Reports 2016

REPORTS

VOLUME XXIX SUMMER 2016

FOR FAR BROOK ALUMNI & FAMILIES NEAR & FAR

NEW BUILDINGS AS TEACHING TOOLS Ideal Spaces for the Arts and Sciences

THE MULTILAYERED FAR BROOK JOURNEY Academics, Collaboration, Community, and Tradition

VOLUME XXIX SUMMER 2016

REPORTS

16 Graduates / 20 Events / 24 Development / 28 Alumni News / 32 Faculty News / 38 We Remember

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CONTENTS

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NEW BUILDINGS AS TEACHING TOOLS Ideal Spaces for the Arts and Sciences

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THE MULTILAYERED FAR BROOK JOURNEY

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RETIREMENTS

A speech given by Head of School Amy Ziebarth

Faculty and Administrators Retire

Editors Jennifer Barba Helen Kaplus Editorial Assistants Joan Burr Peggy Fawcett Susan FitzGibbon

Principal Photographers Peter Chollick Emi Ithen Helen Kaplus Will Winburn

A MESSAGE TO FAR BROOK ALUMNI AND FAMILIES WELCOME TO FAR BROOK’S INCREDIBLE NEW LEARNING SPACES. Thanks to the generosity of the Far Brook community, our “Imagine The Possibilities” Campaign was a great success, raising more than $8.5M. This past January, the students and faculty moved into our new Music & Arts Building and Kronthal Science & Environmental Center and everyone felt instantly at home.

Much of this magazine is dedicated to the excitement and learning that is happening within these new walls.

I have reflected on the value of the Far Brook education in a very personal way this year as my own son completed his journey, graduating this June. We will miss these students, who graduated with heartfelt speeches and a wonderful performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

The 2016 graduates are well-equipped for the opportunities ahead as they move on to a range of local public, independent, and boarding schools. Our Class of 2012 students have graduated high school this year and will be attending an impressive array of colleges and universities.

Take a look at the schools, listed on page 19.

We value your connection to Far Brook and hope that you will keep in touch and visit often.

Your feedback is always welcome.

WARMLY,

AMY ZIEBARTH Head of School

Flight is majestic. All can soar if they want to. In life or in dreams.

-Example of poetry found on the feathers in this artwork.

HEAD OF SCHOOL LETTER / 3

New Buildings as Teaching Tools

By Carol Sargent, Senior Philanthropic Advisor for Special Projects The Music & Arts Building and the Kronthal Science & Environmental Center opened in January after 18 months of construction. The classrooms are alive with the buzz of students and faculty accustomed to the productive and elegant spaces. Centerbrook Architects receive high praise for their distinctive and thoughtful designs, imbued with the Far Brook campus spirit. Comments from parents, alumni, and other visitors often reveal how the new structures feel like they have been here forever, so naturally do they fit into the Far Brook landscape.

The most visible effects on the curriculum can be readily seen in the Kronthal Science Center, which includes the Charlotte ’07 and Duncan ’04 Fisher Woodshop at one end. Let’s go there first.

The Magic of Woodshop

Visiting with woodshop teacher Chris Murphy in February, it became abundantly clear that we were both still mesmerized by the new woodshop. From his former semi-subterranean and well-worn woodshop to this one, superbly designed with care, one can not help but be moved.

Light fills the room from ample windows, a tall ceiling, and well-chosen fixtures. New work tables, laid out in a clear and purposeful arrangement, can be easily raised or lowered - even by the students - for projects or for the older classes. When setting up the classroom, Chris asked the students for their suggestions for the most functional placement of tools, now easily accessible throughout the room. Vestiges of the former woodshop space can be seen in the dark green tool racks, made many years ago, that

were moved here to continue their usefulness. A large but unobtrusive vacuum system effortlessly draws sawdust up from the floor in a corner of the room. Needless to say, students of all ages eagerly volunteer to sweep the sawdust close to the floor vacuum every day to see the dust disappear!

Student work can be stored easily on open shelving.

Outside the woodshop, leading into the rest of the science building, is a hallway for displaying large projects such as the Sixth Grade mini-golf course.

Chris now has an office that safely houses three 3-D printers, and another room holds lumber and a huge table saw with top-line safety features. Chris spent a few Saturdays setting up the classroom with the assistance of family members. “It’s a testament to this being the kind of space you want to spend time in,” he said.

LEFT TO RIGHT: A First Grader with his “Laptop”; Chris Murphy with First Graders; Two holes from the Sixth Grade mini-golf course

NEW BUILDINGS AS TEACHING TOOLS / 5

Lower School Science Transformed

Second Graders coming into science with Grade N-4 science teacher and Schoolyard Habitat Coordinator JoAnn Tutino express “wows” and amazement at the classroom known as Lab 1. Once inside, they get right to the day’s excitements in science. No longer does JoAnn have to go from class to class, carrying her science wares in a cloth Far Brook bag! She simply goes to one or two cupboards, organized by grade, and locates the items needed for the day, and all is prepared before the children come through the door, still somewhat giddy with their new space.

The corkboard that lines the walls is full of color and displays leaf designs; posters of scientific words like “chromatography” or “crystal” presented visually; and painted descriptions of the difference between vertebrates and invertebrates. Watercolor depictions of a variety of ducks came from the children’s visit with the “Duck Lady,” an inspired guest from New Jersey’s Wetlands Institute.

Highly durable water and sand tables in the middle of the room enable intriguing experiments. Colorful watercolors of symmetrical butterfly wings are drying in a corner – and all of this is against the backdrop of a forest outside the back of the room, easily visible beyond the NanaWall – a collapsible bank of glass doors.

RIGHT: JoAnn Tutino teaches Second Graders about the water cycle

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BELOW LEFT TO RIGHT: Sixth Graders observe sprouted radish seeds in petri dishes; Mike Chodroff in the greenhouse with Sixth Graders

Upper School Science Interactive Learning

Visiting with Upper School science teacher and Director of Sustainability Mike Chodroff and Grade 4-8 science specialist Lauren Kronthal ’04 over lunch in their new office space between classrooms is an illuminating experience.

Mike and Lauren speak energetically about the science building, relaying the multiple advantages the new labs offer students and faculty alike. Sinks spaced throughout the room allow for quick clean-up and safety. In fact, the increased safety features throughout the Junior High lab enable the use of chemicals that can be safely used and locked away and of multiple gas jets at each station. A glass fume hood enables Mike to raise and lower one side while students can safely observe experiments from the other. Labs now have refrigeration and deionized water, lots of space for beakers and equipment, and an interactive whiteboard along one whole wall, with a projector. A large vacuum removes fumes if necessary, and a quick open shower is available for emergencies.

Mike speaks to the large, airy space and maneuverability and to the role that energy efficiency plays in the curriculum. “So many more conversations come up organically; the buildings themselves are teaching tools,

and were before we even moved in,” Mike said. “Students study homeostasis in the Fifth and Seventh Grades, so the process of the human body regulating temperature is easily compared to this temperature-controlled environment.”

On the lobby wall, an interactive screen shows energy use in the building, a potential learning tool for the Sixth Grade about systems and analyzing energy use. And just outside, an enclosed greenhouse supports experiments year-round.

Along the back wall of the classroom are those wonderful folding glass doors that invite in light and air and easy access to the deck and the Wetlands Habitat.

Mike speaks passionately about the tremendous benefits of such a space. “So much research has been done over the years that shows the measureable and significant increase in student productivity from access to natural light and the outdoors.” Standing in this spacious classroom, with its vaulted ceilings and windows, one can easily experience the outdoors and a sense of calm and focus, simultaneously.

“With more equipment and better technology,” Lauren concurs, “we can teach more. It’s calmer, quieter, and more peaceful with the outside view, and the students are ready to learn.”

NEW BUILDINGS AS TEACHING TOOLS / 7

Educational Technology Computers and Learning Adventures

Deborah (Wraight) Costa, our educational technology specialist, and I sat down in Lab 1 to discuss her role at Far Brook and her reaction to life in this new building. She sees the science center as an enormous improvement: a “big change, a great change.” She has the option of holding classes in Lab 1 or 2, depending on subject matter.

She regularly sees the Third and Seventh Graders, and works with other classes by teacher request or by her own suggestion if she has a lesson she would like to pursue.

Sitting in Lab 1, designed for the youngest of the students, even we are comfortable in these nifty chairs.

Tables crafted in a wavy design either fit together or can be used separately and add an intriguing and functional element to the space. Seated next to large windows, we gaze out on the trees in their February wintry emptiness, and a sense of calm, quiet, and focus pervades the room.

When filled with lively children, the acoustics are

LEFT TO RIGHT: Third Graders work with a Lego WeDo Construction Set; Deborah Costa and Third Graders in Lab 1

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manageable and contained within each classroom. You simply hear the sound of children learning.

Deborah meets with Third Graders in Lab 1 twice a week. They learned introductory coding with code.org, WeDo 2.0 Lego Robotics, online safety, and research skills. In Seventh Grade, students have worked with the program Games for Change, technology for good, where they create their own video games using MIT’s Scratch program to figure out what they want their game to accomplish, like the Don’t Drive and Text game, or one on Photoshop advertising or recycling. Eighth Graders and Second Graders enjoyed the opportunity to collaboratively build space rovers using Lego WeDo 2.0, programming the movement, lights and sounds of the rovers using iPads.

The students keep saying how amazed they are at the buildings and especially the space. How has it changed Deborah’s teaching? “Previously,” she explained, “so much time was wasted in carrying supplies. I am now able to use my teaching time in a more productive and meaningful way. It makes me feel more ambitious with the kinds of projects I can do.” The ambiance and quality of life are significant characteristics of the classroom experience.

LEFT TO RIGHT: Sixth Graders design packages for new products; Lower School students create puppets; Fourth Graders create Egyptian death masks

Fine Art - Surrounded

by Nature

Moving into the new art room is “one of the highlights of my life,” says art teacher Nancy McIntyre. Nancy couldn’t have been more excited to show me the magnificent features of the room and what a difference the new space makes to her teaching. She still remembers her first art space at Far Brook in 1990, a small room next to the old woodshop. Travel forward to see the display of the Kindergarten’s huge three-dimensional, Frank Stellainspired colored shapes on the corkboard walls and even in the lobby. Now, high shelves around the entire room exhibit student artwork, such as three-dimensional paper penguin creations.

Like many of the specialty teachers, Nancy sees every child in the School, every year. Each student experiences this expansive and inviting space, temperature-controlled, and comfortable. Along one entire wall are cupboards, counters, and two sinks at age-appropriate levels. There is even a small step-shelf that pulls out for the youngest to boost themselves up. Wide, thin drawers 38” inches deep, house a variety of art papers and each kind of paper has its own drawer. Colored papers have their own shelves. One has Bristol paper and watercolor paper. Another, oak tag.

“It’s unbelievable!” she exclaims.

On the opposite wall is an indented counter built to house computers for digital art. And at the back of the room are those huge folding glass doors that open out onto the large deck where the older students paint on easels when weather permits. Looking out the window, “every pane of glass is a painting,” explains Nancy. “The proportions of the windows are so beautiful and carefully thought out. This support of nature is very important; it diminishes the concept of the inside and the outside; they’re combined, one thing, very fluid and serene.” And so in keeping, I thought, with the philosophy of nature as an integral part of the Far Brook experience.

The art program, enhanced by this new space, “provides lots of opportunity to use color, shape, design, texture, process, skills. You have concept, art history, process; it’s a complete experience.” As Nancy continues, “Pedagogically speaking, everything is in play.”

Nancy has high praise for the Centerbrook Architects who designed such a purposeful and beautiful space.

As Nancy remarked, “They didn’t have an agenda. They listened. They made it about us; it was a very thoughtful approach.”

NEW BUILDINGS AS TEACHING TOOLS / 9

LEFT TO RIGHT: Middle Schoolers practice violin; Allen Artz leads the choir; Erasmia Voukelatos with First Graders

Lower School Music Instruments, Movement, and Song

A small class from among the youngest is sitting on the round rug in the corner of the absolutely stunning Lower School music room. The children are listening to “Morning,” from the Peer Gynt Suite by Edvard Grieg, a piece of classical music with the lilting strains of spring hidden in its orchestral flora. They take in the beauty and the sounds. Afterwards, Lower School music teacher Erasmia Voukelatos asks them to relay what they saw in their imaginations while listening. Erasmia pulls out the melodic theme and sings it, using the hand symbols the children have been taught to match the solfège pitches.

Then, each child sings the theme on his or her own with hand gestures … very impressive for First Graders and quite entrancing.

From any spot on the rug, the trees and sky are visible, whether looking toward the back windows or to the side to the magic folding glass doors leading out onto a safe and lovely deck. From there, they can feel part of the outdoors and see the older art students sketching or painting landscapes on their easels. One can hardly get closer to nature than this.

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Upon entering the Lower School music room, the warmth of the room is readily evident. The handsome lowered ceiling with its intriguing angles and yellow dropped lights warms the room and adds to the ambiance of cozy and purposeful music learning. Miniature Orff xylophones of varying sounds and sizes line the floor.

Erasmia loves the intimacy of the space for young children and the different areas of the classroom – from the rug where children sit and listen to music by the mahogany piano to the wooden floor space used for movement lessons. The children learn the beginnings of reading music as Erasmia outlines the staves with notes and key signatures on the whiteboard lining one side of the room.

Choir, Orchestra, Bells, Light, and Space

From the large arts lobby which has already housed special receptions and dinners, one can open the door to a hallway with four sound-proofed practice rooms that hold pianos and percussion instruments. Here, the music faculty teach private lessons in piano, woodwinds, strings, brass, and percussion. At the bottom of the hallway, turn right and enter the incredible space of the orchestra and choral room, with its high, vaulted ceiling and spacious

layout. Schulmerich handbells rest beautifully on their pads, ready to be played. The broad, tiered platforms hold chairs for singers and instrumentalists alike. The highest platform is even deeper to hold the timpani and other percussion instruments and is accessible to the lobby. A whiteboard with staves lines one wall as in all of the new classrooms. These new spaces are a tribute to the esteem and importance of music at Far Brook.

A visit to a Group rehearsal of 70+ students in this new and magnificent choral room features practice on “The Road Not Taken,” the Robert Frost poem, set to music

by Randall Thompson, as well as other songs for May’s choral concert. Director of Music Allen Artz stops several times to repeat sections, sometimes going over previously worked vowel shapes and consonant placement. He energetically speaks to the students on the value of high art. “To make art, you have to work at it; it doesn’t come easily. It requires you to go beyond yourself, whether in drama, literature, music, or fine art. At the same time, you discover more about yourself.” You can hear a pin drop as the message hits home. I imagine this to be one of the moments students frequently mention about Mr. Artz and their music classes during their graduation night speeches in June.

BELOW LEFT TO RIGHT, TOP TO BOTTOM: Eighth Graders master handbells; Example of artwork in Lower Science room; The new greenhouse at the Kronthal Science & Environmental Center

Insights Hit Home

Director of Upper School Nicole Engelke ’88 is impressed with what the new buildings can offer students during the school day and even after school is over. “We now have the space and equipment for the pilot STEAM Camp that we offered Far Brook Second through Sixth Graders in June. Mike and Chris were able to feature projects in hydroponics, prosthetics, coding, and solar energy.”

Director of Lower School Paula Levin sees “the buildings as a new platform that enhances all that we do; they create an atmosphere that highlights learning.” She especially mentioned the Lower School music room as “a wonderful, enchanting spot where young ones can dance easily and feel the rhythm in their bodies. They even go outside on the deck and jump rope to the beat!”

Head of School Amy Ziebarth remarked, “We became known over the years for our philosophy of ‘learning through the arts.’ Now a prospective parent or faculty

member can understand visually how wedded we are to both the arts and math and science. Founding Director Winifred Moore said, “The Far Brook curriculum is a balance of the sciences and the arts, for at their deepest level both rely on original questioning and a penetrating imagination.” (from The Roots of Excellence) “Our new facilities,” Amy continued, “provide ideal spaces for both to flourish in creative and stimulating ways. Many people have come together to make these buildings possible. I am deeply grateful for the generosity of the Far Brook community.”

NEW BUILDINGS AS TEACHING TOOLS / 11

THE MULTILAYERED FAR BROOK JOURNEY

A Speech Given by Head of School Amy Ziebarth on Education Night 2015 Tonight I want to talk about the Far Brook Journey.

When everyone else around us in the wider world seems to be interested in test scores, rankings, winning seasons, and rigor, what is it that we do here that is so different and can’t always be measured, scored, or quantified?

We call it the Journey, and it is evident in the central importance of Morning Meeting, of our process of reading and writing, and of your child’s individual academic Journey through the years.

What is this Far Brook Journey? How does it happen, and quite frankly, why does it matter?

In preparing for tonight by asking my colleagues about this Journey, meaningful themes bubbled to the surface.

In true Progressive fashion, I heard much about the good of the group, our democracy at school, and how our community is so central and important for giving our students a sense of place and security. While a shared community is essential to the Far Brook experience, so is respect for the individual Journey. Processional, Shakespeare, and Morning Meeting allow our children to grow up in a community complete with these reassuring Traditions and milestones. At the same time, each child’s Journey is singular and our teachers are ready to take a child from where she is to where she needs to go.

Morning Meeting, for example, is so much more than simply spending the first moments at the beginning of the day together. It is also about all of us coming together as a group – about listening, being aware of our surroundings, sharing the experience, and singing. Singing together feeds our souls. Hearing and singing Far Brook songs naturally develops empathy and builds our communal strength.

We often talk about osmosis and how great language, metaphors, and beauty just seep into our pores over the

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years. Violinist and conductor Yehudi Menuhin said, “I can only think of music as something inherent in every human being – a birthright. Music coordinates mind, body, and spirit ... the greatest service to society would be if every school day began with singing. If people sing together, they have a feeling of individual coordination as well as coordination within the body of the group.”An alumnus from the Class of 1984, Andrew Epstein, now a professor of English, wrote of Morning Meeting in his college application essay: “Every morning the bell of the Hall would ring and we would walk solemnly into that big open room and sit on the floor while someone might play a flute sonata or a teacher might read a poem by Yeats. The incredible thing is that I sat on the floor each morning from the time I was four and soaked up all that culture and beauty. And I never realized how fortunate I was.”

Music Director Allen Artz and I talk often about Morning Meeting as I learn more and more over the years. We were comparing crocheting to what we do here at Far Brook.

In order to move forward you must, in fact, loop back to make another connection. We are informed by the depth of the language we hear, by our rituals and Traditions, and by primary sources. We repeat, we circle back, we go deeper to find and instill our common language.

Drama Director James Glossman told me students at Far Brook don’t learn Shakespeare in the six weeks when they are practicing for their graduation play; rather, they have been studying, learning, and memorizing parts of it for 10

Singing together feeds our souls.

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5

years. Obviously, the Eighth Graders have the biggest role in presenting the play, but the Nursery is also involved – singing the songs, making miniature characters, enjoying the story, and creating beautiful artwork. Sixth Graders read the play knowing that two years later they will be memorizing the same script.

Conversations and discussions are taken seriously on this campus – among all of us. The students grow up with this level of attention and respect for their thoughts. It is pervasive. There is sheer delight in reading and writing and in asking questions and participating. Students realize they are learning alongside their teachers instead of merely listening to them lecture. When we say we develop the whole child at Far Brook, we mean it. What we are developing is not what is more widely known as the “soft” skills, but rather living examples of what is most important and necessary in life.

I watch the Junior High students develop into genuine leaders. In other seventh through twelfth grade schools, no one expects much leadership from an eighth grader.

Usually, schools are looking at the seniors. Our Eighth Graders learn to bring their best selves to their plays, to their Pok-O-MacCready experience, to Morning Meeting, and to each other. They are learning by doing and realizing that they are capable of so much more than they ever imagined. There is a thoughtful process of scaffolding that happens before our very eyes.

A quick story from the Pok-O-MacCready Camp trip this year (Junior High students spend five days in the Adirondack Mountains each September) - By the end of the week, I had already gone on three hikes: the night hike up Bare Mountain, the sunrise hike (no sun and freezing) up Rattlesnake, and the mid-day hike up Sugarloaf. And I didn’t want to admit to anyone that I could barely walk.

Longtime Junior High teacher Ed Solecki kept asking me if I wanted to join the Eighth Graders for their five-hour Cascade Mountain hike. I was desperately lobbying for the Seventh Grade rock-climbing day. He kept gently suggesting I should go. I was annoyed. So I went with 14 Eighth Graders and here is what I saw: slipping and sliding, laughing and sweating adolescents, and small moments and memories being shared among faculty and students. And without question, encouragement, kindness, and collaboration got us all to the top, where we stood together in silence in breathtaking beauty. When we got back to camp, I gave Ed a big hug and said, “I get it now.”

I asked Lauren Kronthal ’04 about her Journey. She spoke so fondly of how much she loved coming to school and hated when she had to miss a day. She noted that she wasn’t thinking about how far behind she was in homework, but about the great things she might be missing at school. She attributes her independent thinking and her ability to support an opinion to her years here.

She found her voice during her Far Brook Journey, and

THE MULTILAYERED FAR BROOK JOURNEY / 13

By the end of your Journey, you are leading and modeling for the youngest. she never lost it.The two of us were talking about the Processional. When you are in Nursery, you are at the beginning of the Journey, and you take on the role of an apprentice. You develop a more central role over the years, culminating in the Eighth Grade. When you are young, you are paired with older students. By the end of your Journey, you are leading and modeling for the youngest.

Lauren then said, “Right, that is Legitimate Peripheral Participation.” (What??? I thought.) Lauren wrote a graduate school midterm paper on Far Brook. LPP “describes how newcomers become experienced members and eventually old timers of a community of practice.

They participate in rituals and tasks that are necessary and productive and further the goals of the community. As newcomers become old timers, their participation takes on forms that are more and more central to the functioning of a healthy community.” I laughed and said, “That’s what happens here.” And she said, “That is why I wrote the paper!”

I spoke to Marnie Stetson, our literacy specialist, about the Journey that our students embark upon when learning to read and write. Marnie spoke at length about one of the most valuable skills we give our students – understanding the power of STORY, the power to tell one’s own story through small moments or personal memoirs, and the power to read and listen to stories that allow us to walk in someone else’s shoes. Reading and writing stories allows children to develop empathy, to make sense of the world, and to find meaning in both the joys and the sorrows in their own lives. The Journey toward finding the power of story will not look the same for every student. What

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is significant to Far Brook teachers and what they are so skilled at recognizing is the path to help move each child toward this discovery.

At Far Brook, we often talk about creating lifelong readers and writers. That is our goal, but the way to reach that goal is by teaching children the power of story. This is something that children grasp at a very young age. As you know, children are full of stories. Every Nursery or Kindergarten teacher starts the school day by sharing in the tales of the children in her class – a funny thing that happened with the dog last night, or the scary dream that stuck with the student into the morning. Young children love hearing stories – stories at bedtime, stories in Morning Meeting, stories they can act out on the playground, including those from class plays and Shakespeare.

As children get older, we continue to teach how stories can help them understand themselves and the world around them. One of the reasons we give students so much choice in reading is so that they can find themselves in books. Children experience this: “I know exactly how that character feels because I have felt the same way. I am not alone.” They read to develop empathy: “I do not know this character, but I can imagine what it would be like to walk in his shoes.” We teach children to learn not only from their own mistakes, but also from the mistakes of the characters who inhabit the books they read. When we read Charlotte’s Web, we learn about compassion and loyalty. When we read Of Mice and Men, we learn about the capacity of humans to care for and make sacrifices for others.

Explaining who you are by telling stories can unlock understanding and acceptance. In the early years through illustrations and later in written stories or “small moments,” essential events in childhood are commemorated – the story of the first puppy, the first trip to the hospital, or the last visit with a grandparent. As our young writers mature, they learn that they can mine these stories to uncover meaning. By Junior High, our students are writing memoirs. They are telling the story of their lives as a way not only to understand who they are, but to help them explore who they want to be and how they want the

world to see them.

They are also immersed in stories of people who have changed the world, from artists to activists, from Emily Dickinson and Georgia O’Keeffe to William Shakespeare and Andrew Goldsworthy, from Sojourner Truth and Martin Luther King, Jr., to Malala Yousafzai and Nelson Mandela.

The stories of lives well-lived are models and inspirations as our students learn how to write to change the world. They learn how to write speeches and letters advocating change – from asking for more time at recess to a call to boycott goods made with child labor. They learn how to speak to authority about injustices they see in their world. And they learn to research and document evidence in support of the need for change. And all the while, these learning experiences are contributing to a student’s emotional intelligence, a critical ingredient for future success as well as simply enjoying a fulfilling and empathic life.

The Journey exists in all disciplines here as it is layered and reinforced, year-by-year – in math and science, in French studies, in sports, drama, dance, and in speaking and presenting in Morning Meeting. These seemingly disparate studies are investigated separately and also woven together into a cohesive whole. This Journey is educationally and academically sound while incorporating critical thinking, creativity, and joy into everyday life. Again, while there is so much focus around us on GPA, class rank, awards, and recognition, Far Brook values the Journey of the individual and the experience and benefits of thriving

in a strong community. That Journey will have struggles as well as successes. I have watched it with my own three children here. Without challenges, without mistakes, there is no learning. But at Far Brook, that Journey, complete with frustration as well as triumph, takes place within a strong and reassuring community that provides a sense of comfort and constancy, all the while inviting and encouraging growth.

I think what Far Brook does is allow children to grow from the “inside out,” empowering them to meet the evolving challenges of a complex world. The whole experience is different from other schools – schools that often teach children to think and learn in a similar way while leaving them somehow feeling apart or separate. At Far Brook, children are taught to think independently while feeling togetherness in a community of equals and as an integral part of an invaluable whole.

I urge you to enjoy this community. Cherish the experience because, trust me, it goes by in the blink of an eye.

Without challenges, without mistakes, there is no learning.

THE MULTILAYERED FAR BROOK JOURNEY / 15

CLASS

OF

2016

Most of our newest alumni began Far Brook in Nursery or Kindergarten, while others joined in subsequent years. When asked what they will miss, students’ thoughts had much in common.

They shared feelings of belonging, of being connected to the whole community, not only to their classmates but to their teachers and students in other grades as well. We send them off with love and pride and our best wishes for the years to come.

5 THE CLASS OF 2016, IN COSTUME FOR A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, THEIR GIFT TO THE SCHOOL

L EFT TO RIGHT BACK ROW: Jason Johnson, Dafne Hernandez, Eve Miller, Nick Winkler, Emery Tambor, Jasmine Harris, Lauranne Hricko, Sam Lee

LEFT TO RIGHT MIDDLE ROW: Jonathan Ziebarth, Anabelle Brodeur, Tabitha Weidner, Matt Wesson, Jordan Mamouzette, Kalman Kraham, Isabelle Ziedner, Michael Liu LEFT TO RIGHT FRONT ROW: Jason Strollo, Thomas Sokolowski, Sean Beatty, Savannah Lee, Jonah Meisels, Sanaah Aslam, Annie Pasternak

16 / CLASS OF 2016

SANAAH ASLAM

Confusion among Shakespearean lovers: Lysander and Hermia, Demetrius and Helena

will miss the “little red buildings with the green roofs,” singing every day at Morning Meeting and hearing Ed (Solecki) read poems. This year, Thanksgiving Processional was extra special, because Sanaah walked with her brother, Azeem. She played Philostrate in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and will be attending MorristownBeard School in September.

SEAN BEATTY, this year’s Demetrius (in Athens) in

the graduation play, will miss Far Brook’s Traditions, especially Processional, and the comfort of knowing everyone in the School. A favorite memory is hiking up Bare Mountain with his friends in the dark at Pok-O-MacCready Camp in September.

Sean is entering Gill St. Bernard’s School in the fall.

ANABELLE BRODEUR will miss the close

relationships with friends and teachers. Anabelle has many favorite memories: playing castle on the playground in Nursery, dancing at the Medieval Feast in Kindergarten, High Tea in Third Grade, and many trips. She played Hermia (in the Woods) in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and is enrolled at Oak Knoll School.

JASMINE HARRIS joined her classmates in the Sixth Grade and loved being in a small class and knowing everyone.

Most of all she will miss singing with the whole school and feeling the harmony surrounding her. She fished for the first time at Pok-O-MacCready Camp and holds that memory dear.

Jasmine was Puck in the play and will be found at Phillips Academy Andover in September.

DAFNE HERNANDEZ began at Far Brook as a

Seventh Grader. Singing in Morning Meeting is what she will miss most. The “heartfelt songs” will stay with her forever.

Memories of Pok-O and bonding with friends and teachers there include fishing, climbing mountains, and eating s’mores.

Dafne played the role of Cobweb and will be at Newark Academy in the fall.

LAURANNE HRICKO was the fairy called Moth in

A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Far Brook “symbolizes one big family” to Lauranne, where the older “kids” talk to the younger ones and know their names. She proudly remembers two undefeated years in a row for the field hockey team. The Pingry School will be her next step.

JASON JOHNSON entered Far Brook in the Second Grade and will miss what he calls the “special place” which he leaves with “a sense of what [he] wants to do with [his] life.”

He singles out lunchtime as his favorite memory - a period where friends sit, talk freely, and laugh, sometimes hysterically!

Jason was cast as Tom Snout the tinker/Wall in the play and will experience lunch while studying at Woodward Academy in College Park, GA for the next few years.

KALMAN KRAHAM, this year’s Egeus, came to Far Brook in Third Grade and loved starting the day with beautiful classical music and donning his gold and maroon jersey for interscholastic games. Kalman cherishes memories made at Pok-O reaching the top of Cascade Mountain with his friends.

He will attend The Pingry School for high school.

SAMUEL LEE played Francis Flute/Thisby in the graduation play and will miss Morning Meeting, the wide, outdoor campus, and the “creative freedom” the School has given him. Pok-O-MacCready is in his thoughts with the memory of climbing Moonshine and looking out over the lakes and the mountains. Sam will be studying at Millburn High School in the fall.

SAVANNAH LEE was Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Her thoughts are of the Junior High building.

Most of all, Savannah will miss the locker rooms, the hubs of socialization before Morning Meeting where friends “talk and talk.” The smiling, laughing, and playing games on the ski club bus rides to Shawnee Mountain are cherished memories.

Savannah will be attending Blair Academy in September.

CLASS OF 2016 / 17

MICHAEL LIU was a Sixth Grader when he joined the class of 2016. He loves the smiling faces of the Nursery students and singing and listening to stories and poems each morning.

Canoeing at Pok-O and listening to the birds calling from the mountains are fond memories. Michael’s role was Robin Starveling in the play, and he will be at Livingston High School this fall.

ANNIE PASTERNAK came to School as a First Grader and discovered an intimate place where she could be herself. The last field hockey game of the season and of her career at Far Brook is her choice memory. The team was undefeated and the game ended with a “giant team hug.”

Annie played Peter Quince in the play and will be a freshman at Columbia High School in September.

JORDAN MAMOUZETTE played the parts of

Hermia (in Athens) and Mustardseed. Jordan treasures her Kindergarten memories of the penguin studies, the trip to the Turtleback Zoo, and sewing fabric penguins so long ago. And she will miss the Pok-O trips and the French trips to Canada.

Jordan will be continuing her education at Union Catholic Regional High School in Scotch Plains.

THOMAS SOKOLOWSKI also played Demetrius (in the Woods) in the graduation play. He says he will miss “the small community where everyone knows everyone.”The Pok-O canoeing experience is his favorite memory. It was “super windy” and cold, and the boat kept blowing in circles. He and his boat mate laughed so hard, they forgot about the weather!

Morristown-Beard School is Thomas’ next educational step.

JONAH MEISELS came to Far Brook in Third Grade

JASON STROLLO thinks that Far Brook taught him

and appreciates the teachers who focus on each student to help them learn and become better people. Québec City, the French trip’s destination one year, is a place he will never forget.

Jonah played the role of Theseus, the Duke of Athens, and will attend Columbia High School in September.

EVE MILLER was cast as the fairy Peaseblossom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. “The teachers always know how to make you smile,” she says, and she will miss knowing them on a personal level. She warmly recalls the day in 2014 when her whole lacrosse team wore pink polka dot socks to show their support when her father passed away. Eve will be found at Kent Place School this fall.

about leadership and to be an effective role model. He will remember the class feasts through the years, especially the Medieval Feast celebrated in Kindergarten and in Sixth Grade, and time spent playing soccer with his friends. Jason was Lysander (in the Woods) in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and he will attend Delbarton School this year.

EMERY TAMBOR, this year’s Titania, will miss

relationships made with everyone on campus, including teachers and students in other Grades. Her favorite subject was the Sixth Grade study of the Barbarian tribes when she wrote about the merging of the Saxons and the Angles. Emery will start at Kent School in Connecticut in September.

TABITHA WEIDNER joined the class in the Fifth Grade. She has enjoyed seeing all of the class plays over the years and acting in them. She remembers her first time standing on the stage for her Fifth Grade play and realizing how much she loved acting! She played Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and she will have more theatrical opportunities at Kent Place School.

MATT WESSON also entered Far Brook in the Fifth

Grade. His class favorites were science, history, and woodshop and he enjoyed the Wetlands. The Cascade Mountain hike during the Pok-O-MacCready trip is the most memorable time for him. Matt shared the role of Lysander with Jason in the graduation play and will attend Salisbury School in Connecticut.

Shakespeare’s Puck and King Oberon

18 / CLASS OF 2016

The Woodland Fairies of A Midsummer Night’s Dream

NICK WINKLER will miss the Traditions that involve everyone in the School. Young students get to see what they will be doing when they grow up, and later they get to be the leaders who “exhibit the passion and hard work” to the little ones. Nick’s favored memories are of playing “make believe” on the playground: from knights to family. Nick was Oberon in the play and will be a freshman at The Lawrenceville School.

ISABELLE ZEIDNER joined the class as a Sixth Grader and loved the daily Tradition of singing songs and listening to poetry in Morning Meeting. One of her favorite events was the Medieval Feast and preparing for it - making the shields, learning the dance, and cooking the food, much shared with Kindergartners. Isabelle played Snug the joiner/the Lion, and Kent Place School is her next step in life.

JONATHAN ZIEBARTH had the role of Nick

Bottom in the play. He will miss the Morning Meetings that he has attended since he was five, including stories read by Nursery teacher Bill Deltz and poems recited by Junior High’s Ed Solecki. The Pok-O trips stand tall in Jonathan’s memory, highlighted by the climb to Cascade Mountain. He is enrolled at LREI (Little Red Schoolhouse and Elisabeth Irwin High School) in New York City.

CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2012,

CLASS OF 2016,

THE FOLLOWING COLLEGES THIS FALL:

THE FOLLOWING HIGH SCHOOLS THIS FALL:

WHO WILL BE ATTENDING

WHO WILL BE ATTENDING

Colorado College

Santa Clara University

Blair Academy

Millburn High School

Denison University

St. Joseph’s University

Columbia High School

Morristown-Beard School

Gettysburg College

The College of New Jersey

Delbarton School

Newark Academy

Hamilton College

Union College

Gill St. Bernard’s School

Oak Knoll

Iona College

University of Chicago

Kent Place School

Phillips Academy Andover

Lafayette College

University of Pennsylvania

Kent School

Pingry School

Lehigh University

University of Utah

Lawrenceville School

Salisbury School Woodward Academy

University of Michigan

Western State

LREI

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Colorado University

Livingston High School

Vanderbilt University

CLASS OF 2016 / 19

DAVID FINCKEL ’67 & WU HAN HELP DEDICATE FAR BROOK’S NEW PIANO October 13, 2015

A fully restored, vintage 1894 Steinway B piano now graces Moore Hall thanks to The Marjorie Bunnell Charitable Fund.

The foundation’s representative, Don Strangfeld, attended a Morning Meeting in October when Director of Music Allen Artz ceremoniously rolled out the piano to introduce it to the students. In the days that followed, Lower School music teacher Erasmia Voukelatos and renowned cellist David Finckel ’67 (son of Director of Music Emeritus Edwin Finckel) and his wife, pianist Wu Han, performed for the children.

TOP TO BOTTOM: l to r: David Finckel ’67, F. Allen Artz, Wu Han, Amy Ziebarth; Erasmia Voukelatos

Nutrition Discussion January 26, 2016

Far Brook hosted a dynamic conversation about the psychology and ethics of food. Speakers Stefanie Sacks, author and nutritionist; Leith Hill, restaurateur; and Dr. Karen Rezach of the Ethics Institute at Kent Place School encouraged the audience to learn more about the food we eat and where it comes from.

Our Far Brook parents prepared delicious, fresh, organic hors d’oeuvres to complement the evening.

Karen Rezach, Leith Hill, Stefanie Sacks

20 / EVENTS

PIANO IN PERSPECTIVES: An Afternoon of Chamber Music and Chocolates January 31, 2016

This year’s benefit concert for Far Brook’s Music and Instrument Fund featured our new Steinway piano and honored Carol Sargent on her retirement after 34 years of development service.

Left to right: José Manuel Pietri-Coimbre, baritone; Paul DiDario, piano; Deb Spohnheimer, double bass; Orlando Wells, viola; Matthew Whitaker, jazz piano; Erasmia Voukelatos, piano/recital coordinator; Daryl Goldberg, cello; Laura Karel George, flute; William Shadel, clarinet; Barbara Thomson, piano; Glen Fittin, timpani/drums; Ashley Horne, violin; Milan Milinkovic, violin.

YOUNG ALUMNI GATHERING April 7, 2016

Top Row (l to r): Rebecca Gallick ’04, Taylor Deltz ’04, Grace Toolan ’05, Lauren Kronthal ’04, Alex Winkler ’06, Chris Murphy ’07, and Erik Douds ’06 Bottom Row (l to r): Librarian Kate Hewitt, Kate Scelsa ’94, Director of Athletics Nancy Muniz, and Director of Development Suzanne Glatt

EVENTS / 21

A DAY IN CLAY April 29, 2016

Far Brook students kneaded, coiled, fused, and squished clay with master ceramicists Cliff Mendelson & John Watts during a wonderful Day in Clay. We are grateful to the Fredda S. Leff Special Projects Endowment for making unique opportunities available. This year, students created a variety of objects ranging from pinch pots in Nursery and Kindergarten to tiles depicting scenes from The Tempest and A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Junior High.

PARENT MUSICAL POTLUCK May 6, 2016

Far Brook current parents and faculty enjoyed a social evening of music and food. Stellar performances ranging from folk music sung by faculty accompanied by current parents on guitar, to a 1940s crooner, to opera, to a Third Grade parents’ rock n’roll band pleased the crowd. Thanks to Nino Badridze for envisioning and organizing this fun community event.

22 / EVENTS

DIVERSITY CONFERENCE Far Brook is pleased to announce that we will host our first Diversity Conference for New Jersey Independent Schools this fall. Modeled after the successful annual conference at the Dalton School in New York, our event will help build a community committed to “widening the lens” to include all perspectives.

The dynamic and interactive program is designed to educate and train school leadership – administrators, alumni, diversity coordinators, faculty, parents, students, trustees – to broaden and improve inclusion within the racially diverse communities of New Jersey’s independent schools.

Thank you!

For supporting the 2015-2016 Far Brook Fund Gifts from current parents, alumni, alumni parents, trustees, faculty, and administration totaled

$515,315!

GREAT NEWS! 100% participation from the Faculty and Administration!

THANK YOU

Thank you to the Board of Trustees and all those who participated in the Trustee Challenge Match which brought us to our goal and beyond!

Your continued generosity ensures that Far Brook remains a vibrant and distinctive learning community for your students.

EVENTS / 23

ABOVE, TOP TO BOTTOM: Leah and Jeff Kronthal; Amy Ziebarth and Joseph B. Baker ’62

24 / DEVELOPMENT

Far Brook Names and Dedicates New Buildings

The Community celebrates the success of the “Imagine The Possibilities” Campaign The 2015-2016 school year was a busy one for Far Brook with the completion of the “Imagine The Possibilities” Campaign and the opening of the new Music & Arts Building, the Kronthal Science & Environmental Center, the Charlotte ’07 & Duncan ’04 Fisher Woodshop, and the Founding Families Courtyard. We also celebrated the naming of the Joseph B. Baker ’62 Endowment for Excellence in Mathmatics and Science.

On the morning of Fall Family Day, October 25, 2015, the community was invited to a Naming and Dedication ceremony. The rain cleared and guests gathered in the new Courtyard, dedicated to Far Brook’s 1948 Founding Families.

Head of School Amy Ziebarth took to the podium to welcome guests. “Far Brook’s possibilities have been imagined – realized actually – and it is an historic day for the School.”

“We also celebrate our supportive community and each and every one of our incredible donors who have helped to make the dreams of Far Brook a reality. Thank you for what

you have done for this Campaign, and thank you for ALL you do for Far Brook on a daily basis. Your generosity of resources and of spirit are an inspiration to me and to the entire community.“ Amy thanked many individuals who made this possible, including Board Chair Tommaso Zanobini, “for his partnership, his perseverance, and his unwavering belief in these projects.”

She also thanked the Board of Trustees, past and present, including former Board Chair Mary Sue Fisher who “began this grand adventure” with Amy. Deepest appreciation was bestowed upon the “Imagine The Possibilities” Campaign Chairs, Leah and Jeff Kronthal, Krissy and Joe Mannello, and Diane Bakst and Tommaso Zanobini for their stellar fundraising skills. A special thank you went to Trustee Chris Susko and former Trustee Tom Kligerman for their work on the master plan, help with the selection of the architects, and countless hours spent during the construction phase; and to Centerbrook Architects for their creativity, responsiveness, and

DEVELOPMENT / 25

Amy Ziebarth and Tommaso Zanobini

understanding of Far Brook’s culture from the very first meeting. Final and heartfelt thank-you’s went to Far Brook’s faculty and administration, “I am grateful for your patience, your flexibility, and your collaboration as you have managed the construction challenges with grace over the past 18 months. You are remarkable in your commitment to education and to this community.”

Tommaso Zanobini then joined Amy at the podium to begin the official naming and dedication.

Amy began, “We are here today to name and dedicate these beautiful spaces, to thank with heartfelt appreciation ALL of the donors who helped get us to today, and to honor Joe Baker ’62, Leah and Jeff Kronthal, Brad Wiley ’54, and Mary Sue and Peter Fisher.”

Amy and Tommaso began by officially dedicating the Music & Arts Building in support of Far Brook’s commitment and belief in the importance of learning through the arts. Mary Sue and Peter Fisher were then recognized for making the Woodshop possible. In honor of

Mary Sue and Peter Fisher

26 / DEVELOPMENT

their generosity, it was named the Charlotte ’07 & Duncan ’04 Fisher Woodshop.

Brad Wiley ’54 was next celebrated for his steadfast support and leadership gift to this Campaign. Because of this and his appreciation for all that the early Far Brook parents did to create and sustain the School, the new Courtyard was dedicated in honor of these visionaries, Far Brook’s 1948 Founding Families.

Leah and Jeff Kronthal joined Amy and Tommaso at the podium where they were celebrated for their remarkable Campaign commitment and their ongoing support of Far Brook over many years. In honor of their incredible generosity, the Science Center was named the Kronthal Science & Environmental Center.

Joe Baker ’62 was then heralded for his transformational philanthropy to Far Brook over the past 27 years, helping to create a culture of giving that has enriched the School profoundly. In appreciation of Joe’s longtime commitment to Far Brook’s Endowment and his incredible gift to the Campaign, a first time ever department fund was named in his honor, the Joseph B. Baker ’62 Endowment for Excellence in Mathematics and Science.

Once the cheering died down, Amy excitedly released a large colorful banner showing the Campaign pyramid and Tommaso announced – “we have raised $8,360,954 in gifts and pledges.” Gasps and applause filled the courtyard, the sun peeked through, and the day ended in typical Far Brook fashion with Carol Sargent leading the community in singing “Simple Gifts.”

“Imagine The Possibilities,” the Campaign for Far Brook, closed at the end of 2015 with gifts totaling $8,543,221.

Brad Wiley ’54

THANK YOU!

$8,543,221 $2,000,000-$1,000,000 $999,999-$500,000 $499,999-$250,000 $249,000-$100,000 $99,999-$50,000 $49,999-$25,000 $24,999 AND BELOW

= gifts committed

DEVELOPMENT / 27

ALUMNI NEWS SHARE YOUR ALUMNI NEWS! Graduation, wedding, birth, promotion, anniversary, award, or retirement?

Submit news of your major life events via email at alumni@farbrook.org.

Friend us on facebook.com/farbrookalumni

Wyatt Babington, son of Heather Chaffin ’92

1969

1990

1993

politics in America. This past year Thomas was also promoted to associate professor with tenure at Northwestern University. He has two children, a 5-year-old and a 22-month-old.

KATE SCELSA

John David Mann ’69 and wife, Ana

Adam Plotkin ’90 and husband, Adam Abrahams

Brian Chernoff ’93 with his wife, Stephanie

JOHN DAVID MANN

ADAM PLOTKIN

BRIAN CHERNOFF

Attended: Changes High School; Mannes College of Music John has coauthored his second book with Navy SEAL veteran Brandon Webb. Among Heroes is a military memoir that chronicles the private lives of Webb and eight friends who pushed themselves to extraordinary limits as the US’s elite special operations forces. Penguin Publishing Group released these inspiring stories in May 2015. He and coauthor Bob Burg released a Teacher’s Guide to their 2007 national bestseller The Go-Giver, a modern day business parable. Designed as a high school curriculum on leadership and core values, the Guide has been adapted for college management courses as well. The Go-Giver shifts the focus from getting to giving and putting the other person first as the key to business success and personal fulfillment. John lives with his wife, Ana, in Tampa, FL, and New England, seasonally.

Attended: The Pingry School ’94; University of Pennsylvania ’98; Harvard Business School Congratulations to Adam and his husband, Adam Bernard Abrahams, who were married on March 20, 2016, on the Grand Terrace of St. Pancras International, a railway station in London. Adam Plotkin is a partner in FF Venture Capital, a New York firm that provides funds for startup technology companies. Adam Abrahams is a product technology manager in software development at Google in New York.

Attended: Philips Academy Andover ’97; Harvard University ’01; Harvard Law School ’10 Brian is an attorney working on financial regulatory policy for the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, DC. His wife, Stephanie, works as a litigator for the Justice Department. They met when they were in law school together at Harvard University and have been married for four years.

1992

THOMAS BRADSHAW

28 / ALUMNI NEWS

HEATHER CHAFFIN Attended: Philips Academy Andover ’96, Brandeis University, New School, College of St. Elizabeth Double best wishes to former Far Brook Communications Coordinator Heather and her husband, Marshall Babington.

They were wed on October 10, 2015, and joyously announced the birth of Wyatt Irving on January 8, 2016! The family lives in Morristown.

1994

Attended: Newark Academy ’98; Bard College ’02; Brooklyn College Graduate School ’04 Thomas’ play, Fulfillment, enjoyed co-world premieres last fall, at the Flea Theater in Manhattan and at the American Theater Company in Chicago. This edgy play tackles the question: what makes us happy? In April, Thomas’ newest play, Carlyle, opened at The Goodman Theatre, the largest non-profit theater in Chicago. Carlyle explores race and

Attended: Montclair Kimberley Academy ’98; Sarah Lawrence College ’02 Kate has written a captivating debut novel for young readers.

Fans of the Impossible Life, published by HarperCollins/Balzer & Bray, is about complicated love and the friendships that have the power to transform you forever.

It got a starred review from Publishers Weekly and was named one of the “Best Young Adult Books of 2015” by the Barnes & Noble BNTeen blog. Her book was chosen by Far Brook’s librarian, Kate Hewitt, for the parent book group and was discussed in early January. She is currently writing her next novel. Kate has also been touring with Elevator Repair Service theater ensemble, including a run of their show The Select in Santiago, Chile. She and her wife, Amanda, are living in Brooklyn.

Kate Scelsa ’94 with her latest book

Alumni, please consider including Far Brook School in your LinkedIn Profile.

1995

1996

1998

orthodontic treatment can affect facial beauty. Jacy and Arianna have made improving the Montclair community the primary focus of their practice, donating their time and resources to the local schools, athletic teams, and charitable organizations. Jacy lives in Verona, NJ, with his wife, Samantha.

2002

ELLEN DEMOLL Michael Chernoff ’95

Jacy Papasikos ’99 and Arianna Papasikos Austin ’96

Ashley Inserra ’98 Married Kevin Moore

MICHAEL CHERNOFF

ARIANNA PAPASIKOS AUSTIN

ASHLEY INSERRA MOORE

Attended: The Pingry School ’00; University of Virginia ’04; University of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ ’08; Roseman University of Health Sciences (Nevada) ’12 After graduating from orthodontic residency in Nevada and moving back to New Jersey, Arianna and her brother, Jacy ’99, started an orthodontic practice together in Montclair in 2013. They specialize in braces and Invisalign for children and adults and have invested in 3-D technology and accelerated techniques to reduce treatment times. More recently, Arianna married Timothy Austin on June 7, 2014, at Baltusrol Golf Club.

The couple lives in Manhattan.

Congratulations to them both!

Attended: Newark Academy ’02; Lafayette College ’06; New York University ’08 Best wishes to Ashley and Kevin Joseph Moore who were wed on August 16, 2015, in a seaside setting at Castle Hill Inn in Newport, RI. Ashley is an independent contractor for Special Education Teacher Support Services (SETTS) in New York City and is an applied behavior analyst. She specializes in working with children with autism. The couple loves living in Jersey City.

Attended: The Pingry School ’99; Princeton University ’03 Last fall, Mike was promoted to general manager by the Cleveland Indians after holding the position of assistant GM for five years.

Mike has always been passionate about baseball, way back to Far Brook days, and he began with the Indians by running analytics and adopting sabermetrics, a new approach to assembling a team. Mike says his focus on developing current players has been influenced by his mother, retired Far Brook teacher Sally Chernoff ’57. One of his goals is to help minor league players reach their potential and graduate to the majors. Mike lives with his wife, Sarah Keil ’95, and two sons Brody (5) and Owen (2) in the Cleveland area.

Attended: Wilton High School (CT) ’06; Haverford College ’10; University of Connecticut School of Medicine ’15 Ellen has completed her intern year in internal medicine at a small Connecticut Yale-affiliated hospital and has moved to New York to begin her dermatology residency at Mount Sinai Hospital.

1999

JACY PAPASIKOS Attended: The Pingry School ’03; University of North Carolina ’07; University of Pennsylvania Dental School ’11: Temple University (orthodontic residency) ’13 Jacy and Arianna ’96 are the “Brother and Sister Team“in Papasikos Orthodontics in Montclair, NJ. Jacy conducted extensive research while at Temple on facial esthetics, using advanced 3-D technology to better understand how

Devon McIntyre ’02 and Patrick Corrigan

DEVON MCINTYRE CORRIGAN Attended: Kent Place School ’06; Colby College ’10 Congratulations to Devon who married Patrick Corrigan on September 12, 2015, on Cape Cod. The young couple is living in Philadelphia while Devon attends Cooper Medical College of Rowan University in Camden, NJ.

ALUMNI NEWS / 29

ALUMNI NEWS CONTINUED

2003

CARINA (NINA) LORENZ Attended: Phillips Exeter Academy ’07; Barnard College ’11; NYU Langone School of Medicine ’16 Nina will continue her studies in the NYU School of Medicine Psychiatry Residence Training program.

2004

LAUREN KRONTHAL Attended: The Pingry School ’08; Georgetown University ’12 Lauren taught sixth, seventh, and eighth grade chemistry at a public charter school in Washington, DC, for two years before moving to New York City to enter the masters program at Columbia University’s Teachers College.

Lauren was excited to be back at Far Brook on Thursdays as the Upper School science specialist this past year, working with science teachers Mike Chodroff and JoAnn Tutino. She helped to teach and plan curriculum development for the Fifth through Eighth Grade classes.

2006

ZACHARY OPPERMAN

Duncan Fisher ’04 with Molly McCoy

DUNCAN FISHER Attended: Newark Academy ’08; Stanford University ’12 All our best wishes go to Duncan and Molly McCoy who were wed at Villa Vannucci in the wine country of Healdsburg, CA, on August 8, 2015. Duncan’s goddaughter and current Far Brook Third Grader Anniemae Longville served as their sweet flower girl. Duncan works as the project manager at Box, an enterprise software company in Silicon Valley. Duncan and his wife are living in San Francisco, CA.

30 / ALUMNI NEWS

Attended: Montclair Kimberley Academy ’10; University of Pennsylvania Zak is an analyst for the global litigation firm of Kobre & Kim in Washington, DC, and resides in Alexandria, VA.

2007

CHARLOTTE FISHER Attended: Morristown Beard School ’11 Charlotte will graduate in December from Centre College in Danville, KY, near Lexington in famous horse country. She has been riding and showing her horse, Eros, up and down the East Coast when not in classes, and hopes to remain in the area after graduation to work with horses.

Charlotte Fisher ‘07 jumps with Eros

Zoe Winburn ‘09

2008

2009

Attended: Lehigh University ’16 Rachael graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Anthropology and High Honors.

She studied abroad in Auckland, New Zealand, was involved with her sorority Kappa Alpha Theta, and worked with Lehigh’s advancement office toward alumni relations and the senior class gift. Rachael’s senior English thesis harkens back to her Far Brook days. It is entitled: “The Socio-Political Consequences of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest: An Exploration of New World versus Old World Settings.”

Rachael is back in New Jersey and beginning her first year at Rutgers School of Law.

Attended: The Hudson School ‘12, University of Hawaii Zoe has been attending the University of Hawaii as a Japanese language major and was awarded a one-year Japanese studies scholarship by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) last fall. Zoe is now studying at Ochanomizu University, in Tokyo, and is practicing Aikido and taking classes in Turkish and Arabic.

RACHAEL MILLER

ZOE WINBURN

The class of 2012 met at the Lincers’ house in Short Hills in May. Row 1(L to R): Will Oliver Hollis, Marc Lincer; Row 2: Maeve Price, Max Lincer, Alexis Broussard, Lauren Burr; Row 3: Ming Goetz, Julia Tizzio, Cary Holley, Noelle Broussard, Nick Fazio, Dayna Beatty, Catherine Futterman; Row 4: Nick Celli, Joe Sokolowski, Robbie Holley, Brian Miller, Dylan Glasser

2010

MAIA YOSHIDA Attended: Newark Academy ’14 Maia is a biology major with a concentration in mechanisms of disease at the University of Pennsylvania. Her minor is fine arts. She is also a member of the UPenn chapter of Global Architecture Brigades. In May, her team designed and built a water filtration system with the people of a small community in Honduras. Maia’s plans this summer include studying abroad in Japan and working at a genetics lab, researching the mechanisms of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and frontotemporal dementia.

2012

gender issues. Dayna is visiting her family in Japan this summer and will be attending Colorado College in the fall.

NICHOLAS FAZIO Attended: Morristown-Beard School ’16 Nick spent several weeks on the Far Brook campus working in the Middle School, helping with sports and boys baseball, and assisting in the Development office as his senior project.

During his Morristown-Beard graduation, Nick received the Hillas Citizenship Award, presented to the senior boy who best exemplifies the qualities of character, scholarship, leadership and service; and the Arthur Lee James Award given by his peers to the young man who best exemplifies the qualities of integrity, responsibility, cooperation, and school spirit.

Nick will be attending Santa Clara University in CA this fall.

2012 Alumni Brian Miller and Nick Fazio

BRIAN MILLER

Attended: The Pingry School ’16 Brian also chose Far Brook School for his Independent Senior Project, assisting in different areas around campus during the month of May. He helped in the Sports Department, planning and implementing events for Sports Day, and assisted with baseball practices, Fifth Grade Greek Olympics, and spent some time helping in Lower School classes. Brian is enrolled at Lehigh University.

Nina Yoshida ’12

NINA YOSHIDA Attended: Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet Nina currently dances professionally with the Gelsey Kirkland Ballet Company in Brooklyn. Her most recent performance in May, entitled “Mischief, Mischief and More Mischief,” featured a mixed bill of three lively and funny one-act ballets in costume presented at The GK Arts Center in Dumbo.

Dayna Beatty ’12

DAYNA BEATTY Attended: Kent Place School ’16 Last November while a senior at Kent Place School, Dayna returned to Far Brook to share what she learned in her AP English course on women’s studies with our Third Graders and Junior High students.

She sought out a dialogue with the students to broaden their understanding of gender stereotypes and biases and to learn about their perceptions of

2015 Alumni Returned for Processional in November—L to R Alessia Zanobini, Richard Saber,

Hailey Bernstein, Lukas Sim, Liana Tizzio, Jackson Lubke, Sophia Fanelle, Maddie McEvoy, Nathaniel Waldor, Leah Miller, Annie Leithead, Ailie Jack

ALUMNI NEWS / 31

FACULTY AND ADMINISTRATION NEWS

Director of Music Allen Artz and His Far Brook Legacy Music is the soul of Far Brook, and Director of Music Allen Artz has been the guiding hand that keeps that soul singing. Allen retired in June after 26 years of geniusly-inspired musical mentoring. When Head of School Amy Ziebarth emailed the entire Far Brook community the news, notes poured in to Allen’s inbox from alumni and friends from places near and far, from Seoul, Korea, and Hong Kong to Savannah, Georgia.

Mr. Artz was trained as a teacher, with a BS in music education, and remembers that arts departments were losing funding and were closing down in the 1980s. There weren’t many teaching opportunities, so he found employment as the director of music and education in a large church in Pennsylvania. (When he moved to New Jersey in the late 1980s, he continued work as a full-time musician in another large church.)

Allen began work on his MA with a major in organ performance from Montclair State in the spring of 1990, but was still longing to get back into the classroom. Far Brook was

32 / FACULTY NEWS

searching for a successor for Director of Music Emeritus Edwin Finckel, and after eight weeks of interviews and practice classes carefully overseen by then Head of School Mary [Haigh] Wearn Wiener, Allen was hired for the position. He still remembers the names of all of his students from that first year!

Of the many contributions Mr. Artz has made to the School, he considers the introduction of the Boys Choir one of the most important. It completely changed the boys’ expectations and participation in the music program. Spending a half hour a week with the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Grade boys gave him the opportunity to make connections with them in a personal way.

There were no music classes after the Third Graders learned to play recorders when Allen arrived, so he began teaching music in the Fourth and Fifth Grades to build students’ knowledge. Finally, Allen introduced music theory and handbells as Seventh and Eighth Grade Mini classes. The first year, he borrowed the bells from Newark’s Sacred Heart Cathedral, where he served as associate organist. The children played the bells in Morning Meeting and Mary [Wearn Wiener] fell in love with the sound. The School purchased a set soon after.

Mr. Artz also initiated Recital Night, an opportunity for all students who study privately to perform as soloists – those who take private lessons both in and out of school. Previously, Music Night was an allinstrumental concert which included students in the Orchestra and only those who studied privately at Far Brook. Mr. Artz changed Music Night to include all of the instrumental and choral ensembles with a separate Recital Night for the soloists. When this Music Night event became very popular and overcrowded, Mr. Artz split it into two events, Instrumental

Music Night (for the Orchestra, handbell ensembles, Third Grade recorders, Second Grade Rhythm Ensemble, and the Lower School Philharmonic); and Spring Choral Concert where the children have a chance to shine in Choir (Fourth and Fifth Graders), Group (Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Graders), and Boys Choir.

Allen has written songs for the children to sing during Morning Meeting. The first, “Sing Sorrow,” was composed for the Fifth Grade play, Aeschylus’ Oresteia, in 1990, a haunting and beautiful melody. Others still seasonally sung are “That’s Autumn,””Black Spirits and White,” and “Queen Anne’s Lace.”

Mr. Artz’s goal is for every child to leave Far Brook with the gift of fluency in the language of music that will stay with them forever. His teaching style is a combination of humor and seriousness. He is patient and treats his students with respect, and he expects a lot of them at the same time. He guides the students to focus on reading and understanding music and encourages taking notes and practicing. He is constantly asking them questions, so they question themselves.

And this concentration is complemented by anecdotes and parables of life, many times of his own life, that relate to music. “You are the

RETIREMENTS foil to the melody as in drama,” he tells them one time and compares the ups and downs of the notes to the stock market in another class. Allen likens his purpose to that of an old-fashioned telephone operator, plugging the cables into the holes in the telephone board, connecting the callers to their recipients, in his case helping the children make connections to enable them to discover music.

What is next for Allen? He plans to move to Pottsville, PA, where he grew up and reconnect with his extended family and classmates. He and his husband, George Stralkus, have purchased an 1870s townhouse which George has been renovating for over two years. Mr. Artz invites all to hear his organ recitals on October 2 in Bloomfield and on November 19 in Morristown, to email him at aartz@farbrook.org for details, and to keep in touch.

“All the planets lined up,” Allen says, when he moved into the Director of Music position at Far Brook. He once likened a student’s musical journey to the construction of a house, in which you need a foundation (rhythm), studs (notation on the staff), walls and roof (harmony), and decorations (expression and dynamics). It is with those elements that Allen Artz has nourished and fortified the life of Far Brook and its students. He has been the foundation, the bedrock of the music program for 26 years.

Peggy Fawcett, the unsung hero of the Development office, has retired after 18 years.

Her official title was Development Associate, and her responsibilities were widespread.

Peggy provided essential support to every member of the development team, including managing the database, working on the Far Brook Fund and tracking donations, organizing School events, and editing and proofreading letters and publications. Did I mention that she is an accomplished baker and loved to supply the department with goodies? She truly kept the department humming. Those of us who work on this magazine are grateful for her writing skills, her keen eye, and her continued, good-natured support in all that we asked of her! She has “no big plans,” but looks forward to the freedom to travel with her husband, Buddy. They enjoy taking long car trips to visit friends and family, sightseeing along the way.

Peggy will continue to serve as secretary for the Green Village United Methodist Church and for the Auxiliary of the Green Village Fire Department, where she served as president for years. And she will volunteer, as usual, for any other assistance needed!

Marcela Figueroa retired in July. This warm, cheerful, gracious member of the administration team has been the executive assistant since 2002 when she was hired to work with Head of School Mary Wiener and in admissions/placement with Iris Leonard.

Most recently, she assisted Head of School Amy Ziebarth, Director of Upper School Nicole Engelke ’88, Director of Lower School Paula Levin, and Director of Admissions Mikki Murphy. Marcela calls her retirement “bittersweet.” The Far Brook community is welcoming and supportive, Marcela says, with talented and dedicated teachers and staff. She believes that her 14 years here have been the most enriching experience of her professional life. Marcela is excited about spending more time with her husband, Max, and her grandchildren and is sad about leaving the wonderful people she has been working with all these years. Though Marcela will miss Far Brook, she looks forward to travelling with Max to Oregon, visiting with her three children and two grandchildren, and renting a house in her home country of Ecuador with her entire family.

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FACULTY AND ADMINISTRATION NEWS CONTINUED

Second Grade’s Joan Rabinowitz Retires After 29 years of dedication and love for Far Brook School, Second Grade teacher Joan Rabinowitz has retired. Joan began her career at Far Brook in the Kindergarten teaching with Donna Deltz. They shared their love of the arts, young children, and working in an integrated curriculum. After eight years, Joan moved to Second Grade where she settled in for 21 years, co-teaching with Sue Levenson for 15 years, Jamie Yang for five, and most recently with Megan Gottlieb.

Joan’s passion for the arts, science, and literature was a natural fit for the Second Grade core curriculum, Child and Universe.

Whether sharing the beautiful poetry of Emily Dickinson, the excitement for the wonder of the universe, or the “Zen” of teaching script, Joan’s joy for teaching was always apparent. As a master teacher, Joan provided opportunities to deepen her students’ thinking, to share her wisdom for life’s everyday occurrences, and to create an atmosphere of intellectual challenge and support. Her ability to integrate the

34 / FACULTY NEWS

arts and sciences and to help the children make connections between them made the curriculum both dynamic and fun.

Over the years, Joan has been a wonderful and inspiring teacher often relied on by her colleagues for her wisdom and talent.

Whether enhancing a keepsake, special book or card with her beautiful calligraphy, or lending her aesthetics to a school project or celebration, no request was ever too big or too late to be completed. Joan also served on the Playground Committee, tapping into her long experience and offering insightful observations about how children play and what equipment would best facilitate their development. Joan, a true “Renaissance woman,” often enlightened everyone with her memorable Morning Meetings when she shared her thoughts on such diverse topics as Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, Alvin Ailey’s Dance Company performing “Wade in the Water,” and the work of neurologist and author Dr. Oliver Sacks. She always had the ability to make these brilliant people and their works accessible to our community.

Of course Joan will miss being with her students, their families, and her colleagues.

She will also miss redecorating her classroom every month to reflect what was being studied. What she loves about Far Brook is that it cherishes the children’s work and she saw how much it meant to them to see their art displayed on the walls. Her classroom was never stagnant, it was always changing – even the bathroom had changing artwork! Joan loved arriving at School each morning, getting out of her car, and looking around her to see the beauty that surrounded her on campus – the birds chirping, the changing sky. Taking the children outside to see the “day moon” or encouraging them to study a swarm of ants in a crack of the walkway gave her

pleasure. Joan loves the unending opportunity to appreciate the world and what each day offers, sharing that love with the children whenever possible. And she will miss the energy the children shared with her in return.

What’s next? Joan will do something creative, perhaps relating to calligraphy or bookmaking. She’s not sure yet. She and her husband, Joshua, look forward to hiking in the woods. “A hike is waiting for us somewhere,” she said. They will have more time to spend with their children and four grandchildren who live in Madison, WI, and in Washington, DC. Joan feels that she is stepping into a “brave new world”and she will see where it takes her!

RETIREMENTS

Senior Philanthropic Advisor Carol Sargent Retires After 34 Years

When Carol Sargent heard there was an opening in a private school in 1982, she thought “white gloves and plaid uniforms” and didn’t make the call. She was working in public relations and development at Bloomfield College and was looking for a change. Then Head of School Mary [Haigh] Wearn Wiener spoke eloquently about the unique and creative nature of the School and the community. Carol had a music background and an undergraduate degree in voice. When she heard that music was the spiritual fabric of Far Brook, she became more and more intrigued. Far Brook did not have a development office at that time, and the dynamic group of Trustees who were committed to putting Far Brook on the map knew that creating a fundraising culture was necessary for its survival. A capital campaign was being planned and Far Brook needed a leader. It was a match!

Carol remembers her first impressions of Far

Brook as she walked up the hill through the trees toward her interview. The little yellow school buses were lined up along the red clapboard buildings and children were running toward their classrooms! And a white-haired man with a goatee asked if she were lost and directed her to the office. That was Director of Music [Emeritus] Ed Finckel. She loved Morning Meeting filled with music. It was June, right before Shakespeare, and the children were rushing in and out of Moore Hall dressed in burlap as the fairies, rehearsing A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She was entranced!

Carol will be forever grateful to Mary and her Search Committee for introducing and inviting her into this school of uncommon quality. Carol began the following September and has been helping to create the School we love ever since.

Working closely with Mary and the Board, Carol established the Annual Fund, developed public relations and publications, worked with many volunteers, and led a student recruitment outreach effort. Carol is proud that their initial work helped to increase faculty health benefits and salaries. Over the years, she has focused her energy on capital campaigns and major gifts, overseeing the School’s first capital campaign and working with Far Brook’s Board members and volunteers on fundraising, galas, significant anniversaries, and subsequent campaigns.

Carol ever praises the leadership and generosity of current Head of School Amy Ziebarth, the Board and parents, the talents of an exceptional faculty and administration, and her relationships with

alumni families – the sum of this extraordinarily dedicated community.

Carol officially retired in December. When Amy and Director of Development Suzanne Glatt approached her with the idea of honoring her at January’s Chamber Music and Chocolates concert, she was speechless! As she became comfortable with the idea, Carol invited friends from other parts of her life to come and meet everyone. Carol says it was the first time she sat in the front row at a Far Brook event! It may be the first time she ever sat! Amy’s opening remarks at the event extolled Carol as being “the taproot and touchstone for everything Far Brook” who showed her “the essence of Far Brook” while she was embarking on the role of Head of School six years ago.

And, Carol sings! A soprano with the distinguished Schola Cantorum on Hudson, Carol has been a choral member and soloist for over 20 years and is a former member of their Board. Carol also took up percussion after being inspired at a Morning Meeting in 1996.

She sometimes plays percussion with her choir and participates in drum circles.

Carol always knew that music and the arts “spoke” to her and at Far Brook she learned how they “affect learning so profoundly and on an entirely new level.” For many in the development world, jobs change frequently, but Far Brook “got under [her] skin,” and for 34 years Carol has enjoyed playing an essential role in ensuring the health and future of the School.

She considers herself “lucky and blessed” to have been at Far Brook where JOY is written into its Statement of Purpose, and we have had the good fortune to have her choose us. We hope Carol will return to Morning Meeting to sing with us and to work on special projects.

FACULTY NEWS / 35

FACULTY AND ADMINISTRATION NEWS CONTINUED Feathers by Nancy McIntyre

Rosemarie Alagia and Zoé Belle

Congratulations to Rosemarie Alagia, Junior High French teacher, and husband Anthony on the birth of their second daughter, Zoé Belle, on June 15.

Charlotte Rose is now three!

Rosemarie is taking a year off and plans to be back for the 2017-18 school year.

Sports teacher Greg Bartiromo has just concluded his 18th summer of operating Fundamentals Sports Camp at Far Brook School. It’s different each year and often includes softball, field hockey, volleyball, and lacrosse for girls and football, basketball, baseball, Summer

Greg Bartiromo

36 / FACULTY NEWS

Olympics, soccer, and golf for boys. Greg started the camp with a goal of “creating a learning environment not only for sports skills but character development as well.” Greg will take some time off to relax in August and vacation with his wife, Erin, to re-charge for a new school year.

This summer Greg joins the Development team as Associate Director of the Far Brook Fund and Alumni Relations while continuing to coach.

Erin Comollo

First Grade teacher

Erin Comollo is working toward her doctorate of education at Rutgers University Graduate School of Education and successfully passed her dissertation proposal defense in November 2015. She is currently conducting her study, Teachers’ Experiences in a Critical Friends Group: A Focus on Student Writing, which focuses on teacher-led professional development. Erin anticipates earning her doctoral degree in December 2016.

Jim Glossman

Kerry Jones married Jeff Lancey

Director of Drama James Glossman is a very busy man. In addition to teaching drama mini classes, directing five class plays and the graduation Shakespeare play, he commutes to Baltimore to lecture on directing and Shakespeare in the Theater and Arts program at Johns Hopkins University. Last fall, Jim directed Joe DiPietro’s comedy Living on Love starring Stephanie Zimbalist at the Seven Angels Theater in Waterbury, CT. This summer, time was spent directing the Tony Award-winning play, Red, by John Logan, about artist Mark Rothko at the Shadowland Stages in the Hudson Valley. Jim is currently developing a music/theater piece about composer Dmitri Shostakovich with the Emerson String Quartet.

Congratulations to Fourth Grade teacher Kerry Jones and her husband Jeff Lancey who were married on April 1, at the Presbyterian Church in New Providence. All members of the Fourth Grade class were invited to the afternoon ceremony and almost all showed up. How could they miss a wedding? A reception followed for friends and family, and her students held a surprise party for her the following week.

The couple honeymooned in St. Lucia during spring break.

Art teacher Nancy McIntyre says she is constantly drawing.

She has been working on a series of cut paper gouache paintings all with the imagery of bird feathers, and another series of drawings using the imagery of cats.

Head of School Amy Ziebarth ran in the NYC Marathon in 2015, a goal she had for 30 years.

She was “always in awe of people who ran it and never thought” she could accomplish it. Seeing her family, Far Brook parents, students and faculty along the course race was extraordinary, she says.

Students and current parent celebrate Amy Ziebarth’s Marathon run.

Milan Milinkovic

Milan Milinkovic has been giving private violin lessons to our students since 2009, and he has recently been named the string coordinator for the New Jersey Youth Symphony. He is a graduate of the University of Music Arts in Belgrade and has performed with St. George Strings throughout Europe; with the Manhattan Virtuosi, Riverside Symphony, and Garden State Philharmonic, more locally; as well as with the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra on its American tour last year.

Alisha Roig Martinez wedding

Congratulations to Alisha Roig Martinez and her husband, Fabio, who were married on May 21, at the Church of the Sacred Heart in their hometown of South Plainfield, NJ. They were childhood friends and, after nine years together, finally decided to tie the knot. Together

they became the Brady Bunch, blending their families with a total of six children ranging from 15 to 22 years old. And they are all ardent Giants fans! We wish them many more years of their exciting relationship. Alisha has been Far Brook’s office coordinator for four years and has just stepped

challenged music educators to “partner with parents” to create culturally authentic learning experiences. She was joined by current Far Brook parent Jyoti Ananth and alumni parent Shilpa Toolsidas. In December, Erasmia organized a production of Amahl and the Night Visitors

into Marcela Figueroa’s shoes as the executive assistant/placement coordinator upon her retirement in July.

at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Jersey City. Singers from Kyrenia Opera were joined by Far Brook Seventh Grader Alexi Horne in the role of Amahl, and students from Mustard Seed School and Far Brook in the role of the Shepherds’ Chorus. This summer, Erasmia toured with Cantigas Women’s Choir in a series of concerts in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In addition to performing Brahms and Rachmaninoff piano solos, Erasmia conducted her own arrangements of folk songs in a goodwill program with the theme “Music of the Americas.”

JoAnn Tutino with Timothy Luke

Lower School science teacher JoAnn Tutino has a new grandson! Timothy Luke was born on May 1 to Laura and Kyle McCloskey. He weighed in at a healthy 7 lbs, 15 oz. His sister Charlotte Rose is now 2 years old.

The family lives in Oakton, VA. Lower School music teacher

Erasmia Voukelatos presented a workshop, “Journey to India: Utilizing Authentic Resources within Your Community,” at the Kodaly Eastern Division Conference in Lancaster, PA, last fall. She

Second Grade’s Jamie Yang is back at Columbia University’s Teachers College taking courses during the evenings for her graduate degree as a literacy specialist. She has completed her second semester studying exciting coursework under Lucy Calkins and working with children in Harlem.

Mike Chodroff, Deborah (Wraight) Costa, and Chris Murphy

In June, Far Brook offered its first ever two-week STEAM Summer Camp program, open to our enrolled students entering Grades Three through Seven.

This program was fun, handson, collaborative, and projectbased, giving our campers an opportunity to further explore and develop their passion for science and engineering. Participants were exposed to a broad range of activities including 3-D printing and design, hydroponic gardening, designing and racing solar-powered cars, and computer programming. The camp was staffed by teachers Chris Murphy, Mike Chodroff, and Deborah (Wraight) Costa.

Jamie Yang

FACULTY NEWS / 37

WE REMEMBER

NANCY DUNN June 27, 2015 Alumni Parent and Trustee 1978-80 Nancy Dunn was born in Newark, NJ, and attended Mount Holyoke College. She married Robert Dunn and lived in Ohio until they moved to West Caldwell, NJ, where she raised their children and became a civil rights activist. Nancy traveled the world as a professional photographer and earned one-woman shows at several museums from New Jersey to California. She was a tennis player, a sailor, and surprised her family by soloing an airplane!

Robert and Nancy moved to Connecticut in 1983. Nancy is survived by her husband, Robert; her two children, Susan Dixon ’73 and Jeremy ’77; and one granddaughter. She was pre-deceased by her son, Stephen ’71.

ALESSANDRA LOCONTE ’07 August 29, 2015 Alessandra LoConte was a sophomore at Muhlenberg College, majoring in psychology and dance, at the time of her diagnosis of Ewing’s Sarcoma.

Throughout her fierce two-anda-half year struggle, Ali inspired many with her courage, as well as her characteristic sass and sense of humor. A talented writer, Ali started a blog about her experiences as a Ewing’s and bone marrow transplant survivor (fightcancerbeautifully. com), in the hopes of inspiring other young adults with cancer. The LoConte family is most appreciative of the support they’ve received from the greater Far Brook community, including several of Ali’s oldest friends who joined in the celebration of her life in October. Ali is survived by her parents, John LoConte and Deana Washburn; and her siblings, Geneva ’11 and Devon ’14.

MARCIA WORTH-BAKER September 13, 2015 Former Fifth Grade Teacher 2013-2015 Marcia Worth-Baker grew up in Paterson and resided in South Orange. She attended Mt. Holyoke College and received her master’s degree from Teacher’s College at Columbia University. Marcia was a writer, educator, editor of Matters Magazine and the South Orange Patch, and a New York Times blogger. Marcia also loved Zumba and being a community volunteer. As an avid Anglophile, she shared her

38 / WE REMEMBER

passion for Shakespeare with her Far Brook students. She is survived by her husband, David Baker; her children Abigail, James and Charles; her parents, Catherine Dwan and Larry Worth; her stepfather, Donald Dwan; and her brother, John Worth.

ROBERTS “ROBIN” FRAY CAREY December 17, 2015 Alumni Parent Roberts “Robin” Fray Carey was born and raised in Culpeper, VA, and graduated from the University of Virginia as an Echols Scholar. Her publishing jobs after college included work at Esquire, The Washington Post, Fortune, Time, and Newsweek.

In 2006, Robin founded Social Media Today LLC, a business-tobusiness media company based in Charlottesville, VA. Robin was also passionate about her nonprofit activities. She joined the board of the Women’s Refugee Commission in 2005, and was co-chair from 2010 to 2013. At the time of her death, the commission was beginning the process of naming her as one of its overseers. Robin raised her sons while living in Maplewood, NJ, with her then-husband Robert James Carey. In 2012, she married John Dudley Casey and took great care to blend her two families. Robin is survived by her husband, John Casey; her sons, Preston Carey ’05 and James Duncan Carey ’06; four step-daughters, Maude, Julia, Clare, and Eleanor Casey; and two step-grandchildren.

MARY EISENBERG ’61 February 8, 2016 Mary Eisenberg attended the University of Chicago and when she returned to New Jersey, she reconnected with Darwin Adams ’58 whom she had known from Far Brook. They married in 1976.

Another move brought them to Connecticut where they raised their two sons and where she became the director of Leila Day Nursery. Mary enrolled at Tufts University when her family relocated to Massachusetts and earned advanced degrees in early childhood education. She became a supportive teacher, leader, and mentor to new and experienced teachers alike. Mary loved doll-making and stitched soft dolls with hand-made clothing for family members, friends, and co-workers. Over the years, Mary kept in touch with a great many Far Brook alumni and teachers. She gave at least one teacher workshop on paper-making and one on book-making with the children.

Surviving Mary are her husband, Dar; her sons, Jacob and Benjamin Adams; her brother, Peter Eisenberg ’59; and her sister-in-law, Sally Chernoff ’57.

PAULA MUELLER-FARRIS February 18, 2016 Alumni Parent and Former Far Book Music Teacher 1987- 1992 Paula Farris was born in Montclair, NJ, and lived most of her life in Bernardsville. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Westminster Choir College and went on to teach at Far Brook School and Gill St. Bernard’s School. She also graced many churches throughout the Diocese of Metuchen, including Our Lady of Perpetual Help, St. Bartholomew’s, St. Cecelia’s, Immaculate Conception, and St. Mary’s Abbey at Delbarton School, performing at numerous events and ordinations in addition to cantoring. Paula also taught individual vocal instruction at her Studio of Angelic Voices throughout her career. She brought joy to the lives of others through her love of music and tremendous giving spirit. Surviving are her son, David Farris ’97; brother, David Mueller; and sisters, Rita Mueller, Ruth Mueller, and Clare Mueller Maqueda.

CHARLES SEGAL March 24, 2016 Alumni Parent Charles Segal was born in Bayonne, NJ. After several years as a social worker at the Veterans Administration, Charles joined his brothers Joe, Hyman, Max, and Arnold in the Segal & Segal Real Estate Company of South Orange, NJ. He was

a property developer, builder, landscaper, sculptor, furniture and bowl maker, art collector, and supporter of the arts and progressive causes. He leaves a trove of beautifully hand-made wooden art objects. Mr. Segal is survived by his children, Robert ’61, Judith ’64, and Emily ’72; his eight grandchildren, Zoe and Ben Stark, Sarah, Jacob, and Samuel Segal, Dana ’04, Henry ’07, and Rebecca ’07 Ellis; and one great-grandson. He is predeceased by his wife, Jean; and his brothers, one for whom the Max and Ruth Segal Family Library is named.

ARTHUR GILLETTE ’53 May 25, 2016 Arthur Gillette graduated from Harvard University cum laude in French language and literature and with a doctorate from the University of Massachusetts.

Arthur lived in Paris since 1958 and for many years was an official at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) headquartered in Paris. At UNESCO he was Editorin-Chief of the magazine.

Most recently, he wrote for the on-line quarterly www.franceonyourown.com; created historical mini-visits of Paris on the internet; guided seventeen walking tours of Paris called “Paris Through The Ages” in four languages; authored nine pocket map guides of the same name; and was studying Chinese! Arthur is survived by his children, Elise and Arthur; three grandchildren; and his sister, Leda Gillette Roberts.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2016-2017 Tony Stovall, Chair Neale Trangucci, Vice Chair Michelle Swittenberg, Secretary Robert Kelly, Treasurer Amy M. Ziebarth, Head of School Diane Bakst Chris Burns Carmine Fanelle Kate Hewitt Greg Hoffman Anne-Marie Kim Leah Kronthal Marybeth Leithead Krissy Mannello Elyse Post ’78 Marc Schwartz David Srere Christine Susko Bradford Wiley, II ’54

ADMINISTRATION 2016-2017

Amy M. Ziebarth, Head of School Alisha Martinez, Executive Assistant/Placement Coordinator Paula Levin, Director of Lower School Nicole Engelke ’88, Director of Upper School Admissions Mikki Murphy, Director of Admissions, Placement, and Diversity Emi Ithen, Associate Director of Admissions and Financial Aid Kathy Ike, Admissions Assistant Business Office Donna Chahalis, CFO/Business Manager Janice O’Shea, Accounting Manager Development Suzanne Glatt, Director of Development Jennifer Barba, Director of Communications and Volunteers Greg Bartiromo, Associate Director of The Far Brook Fund and Alumni Realtions Joan Burr, Communications Coordinator Susan FitzGibbon, Development Associate and Database Coordinator Front Office Gloria Monteiro, Office Coordinator Jerilyn Campbell, School Nurse After-School Program Mona Boewe, After-School Program Coordinator Facilities Melissa Stampoulis, Kitchen Coordinator Arthur Gannon, Plant Supervisor

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