of dedication and excellence. She actively engages in mentorship and outreach initiatives, inspiring
and empowering the next generation, including speaking to the entire student body last fall at CA’s Alexis Holmes Day.
The Alumni Achievement Award
PAT MCCASKEY
’68
After serving as a contributing editor to the literary magazines at Loyola University Chicago and Indiana University, McCaskey, who ran cross-country and track at Cheshire, started working for the Chicago Bears in 1974. Now the Bears’ corporate secretary and vice president, he is chairman of Sports Faith International, which recognizes people who are successful in sports while leading exemplary lives. He is the author of 12 books, including Bear with Me: A Family History of George Halas and the Chicago Bears and Sports and Faith: Stories of the Devoted and the Devout.
The Distinguished Alumni Service Award
MICHAEL BOZZUTO ’75
Michael A. Bozzuto is the chairman, president, and CEO of Bozzuto’s, Inc., a leading organization in the wholesale distribution industry. Upon graduating from Stetson University, he started his formal career at Bozzuto’s, Inc., working his way up the ladder. He has grown the family business into a $3 billion company with tenured employees servicing over 1,500 retail accounts from Maine to Maryland. He is a member of the IGA Inc. Board of Directors and a former member of the National Grocers Association and the Food Marketing Institute Board of Directors, among other positions.
Class Notes
Submit your news and photos to: alumni@cheshireacademy.org
1950s
Thomas Connors ’55 (above on left) has a connection to Cheshire Academy Head of School Tom Woelper: Woelper’s sister, Nelee, is married to Jocelyn and Tom Connors’ son, Mark. Tom Connors reports he and his twin, Jim Connors (above right), also a Class of 1955 alum, are well, having had similar paths after graduation. Tom graduated from Colby and Jim went on to Yale University and Wharton Business School. Tom was a Marine officer, while Jim was an officer in the Navy. Both had careers in business and higher education, long marriages, and children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Henry Cashen ’57 reports that he’s enjoying life after CA, having attended Brown University and the University of Michigan (1963). “Would enjoy a visit back to the law school, which was a great three years,” he wrote.
1970s
Chip Namias ’73 and his brother John Winer ’72 (see photo at right) had an experience of a lifetime: Chip, who has been a Florida Gators basketball fan for over 50 years, was in San Antonio for the final four game between Florida and Houston for the big Gator win.
1980s
Michelle Lee (Ebinger) Anderson ’87 reports her daughter, Devin LaMantia ’11, has been featured in Des Moines Magazine for her and her fiancé’s bagel company.
1990s
Mary and Adam Prince ’92 welcomed a baby boy, Preston James Prince, on March 10, 2025. He joins big brother Holden John. The Princes reside in Miami, FL.
Ryan Barshop ’98 visited campus in December. Ryan is an immigration attorney located in Southeast Asia, with offices in both the Philippines and Vietnam. He has been in SE Asia for about 12 years now, and spent time with CA’s postgraduate seminar, discussing a wide range of topics, from his work to his experience as an ex-pat to reaching Mount Everest base camp. A marathon runner, he also spent time with CA’s XC and track coach Ellie De Leon and some of our athletes, and joined them on an afternoon run before having dinner with some beloved former faculty.
2000s
Congratulations to Christine and Anthony Tata ’02 on their wedding on October 12, 2024.
Congratulations to Brian and Marla Stancil Demoss ’03 on the birth of their daughter, Winnie, on October 25, 2024. She joins sisters Clara and Lucy.
Magen Blake ’05 and her wife Elena Arranz Alonzo welcomed a baby daughter, Norah (below), on February 16. Congratulations to the family, including new big sister Ava!
L-R: Tom Connors (Winston Salem, NC) and brother Jim (Chicago, IL)
Freelance writer Amanda Mactas ’06 was recently featured as an expert for USA Today’s “10 Best Haunted Destinations in the U.S. for a Spooky and Spectacular Trip.”
2010s
Black Bagel, a bagel company owned by Devin LaMantia ’11 and her fiancé Lloyd Yates (right), was featured in Des Moines Magazine (see Michelle Lee (Ebinger) Anderson ’87. The start-up is a hit at the famous Downtown Farmers’ Market and they sell online at www.blackbagel.com.
Adam Squinto ’11 (below) was surrounded by fellow Cats at his autumn 2024 wedding. From left to right are: Connor Ducey ’11, Lucian Boyd ’10, Adam, teacher Robert “Chip” Boyd, P’98,’10, Ethan Boroson ’11, and Kris Daoud ’11.
Deimante Vitkute ’13 has returned to her undergraduate alma mater, Emerson College, as an adjunct journalism professor.
Congratulations to Danielle Landry ’15, president of CA’s Alumni Leadership Association, and her husband, Harold, on the birth of their third child, Margo Elizabeth Landry (right). Margo debuted on January 17, weighing 7 lbs., 6 oz.
Regina McCoy ’17 (below right) who earned her MS in Medical Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Washington, was recognized as one of ASHA’s Distinguished Early Career
Professionals for 2024. The certificate was created to recognize ECPs in the field of audiology and speechlanguage pathology who are making an impact in the areas of leadership, volunteering, or advocacy at the local, state, and/or national level.
Olivia Arciero ’18 (above center) co-presented research with UConn Health’s FARR Lab at the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS). The presentation focused on neural threat processing differences in children exposed to family violence.
Alexis Holmes ’18 (above at Alexis Holmes Day on campus) won two medals at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, including a gold medal in the women’s 4x400m relay, just as she did in the 2024 Olympics in Paris. She also won a silver in the women’s 400m.
Molly Guglielmino ’19 and Matthew “MJ” Kehoe ’15 (below) were married on January 31 in Milford, CT. Congratulations!
2020s
Shreeya Gomathinayagam ’24 completed her internship at Medtronic as a Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) intern in the Wound Management R&D team, acquiring advanced microscopy and technical lab skills and expanding her data analysis knowledge. She spent her spring break with MEDLIFE in Lima, Peru, volunteering with medical professionals and other volunteers to provide restorative and preventative care and education to low-resource communities.
Sriharan Lakshmanaprasath ’24 accepted an internship in the Washington, D.C. office of U.S. Sen.
Richard Blumenthal (above). Sri is studying neuroscience and criminal justice at The George Washington University.
A Cheshire Academy contingent attended the Quinnipiac University-St. Peter’s University women's basketball game in January to cheer on De’Naya Rippey ’24 and her coaches Jen Leedham ’05 and Jo Leedham-Warner ’06. Pictured below are (L-R): Assistant Director of Admission Brianna Zegzdryn, Dean of Students Colleen Altenburger, Director of Library Services Kate Daly ’05, De’Naya, Rania Brown ’24, Athletic Trainer Danielle Smith, and Associate Director of College Counseling Sarah Lasoff-Hodge. De’Naya, a St. Peter’s Peacocks forward, had her first double-double at the game!
In Memoriam
ANN MORIARTY
Ann Moriarty, a beloved Cheshire Academy teacher, mentor, middle school head, and librarian for more than three decades, passed away on March 16 at her home. Ann’s tenure at CA began in the 1980s, and left an indelible mark on all who knew her, whether she was advancing initiatives at the middle school or helping to build the archives still used today in the library. Throughout her life, she was known for her love of animals, (especially her Siamese cats), reading, and the arts. She had a unique ability to make meaningful connections with people, often striking up conversations with strangers and forming long-lasting friendships wherever life took her, said her son, Christopher. Faculty members always looked forward to an invitation to Ann’s “Ladies’ Beach Day” at her Old Lyme home right after school finished. Many Cheshire faculty, staff, and alumni attended her funeral service, sharing stories of how she shaped their lives.
1940s
Bruce Robert Marshall, M.D. ’43
Charles J. Falugo ’47
William A. Reynolds ’48
Louis Victor RisCassi ’48
Armand David Brandi ’49
Ciro A. Scognamiglio ’49
1950s
Edward Anthony Ruisi, ’50
Norman James Elliot ’54
Ronald Zooleck ’57
William E. Krohner Jr. ’58
VIRGINIA K. WHITE
Virginia Kimball White, who, with her husband, John J. White ’38, helped lead a transformation of the Cheshire campus in the 1990s, passed away on January 16, in her Northbrook, IL, home. Virginia left her mark on Cheshire Academy in partnership with her husband, who fell in love with Cheshire during his one year as a student. The two were part of a group of forwardthinking philanthropists who ushered in a significant era of building on campus. The pair were lead donors for the John J. White Science & Technology Center, as well as supporters for new faculty housing, the library and head of school home, the admission center, a boys’ dorm, and scholarships, remembered Frank Motter ’61. Added Ron Feinstein ’64: “She and John partnered on a passion for the school and that partnership has created a permanent legacy in both her and John’s memory.”
A former English teacher, Virginia also served as a social worker and was an avid athlete, enjoying tennis, golf, and bowling, among other sports. She was known as a formidable bridge player, who loved to travel, entertain, support the arts, and be outdoors with family and friends.
1960s
Stanley J. Sepiol ’62
Jeffrey Kevin Tallman ’64
Daniel J. Pierelli ’65
N. Wayne Edmonds ’66
Claudio Ignacio Remirez de Estenoz, ’66
Bradford Dale Spring ’68
1970s
Carl Barzilauskas ’70
1990s
Rebekah (Ohlsen) Lyas ’97
Faculty & Staff
Stephen Lee Balser, director of studies
Lee Netter, science and math teacher
Otis H. “Mickey” Shepard, head of the kitchen
Alec A. “Butch” Vlahos Jr., math teacher
Last Look
1794 Challenge Surpasses Goals, Raising Over $200,000
More donors than ever support key Cheshire Academy Annual Fund initiatives
A record 383 donors took part in the 1794 Challenge: Cheshire Gives, raising more than $203,000 to help keep Cheshire Academy one of the best independent schools in the country.
The 1794-minute campaign — s-purred on by creative “Catflix” videos that parodied popular TV shows — included challenges and matching gifts throughout the day. By 11:54 p.m. on March 5, alumni,
parents, and friends from 25 states and five countries had participated — a 62.4% increase in individual donors from last year’s challenge.
The entire campus community got involved in this year’s challenge.
Faculty and staff acted in videos and posed for poster photos, while students submitted their own videos on Instagram and TikTok.
“We are so proud of our Cheshire Academy family,” said Chief
Advancement Officer Joe Long. “Because of you, Cheshire Academy is on track to break $1 million in annual support that we use for scholarships, facilities, athletics, student activities, faculty development, and so, so much more.”
The two-day challenge is over until next year on February 24-25, 2026, but you can always find ways to give back to Cheshire Academy. Visit cheshireacademy.org/give to learn more.
Graphic design by Alissa Hoffman
BELONGING • ENGAGEMENT • COLLABORATION • GROWTH
Students take in the outdoors on Service & Sustainability Community Weekend