Cardigan
Chronicle THE MAGAZINE OF CARDIGAN MOUNTAIN SCHOOL
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A Beautiful Day in New Hampshire Home away from Home Relationships and Place
C.O.R.E: A New Summer Adventure Blazing a Trail: Mountain Biking
From the Editor’s Desk
Cardigan Mountain
School
Headmaster David J. McCusker, Jr. ’80
The Richness of this Place
W
orking on this issue of the Cardigan Chronicle presented me the rewarding opportunity to consider the dynamic bonds that form between people and place, and in particular the important ways in which Cardigan’s setting here in Canaan, New Hampshire, defines and distinguishes this community. We all know that Cardigan Mountain School is special, and the previous two Chronicles have explored how our educational program and our exceptional people make it so. This time, it’s about place. The feature stories in these pages are wonderfully diverse in subject matter and are written by a group of folks who hold a variety of roles in our community, but all communicate the importance of a kind of “grounding” that happens here on The Point.
Assistant Headmaster & Director of Secondary School Placement James H. Funnell Assistant Headmaster & Dean of Faculty Ryan Feeley Director of Admissions Chip Audett Director of Development Brian L. Cheek Director of Communications Joy L. Michelson
This campus might be your home, your home away from home, a place of cherished memories, or a destination you look forward to visiting, but in the end we will all share a common sense that being here has unique things to offer—indeed to teach— each of us. Through each experience with Cardigan, here amidst the New Hampshire scenery, or even by remote connection from afar, we learn about ourselves and what is truly important and enduring in our lives. Dave McCusker testifies to this in his opening piece, “A Beautiful Day in New Hampshire,” when he reflects on the Cardigan experience and how lucky we all are to share a connection to it.
Dean of Student Life H. Charles McCormick, Jr.
Cardigan’s community of learners today is undeniably diverse and reflective of the cosmopolitan nature of the twenty-first century world, and in Steff McCusker’s feature, “Home away from Home,” she shares her perspective on the diversity of our community and the incredible adaptability our boarding students demonstrate as they adjust to residential life. In her story, Steff reminds us that we are more alike than we are different, and that a sense of being “at home” can be experienced wherever relationships are nurtured.
Business Manager Joseph McHugh
Eric Lane’s piece adds a unique ecological perspective on home and relationships, as he tells about his experience watching the endangered loons come back to nest here at the edge of campus. These beautiful birds represent one more “family” that shares the sense that this is a great place for our young ones to grow and learn. The article describing the new C.O.R.E. summer program, the piece about the new mountain biking team, and Gianni Leslie’s story of lessons learned from “the rock” also speak to the power of our natural environment as a place where boys can learn and grow. Many more perspectives come alive in the Chronicle this spring, from staff members, parents, board members, alumni, and others, and I know you will find yourself somewhere in these pages as well—remembering and reflecting on your own connection to the richness of this place. Enjoy! Joy Michelson Director of Communications
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Director of Studies John P. D’Entremont ’94 Director of Athletics Ryan E. Frost Director of Summer Programs Matt Rinkin
Photography Gene Banks/Newfound Photography Eric Lane Eric Kwon ’11 Caleb Glover ’11 Ryan McCabe ’11 Spenser Hukill ’11 Sam Floyd ’11 Jasper Beeever ’12 Joy Michelson Printing Capital Offset, Concord, New Hampshire The Cardigan Chronicle is published two times yearly by the Communications Office for alumni, parents, and friends of the School. Please address any communications to the editor: 62 Alumni Drive Canaan, NH 03741 603.523.4321 Cardigan Mountain School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, handicap, sexual orientation, or national origin in the administration of its educational policies or any other program governed by the School.
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Sections 2 THE CARDIGAN WAY 12 ON THE POINT 17 SPORTS WRAP-UP 20 ADVANCING CARDIGAN 22 ALUMNI NOTES 34 IN MEMORIAM 36 TRADITIONS
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Features 6
Home away from Home
Relationships and place.
10 C.O.R.E.
A new summer adventure.
11 A Transformative Place Eighth grader Gianni Leslie shares his Cardigan Story. 15 Blazing a Trail
Mountain biking gets a new start on The Point.
18 A Walk with Audie Armstrong
Another behind-the-scenes hero retires this spring.
21 Perspectives
Parent and Cardigan board member Hank Holland, of California, reflects on the School.
ON THE COVER Cardigan was honored to share its piece of Canaan Street Lake shoreline with a nesting pair of loons last summer. The endangered birds set up housekeeping at the edge of campus, where science teacher Eric Lane kept a vigilant eye (and a skillful lens) on the family and reported their progress to the State of New Hampshire. (Photo courtesy of Eric Lane)
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Read more about Mr. Lane’s monitoring work on page 9.
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the cardigan way A Beautiful Day in New Hampshire A Message from the Headmaster
David J. McCusker, Jr. ’80
During my student days at Cardigan, I often heard the declaration “It’s a beautiful day in New Hampshire!” Our headmaster then, Mr. Norman C. Wakely, was a physically imposing man, over six feet tall and well built, with a presence as commanding and impressive as his stature. He was fond of this quote and used it frequently, although in many different forms. For example, in the dead of winter, perhaps during an ice storm, Mr. Wakely might use the quip with irony and for a laugh. During more majestic occasions, a beautiful sunrise over Mount Cardigan, for instance, his words would be filled with sincerity and awe. No matter the circumstance, though, it was always “a beautiful day in New Hampshire.” Our most recent issues of the Chronicle have focused a great deal of attention on Cardigan’s “program” and “people”— and appropriately so, given the importance and strengths both themes represent for our school. I am pleased that in this issue we will reflect on “place,” for indeed our campus on The Point is an ideal location for our school for boys.
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So what of this slice of heaven in New Hampshire? How does the physical environment in which we find ourselves shape the ethos of our community and the ways in which we live together, think about our place in the world, appreciate the gifts of nature, respect and support other human beings, and determine our personal values? In this part of the world, people value honest, straightforward, earnest words and deeds. New Hampshire does not suffer fools lightly; neither do middle school boys, who can spot a phony in a heartbeat and will reflexively call a person on his or her disingenuous words or actions.
“We live in an area that places high value on practicality and usefulness; bells and whistles don’t impress us.” We believe that everyone in our community, regardless of age, deserves to be treated with respect and honesty. We live in an area that places high value on practicality and usefulness; bells and whistles don’t impress us. If you plan to enjoy the four seasons of New Hampshire, it is imperative that you are active and physical, fully involved, and discovering new passions. Cardigan’s litmus test for excellence in our program offerings—“relevant, engaging, and hands-on”— reflects our belief that education is not simply an intellectual exercise, but the means to a useful and fulfilling life.
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(continued on next page) From left: Mark Riedmeuller ’12, Marcus Mitchell ’12, and Charley Borek ’12.
Chad Morse ’12 and Chris Alberigi ’13.
We often hear from secondary school representatives what they perceive as common attributes in the “Cardigan boys” they interview and enroll: respectful and polite, engaged and engaging, intellectually curious, industrious in their academic and athletic endeavors, confident, willing to express their lives in creative ways (whether that be on the stage, in a band, or in the studio), and generally kind and thoughtful among their peers and with smaller children and adults alike. I know that, at Cardigan, good kids join us from good families, so we’ve got solid “material” with which to work. Still, my hope and belief is that we also create “an environment” here—defined with respect to ethos as well as physical considerations—that allows our boys to continue to grow and learn in ways that lead them on a path to become positive and productive members of their next school community and then (ultimately) in society. Place matters, and it matters with respect to the synergy created when an outstanding program is implemented by excellent educators, who live and work together in a beautiful setting that can support the goals and values of the community. I consider our location on The Point a divine gift, secured for Cardigan by the founders of our school. We are now caretakers of this place and have the responsibility to plan and deliver on the promise of the Cardigan experience through thoughtful stewardship of our surroundings and facilities. It truly is always a beautiful day in New Hampshire, when we take the time to understand how lucky we are to be here, and how special life on The Point really is.
Our Mission Cardigan Mountain School offers a close-knit community that prepares middle school boys—in mind, body, and spirit—for responsible and meaningful lives in a global society. To achieve our mission, we reward effort and accomplishment, helping each boy realize his academic, physical, and personal potential through the integration of the following core values in all aspects of daily life.
COMPASSION
We cherish the quality of kindness, asking each member of our community to “love thy neighbor as thyself,” and we embrace the importance of service for the greater good.
HONESTY
We expect rigorous honesty in all dealings.
RESPECT
We teach respect for all individuals, embracing an appreciation for diverse perspectives.
INTEGRITY
We cultivate personal integrity, underscoring our commitment to “doing the right thing,” through community discussion, public example, and role modeling.
SCHOLARSHIP
We instill a love of learning and promote intellectual curiosity and growth, recognizing that each person learns differently.
FAIRNESS We believe that all people deserve the opportunity to grow and develop, succeed and fail, in a safe environment that
From left: Hayden Holland ’12, Auden Menke ’12, and Charlie Day ’12.
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values intent, effort, and accomplishment free from bias and prejudice.
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cardigan way events
Boston with Tim Smith ’77 Many thanks to Cardigan alumnus Tim Smith ’77 for hosting a professional luncheon for Boston-area alumni at his Denham Capital offices in downtown Boston on November 12, 2010. Several Cougars were able to find time in their busy schedules to join Headmaster Dave McCusker ’80, Board President Kim Kenly ’68, and our new director of alumni programs, Richard Clancy ’67, as you can see from the photo.
Seated L to R: Kim Kenly ’68, Steve August ’69, David McCusker ’80, Richard Clancy ’67. Standing L to R: Chris Kennedy ’79, John Stowe ’60, Ed Krayer ’82, Tim Smith ’77, Ron Bronzetti ’89, Jonathan Wakely ’75.
Belmont Hill Hockey Tournament Steff McCusker, Dave McCusker ’80, Trevor Capon ’94 with his daughter, Allyson, and Stew Steffey ’94.
Stew Steffey ’94, Steff McCusker, Dave McCusker ’80 and Nick Steffey P’94.
One week before Christmas is not the ideal time for most of us to fit one more thing into our busy holiday schedules, but that’s exactly what many people did to turn out at our annual gathering at the Belmont Hill Freshman Hockey Tournament on December 18. To our dismay, our Cougars lost a nail-biter in their opening match, which put them in the consolation game, but 70 loyal Cardigan alums, faculty, parents, and friends were on hand for the reception that followed their final game victory. A huge “thank-you” goes out to Peter and Terri Langlois, parents of Niko ’07, Ben ’08, and Zak ’11, for serving us a spectacular brunch, and thank you as well to all who attended!
Clockwise from left: 1. Nick Funnell ’09, Ed Krayer ’82, Dave McCusker ’80, and Sam Funnell ’07. 2. Dave McCusker ’80, Jock Pearson ’65, and John Sullivan ’97.
“Augie and Augie” Steve August ’69 and August Von Ungern-Sternberg ’12.
3. Michelle and Tim Patch P’12, with Dave McCusker ’80. 4. Steff McCusker with Ed Krayer ’82 and son Charlie. 5. Peter Albee ’58, Steff McCusker, and Ned Gibbons, Sr., P’78, GP’12. 6. Sam Funnell ’07, Jamie Funnell, Mike Woodford ’97, and Andrew Woodford ’97.
Josh Jordan ’12 and momTamara.
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Cardigan in New York City New York City was the location for two alumni receptions on January 13 and 15. Terry Brooks ’89 hosted Cardigan alumni for an informal gathering at his restaurant, SideBAR, in Union Square. Brandon Wagner ’92 took the lead on welcoming New York area alums for an evening of Cardigan conversation and good cheer. Then on the 15th, the Cardigan bandwagon moved on to the Boys’ Club of New York for their annual Future Stars Basketball Ryan Ruiz ’02 with Tournament, in which the Cardigan Varsity Coach Nick Lynch. basketball team participated. Thirty-five of Cardigan’s faithful friends and parents enjoyed a buffet provided by Terry Brooks ’89, and many were on hand to watch the underdog Cougars defeat the Eaglebrook and Boys’ Club teams to advance to the championship game.
Hardwick Caldwell ’01, Greg Good ’99, Park Burger ’92,David Ackers ’00, Richard Clancy ’67, Dave McCusker ’80, Neil Brier, Joe Rivera ’93, Terry Brooks ’89, Brandon Wagner ’92, Peter Mahler ’84, Wilky Colin ’96, Eric Wald ’02, Ian-Duncan Ball ’83.
Simeon Brown ’04 with Richard Clancy ’67.
THE BCNY Future Stars Tournament Runners-Up: From left: Coach Lynch, Carter Cockrell ’11, Francis Paek ’11, CJ Moore ’11, Jasper Beever ’12, Ben Johnston ’11, Ellison Young ’12, Scott Lee ’11, Martin Worgan ’12, Jamal Lucas ’12, Noah Fosse ’12, Coach Cook, and Steven Jo ’11. Front Row: John Choi ’11, Phil Parry ’13, and Chris Alberigi ’13.
Mohsen Fallahi ’80, Norm Wakely, and Tim Frost ’80.
Bill Mitchell, Ray Ruiz, and Joe Rivera ’93, Peter Mahler ’84, and Ryan Ruiz ’02. Neil Brier.
C@D
Cardigan at Dartmouth
Matt Lovejoy’ 04 & Richard Clancy ’67.
In January, Cardigan hosted a reception just prior to the Dartmouth vs. Brown hockey game at Thompson Arena in Hanover. The word went out to local Cardigan community members, and to our delight, the Smoyer Lounge was packed with more than 125 faculty and staff members, alumni, parents, and friends of the School. Attendees enjoyed a delicious buffet meal provided by Peter and Terrie Langlois P’07,’08,’11.
Dave Bergeson ’59, with Jeff Densmore ’65 and wife, Suzette.
Tim Frost ’80 and Robbie Barker ’97.
Peter Langlois P’07,’08,’11 and “Joe.”
Cari Lovejoy P’99,’04,’07 and Caroline Gilbert.
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Carol McCarthy with Steve and Terri Purcell P’84.
Above: Kyle Morin ’99 with his dad, Bob Morin P’99, and Eric Shirley P’99. Right: Richard Clancy ’67 with Carl Lovejoy P’99,’04,’07.
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Home away from Home Relationships and Place By Steff McCusker Free Safety
I watch with awe the adjustments our students make—the boarders, in particular— to life here at Cardigan each year. Whether they are from as far away as Asia or from as nearby as Rumney, N.H., each must adapt to the shared experiences of dormitory living—and develop the independence required to take care of his day-to-day routine outside of the residence halls as well.
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Jersey and ’12 from New im K e ta ng L to R: Hyu 2 from Seoul. James Lee ’1
L to R: Alvaro Martinez ’13 from Mexico, Kota Ohashi ’12 from Tokyo, and Max Gilbert ’13 from Newburyport, Mass.
This place . . .
Clockwise from back left: Angel Pablo Dia Vazquez V z ’12, J.P. C era ’12, ovarrubias ’13, Alvaro ’11, Alvaro Quintana Martinez ’12, and A ndres Errej from Mexic on ’13 o, celebrati ng Cinco d e Mayo.
In the dorms, these boys find themselves necessarily learning eventually moved on, but returning to that neighborhood to embrace the differences in one another’s lifestyle habits— after they’d left, even for a driveby, still evoked in me a right down to the simplest of things such as the time each sort of “homecoming” feeling—albeit in a different way. plans on awakening for breakfast—never With the absence of family there, it became “ . . . [home] the scents, sights, and sounds that felt mind the vast cultural differences that can exist among residents in a single dorm. isn’t necessarily familiar…the smell of the pavement after Dormitory life may not be perfect from always just about winter’s melt—pavement on which I’d spent Day One for every boy, but with ongoing hours drawing with chalk or roller skating to place, but instead guidance, education, and discussion movie soundtracks, the breathtaking view of includes the facilitated by our dean of student life and the mountains rising up in the distance, the relationships that a spring songs of whip-poor-wills indicating our empathetic dorm parents, somehow it all works pretty well, and the boys here— place both nurtures warmer weather was on the way. All of this especially those who choose to really open and represents.” would conjure up childhood memories and their hearts and their minds—receive a emotions, to be sure, but the people who were meaningful education that extends far a part of those times were now absent. beyond the classroom and the playing Certainly I felt “at home” with my husband fields. They have made their community their “home away in the many places we settled into early on in our marriage. So, from home” in establishing relationships and developing the too, I felt at home at my brother’s family’s various addresses ability to peacefully coexist. And more often than not, their and in my father’s eventual new residence in Florida. And relationships tend to reach far deeper than those of simple now, here on The Point, where we are immersed in boarding coexistence, flourishing into friendships that last long into school life and where our own sons return during their adulthood. school vacations and summer breaks, I feel very much I say that “I watch with awe” because, truth be told, as at home. I think it’s safe to say that wherever Dave and a child I rarely ventured far from home. I was outgoing and I have plunked down our belongings and raised our friendly enough, to be certain, but admittedly took great children, I have felt comfortable and happy—and “at comfort in the company of my parents and my brother— home.” and in the very quiet neighborhood where our home stood And so, while recognizing that I’m only midway in a small southern New Hampshire town. For many years through a lifetime of experiences (I hope!), I am beginning I thought that the “place” where our house physically sat, to understand that while “home” may sometimes seem related atop a hill in a large pasture, was particularly meaningful to “place,” it isn’t necessarily always just about place, but instead to me—and perhaps the only place I might ever feel “at includes the relationships that a place both nurtures and represents. home.” But I realize now that this perception may have This notion has certainly been reinforced in Dave’s and simply developed because we lived there as a tight-knit my roles here, which regularly take us out of the States to visit family for so many years. Cardigan folks abroad. When Dave and I venture to Asia, for It felt wonderful to return there, of course, once I’d example, we are welcomed like old friends and taken care gone off to college and later when I’d just married and my of like family members. As a little girl, I never would have parents seemed to eagerly await my visits. When my mother imagined I would find myself one day dining and conversing passed away and my father remarried, he and his wife with our Cardigan parents from South Korea and China,
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Mrs. McCusker at the Korean National Palace, with Mrs. Lim P’11 and Mrs. Chang P’13.
Mr. Jang P’11, Mr. and Mrs. McCusker, and Mr. Jo P’11.
In February 2011, The Point played home to our Finnish .. .. Finland. hockey friends from Hyvinkaa,
.. .. halfway around the world from Canaan, on Asian soil— I joined the Cardigan hockey team traveling to Hyvinkaa, set and feeling so at home there. Our most recent journey to the bar high for a reciprocal situation, as the Finns journeyed Seoul had us once again staying in a lovely hotel, where the here this year, making Cardigan their home base for at least .. .. hospitality of its owners, Cardigan past parents, knows no a week. While we were in Hyvinkaa, the Finns shared their bounds. The hotel sits at one end of the now-exposed portion homes, their families, their schools, and their love of winter of the Cheong-gye-cheon, a small and lovely urban waterway (and of sport!) with our entire group of Cardigan students, that runs through Seoul and that has become a familiar (and parents, and accompanying faculty and coaches. favorite) landmark, along which we enjoy our early-morning Certainly, our friendships with our extended international runs each day while staying there. Other South Korean Cardigan families evolve initially out of our shared interest Cardigan families carve out time in their busy schedules in the School, but how quickly we recognize that our many while we visit in order to show other hopes and dreams—and us the sights (often places steeped senses of humor—are shared as in history we, as Americans, can “As the world continues well. As the world continues to barely fathom), or to shop, or to shrink, it becomes clear that there to shrink, it becomes clear are many more similarities than meet over a meal and discuss their that there are many more differences among us. More than sons’ progress and the School’s future. A friendly translator similarities than differences anything, though, it is because (when necessary) is often a part of our Cardigan connection and among us . . . and these of these get-togethers—and we our shared interest (in their sons’ feel a certain bond with each of faraway places thus feel to us experiences—or, if alumni, in these helpful people as well, as their own experiences) that our like ‘homes away from home.’” relationships are strong, and these they grapple with finding just the right English phrases to accurately faraway places thus feel to us like express the thoughtful sentiments of our South Korean friends. “homes away from home.” Let me be clear, this hospitality is not restricted to our Here on The Point, the boys are developing visits to Seoul. In China this winter, we were able to gather relationships in their dormitories, in their classes, and in with our Cardigan families for meals, visit two vastly different their extracurriculars—both with other students and with schools, and even experience the Great Wall, courtesy of some numerous faculty members who have a vested interest in past parents who provided transportation and an animated their growth. The depth of these relationships no doubt and entertaining escort, whom we befriended easily (after makes Cardigan feel like “home” to many of these boys—or all, what’s not to like about a man who names his business at the very least like a “second home” of sorts. “Wonderful Guy Tours”?!). The age-old expression “home is where the heart is” has So, too, I have felt equally at home when we’ve ventured some truth to it then, in my view, as our hearts tend to lie across our southern border to Mexico to visit our warm, in the places where relationships have either once evolved friendly, and fun families there. These families have welcomed or where they currently exist, whether that is where one has us to their homes and to the schools from whence their boys laid down his or her roots in a quiet neighborhood atop a come to us. They introduce us to their traditional cuisine (and hill in a small, rural town in southern New Hampshire, say, chuckle with friendly amusement when our unaccustomed or halfway around the world in a social venue with fellow taste buds prompt a quick reach for the nearest water glass). human beings who share the same interest and with whom And the hospitality in Finland two years ago, when Dave and deep and meaningful relationships have developed over time.
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Photograph by Eric Lane
Our Uncommon Neighbors Loon Family Returns to The Point by Eric Lane Science Teacher
Last summer, the mated pair of Great Northern loons (Gavia immer) that calls Canaan Street Lake home during those warmer months, returned once again to build a nest on the lake. In the recent past, this pair has always chosen to construct a nest on the far side of the lake, near the Crescent Lake Campground. This year, however, the loons chose to make their nest on the shores of The Point, just behind Greenwood House. As someone who loves all things science, I jumped at the opportunity to participate in any kind of wildlife study. In previous years, I had contacted the Loon Preservation Committee (LPC) to see what, if anything, I could do for them in helping monitor the loon population in the state of New Hampshire. However, with the loons usually nesting on the opposite side of the lake during those years, Kayak trips would have been few and far between while school was in session.
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This past year provided the perfect opportunity to casually observe the loons from the shore. A quick walk down behind Franklin House to the trail around The Point, and I was there. The LPC is largely a grassroots organization, based in Moultonborough, N.H., that monitors these beautiful creatures all over the state. They have several biologists on staff who visit the lakes of their respective regions on a regular basis to monitor nesting loons and track the population of these animals in the wild. All I had to do was watch the nest periodically and let the biologist know when and how many eggs were laid— and when the chicks hatched. After these reports, Susie Burbridge, the biologist assigned to our region, came to conduct her own extensive observation of the pair and take detailed field notes. While the pair did lay an egg this year, the chick unfortunately did not survive. The most likely culprit was one of many large snapping turtles that also live in our lake. While the population of loons has been growing in recent years, and making large comebacks since the 1970s, most mated pairs of loons only lay a single egg per year, and only about half of the chicks that are born survive. Hopefully, our pair will have better luck this summer.
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C.O.R.E.
A New Summer Adventure
C.O.R.E. Program Reflects Cardigan’s Sense of Place by Rob Grabill
Above: C.O.R.E. Program Expedition Leader Caleb Harris
Summer Programs Consultant
One of the unique features of the Cardigan experience is the sense of place. Living and learning on The Point in a singular New Hampshire setting leaves a lifelong impression on students and staff, and this awareness of the environment keeps recurring in both curricular and co-curricular activities. This is certainly true throughout the academic year, with science classes delving into flora and fauna, athletics occurring in every shade of weather, regular hikes to the top of Mount Cardigan, Polar Bear dips in Canaan Street Lake…the list can go on and on. Needless to say, the Summer Session has, since its inception, taken full advantage of the same Elijah Harris on a opportunities to instill in students an hiking’13 trip last appreciation for the hills, the woods, summer. and the water, and to learn the lessons (Photo that can be taught there. The added courtesy of benefit, of course, is that summer in Steve Harris) New Hampshire beckons everyone outdoors in ways that have made taking outdoor expeditions one of the great recreational activities in the country. Hiking, camping, and tripping have long been part of the Summer Session experience. Starting this summer, Cardigan will go a step further, offering the C.O.R.E. program—Cardigan Outdoor Recreation Expeditions. Designed to take full advantage of our setting as an outdoor laboratory for teaching the skills that will maximize a passion for the out-ofdoors, C.O.R.E. will also have as a primary goal the development of leadership skills. By challenging boys to 10
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reach deep within themselves to discover who they are, and how they relate to the natural world, C.O.R.E. will teach lessons that may not be attainable in the classroom. The basic format of C.O.R.E. will be week-long expeditions for small groups of boys, under the leadership of Cardigan teacher and outdoorsman Steve Harris, assisted by his son Caleb, also an experienced outdoorsman and future park ranger. Three of the four options will combine hiking and paddling: Connecticut River to Cardigan; Intro to Outdoor Education; and Super Loop. The fourth is a six-day Presidential Expedition, traversing New Hampshire’s most impressive and challenging mountain range. It is not an accident that the C.O.R.E. name derives from Cardigan’s Core Values. In a summer outdoor setting, the values of compassion, honesty, respect, integrity, scholarship, and fairness will take on new and added meaning. C.O.R.E will be open to both current Cardigan students and boys from all over who want to take advantage of much of what makes Cardigan special, but particularly the sense of place that oftentimes sets the School apart. Stay tuned to see what the fall issue of the Chronicle offers in terms of a report on this special first summer for C.O.R.E.!
www.cardigan.org
Malik (Gianni) Leslie is a member of the Cardigan Class of 2012.
A Transformative Place
an essay by Gianni Leslie
Coming to Cardigan was a life-changing experience for to himself that he could do it. me. My pre-Cardigan days, in Queens, New York, were spent Another quality I learned on the rock was trust. If you’re mostly indoors. I didn’t have much of an interest in any sports being held up about 100 feet off the ground, you need to or outdoor activity except the occasional basketball game at trust your partner. Distrust slows everything down and spoils the playground—and I didn’t even know what lacrosse was all the fun. This might explain another common phrase in before I came to Cardigan. I had focused primarily on my rock climbing, “Please don’t drop me!” Compassion and academics, and the material came so easily that it became respect are also important qualities in rock climbing, because dull. Each day would be the same. I did what I had to do at if there is disrespect on the mountain or even in the Cougar school and went home to my books, games, and television. Cave [Cardigan’s indoor climbing facility], it can disturb the The weekends were just extended afternoons. peace of every climber in the area. I came to Cardigan’s Summer Session in 2008. Somehow, The most important quality gained was the undying will to I didn’t have much trouble being dropped off in the middle of go on. At times, the rock can get cold. And pretty frequently the nowhere with a bunch of strangers from all over the world. I rock can get sharp. You can only make it to the top if you have actually liked the fact that I would need to be independent, or the will to go on. In rock climbing, there is always a “problem” at least more independent than or route that challenges your body and tells it that I was at home. Although I had it’s incapable of ever succeeding. Rock climbing has no trouble settling in and being In rock climbing, there is taught me to never give up on anything in any area satisfied with the community, I of life. always a “problem” or route Rock climbing has taught me a lot of did have trouble being sociable. that challenges your body and things, and the community at Cardigan has I didn’t talk very much, and I mostly kept to myself. I wasn’t tells it that it’s incapable of ever taught me just as much. I have never been part a trouble maker, but I wasn’t a of a community where the people were so kind. succeeding. Rock climbing has problem solver either. Greetings are being thrown around all day, along taught me to never give up on After that Summer Session, with the occasional, “Do you need help?” With so I decided to go to Cardigan anything in any area of life. much kindness and excitement surrounding you, Mountain School. There were how is it possible for anyone to stay inside a shell? still qualities that I needed to develop, and I was still opening Not only did I become more sociable and kind here, but I up when I came to the School. I did rock climbing during have also done numerous things that I had never experienced the fall term, and it was much more challenging than I had before. Before Cardigan I had never snowboarded, played on a expected. I developed more qualities during that one term baseball or basketball team, been rock climbing or swimming than I did in the 11-year period before it. The first quality I in a lake, or gotten up before 6:00 a.m. [to jump in icy cold learned was confidence. I may not have noticed it back then, water in April] out of my own free will. but this spring, as I look at some of the beginners, I see that In my history class, we identify the significance of things when they’re outside in the cold weather, with ice on the by determining what things were like in the past, the event mountain, a lot of them are saying, “I can’t do it.” The climber that occurred, and the result. The significance of Cardigan I was belaying recently said this phrase about five times during in my life is that I was once a reserved, inexperienced boy, his climb. He also repeatedly asked the question, “Can I come I then came to Cardigan, and now I have experience and a down now?” To his surprise, he made it to the top and proved greater potential to be a better man.
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from
on the point
Cardigan Students Learning as They Go! November in Paris Spring break adventure in Costa Rica.
The team also had the opportunity, through Hank’s involvement with the U.S. Ski Team, to meet, share a meal with, and talk to several athletes, including Olympic gold medalist Bode Miller, whose fundraiser the boys supported and attended during the trip.
Eight Cardigan students made a trip to France during the Thanksgiving holiday break with World Languages teacher (and Director of Off-Campus International Programs) Ryan Sinclair, where, among other things, the boys took in the sights at the Musee Louvre in Paris (above).
December Beaver Creek Ski Experience Sponsored by Cardigan Trustees Hank Holland and Diane Wallach, members of the CMS Alpine Ski Team were treated to a once-in-a-lifetime experience this winter, traveling to Beaver Creek, Colorado, to train for the upcoming season and to watch the FIS Ski World Cup event held there on December 3-5, 2010.
Above: Sam Durst ’11, Deker Adelman ’12, Emery Gray ’14, Bode Miller, Hayden Holland ’12, Noah Drummond ’13, and Speight Drummond ’11.
Left: Members of the Cardigan Alpine Ski Team with U.S. Ski coach Bear Bryant (center). Above: CMS skiers cheer on the U.S. racers front and center at the World Cup event.
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Spring Break Adventures in Costa Rica
Eighteen enthusiastic and adventuresome Cardigan boys, along with four (equally adventuresome) faculty members (Ms. Shannon Gahagan, Mr. Pablo Rocha, Mr. Eric Lane, and Mr. Ken Cushing), spent the first nine days of their March vacation together in Costa Rica. Here is one faculty member’s take on the journey: This year’s spring trip to Costa Rica was absolutely amazing; the experience was greater than any of us could have imagined. Every day was a new adventure, from whitewater rafting on the Sarapiqui, to waking up to the sounds of howler monkeys outside of our cabins. We felt the wind in our hair as we zip-lined across the mountaintops, and we enjoyed breathtaking views while walking above the treetops on suspended bridges. We visited a live volcano, boated through a crocodile-infested river, rode horses across the countryside, toured the jungle, and swam at the beautiful beaches of Manuel Antonio. Equally wonderful was the cultural experience. The people were incredibly kind and took great effort to make sure we had an enjoyable experience. At one point, we visited a local school where the children performed a traditional Costa Rican dance. Afterward, we danced with the children and practiced our Spanish with them. We enjoyed delicious new foods—and the freshest fruit we had ever had. We visited a farm where we learned about the different plants and animals; we ground sugar cane; and we even helped harvest our own lunch! The trip ended up being the experience of a lifetime. We all left with a new understanding and appreciation for Costa Rica’s natural beauty, culture, and language—and, let’s face it, with some great stories, too. Thanks so much to all of our trip participants and chaperones for making this trip what it was, and to Eric Lane for taking such great pictures! ~Ms. Shannon Gahagan
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Cardigan Host Families Open Their Hearts…and Their Homes At least twice each academic year, Cardigan students who hail from far-away places seek the hospitality of “host families,” families of their more-local Cardigan classmates and friends, who offer to take them in for a long weekend break (in late October and/or early February). Years ago, many of our “long-distance students” (typically international students, but sometimes “domestic” students as well) spent these long weekends on campus under the supervision of a few faculty members who would certainly include a few day trips in the long weekend’s plan, though the students spent some of the time on the (temporarily) somewhat-deserted Point. Now, thanks to the direction of our dean of student life, Dr. Chuck McCormick, and our director of International Student Programs, Mr. Rick Exton, a Homestay Program is officially in place and thriving. It has been a win–win. Our more-local (note: “local” being a loosely interpreted term) Cardigan families reap the benefits of getting to know one of their son’s schoolmates and of enjoying the accompanying perspective inherent to this guest’s differing roots (whether geographical, cultural, socioeconomic, or whatever); so, too, the host sons have the benefit of companions with whom they can “hang out” for these brief vacations that fall at odd times (when local friends may be in school). In turn, the young Cardigan visitor is often embraced like a family member, benefiting, too, from exposure to the family’s differing perspective, while enjoying a complete change of scene and a break in the routine as well. Dr. McCormick and Mr. Exton spend a significant amount of time and effort encouraging and facilitating these “matches” (though many certainly come about rather organically). Here is one testimonial from a Massachusetts father who, with his wife and Cardigan son, hosted a couple of international students for the Fall Term Long Weekend last year: “I wanted to drop a quick note to tell you about our week with [the two international students]. While we expected nothing less, the boys were well-mannered, well-behaved, and very pleasant to have for the long weekend.
READ ON
Homestay perspectives continued on page 16.
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(Homestays, continued from page 13) While in [our hometown], we rested, took in a hockey game… did [a] cancer walk, shopped at the . . . mall…practiced lax skills in the yard, and just had a couple of really enjoyable days together. I even noticed some changes (maturing) in my own son! ...Before departing (and while [my wife] and I were at work), the boys spent a couple of hours sweeping, vacuuming, folding bed linens, folding laundry, doing dishes, etc. They left here with [the house looking] the exact same way they found it. …My wife and I were truly touched by the acts of appreciation. Truly fine young boys. We could not have asked for a better couple of days….A win–win for all involved!” Another Massachusetts family, the Gilberts, who seem to regularly take in several long-distance boys at a time, shared with us this great picture from their adventure to the Museum of Science:
Cardigan boys on break at the Museum of Science in Boston. L to R: Sam Koh ’13, Max Gilbert ’13, Neil Chen ’13, Michael Yin ’13, and Andy Zhang ’13.
Andrea Smalling (mother of Gianni Leslie ’12) took in Yuri Okada ’13 over Thanksgiving break and had this to say about their time together in New York City: “We had a great time with Yuri. It was really a pleasure to have him in our home.” [Note: Yuri also spent time with Gianni for part of March vacation, prior to returning to campus.]
Gianni Leslie ’12, his mom, Andrea Smalling, and, in front, their homestay guest, Yuri Okada ’13. (Photo courtesy of Andrea Smalling)
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Will Shepard ’12, Robb DeMars ’11, Ivan Zambrano ’11, and Nick Lovejoy ’07 (who now plays hockey for Dartmouth College), at the “Skate with the Big Green” event that coincided with one of Cardigan’s long weekends. (Photo courtesy of Jess Bayreuther)
Lelia Mellen (mother of Will Shepard ’12) and her family hosted a boy from Mexico during one of our long weekends. One of their adventures included a trip to a Dartmouth College Men’s Hockey event. (See photo above.) And finally, Ms. Mercedese “Ellie” Large and her son, Greg Large ’12, recently enjoyed the company of two of Greg’s schoolmates (one from Thailand and one from China) who stayed with them in their Connecticut home for a long weekend. Ms. Large reports the following: “A lot of time was spent updating Facebook pages and the Chinese equivalent; watching the Disney channel; and eating, eating, eating! The house was also a revolving door of friends from the old school. Lots of cookies were baked and popcorn popped.” A few of the things she particularly enjoyed about this visit included the following: “The international language of Star Wars brought the old school and new school friends together. It was discovered that one of the new guests had never seen the movies, and so books and DVDs were pulled out. Much to my amused horror, one of the popular food choices was McDonald’s. Nevertheless, it was a chance to appreciate that the chain acknowledges cultural differences: In China rice is always on the menu. In Thailand our bottom-of-the menu Filet-o-Fish is a top seller and also offers a double patty selection. One can also get chicken wings!... We learned that the word in Thai for a favorite vegetable sounds like our f-word. We watched a portion of the Super Bowl in Chinese with Chinese captions. We had a request for Chinese food. The best part of the evening was ordering—where everybody, including Gregory, was ordering something in an Asian language. Our favorite neighbors are in their 80s and anointed with honorary grandparent status. Once again securing our spot as the most entertaining neighbors, they were thrilled to watch the crazy snow ballet taking place outside their window. (At that point, we had more snow than Cardigan, and the boys took advantage of it with a late-night and very-loud snow romp.)”
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Blazing a Trail Mountain Biking Gets a New Start on The Point By Lisa Drummond P’11,’13
(Photo courtesy of Lisa Drummond)
We’ve all heard the expression, “it only takes a spark new jerseys, awaited the boys after a summer of hard work. to get the fire going,” and this was certainly the case with The buzz (of this new athletic offering) traveled quickly Cardigan’s Mountain Biking Team last fall. Mike Fitzgerald, around campus, and a range of boys in grades six through a Cardigan history teacher, ignited that spark—the idea to nine turned out for the team, which was limited for this first restart a CMS mountain biking team—and the resulting fall season to a dozen students. Some came with extremely “fire” made it a reality for the boys who love to get out and minimal experience on mountain bikes, others had done ride trails. Cardigan’s campus was no stranger to students on some tooling around in the woods, but none were efficient mountain bikes before 2010, to be clear, but now mountain at racing over tree roots, up and over boulders, into streams biking is part of the official athletic program—and very and puddles, and riding in extreme autumn-in-New enthusiastically so. England conditions. Soon enough, As a parent of two of the new team’s however, these adventurous boys, led members, Speight ’11 and Noah ’13, by seasoned bicycle enthusiasts “Mr. and co-owner of a local cycling shop in Fitz” and Mr. Alex Gray, were ready to Enfield, I had a unique view on the many face the challenge of competition. steps that it took to make this team a My husband, Richard, and I reality. “Mr. Fitz” (as Mike Fitzgerald is are fortunate to live close by, and we better known around campus) invested were thus able to witness most of the countless hours throughout the summer Lakes Region Mountain Biking Series into putting the program on wheels. races. It was hard to tell who had more To travel and compete with the bulky enthusiasm and smiles: athletes or equipment that the sport demands, Mr. The Mountain Biking Team unloading bikes coaches. I’m not sure what the other Fitz spent a good deal of time designing from their new trailer at a race last fall. (high school) teams were thinking as and creating a trailer from equipment they competed against these middle parts that were already on campus. Many of the other school kids, but I couldn’t help thinking those bigger guys schools had sophisticated ways of transporting their might initially be wondering “What are those kids doing out bicycles, but none was as classic and as original as the white here with us?!” And if they did have these thoughts, they Cardigan activity vehicle pulling its dark green, hand-built must have quickly diminished, because this mighty dozen trailer loaded with a variety of mountain bikes. Once the showed true grit and guts week after week. They trained over transportation challenge was solved, it was paramount for 50 miles throughout the school week, on all kinds of New the coaches to scout out the best trails on which to ride England terrain, and then every Wednesday they headed off throughout the Upper Valley, since biking trails are not yet . . . continued part of the landscape of The Point. All this, and some sporty
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Blazing a Trail: Mountain Biking (continued from previous page)
As the Wheels Turn
A Coach’s Acknowledgments and Program Update
by Mike Fitzgerald
The 2010-2011 Cardigan Mountain Biking Team.
to some prep or public school to race. It only took an event or two to recognize that Cardigan not only had a talented team but a formidable one too! Racing in three different categories—A, B, or C, depending on the experience of the athlete—often (almost weekly) a CMS student would take the winners’ podium in the B category, with several Cougar riders in the top 10 in the C category. Our boys were passing opponents right and left, athletes who were twice their weight and well over a foot taller! I’ll never forget the last race of the season, during Cardigan’s October break. Our Cougars could have taken off for the long weekend, but they showed up for the race at New Hampton, and to say there was a deluge that day would be an understatement! Mountain biking is one of those sports that embraces the unpredictable New England weather, and the race was not canceled due to the heavy rain or winds. As team photographer for the day, I was hiding under a little tent shack to keep my camera dry at the start of the race, along with half a dozen students from other teams who were not willing to race in the foul weather. At the same time, the Cardigan boys wore smiles on their faces and seemed eager to take on the challenge of racing in the pouring rain. I was so proud! The rain was coming down so hard and fast that part of the race course included a raging brook rolling down boulders. The boys raced down through this trail that looked more like a river, and despite others’ flipping over their handle bars, all the Cardigan boys made it down without difficulty (which took courage and perseverance for sure). At the end of the race the boys were all mud-soaked, freezing, hungry, and tired—and they looked happier than ever. That was the day Cardigan clinched third place in the overall standings in the Lakes Region Mountain Biking Series, surpassing seven high schools in their first experience as a new team, racing for the first time in their lives—against boys who were their seniors by three to six years. Now that’s what I call Cougar courage!
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Wow, what an endorsement of a first-year program! We can’t say enough about just how much Lisa and Dick Drummond did to help this program get off the ground. They have given countless hours of service to Cardigan— not just to the mountain bike team—and their efforts have been truly extraordinary. As for trails, we have begun to map out and build a sixplus-mile cross-country trail system on Cardigan property that stretches from Prospect Hill Road (across from the trap range) down to River Road. The upper section of trails will feature a mix of open, rolling terrain with berms, rollers, and fast-sweeping turns, and will be suitable for the crosscountry running team to train on as well. The lower trails will provide more traditional New England woods riding, with technical sections, stream crossings, rock gardens, and considerable climbing. The land has the potential to be one of the premier cross-country race courses in our league for both riders and spectators, and it will give us more riding and training time, less driving, and fewer late returns to campus. This is an essential asset for our program, and we hope to have the initial sections of the trail open for fall riding. With the support of the Athletic Department, under the directorship of Ryan Frost, we have purchased a new trailer that promises to be a long-term solution for transporting our bikes. Once outfitted with custom-built racks, it will hold 15 bikes standing upright. Without the need to remove the front wheels, we’ll no longer have to endure the big “pile,” pinched hydraulic brakes, or bikes stacked on the van! All in all, we have received incredible support from the Cardigan community, especially from Ryan Frost, Assistant Headmaster Ryan Feeley, and Headmaster Dave McCusker. They have encouraged Alex [Gray] and me to develop our vision for a mountain bike team, have provided the resources necessary to get the program up and running, and have entrusted us with team management, week in and week out.
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Sports Wrap-Up
Coaches Reflect on Winter Athletic Season Successes
HOCKEY
“Winners are always willing to put forth a little more than what’s expected. These Varsity boys were obsessed with doing their best and being their best at all times. They were always willing to put forth that little extra, and it was the little ‘extra’ that separated us from most of our competition. With 14 boys returning, the sky is the limit next year.” ~Coach Barker
WRESTLING
“The highlights of the JV season were two big league wins over Hillside and archrival Eaglebrook. We had lost to both of these teams in the first meeting, 3-0 and 3-2 respectively, but came back strong to beat them both, 3-1 and 3-0, at home during the second and final matchups with these teams.” ~Coach Sinclair
“The team had another amazing year, both as a team and as individuals in their USSA racing. The team highlights include earning a Lakes Region second place in GS, a Lakes Region third place in SL, and eighth place in the NEPSAC ‘A’ division against all of the best high school programs in New England.
“The Thirds Hockey team finished the season with a 5–7–1 record, which included an exciting four-game winning streak going into spring break. Many of our players were first-time skaters, all of whom worked hard and improved tremendously over the course of the season. The coaches had a great time teaching these boys the great game of hockey, and we look forward to watching them develop even further as student-athletes.” ~Coaches Wallach, Wennik, D’Entremont, and Funnell
BASKETBALL
“Our Varsity Basketball motto? ‘It takes no talent to hustle.’ “Season highlights included making it to the finals of the Boys’ Club of New York tournament, beating Brewster Academy’s Varsity ‘B’ team, and taking two of three games from Eaglebrook, after losing by three on a last-second shot at Eaglebrook earlier in the season.” (See team photo on page 5) ~Coach Lynch “These kids focused on hustle and the desire it takes to play defense. The JV team members worked hard on their skills and improved all season.” ~Coach Hannis “The Thirds Basketball team had a fantastic season filled with growth and maturation. The boys really bonded as a team.” ~Coach Holt
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“A great season from a great group of hard-working wrestlers. The team worked hard all season and accomplished the goals that we had set out for ourselves at the start of the year.” ~Coach Kreuzburg
ALPINE SKIING
“Individually, Speight Drummond ’11 was selected to the Junior Olympics; Hayden Holland ’12 was N.H. state champion and qualified for the Regional Championships; Noah Drummond ’13 qualified for the CANAM Championships; and Emery Gray ’14 qualified for the Western Division Championships. These are just a few of the key things they achieved during the season. Check out the ski web page for the rest of their impressive list of accomplishments. “‘I can’t believe the season is over’ seemed to come out of every skier’s mouth at the end, as they seemed to get better every week, and it was a shame to see it end so quickly.” ~Coach DeMaggio “Still undefeated in all Lakes Region JV races!” ~Coach Scoville
SNOWBOARDING “ ‘Always out-manned, but never out-gunned!’ is how we could categorize this season.
“The boarders had a historic season of firsts. They started the season taking third in an SL race, then took a second home in a GS race, and finished the season winning their first Lakes Region meet ever [versus area secondary schools], taking
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(Continued on page 19)
Audie Armstrong and the author, Lynne Lenihan, on their noon hour walk earlier this spring. Mrs. Armstrong, a Canaan resident, retires this spring after 28 years with the School.
A Walk with Audie Armstrong Another Behind-the-Scenes Hero Retires This Spring by Lynne Lenihan My introduction to Audie Armstrong came via email a month before I even started working at Cardigan Mountain School. Her words were “Welcome to the CMS family!” I didn’t know it at the time, but this friendly, helpful, and sincere greeting is very typical of how Audie always interacts with everyone: parents, students, co-workers, delivery people, and mail carriers. It wasn’t even a week before Audie and I discovered that we had a mutual love of being outdoors—gardening (playing in the dirt) and walking—and we soon became “walking buddies.” Every lunchtime (unless it is too cold, snowing, or raining), we can be found walking our four miles up and down Canaan Street and loving every minute of being outside; enjoying the fresh air; checking out the lake; and talking about family, Cardigan, and gardening. We love taking in the wonderful smells of spring, the sounds and sights of the birds and flowers in the summer, and the beautiful and rich colors of the fall. I cherish these daily walks! Even after she retires, Audie plans to make the daily drive up here so that we can continue our “walking buddy” time. Audie is what I call “old school.” Her job description reads like…well, it’s all over the place. Technically, she is the administrative assistant for the Athletic Department. However, over the years, she has “assumed” totally unrelated and random responsibilities, not only because of her willingness
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to help anybody at any time, but also because of her ability to get a job done and to do it right. She “gives” more to her job than most people know. Just one example is when the UPS driver arrives later than scheduled in the afternoon. Audie will always remain on the job, logging in and delivering notices, until her responsibilities have been completed—even if it means that she won’t leave campus until very late. Harry, Audie’s husband, is a wellknown fixture at Cardigan as well. For many years, Harry ran a winter club here where he taught our young boys the joys of ice fishing on our beautiful frozen lake. Both Audie and Harry are civic-minded people. They generously give of their time, share the bounty of their garden, help those in need, and are regular participants and donors at the local Red Cross blood drives. For the last 28 years, Audie has been an invaluable resource of institutional knowledge, and everyone at Cardigan has benefited from the breadth and depth of this expertise. While I will personally miss Audie very much, I also know she will be missed by everyone else here at Cardigan more than they realize. Audie, may you enjoy many happy hours “digging in the dirt” and finally having the time to take the trips that you and Harry have always wanted to take. Know that you will always be “family” at Cardigan Mountain School.
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(Sports Wrap-Up continued from page 17) home first place in a Slope Style event (which was actually also hosted by Cardigan).” ~Coach Jaspersohn
The Heritage Society
Two other firsts: Zak Harmon ’11 took home the first-place spot at the Lakes Region Championships for the Slope Style event; Ben Chapin ’12 took home the first-place spot at the Lakes Region Championships for the GS race.
NORDIC SKIING
The Nordic ski team saw continued improvement over the course of the winter, with every racer improving his personal best in each race of the season. The highlight of the season had to be the return of Cardigan Mountain to the race circuit events. Due to the tireless work of Coach Ramos and past parent Mr. Affleck (P ’09), Cardigan was once again able to host a Lakes Region race after the four-year hiatus due to the spring storm of 2007, that devastated our network of trails.
RECREATIONAL SKIING & SNOWBOARDING “Recreational skiing and snowboarding had another great season on snow. The season was great, and the amount of time on the snow-packed mountain was even better!” ~Mr. Hart
ATTENTION CMS Alumni Athletes
What if . . .
We want your picture on our Wakely Center “wall of fame.”
. . . you could make a donation that would result not only in immediate tax savings but return a payment to you or a loved one? . . . you could transfer personal property to the School, reduce future inheritance and estate taxes, and retain use of the property for the remainder of your lifetime?
Join Matt Lovejoy ’04 and all the others who have made it to the wall! If you played a sport at the college level or beyond, please send us a photo (8” x 10” print or highquality digital image) and we’ll frame it and add it to the impressive collection already assembled by Athletic Director Ryan Frost. to see what’s already there, visit www.cardigan. org/walloffame. Mail photo print to:
CMS Athletics
62 Alumni Drive Canaan, NH 03741 Or email to: rfrost@cardigan.org
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“From the moment my son arrived at Cardigan, I have watched him become an engaged, confident learner, preparing for high school and beyond. I believe so strongly in the values and the enduring academic qualities of a Cardigan education that I want to be certain that future generations of middle school boys will have the advantage of the Cardigan experience that my son has been so fortunate to have.”
. . . you could make a gift now that reduces taxes, results in regular payments to the School, and maintains (or increases) what is left for your heirs?
. . . you can. Please contact the Development Office at 603.523.3522 for more information about becoming a member of The Heritage Society by making a planned gift to Cardigan Mountain School.
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advancing cardigan A Special Place I am grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of this community and to have hopefully helped move the School along toward an exciting and transformational future.
by BRIAN CHEEK Cardigan boys eventually graduate and move on to the next chapter of their lives. This, too, is sometimes the case for faculty and other members of the school community. As I prepare for the next chapter myself, I would like to thank everyone for their support of Cardigan Mountain School—from our key volunteers (trustees and incorporators, the Alumni Board, the Parents’ Association, the Auction Committee, and so many more) to our faculty, students, and friends. Thank you all for all that you do for Cardigan. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of this community and to have hopefully helped move the School along toward an exciting and transformational future.
Cardigan is a special place, and I will miss it. I will miss my colleagues and friends. Most of all, I will miss the boys, their inquisitive nature, their playfulness, and especially our being able to watch them grow right in front of our eyes. (I will always remember Mr. Sinclair’s favorite spring saying: “Your shoes are having a party, and your pants weren’t invited!” as boys eventually grow out of the clothes with which they started the year.) It’s not the physical growth, however, that is so amazing to witness. The growth in maturity, responsibility, compassion, intelligence, and emotion is what is truly inspiring. In the future, whenever I come upon a true gentleman, I know I will wonder if he was once a Cardigan boy. Please keep Cardigan in your heart and thoughts, as I will do. Support the School with your best efforts, give generously of your time and treasure, and continue to make Cardigan Mountain School a special place, the premier place for turning boys into fine young men. Thank you for all you do for Cardigan, and thank you, Cardigan, for all you’ve done for me.
Sincerely, Brian L. Cheek Director of Development
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www.cardigan.org
Place
A Cardigan Trustee Perspective
Clockwise from left: Corbin, Hayden ’12, Hank, and Fulton Holland, on the slopes of Loon Mountain just seconds after Hayden’s N.H. J3 State Championship slalom run.
by Hank J. Holland P’12 At Cardigan, it’s easy to take for granted our “place.” Our boys witness the changing of seasons, including a canvas of foliage. They hear and see the wildlife, including endangered loons. They have unstructured, unscheduled time just “to be” in the outdoors—which is not so for many children in Boston or New York, San Francisco or Los Angeles, or hundreds of cities in between. In fact, research on child development points to a problem of this generation that is widespread, a problem that is equally detrimental to children regardless of wealth. While studies of child development substantiate the importance of ample access to outdoor spaces for the health of children, in the United States today, an alarming percentage of our kids are not getting what they need; like an essential vitamin or mineral, the experience of nature provides the developing brain with some of the building blocks of good health. At one end of the socioeconomic spectrum, we are raising a generation of children who are overscheduled and achievement-oriented, too busy with lessons and tournaments—and saturated in all-consuming social media and video games—to ever just “go play outside.” On the other end of the spectrum, children increasingly live in dangerous environments and don’t have access to open space.
In both cases, our children are being deprived of the valuable experiences that come from spending time in nature. At the Annual Forum of the Bay Area Discovery Museum here in San Francisco last year, I was fortunate to hear award-winning journalist and author Richard Louv speak about his 2008 book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, and it reinforced what I already sensed as a parent. In our culture, we must be intentional about getting our kids to experience the outdoors, unplugged from manmade sensory overload and aware of what nature can tell us about ourselves and our world. When our eldest son, Hayden, was five, my wife, Beth, and I made an intentional effort to get outside as a family. We saw that other families were not spending time together, and we loaded up the car to go to the mountains. While the conversations in the car were worth it all by themselves, we gained much more from these regular trips to the slopes, and our sons (Hayden, Corbin, and Fulton) have a love for skiing that will provide them a lifetime of outdoor enjoyment. And so it was no accident that we chose Cardigan for Hayden, and soon Corbin. Boys at Cardigan get a unique experience just walking from building to building every day between dorms and classes and meals, even if they don’t choose to take advantage of a program activity like mountain biking, rock climbing, sailing, or skiing as my son does. This exposure to the outdoors might be taken for granted on a day-to-day basis, but it matters from a cognitive development standpoint, and it is something—in addition to the strength of Cardigan’s academic program—that we value as parents. Hayden Holland ’12 between classes. (Photograph by Myles Beach ’13)
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alumni notes 1947
F. Lee Bailey delivered a breakfast address entitled “Speak Well, Because Your Life Does Depend Upon it” to the Association for Consulting Expertise (ACE) in Portland, Maine, early this spring. Director of Communications Joy Michelson was able to attend, and reported that Mr. Bailey is indeed an extraordinarily effective public speaker. Lee and his partner, Debbie, operate Bailey & Elliott Consulting out of Yarmouth, Maine.
1949
Henry Haskell: “Hank” recently called in to the Alumni Office to request contact information for a Cardigan classmate. Hank and his wife, Pat, live in Hilton Head, S.C., where they founded a repertory company more than 20 years ago. Hank is an author and has written several books related to his family’s business history. Their son, Steve Haskell ’75, is a successful playwright living in Berkeley, Calif., with his wife, Michelle, and their two children, Morgan and Emily.
1950
Harry Metz, Jr.: “I was [at CMS] for half of 1949 and all of 1950. My classmates were Richard Morrison, Geoffrey Withington, Dave Kittell, and Harold Eggleston, whose family had a gas station/store at the bottom of the hill to the left from the Inn. Also Jon Rose and Walter Alexander. The headmaster was Mr. Kimball and I remember his daughter, Debbie. I best
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remember teacher Edward T. Peach, a WWII veteran who received a battlefield commission. He talked a bit about his experiences in Europe, and I guess he inspired me in many ways. I spent 31 years in the USAF and named our second son Edward T. There was also Bob Feeley, Jack Heagy, Stu (a Navy veteran) and the school secretary, Margie. I can’t believe I can still recall the names and some of the faces.”
1951
Theodore “Ted” Goddard recently contacted the Alumni Office to update the School on his whereabouts. Ted is retired and living in Perkinsville, Vermont, where he is recovering nicely from major back surgery.
1955
Thomas Lovett recently contacted the Alumni Office to get contact information for his Cardigan roommate, Ron Warden. Tom lives in Falmouth, Maine, and he asked to be remembered to Coaches Lynch and Marrion from his days of umpiring baseball games at Cardigan. Tom still umpires two or three games per week in Falmouth. Ronald Warden writes from his home in Colorado Springs, Colo. “My wife, Shirley Clark Warden, and I spent most of our lives in the field of high school private education and counseling. Not high income professions, but extremely rewarding and meaningful to both of us. I suspect that many of the [CMS] faculty, past and present, can identify with that.” Ed. Note: Shirley Warden is the daughter of former Cardigan Headmaster Wilfred “Dutch” Clark.
www.cardigan.org
1957
William Sharp: “Bill” is the leader and organizer of the Mad Bavarian Brass Band, which, in 1986, played at the Camp Stark German American Friendship Day. (Bill’s dad, the Rev Robert C. Sharp, was the POW Camp Protestant chaplain there, before teaching history and ethics at Cardigan, in addition to serving as the Methodist minister for the Canaan Street and Canaan Village churches.) Bill was the piano player who played “Don’t Fence Me In” when 16 former German POWs and as many former Guards gathered for supper at Stark, New Hampshire— as related in the book Stark Decency, by Dr. Alan Koop. The band has grown in popularity, and is essentially now an Oktoberfest show band, playing all over New England. Bill and the Bavarians have also been invited by the Luftwaffe–German Air Force Training Squadron to play at the German Annual Oktoberfest Celebration on October 1 in Phoenix, Ariz., this year. There will be around 800 VIPs from Germany, including manufacturing representatives and the German pilots in training for the Luftwaffe! One of the songs they will play is called “The Luftwaffe March,” a.k.a. “Aces High,” and can be found on YouTube.
1958
Peter Albee has served for several years on Cardigan’s Alumni Board and visits campus two or three times a year. He also found the time to attend the Cardigan reception at the Belmont Hill Freshman Hockey Tournament in Belmont, Mass., in December. Peter lives in Upton, Mass., where he owns and manages rental apartments.
1959
David Bergeson attended Cardigan’s January (2011) reception at the Dartmouth vs. Brown hockey game in Hanover, N.H. The following day, he visited campus, where he was able to watch his grandson’s hockey team from Massachusetts compete against the Cardigan boys.
1960
Roger Rice writes, “In the late 1950s, we all had sports or groups in the afternoon. I chose forestry. We learned to operate a chainsaw safely, but when we took a break we learned to ‘swing birches,’ as in Robert Frost’s poem. It was healthy fun; I hope some students get to learn to ‘swing birches’ while at CMS. My older son, Glen, is an NOAA officer, and my younger son, Dustin, just got married to a girl from Argentina—they live in Oregon.”
1961
David Easter recently called the Alumni Office to ask about the state of the School. David has worked most of his life on his family’s golf course in Owasco, N.Y., where he owns a 148-acre farm. David reports that his daughter is a gifted portrait artist. James White writes that he retired from The Walt Disney Company last June and that he and his wife, Lynne, have moved to Tennessee. He also writes, “Much to the sorrow of my family, I have to tell of the passing of my identical twin Michael White. We all miss him greatly!”
1962
Lt. Colonel David Van Esselstyn is “Still living in Fairfax, Va., and working for CACI International. Kathleen and I are the proud grandparents of three grandchildren with a fourth on the way in April 2011. I am beginning to look towards retirement in the Richmond [Va.] area to be near our daughter and her 23 family.” SPRING 2011
Schuyler Peck: Headmaster and Mrs. McCusker recently visited with Schuyler and his wife, Penny. The Pecks are former Cardigan faculty from the 1970s.
1964
Bradford West writes that he “retired on March 31, 2010. My daughter was married in June 2010, and now we can travel around the country,” which they are enjoying.
1965
John Foster: “Jack” writes, “After 32 years, my wife, Donna, and I are still at Foster’s Crossroads, an old-fashioned general store, in Twin Mountain, N.H.” Jack’s son, Nick Foster ’98, is a ski coach for the Vail Snowboard & Ski Club in Vail, Colo.
1967
Richard Bergeson: “My wife, Carol, and I enjoy life in the northeast corner of Washington, where we work together in a one-teacher school, teaching grades 1–8. We have two grown daughters. One is living in Denver, and the other is in Yelm, Wash., with her husband, who is in the Army, and our two grandkids.”
1968
Barry Robson recently called the Alumni Office to check in on the Cardigan lacrosse team’s season. Barry lives in Islip, N.Y., where he is an HVAC contractor and referees lacrosse. He has plans to visit with classmate Tom “Tee” Doggett during an upcoming trip to South Carolina.
1969
Steve August is a long-time member of the Cardigan Alumni Board and is currently the vice president. Steve attended the Cardigan reception at the Belmont Hill Freshman Hockey Tournament in Belmont, Mass., in December.
www.cardigan.org
Geoffrey Turner: A former Cardigan Board of Trustees member, Geoff occasionally checks in with the Alumni Office from his new home in Scottsdale, Ariz. Geoff encourages fellow alumni in the Phoenix-Scottsdale area to connect with him through the Alumni Office.
1970
Rev. Savage C. Frieze III: “Since leaving my last interim pastorate, I have been spending time with family and going through treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Most of my energy is going to helping my daughter’s softball team. Girls’ fast-pitch little league softball is great fun. The rest of my energy is divided between cooking healthy whole foods and exercising as a means of recovering from the monthly chemotherapy sessions. Things are going well, and the prognosis is excellent. I am currently looking for either an interim pastorate or settled pastorate. New England is my first choice for location of the next ministry.” William “Tim” Fleming: “Tim” continues to serve on Cardigan’s Board of Trustees and is happy to report that his daughter, Kelsey, will be teaching at Cardigan’s Summer Session in 2011. Tim attended the Alumni Winter Weekend events on campus in February, which included a thoroughly enjoyable day of skiing at Loon Mountain.
1971
Morgan Dickerman: Assistant Headmaster Jamie Funnell visited Morgan at his office at the Wilson Times, where he is the publisher (www. wilsontimes.com). Morgan is extremely excited about the arrival of his first son, Morgan Paul Dickerman IV (called Morgan Paul), who celebrated his first birthday in November of 2010. Morgan spent a great deal of time talking about the positive experiences that he had at CMS and how he is hoping
alumni notes that he will be able to send his son there at the appropriate time. He even asked whether parents ever buy a home near the School to be near their sons during their time at CMS.
1972
Eugene Leone: “Gene” practices law in Chicago with Pircher, Nichols & Meeks, a national real estate law firm. He lives five blocks north of Wrigley Field with his wife, Karen, and four children, who range in age from 6 to 16. Gene writes, “The welcome mat is always out for anyone who may be visiting the Windy City.”
1973
Kenneth Klaus currently serves as president of the Cardigan Alumni Association. Ken visited Cardigan for the Alumni Winter Weekend with his wife, Kitten, and her two children, Skyler and Penn. They skied with other Cardigan alumni at Loon Mountain on February 26, 2011, where Ken medaled, along with Matt DiBenedetto ’77, in the first-ever Cardigan Alumni Ski–Snowboard Challenge. The following day they attended the 24th Annual Alumni Hockey Game, where Ken sang a soaring rendition of our National Anthem. See other photos of the Winter Weekend events elsewhere in this issue. Ken Klaus ’73 sings the National Anthem at the 24th Annual Alumni Hockey Game in late February.
1977
Matthew DiBenedetto was married on Sept. 9, 2009; his wife’s name is Susan. Matt runs New England Telemark, which was the first certified telemark ski school in the coun-
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try (www.netelemark.org). He has run the business for 17 years, ever since its inception. Matt attended the Cardigan Winter Weekend skiing event at Loon Mountain in February, where he, along with Ken Klaus ’73, medaled in the first-ever Cardigan Alumni Ski– Snowboard Challenge.
1980
Kari Kontu had lunch with Dave McCusker and Richard Clancy ’67 at the Yale Club while they were in New York in January of this year.
1978
John Emery, who is an Alumni Association Board member, recently checked in with the Alumni Office with regrets for not being able to attend the Alumni Winter Weekend events due to his travel schedule. John is a longtime airline pilot, and his current schedule has him flying a Boston-to-Chicago route. Ned Gibbons: As an Alumni Association Board member, Ned was on campus for the most recent Alumni Board meeting in February and stayed for the 24th Annual Alumni Hockey Game, dedicated to longtime Cardigan faculty member Dudley Clark.
Director of Development Brian Cheek with Ned Gibbons ’78 at the reception following the Alumni Hockey Game in February.
1979
Robert Allen writes that he now works for Granite Telecomm in Quincy, Massachusetts.
www.cardigan.org
Classmates (1980) Kari Kontu and Dave McCusker. Mohsen Fallahi ’80 and Tim Frost ’80 enjoyed catching up with former Headmaster Norman Wakely at the C@D reception. William “Graham” Boyle visited campus on April 11, 2011, with his wife, Heidi, and their son, Billy. The Boyles reside in Bermuda, and Billy is considering Cardigan for the 20112012 academic year.
Heidi, Billy, and Graham Boyle ’80 visit with Graham’s Cardigan classmate, Dave McCusker. David Dobrowski ’81 Dave (pictured below with Dave McCusker ’80)was recently on campus in February with his son for a visit.
event at the Boys’ Club of New York Future Stars Basketball Tournament. A big “thank you” goes out to Terry for his unwavering support of Cardigan!
1982
Richard DellaRusso P. Edward Krayer Rick and Ed, both Cardigan board members, are regulars on campus as faithful event and meeting attendees.
L to R: Ed, Mr. Hart, and Rick, at a reception honoring Dudley Clark this spring.
1984
Paul Bartalini: “I am married with two children. Paul is 9, and Michael is 4. My wife, Kristen, and I have been together for 26 years and married for 17. I have worked for Reebok since 1997 in operations. I still play hockey once a week and love to play golf. My sons are involved in many sports, and coaching is also very rewarding for me... So many fond memories of Cardigan. I remember when the CSA was natural ice and we would take the hose out at night and spray the surface back and forth for weeks until the ice was ready. Mr. Wakely was there with us!” Peter Mahler attended the January (2011) Cardigan alumni event at the SideBAR restaurant in New York City and more recently stopped by the Cardigan reception at the Darien Country Club in Darien, Ct. Peter enjoys reconnecting with Cardigan and encourages his classmates to remain in touch with the School.
1986
Josh Perelman was co–best man at the October 2010 wedding of former faculty member and longtime wrestling coach Bill Barron in Colorado.
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1990 George Lewis ’90, Bill Barron, Hank Jones ’87, and Josh Perelman ’86. William Marthens II Henry Jones III “Bill” and “Hank” both attended the October (2010) wedding of former faculty member and longtime wrestling coach Bill Barron in Colorado. Matthew Tebbetts writes, “ I miss ‘Coach.’ Tell him hello again. He may not realize it was pitching that helped me land in S.C. after all. At some point, coaches started to protect my left arm and would not want me to hit much. And the rest is history. I think the best thing about Cardigan was it allowed me to be involved with multiple sports. While I love baseball and what it has allowed me to do in life, I cannot tell you the rush I get racing the bike and enjoying all the great people involved with the sport. It’s an amazing sport.”
1988
Scott Musburger was married last summer, on July 17, to Erica Weise.
1989
Major Robert Hunter is currently a Marine major and a flight instructor with a helicopter squadron at Camp Pendleton. He has just been selected to be a lieutenant colonel in about a year. He is married, with an 18-month-old son and another baby on the way. Terry Brooks hosted the Cardigan alumni event in New York City on January 13, 2011, at his restaurant, “SideBAR,” and followed that up two days later by catering Cardigan’s annual
www.cardigan.org
George Lewis attended the (October 2010) wedding of former faculty member and longtime wrestling coach Bill Barron in Colorado.
1991
Matthew Tucker writes, “All is well with me. My wife [Jennifer, April 2006] and I finished building a house in Philadelphia, and I just started working for the University of Pennsylvania in their Athletic Department office—a little difference from the real estate business, but I’m excited for the change.”
1992
Andrew “Andy” Bay attended the (January 2011) Cardigan alumni event at the SideBAR restaurant in New York City. He also wrote to us, saying, “I have just moved to New York after a decade in Rome, and I am happy to be back in the States.” Rodrigo Marti recently caught up with Headmaster Dave McCusker ’80 and Steff McCusker at the Yale Club in New York. Christopher Simons is now the proud father of twins, born March 17, 2010: Ivy Carola Lea-Simons and Creston Wade Lea-Simons (pictured below). Chris also attended the January (2011) Cardigan alumni event at the SideBAR restaurant in N.Y.C.
1993
Sgt. Joshua Pellegrino writes, “I’m honored to still be a part of the Cardigan family. For me, a lot has transpired over the years. I am still residing happily in Dix Hills, N.Y., but have made some changes in my career path. After serving eight years in the United States Marine Corps and being honorably discharged as a Sergeant, I decided to pursue a career in the fire service. Since 2008, I have been a volunteer firefighter with the Dix Hills Fire Department and also recently joined their Rescue Squad in 2010 as an EMT. Currently I am working full time as an EMT with the North Babylon Fire Company, per-diem with Emergency Ambulance Services, and going to school to become a paramedic. I am also engaged to be married to a young and beautiful medical student named Jessicamarie this October [the 29th]. We look forward to starting a wonderful future with one another. Jessicamarie and I also attended the wedding of my best friend and fellow Cardigan alumnus, Arthur Bernstein, this past October, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Arthur… extends his best wishes as well.” Josh Pellegrino ’93 pictured here with his fiancee, Jessicamarie. Joe Rivera: In addition to attending the January N.Y.C. alumni event at the SideBAR restaurant, Joe stopped by the reception at the Boys’ Club of New York Future Stars Basketball Tournament on January 15. Thanks go out to Joe for being a loyal Cardigan supporter! Stuart “Stu” Hutchinson attended the (October 2010) wedding of former faculty member and longtime wrestling coach Bill Barron in Colorado.
1994
Peter Chesson Ethan Hausman “P.J.” and Ethan attended the aforementioned Bill Barron wedding. Andrew Geisel: Andrew’s father called to let us know that he had just read the Fall 2010 Chronicle and loved the article on Dudley Clark, whom he knows. He also informed us that Andrew was to be married on Dec. 18, 2010. Raleigh Finlayson Edward “Teddy” McNaught III Both Raleigh and “Teddy” stopped by to watch the Cardigan
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hockey team battle it out in the Belmont Hill Freshman Hockey Tournament in December. Raleigh and Teddy couldn’t fit the Cardigan reception into their schedules, so they came by early to cheer on the team!
1995
Peter Heenan is engaged to Erin Moffett and is living in Seattle and working for Saucony. Christopher Taliercio recently caught up with Headmaster Dave McCusker ’80 and Steff McCusker at the Yale Club in New York, and will be a newly married man by the time this Chronicle goes to print!
1996 Louis Peppe has gotten into “World’s Strongest Man” competitions in the Boston area and is doing quite well. He is married with four kids, and he is passionate about his hobby of strength athletics, in addition to playing the acoustic guitar. Look for him on YouTube.
1997
Lionel Anderson-Perez: “I completed a BA in sociology and an MSEd in higher education management—both at the University of Pennsylvania. While an undergraduate at Penn, I freelanced for The New York Times, authoring nine articles in the Metro Section’s Education Bulletin Board and a feature story in the paper’s Westchester section. Since leaving Penn, I have worked in Philadelphia’s inner-city high schools as a college-preparatory mentor/sexually transmitted disease & assault prevention counselor, and at the University of Pennsylvania in residential life. Presently, I serve on a team of academic advisors in The Fox School of Business’s Center for Undergraduate Advising at Temple University. In addition to advising, I spearhead the school’s Retention Initiative, geared at increasing the persistence of our first-year business students. My research/career interests center around issues of access and retention in post-secondary education as well as the effects of market forces within academia.” Peter Hinman attended the Alumni Winter Weekend events on campus, where he was awarded a new Cardigan “hoodie” for participating in both the skiing day at Loon Mountain and the ensuing Alumni Hockey Game. We’re happy to report that Peter will be teaching Summer Session 2011 here on The Point!
www.cardigan.org
A Slightly Different Alumni Note . . . Capt. Jake Rugge-Price has been promoted from “lieutenant” to “captain” in the British Army. He was apparently promoted just prior to getting out of the army, so he carries the rank of “captain” with him, and is now living in London and working for Lloyds.
1998
Michael Bannon: “I’m currently in my first year of the MBA program at Georgetown. Prior to Georgetown, I was a commercial real estate broker in Boston for four years, and I’m now looking to make the transition into real estate investment, ideally working in Boston. I, unfortunately, have not been back to CMS since I graduated in ’98, but I do hope to make it back soon. I absolutely loved my year and a half there, and I credit the school with much of my personal development. It’s an excellent school that does great things for the students. In the future (after I graduate from Georgetown), I would love to get more involved with CMS if there is an opportunity to do so.” Rafael Rojas Michael Koskey Rafael and Michael attended the (October 2010) wedding of Bill Barron in Colorado. Tyson Bolduc: “I am in Salt Lake City, Utah, now and have been here working on a new carrier for the last few years. I started flying helicopters, as I knew it was time to try it out when I was landing on top of mountains in helicopters, but I was more interested in riding back down in the aircraft than going skiing in the fresh snow below me... So, I will be finishing my CFII, which is my certified flight instruction license, here in the next few weeks and will then start teaching to build my experience.” Ethan Dahlberg graduated from Williams College in 2006 with a degree in economics. He writes, “At Williams I skied all four years for the Division I varsity alpine team and was elected captain of the team and selected as an NCAA Academic AllAmerican my senior year. Since Williams, I have been working at a global management consulting firm called OC&C Strategy Consultants. I have been based out of our Boston office but have had significant opportunity to work on projects internationally. I met my wife, Ashlee, at Williams, where we were classmates, and we were married in October 2009 in Woodstock, Vermont. Ashlee and I currently live in the Beacon Hill neighborhood in Boston. I am currently in the process of applying to business schools to potentially start this coming fall.” Nicholas Foster: Nick’s father, John Foster ’65, tells us that Nick has been a ski coach for the J2 girls for the Vail (Colo.) Snowboard & Ski Club.
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C
ardigan alumni who attended in the years following 1985 will be impressed to know that today’s boys are getting the same kind of care and attention from the dining hall staff that they did when they were here. Why? Because that’s how long both Marion Rogers and Rick Kahn have been helping prepare and serve Cardigan meals. Both are celebrating their 25th year of service at Cardigan, and we are so glad they’re here! Marion found her way to Cardigan via a Bible study group that she attended with (then) Cardigan housekeeper Pat Morse. The kitchen was making a transition at that time (1985), and Marion knew that she had just the right skills to help make it a successful one. “I had six kids, and I could manage cooking,” she said. Since then she has honed her skills by watching gourmet cooking shows in the afternoons and by purchasing a new cookbook “almost every month, because it helps my job and I feel good when I can offer nice things.” Most notable amongst her many delicious creations (according to an unscientific poll): carrot cake and all the great salads on the cold bar! Rick Kahn joined the Dining Services team shortly after Marion, and over the years has contributed to Cardigan community life in a number of ways. He coached hockey with Mr. Clark for nearly 20 years, coached lacrosse with Mr. Brier for seven, and has led biking and cooking clubs. He also spent just over two decades coaching a beginner’s hockey club that always played the Reserve team at the end of the season. “I’m pretty proud of the fact that the record for those games was 20 wins and only two losses!” What has changed over the years? Both Marion and Rick agreed that the answer is “choices!” In the early years, the meals were served entirely in courses, starting with soup, at lunch and dinner. “People spoke up, and times change,” says Rick. Marion adds, “We’ve really gone 100 percent away from processed foods, so that everything is fresh. Chicken, beef, produce—all come in daily and we use it as we go. Almost nothing is frozen. The freshness has brought the quality of the food up and makes us feel better as cooks.”
www.cardigan.org
alumni notes 1998
Kenneth Pitter: Big news from Ken: He is engaged to his longtime girlfriend, Meg, whom he has dated since the end of high school. Ken reports that they are working their way through a very organized wedding checklist for the big event next spring. Meg will be graduating with a doctorate in physical therapy just before the wedding; Ken, on the other hand, will be in school for at least another five years. He is still working on his PhD, experimenting with brain tumor treatments. This is the first year in a long time that Ken is not playing hockey. For fun, Ken is playing golf, doing yoga, and running. He really enjoyed an obstacle course mud run and thinks that would make for a great bachelor party—one that would justify all the beer afterward!
Alumnus O’Connell to Address 2011 Graduates
Thomas “Mack” O’Connell ’03 will deliver this year’s Commencement Address Saturday, June 4, 11:00 a.m.
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1999
Walker Cobb is currently serving in the National Guard and is stationed at the AFB in Charleston, S.C. He called because he read that his classmate William “Mac” Macvittie is also stationed at the same base and he wants to make contact with him. Walker is in the middle of a two-year enlistment, and scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan in October 2011. He graduated from College of Charleston in 2008. Brian Tierney is just finishing his second year as a Marine reservist in California and will be returning to the farm in Westfield, Mass., this week. He was particularly proud to tell us of his son, Ray, who turned one in October and was going to become a big brother to a new baby girl in February. Sean Chan attended the (October 2010) wedding of former faculty member and longtime wrestling coach Bill Barron in Colorado.
2000
Brendan Murphy studied secondary history at Brandeis University, and he lives in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. He writes, “I am currently teaching seventh-grade English and humanities to a class of boys and a class of girls at the American International School. I am really enjoying the teaching abroad experience. Great mix of kids from all around the world (77 different nationalities!). I am in my second year at the school, and I renewed my contract this past December for another year. I joined AISA in January last year as a mid-year hire. The decision was easy because I do really enjoy working with the kids here so much. I have gotten involved coaching U-14 girls
www.cardigan.org
basketball (not much lacrosse or football here!), and I am also the advisor for our middle school student council.” James Tautkus writes, “The CMS function at Beaver Creek was the coolest. I like [Headmaster] David McCusker, and it was great seeing all of the Grays. [I’m] working [on] a new album at the moment and have been opening for some bigger bands out here. You can download my most recent recording through the link below. I recorded it with the drummer from the 80s band Air Supply.” http://jamestautkus.bandcamp.com/album/long-point Hardwick Caldwell has left his hometown of Lookout Mountain, Tenn., for the big city—New York. He is working for a hedge fund while he interviews with consulting and marketing firms in the investor relations sector, hoping to nail down a job in that area in January. He’s loving the city, but it is quite a different pace from Chapel Hill! Hardwick attended the Cardigan alumni event at SideBAR restaurant in N.Y.C. in January. Of note: Hardwick had some amazing adventures with a longtime friend just over a year ago and is hoping to get the documentary film about their New Zealand trout-fishing experience some publicity. He writes, “So our story is starting to get some major exposure; help us out and forward this link of the blog to whomever you think would be interested. Spread the good word.” http://gardenandgun. com/blog/chasing-trout-new-zealand Charles “Charlie” Cullum, now 25, is a full-time paramedic and firefighter at Station 6 in South Dallas, something he’s had his heart set on since he was a teenager.
Peter Vetri, Jr. writes, “I am playing for a single-A team called the Danbury Whalers. [I] got picked up right before playoffs since their goalie wasn’t playing well. I hadn’t played a pro game in two years, but saw this as an opportunity to have some fun on the weekends and play pressure-free hockey for the first time in my life. [At this writing] we are tied 1–1 in the semifinals, and it is a best-of-five series. If we win, the finals will start the following weekend.”
2002
Nicholas Benoit: “I’m in the process of opening a new business and have crews going for the fast-approaching deadline (end of march), but I hope to get up to Cardigan soon and see all the changes.” Timothy Geverd writes that he “will never forget running to ring the victory bell after beating Avon at home to complete our undefeated football season my ninth-grade year.” At the time of his writing, he was waiting to hear back on his applications to law school. Eric Wald is living in N.Y.C. and is in his second year working for JP Morgan, focusing on real estate investments in the United States. Eric also recently attended the alumni event in N.Y.C. and looks forward to many more in the future.
2004
Arturo Ruffin is off to Queensland, Australia, to study law in February. He is currently working at a military base as a civilian safety officer for OSHA. Matt Lovejoy attended the Cardigan reception before the Dartmouth vs. Brown hockey game in January. At the time, he was home on winter break from his studies at University of Virginia, where he was enjoying a successful lacrosse season.
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Jae Ui Shin: “I just got back from serving in the military for two years. I was working as a translating soldier and got to learn a lot from that place. I think it was a great experience for me. Now I can focus on studying, which I lacked, and I will do well.”
David Grilk: According to the Grilk family newsletter, “Dave is back on the ice for St. Lawrence, overcoming extensive knee surgery.”
Han-Woong Lee wrote to us, saying that freezing weather tends to remind him of his Cardigan days. “I had to shuffle through inches of snow on [the] football field to get to Greenwood after wrestling practices. I am doing well at Brown…and memories of Cardigan days always make me smile.”
Derek Guerra writes, “I’ve been in Italy since September. I’m actually taking a year off to learn the language, and to take other assorted classes. I ran into [former Headmaster] Mr. Needham right outside of where I have been living for the last three months. I didn’t really have the opportunity to catch up with him, but it was a nice surprise. I’m doing great, and I hope everything is well in Canaan.”
Michael Massare writes, “I’m currently studying mathematics and economics at Bates College. Also, I’m playing club ice hockey.”
2006
Robert Bourdon: A sophomore at Colgate University, Robbie scored the game winner halfway through the second overtime to propel the Colgate Men’s Hockey team to a 2-1 victory over 15th/16th-ranked RPI and thus to the quarterfinals of the ECAC Hockey Playoffs. It was Robbie’s 10th goal of the season. Christopher Grilk: From the Grilk family newsletter, we learned that “Chris had asthma knock him off the ice for Stonehill, but the remarkable head hockey coach made Chris a student assistant coach while he deals with the asthma.”
The Grilk family (Chris ’06 and David ’06 shown at left, with a friend and their parents) joined us on campus in February for the Alumni Hockey event.
www.cardigan.org
Cody Gut writes that he is now playing for the Boston Bulldogs.
Alden Reed graduated from the Gunnery in Washington, Ct., in May of 2010. He was an AP Scholar and earned varsity letters in lacrosse, hockey, and soccer. In his senior year, he was the lax captain and team MVP, and he received the Captain’s Award. He was a Prep School Honorable Mention for lax. He is now at Boston University’s School of Management and playing lacrosse. He remembers great Cardigan lacrosse with Dr. McCormick and Mr. Bayreuther!
2007
Pvt. Edward Dix completed basic training (boot camp) at Parris Island, S.C., in December 2010. He then completed his Marine Combat Training at Camp Lejeune, N.C., before his specialized Military Police Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., where he is currently stationed. Samuel Funnell: On December break at the time, Sam attended the Cardigan reception at the Belmont Hill Freshman Hockey Tournament. As a PG at Avon Old Farms, Sam is currently in the middle of his lacrosse season and will be headed to UVM in the fall for lacrosse.
alumni notes Eric (“Rick”) Miller: The Alumni Office caught up with Rick by chance at Loon Mountain during Cardigan’s Winter Weekend ski event. After Cardigan, Rick attended Holderness, and he is now at Plymouth State University.
2008
Ian Gagnon: Representing Kimball Union Academy, Ian was spotted on the medal stand at Pat’s Peak back in February. Ian will be attending UNH in the fall for mechanical engineering. Ian Gagnon ’08, Speight Drummond ’11, Charlie Parry ’10, Jim Herbert ’11, and Sam Wyskiel ’08 at Pat’s Peak in February.
Sam Wyskiel: The Alumni Office caught up with Sam in February at Pat’s Peak, where Sam was skiing for Kimball Union Academy. Michael Doyle, Jr.: News comes to us that Mike has committed to Connecticut College for next year—he will be playing hockey. Joseph “Jay” Giambarresi: Congrats go out to Jay for being named to The Boston Globe’s All Scholastic All Star Roster for Boys’ Indoor Track—Winter 2011. Jay writes, “I’m doing great. I’m having awesome success in track—I came in first in my league (11 schools) in the 55m hurdles this winter. Placed ninth in the state overall. Looking forward to a great spring season. [I am] maintaining above a 4.0 GPA, and
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I am giving a speech at the National Honor Society induction in April.” Jay is mentoring elementary students in the Big Brother Big Sister program, and he loves it. And this just in from Jay’s parents: “It’s WPI for Jay!! Committed Wednesday…so happy for him and he’s so happy about it…says it feels a lot like Cardigan! What a compliment! Can’t thank you all enough!”
George Welles ’08 (Avon), Tim Acker ’08 (Westminster), and Morgan Mullen ’08 (Avon) at the Founders’ League Jamboree at Taft, December 2010.
Chad Holley will be attending (and playing basketball for) Mt. Saint Mary’s next fall. Michael Moran completed a successful hockey season at Taft School and writes that he is playing baseball and looking forward to graduation. Mike reports that he is scheduled to play junior hockey next year, most likely in the USHL, before entering Boston University. Mike was the lucky winner of the iPad that was offered as a prize for completing the Young Alumni Survey on Facebook. Congratulations, Mike! George Welles: Word comes to us from George’s father, Chris Welles, that George will be attending Hobart College in the fall and playing hockey.
Chris Chapin ’09 (Deerfield), Blake Alessandroni ’08 (Deerfield), and Richard Clancy ’67 at the December 2010 Founders’ League Jamboree.
Sean de Herder ’08 (Choate), Mike Moran ’08 (Taft), Mike Doyle ’08 (Choate) at the Founders’ League Jamboree.
2009
Chun-Fang “Oscar” Cheng won a prize for Academic Improvement for the Class of 2013 at Salisbury School. Doel Jarosiewicz: From the Portsmouth Abbey alumni magazine, we learned that Doel was named Honorable Mention All League for football and is a captain-elect for next fall. Congratulations, Doel!
Sam ’07 (far right) and Nick Funnell ’09 (far left) with Eddie Krayer ’82 and Headmaster David McCusker ’80 at the Belmont Hill Freshman Hockey Tournament in January 2011.
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Steff McCusker, Nik Nugnes ’09, Arick Escamilla ’10, Marcelo Manautou ’09, Hayden Jenkins ’10, and Headmaster Dave McCusker ’80 pictured here in St. Petersburg, Fla., where Northfield Mount Hermon participated in some preseason lacrosse training.
Jung Uk “Jason” Sohn writes, “I graduated from CMS [in] 2009. I cried so much on the graduation day that it still embarrasses me whenever I think about it. My Cardigan life for three years was painful, but enjoyable at the same time. It is certainly not easy to stay away from your family for a long period, but at the same time, it is simply great to be at Cardigan!”
2010
Charles Parry: The Alumni Office caught up with Charlie in February at Pat’s Peak where he was skiing for KUA. (See photo in Class of ’08 notes.)
Nik Nugnes ’09 pictured here in Florida, during NMH’s preseason lacrosse training, with his grandfather, Phil (GP’09), and his father, Mike (P’09), in early March 2011.
Edward “Paul” Pettengill: In a snowboarding effort for Holderness, Paul finished second in the USASA (USA Snowboard Association) NH GS at King Pine.
Harold “Allen” Dawson III writes, “I have actually been great, and I am having a great time at Marist. I adapted to the classroom and football field very well and I plan on keeping up the good work. I have continued to develop my leadership and character skills and plan on running for a leadership position for next year. Our football season was also great; we ended up losing in the second round of the playoffs, but we have already started back with our
off-season workouts. I am planning on going to several combines and camps this summer to be seen by other major colleges. I am also participating in track right now, which has been going very well. Anyway, I hope all is well, and please tell everyone I said hello.” Connor Van Arnam: From Connor’s parents: “Connor had strong grades to start at midterm and started on the first set of D-pairings in NMH’s first three [hockey] scrimmages.” Connor was on the injured list for some time during the hockey season, but is now back in good form for the lax season. Jacob Caffrey: The Alumni Office caught up with Jacob at a Proctor vs. St. Paul’s School hockey game in early February, where he minded the net for Proctor. Jacob also saw action between the pipes during the Alumni Winter Weekend game back on campus.
former faculty news Bradley Babcock
Jacob Caffrey ’10. Mr. Clark, and Luke Bennett ’10 after the Alumni Hockey Game in February.
After leaving Cardigan, Brad taught at Fountain Valley School in Colorado and eventually ended up coaching baseball at James Madison University. He took his team to the 1983 College World Series where they ran into stiff competition against Arizona State (featuring one Barry Bonds) and U Texas (featuring one Roger Clemens). He served as athletic director at James Madison for 20 years and taught sports management for another 7, until recently retiring to his 170-acre farm in Appomattox County, Virginia.
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Gavin Bayreuther ’09, Tyler Wilmot ’09, Josh Dickman ’09, Colin McCusker ’09, Mitch Rodgers ’09, and Cam McCusker ’10 at the Alumni Hockey Game.
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Cardigan Cougars On the Road April Darien Reception
L. to R: Courtney McCurdy, niece of Chris Kennedy ’79; Chris, Paul Leahy ’76; Kathy Kelleher, parent of PJ ’12; Jon Wakely ’75; Steve August ’69; Al Stevenson, Jr. ’00; Justin Kennedy, Brother of Chris ’79; Dave McCusker ’80; Eddie Krayer ’82; Scott Powers ’75; Kim Kenly ’68; Richard Clancy ’67; Tim Clark ’84; Jim Finnerty ’84; Tom Clausen ’75; Fred Barney ’91; and Brad Bevis ’94.
Boston Workday Gathering in April On Tuesday, April 12, a group of Cardigan alumni, parents, and friends living and/or working in downtown Boston gathered for a luncheon generously hosted by Scott Powers ’75, Cardigan trustee and PresidentCEO of State Street Global Advisors. Several Cougars were able to find time in their busy schedules to join Headmaster Dave McCusker ’80, Board President Kim Kenly ’68, and Director of Alumni Programs Richard Clancy ’67 for this event.
Many thanks also go out to Cardigan alumnus Rick DellaRusso ’82, and his wife, Mary, for hosting a group of Cougar enthusiasts on Wednesday, April 13, 2011, at the Darien Country Club in Darien, Conn. A loyal group of Cardigan alumni, parents, prospective parents, and friends gathered for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres to chat about all things Cardigan. We were particularly thrilled to have a visit with Stuart Kaplan ’47, a member of Cardigan’s first graduating class, and alphabetically Cardigan’s second-ever diploma recipient.
At right: Stuart Kaplan ’47, left, and his friend Bobbie Bensaid, right, at the Darien reception with Peter Mahler ’84 and Richard Clancy ’67. At far right: Christine Kauffman P’13 and prospective parent Beth Cuticelli, chat with host Rick DellaRusso ’82 and Jimmy Little ’03.
Alumni Winter Weekend 2011 Left: CMS groupies on the slopes of Loon Mountain.
At this year’s 24th Annual Alumni Hockey Game, Dudley Clark was honored for his 30 years of service to Cardigan by receiving the game’s dedication, and therefore the honor of dropping the first puck. Receiving that ceremonial puck drop were former teammates John Petraglia ’74 and Tony Santilli ’74 (pictured at right). A day earlier, 28 Cardigan loyalists enjoyed an awesome day on the slopes at Loon Mountain Resort. The event included a spirited dual slalom NASTAR race and a very enjoyable après ski reception at the Mountain Inn. Current Cardigan alpine coach Gus DeMaggio and three-time Olympian Miki Fera-DeMaggio showed the way in the dual slalom, and Ken Klaus ’72 and Matt DiBenedetto ’77 took top honors for the alumni (pictured at right).
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Below: Steff McCusker and Bev Wakely.
Above: Coach Marrion and Norm Wakely. Below: Connor Van Arnam claims the team trophy.
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Below: Tony Santilli ’74, Bruce Marshard ’64, Mike McLean ’77 and John Petraglia ’74
Winter Wonderland Auction Auction volunteers Lee LaPointe P’11, Gina McCalmont P’11, Maureen Gilbert P’08,’10,’13, Lisa Drummond P’11,’13, and Andy Gilbert P’08,’10,’13.
Above: Richard Clancy ’67 with Mike ’67 and Melanie Garrison. Left: Tim Fleming ’70, Jorge Marcos ’00, Eugenio Marcos Bours ’12, Richard Clancy ’67, and Jock Pearson ’65.
A “Wonder”ful Auction! The Cardigan Mountain School Winter Wonderland Auction was just that…a “wonder”! Thank you to all the hard-working and dedicated parent volunteers—and to everyone who attended and participated in the auction: Thank you for your generosity. I want to extend a big “Thank You” to everyone who contributed to and participated in this year’s auction. It is wonderful to see firsthand the generosity of students, parents, faculty, staff, alumni, businesses, and other friends of Cardigan. The success of the auction relies on your continued support and the outpouring of exciting donations; through your contributions and participation, you have demonstrated your commitment to Cardigan. I would also like to thank my auction chairs and volunteers for all of their help, support, creativity, and hard work. —Auction Chair Maureen Gilbert P’08, ’10, ’13
www.cardigan.org/auction
Left: Auction emcee Robbie Barker ’97 strikes a pose on the Winter Wonderland stage.
The Cardigan Corral Our Friends from Finland Left: Dave McCusker ’80 presents a gift to Hannu Lignell ’92 under the watchful eye of Norm Wakely (who also happened to be in attendance in the flesh!), at a reception for the Finns at the Wakely Center.
Below: Cardigan and Finnish hockey coaches Tim LeRoy, Hannu Lignell ’92 and colleague Lauri Mattila, Robbie Barker ’94, John D’Entremont ’94, and Athletic Director Ryan Frost.
A wonderful tradition of cultural exchange continues . . .
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Auction Chair Maureen Gilbert would like to welcome everyone to
Auction 2012 Please join us and “Mo Z” on down to the Cardigan Corral on February 3, 2012. Once again, we encourage you to help us support the School. Wear your favorite cowboy boots, and enjoy a night of fun!
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in memoriam Edward “Givens” Goodspeed ’67, 58, passed away peacefully after a courageous battle with ataxia. Givens was born April 22, 1952, and spent his early childhood in Fairfield, Conn., before moving to N.H. where he attended Cardigan. While at Cardigan, Givens was elected to the role of school leader. He was a member of The Taft School Class of 1970 and graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 1976. In 1979, he married Susan Ryan of Natick, Mass., and went on to earn his JD from Suffolk Law School in Boston. He served as law clerk to the Honorable Winston E. Arnow in Pensacola, Fla., before moving to Orlando in 1982, where he practiced commercial litigation. Givens was an excellent all-around athlete who enjoyed cooking, working in his yard, and spending time at the beach with his family. In addition to his former wife and caregiver, he is survived by his children, Caitlin Coyle, Hiller Givens, and Mary Meagan; his brother Jerome Goodspeed ’69 (Silvia) and his sister, Sally Riley (Arch); as well as many beloved nieces, nephews, family members, and friends. Warren Birch, Former Faculty, 92, passed away on January 10, 2011. He married Lucile A. Merrill on April 16, 1950. Both sons, Robert ’67 and Richard ’71, attended Cardigan, and both now
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Our hearts go out to the families and friends of those within our extended Cardigan family who have recently passed away. In this column, we would like to pay tribute to a student and faculty son, some former Cardigan employees, and a few alumni of the School. If there are others out there of whose recent passing we are unaware, please accept our most sincere apology and heartfelt condolences.
reside in Thetford, Vt. Warren had a number of jobs, all of which brought him new friends and career experiences. He spent some time at the former Split Ball Bearing in Lebanon, N.H., later moving on to Cardigan where Lucile was teaching. He initially helped Clancy in the kitchen and later moved into his love, the (then) new athletic complex, where he worked for and with “Coach” Jim Marrion. In his memory, it is asked that you take the time to hold a door for young and “older” ladies, as he did all of his life, and treasure your days. There are never enough to share the joy of life. As he wished, no services were held. Peter Tracy Ramus ’62, 63, passed away at his home in Norwich, Vermont, on August 17, 2010, surrounded by his loving family. He was born in Greenwich, Conn., and grew up in Princeton, N.J. After graduating from Cardigan in 1962, he then graduated from Princeton High School, and from Mercer County College. In 1982 he married Virginia Wurster. As a child Pete was always fascinated by machinery and the flow of electric current. A master electrician, his career encompassed a wide variety of positions that all took advantage of his extraordinary natural mechanical abilities. Pete was happiest outdoors. He loved hiking, canoeing, raising vegetables, going to fairs, and using his tractor to tend the land around his home. He was a hands-on man who could fix anything that was broken. Pete meditated daily throughout his adult life,
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and he frequently took time to sit and listen to music undistracted or simply watch the wind in the trees. John Joseph Antognoni, Jr. ’70, of Weare, N.H. died Sunday, Nov. 7, 2010, following a period of declining health. He was born in Somerville, Mass., and spent many years in Lexington, Mass., as well as in Ossipee and Weare, New Hampshire. He attended Cardigan from 1968 to 1970. A selfemployed carpenter, Mr. Antognoni will be remembered as a talented crafsman with an unending work ethic. He was a motorcycle enthusiast and also enjoyed driving his Corvette. Ralph LaPointe, Cardigan’s former “head of grounds,” 79, of Center Harbor, N.H., and Fort Point, Fla., died May 26, 2010. He married Dorothy Ann Garneau, on May 8, 1951, and they enjoyed their life together until she died in 1997. His career spanned several educational institutions in addition to Cardigan, including New Hampton School and Laconia public schools. His children and grandchildren were the joy in his life. He was a wonderful storyteller with impeccable timing, a great dancer, and a passionate bicycle rider. For many years he was known for Popo’s Hot Dogs on the beach in Center Harbor, N.H.
Another Cardigan Legacy Three Generations of Millers Attend Clark, Cardigan In the previous edition of the Cardigan Chronicle, we included an introduction to the Harmon family and their long history with CMS and its predecessor, the Clark School* of Hanover, N.H. That prompted one of our readers, Mrs. Diane Miller Campbell, to write in and remind us about her own family’s similar history with the School. Mrs. Campbell was kind enough to share a photo with us of the three generations of Millers who treasured their school experiences here on The Point, as well as on the Canaan Street and Hanover campuses. Thank you, Mrs. Campbell and Miller family members, for continuing to be an important part of the Cardigan community! From Left: Garfield Miller II ’61, a young son, Garfield Miller III ’96, and Bill Miller (1940 Clark School grad) at a Pomfret football game sometime in the late 1990s.
*Clifford P. Clark established the Clark School in Hanover, N.H., in 1918, and after he and Director Frank Millett Morgan retired in 1952, the Clark School merged with the Cardigan Mountain School in Canaan, N.H. (July 1953). The title of Cardigan’s magazine was, incidentally, adopted from the Clark School’s Chronicle, which was published there five times a year.
Harry H.R. Neison ’01, 24, passed away peacefully on December 11, 2010. A native Vermonter who loved to ski and play ice hockey, Harry lived in Stowe for more than half of his life before moving to Connecticut. After graduating from Cardigan in 2001, he attended Avon Old Farms School and graduated from Cheshire Academy in 2004. At Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla., and later at Middlesex Community College in Conn., Harry studied broadcast communications. He was passionate about music and was working in the music promotion field—a job that he loved.
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Dear Readers Please help us provide you with thorough, accurate Cardigan community news by contacting us with updates.
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Traditions Spring Ice Out Comes Later This Year Though Polar Bear Club Finds Mornings at the Lake Just as Chilly
April 17 marked the official ice-out date for Canaan Street Lake for 2011. Eighth grader Armando Guzman and faculty member Mr. Kenny guessed correctly.
C.O.R.E.
Cardigan Outdoor Recreation Expeditions
Each year, prior to the March vacation, members of the Cardigan community have the opportunity to take a guess at the date on which the ice will officially be declared “out” of Canaan Street Lake. Who decides? The official “ice out” date is determined by Judge Dan Fleetham, who, albeit now in his 90s, happened to be one of Cardigan’s very first faculty members, and who resides just down the street from campus. Canaan Street Lake “ice out” records date back to 1925, and though this year’s ice-out date certainly felt as though it should rank among the latest in the bunch, that may be simply because it was juxtaposed with last year—the earliest date on record: March 20 (nearly a month earlier than this year’s ice out date!). The latest recorded ice out date is actually May 7, and this was in 1972. Let’s count our many blessings! At 6:15 a.m. on May 2, the Polar Bear tradition opened under sunny skies, with little wind. Forty-six underclassmen swam in water that was 42 degrees Fahrenheit. The air temperature was 34 degrees. Ten faculty members swam, as did two dogs. If the boys swim 26 days in a row they earn a coveted, unique Polar Bear necktie! – Alex Gray P’14
The C.O.R.E. Objective Using the natural world as our classroom, the purpose of C.O.R.E. is to instill in boys a lifelong passion for the outdoors while developing the necessary skills to fully pursue this passion for a lifetime. C.O.R.E. seeks to challenge boys to reach deep within themselves to discover who they are and how they relate to the natural world.
CAMP 2 • July 10-16, 2011
CAMP 1 • July 2-9, 2011
Intro to Outdoor Education
Connecticut River to Cardigan
Connecticut River to Cardigan starts as a leisurely 3+day/3-night canoe trip along the scenic upper Connecticut River to Hanover, New Hampshire. Upon reaching Hanover, the group will exchange paddles for packs and embark on an easy to moderate 2+ day/2-night Appalachian Trail hike.
CAMP 3 • July 17-23, 2011
This beginner’s expedition is an introduction to backcountry backpacking and canoeing. The group will spend two days and one night in each of the canoeing and backpacking phases, with an extra day learning basic backcountry skills, etiquette, and safety.
CAMP 4 • July 24-31, 2011
Superloop
Presidential Expedition
This expedition will be a half-canoeing and half-backpacking loop trip in the Flagstaff Lake/Bigelow Range area near Stratton, Maine.
This hiking-only expedition will work its way over the named Presidential peaks in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The group will spend its days on the Presidential ridges enjoying some of the best hiking in the world.
For more information about these expeditions, visit our website:
www.cardigan.org/core 36
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Cardigan Summer Programs • 603.523.3526 • core@cardigan.org
The Annual Fund for
CARDIGAN
WE ARE COMMITTED TO PREPARING BOYS—IN MIND, BODY, AND SPIRIT— FOR RESPONSIBLE AND MEANINGFUL LIVES.
We make boys our first priority. Please make Cardigan your first priority.
Cardigan first.
Make your gift online at www.cardigan.org or contact us at 603.523.3516.
In addition to selecting recycled paper for this edition of the Chronicle, Cardigan Mountain School also chose a green-minded partner to print the magazine. Capital Offset Company, Inc. of Concord, N.H., is an FSC certified printer that operates a green pressroom using vegetable-based inks, water-based aqueous coating, and alcohol replacement chemistry, in order to minimize its use of solvents and the volatile organic compounds found in traditional fountain solutions. COC also recycles all make-ready sheets, trimoff, and waste from its in-house saddle stitcher, as well as corrugated containers, scrap paper, and aluminum plates.
Cardigan Mountain School 62 Alumni Drive Canaan, NH 03741
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